• You want to improve your business but you don't have any urgent priorities.
  
• You want to learn the secrets of the great achievers directly from the people themselves.
  
• You have a modest budget.
  
• You want your business learning to have an edge of humour and fun.

Peter Thomson's Achievers Edge is a monthly newsletter (with audio) where he gives you some of his own thoughts combined with an interview of a great achiever.

Read more about the Achievers Edge - I subscribe to it

If the idea of learning from the really successful appeals to you, then don't stop there.

Peter Thomson has a great audio program through Nightingale Conant called the " Best Kept Secrets Of The World's Great Achievers".

You have six CDs of Peter giving you great advice on personal productivity and improvement plus another 6 CDs of some of the best interviews from the ten year history of the Achievers Edge. This is one of my favourite audio programs.

Peter also has a premium business development program - the Accelerated Business Growth System and details are shown further down the page.

You can read more about Peter Thomson on the Business Coaching Blog.

Brian Tracy

The scope of Brian Tracy's work is amazing and everything I have come across has been of a very high standard.

This is ideal if:

• You haven't found what you are looking for elsewhere on this page, then you must be able to find it with Brian Tracy.
  
• You want a comprehensive, wide ranging source of business development advice that has been blended together seamlessly and all works from the same underlying principles.

Brian Tracy's output is incredible and my knowledge is limited to his Secrets of Success audio program, some more intensive audio courses on sales and goal setting and hearing Brian speak on business strategy on a recording of a Jay Abraham conference.

My favourite program comes from his Secrets to Success program - 21 Great Ways Combination Pack.

The Business Coaching Blog has reviews of:

21 Great Ways To Build A High Performance Business

and Brian Tracy International has given me permission to feature articles of my choice which you can see on the Brian Tracy section of the Business Coaching Blog.

Just take a browse through the Brian Tracy International website and the Brian Tracy University for more structured programs.

Chet Holmes

This is ideal if:

• Your business is now established and you have a team of staff.
  
• You are not fulfilling your ambitions. You know that your business could and should be performing better.
  
• You believe in a participative management style and want to get the best ideas and work out of your staff.
  
• You are keen to grow and you believe that there are good opportunities in your market.
  
• You are prepared to invest in developing your skills and the skills of your staff.
  
• You want to improve the systems, policies and procedures in your business.

Because Chet has worked closely with two of my main business development heroes, Jay Abraham and Jay Conrad Levinson (father of Guerrilla Marketing), I am very familiar with his business development approach.

See my review of Chet Holmes book "The Ultimate Sales Machine" - you will see that I love the ideas, hate the title.

To learn more about Chet Holmes and his business development company, Chet Holmes International, watch this short video presentation.

Peter Thomson & The Accelerated Business Growth System

You met Peter earlier when I recommended his Achievers Edge program but our attention now turns to his premium business development program - the Accelerated Business Growth System.

This is ideal if:

• You have an established business.
  
• You know that it should be performing better.
  
• You are not closing enough enquiries.
  
• You have been forced into making price concessions for the orders that you do get.
  
• You are prepared to invest a reasonable amount in developing your business (but this still much less than a one to one business coaching arrangement).
  
• You want a sense of fun in your learning experience.

The easiest way for you to learn more about Peter's ideas about business development is to read his 7 Big Mistakes report.

Alternatively go straight to the Accelerated Business Growth System website.

Just after I bought my copy of the program I was talking to Peter's wife Sharon at a conference and I compared it to the TV series 24. Every time I finished one module I wanted to find out what I could learn from the next and I watched all 36 modules in about 14 days.

Peter caters for people with different learning styles in terms of providing videos, CDs and written material.

I believe that it is an excellent program to watch with your staff so that you can then hold a little business development workshop based on the material you have covered.

One of Peter's favourite sayings is "Action Is The Key" and you will find the Accelerated Business Growth System easy to put into action.

