Archive for category People!

Helping staff to get what they want

Jan 24

Posted by Steve Gray in Leadership, People!, Planning, Risk Management | 1 Comment

When it comes to dealing with staffing issues it seems as though there are always going to be those who want to help themselves and then there’s the rest.

What to do when you are staring down the barrel of staffing challenges and this is just one of your starting points?

In a previous article I looked at What Staff Want. It gives some interesting insights, but how do you figure out how to deliver the things they want or need and get to that point effectively.

Let’s go for the easy option, Brainstorm…

If you already know what they want and or need to do their job effectively, then facilitating a session with them will assist them to at least understand you want to assist them, and give you an idea of if they want to be assisted.

The real aim is to use the “Collective Intelligence” to get information happening and ideas explored.

You could start out with the list of what people want, then jot down some ideas in advance of things you believe might match to the job, tasks, attitudes and beliefs. Then you have a chance of connecting with them when the discussion starts and they are scrambling to find ideas. You would probably use your information to enhance their thinking processes if they get stuck, you might add in a pointer relating to an obvious task to spur them on.

Brainstorming can be easy – Set some guidelines and go from there.

All ideas are good ideas – We can focus on the good ideas later
Feel free to share – Let people freely add in and occasionally encourage the stragglers to also put in. Invite them to help make things better
Our aim – To explore ideas on improving this business unit – “We have challenges what will improve things?”
Work to a time frame so they don’t just lounge about for ages, aim to get ideas on to paper fast.
Pose some questions to be answered – Perhaps this is the initial brainstorming, getting the issues out as THEY see them, then getting them to provide ideas to answer them
Write fast, and prod for more ideas – Actively explore concepts as they arise
Consider a mind map – Do an internet search on the basics of this, it can be a very visual way of getting the thought processes working.
Collate the main ideas and share them once they are typed up – This can then lead to a plan of action or an attitude shift to some degree.

A brainstorming session should be positive and free flowing. The team should not feel like they are working under duress to come up with ideas. Hopefully after doing this session you will be able to find some excellent starting points to work from. Chances are the team had all the ideas and answers and you were able to positively, openly and honestly listen to them work through the challenges.

Tags: business, business mechanics, business success, communication, People!, Planning, Risk Management, steve gray, training

What staff want

Jan 17

Posted by Steve Gray in Human Resource Management, Leadership, People!, Planning, Risk Management | No Comments

As a follow on from the series dealing with staffing issues this article explores what staff want, when you know that and provide it, then you will find it easier to keep them happy. Believe me it’s important.

Keeping people happy is one part of the whole business matrix… customers or staff, the common denominator is that they are all people.

To keep one person happy you might find their definition is built on getting a reasonable amount of work done in a standard working day, churning through mountains of meaningless paperwork. Meanwhile the next person is kept happy by having variety and not just being stuck in an office.

So what are the core things they want and how can you provide these for them?

Here’s my list.

A sense of belonging – Being valued by others, even in minor ways can help to build and maintain their workplace sense of esteem
A sense of achievement – Some will want to work their way up the corporate ladder, set goals and achieve them
Contributing and adding value – Beyond their basic agreement, work targets etc, they feel as though they have contributed to the whole business machine
A sense of purpose – It’s not a meaningless job, it has a role to play and they can clearly sense that
Organisational integrity – It’s about security, if they know the organisation has integrity they then have a foundation they can believe in and stand by. No integrity, the foundation can give way at anytime this leads to insecurity and can be a reason for staff turnover
Control – For some this can mean the security that comes from having some measure of control over their situation, it might be minor. For others they want the chance to take control of a department, or a division depending on their level of drive or motivation
They like be challenged – In ways which suit them, not you. For some it will be big challenges for others it will be meeting a small quota. It comes down to brain stimulus
They have a suitable work environment – Where it can be controlled, think about it you spend 8 or so hours a day in the business, do you want to spend 8 hours in a hovel or 8 hours in paradise… The choice is a no brainer right? So what’s your environment like? Sure paradise is a BIG step but making it better might only take a few tweaks and a small amount of cash. For those out on the road for instance in a company vehicle, is it clean neat and tidy, new, old, in good repair or a rust bucket. Oh and the Lunch room, a place to relax and unwind, or a stinking cesspool of yuck… (broken chairs etc.)
They have the right tools – Newish computer – Quiet keyboard – Suitable work chair – Effective other tools

Are there others? Probably, it’s up to you to find out. But armed with this as your starting point you can soon see the sorts of core things staff want. Go and chat with your staff and find out what their wants are.

Now you know what staff what, here’s an article on how you might explore this further.

Tags: business mechanics, business success, communication, employee recruitment, HR, hr leadership, Leadership, People!, Planning, Risk Management, steve gray

Dealing with challenging staff 1

Jan 16

Posted by Steve Gray in Human Resource Management, Leadership, People!, Risk Management | No Comments

This article is an extension of a previous one on staffing issues.

You started to see the clues that a staff member was not quite in line with your expected range of behaviours – their efforts are slow, below quality, they resist some tasks etc. In general they become a pain to deal with and you really hope they just vanish one day and the problem is over.

However the reality is somewhat different, they hang around and keep on plodding hoping to keep on getting away with doing what they do, It’s almost as if no one notices them doing what they don’t do.

Your task is to now figure out what to do about it and do it fast so they don’t start to infect others with their attitude.

Your first step is probably underway, that is rewarding the behaviours you want “Well done with the x project…” but if things have slipped out of your grasp a little then the following should be of value.

Here’s how things generally go

They get annoyed with something
They develop some form of resistance as a result of their annoyance (ignore commands, put things off etc)
Things escalate because they believe nothing is going to change back to how it was or get better (they were comfortable with how things were) now you have resentment starting to build
Finally things build retaliation stage, the issue that has resulted in things getting to this stage spills over into them taking negative action, in extreme cases this can get VERY nasty (read workplace shooting…) On the lesser scale they will do tasks slowly, to a poor standard or avoid tasks and probably blame others

The first step is to evaluate the situation – What specifically do they do that is causing difficulties? Make a list and make it evidence based but avoid implicating others (it can get VERY messy if you do!)

Secondly – You need to figure out what may be causing this, here are some possibilities, note all of these can lead a person to be annoyed with the job or the company and therefore their attitude and efforts have strayed.

