1. Edition 23—Spring/Summer 2011
NEWSLETTER
In this edition:
WHAT DO THE MOST
SUCCESSFUL LEADERS ASK What do the
Most
THEMSELVES IN THE MIRROR? Successful
Leaders Ask
Themselves in
There comes a point in everyone’s career when the the Mirror
best way to figure out how you are doing is to step back and ask NAE—None
yourself some key questions. Actually Exist
Acronyms
Having all the answers is less important than knowing what to ask.
Insights
Vision and Priorities Whose Line Is
It Anyway?
How often do I communicate a vision for my business?
Have I identified and communicated three to five key priorities dunnhumby: A
Lifetime of
to achieve that vision? Loyalty?
If asked, would my employees be able to articulate the vision
Distributor or
and priorities? Agent?
Managing Time
Leadership and
How am I spending my time? Does it match my key priorities? Self Deception
How are my subordinates spending their time?
Does that match the key priorities for the business? Need a
Meeting
Feedback Room?
Do I give people timely and direct feedback that they can act
The Angel
on? From Heaven
Do I have five or six subordinates who will tell me things I may or the Horror
from Hell?
not want to hear but need to hear?
Succession Planning
Have I, at least in my own mind, picked one or more potential
successors?
Am I coaching them and giving them challenging
assignments?
Am I delegating sufficiently?
Cont on Page 2
producing results for your business
Pursuit NHA International, Waltham Court, hare Hatch, Berkshire, RG10 9AA
Page 1
0118 940 5100 Email: pursuit@pursuitnha.com www.pursuitnha.com

2. WHAT DO THE MOST SUCCESSFUL LEADERS ASK
THEMSELVES IN THE MIRROR?
Evaluation and Alignment
Is the design of my company still aligned with the key success factors for the
business?
If I had to design my business with a clean sheet of paper, would it differ from
the current design?
Should I create a team to answer these questions and make recommenda-
tions to me?
Leading Under Pressure
What types of events create pressure for me?
How do I behave under pressure?
What signals am I sending my subordinates?
Are these signals helpful or are they undermining the success of my business?
Staying True to Yourself
Is my leadership style comfortable? Does it reflect who I truly am?
Do I assert myself sufficiently or have I become tentative?
Am I too politically correct?
Does worry about my next promotion or bonus cause me to pull punches or
hesitate to express my views?
ACRONYMS—OUR FAVOURITES
Acronyms, whether true acronyms or not, add colour, fun and interest to our
language, enhance communications, can be motivational and inspirational and
greatly assist in memory retention and learning.
ALF Always Listen First
ATNA All Talk No Action
DRIVE Define, Review, Identify, Verify, Execute
KISS Keep It Short and Simple
LAST Listen, Advise, Solve, Thank
MILE Maximum Impact, Little Effort
PRIDE Personal Responsibility In Delivering Excellence
PICNIC Problem In Chair, Not In Computer
SEP Someone Else’s Problem
TEAM Together Everyone Achieves More
Page 2

3. NAE - NONE ACTUALLY EXIST!
I have had the good fortune of having worked in FMCG
recruitment for about 13 years. During this period, I have worked
for many businesses on countless different roles. Never in that
time has recruiting a high calibre National Account Executive been
so challenging.
The role of a NAE varies from business to business but
fundamentally it is used as a support role for the National Account
Manager population. NAE level employees are usually being
moulded to become National Account Managers within a defined
timeframe to ensure a pipeline of talent is available for the top
Account Manager roles.
The NAE role is an attractive one, so why on earth are they so
hard to recruit? The answer is apparent if you put yourself in the
candidate’s position.
You have been promoted, having been a successful Territory
Manager, to the hallowed turf of National Accounts. In this new
role you will be developed, trained and coached towards a fully-
fledged NAM role.
Invariably the tenure of a NAE is around 12-18 months following
which a NAE will move onto an account of their own. With this in
mind why would someone move to a new employer only to start
from the bottom? .... in short they won’t! The risk is too high.
So what now? For this role increasingly businesses we are
working with are looking to us to secure talent and potential rather
than experience. The use of Assessment Centres and
psychometric profiling to identify potential is proving ever more
popular and yielding great results.
Target candidates are often 2nd job graduates who are looking for
a long term career in sales.
So therefore NAE = New Assessment Experience?
Mark Akehurst, Consultant Team Manager
producing results for your business
Page 3