Rich Schefren & Strategic Profits

Rich Schefren is at the forefront of Internet Marketing & Business Coaching for Internet Entrepreneurs and very much sets the agenda.

Business Growth System - http://schefren.infusionsoft.com/go/coach/spinone/

This is ideal if:

• You have an Internet business that is already well established but the reward to effort ratio is wrong (see the Internet Business Manifesto article on my blog)
  
• You want to build a big Internet business - perhaps not the next Amazon, Ebay or Facebook but you do want to build a substantial business rather than a lifestyle business that gives you a good living.
  
• You are prepared to commit to putting the program into action and give it the necessary time.
  
• You recognise that it is essential to take a strategic approach to business development.
  
• You like to learn in tightly controlled steps.

I have been on the program since March 2007 and the content of the individual modules has been excellent and Rich Schefren holds nothing back.

While I recommend the program very highly, I must give you one warning.

The tightly control feed of information may not suit your learning style. See my blog Who Coaches The Coach? Rich Schefren Does.

I know from my own experience that for many people, this approach is ideal. It is very clear what has to be covered in the next month and they don't get distracted by what is coming next.

Since profits come from actions, this saves the business advice junkie from themselves (see blog articles Are You A Business Advice Junkie? and Cold Turkey For The Business Advice Junkie ).

Unfortunately it doesn't fit so well with people like me who like to see the big picture of how it all fits together. When I did my MBA I was different from about 95% of my associates because I blitzed through the material extremely quickly to see how it all fitted together before going back and then taking detailed notes and completing the exercises and assignments.

I know that I am an extreme case but I have recently started the program again - this time applying it to my businesses.

To find out more about the Business Growth System visit the Strategic Profits website for the sales letter

http://schefren.infusionsoft.com/go/coach/spinone/

and the Internet Business Manifesto

http://schefren.infusionsoft.com/go/1/spinone/

If you have time to watch some videos from Rich Schefren, you can get free access here to the Profit Vault

http://schefren.infusionsoft.com/go/rich/spinone/

The Business Acceleration Program

http://schefren.infusionsoft.com/go/bap/spinone/

This second eagerly awaited product from Rich Schefren is a complement to the Business Growth System and was only released on 21 December 2007 and my copy arrived in the first week of January.

There was a big promotion campaign before the launch, all concerned with the issues of gaining attention in a world of information overload - see the Attention Age Doctrine

http://schefren.infusionsoft.com/go/age/spinone/

This is a home study kit so I have the CDs and DVDs in my possession so I can go through it at my own speed, so that cures a difficulty I had with the other program but this is very early days so I can't give any firm recommendation.

You can see the Business Acceleration Program sales letter here.

http://schefren.infusionsoft.com/go/bap/spinone/

It is however clear that there is little overlap between the two Rich Schefren products so you can have either one or both.

I was convinced to buy the Business Acceleration Program because of the free bonuses connected with the next guru.

For the latest news about Rich Schefren and my thought see the Rich Schefren pages on my blog or go directly to the Strategic Profits Blog at

http://schefren.infusionsoft.com/go/blog/spinone/

and bypass my comments.

Jay Abraham

My favourite guru and an incredible inspiration for identifying and leveraging opportunities for profit.

I have a vast range of Jay Abraham material and I am in awe of the way his mind works and puts concepts together.

Unfortunately his latest venture, his Master of Passive Income mentoring program has closed its doors to new members and I don't have any details of any blockbuster conferences although you may need up to $40,000 to attend.

Ideal if:

• You already have an established business.
  
• You want to put together alliances of established businesses.
  
• You need or want more growth and profit.
  
• You are looking for a philosophical approach to business that everything you do is for the customer but can make a ton of profit along the way.

Jay Abraham creates a massive amount of interest when he does something so his programs and courses sell out quickly but I hope to bring you news when things are happening.

See the Jay Abraham pages on the Business Coaching Blog for the latest information.