Their job changed at some stage and they did not like the change but may not have said so, or if they did say something their plea fell on deaf ears
They have been told off for not doing a good job, in a way which has annoyed them. The upshot is they have resented it and have now become resistant and are starting to retaliate
They see the system as being so slack they figure they can get away with anything so they push the boundaries
They are being bullied or harassed in some way (I hope it’s not by you…)
They feel they are undervalued
They have some personal issues – physical – emotional – psychological, which is impacting on their work
The work has become too challenging for them
The work is no longer challenging for them
Things change too often for them, the computer system, they type of work, etc
The work may not have altered but now they have to travel further to complete works now they become annoyed
The list can go on.

Time to do something…

Let’s face it something needs to happen to “stop the rot setting in”. If you have built a great relationship with your team, you will be intervening early, perhaps at the annoyance or resistance stage. If not you may have a harder task to handle.

Let’s work on this in my next article on this issue.

Dealing with challenging staff 2

Jan 16

Posted by Steve Gray in Human Resource Management, Leadership, People!, Risk Management | No Comments

Leading on from the other post on this topic. You want to deal with the staff member who is causing some grief (or could be about to) how do you go about intervening to find out what you need to know. The big thing is to get them onside so they will want to chat to you about the issue with ease, the last thing you want is for them to later on suggest they were under some form of duress, caused by you in the questioning phase!

The aim is to have a staff member who is relaxed about you chatting with them, so you can keep them onside and willing to discuss issues rather than some adversarial situation they can get annoyed about.

Here are a few points to consider;

You are aiming to make an assessment not a judgement – There is a difference, assessing the situation means researching and working the facts, judging may well mean you could start off on an accusatory footing. Aim to get solid facts first.
Avoid cornering or accusing them – They may deny anything, then you will be in a harder place trying to get information as they withdraw and may start to lay blame or justify their position – Think about if you would like to be cornered and how you might respond
Keep things open and honest – You want them to feel as though they can readily and easily relate the information you want with no pressure, lies or any form of creative avoidance
Ask “Is it okay if we have a chat about work…” – This way you will have a good chance of getting their permission to chat about the issue/s. Avoid asking “So how’s work going” this can set them up to say “Ok… why” and then be on the defensive
Try the research method – “I’m chatting to a range of staff about things to do with the business, ideas for improvements, how people are going, that sort of thing. Can I do some research with you?” – This can give you permission to ask questions about the business and related info
Spend some time with them – This may not be suitable in every situation, but perhaps you can spend some time with them “on the road”, meet them on site, or perhaps sit with them for a while in their workspace (maybe chatting about a specific task to begin with.)
Make it happen fast – Once you have suggested you want to catch up, make sure you avoid dragging things on, this can cause unnecessary worry all round.
Take good notes – Leaving this part until later can be a trail fraught with danger, collect facts, not hearsay and allegations. Feel free to read back the details and see if they agree with what you jotted down. Consider asking them if they want a copy.

Now that you have set up the chance to have a chat, what will you say? Well it’s going to depend a bit on the angle you take I guess, personally I favour the research method.

Give them the chance to say nothing! – Somewhere in the opening questions if you can throw this in it can be very useful, “Feel free not to say anything if you wish, it’s up to you” this takes the pressure off straight away and allows them the option to avoid things, chances are they will actually switch on internally and answer practically any question you pose to them.
Begin with some easy things – “if they have a new vehicle, “So how’s the new vehicle going, one of the other guys is not sure about his…” or “This last six months has been really busy/quiet how has that been for you?”
Look for lead ins – They answer one question and it leads on to another that fits well to you finding out more, or causing them to open up more.
Stack questions – Putting together a bunch of questions in one hit can cause the person to start talking and not stop for a long while – basically you set their brain firing on a range of questions and they just start to respond. It could start like this…”We have been busy this past month don’t you think, It has been for me, and then the summer kicked in and we had those orders come from the retailers, do you think the upgrade to the computer helped with at or was it just me that thought it struggled, anyway… That’s not what I wanted to ask really… any how, what’s been happening in your area?” – With practice you can stack questions with ease and sit back for a while and get more than just yes’s or no’s to your key question/s
Work from their viewpoint – How do you see things… how do things feel for you… what do you believe is happening… Do things sound ok from your end? This works from an old American Indian saying of “Walk for a while in the other person’s Moccassions” this can then allow you to get their perspective and may lead you into more of the right questions and or give you some empathy for their viewpoint. It may also give you the real reason they are doing what they do, rather than some smoke screen cover up.
Small talk can be useful but… – For some people using small talk to lead in to a conversation is normal, easy and very useful, for others however it can be a slippery slide to disaster, with the other person smelling a rat very fast, putting them on the defensive. Know your people, so you can craft your approach to fit to their needs and situation, use small talk for those that do and avoid it for those that don’t use it.
What’s your biggest challenge and why? – Sit and listen carefully after you ask this one, and ask it only when you are sure you have a measure of trust with them. If they ask for clarification about the question “Personal or professional challenges?” then you are getting closer to the real question, it can get more specific after that as well and perhaps you can use that to your advantage to clarify more questions with details.
Feed it back to them – Sometimes you can read info back to people to clarify what was said, any points they disagree with you can modify to suit. This is the best time to clarify things while things are still fresh in both parties heads.
Ask them for answers – “Our chat has identified a bunch of things, if you could solve these challenges, what would you do?” Then sit and listen carefully, you may get some great answers to some big issues, but let them have the chance to respond. Often people will start out by saying “I don’t know…” Then launch into “Well what I would do is…” then take great notes as they unload.

Now you have some solid starting points for your intervention, hopefully you will get some great information to work with, their views, their reasons why or why not and the chance to provide some answers, hopefully all of which was done with minimal hassle and discomfort. Your next step will probably be to act on your findings, that could raise a whole bunch of other issues for us to explore another time.

Has all of this caught your interest? Well it should and to really get a handle on things consider this, what do your staff really want? find out in the next article, what staff want.

Tags: business, business mechanics, business success, communication, HR, hr leadership, Leadership, People!, Risk Management, steve gray

2012 Business, thriven or failing

Jan 13

Posted by Steve Gray in Innovation and Creativity, Leadership, Planning, Risk Management | 1 Comment

There’s plenty of talk out on the street that people are saving and not buying, therefore business may well take a battering.

There’s lots of other talk too, less Entrepreneurs entering the market place with big ideas. Then there’s people losing jobs left right and centre as businesses close up and walk away, or go offshore to chase cheaper ways to manufacture.