4. INSIGHTS
For several years Pursuit NHA has been using psychometric tools to help build
teams and individuals. The main focus has been on Myers Briggs (MBTI), 16PF,
OPQ32 and ability tests which have helped increase the effectiveness of client
organisations.
From June 2011 Pursuit NHA will be accredited to use the ‘Insights’ Discovery
and Navigator tools.
At the heart of the system is Insights Discovery, a preference based system with
its foundations in the work of Carl Jung. Using colour as a common language for
self-understanding, effective interaction and organisational growth, Discovery
represents the unique thread running through the entire Insights portfolio.
As its entry point, Insights Discovery learning system identifies four colour
energies - Cool Blue, Earth Green, Sunshine Yellow and Fiery Red - and
presents these on a wheel - the Insights Discovery Wheel.
Each person uses these colour energies to varying degrees, though it is the
unique ordering of the energies that will shape personal style, and it will show a
preference for one colour that will indicate the dominant or preferred style of
thinking, working and communicating.
Insights focuses on Individual, Team and Organisational effectiveness. It has
specific applications for Sales and Leadership, for example, Insights Sales
Effectiveness is an extensive programme of development for sales professionals
which is designed to explore a sales person’s mindset, capability and behaviour
at every stage of the sale.
Available in 30 languages Insights can make a difference to your company
through self-understanding. Would your results be better by:
Building effective teams?
Developing transformational leadership?
Upskilling your sales team?
If you can answer yes to any of these 3 questions then call Andy Ferguson on
0118 940 5100 or email andyf@pursuitnha.com for more information.
Page 4

5. WHOSE LINE IS IT ANYWAY?
We all have our favourite quotes whether they are motivational, in-
spirational or just plain funny. We thought it would be fun to test
your knowledge of what we believe to be some of the best.
Before we do that let’s look at some of the WORST!!
“Rarely is the questioned asked: Is our children learning?” –
George Bush
“No one will ever need more than 637kb of memory for a personal
computer. 640k ought to be enough for anybody” – Bill Gates
“I owe a lot to my parents, especially my mother and father” –
Greg Norman
We are sure that you can think of many more especially from Mr
Bush!
Can you match the quotes below to one of the following authors—
Nelson Mandela Albert Einstein Mary Kay Ash
Michelangelo Winston Churchill
The answers are at the bottom of page 11.
1 – “Success is the ability to go from one failure to another with no
loss of enthusiasm”
2 – “No problem can be solved from the same level of conscious-
ness that created it”
3 – “The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising
every time we fall”
4 – “If you think you can, you can. And if you think you can’t,
you’re right”
5 – “The greater danger for most of us lies not in setting our aims
too high and falling short, but in setting our aims too low and
achieving our mark”
.
producing results for your business
Page 5

6. DUNNHUMBY: A LIFETIME OF LOYALTY?
For readers not at the heart of the FMCG world, here is some insight as to how
major retailers are stalking their customers.
The pace at which shopper data and shopper insight has moved on gives some
retailers the visibility of real-time store-by-store sales data of each individual sku.
Retailers’ progress in implementing loyalty and data schemes has resulted in a
significant shift to retailers, yielding them even more power. The ability to sell
shopper insight to suppliers, rather than vice versa, is a fascinating development.
Interestingly, Walmart and most of its international subsidiaries have refused to
acknowledge the value of loyalty cards and the data/insights that result. Their
stock response is, these cards are too expensive and a distraction from Every
Day Low Price!
Launched in 1995 in conjunction with dunnhumby, Tesco was
one of the first British retailers to develop a loyalty card.
The Clubcard scheme is arguably one of the best and most
effective examples of loyalty marketing and shopper insight.
This fits with Tesco’s philosophy which is to ‘create better value for customers to
earn their lifetime loyalty’.
So, how does it work? Tesco use consumer purchasing data to help better
understand its customers and create a picture of the kind of person each
customer is. People are segmented into various ‘lifestyle groups’ based on
products they buy:
Convenience Shoppers Mainstream Customers
Price-Sensitive Less Affluent
Finer Food Shoppers
These groups are combined with purchases to understand when, where, why and
how often certain shopper segments buy certain items, brands or ranges.
Data from the card, complimented with initial registration data on where you live,
age and family profile, continues to build the picture.
Page 6

