Auteur: Frans de Groot

Interview MIEP Design – from dream to reality
• Starting a business is a decision – not a risk
• How the BiTSing method guarantees success

Githa Minis – Interior architect

Every entrepreneur has, at some stage, gone through the process of starting their own business. I am no exception. It’s a challenging experience – at the very least, as I wrote in the introduction. Income is always necessary, but how will you ensure it? And when will it come in? As a result of such concerns a very large number of aspirant entrepreneurs never dare to take the step towards independence. Which is why I wanted to include a motivating and inspiring story in this book – for everyone who has dreamt of their own business, but never turned that dream into reality. The following case study is about Githa Minis, a young woman who took the challenging decision to start her own business – in a situation that had seemed hopeless. Nothing forced her to take this step. She took it thanks to a dream and, as she says, ”Thanks to the Bitsing method”.

This is Githa’s story. My first acquaintance with Bitsing ”The economic crisis had made it difficult for me to find a job after graduating as an interior architect. I submitted at least fifty applications for jobs in large design agencies. The response was uniform: ‘insufficient experience’. Indeed, in a market with very many applicants and very few vacancies, it’s impossible to get a position without experience. So I was forced to take a job in catering. At the same time, I still wanted to pursue my dream and follow through on the years of study I had put behind it.

“My catering job brought me into contact with Frans. His advice was that if I had a dream I should follow it; that if I wanted to start my own interior design business, I should just do it. This had, indeed, always been my long-term dream, but had intended to first build my experience by working for other companies in the industry. Frans, however, convinced me that if I followed the Bitsing rules, my success would be guaranteed. ”I rose to the challenge. Not because I dared to take the risk, but because insight into Bitsing methodology showed me that I would succeed, without a doubt. I resigned from my catering job and started MIEP design – my own interior design business. Filled with enthusiasm, I worked day and (sometimes) night to ensure the success of my new business. It’s a great feeling. Thanks to Frans and Bitsing I was able to busy myself with my greatest passion, while seeing the dream of my own business taking shape around me.

MIEP design ”The business name didn’t just occur to me out of the blue. The Bitsing method showed me that you have to be uncopyable – and that your uncopyability should find expression in everything you do. My immediate thought was that this also applied to naming the business. Bitsing also delivered a real eye-opener: Large, professional design agencies were absolutely not my competitors! And I should avoid this becoming the case. (And to think that I had originally wanted to work for one of them!) ”I had learned, of course, about the Bitsing concept of the ‘money competitor’ – the answer to the question: where does my target group spend its money when it doesn’t engage an interior design agency? The answer was simple – and surprising. They spent it on DIY. My competitors appeared not to be the professional design agencies, but the clients themselves. They were the money competitors. So I had to convince my target group that their money was better spent on me than on doing it themselves.

This, in turn, would succeed once they knew what made me uncopyable. So I went in search of what made me uncopyable in contrast to clients’ DIY tendencies. The Bitsing method led me to the following conclusion: Dutch common sense. I was born in the northern province of West Friesland and grew up in a traditional, Dutch family. One in which the well-worn Dutch maxim was applied and practised: ‘Just use common sense – it’s uncommon enough’. Moreover, I was simply drawn towards everything that’s authentically and typically Dutch. I can’t explain it further, but what’s really Dutch really works for me. It’s just ‘how I roll’!

“So what happens when you combine the principles of interior architecture with … common sense? Well, you get an Interior that looks fantastic, that you can be really proud of and that also respects the practical requirements and enjoyment of the people that will live in it. It will lack false pretence and needless ‘decoration’ – and excel in functionality. In a contrast, an interior that’s just beautiful but can’t, for instance, deal with the impact of children and dirt is less desirable than it first seems. In fact, the emphasis is far too often on design, form – and not on function. My approach would be different, a blend of design (the experience) and Dutch common sense (the practical function). Effective interior design – in fact what clients ideally want when they do it themselves. Straightforward design, with both feet firmly on the ground. In fact, a real MIEP (a typically Dutch name for a simple, straightforward female character, also often humourously used).