With all this I can sense bitterness in the air, people in business cursing those that don’t buy, (or by online…) cursing the idea of having to set up a business in a down economy, cursing the thought of having to think creatively to overcome challenges and create anew. The list goes on.

Things change, get used to that.

It’s up to you what you end up doing about it, in business there are options, generally the more cash you have the more options you have.

But wait the “bootstrap-ocracy” will tell us you don’t need money, you need ideas, followed by a great pitch to the right people and before you know it a business has emerged from nothing.

I heard a conversation the other day that suggested all business ideas are bootstrapped, even if you put a few Million into the start up phase you then have to pay that back at some stage so you are possibly worse off than if you started with zero $$ it just seems easier.

What will make a business thrive through 2012 and on into the future. Lots of things, the ability to handle change, be creative with their ideas and explore ways to make those ideas become reality so the zero start up can become a heroic organism which can stride forward with confidence. In a word nimble.

Go on get nimble, get creative and make hay before the weather changes and the hay goes sour. The wider community is waiting for the right people to do the right things and keep things moving. “Tag… you’re it!”

Beyond the motivator, the ‘just do it’ theory.

Dec 23

Posted by Steve Gray in People!, Personal Development | No Comments

Just a theory but I like how it fits. It’s all to do with what causes us to do things.

On the one side we have Drivers (have to do a task) – on the other there are Motivators (want to do a task).

Clearly if someone is motivated to do something they want to do it and that probably means they will do the task with interest and enthusiasm. On the other hand if someone HAS to do a task, they could try to put it off to the last minute and have to be driven to do it (no choice, must be done not matter what).

All of that is okay, but I got stuck, in the middle part, where I could not decide if I wanted to do a task or if I was driven to do a task, it was a ‘no mans land’. And yes I was seriously STUCK, things that I should do but was neither motivated nor driven to do. I floated, wondering what will drive me to do the task, or motivate me.

For a long while I was perplexed and on the odd occasions people would suggest ‘Just do it’ but being a thinking person, I was too busy considering “how come I’m not motivated or driven?”

Finally I got to the “Just do it” stance, and then it hit me. Just do it is in the middle, and I see it as a pendulum moving a bit either side, perhaps there would be times when I would just do things and have moments of feeling motivated or driven. Nice distinction me thinks…

The main thing, if a task needs doing, ‘Just do it’. Who knows, the ‘just done thing’ may lead us to explore the task from a more motivated or driven position, the possibilities from there might be endless.

Tags: driven, just do it, motivation, steve gray, stuck state

The problem with customers is…

Dec 14

Posted by Steve Gray in Excellence!, People!, The Customer Service Dept | No Comments

They want to be loved – Yes you read that right, loved. Think about it there are few who don’t want to be loved. So to make sure your customers are going to be great fans of your business and come back to buy time and time again, love them.

Here are some ways to give it.

Make things to go smoothly – If there are hassles things can go bad fast.
Give them timely responses (not waiting) – Make sure you connect with them as fast as possible, they will appreciate it and you will stand out from the crowd.
Show great courtesy (the best service wins) – Manners matter.
Respect, their views values and ideals – That does not mean you have to change yours to meet theirs just respect them.
Give them clear explanations in their language style – Speak at their pace using their tone etc.
Keep them informed – We have ordered that for you, we will call when it comes in…
Acknowledge them – Hello – Someone will be with you soon.
Listen to them – Active listening means you pay full attention to what they are saying, be there (in the moment as they say) so they feel as though you are focused on them

If your organisation is doing this part of customer service right, then you have a chance to impress people and provide them with what they want, solutions to their needs and wants. Now that’s another story…

Tags: business, business mechanics, business success, communication, Customer love, Leadership, love your customers, The Customer Service Dept

How team training can fail

Nov 28

Posted by Steve Gray in Human Resource Management, People! | No Comments

As much as I love training people, I have to say most team based training seems to be an out and out fail. Here’s why…

Team exercises – Most people hate the ‘team building’ exercises, then they get into it and like it and then realise there was low ongoing value, but they had a break from work, they just tell the boss it was ok.
We are a team already – if there are challenges, forcing us to do something about it might just annoy us further. Perhaps HR should have hired decent new team members in the first place! It’s their fault. – Sometimes the way to change things is easier than having people out on a team building exercise, perhaps a series of chats from their ‘coach’ or team leader (same thing) is enough to find an elegant solution or raise awareness of issues.
Take me away – Taking me away for the weekend to a conference, seminar might seem nice and a big commitment from the company to show it cares, but if it’s my family time, forget it, I will probably just resent it for the first part of the event if not all of the event – Doing it in work time may look like I am getting out of work, but Most will figure that the work does not go away and it might just create more stress.
Spend the training $$ – I put down we need to do some team building exercises, because usually they are fun, and hey you’re the one allocating the training $$ and if we don’t spend it we lose it. If they are going to do training they want to have a good time and hey, if push comes to shove they might be able to justify it.
What team issues? – What else in the organisation might be causing the supposed ‘team issue’? Could it be a lack of Leadership, direction, adherence to Co guidelines etc… – There is an old saying that says “Resistance builds first, followed by resentment and finally retaliation” when things start to go astray start asking what’s causing people to become resistant to things in the first place? Then work on that, well before resentment leads to retaliation!
As a team leader, someone from ‘above’ says we need to do this, why wasn’t I consulted… – see resistance, resentment, and retaliation!
Does it pay? - A program scheduled over a number of sessions takes people out of a productive work environment and the $$ invested better come back in increased productivity fast. Chances are the $$ return will take a while no matter what the program time frame, even then there are no guarantees, so any benefit may fade over time, just in time for the next team building exercise!
Programs that create tight knit teams seem to adversely effect the productivity, what gives with that! – Simply put if people get on really well together they start to care on a deep level, before long they are a closely connected group, they worry together, laugh together, share lots of things together, how on earth do they find time to work!

Please understand I see training as a vital part of successful business operations, just that it needs to be relevant, useful and valued in general. If it annoys people and they can’t appreciate the value readily, you might do better to direct the training $$ into other areas.

Tags: buisness training fail, business, business mechanics, business success, communication, HR, hr leadership, Leadership, People!, Risk Management, steve gray, team building, team fail, training

Who are you listening to?

