In coaching sales managers a reoccurring development need that comes from their boss is ‘they need to be more strategic’. Below we list the six major issues we’ve found helpful in repositioning sales managers: Many sales managers achieved the position because of their energy and industry. As managers they still run their teams by being… Read More »
Every business would like to improve its sales performance. That being the case, why do most sales organisations struggle to do anything more than just exhort their sales people to do better? The fundamental problem lies with a lack of rigour and understanding around the relationship of cause and effect. What are the inputs that… Read More »
We often visit organisations with clearly articulated values. They’re easy to spot, they have posters with the values on in reception, and often employees each have a handy little credit card sized version of them to carry around. Some even wear their security passes on values embossed lanyards. We occasionally visit organisations with a well… Read More »
Evaluating Your Existing Sales Proposals Read the following statements, circle 1 if it is very true, ½ if it is moderately true, 0 if untrue. We send out sales proposals not quotations 1 ½ 0 Our sales documentation is easy to read 1 ½ 0 The content is free of detailed technical information 1 ½… Read More »
We thought it was time to stop all this political correctness around valuing your people in a downturn and tell it like it really is, with the top ten reasons not to train people – the real deal. 1. It gives people new skills and new ideas which they have to try out back in… Read More »
In all change situations there is a (sometimes toxic) mix of both organisational and individual barriers. As most attention is focused on communicating the external reasons for the change (competitive pressures, cost problems, changes to the business model/operating factors etc) the organisational and individual dynamics of change are often ignored or down played. Yet effectively… Read More »
Most people want feedback. The people who don’t want feedback often really need feedback. “How am I getting on?” “Am I good at my job?” “What do my colleagues think of me?” “Do my customers rate me?” “What does my boss think of me?” “Do my employees respect me?” “How can I improve?” They’re all… Read More »
It seems like an awfully long time ago when we first shared Mark Zuckerberg’s IPO Letter Describing Facebook’s Purpose, Values & Social Mission, but it was exactly five years ago this month. Since then we’ve seen the Olympics in London, Pope Benedict XVI retiring, Scotland voting to remain in the UK, the UK voting to leave the… Read More »
Swedish directors Maximilien Van Aertryck and Axel Danielson have made a wonderful little film that highlights human emotions in a totally unexpected way. The premise is simple enough, people at a swimming baths in Gothenberg climb up a ten metre diving platform and then jump into the pool, or they don’t. These aren’t divers but regular people who have… Read More »
The United States of America has a new and unconventional President, and plenty of column inches will be going into analysing his personality. We suspect you wouldn’t be a President like Donald Trump (although we could be wrong). If you know your Myers Briggs Type Indicator then take a look at this chart and see… Read More »
Over the last 6 months we have been working on a competency project that has identified certain characteristics of the successful team manager. We have summarised those behavioural indicators into the following list: They seek to add value to what the team are trying to achieve, rather than simply ‘manage’ them. They balance the task-team-individual… Read More »
Today is Joe Biden’s last full day as Vice President. Whilst most of the internet will be mourning the loss of some great meme worthy photos, others will be reflecting on what his contribution to American life has been over the last 44 years. For many employees and mangers the recent publication of his November 2014… Read More »
The Context Of Complexity Whatever the precise nature and benefits of your product or service, viewed from the customer’s perspective it could easily be perceived as “one more complexity in a World which is already complex enough”. Some complexity factors facing customers are, for example: Choice From cars to computers, from banking services to pensions,… Read More »
At the Detroit Motor Show this week Chevrolet revealed a full size Batmobile made entirely from Lego, whilst they projected the Bat Signal onto their RenCen headquarters on the Detroit River. Once we’d scoured the job listings unsuccessfully for Full Sized Lego Vehicle Master Builder opportunities, we took a look at the fun little commercial… Read More »
This chart shows where the world’s US dollar billionaires live. Each country is sized according to how many billionaire’s live there. Those results are perhaps unsurprising, we’ve seen them before. The interesting new insight this chart gives us is how the billionaires in each country got to be so rich. If you are in the… Read More »