Recommended Jay Abraham products include:

"Getting Everything You Can From All You've Got" - his mainstream book that summarises his ideas (the link takes you to my review on the blog).

"The Mr X Book" or more officially known as the "Money Making Secrets Of Marketing Genius Jay Abraham and Other Marketing Wizards" - possibly the most expensive book that you will ever consider buying (the link takes you to my review on the blog.)

The MasterMind Marketing System - audio program from Nightingale Conant

Who Is Missing?

My business and blog are based on the eight business development superstars that I take most notice of:

• Jay Abraham
  
• Jay Conrad Levinson & Guerrilla Marketing
  
• Michael Gerber
  
• Scott Hallman
  
• Chet Holmes
  
• Rich Schefren
  
• Peter Thomson
  
• Brian Tracy

Above you have links through to products of seven of those.

The one that is missing is Michael Gerber, famous author of The E Myth Revisited and other top selling books.

Michael Gerber is founder and chairman of the coaching firm E Myth Worldwide but he has little to do with the activities on a day to day basis.

I have bought two years worth of material in the E Myth Mastery program that covers the first fourteen modules and although I have owned them for more than a year I have only gone through the first five of the modules.

I have been impressed with the content and the way that the business development process has been systematised in true E Myth style so that it doesn't need to be delivered by business development experts.

However it will take time to work through the program before you see a boost in revenues and profits. I understand the reasons why it is structured in this way but many businesses need a more flexible approach.

I will read the remaining modules and I know that I will gain from the experience but much of the content that I have found most interesting is already included in Michael Gerber's book "E Myth Mastery."

Perhaps I am biased because E Myth Worldwide have withdrawn from working through independent coaches and consultants around the world and everything is handled direct by E Myth Worldwide themselves. This affected the person that I had been dealing with.

Perhaps I am biased because there is no affiliate scheme and therefore I don't have an opportunity to earn from recommending the E Myth solutions. It certainly doesn't give me an incentive.

Perhaps I am biased because I have heard Michael Gerber himself express some concerns in his latest work on The Dreaming Room:

• Too many businesses in the E Myth Mastery program were stopping at stage 1. This businesses were under control, delivered good profits but didn't grow as they could.
  
• E Myth Mastery program fixed the business but didn't fix the business owner. It didn't help the business owner develop a compelling vision for an extraordinary business.

I'll let you make up your own mind so here is the link to E Myth Worldwide

I am full of admiration of Michael Gerber and you can see my thoughts on the Michael Gerber pages of the Business Coaching blog.

Conclusion

There are so many different sources of business advice and everyone seems to have their own program that tells you the easiest way to build your business and have more money and more free time.

I am a very careful purchaser and I seem to have forged a niche as a reviewer of these programs.

I am reducing my business coaching involvement and spending more time on entrepreneurial pursuits as an equity investor.

I love learning and I can't imagine ever stopping because I believe that you can always know more and you can always do better.

But I do have some concerns about there being so much business advice available and the fact that the Internet and email opt-ins has made so much of it available.

The upside of the Internet and audio/video technology is that it has made the very top gurus available all over the world at a time that suits you and at a much more reasonable cost than you would normally expect.

I believe in purposeful action.

Pick one of these programs and do whatever is necessary to move from where you are to where you want to be.

Many of the programs can be traced back to the three foundation stones of small business development over the last 20 to 25 years - Jay Abraham, Jay Conrad Levinson and Michael Gerber.

I do have concerns about people who become business advice junkies and that's why I wrote my two articles:

Are You A Business Account Junkie?

Cold Turkey For The Business Advice Junkie

One to one business coaching and group coaching does have an important role to play because of the focus on your particular business and the accountability issues.

The drawback is cost and the better, the more experienced the coach, the more it will cost.

As I have shown, there are other ways to get the information that you need to develop your business.

Action really is the key.

Good luck

Your Profit Coach

Paul Simister

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