7. ‘Zodiac’ - a software programme - searches websites and census
data to build up a socio-economic profile of areas and customers.
Up to 45 ‘values’ are assigned to each product bought, these
include price position, ethnicity and brand.
There are 4 key sections in the database: items, promotions,
attributes and customers.
The data is sorted around customers and stores, baskets and
products to identify:
Who visited a store during the week?
How often?
What part of the store they bought from?
How old were they?
Did they buy promotions etc?
At a macro level with such a large penetration across the UK,
Tesco can make informed strategic decisions on store-specific
ranging and merchandising as well as new markets, e.g. mobile
phones.
Tailored money-off coupons can be sent to customers every
quarter, generating additional sales and encouraging the trial of
new products 9 million variants of the quarterly Clubcard
mailing are distributed.
A sample of the Clubcard data is published, available through the
‘shop’ system, enabling suppliers to search products and
promotions, monitoring their performance by store and customer
group. Suppliers are now able to gain a quicker and more
accurate measurement of their campaigns.
What will they know about you in 5 years?
Key Facts:
16 million families shopping habits can be tracked through
Clubcard
6 million transactions are processed each day
100 baskets are recorded per second
On-line questionnaires are sent to an attitudinal panel of
65,000 Clubcard holders
producing results for your business
Page 7

8. IS IT BETTER TO HAVE A
DISTRIBUTOR OR AN AGENT?
A common challenge faced by many suppliers and manufacturers in the UK is
how networks develop in order to break into the export markets. The underlying
dilemma is whether it is better to market and distribute products through an agent
or a distributor – each having specific advantages and disadvantages.
Agency agreements
A typical agency relationship arises where the export country agent contracts on
behalf of the supplier or manufacturer (the principal) to arrange sales to customers
in their country without retaining any contractual liability towards the customers.
The advantage of using an agent is that the principal retains control over how the
product is marketed and sold, and what after sales service is offered. It is easier
for the UK company to direct the agent’s activities and monitor the success of the
product launch. The company can also benefit from the agent’s knowledge of the
local trading conditions and take advantage of the customer contacts
developed.
The downside is obvious. When employing an agent the UK supplier retains all
legal and commercial risk, for instance, in respect of product liability and disputes,
and a statutory obligation to pay compensation to the agent on termination
Distribution agreements
A distributor purchases goods from an a UK supplier or manufacturer for
resale to his/her customers. The distributor makes a profit on the margin
imposed on the resale of such products and passes title to the products to the
customers directly.
Page 8

9. The advantage of this arrangement is that the distributor retains
contractual liability for the sale of the products and no relationship
is formed between the supplier/manufacturer and the customer,
which means that once the product is sold to the distributor, there
is no further liability for costs and commercial risks. These worries
are essentially shouldered by the distributor. The UK company is
free to concentrate on product development and targeting new
markets.
The disadvantage is the lack of connection between the end user
– the export market customer – and the supplier/manufacturer. It
is therefore considerably harder for the manufacturer to have
access to the customer’s list and monitor trends in the market
which naturally affect product development. In the same way the
supplier has little or no influence over the distributor’s marketing
tactics or pricing policy.
Seek local advice
The safest route is to seek advice at an early stage from a lawyer
qualified to act in the relevant jurisdiction. Not only will this involve
the local legislation in the foreign market but also how terms of an
agreement may be challenged or affected by EU competition
which has an increasing role to play in respect of cross border
relationships.
Tax liabilities should also be considered, particularly the issue of
whether or not, by employing an agent or distributor, the overseas
supplier/manufacturer would be deemed to have a permanent
establishment in that country. This may be relevant in respect of
whether or not they would be subject to double taxation
regulations and payments due at the end of an agreement.
producing results for your business
Page 9

