Your most frequent questions answered...

Enlightened organisations recognise the importance of employee development - but, however enlightened you are as an employer - you'll still need to see a demonstrable return on investment...

This is usually the first among the frequently asked questions we receive - and to make your life simpler, we've included all the other questions too!

How soon will we start to see results on the bottom line?
In most cases, clients start to see an immediate impact on their bottom line.

In a pilot study conducted with a high street bank over a nine-month period, it was shown that the business managers who went through our leadership development course improved their sales results by 330% - and were 16% better than their colleagues in the control group!

Additionally, those delegates who had come through our training programme reported less stress and took less time off sick.

Does leadership development really accomplish anything or is it just the “in-thing” for blue chip organisations with large budgets?
It’s true that there are many trends in learning development – and there are some training companies who do little more than jump on the passing bandwagon. But its fair to say that without leadership, no organisation ever reaches its full potential.

We work on the basis – like all the leadership gurus including Anthony Robbins, Steven Covey and Brian Tracy – that all leadership begins with personal leadership. People are any organisation’s greatest asset and it's our belief is that “successful companies employ successful individuals” – and of course, without successful individuals, there will be no successful companies!

Isn’t there a danger that if my staff become “empowered” they'll leave my organisation?
Yes, we have to be honest – in a few cases, employees do decide that they want their lives to follow a different course after completing one of our programmes.

Unless the right people are in the right jobs, real and lasting success will never be achieved. We also believe it's healthy for an organisation to encourage its employees to seek promotion and achieve their personal ambition. Companies employing the same people in the same jobs for years on end become stagnant - and no organisation in this day and age can afford to be anything less than dynamic, innovative and passionate about its business!

Do managers really need to learn coaching skills or is this just another passing fad?
While many people do enjoy their jobs, it is fair to say that most employees work to live – rather than the other way round. Those managers who help their employees achieve their own personal goals are rewarded with increased loyalty, productivity and results.

Forward-looking companies understand that they will only become fully successful when their employees are able to align their personal goals with those of their employer. Sadly, most employees lack goals – and only see their job as providing “money at the end of the month”.

However, when an employee is able to identify his own personal goals – with the help of his manager/coach - and is then shown how he can use his current job to seed-fund his future, a measurable rise in productivity and sales figures is registered.

As well as benefitting personally from our “Coaching Skills for Managers” programme – sales managers are often in their role because of their personal sales successes and not because of their experience in team leading. Our programme ensures that these senior personnel are provided with all the tools they need to motivate their own staff.

I have seen your Business Doctor editorial column in other publications – can we use it within our own company newsletter and if so, will it cost a fortune?
We would be delighted for you to use our editorial columns – and while the copyright remains ours, we make no charge for you using our articles, providing you carry a by-line and our contact details. Please contact us on 0845 456 7095 or by email: info@beyourownguru.com and we can let you have as many columns as you need – by subject matter – electronically.

I have tried your relaxation CDs and was amazed at how much better I felt! I'd like to make them available to my staff, but don't want to pay full retail price - can you help?
Of course! We have already worked with companies who wanted a new kind of promotional gift – and the concept has been proven to work well. As well as offering you a discount for bulk purchases, we are also happy to arrange for the CD covers and the discs themselves to be slightly re-designed in order to incorporate your logo and a short message, if you want!

Can my company use your services to provide a counselling and stress management service for its staff?
Yes! We already provide such a service to a number of clients in the corporate sector. Some companies pay for their staff to use our services – while others simply negotiate special rates with us on behalf of their staff, who then pay us privately. In these instances, our service is promoted within the company’s in-house newsletters and on notice-boards.

Increasingly, companies are recognising that offering staff proper stress management services reduces absenteeism and increases productivity. And in those rare instances in which an employee takes a company to tribunal, it is helpful for the employer to be able to show that it had made adequate provision for the care and welfare of its staff. And with recent changes in the law, companies now have a duty of care for their employees.

Does your 90-day 100% money-back guarantee only apply to your products or does it cover your programmes as well?
Absolutely! If you aren't happy with any of our programmes or products, let us know why (feedback is always useful!) and we promise to refund you completely, with no argument.

We understand the benefits of long-term relationships – which is why when we are asked to run a corporate programme, we take care to make sure that our style of programmes is what you really need. If we don’t believe that we are the right people for your organisation, we say so – as we have on more than one occasion. Honesty and integrity are important to us – as is our reputation, and we don’t want to lower our “batting averages” by taking on projects which we are not qualified or suited to handle.

Personal development is the best investment you can ever make - but be sure to spend your precious time and hard-earned money with an organisation you can trust. When it comes to personal development, most people have the same questions so again, to make your life easier, we've included those questions and our responses:

Isn’t personal coaching both expensive and time consuming?
Spending money on improving yourself should be recognised as an investment rather than as a cost. Think for example, how much money you spend servicing your car each year – aren’t you worth more to you than your car?