Nov 24

Posted by Steve Gray in People! | 1 Comment

In business you will get a wide range of input and information from all manner of sources. Your general staff, your supervisors, middle management, consultants, accountant, salespeople, your partners (biz and life), your self , oh and the customers…

So who are you listening to specifically?

I guess it depends on what is being said and who is saying it. If a general staff member is saying there is an OHS issue then you will probably be listening intently, but if it’s another issue which could waiver in direction how would you listen, intently, vaguely or other. If it had a positive impact on your bottom line you might listen closely, but if it looked like the opposite you might discard it, but what if it was the sort of thing which could have a long term positive effect but it was not obvious at the time.

If it is the latter then you might ll9isten intently if the person telling you is somehow influential and you take action at everything they say. however if the person isn’t influential a great idea might go by the wayside fast.

Then the trick comes down to your self evaluation of what’s being discussed, may I suggest you listen to everything as if it’s being told to you by a person who’s view you respect (or you are influenced by) and evaluate it from that view (do your due diligence).

You might be surprised at the information you get and the value of it if you do listen carefully as if everything matters. Chances are it will matter, it’s just a question of when.

Tags: business, business mechanics, business success, communication, HR, hr leadership, Leadership, listen, listening, People!, Risk Management

Connected people

Nov 23

Posted by Steve Gray in Excellence!, Growth, People! | 1 Comment

You have staff, you have customers, how connected are they?

How connected are you to your team?
How connected are the individuals in the team…

Does it matter, yes… and here’s why.

Your people are your biggest asset, they do the things required to cause customers to pay for the products and or services you provide. No connection, means no communication, no communication no sale. Here’s the issue, its all about having a ‘suitable’ depth of communication.

The same thing applies to the internal customer communications, no communication, no connection, therefore there is probably a low care factor. (seems obvious now I spelt that out huh…)
Change it, discuss it, explore it, push it, use the term “Care Factor” and raise it to a suitable level (too much can push things over the edge).

Now take a look at your “Care Factor” for ALL your team. Here’s some pointers to consider.

How much do you know about your people?
Ask them about their day, weekend, issues, thoughts, perspectives etc.
Chat about their hobbies and interests.
Discuss work issues face to face every now and then (not just by email or a brief chat as you pass in the hall way).
Invite them (not literally) to ask you about your interests etc…

Some of you will find this easy, others will struggle and have probably stopped reading for fear of connecting with their staff! Think about all of this carefully, because at the end of the day no connection means no sales, and business needs sales! (one way or the other).Your next questions should be how do I/we connect better!

Tags: business, business mechanics, business success, communication, connect, Effective Networking, hr leadership, Leadership, People!

Beyond the value of values

Nov 19

Posted by Steve Gray in Excellence!, People!, Risk Management, The Board Room | 2 Comments

I love values, we all have them, for most bigger organisations they write them up and muddle on from there. I seriously wonder sometimes if they know much about them.

For smaller organisations there is often a reluctance to write them out, fiddle with them etc, as they see it as an unnecessary thing to do. (basically a waste of time) until something happens and then they wish they had a list of them to fall back on as a support, to provide guidance.

Here is a bunch of values an organisation chasing the aims and ideals of excellence might list and utilise. I will expand on these and offer a few examples to give some ideas and options for their use.

Leadership: The courage to shape a better future by positive actions – The ability to motivate people to explore excellence – Lead by example “see something, do something”
Respect: For each other, the people we serve and the environment – From the way we communicate to the way we act on all levels
Tolerance: Of others, their views, beliefs and values
Collaboration: Leverage collective genius – work cooperatively with others – Comply with all legal and statutory authorities – Explore ways to develop profitable business relationships
Integrity: Consistency of honest working principles and beliefs – Build trust through our positive actions – Build our structural integrity to ensure sustained growth through a solid foundation – We build with a culture of mutual respect for all – Aim to be ecologically sustainable
Accountability: If it is to be, it’s up to me – See something, Do something, take action to make things right – Think globally, act locally – Hold true to a high level duty of care
Passion: Committed in heart and mind to get great results we can all be proud of
Quality: What we do, we do well – We openly explore ways to improve at all levels – A commitment to personal and professional excellence – A commitment to great service at all levels – Aiming to be a highly professional team
Adaptable: We are able to take initiative and embrace projects and challenges with the guideline of “Improvise – Adapt – Overcome”

These cover most areas of human interaction, and at any time an issue arises they can be called upon to offer guidance as to which direction things might go.

I figure these are vital to a contemporary organisation and offer a wide range of options for future development. Want to move forward, check there is a value or two you might want to follow and use it to your advantage. A wise guiding hand in times of need is one which offers flexibility and direction, Look no further folks, here is the start to being guided by wisdom.

You want what by when…

Nov 1

Posted by Steve Gray in People!, Planning, Risk Management, The Board Room | No Comments

This is not a chat about time management… not this time, more a chat about what do you want your future to be

You’re in business, not just a job but business. That means you work, take risks, plan, implement and reap rewards (yes rewards) if you get things right.

I have heard many people say many different things about what they want from business.

I’m the boss.
I call the shots
I can’t be sacked
I get paid more than the other guys

Follow that with…

I am creating an asset I can sell and retire on the proceeds
I have an asset my kids can take over
I have an asset where I will install a manager to do all the things I currently do and I will live off a % of the profits and occasionally consult back to the business when I want to.
I have multiple assets run by others and I get a part of the income from each and I seek out more ways to make $$ from each

The last one is the one I like the most, it’s the one that makes the most sense to me, it’s a risk to reward ratio. I get rewarded for the risks I take and can create more businesses so that if one is not doing well, another one is. (Good diversification can do that.)

Here’s the challenge however, most people don’t seem to think like that in fact they often only think in the terms of the first set of points. What that amounts to is Just Over Broke. Rarely getting ahead and when they do it seems to disappear FAST.

Sure there is the argument of live now, because you don’t know how long you will live. But being that it’s an unmeasurable ‘thing’ I would prefer see a longer term plan (or vision) than some short sighted live now and “oh no we’re broke honey, but we had a great time…”

All this is loosely called succession planning and making sure you set up your business to be all it can be so you can reap positive rewards now and in the future is vital.

Tags: business, business success, Planning, Risk Management, succession planning

Stunning looks but what happened?

