What’s more important, questions or answers? Ultimately, the underlying reason for asking a question, is to seek an answer …to gather more information, to find a solution to a problem, to gain greater understanding, to clarify a situation, to discover new opportunities. However, what often gets missed, is that the quality of the answer, is […]
I was recently talking to a retailer client and I asked her the question, “what time do you close up shop?” Her answer … “when my last customer has finished shopping.” Contrast this to the nightly occurrence in many retail stores of, “attention shoppers, please move to the checkout as the store is closing in […]
For many years, I have regularly asked my audiences the question, “What is the purpose of business?” On every occasion, bar two that I can recall, the first answer called out is, “To make money!” I immediately challenge that response by asking if making money is the purpose of business, or is it the purpose […]
Q: How many hairdressers do you drive past to get your haircut? How many car repairers do you pass by to get your car serviced? And how many accountancy and law firms are there between you and your preferred accountant or lawyer? A: Most often, at least one or two; sometimes, many more. Q: So […]
Ever since 1875 when Alexander Graham Bell made that first famous telephone call to his assistant, it is arguable that no other piece of technology has had such a profound impact on business. And yet, well over a century later, it is still abused and greatly undervalued by most businesses. This is never more apparent […]
I recently dropped by a relatively new restaurant for a bite to eat and a spot of mystery shopping. It was mid week and their lunch crowd was moderate … only a few spare tables, but no long queue waiting to be seated. Firstly, I had difficulty locating the main entrance due to a lack […]
“Good is the enemy of great” Voltaire (1694 – 1778). The concept of good being the enemy of great had been around for many years prior to its re-emergence in Jim Collin’s business management classic Good to Great. First let’s be clear, from both a personal and business perspective, there is not a lot wrong […]
Whenever the topic of delivering great customer service is raised, it is naturally assumed by most that the sole winner is the customer. After all, they get to experience all the ingredients that go into delivering outstanding levels of service; warm greetings, genuine welcoming smiles, opening hours that suit, pleasant well designed office and retail spaces, an extensive range of sizes and colours in stock, well trained and knowledgeable staff that take the time to listen and offer workable solutions, as well as a full array of payment and delivery options accompanied by genuine product and service warranties and guarantees.
It’s amazing the number of business owners and managers who still blindly believe that money is the sole and most effective motivator of employees. Research conducted over many years across many countries reveals this belief to be far from the truth. One such piece of research conducted by Glenn Tobe & Associates asked business owners […]
In today’s “same stuff – same price” market place, perhaps the greatest challenge for individual businesses is how to attract the attention of “choice rich – time poor” customers. There are of course the traditional radio, television, and print advertising mediums available, and more recently a host of online internet, web and social media based […]