Category Archives: sales

Personal, Quality, sales

The Family Business, Learning from Family

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The skills one learns in family are directly transferable to a lot of situations in life.

In family general speaking we will go the extra mile.

Sometimes we are not exactly sure why we do this. For example we will make unsecured loans, give advice, arrange any number of things. The basis for this is that we have known our family members for a long period time.

While we may trust them or not. We know what to expect. This is built on trust over a long period time and many different situations. If one was to put it simply we know our family better then any one.

What has this do with business? Getting to know your employees, how important is this? Some might say that it is just a Job. X amount of hours per a day, does corretly describe a job. For a successful company they can not offer just jobs.

They have to offer more. Ideally a career or at best a vocation. If one is to do this they will have to understand there employees.

This is a great skill. Understanding your resources, It is management but not in a traditional sense. It is more listen and and then pairing the right work with the right employee. All these skills can be learnt in the standard family model which is way running a department is so much more then just allocating work or pieces of paper.

brand, business, Marketing, News, sales, service

Has Google Become Too Big?

Everybody loves Google or so the saying goes. A few years ago if you wore a Google T shirt you would be greeted by smiles as you walked down the street. But that was a couple of years ago. The market place has changed with Google now controlling at least 75 percent of the search engine market and respectively the same amount of advertising and they now hold a very secure position. Fundamentally Google has not done anything wrong. It is just that you have no choice when it comes to advertising. Small and big e-commerce sites all use Google advertising. For example Tech crunch , Digg etc.

Effectively there is no competition which means that Google can dictate terms and conditions and have a very big say over who does what in the market. If a website owner was to say the wrong thing they could find themselves on the other side of the fence with no advertisers. Now the much talked about takeover of Yahoo by Microsoft is the first step in readdressing this problem. I am still not comfortable though. Both of these companies have such a large influence and control of the most dynamic communication medium. Is it time that we should start to worry?

Maybe not just yet, but the signs are there. While we have all become Google search converts. What would it take for some of us to start using another search engine? The array of products that Google provides are truly amazing. From Gmail to Youtube all for no cost to the user and paid for by advertising. But as the old saying goes Power corrupts; absolute power corrupts absolutely. Is Google too powerful?

Personal, sales

Three Answers Yes, No, Maybe

Just yesterday I was talking about it again. It is not the first time. It always annoys me how presumable reasonable clever people are unable to answer their emails/calls. If someone writes to you or sends you something. There are three answers Yes, Maybe, No. The amount of people that have a problem with this is amazing. Of course we all know that no answer means that the person is not interested, but I would have much more respect for somebody who can write that in a e-mail. What do you think…?

 

Ask a Question, Marketing, sales, work connexions

Would You Like To Spend Less Money On Advertising?

How much do you spend on advertising? How much would you like to spend?

Have you ever considered what may happen if your employees kept either internal or external blogs? Do you think you could generate a whole wealth of material for marketing from the activity that blogging represents?

Not only that but you can also use the comments, with one post you are doing market research, advertising your business, and generating marketing material. (think about the possibilities this suggests) and if that is not enough to lower your advertising costs, consider for a moment what could happen if your company engages in matters that concerns its business, for example: local community events, debates about skilled workers, legislation, online or offline you will generate a profile and a talking point about your company. Try it… it is also worth considering to engage a PR Company to help you along the way.

business, Marketing, sales, Websites, work connexions

Generation X & Y the Internet Consumers

When we started this business, we made a strategic decision to concentrate on the Isle of Man. The very fact that it is an Island led us to the thought that e-commerce for its residents would be important. As the islanders here have 41 miles of sea in front of them the market is limited. To anybody wanting to increase their business e-commerce would seem to be a very logical way forward. Additionally the Isle of Man government is pushing e-commerce as one of its development strategies.

The reality is quite different. Many small businesses only depend upon the Island for making a living. Being that the community is quite small everybody knows what everybody else is doing. We have spent quite a bit of time and money on informing people on the changing use of the web. I am quite certain that within the next 18 months web 2.0 is going to play a more central role for all businesses. If I was to sum it up in a few words. It would be like this. If you want to reach generation X and before (under 35’s) then you have got to be thinking internet and web 2.0. If your market is above that generation then more traditional forms of advertising would apply. What do we have to do to increase our market? Inform the generation above X.

business, development, sales, work

Doing Business, Who Has The Advantage

I have never been a great armchair sports fan, as I always enjoyed sport more being a player in the game. I can understand why so many people like watching sport, two teams, or players battling it out on the same course. What makes it exciting is that it is a fair match, as teams usually battle teams of similar level. For the spectator it must be thrilling as only one team can win, a fact of the game is that the playing field is level. A truly buoyant economy is an exciting economy where everyone can benefit. But it is important that monopolies official or unofficial are kept in check or are introduced to sufficient competition. This same philosophy is the basis of democratic society. Every person who is born into society by law has the same chance in life. When the playing field is sloping towards one side we have a problem.

business, development, sales

If You Want A Different Result Then Try Something Different

“If you want a different result then do something different”

I am sure this is an age old motto. Unfortunately, I cannot recall where I first heard it. For example, if you are trying to launch a new product, recruit or increase sales, there are several ways to do this. They can be divided into two categories. Processes that you have tried, and those that you have not. Fundamentally doing what you have done before is not a guarantee for the same results the next time. It would appear that a new idea often has a certain sparkle. Quite often people ask me; why would I advertise in the Work Connexions magazine? What would be the result? If magazine publishers could answer this question, maybe our lives would be perfect. The best one can do, in my opinion, is due diligence and make sure that it does what its says on the packet. One tip, people read something because it is interesting.

If you find it interesting than you are halfway there.