Oct 22

Posted by Steve Gray in Excellence!, Growth, Leadership, People!, The Customer Service Dept | No Comments

Have you ever had a friend who looked stunning but over time they ‘faded’, perhaps the look they once had is now ‘not in vogue’ or they have aged and the look does not fit the image, they should have altered to an image which suits their age, level of maturity etc…

I was out shopping today and started to see a few, “not quite Walmart’ people” but some a bit too close for comfort. Then a few who were the opposite, I started to put two and two together and thought… “Isn’t it interesting how the looks convey so much”. What I was now seeing was confidence, poise, pride, conviction, energy, warmth, integrity, strength, trust, beauty… “Guess which group this was!”

While on the other side there was, sloth, lack of care, little confidence, an unruly ‘dis-ease’, coldness etc.

It then struck me, it was a reflection of the shopping experience I had been having recently. Some businesses were, poised and confident while others, uneasy and fragile. Wow what a comparison, on the one hand people and the other hand businesses, yet there was a correlation to the way I felt about them both, a sort of emotional connection, ethereal and subtle but somehow strong at the same time.

Well that’s how I feel sometimes with some businesses I observe. The businesses I love are the ones who are consistently on top of their game. The ones who take care to present well, keep up with the times without following the latest fad. The ones who have pride and professionalism without an air of arrogance.

One quick example, I parked near a shop which sells Chef’s essentials, it’s open to the public so I took the chance to browse (I’m an avid cook so hey it was a great fit). On entering the store, one of the staff (although serving others) nodded and said “hello” I reciprocated and continued to browse.

As I went further into the store another service professional approached and said “It looks to me as though you are happy to browse, unless there is something specific you my like assistance with?” I smiled broadly and said “I’m quite happy thanks you read my interest well!” She smiled back reassuringly.

I wandered some more and selected a few things which took my fancy, on arriving at the counter, I was assisted with some light chatter and some ideas about one of the items I had selected “You can also use that for…” it was welcome info. I felt confident to ask a few silly questions without the store people rolling their eyes and I was met with some great responses which answered my queries well and helped me feel as though they were not silly questions after all.

I left the store pleased with the purchases and information I sought, nice… Mind you I have had the opposite on more than one occasion. Oh and by the way the store was well stocked (range and qty of each item) and beautifully presented, with items clearly labelled with price and other details.

To get back to the original idea of the post, I reflected on a not so good experience in a store earlier in the day, not enough staff, taking too long to serve and trying to find what I wanted in their crowded space was annoying, If I did not want the item so much I would have gone elsewhere. I walked out of there with a sense of disdain and grumpiness. Mind you this store had started out well a few years back but is fading off my radar the more I go back and suffer the little things which annoy me.

Stunning looks, but what happened? Take the time to figure out what’s happening in your business so you can prevent this from happening and keep on top of your game.

Staff… When do you know?

Oct 18

Posted by Steve Gray in Human Resource Management, People!, Risk Management | No Comments

You have a fine team of people working for you with you. You know each other fairly well, they do the right thing by the organisation, and you hope the organisation does good things by them too. Then one day things aren’t what you think they are, but it took you a while to notice. Perhaps it’s all of a sudden, perhaps it has taken a while to creep in, but you now have a challenge to face.

Perhaps there were some clues, lets run through a possible range.

They start taking more days off, they pull the usual excuses
They communicate less
They might seem grumpy
Their work is shoddy but has gone under the radar
Perhaps they are a bit short tempered these days…
Others start telling you about these things but you have been a bit busy to notice
They don’t take on new tasks like they used to
They find creative ways to avoid doing tasks, or they just avoid some tasks.
Younger staff are able to show them up, with ease

Over a bit more time something happens, something you maybe didn’t see coming, maybe something tragic.

Perhaps they just say they have had enough and move on, perhaps they just decide to go part time and start to fade off the radar.

But what’s really happening? It could be lots of things…

They have grown to hate the job
The job has changed – Technology – People – Systems
Taking on more than they used to be able to cope with in the job and it leads to mistakes
They have a death in the family and it hits them hard but they don’t let on
They are challenged by new things but this pushes them over the threshold just that bit too much
They have personal challenges
Mental health issues (minor – major)
Becoming overwhelmed by too many things which build up and take their toll. (Personal and professional).

It could be a range of other things too, I’m sure you will soon think of your own list.

The outcomes can be very serious, and often people will say “We didn’t see that coming” Hopefully however it’s not serious and they just need a break. Long service leave is one of those things which I believe is there for a very good reason and people need more than their annual holidays and the ‘personal health day off’

The challenge however is figuring out what to do for people in these situations and although it would be great to be able to prevent the situation happening in the first place, it’s not always that easy.

I’m sure many in smaller businesses will say “I hope it doesn’t happen in my business, I wouldn’t know how to deal with any of that.”

Dealing with it if it comes as a shock is tricky, but if it comes up as a regular ‘minor’ thing you might become a bit ‘ho hum, here we go again’. Lets hope you get to see it coming and sit down and have the time to think things over to see how you might assist your work colleague to make it through a challenging time.

Focus on the positive – They might just see the negative (maybe you too), but perhaps they are missing the good things about the job, their skills and abilities perhaps explore these along the way
You work with them to make a list of the things which bother them in the workplace then develop a plan of action to assist them to overcome the challenges, one by one
You chat a bit more in depth with them about personal issues and discuss what they might see as possible solutions (start out by asking if they want a solution…. you could be surprised!)
Brainstorm with them or their team to come up with ideas
Cut them some slack – But ask RU okay? At some stage to monitor the situation
Give them a fresh challenge which has some fun in it, or you know they really enjoy that type of challenge
Refer them to someone professional who will willingly chat to them in a way they feel comfortable
Give them a ‘work break’ perhaps it’s a time off work at work, where they get pampered during work time at work’s expense, just because you can… It may be you send them to play golf that day. Pick something you know they love to do and let them do it (not as a reward, but as a break from usual duties, a chance to cool off perhaps).
Tell them to take their long service leave - They may well need it if they have been just working for work sake.
Do a training audit and send them to be better trained in an area they need help with

There’s a whole lot more I am sure you can add. One things for sure though, make sure you can identify when it’s going to happen, preferably before it happens so you can plan to deal with it in a way which keeps everyone happy. Here’s a lead on article to help you go the next step.

Tags: long service leave, mental health, steve gray, your staff and you

Protests, get over it…

Oct 16

Posted by Steve Gray in Leadership, People! | No Comments

I watch the news today and there are people protesting all sorts of things, inequality, rich getting richer the poor getting poorer, governments tightening the screws and people not wanting that…

Interesting times folks.