“As it happened, I didn’t have much time to think up the name. However, I let myself be guided by the Bitsing model’s requirements for creating awareness in a target group – the requirements of step B of the Bitser ladder. The name conformed. It’s simple, surprising, attracts attention, is short and impactful, memorable and one which such basic familiarity that everybody thinks they ‘recognise’ it.

Three reasons for not starting your own business: ”Whenever I talked to friends about starting my own business I was immediately overwhelmed with an abundance of arguments as to why I definitely shouldn’t. I had no experience all, it was an insecure income – and anyway, I wouldn’t even know where to start. After all, I’d only just graduated! There are always enough reasons for not doing something, but Bitsing gave me a new perspective. It simply confronted me with the reasons why I indeed should start my own business! The single reason to start today ”When Frans started telling me about Bitsing he brought many factual arguments to bear. These demonstrated why one should start a business and how every obstacle would be surmountable. They were facts. They offered me handhold and forced me to accept that there was no alternative to believing that I would succeed. ”

I made my own Bitsing plan and started to reduce the number of hours I worked for the catering business. As I steadily implemented more elements of my plan, the process became ever more magical. It was strange, but it was as if a voice kept on whispering to me, ‘This is really something. It can’t fail. You must give it everything you’ve got.’ These were, of course, nothing more than my own feelings. But they came to the surface because of the enormous positive energy and conviction developing around me. All sorts of things were taking shape, and after six months I had resigned from my job and started working full-time for my own interior design business, MIEP design.

”My Bitsing plan told me that I should focus on houses advertised for sale. Applying my Dutch common sense, I brought concept to the market that would satisfy four parties simultaneously: the house buyer, the seller, the estate agent – and myself. Many houses reach the market in a bad state of repair and are dated in appearance and style. This is an obstacle to potential purchasers. My concept provided a virtual makeover of any house offered for sale. This was based on a completely new interior design for the entire home, presented by means of an artist’s impression. The house would then be sold – on the basis of its new, virtual interior and together with a quote for its renovation. Purchasers would immediately be confronted by the home’s full potential plus the appeal of its new and practical functionality. They could also see exactly what it would cost to turn this dream home into reality. ”This approach immediately lowered the threshold to buying a house. Houses that previously had attracted no interest were now getting many enquiries and some were indeed being sold on this basis, together with design and renovation package contained in my virtual makeover. I am now introducing more estate agents to my concept.

“In everything I did, I was guided by the requirements of Bitsing. I knew that it would enable me to succeed. And I was completely right. The positive effects are unavoidable. Whenever I have presented my ideas, people bought into them. For Bitsing always stimulates belief and conveys trust. Even more so because it contains the tests that determine whether your plans will actually succeed. It’s a handhold, a foundation on which to build.

It does require investment of your time and money, both of which are in short supply when starting out. I didn’t do this lightly, but as a result MIEP design has been established, is successful and is here to stay. ”My plan is to continue to evolve MIEP as a successful business which, in itself, will create more jobs as it expands! ”Frans asked me to summarise how I had benefited from Bitsing. This is my list. And, in fact, my credo:

1. Never spend money before you’ve earned it.
2. Only invest time and money in ‘sharp pencils’.
3. Ensure that there is demand for the product you’re selling.
4. Focus on your product’s purchasers – i.e. know your target group and appeal to them.
5. Your competition is where people spend their money if they’re not spending it with you.
6. Don’t make sales offers if they don’t address why people aren’t buying.
7. Don’t construct your campaign out of your own problems.
8. First make your brand and name known, then sell.
9. Discover your own uncopyable characteristics; ensure that you remain uncopyable.
10. Use your own uncopyable characteristics in your marketing messages.
11. Enable people to draw their own conclusions. Don’t tell them what to do, just hint at it.
12. Stick to the facts.
13. People must want you before they buy you.
14. Traffic is very important. You need it to make a sale.
15. Ensure that traffic and contact is risk free for the customer.
16. Consider media and messages you use to achieve your goal. Will they reach the right people?
17. The medium doesn’t determine success. The message does!
18. Keep your goal in focus and don’t diverge from it!