10. THE BOOK
The premise of this book, written by The Arbinger Institute (Arbinger is a
worldwide institute that helps organisations, families, individuals and communities
solve the problems created by self-deception), is that Self-Deception determines
our experiences in every aspect of life.
The book focuses on how Self-Deception is a central issue in leadership.
It tells of a manager, a CEO, a father, and a 19th century scientist who while
searching diligently for their problems "out there" find that the problem is within
themselves. The beauty of the book is that it's written as a business fable that
follows one character through his self-discovery and correction. Along the way,
you'll be drawn in as you find yourself relating to the character's challenges,
wanting to know what happens next in order to help yourself.
Leadership and Self-Deception sets out to answer the problem: "How can people
simultaneously (1) create their own problems, (2) be unable to see that they are
creating their own problems, yet (3) resist any attempts to help them stop
creating those problems?"
Whether you are struggling to influence your team or organisation to willingly
embrace change; or find yourself as a parent with a "difficult" child, then this is for
you. This is the story of a new guy 6 months into his new company, attending
his first review with the boss. He believes that he has done really well since he
joined and is anticipating positive feedback, acknowledgement and Champagne.
However, his boss (the enlightened one!) has a different view. What unfolds is a
home truths session that could be you or I... dealing with the essence of why we
create the problems we do with people.
Not until the final pages does the author reveal the solution.
Having read Covey, Blanchard, Johnson and Goleman, this is a refreshing and
different view of the eternal challenge with people.
Pursuit NHA have incorporated some of the insights and mindsets into coaching
programmes with very positive results.
Leadership and Self Deception—Getting Out of the Box by The Arbinger Institute
ISBN:-10: 1576751740 RRP £9.99
Page 10

11. A BUDGET FOR BUSINESS .
With the chancellor's latest announcements to decrease
corporation tax by 2% for 2011/12 whilst maintaining the 50%
income tax rate band for individuals there has never been a
better time for businesses to incorporate. If you need help
setting up a business or with practical tax planning
opportunities we can help, choosing the right trading vehicle
can literally save you thousands in tax!
Professionally qualified accountants and tax consultants
providing affordable and professional accounts, taxation and
business advisory and support services to a wide range of
businesses and individuals.
To find out more visit our website at
www.accountantsinreading.co.uk or call Paul Worthington
today on 0118 940 5124
NEED A MEETING ROOM? LOOK NO
FURTHER .
The Pursuit NHA Conference Centre
has 3 meeting rooms suitable for 2 to 30
delegates.
Natural daylight in all rooms
Unlimited refreshments
Free on site parking
Quiet, rural location with easy access from M4 and M40,
Twyford railway station and Heathrow
Dedicated support team
Conveniently located between Reading and Maidenhead
Internet access
For further details, to view the Conference Centre or to make a
booking, please contact Nikki Dawson on 0118 940 5100
producing results for your business
1. Winston Churchill 2. Albert Einstein 3. Nelson Mandela 4. Mary Kay Ash 5. Michelangelo
Answers Page 11

12. THE ANGEL FROM HEAVEN OR THE HORROR
FROM HELL?
These are different positions our trained buyers from retail and B2B can adopt in
the Negotiation Skills “Meet the Buyer” training module.
Pursuit NHA has been developing its Negotiation Skills Programme to enable
teams to manage their negotiations more effectively.
A modular approach means that different elements of negotiation can be
included depending on the skills and needs of the individuals and team.
The modules are:
Negotiation Negotiation Negotiation Negotiation
A Four Stage Types and The Psychology Meet the Buyer
Process Tactics
Control Understanding
Prepare Negotiation Buyer types mindset
Discuss Ladder Personality KPIs/Goals
Propose Ploys Profiles Pressures
Bargain 7 Types of Language Role play
Question
Non verbal
Dealing with
conflict communication
Each programme is tailored to the individual company’s business and goals. It
includes presentation and discussion, individual exercises, team activities and
case studies.
Negotiation is an area where the benefit of being effective can truly be measured
“as a result of understanding our variables we achieved an extra £x of
profit” ...“by using the building brick technique we achieved an extra £y per unit”
”understanding the buyer’s mindset and KPIs was key to winning the contract
worth £z”
Whether you want your team to practise negotiation with a buying professional or
understand the negotiation process more thoroughly, call Andy Ferguson on
0118 940 5100 or email andyf@pursuitnha.com.
Pursuit NHA International, Waltham Court, hare Hatch, Berkshire, RG10 9AA Page 12
0118 940 5100 Email: pursuit@pursuitnha.com www.pursuitnha.com