Voices on the work.

Paul is a master workshop presenter and facilitator. The delivery is fresh and engaging every time. His ability to draw in all members of the group and then bring out the best in them with care and challenge is a great example of living our Vistage values. Everyone learns and grows from the experience. Thank you, Paul.

It is great to see teams progressing, owning the work, and committing to Thursday updates with me. In a nutshell, none of this would have happened if we didn't work with you.

In the nearly 12 months since your presentation, I have actively re-negotiated terms with my clients, and I'm thrilled to share that I have achieved a growth of up to 35% increase in fees and margin. Your guidance played a significant role in this success, and I am incredibly grateful for the time and effort you took to present to Key 106.

I am a better person and business leader because of you. Thanks for your support and guidance. (Marty) We wouldn't be where we are without you. (Jo)

'Ish' in commercial terms now makes me feel squeam'ish'. This is a direct result of Paul Allen's work with our company. He has taught me to feel appropriately sick when we analyse lost profit margin opportunities. I remain grateful for all of Paul's insights.

Since the early 1990s, Australians have witnessed a progressive revolution in customer service ethos. We've moved away from the old-world customer indifference model to a new found enthusiasm for the customer experience. While this is arguably a good thing, the margin pendulum has swung a little too far in the direction of the customer. Take Back Your Margin is a timely wake-up call to anyone in business. After reading Paul's book, you will be emboldened and empowered to pursue fair value for your products and services in a way that engenders respect and trust.

Paul has made significant contributions to The Executive Connection forums since early 2021. In that time he has conducted 23 workshops, demonstrating an exceptional understanding of our members' needs. From 158 surveys his sessions have consistently scored above 80%. The key reason TEC chairs frequently request Paul as a speaker is his extensive knowledge in enhancing profitability. His insights have been instrumental in providing actionable strategies and knowledge. Paul's role in TEC has been invaluable, not only in delivering content but also in actively engaging and adding value to our community.

Through the diagnostic process that Paul ran, we discovered more than we realised. We knew we had leakage, but not the extent until Paul systematically commenced his analytical but practical approach. Peeling the layers, one by one, his techniques showcased the areas where we thought we were fine. Changes, even minor, could lead to increasing margins which results in a dramatic effect to your bottom line. Paul is a master of his craft. Tactful, knowledgeable, honest and personable.

Paul's expertise and driven teaching style positively impacted the commercial contract and negotiation skills for many employees. A valuable resource for anyone looking to enhance skills in this area.

Paul led a session with my TEC group of CEOs and business owners. His practical and engaging style led to frank discussions about the true margin of key customers. The group took away specific actions and are already having brave conversations with customers to unlock the margin they are rightfully owed for the service and product they provide.

Paul has now spoken to all three of my TEC groups, some 30 CEOs of midsized businesses and 15 Senior Executives. Every member in all groups had a concrete take-away they felt they could action. Paul brought home all the aspects of margin improvement that were not in the financials but in the hidden cost of doing business. Eye opening stuff.

TEC 3 was fortunate to have Paul Allen from Margin Partners present his Client-Profit Workshop to the group. Great presentation with lots of valuable insights on minimising waste and maximising the value in both supplier and customer relationships to ensure nothing left on the table. Paul's down to earth and engaging delivery style combined with the use of real and relevant member case studies made for a worthwhile session for all.

I recently started a B2B business after 7+ years in corporate. I had a number of different strategies to acquire customers and no clear framework for how to do it. The value Paul was able to provide in our half-day session was amazing. I now have an extremely clear framework for customer profiling, engagement and conversion. Paul gave me so much detail to work with, all the way down to role play and the type of phrasing I should use. I would highly recommend Paul to any size business.

I just wanted to send you a quick email to say thanks. I was reading through your notes in response to our Supplier negotiation and was quite proud of myself to have already written down most of your notes. Going back 2 years ago, these aren't things I would have noticed or even pushed on. I've never been the easiest person to teach, but over the last couple of years you have given me some excellent tools and knowledge to continue growing myself within and outside of my role in Beechworth Bakery.

