The Mantra Team recently had the Regional Rising Star meeting at the Thistle in Bristol.

Offices from Bristol, Plymouth, Ipswich and Swindon joined mantra in celebrating success stories from the past 6 months and also educating the team for the future.

Well done to Jack Heywood who won the Regional Rising Star Award and to those who won sales achievement awards including Tom Hambley Smith, Mark Twitchin & Nina Collis.

Recognition was also given to excellent quality.

The rising starts got to have lunch with James Buckley and Gareth Byrne to celebrate.

This week saw James, Fran, Rob, Roddy and Ben travel to Birmingham for the latest UK & Ireland Owners Meeting. The team enjoyed a fantastic day full of topics and guest speakers.

Will Greenwood  who is one of rugby’s most sought after speakers was at the meeting. After winning the Rugby World Cup & becoming one of England’s highest ever try scorers Will came to talk to the group about how to create a winning team.

Other topics included ” high performance sales training” ” selling yourself” and “Daily Planning”.

Roddy picked up his promotion to ownership and Rob won a trip to a 5* hotel in the sunshine in September for his high performing team- well done!

This weekend saw the team go to London Excel for the 2011 European Rally. It was a very exciting day with lots of awards given out. In particular Mantra saw Mark Twitchin and Robert Cotterell recieve a Leader Achievement Award aswell as Hannah, Rob, Mark, Rob Ledeux & Max recieving Sales Achievement Awards. We saw Roddy from Bristol get officially promoted to Ownership aswell. The team ended this exciting day with an after party in Bristol where they danced the night away!

The Mantra Marketing Team were lucky enough to visit the British Red Cross head warehouse in Warmley, Bristol this week.

The British Red Cross is one of Mantra’s biggest clients and it was great for the team to see where all their hardwork goes.

Every year, hundreds of families and individuals suffer damage to their homes . The BRC fire and emergency support service (FESS) volunteers, equipped with a specially adapted vehicle, respond around the clock to provide help when things go badly wrong.

Besides offering immediate safe shelter – along with clothing, food and shower facilities – the Red Cross also helps with practical necessities such as securing temporary accommodation and contacting insurance companies. Crucially,  volunteers are trained to provide emotional support, which can make a huge difference at such a distressing time. The BRC work closely with local fire services across the UK and will arrive at the scene of the incident within 90 minutes of call.

When we asked Mantra’s Tom Hurley about his day he said ” It was such a productive day, we recieved lots of information on the work that the Red Cross does and it was a great insight. I now feel that i can explain the charity to customers much better. We were shown around the Warehouse and Dan spoke to us in detail about the BRC in the UK and Internationally. We saw all the equitment the BRC use and it really put things into perspective. A great day!”

Jenifer Weanie , Director of the Empire Organisation Ipsiwch was lucky enough to be invited to Greece for the Owners meeting, here is her story……

Jamie, Matt and I were invited to participate in the Owners Meeting in Thessaloniki, Greece earlier this month.  Our flights were in the afternoon of Thursday June 30^th from Gatwick Airport.  However, strikes and protests in both UK and Greece meant we would have delays at the airports and actual flight times, so we left Ipswich in the middle of the night to ensure plenty of time for any obstacles, expected or unexpected!  We arrived at the airport nice and early just in time for breakfast, even a little bit of shopping, before we met with the rest of the group, Mark Cox director of ANB Promotions, Pamela Glass director of Topaz Promotions and their guests Brenda, Gary and Nainisha.  We all made it on time, boarded the plane and headed for sunny Greece.

When we arrived in Thessaloniki it was lovely and warm! We were greeted by two of the Greek Owners Dimitra Sitsani director of MADs Marketing and Niki Moutsara director of C.T.G. Marketing.  They were lovely and kind enough to pick us up at the airport and give us a little tour of the city on our way to the office.  The office was Great!  Bright, Colourful and Lively!

Finally we arrived at our beautiful hotel with a fantastic balcony that to our surprise had a Sea View! We quickly dropped off our bags and headed out into town as we were eager to see more of Thessaloniki.  We shopped a little, as you do, and found a nice restaurant on the waterfront for some lunch.

