Fresh Legs for Established Businesses :: Didcot Chamber of Commerce 28 June 2006

Like an energy bar or sports drink in a marathon, sometimes what businesses need is a boost to their business to carry them over the line – whether that be retirement, selling the business or handing it on to the next generation. On 28 June, James Butler from Painless Business will be encouraging you to explore exactly what the challenges are for established businesses, and to consider three key areas that can inject fresh enthusiasm to your daily work. You are guaranteed to leave with immediate ways to gain those fresh legs within your business.

For more details, contact the Chamber on 01235 850050.

Painless Practice CPD Day :: Holiday Inn Oxford 25 June 2006

Aimed at osteopaths and other alternative health practitioners, The purpose of the day will be to develop a plan for growing your practice. We will explore what you want from the practice, why you are running it and what values you want to reflect in the practice.

We will then be considering what your brand is as an alternative health practitioners, and how to reflect the values and brand within the patient's experience. Everyone can expect to do some work, have some fun, and leave with a list of things to change when they get back to the practice.

Personal Strategy and Business Strategy :: Slough Gateway June 2006

These two workshops are provided on a range of dates for local businesses by the Slough Enterprise Gateway. Perfect for anyone just starting to manage their own business, or those established for a while but looking to improve their effectiveness. Expect the usual blend of interaction, humour and thought provoking ideas.

For more details please email james@painlessbusiness.com or call 01491 659073.

The Experience Economy (Oxford) :: 22 May 2006

A Painless Business Workshop in Oxford exploring the ideas in The Experience Economy by Joseph Pine and James Gilmore. We will be looking at the evolution beyond a service economy into providing experiences - and how you can use this concept to build customer loyalty, provide greater value (and thus charge more) and create raving fans who refer new clients to you.

Any one who provides services, whether to consumers or to businesses, will benefit from examining what experience they currently provide, and what opportunities they have to develop their offering.

For more details, contact the Painless office.

Assertiveness :: Women in Business Presentation (Milton Park) 10 May 2006

This event, run by Women in Business at Milton Park, Oxfordshire, is aimed at women who want to increase their assertiveness but not their aggressiveness.

Picture yourself negotiating from a position of calm, confidence and self-belief. This session will help you find the painless way to being self-assured without being aggressive. By fully participating, you will learn key steps to develop and maintain your self-assurance: useful in your business, at home or in any relationship.

For more details, visit Milton Park website.

Wantage and Grove Review :: Apr 2006

Article in the Wantage & Grove Review - the leading community newspaper in that part of Oxfordshire

Know who your customer is :: Networking Presentation (Abingdon) 5 April 2006

I'll be delivering this presentation with Christine Rayner from Tangram at the excellent Late Breakfast networking event near Abingdon.

We'll be considering the topic of identifying your ideal clients - preferably by name! Aimed at service sector professionals, we will be encouraging you to narrow down your target market to make approaching them so much easier.

For more details, visit the Late Breakfast website.

Painless Customer Service :: Workshop (Faringdon) 3 April 2006

Discover painless ways to increase profit, retain customers and convert more leads. In this light-hearted and active workshop, hosted by the Faringdon Enterprise Gateway, you will consider:

• What does your customer experience when they buy from your company?
• What do your customers want from their experience and how do you know?
• Do you provide what they want consistently every time (and how do you know!)?
• What are the 3 key things you can do to make buying from you easier?
• How can you move your customer's experience along the spectrum from dissatisfaction, through indifference and satisfaction to creating raving fans and repeat sales?
• And how can we do all this with the minimum pain for you and them?

You will leave the workshop with clear actions on how you can improve your customer's experience - and increase profits. A recent workshop participant wrote:

"I would recommend anyone wanting a "kick up the bum" to attend one of James' very professional and, in certain respects, life-changing seminars".

Contact the Painless Business office or visit the Faringdon Enterprise Gateway website.

