The blog is back – thank you for your patience as we have switched hosting for the web site in the last week. Having said that, I think the person who has missed the blog the most is me, as it has interrupted my normal morning ritual and I’ve really missed it.

My weekend was spent in Marylebone, delivering my Autumn Client Retreat and, once more, enjoying the lightbulb moments in the room.

On Friday afternoon we established the delegate’s “shopping lists” for the weekend and each of them shared their 3-year vision.

The following 48 hours of intensive coaching was designed to give them the skills to achieve their vision. We looked at financial analysis, internal marketing, customer service, leadership, management, team building, time management and personal effectiveness. The only escape was a conversation about football over dinner on Saturday night.

By Sunday lunchtime my exhausted guests all agreed that the experience had been of huge impact.

This is the third retreat I’ve facilitated in the last 18 months and I know it will be a regular feature in the calendar – Spring and Autumn.

The dates of my 2019 Spring Retreat are 12-14th April and we have two delegates booked on already – I usually restrict numbers to no more than 6 so, if you are interested, drop me an email to coachbarrow@me.com

I had occasion over the weekend to look back at my own calendar and realise that the last time I enjoyed a full weekend at home was 1st/2nd September – yikes. It’s that time of year and we are taking a week in The Lake District starting next Saturday. To say that I’m ready for it would be an understatement.

Ashley Latter called me on Friday evening for a quick chat and shared that he had delivered his ethical sales and communication programme twice in the week – once in Atlanta, USA and once in Glasgow (from where he was driving home).

A former client emailed me last week to ask if I was noticing any downturn in business across my client base? I replied:

Business is booming across my client base – and that’s because a huge amount of focused hard work is going in to all the “internal human interest marketing” that I’m harping on about every day of my working life – you’ve heard it all.

The challenge isn’t getting the patients in – the challenge is getting the team on board with internal marketing and with the patient journey – once that happens, things start to grow.

So…….

Maybe what is needed here is an examination of all of your marketing and patient journey activity?

As well as client meetings, this week I’ll be speaking to an audience of 70 GDPs at a Study Club meeting and 20 practice managers at an ADAM meeting.

Including today – we have 50 days to Christmas (later today I’ll be posting again about my Bridge2Aid special pre-Christmas offer, worth £1,950 – if you can’t wait – CLICK HERE).

High street retailers may well be in a panic about how much money we are going to spend this Christmas (and where and with whom) – that’ll be why Costa has started playing Christmas Carols, Oxford Street is festooned and the first Xmas adverts are appearing on TV.

I’m not in any panic about whether my clients are going to have a busy 6 weeks ahead. They are doing a roaring trade in dentistry.