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I was recently looking over some course material for a two day workshop on ‘Leadership’. Under the ‘what you will learn’ section they had, amongst other things, listed: You will learn How to evaluate workplace relationships for maximum productivity How to lead with integrity and earn the respect of your co-workers while getting the job done How to influence the most persuasive person in your organisation How to align a team towards a common direction How to motivate the unmotivated The 5 steps that successful leaders use to develop...
read moreDo you ever go to meetings and look around, then wonder what you are there for? I once worked with a client who employed a telesales company to generate appointments for the sales team. The only problem was (against my advice, I might add) they were working in isolation. The client company had no marketing strategy. They had no means of making sure that the prospects were at the right position in the sales pipeline to qualify for a face to face meeting. What sort of response do you think the sale team got from a large number of prospects? I...
read moreA few weeks ago I was listening to a radio phone-in whilst driving to an appointment. The topic was ‘Running your own Business’ and the guest was one of those ‘overnight business successes’. You know the story – after 20 years in business he became an ‘overnight success’ and celebrity! One caller rang in to complain about how the UK supermarkets had moved into the domestic electrical market and because of their buying power were forcing the likes of him out of business. What should he do? You may not be surprised at the answer,...
read moreSo having collected your data as carefully and objectively as possible, and having established the validity of the measures you have used, it is important to clearly show that you are comparing like with like. This might prove difficult depending on your particular business circumstances, but it is well worth going the extra mile at this stage of the process if you are to ensure you obtain the most effective outcome. Armed with all this it is now time to consider what’s to be done… I’d suggest you go for the ‘low...
read moreOne question you might ask is ‘are sales falling or is profitability – or both’? Remember the old adage ‘Turnover is Vanity and Profit is sanity’? I appreciate that in some industries and businesses, turnover is a recognised measure of the capability to deliver. Some buying authorities are reluctant to award contracts that would themselves form too high a proportion of current turnover. Aside from that it maybe that you are enjoying increased profitability from a lower sales volume – so does it really matter? Assuming...
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