Maintaining Your Brand Image :: Workshop 6 March 2006

A Painless Business workshop where we will not be discussing your logo or letterhead, but we will have an opportunity to review how you apply your branding across all forms of communication. Remembering that your brand is effectively what someone thinks of you, what I hope to explore is the parts of the brand that are non-physical (ie not just the logo). Is the way you answer your phone consistent with your brand? What about when you stand up at a networking meeting?

We will have a range of exercises and discussions to get us thinking about how we show up in all areas of our business. And, because I know you like it so much, we will finish with you making a commitment to change something after the workshop!

This event is invitation only, but to find out more about similar events, please email james@painlessbusiness.com

Identify your ideal clients :: Workshop 7 Dec 2005

A Painless Business workshop on the topic of identifying your ideal clients - preferably by name! Aimed at service sector professionals, we will be encouraging you to narrow down your target market to make approaching them so much easier.

This event is invitation only, but to find out more about similar events, please email james@painlessbusiness.com

SAIF Insight :: Dec 2005

Article in SAIF Insight - the magazine for Allied and Independent Funeral Directors

Be Your Own Boss (Oxford) :: 16 Nov 2005

An open event for women looking at starting their own business, as part of Enterprise Week, organised by Business Link. James will be giving a talk entitled Painless Customer Service on how to understand, measure and polish the customer experience in just three easy steps.

Work Smarter, Not Harder (Oxford) :: 27 Oct 2005

A Painless Business workshop exploring ways to improve how we work so we get more done with less pain and effort. What strategies and tactics can increase our productivity, allowing us to do more in less time.

Abingdon Marathon (Abingdon) :: 16 Oct 2005

The culmination of a lot of my goal-setting and determination this year. I have learnt so much from the process of preparing for this race - about what I am actually capable of if I stretch myself, and the importance of careful preparation. Thanks so much to all who sponsored my wife and I - we finished in 5hrs 17 minutes and raised over £2200 for the charity we support in South Africa (through World Vision).

What Business Can Learn From ABBA (Wallingford) :: 11 Oct 2005

A lively, humorous and hopefully thought provoking presentation at the Tuesday Business Club in Wallingford.The legendary Swedish pop titans unknowingly created a legacy of inspiring lyrics which any business would do well to remember.

Fancy dress is optional and may be ill-advised…

The Late Breakfast (Abbingdon) :: 5 Oct 2005

A popular and fresh networking group that meets monthly after the school run/rush hour. James will be giving a talk entitled Painless Customer Service on how to understand, measure and polish the customer experience in just three easy steps.

Business Development Handbook published by the BOA :: 15 Sep 2005

The British Osteopathic Association today published their guide to growing and developing an osteopathy practice, available free to all BOA members. Authored by James Butler and the BOA's Michael Watson, the Handbook sets out a nine step process for designing and marketing the practice the reader wants.

Widely welcomed by the profession, the book will help osteopaths who may not have business development skills. The BOA intend to make the book available to non-members in 2006. Launching the book, James Butler said "This is a great opportunity to extend the Painless principles into a particular profession. I look forward to developing the content for wider application in further books next year"

Letting Reality TV into your business - SAIF Insight :: 15 Sep 2005

An article advocating stepping back and reviewing your business periodically - so that you can control its progress. Don't be stuck in the day-to-day, controlled by others, like Truman Burbank in the reality TV comedy movie Truman. SAIF Insight is the monthly journal for the National Society of Allied & Independent Funeral Directors.

London Coaching Group (Victoria) :: 25 Aug 2005

A networking group for those connected with the world of coaching in London. A CPD Event exploring the wider elements of the client experience and how managing it helps to attract more business.Expect to evaluate your own practice and the experience clients get - and to list some clear actions to improve it!

Raise Your Game (BBC website) :: 1 Aug 2005

James has been interviewed for a BBC Wales website aimed at young people. Sharing some ideas on goal setting, team building and confidence, James draws on his corporate experience, coaching skills and his current marathon training for inspiration.

Getting Satisfaction From Your Marketing (Milton Park) :: 14 Jun 2005

A Painless Business workshop helping owners of small businesses to review their current lead generation activity. The focus will be on challenging beliefs and improving the way you "show up" when marketing the business - what are you communicating when you're promoting your company?