Research at Harvard University a while back revealed that in the year being studied, only 5% of undergraduates had goals. When the same group was studied some 30 years later, it was discovered that in material terms, those same undergraduates were worth the same as the rest of the other 95% added together. Therefore having goals and an action plan makes sense. Working with a coach – who acts as your “voice of conscience” - can help you realise all of your goals so much quicker, which means that your investment easily much more than pays for itself!

Also, as the name suggests, the “Be Your Own Guru” programme is aimed at helping clients become fully self-empowered – so over time we happily do ourselves out of a job!

Do I need years in therapy to sort out my issues – or is there a quicker way?
Traditionally, people find themselves in therapy for weeks or even months. However, with the faster pace of life nowadays, we recognised that a new style of therapy was required. Client sessions run under the Be Your Own Guru programme are pretty intense – but in 90% of cases, clients need no more than one or two two-hour sessions.

If you want to use our coaching services, however, you'll need regular sessions to ensure that we keep you on track until you reach your specific goal. When we first start working with you, we'll work out a plan of action that suits everyone, so don't worry!

Do you take credit cards?
Yes - we accept all major credit cards

Do you have experience in helping people with my kind of problem?
Over the years we have seen lots of people with different issues – ranging from childhood abuse through to relationship difficulties, dissatisfaction in current work environment and much, much more. While everyone’s story is unique, there are often common themes – and the Be Your Own Guru process can help with each and every one.

Are the personal sessions really confidential?
We 100% guarantee that all our personal sessions are confidential – and that no-one will ever find out about your “stuff” unless of course, you choose to tell them! While we do produce a regular newspaper column called the “Business Doctor” together with our own e-zine, its contents are based on an amalgam of case stories in which - of course - fictional names are used.

When we provide personal sessions in a corporate setting, the sessions are again 100% confidential. We do however undertake to provide employers with an overview of any general negative trends within an organisation – without either breaking confidentiality or giving away names or other identifying details.

How soon will I start to feel better?
Immediately! Actually, that’s not quite accurate for everyone, because if you have some "big stuff" to deal with, you could find yourself getting quite emotional during the two-hour session, which can leave you feeling a little headachy and tired. But that's on the physical side - on the emotional side you'll always leave our session together feeling "lighter", as though a great weight has been lifted from your shoulders.

And after a good night's sleep - and everyone reports just how well they do sleep after a session with us - you'll feel amazing the next morning.

And our commitment to every client is that our session together isn't finished until that "lighter" feeling is experienced!

Finally, you'll be pleased to know that we often hear from clients weeks, months and even years later – telling us how much their lives have changed for the better following our session(s) together.

What techniques do you use?
As every client is different, we don’t use a specific set of “techniques” – but rather tailor each session to the client’s immediate needs. As well as qualifications in Neuro Linguistic Programming, Hypnotherapy, Time Line Therapy & Reiki, we also continuously add to our knowledge – through extensive study of the mind/body connection, shamanic techniques and energy healing.

We bring a practical and pragmatic side to every session too – as we have an extensive background in sales, people management and many aspects of running a successful business.

What exactly is Transformational Intelligence?
We were all brought up believing that IQ – or intelligence quotient - was the most important measure of brainpower. More recently EI, or emotional intelligence, has come to be recognised as a key factor in success.

For several years at Be Your Own Guru, we have also been working with SI, or spiritual intelligence – which includes all of man’s intuitive and creative abilities.

Having worked with individuals and organisations for a number of years we have seen that it is only when all these intelligences are brought together that something powerful and transformational begins to happen – hence our term “Transformational Intelligence”.

Our work is based on enabling clients to access their transformational intelligence – which empowers them to reach extraordinary heights and attain excellence in their chosen fields.

As one client pointed out at the end of a session together, transformational intelligence is like a bridge between western and eastern thinking!

As leaders in the field of Transformational Intelligence, the “Be Your Own Guru” programme provides the ultimate process for personal and business excellence.

Is there any way that I can “try before I buy”?
As well as reading some of the testimonials we have received from happy clients on our website, you may also want to sign up for our regular e-zine, which will give you a feeling for the kind of work we do.  At the end of the day, the only way to experience what we do is to...well, experience what we do!  We introduced our 100% no quibble money back guarantee in order to give you the comfort and reassurance you need to make your purchasing decision.

What happens if I decide that your style of working simply doesn’t suit me?
We offer a full 100% money-back guarantee to all our clients – personal and corporate. If you honestly believe that our time together hasn't been useful, we will be more than happy to make no charge or give you your money back, whichever is appropriate. We make this offer because we have a deep belief in what we do – and because we have seen the beneficial results time and time again.

Call 0845 456 7095 or email us if you have any further questions.