1.'We will do it' means 'You will do it'
2.'You have done a great job' means 'More work to be given to you'
3.'We are working on it' means 'We have not yet started working on the same'
4.'Tomorrow, first thing in the morning' means 'Its not getting done..At least not tomorrow !'.
5.'After discussion we will decide -I am very open to views' means 'I have already decided, I will tell you what to do'
6.'There was a slight miscommunication' means 'We had actually lied'
7.'Lets call a meeting and discuss' means 'I have no time now, will talk later'
8.'We can always do it' means 'We actually cannot do the same on time'
9.'We are on the right track but there needs to be a slight extension of the deadline' means 'The project is screwed up, we cannot deliver on time.'
10.'We had slight differences of opinion' means 'We had actually fought'
11.'Make a list of the work that you do and let's see how I can help you' means
'Anyway you have to find a way out, no help from me'
12.'You should have told me earlier' means 'Well even if you told me earlier that
would have made hardly any difference!'
13.'We need to find out the real reason' means 'Well I will tell you where your fault is'
14.'Well.... family is important, your leave is always granted. Just ensure that the work is not affected' means 'Well you know...'
15.'We are a team' means 'I am not the only one to be blamed'
16.'That's actually a good question' means 'I do not know anything about it'
.
.
.
AND FINALLY, THE BEST OF ALL...
.
.
.
'All the Best' means ' You are in trouble'
Friday 12 March 2010
15 Principles for Marketing Any Professional Service
Successful marketing doesn’t happen by accident. It takes insightful analysis, dedication to building a business and, most of all, patience.Even though every company approaches the market in a unique way, the most effective marketers follow 15 principles that lead to their success.
1.Marketing is embedded in every aspect of the business, from the big things (like how you deliver services) to the details, such as the look of your emails and envelopes.
2.You have a market positioning vision that reflects your direction and purpose.Everyone in the practice understands and can describe it in a few brief sentences.
3.Clients understand your market positioning.
4.Your clients and prospects know what makes you different from your competitors.
5.All members of your practice know exactly how they contribute to the success of both your business and its marketing strategy.
6.You have a marketing activity calendar, and you follow it.
7.Client-specific programs are at the center of your marketing strategy.
8.You have patience with your marketing program, recognizing that some strategies take hold more quickly than others.
9.You measure the effectiveness of your marketing, making mid-course corrections as needed.
10.Your marketing strategy relies on an array of integrated tactics, applied consistently over time, rather than a start-and-stop approach.
11.You place a high value on client relationship skills.
12.You deliver your services flawlessly.
13.You provide a positive experience for your clients, no matter how tough the project.
14.Your marketing materials make a positive difference in your business development efforts.
15.You make time every day for marketing the business.
You can probably add to this list, but look at each of these principles and assess how well your firm is meeting the intent of each one. For most organizations, a few small changes in how they go to market can make a significant impact on performance.
I’ve left one essential, but obvious, item off this list. You must have an in-demand service offering that you can deliver to the market. Without that, your marketing efforts may succeed, but your business will ultimately fail.
Tuesday 9 March 2010
How to Start a Business with No Money
Who said you need a lot of money to start a business? You don't! These are some tricks I would like to share that can allow you to start businesses with less than $1,000.
You Don't Need Everything from Day One
* You don't need to incorporate from day one.
* You don't need an office.
* You don't need a fax machine, fancy business cards or that desk you really like.
Don't feel like your business has to look like a "real business" from day one. Concentrate on selling and then selling some more. That's all you should be working on at the very beginning.
Have Contractors, not Employees
Having contractors has many advantages:
* You can stop working with them when you don't need them anymore or if they're not good at what they do.
* They don't need a desk or office space.
* When work is slow, they get paid less. When there's a lot of work, they make more money. Try to do that with an employee.
Pay for Results
It's OK to have some people on retainers, but make sure that most of their income is tied to results. If they bring you a lot of business, they should make a lot of money. After all, you'll be making a lot of money too, so it's only fair that you share it with those that help you achieve your goals.
Use Relationship Marketing to Your Advantage
This is the most important lesson that should be learned in the career as an entrepreneur, so please pay attention. The best kind of marketing is called "relationship marketing" and it's free. How does it work?
1. Find the people that have access to your audience.
2. Offer them a commission for referring business to you.
3. Let them market your company at no risk to you.
Let's say you offer city tours in Paris. Go to all the hotels in the city, talk to the front desk staff at each place and tell them what you do. They have access to millions of travelers and that's your target audience. Pay front desk clerks a commission for each guest they send your way. This is risk-free and extremely effective.
