Top Tip
Meeting clients: How to improve results.
Many of us go into meetings with clients, and at the first opportunity tell them all about how great our company is and what we can do for them.
This is the wrong approach, mainly because we haven’t a clue about their problems or concerns. We should be asking about their business, and listen, don’t butt in. Find out what your customer need’s you to offer them, and then tailor your reply to their needs. Note the following:
1. Prepare an agenda for yourself to make sure you cover your product or service
2. Short check on the company as: web page, local knowledge etc.
3. Think about what the client requires from you, don’t assume.
4. Use open questions: What are the plans for the future?
What problems do you face with your expansion?
What are your main issues facing you today – labour resources- suppliers.
5. Make a follow up call after the meeting.
6. Search for articles which may help them overcome problems –papers- web pages etc
This technique helps you create a relationship with your client. You become sensitive
to their needs, and they will appreciate your interest in their problems.
Soon your client will consider you to be a reliable supplier.
But you must work at it- so target two or three idea candidates and do the business
Friday, 29 February 2008
Saturday, 23 February 2008
Are managers changing as fast as the world around them? Answer No!
Do our managers inspire? Do we engage and encourage employees to produce outstanding results?
Can we retain employees? How can we? Tony Erskine of BusinessExplained suggests a different approach.
For companies to survive and prosper in this fast moving environment, the manager must evolve and tackle the issues head on. Are managers changing as fast as the world around them? The answer is no.
Lead your people the right way - and you unleash their future potential
Basic qualities we hope for in an employee are, Obedience Attentiveness and Intelligence, ask any manager, what is the production rate with these qualities? 60 or 65%? Is this acceptable? No.
The manager of the future needs Initiative, Creativity and Gusto to flow from their employees.
The question is: How do we build a company that merits this contribution from its workforce?
How do we keep and develop key staff?
The manager’s role is to look after their employees - the employees to look after the customers – and the customers look after the investors. The needs of our employees are: money, recognition and meaning.
How can you improve employees’ remuneration package without breaking the bank? Money alone does not motive to perform. It could be a flexible working day, free child care, laundry services, free car washes, tickets for sports events paid lunches. Humour and good food within a group of people creates a good mood, which helps people hear each other better and leads to feeling more co-operative.
What about additional days attached to bank holidays such as Easter, May or August? Has everyone been given a job title?
Next you need to create a culture of recognition; we all feel the need to be recognised for our achievements.
Managers should imagine every employee had a sign around their neck that says ‘Make me feel important’.
A ‘Thank You ‘note from the boss. Taking the time to ask about their family. Try employee of the month scheme, or recognition of birthdays and anniversaries. Perfect Attendance awards, cash bonus for 100% attendance, ideal incentive when pitched around Christmas time, these are all simple put effective ways of recognition.
To praise someone in person, is recognised to be the most important acknowledgement for one to receive, it is far more influential than the written record praise, or a thank you email.
Meaning to the employee is belonging to a successful organisation and contribution to the success story. You can give your employees a sense of meaning by:
· Showing employees just how much they impact on customer service
· Creating experiences for your employees which build their sense of community within the organisation
· Sharing knowledge on how the company is doing ( not just when the news is bad)
· MD’s should voice their aspirations and visions on a regular basis.
If managers can fulfil the wants and needs of their employees they will create a lasting relationship which will improve the profitability of the organisation and maintain a high level of customer retention.
Tony Erskine is a Business Strategist researching management of the future. Please feel free to comment below or alternatively you can email Tony direct.
Can we retain employees? How can we? Tony Erskine of BusinessExplained suggests a different approach.
For companies to survive and prosper in this fast moving environment, the manager must evolve and tackle the issues head on. Are managers changing as fast as the world around them? The answer is no.
Lead your people the right way - and you unleash their future potential
Basic qualities we hope for in an employee are, Obedience Attentiveness and Intelligence, ask any manager, what is the production rate with these qualities? 60 or 65%? Is this acceptable? No.
The manager of the future needs Initiative, Creativity and Gusto to flow from their employees.
The question is: How do we build a company that merits this contribution from its workforce?
How do we keep and develop key staff?
The manager’s role is to look after their employees - the employees to look after the customers – and the customers look after the investors. The needs of our employees are: money, recognition and meaning.
How can you improve employees’ remuneration package without breaking the bank? Money alone does not motive to perform. It could be a flexible working day, free child care, laundry services, free car washes, tickets for sports events paid lunches. Humour and good food within a group of people creates a good mood, which helps people hear each other better and leads to feeling more co-operative.