“In the beginning I had no idea of what to do, while I am now absolutely certain that I’m doing everything right! Everything is so fact-based that it’s irrefutable. Everything I’ve learned now guarantees the success of everything I take on. The volume of enquiries coming in makes me feel that it’s unnecessary to convince people to take my product. What I do – works! Bitsing inspires me, convinces others and at the same time creates its own discipline: stick to it – and you’ll achieve your goal. There are always, of course, moments in which you ‘lose the plot’. In these moments I go back to my notes, absorb the wisdom and once more know what I have to do. Bitsing is a manual for entrepreneurship. I love it. It’s allowed me to do what I studied for 9 years.

And the best thing is that at the close of every day I have, once again, seen my business grow. A fantastic experience. ”My dream has become reality. My hope is that everyone who wants to start their own business will, through my story, also see their dreams fulfilled.”

Engie (former Cofely) – innovation, powered by Bitsing
• Creating focus – also in start-up situations
• Getting departments to take ownership of the methodology

An interview with Bas Ambachtsheer, managing director of Cofely West Nederland BV and Cofely Energy Solutions. Bas and I have known each other for quite a while. We met when he worked for Fokker services, the business I used to provide an example, in step three of this book, of uncopyability. A few years ago Bas was asked to become managing director of Cofely and he took the Bitsing method with him to his new company. Cofely is a technological service provider and forms part of GDF Suez Energy Services, one of the biggest energy suppliers in the world, with 220,000 employees and more than €90 billion turnover. Cofely Energy Solutions supplies integrated technological solutions for sustainable and energy-efficient, fixed property applications, as well as related advice, design, financing, implementation, maintenance, management and agency services. You’re likely to come across people from Cofely in nearly any business you visit. Their characteristic, branded clothing identifies them. And it is, indeed, a company that stands out!

It was Cofely, for instance, that built the energy distribution network for the London 2012 Olympic Park. This was one of the biggest energy projects ever implemented in the United Kingdom, with two, ultramodern, sustainable power stations feeding a network of 16 km, while achieving a 50% reduction in emissions. Cofely is also active in the Netherlands. Together with the Amsterdam City Council it developed ‘Amsterdam’s greenest Island’, on the Oosterdok island and the Ijdok. There a Cofely heat/cold storage system supplies connected buildings with energy, reducing fossil fuel requirements by 65%. Kofi employs about 6,000 people in the Netherlands and has a turnover of at least €1 billion.

As I’ve said, Bas first came into contact with Bitsing while previously employed by Fokker Services. There he was involved in the development of a new business line, which was structured from the outset to employ a go-to-market strategy developed with the help of the BiTSing method. Since then he has been vocal in his praise of the clear differentiation Bitsing can deliver to a business via the Golden Egg concept, as well as its effect in given direction to commercial strategy. Bitsing had played a crucial role during the entire process of (a) determining products and markets, (b) defining the operational process and (c) enabling development and growth of the business line, all of which fell under his responsibility.

Bas has also ensured that Bitsing played a prominent role at Cofely, from the time he took up his new position there. ”Our overall strategy made it clear to us that it was important to add new services to our portfolio, coupled with ambitious turnover goals. We therefore started a new business unit in 2010, focused on integrated technological solutions for sustainable and energy efficient real estate applications. Such initiatives, of course, require investment. Which is why CFOs really appreciate Bitsing. They relate to its sharp focus, clear structure and concrete ROI predictions. The autonomous growth curve used in our multi-year business plan was therefore also completely based on Bitsing methodology. Bitsing also enabled us to construct a ‘paper blueprint’ of the intended unit and to thoroughly test the viability of its underlying strategic focus. This gave rise to an enjoyable yet intensive process, which took a few weeks and was stacked with revelations. This process is particularly enjoyable when it involves the whole team. If you already have the capability of developing something within one or two days, then the value of Bitsing is already apparent as it takes you from a zero base to achieving something that’s really very significant, in a very short period of time. The experience of using it is always one of moving from knowing very little to becoming extremely aware of the relevant issues. In addition, Bitsing gives you so much insight into where you should and should not direct your focus. It ensures that you build on the positive aspects. For example, the Bitsing process provided us with a totally different focus on the issue of identifying our prospective client. And we immediately used this insight to implement changes in how we were structuring the planned business unit.

