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The five worst traits of a bad salesperson
I was recently the recipient of a 45 minute phone call from hell. Despite various failings in life, one quality I do feel blessed with, due in no small measure to my upbringing, is politeness. However, life’s catalogue of indelible challenges has also hardened me to not be a soft touch. These two traits combined mean that I seem to spend longer dealing with sales calls than most! The particular call in question came from a brazen young sales “hot-shot”. Time and a vacation has tempered my anger so I will restrain from...
read moreWhat’s your strategy?
“So, what’s your strategy?” It’s a question many would-be entrepreneurs are likely to be asked. After all, every business needs a strategy, right? I wonder how many people that ask the question truly understand what strategy is. The reality is that most new enterprises probably have a strategy but don’t perceive it as such. They may think strategy is the private playground of large multinationals. Let me first say what strategy is not. A vision or mission statement is not a strategy. “We’re going to provide the best value motor...
read moreThe “overflowing swimming pool” rule
Have you ever heard of the “overflowing swimming pool” rule? Hopefully not because I think I’ve just created it! The photo below has just been captured from my hotel in Madeira. As you can see, in this pool the water level is full to the brim.
read moreWhy “ization” might just save us
I’ve just returned from a truly memorable week in the Gulf, but not all for the right reasons! Having Oman Air mislay my luggage and then compounding the bad by proceeding to miss my flight home were downsides I could have done without! It seems that every country in the oil rich Arab states are undergoing a process of “ization”. Specifically: Saudization, Omanization, Qatarization. What is it all about and why does it matter? Broadly it is the name they are giving to the process of up-skilling their indigenous people. At present, a...
read moreWinning Tenders
This white paper on the art of tender writing should be of interest for any business where responding to tenders is a key channel for winning new business. In my experience a number of the smaller businesses that submit tender bids find it an enormously frustrating experience. The competition is often fierce and bids are often submitted with high expectations only to be met with enormous disappointment. Is it rigged? What are we doing wrong? These are just some of the questions business owners will often ask. Hopefully this paper will go some...
read moreWho are you selling to?
Most businesses begin their journey with a clear appreciation of their target market. Yet it’s surprising how often what they consider to be their typical customer is very different from reality. A great case in point on this involves a story told to me several years ago. Ronson was a British company that made cigarette lighters. Ronson didn’t make any old ordinary plastic lighter. These were durable, high quality, stainless steel objects of beauty....
read moreKeep flushing
Sometimes business (and life) throws a lot of unpleasant stuff your way. So long as you are making progress with your business and on track with your plans, remain positive. As the sign says, persistence will eventually be rewarded! Subscribe to RSS...
read moreIf only business were like Super Mario…
It’s your usual – “boy meets girl story”. Boy (Mario) meets girl. Princess to be precise. Girl gets stolen from boy by a turtle (Koopa). It can happen. Boy keeps trying to get girl back only to be thwarted time upon time. So what’s this got to do with business? Well, unless you own shares in Nintendo, nothing yet.
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