Paul has just completed a six-month program working with our Sales, Operations and Finance team with a primary focus of knowing the cost to serve our customers to improve our margins. Working with all levels of our business from Field technicians through to Senior management, Paul was able to engage with the entire team to use simple processes and tools for initial assessment and periodic validation throughout the term of a contract. The process has uncovered significant gaps within our processes which offer opportunity to recover eroded margins and reduce exposure.

Through his approach and insights, both sides were able to deliver the value that their respective companies demanded. A more connected and better-articulated relationship was built, laying the foundation for a more robust global alliance. As a highly experienced procurement expert who has worked globally in the FMCG environment, I can recommend Paul's innovative approach for unlocking sources of untapped value for both sides of the negotiation table. Take Back Your Margin is a must-read for buyers and sellers in any B2B context.

My company engaged Paul Allen in mid-2019 at a key period of change. As a leadership group we were on a journey to take the business from a historically top-line sales focus to a more gross-margin focused approach. We had one major customer that was especially problematic and we knew there were significant margin improvement opportunities. Paul's approach was for the team to collaborate collectively in finding the optimal margin improvement opportunities. The project was a great success and Paul's influence has had a massive cultural effect on our business. The teams can see the tangible results of working collaboratively, it is a happier business and margin is now at the forefront of all of our thinking.

Paul's topic was spot on for members, whether B2B or B2C and NFP. Universal message for any SME or larger organisation. Well delivered, good breakout group work and member engagement. Paul has great style and a very professional presentation. Including the member case study added greatly to the relevance in the minds of members. You are a great addition to our speaker stable and will be in big demand.

Over many years I've witnessed Paul create value across multiple sectors. He dives deep into organisations to capture the voice and insights of staff operating at the frontline of customer engagement. Paul's key strength is his adeptness at distilling the complex into focused recommendations and ultimately great outcomes for his clients. He has the ability to develop a unique and compelling cut-through message.

Margin erosion continues to be a key challenge for family businesses as they gain scale and engage with large corporate customers. Take Back Your Margin offers powerful insights for all FBA members and highlights how they can guard against the costly issue of margin erosion, whilst keeping their client relationships intact.

The person who taught me this was Paul Allen. I first met Paul 15 years ago. I remember less about the content of our first meeting and more about his style and energy, as well as his insight and clarity as a communicator. I have been lucky enough to be a spectator to his stellar career, achieving results that for most are unattainable. The volume of work he has done in distilling his experience into easily consumable information that can be readily implemented is testament to both his expertise and insights. His ideas and techniques are real, simple, and they work.

I had the pleasure of engaging Paul for running a workshop with our leadership groups at TEC for CEOs and C-suite executives to identify areas to improve their business by improving the engagement and contract management with key customers. Both groups had some real breakthrough moments on discovery of margin given away that could be reclaimed and new areas of potential up-sell. The workshops were highly interactive, fun and practical with real takeaways for participants to improve their bottom and top line immediately.

Paul's book Take Back Your Margin is a call to arms for suppliers across all sectors. His nine accelerators framework will empower business owners to rethink how customer profitability can be proactively managed. I recently witnessed a company's gross margin erode from 39% to 13.5% over 36 months (without the management team being aware of this erosion) and couldn't help but think how valuable Take Back Your Margin would have been to prevent this situation. I highly recommend Paul's book as a practical guideline for B2B suppliers to regain profit margins.

I engaged Paul to help our business improve efficiency, define responsibilities and drive accountabilities across our diverse administration structure. His performance to date is outstanding. Paul is very driven with a sense of purpose and professionalism. He engages employees quickly and has a clear plan which captures core themes and concerns right away and streamlines their complexity.

Paul provided an engaging exploration into the opportunity to realise margin for our member companies' businesses. Insightful and pragmatic, the presentation provided a real-world, practical methodology for participants to take away and consider within their businesses.

Take Back Your Margin is the book Paul Allen was destined to write. Over many years, I have seen him courageously initiate tough conversations with professionalism and sensitivity. He has an innate sense for deciphering where value can be lost and found. More importantly, Paul's approach to value recovery engenders respect, empowerment and unity amongst those he works with.