So one of the people interviewed started to go on about big corporations having big profits. Almost like ‘how dare they!”

My thought for this guy, don’t like it, start a cooperative.

I noticed in the background of the rally there were a bunch of flags and banners for various groups some of which prefer a stance of ‘by the people, for the people’ but these seem to come from a more political base than a doing or business base.

With just five people a cooperative can be set up, sure it’s not as easy as having one or two directors, but nonetheless it can be done. And with a good core set of values and guidelines these trusty five can do great things, if they want…

The person protesting went on about corporate greed, and most of the businesses he mentioned started out as nothing more than an idea, then things grew, and grew!

I suggest these people get over themselves, get into a cooperative and turn the margins they make into great things for the people. Want to change things, then take action, stop blabbing on about how unjust they think things are and asking the government to change things.

Also, these people need to look at the number of businesses that don’t have ‘corporate greed’ but run backwards trying to make a living, and many of them go bust fast. But no, the protesters only seem to see the small percentage of ‘big guns’ rather than the big percentage of ‘corporate battlers’.

Tags: my view, protests

Rushing headlong to “who knows where”.

Oct 3

Posted by Steve Gray in Finance, Growth, People!, Planning, Risk Management, The Board Room | 2 Comments

Lately I have had a few reminders of what I am about to chat about. It’s a bit unnerving when people ask “When are you planning to retire?” and I answer with “I’ll never retire, I like work too much!” that covers the fact I probably won’t be able to retire financially. But I guess it makes light of a serious subject and one I have to try hard not to think about too much.

Like a lot of people I didn’t worry much about retirement, putting cash away and anyway I keep hearing stories of people losing money overnight on the stock market and their portfolio value plummets again…

The reminder for this post, listening to people in business chatter away about how things have gone, what they will do when the time comes to retire, how they might sell their asset and in one case a lady who had sold her business, watched it fade fast into obscurity so she bought it back and is building it up again.

So what will you do, sell the business, put a Manager in to run it, expand it, resize it etc? All with the aim of having a nest egg to retire on.

If you do sell, will what you have the cash ‘invested’ in provide for your needs in retirement? How much will you need?

If you build up the business and put in a Manager how will that work out? Will the amount you need to take out hurt the business? Will it be run as you set it up or better? Will things fall in a heap and you need to rescue it… will you want to rescue it!

Lots of great questions in need of great answers. Hopefully your Accountant can set you straight, or at worst your own figures will project a rosy future for you. Lets face it, in the current economic situation there is little to smile about when the notion of retirement looms large in our thoughts. Unless of course you have an asset which keeps on giving.

Tags: business mechanics, business success, creativity, Planning, retire, retirement, Risk Management, women in business, you money

Step in early or wait for the problem to arise.

Sep 14

Posted by Steve Gray in Leadership, People!, Risk Management | 1 Comment

It’s a dilemma many Supervisors, Managers and Leaders face. You have a team who waiver from the path occasionally, do you let it go until it becomes a problem, or do you step in early and keep things on track.

I figure if you take a Leaders view you provide the guidelines so the team can follow the lead, therefore you don’t wait for a challenge to arise, you provide a great set of guidelines to ensure things stay on track. If things stray from the path, you then get to put on your ‘coaching hat’ and provide support to ensure the team are aware of the guidelines and assist them to explore how they might have ‘strayed from the path’.

This is one of the reasons I often suggest a great set of Values – Mission and Vision be in place as a foundation to always work from. It allows the Leader to have back up, to allow the team to explore if they are holding true to the values of the organisation.

I guess it becomes a case of ‘see something, do something’ before things become an issue. In a decent situation it can be more of a chat which takes place asking questions about how things are going, and what sorts of examples the team may have about how things are going and if they match to the values etc.

This can be a more powerful position to work from as it works more on the teams internal motivation and thought processes rather than having things imposed or pushed on them when challenges arise. It’s as if they have come up with the solution or drive to solve the challenge, rather than being told the answer.

The real trick to all of this is getting things to fit to the way people communicate – If people are not used to being asked questions relating to ‘values and beliefs’ then they might find it hard to respond, let alone act on the information. However the Leader who is a more flexible communicator will find ways to weave these into normal conversation and start the ball rolling, perhaps using examples of how things might fit in certain situations.

Be flexible in your approach, get in early and lead the team then tweak the details to suit, I’m sure you will find leadership can become a whole lot easier if you try this out.

Tags: communication, Leadership, training

Making your staff pay…

Aug 25

Posted by Steve Gray in Human Resource Management, People!, Planning | No Comments

What your employees earn for the organisation needs to be more than what you pay them, but how much? There are costs to cover having employees, so it makes sense to earn more than just what they cost the organisation.

In some organisations they seem to have no idea how much value their people add to the organisation, so lets have a think about the issue.

Let’s look at a range of costs and how it all adds up (their wages while they are on holidays and wages for a person who may replace them, as well as superannuation, insurance etc).

How much?

If we work on a figure of $800 per week that’s nearly $42,000 pa. Here are the ‘hidden costs’.

- 4 weeks wages for a fill in employee while the other is on holidays $6,400

- 1 week personal leave $800

- Superannuation @ 9% pa $3,700

- Workers compensation Insurance $300

- Payroll tax @ 5% $2,100

- Training and development or uniforms and ‘tools’ $2,500

- Incentives and bonuses $1,500

- Accumulated P/A savings to cover 10 yr long service leave $960

- Accumulated P/A savings to cover the other worker on 10 yr leave $960

TOTAL: $19,220

That’s just under half of the annual wage so they need to be earning the organisation a total of AT LEAST $61,200 to pay their way and cover their costs.

Let’s break it down further, on average it’s suggested out of a whole year people only work 220 days so that makes it $324 per day or $40.45 per hour. If you take into account ‘slack or down time’ (it’s raining, they are waiting for supplies, not feeling too well, angry at the boss for spending time reading business articles.) then that figure could readily go up.

For some of our readers they will know this hourly figure intimately and they will have their employees earning solidly above the basic level so they know they can cover longer term costs and thrive readily.

The thing is though, now you have some starting points to work with how will you change things in your business to make sure your business covers its costs, makes a profit and you come out smiling with lower stress levels?

Going past one no…

Aug 18

Posted by Steve Gray in People!, The Sales Dept | No Comments

Oh please, dear sales person, if I say no once perhaps you had better dig a bit deeper, ask more questions… if I have an objection about the price, then ask why… what do I already know and how do I know that.

