Here is a simple and powerful technique for changing the way you think about any particular problem In the early eighties Edward de Bono (who coined the term ‘lateral thinking’) created the “Six Thinking Hats” process.  He recognised that we do not use anywhere near the full capacity of our minds, so developed a framework to help improve the quality of our thinking and therefore our decisions. The six hats represent...

Action Selling by Duane Sparks is a neat and logical system to follow to help you improve your sales conversions. Breaking the sales call process down into simple steps Sparks gives us a process to follow and when we refine the small stages of the big picture we have more chance to get the outcomes we are looking for. Broken into 9 “Acts” the book is an easy read and provides useful tools to remind us of each Act.  The Acts in...

Here are some handy hints from our Man in Red who has a great team leveraging his time, so he only has to work one day a year (maybe two)… yes Santa. Deliver On Time – Would we still love Santa if he missed a year or came late occasionally? He has great systems to ensure everything runs like clockwork. Everyone Loves a Giver – Don’t be a taker, win prospects over with your generosity. Plan Ahead – He makes a...

One of the classics for Sales people to read and understand… even if some of the psychology may now be a little more subtle. Tom Hopkins is one of the Masters of Sales.. here’s a summary… To be a good sales person you need tobelieve in your product/service.  You also need to not only love what you do but you need to be passionate about it.  Your passion and enthusiasm will bring you more success than your technical...

A couple of weeks ago I started talking about knowing your numbers and promised to get back to you with more… and I’ll be keen to hear what you have learned from the last posting based on your Financial reporting. Today I will focus on KPI, or Key Performance Indicators and there are many of them to look at in any business. Do you measure where your new enquiries come from, your leads and which of your marketing sources...

An interesting read by Jeanne Bliss, highlighting a strong approach to customer service. If you think you are good at Customer Service then perhaps you can learn some new things to make you even better. The book questions the value of Customer Surveys… or the resultant actions (or lack of) that follow them…. then provides a 10 step process to improve your level of Customer Service. Part 1 – What are you doing with your...

Good marketers know that cusomter centered marketing is mandatory. However, we are not the customer. What the customer perceives as relevant is the thing successful marketers must anticipate, plan, and deliver on. Don’t miss out on learning about this six-sigma marketing approach that can skyrocket the effectiveness of your interactive marketing. Chapter 1: Dogs, Cats, and Marketing ? WIIFM, old marketing based on Pavlov’s...