But nothing could have prepared me for the meal to come!  We had the most incredible Greek Feast that first evening! I just could not believe the variety and the amount of food that kept coming out! Plate after plate, delicious and amazing and so much! I loved it!  During the evening we were visited by several street vendors selling all different kinds of merchandise and I bought Empire a horn for those morning meetings!

The next morning we headed into the office for their morning meeting and were joined by Steve Adgemis the Country Head of Greece and Roberto Malaroda director of Luna Marketing in Italy.  It was a very energetic morning meeting with lots of cheering in Greek!  We then attended the Greek Owners and Assistant Owners meeting.  It was a very informative meeting with lots of theoretical and practical advice on how to run your direct sales company more effectively and efficiently.  The Assistant owners had a surprise sales competition and took the visitors from UK, (ie.  Jamie and Matt) onto the field in Thessaloniki! The task was the 1^st team to arrive back with 2 sales won a Full Body Massage at the Hotel Spa.  Constantine and Brenda were the first back!

Howie Seymour, Organisational Head and Director of Progressive Global Training, gave out 32 signed Olympiacos FC shirts for each office to frame and display on their wall.

The second evening we headed out for another “Greek Feast” , although this time I was informed that it wouldn’t be as big as the previous night, but I think it was equally as enormous! The Greeks definitely know how to feed and entertain their guests!

After the meal we had an early night because we knew we had a big day ahead for the North Region, Regional Sales, Development and Customer Service meeting, (aka “Rising Stars” or “Rally” !!). The meeting started off like a party atmosphere, energetic and vibrant. Lots of awards and recognitions handed out to the top achievers in Greece, as well as several promotions to Crew Leader, Assistant Owner and Ownership.  Half way through the day we had a lunch break, in the scorching 35 degree sun, where we had a chance to better introduce ourselves and network. I made some great contacts and got some great tips! The second half of the meeting was more informative with keynote speakers from successful colleagues who shared their stories, advice and relevant tips for individuals’ needs.

The meeting came to a close and we headed off for a bit of shopping, (this seems to be a recurring theme!).  And then went with everyone to another beautiful hotel for a Pool Party, where we enjoyed more food and cocktails in great company, and in the Heat! And that evening we went to the Garden Rooftop Bar for a Farewell meeting, enjoyed cocktails, new friends and the incredible view of the sea.  And of course the evening continued into Thessaloniki where we partied the night away!

The last morning there was a Sunrise Boat Party hosted which we sadly could not attend as we had to catch our flights. However, I heard it was incredible!

I would like to give a huge thank you to Howie for the invitation, to Debbie for organising everything and to everyone we met and spent time with for such a wonderful time. The trip was a huge success and a great memory! Thank  You!

Jamahl has been a part of the Mantra Marketing team for less that 3 months. After doing such a great job within this time and already having 4 people on his team, James invited him to come and join him in Madrid for the weekend at the Spanish Rally… here is Jamahl’s take on his experience………….

” I was lucky enought to get invited to Madrid with James Buckley and the Appco Vice President Steve Sapsford to witness the Spanish Rally. I have to say, it was Amazing!!

We flew from  Bristol in the afternoon and went to meet a the team at a Sports Bar to watch the Murray tennis game, these people turned out to be Vice President Simon Murphy, Michael Scully and the CFO Richard Davidson! They were all so relaxed and made me feel at home straight away. We had some food and i had the opportunity to talk , discuss and learn from the best people in the business.

The second day was the much awaited awards Rally. As soon as we got to the venue there was this electric buzz in the air, it was crazy! There were over 1500 waving banners, clapping and getting very excited and that was before the doors had even opened! It was a brilliant event to watch with over 23 owners getting promoted aswell as Organisational Head awards given out. The man of the day was Oli Bloome who got promoted to Vice President and picked up a Rolex worth 15K! Throughout the day i met Organisational Heads, Vice Presidents and built some brilliant contacts and relationships- the day was topped off by getting some priceless advice from the Chairman himself, Mr Chris Niarchos!

