Communication: Making it personal multiplies effectiveness.
Two weeks ago I received a piece of junk mail. Not unusual, my letterbox seems to be the local junk repository despite a polite sign saying go away. However, as it was addressed specifically to me, with no mistakes in the spelling of my name, the address was...
The 4 levels of a successful business improvement project
My clients are mostly small and medium sized manufacturing businesses. They usually come to me when they are in a spot of bother, as word does get around. Over a period of over 20 years of working with these businesses, a process has evolved. It is repeatable...
10 sources of motivation you can leverage
It happens that one of the regular issues emerging from conversations with those I work with is about how you develop and maintain the motivation of those in the business, particularly in the more operational roles. Over the years I have seen a lot of operations,...
1 very simple question to radically improve performance.
Do not ask who, ask why. Piles have been written about changing culture as the means to improve performance. Most of it misses the point. Learning organisations, teams, mutual obligation, and all the rest, but when it comes down to it, the core is about people wanting...
6 Psychology strategies used to increase sales
Success in sales is not just about getting the other person to like you, and trust you, although that helps. It is about how you employ human psychology. Robert Cialdini articulated 6 rules in his seminal work 'Influence' in 1993, Reciprocity, Social proof, Commitment...
How to understand the answer to a question.
I ask questions for a living. No, I am not a policeman, journalist, or a head-hunter, all of whom need good questioning skills, but in some regards I am a detective. My job is to see what can be done to improve the performance of businesses, and to do that...
Budgeting: The crappiest time of the year
It is that time of year again, budget time. In most businesses around Australia, at least those that will be around in a year or two, people are wondering where they will find the time to do the budget preparation for the coming fiscal. To make it easier, following...
Consider the moment of Opacity
We are all familiar with the 'lightbulb' moment, that time when suddenly, all seems clear, the idea that has been buried in the depths of your brain, unable to be born, suddenly sees the light. Ever thought of the opposite? The moment of Opacity? That moment when you...
The 70/25/5 rule of business turnarounds
Most of my time is spent working with medium sized manufacturing businesses that for one reason or another, and usually many reasons combined, find themselves struggling. The people running these businesses are often reluctant to spend money on consulting....
Are you solving the customers real problem?
Marketers spend huge amounts of effort and money trying to define the problems they solve for their customers and potential customers. Often they fail simply because they do not understand their customers motivations sufficiently well, or they are overwhelmed by the...