What about additional days attached to bank holidays such as Easter, May or August? Has everyone been given a job title?
Next you need to create a culture of recognition; we all feel the need to be recognised for our achievements.
Managers should imagine every employee had a sign around their neck that says ‘Make me feel important’.
A ‘Thank You ‘note from the boss. Taking the time to ask about their family. Try employee of the month scheme, or recognition of birthdays and anniversaries. Perfect Attendance awards, cash bonus for 100% attendance, ideal incentive when pitched around Christmas time, these are all simple put effective ways of recognition.
To praise someone in person, is recognised to be the most important acknowledgement for one to receive, it is far more influential than the written record praise, or a thank you email.
Meaning to the employee is belonging to a successful organisation and contribution to the success story. You can give your employees a sense of meaning by:
· Showing employees just how much they impact on customer service
· Creating experiences for your employees which build their sense of community within the organisation
· Sharing knowledge on how the company is doing ( not just when the news is bad)
· MD’s should voice their aspirations and visions on a regular basis.
If managers can fulfil the wants and needs of their employees they will create a lasting relationship which will improve the profitability of the organisation and maintain a high level of customer retention.
Tony Erskine is a Business Strategist researching management of the future. Please feel free to comment below or alternatively you can email Tony direct.
What can managers learn from the Heathrow accident?
Top marks for 1st officer John Coward who was at the controls landing a Boeing 777 with 136 people on board. Six hundred feet to touch down, then all power to both engines is lost. With 100 tons of aircraft and a distance, of 2 miles to land. He took control and sorted the problem.
Why didn’t the pilot just give up? How was he able to cope with the stress he was put under? Tony Erskine a business strategist and also a commercial pilot shares a thought provoking comparison with management
Can we mortal managers learn from this experience? After all John is just a manager himself, he didn’t even need his boss, the captain to take over. Could we cope with a catastrophic disaster in our line of work?
It is possible to be in the right hand seat of a Boeing 737 in just over two years of your first flying lesson. So it is not the years of practise, nor do you need a high level of education. I left school with only a dinner wagon and still made it.
The secret is in the training, not only the quality but the continuation of it, together with working to standard practices to cope with emergencies. Once pilots are trained on a specific type of aircraft they are checked twice a year for an acceptable standard, and undertake a medical examination once a year.
Although, as typical managers we are not responsible for people’s lives day after day, however, we are responsible for the profitability, and therefore, the life of the organisation in which we work.
The other analogy to learn from the event last week is stress. There would have been little or no stress in the cockpit just an ability to overcome the problem in hand. The stress is absent because through training and standard procedures, pilots learn to cope with stress.
The lessons we can learn and introduce into our company from the Heathrow experience are;
Adequate Technical – Employee – Customer – Operation – Administration - Training
Compiling tried and tested operational practices
Stress control training
Routine ‘Line’ training programme
Annual medical check
If this is not enough, you could always learn to fly, which is a great way of managing stress, standard procedures and logic thinking techniques.
Tony Erskine is a Business Strategist, with Businessexplained Ltd. Researching management of the future.
Why didn’t the pilot just give up? How was he able to cope with the stress he was put under? Tony Erskine a business strategist and also a commercial pilot shares a thought provoking comparison with management
Can we mortal managers learn from this experience? After all John is just a manager himself, he didn’t even need his boss, the captain to take over. Could we cope with a catastrophic disaster in our line of work?
It is possible to be in the right hand seat of a Boeing 737 in just over two years of your first flying lesson. So it is not the years of practise, nor do you need a high level of education. I left school with only a dinner wagon and still made it.
The secret is in the training, not only the quality but the continuation of it, together with working to standard practices to cope with emergencies. Once pilots are trained on a specific type of aircraft they are checked twice a year for an acceptable standard, and undertake a medical examination once a year.
Although, as typical managers we are not responsible for people’s lives day after day, however, we are responsible for the profitability, and therefore, the life of the organisation in which we work.
The other analogy to learn from the event last week is stress. There would have been little or no stress in the cockpit just an ability to overcome the problem in hand. The stress is absent because through training and standard procedures, pilots learn to cope with stress.
The lessons we can learn and introduce into our company from the Heathrow experience are;
Adequate Technical – Employee – Customer – Operation – Administration - Training
Compiling tried and tested operational practices
Stress control training
Routine ‘Line’ training programme
Annual medical check
If this is not enough, you could always learn to fly, which is a great way of managing stress, standard procedures and logic thinking techniques.
Tony Erskine is a Business Strategist, with Businessexplained Ltd. Researching management of the future.
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