Australia day report card 2016
Today is January 26, 2016, Australia Day. As in past years , I have reflected in a post on this day what it means to be an Aussie. The post on January 26 2012, called for a mature debate on the challenges we face as a nation, the real, long term issues, rather than...
The one thing it is legal to steal
Wisdom. Look at the good and bad decisions you have made, what led you to them? What pressures were you under? Should you find yourself faced with the same set of circumstances again, would you now make the same decision? Look at the decisions and moves your...
How to overcome the terror of public speaking and be seen as the expert.
I prepare and give quite a lot of presentations, and from time to time coach others as they prepare. Speaking is a vital part of what I do, although I do not see myself as a professional speaker, just somebody with a point of view on a range of topics that can be of...
5 part headline template to write killer headlines that always attracts attention.
The ability of a headline to attract attention, then lead the reader deeper into the content is the make or break skill of copywriting, and even in this world of video, the ability to write a headline remains the single most important skill in effective communication....
The 7 most stupid innovation killing behaviors I have seen.
Most of the innovation initiatives I see successfully predict the past, but fail miserably at predicting the future in any way that enables commercial success. In other words, they just extrapolate what has happened in the expectation that history will repeat itself...
What is the difference between Mark-up and Margin?
Words are wonderful things, they allow us to communicate meaning. However, some words are easily interpreted in differing ways, making the shared understanding challenging, and sometimes the differences are exploited in a selling situation. One of the common "pea...
3 stage elevator pitch that works
Opportunities to deliver our elevator pitch often happen in social and unplanned situations, you just meet someone, and the automatic question is 'what do you do?' That is the opportunity for an elevator pitch, rather than just a polite response. You might...
7 steps to a certain sale
Forests have been denuded as 'experts' publish their complicated sales processes. Most have value coated in all sorts of hyperbole, jargon, psychological puffery, and sometimes just plain old mysticism. However, when you add a bit of plain common sense, the sales...
7 trends driving business in 2016.
Like everyone else who sees themselves as having a useful view of the train coming at us, I have again tried to articulate the things I see as important to businesses, particularly the smaller ones that make up my client base. Following are the outcomes of my assorted...
How did I do in 2015?
So, it is again New Years Day. January 1, 2016. Another year gone, but where? I hope 2015 was a good one for you, and that 2016 is better. For my part, I will keep on offering up my musings on the challenges facing small businesses in the hope that along the way some...