If I have a niggle about one point, perhaps there are other points you can focus on… and hey how do you get past the issue of price “Why would I spend $5 – 6,000 if I can get one for $3-4,000?” simple, it’s like cars they do basically the same thing, some are perhaps better quality, some provide more status, you want quality and status, you pay… Here’s why (outline a benefit).

Oh and if you’re calling me in Australia but you have an American accent that sounds like you are in an overseas call centre and the line is crap, I am going to be suspect about you right from the start. Sure you get some points for being first on the phone after my email enquiry, but those points were soon lost.

I will probably buy, but from which company… let’s see who can sell to me the best. Sure price is not everything but a big difference in price gets me wondering and you need to be able to spell out how what you provide is better.

If your business is thinking of using a call centre to help with your leads, then do some CAREFUL research first.

“Never argue with an idiot. They drag you down to their level then beat you with experience.” Dilbert.

So now I have had four calls from people wanting to set up an appointment – answer my questions – send me more info.

The first two – dodgy… American accents bad lines and hard to understand. ergh…

The second two, one female one male – the female asked great questions and provided good answers – the guy however ummed and arghhed a bit but got through the info, clarified a few points but still a bit average. He did suggest to check out the quality of the units I was after and to get lots of brand names and model numbers of the gear others were saying they would supply.

So who will I buy from… I will see if any other companies will ring today and compare the figures they say they will email me.

UPDATE!

Day one got me a bunch of calls from interested parties, day two fielded some more and day FIVE I had a guy on the phone who said “So, got your enquiry, what do you want….” FAIL… he prattled on about quality and said he would email me the material… price “can’t match the low priced stuff, but it’s crap anyway…” (Ok thanks for the feedback, and also thanks for giving me the brand names I should be looking for that made things easier).

My research showed some interesting info, the lady who had chatted so nicely, had good info, and asked good questions to establish my needs the best… well turns out the Co she works for gets slammed in forums all over the net… and what’s also worrying they have about three different business names they trade under!! A quick search of those found more issues… oh boy it just became a bigger minefield!

The upshot, I found another company who looks like they can do the ‘right things’, I just need to get them to respond to the email I sent two days back!

Remember… “Great service is it’s own reward” Elbert Hubbard

Tags: business mechanics, marketing success, sell to me, The Marketing Dept

More Customer Love…

Aug 17

Posted by Steve Gray in People!, The Customer Service Dept | No Comments

As If I haven’t prattled on enough lately about customer service people and loving customers… some more ideas and chunks of info must be useful to assist people to really think about what they do and how they might make this whole area better. If this resonates with your organisation then you could use this as a brainstorming tool to get practical action to take place.

So here, take a lok at more weird and whacky ways to “love the customer!”

Concentrate on the customer, figure out what they need – want – love – aspire to – entertain them – quiz them – excite them – prod and poke them! (careful!) – cause them to giggle – get VERY curious about them (In the right way…)

Thrill them with a fresh approach or two to loyalty
Tell them things (good things, bad things, things they want to hear and get engaged with)
Wrangle with them (Perhaps their minds.) – Massage them (metaphorically perhaps)
Tell them to love you / cause them to love you!
Care about them intensely but don’t tell them
Invigorate their souls
Cause them to blink (for the right reasons)
Feed them deeply satisfying nourishment
Talk to them seductively (think more metaphors…)
Tenderly hold their hand/s
Cause them to blush (by doing Ok things…)
Give them a passionate embrace
Dance with them
Know their fears
Know what they love
Develop personal profiles of them (not stalking!)
Know why they love your organization
Keep them warm and comfortable…
Readily and effectively tantalize them
Get quirky with them (like they are experiencing a Cirque Du Soleil clown act!)
Thrill their senses
Knock them down with a feather
Build them up with kindness
Awe inspire them with a sensational view
Throw windows of exceptional opportunity at them
Link them to things they will love (think strategic alliances here)
Give them a recipe they will love or at least might love it if they try it
Cause them to cry with splendid delight
Caress their emotions/soul with every ounce of passion you can muster
In short, build the relationship with them, because people buy from people they like/love.

There, now go love your customers, your bottom line will appreciate it. One things for sure though, your competition will not be able to keep up if you get started.

More service ideas

Aug 15

Posted by Steve Gray in People!, The Customer Service Dept | No Comments

As if I hadn’t provided enough already… But it’s such a key component to doing great business it should be the highest priority on your business list.

Although the other posts offered insights into Customer Service people and some aspects they should look out for the following thought came to mind.

“When it comes to sales (esp business to business) it’s not about simply waiting to hear ‘no’ from your prospect, it’s more about finding out what people want and providing that for them.”

Many sales people are trained to be persistent and go for a minimum of 5 no’s… when they get that far they generally get the feeling the first few might have been a smoke screen the next few could be the way forward to open up the chance of a sale. I am suggesting there’s more to it than that, and the offering of other ‘things’ could be the start to a long term deal maker. Lets tackle an example.

If you sell copiers, how would you go about providing other ‘things’ for the prospect? Lets take a look at what I mean, if you sell copiers and not tooth brushes then it would be silly to try and sell tooth brushes… however if you can assist the person to evaluate their current copier situation then you might be solving a problem they didn’t even see before. Or if you are able to provide them with information on a topic of interest, you might just build more rapport (people often buy from people they like… greater rapport means a greater connection is possible.)

I think all good long term relationships start off slowly and develop from there, if you are selling bigger ticket items then you might want to make the connection to your prospects, customers and clients work for you. In my first article in this series I outlined some ways a Customer Service Executive might go about it.

Go ahead and do some planning to make more of the right connections to more of the right people, instead of simply churning through the ‘no’s’ to try and get to a yes, because you might miss a future customer if you lose a prospect this early in the process.

Love those customers!

Aug 12

Posted by Steve Gray in People!, The Customer Service Dept | 2 Comments

In keeping with my recent rants on service and Customer Service Executives here’s some more info to get your team going.

The organisation you work for has done some shuffling of titles etc. Or perhaps they are about to hire a new person (you) for a role in Customer Relations – they want you to manage it… Let’s say they are giving you ‘some scope’ to develop the role and or the department and let’s say they are serious and want to really wow the customers, love them so to speak. How will you go about it? Here’s ten thoughts from my perspective.