Coming back to Bristol i now have a clear goal plan set in place and aim to be at Level 5 of the BDP by December. I’m looking to open my first office in Oxford and my second in Madrid as i loved it so much! Viva Espana!”

James Buckley and Steve Sapsford were lucky enough to be invited to an exclusive culinary experience at Heston Blumenthal’s three-michelin-starred restaurant, ” The Fat Duck”.

Voted in 2011, The British Good Food Guide scored The Fat Duck a perfect 10 out of 10. James & Steve were invited to visit one of Heston’s experimental kitchens and were presented with  a special 12 course dinner which included some of Heston’s signature dishes including the famous ” snail porridge”! The pair were lucky to get in as the waiting list is now at 32, 000!

James commented ” What an amazing experience, the food was exquisite and to be able to go into Heston’s kitchen and watch him make some of his weird and wonderful dishes was just brilliant- a fantstic evening!”

Appco’s Vice President and Owner of Elite Advertising group Steve Sapsford came to spend time with the Mantra Team in Bristol yesterday. From Australia, Steve was on a whistle stop tour throughout  the UK & Ireland before heading to New York.

With over 15 years of experience in the business, Steve spent the day with the Mantra team conducting one-on-one’s and giving expert advice. This was followed by a morning meeting with over 60 people. Steve finished the day of nicely by taking James, the owner of Mantra Marketing to Heston Blumenthal’s restaurant ” The Fat Duck” where they shared a private dinner with Heston himself!

Promotion to Ownership: Roderick Barker

23 year-old Roderick Barker, from Prestwick in Scotland, has recently been promoted to Ownership. Roderick’s accomplishment is a credit to his constant efforts to improve himself and to his strong work ethic.

Before joining the industry in February 2009, Roderick used to work as an Entertainments Manager in Woolacoombe, North Devon, UK. After a few years, he realised that his job didn’t give him the adrenaline rush and the career opportunities he was looking for, so he decided to do something different.

In February 2009, he attended an interview at James Buckley’s Marketing Company, Mantra Marketing, in Bristol, United Kingdom and went on an Observation Day the following day. The unlimited earning potential, the possibility to run his own business and the great atmosphere he found at James’ office retained him. Since then, he has never looked back.

As an ex volleyball player who once  represented Scotland in the Junior World Games, Roderick has used his strong work ethic to fly past his colleagues in his quest for Promotion to Ownership.

But his path to Ownership has not always been an easy ride. Surprisingly enough, Rod admits that the biggest obstacle he had to face was…himself.

“When I started in this business, I was self-effacing. I wasn’t speaking up or telling people what I wanted. I thought that being the silent achiever would get me noticed, but it wasn’t enough” he recalls. Understanding this was the turning point for him to start building his company.

Roderick’s ambitions are now bigger than ever and he has no intention of slowing down. He wants to save £100k (after all expenses paid) in his first year of Ownership and be number one on the Bulletin. On a more personal level, Rod wants to buy his first property, something he wouldn’t have dared to dream about just a couple of years ago.

Top tips for new FRs/ Leaders to get promoted

-          Never give up. Anyone can give up; it’s the easiest thing in the world to do. But to hold it together when everyone else would understand if you fell apart, that’s true strength.

-          Don’t be ashamed to ask for help. If you’re afraid of asking, you’re afraid of learning.

-          Hang out with the best people in this industry, they will truly inspire you. Listen to their advice, follow in their footsteps. And keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions.

A few of the Mantra Marketing Team had a fantastic opportunity this week to meet James Greeves the Executive Director of the Appco Group Asia, Mike Blane the MD of the Appco Group and Simon Murphy  the Vice President of the Appco Group. A Crew Leaders  meeting was held in London and was designed for those at level 3 of the Development Programme or those at level 2 who are really impressing. Rob Cotterell, Max and Anthony were lucky enough to be invited  and listened to topics including ” How to build a Successful Team” and ” How to Create a Vision”. The team were also able to network with all other people at this level and this will see their progression advance at least 6 weeks!