“Following introduction in January 2010, Cofely Energy Solutions was profitable, for the first time, by 2011. Consistent and close adherence to the Bitsing strategy ensured that turnover grew from € 8 million in 2011 to € 15 million in 2012. Turnover nearly doubled. This year our profit will grow exponentially and, again, this has to do with a number of focal points revealed by the Bitsing process. We’re now really in a phase in which the business is beginning to fly.

”I use Bitsing constantly. It really helps me manage the business. And it makes sense to use it in every phase of business development. From start-up, throughout the business development phase and, once it’s achieved a steady state, in phases in which a boost is required. I can rely on Bitsing to always provide the right direction, relevant feedback and a mechanism for steering progress. In a start-up situation it certainly provides so much more direction than the usual process of analysing market reports and so on. The methodology is pragmatic, it’s to the point, and it provides a model with a clear beginning and end point. For these reasons it has become an integral part of our DNA. Take uncopyability, for instance. It’s a brilliant concept – very clearly perceived by customers and it lifts your game to a new level!

”I always use Bitsing methodology when explaining our sales processes. As a result, our entire sales team lives and breathes Bitsing. The methodology is so clear and its basis so easy to explain that everyone can master it, in the shortest time. Having said that, there is also a learning curve. Over time the relationship between the Bitsing elements becomes increasingly clear – as a result of which, your own effectiveness also increases. From this point of view, Bitsing is a continuous improvement process, which directly addresses the question of why one does or does not sell. And when things do go wrong, it delivers a sort of ‘final judgement’ as to the reasons why. This also helps to inspire and infuse my sales team. Through Bitsing they understand what they’re doing and this increases their job satisfaction. Bitsing injects structure and craftsmanship into their side of the business – in a way normally only associated with operational roles – and it provides rewards in the form of success. Their reaction is, ‘At last! Here you really get taught how to sell – and to generate turnover.’ One notices, of course, that the people who are successful in selling are those who understand Bitsing.

”So now they all know what to do concerning hit rates, customer visits and so on. They understand that the T (for Traffic) only really has value when the B and I also have value. The Bitsing method is central to my approach to sales and has directed me to teach my people to initially only focus on the B and I. They may not sell until these phases have been filled in! And it works! In the beginning they all said, ‘An appointment? No problem. I’m able to get them.’ But the sales calls they had in mind didn’t really count. They do occur in the T phase, but they aren’t the kind of traffic or contact that produces sales. These appointments should rather have been used to give the B and I substance. People have to get used to this. These prior steps are necessary, before you can talk start talking about making a sale. But the process works incredibly well. What happens is that the prospect makes his own conclusions and, before the meeting is over, is saying things like, ‘Well, that means that I should be interested in this…and need more information on that…’ and so on.

”This also highlights one of the biggest failings in sales – that the B and I are seen to be less important and are often ranked lower than they should be. This comes because people think, ‘They already know us’. But how well do they really know you? In my experience, one tends to conclude that people know you before they really do. The answer to the question, ‘Do you know what we do?’ is often, ‘No’. In practice, this meant getting the entire salesforce to hold back: ‘Guys, for the first 10 minutes I want you to relax and just talk about Cofely’.

”Another good thing about Bitsing is that, when you approach it as a team, it gives rise to a better plan. We have also benefited very much from our involvement in the process itself. Bitsing means that everyone speaks the same language, uses the same terms and begins to think in the same way. In this way it also really helps in directing the business towards greater effectiveness. If people are spending increasingly more hours on a customer without results, one can conclude that something is wrong with the B and the I. Bitsing helps us to check where we are in the process and to manage our progress. This also helps me arrange teams consisting of people with complementary skills. People who are good in the B and I areas, but also people that are good in closing the deal. I encourage them to use each other’s strengths.

”Bas’s tip for you: ”Bitsing is an investment which, of course, must pay itself back. This presents a challenge to justify the investment – but don’t hold back. It’s never too early to introduce Bitsing. In fact, it’s better to start Bitsing a second time over, than not to have applied it sufficiently!”