Be Smart About Your Inventory
These are two great pieces of advice I learned from my mentor:
* Produce on demand. When you receive an order, collect payment and then manufacture the product. By doing this your working capital will come from your customers instead of your own funds.
* Be the middle man. Instead of producing your own products, buy them at a discount from someone else and sell them at retail price. The profit margin will be smaller but this is a lot less risky. Once you're in a better financial situation, you can start producing your own products.
Do As Much as You Can Yourself
Build your own website, design your own business cards and write your own marketing copy. This won't look as great as work done by professionals, but it'll free and fast. Once you've sold a few thousand dollars worth of products, you can always re-do your website, business cards and marketing copy using experts.
Barter as Much as You Can
Very few people barter these days, but bartering is extremely powerful. If you have something other people want, try to barter for their services. You might not get the best expert in the industry to work with you, but whomever you get will be good enough.
Leverage Other People's Businesses
You should take advantage of the retail locations, distribution channels and manpower that other companies pay for. For example, if you sell t-shirts, opening your own retail store will be way more expensive than selling your t-shirts through other people's stores. Let them carry your products. Use their salespeople, their retail space and their distribution channels.
You Don't Need Everything from Day One
* You don't need to incorporate from day one.
* You don't need an office.
* You don't need a fax machine, fancy business cards or that desk you really like.
Don't feel like your business has to look like a "real business" from day one. Concentrate on selling and then selling some more. That's all you should be working on at the very beginning.
Have Contractors, not Employees
Having contractors has many advantages:
* You can stop working with them when you don't need them anymore or if they're not good at what they do.
* They don't need a desk or office space.
* When work is slow, they get paid less. When there's a lot of work, they make more money. Try to do that with an employee.
Pay for Results
It's OK to have some people on retainers, but make sure that most of their income is tied to results. If they bring you a lot of business, they should make a lot of money. After all, you'll be making a lot of money too, so it's only fair that you share it with those that help you achieve your goals.
Use Relationship Marketing to Your Advantage
This is the most important lesson that should be learned in the career as an entrepreneur, so please pay attention. The best kind of marketing is called "relationship marketing" and it's free. How does it work?
1. Find the people that have access to your audience.
2. Offer them a commission for referring business to you.
3. Let them market your company at no risk to you.
Let's say you offer city tours in Paris. Go to all the hotels in the city, talk to the front desk staff at each place and tell them what you do. They have access to millions of travelers and that's your target audience. Pay front desk clerks a commission for each guest they send your way. This is risk-free and extremely effective.
Be Smart About Your Inventory
These are two great pieces of advice I learned from my mentor:
* Produce on demand. When you receive an order, collect payment and then manufacture the product. By doing this your working capital will come from your customers instead of your own funds.
* Be the middle man. Instead of producing your own products, buy them at a discount from someone else and sell them at retail price. The profit margin will be smaller but this is a lot less risky. Once you're in a better financial situation, you can start producing your own products.
Do As Much as You Can Yourself
Build your own website, design your own business cards and write your own marketing copy. This won't look as great as work done by professionals, but it'll free and fast. Once you've sold a few thousand dollars worth of products, you can always re-do your website, business cards and marketing copy using experts.
Barter as Much as You Can
Very few people barter these days, but bartering is extremely powerful. If you have something other people want, try to barter for their services. You might not get the best expert in the industry to work with you, but whomever you get will be good enough.
Leverage Other People's Businesses
You should take advantage of the retail locations, distribution channels and manpower that other companies pay for. For example, if you sell t-shirts, opening your own retail store will be way more expensive than selling your t-shirts through other people's stores. Let them carry your products. Use their salespeople, their retail space and their distribution channels.
Wednesday 3 March 2010
Nokia Story
A famous example of how change can result in untold success is Nokia, a company you are all very familiar with. Nokia embraces change. Originally they made paper products then they expanded into making galoshes, tyres and raincoats.
In the mid 80’s the Finnish Government was at the forefront of in-car telephony and Nokia decided to move into electronics. In the early 90’s they decided to enter the mobile handsets market. Their first product was forecast to sell 400,000 units – they sold 20 million and in the process, changed the world. Nokia is the only company in the world that generates more wealth than its country of origin.
In 2008 Nokia sold 350 million handsets, 35% of the 1 billion sold worldwide."
"It's not the strongest of the species that will survive, nor the most intelligent, it's the one most responsive to change."
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)