Create an environment in the organisation from top to bottom where the Customer is King (it’s not new but it is still a great idea) no customers – no business right… so it should make solid sense.
Get clear about the intended results – more sales from more visits of existing customers – or higher level sales from existing customers? (Hey did you notice I’m talking about existing customers and not new ones, they’re the role of the marketing dept…)
To what level can you ‘schmooze’ them? If you sell luxury or expensive items it will be very different to lower value items (or it should be…)
Plan like crazy – implement the same way. A great plan will beg to be implemented, so take a look at the plan and set out what will happen for the year (once in place the tweaking should be fairly easy).
Develop a budget plan, see if you can get the budget to go up based on results more sales more slice of the pie to build the relationships further.
Customer loyalty plan – sounds nice what does it really mean – I think it’s more part of the relationship and a guide as something to aim towards, not so much a plan on it’s own.
Exceptionally train everyone who comes into contact with Customers, remind them, support them and allow them to give the customers service brilliance…
Watch customers dealing with your business and go crazy over any and or ALL barriers to them being able to do business with ease. Just watch them for a while, any squirming, wincing, annoyance of any kind do something about it NOW!
Ask yourself (and the rest of the team) how many ways can we woo the Customers so they love us and want to come back… perhaps search the web for ways to connect with customers you might not think of (go for weird, you can always cut back.)
Scream “Service – Service –SERVICE!” at the start of every training session on service and at the start of each day (just before the customers start to buy) and ram home the message often (perhaps whisper it quietly to staff with a grumpy disposition).

Now take massive action on all of the above and give the people what they want, your unconditional love! Sure it might cost a few $$ to do, but the end result should be very well worth it. Oh and one last thing, do not tell people you love them, just show it by brilliant action and example,.. They will tell you they love being loved and that’s a far sight better!

If they are serious you will be too…

Aug 12

Posted by Steve Gray in People!, The Customer Service Dept | No Comments

So you have been given the title of Customer Relationship Executive – Specialist – Manager – or whatever… the main part of the title is ‘Customer Relationship’. If you have this sort of role there are a few things I think you should ask

If you land this role ask for clarification on a few points, just to see if they are on the same wavelength…

What do they really mean – Customer Relationship – ?
What’s the budget to do this? (Not including wages…)
How many customers are there?
How important to the business are they? (No brainer! It should be priceless!)
What will they let you do to build and maintain the relationship…
In the organisations mission, vision, values and beliefs, is there much about the customers? If not why not…
How did the title come about? (They should have a quaint story for this part…)
What resources are you allocated?
What has been done in the past?
Does the organisation have an strategic partners
Is the aim to truly and unconditionally love them?
The person you will answer to, do they know all this and fully support it? (Better hope so!)
Does anyone in the organisation know the lifetime value of the customer?
What is the average dollar sale and is the aim to make that rise or the number of visits by a customer rise?
What level of tech support will you be given? (Database, admin support, access to the website etc…)
To what level do they want the relationship built?
Will they expect you to do other (non customer focused) tasks… and how much time will that take up?
Do they have key performance indicators for this role… what are they
Will you have open access to the data on turn over, number of customers through the door etc?
Will you have to train others on how to work brilliantly with customers?
What previous training has been provided for the organisation in customer service – relationship building?
What promo products have been used to thrill customers?
How often are the customers currently contacted per year?
Is the organisation worthy of excellent customer loyalty? (does it look great etc…)

Notice all these things are about exploring customer relationship excellence… and how the role you first accepted might not be quite what you thought it was but could be so much more… I thought you might notice that. If you have a keen eye you will have noticed this article is similar to the one just after it (inspiration comes from some interesting sources!)

Tags: customer excellence, customer relationship excellence

Dear Customer Relationship Executive… ERGH!

Aug 11

Posted by Steve Gray in Excellence!, People!, The Customer Service Dept | 6 Comments

Dear Customer relationship Executive.

Many thanks for the phone call recently, I note the last CRM person did not last long in the role… Pity, like you, he sounded good on the phone, sent me a business card and an intro letter. He also asked me how my car was going. Nice…

Slight problem, the only time anyone has been in touch, has been to send me a Christmas card or to let me know the CRM person has altered.

Sure you did ask if I was thinking of upgrading my vehicle… (nope but I figure you get that kind of ‘smoke screen’ from a lot of people).

I figure you probably make such a lot of calls and get so little from it, iot would look good for your weekly stats however. The good thing about your call is it set me thinking, (And thanks for the nudge!) here is what I thought.

Nice that you called, but where’s the add on, the incentive, the relationship building, the “Hey next time you’re near here drop in for a coffee.”

Ok, so being the generous soul I am, may I give you a few free chunks of info on how this could all alter.

The email program your dealership has is okay, but can it be tweaked to take into consideration my interests and let me know about things related to my interests? – Maybe
Can you send me a birthday card, a hand written one? – Yes
Can you chat to me about my interests and send me little snippets you might find (other than via email) ? – Maybe
Can you send me updates on programs your organisation is supporting? (Oh, so you did send me something once… er… what was it again?) short answer… Yes
Could you share stories of other people using the same type of quirky little vehicle I buzz about in town in… er yeah!
Could you have an in store tea and bickies session to chat about the latest version of the quirky little car, and developments in the future like an electric version? – Maybe
How about adding a photo of yourself on the intro letter so I can find you in the dealership and say hi, and thanks for the info, the invites, the great stuff the company is doing? - Easily, so that’s a yes
Maybe you could ring me and invite me to be surveyed at a time which suits me… to find out what I love (and possibly hate) about the vehicle. – Yes (I’m a sucker for a good survey!)
Perhaps you could find a whole bunch of ways to build the relationship with me and others like me, ask me when my anniversary is or any one of a number of events which are of value in my life so you can assist me to celebrate these events and feel like the relationship with you is a special one. – Yes
How about the anniversary of when I bought that special quirky little car from you, how about we celebrate that too! – YES

So take that to your team and brainstorm a few more ideas, so you can blow me away with excellence, sweep me off my feet and find out what I have been up to lately.

Sure there are a few maybes and a few ‘yes’s’ but it’s a whole lot more to go on than simply one phone call a year and one card… BLEH!

So take a look at your card and see your title, ‘Customer Relationship Executive’ now build that relationship like you mean it. NOTE! The highest level of any relationship is unconditional LOVE… so get on with the role of loving me, because I might just want what you, have and it could be sooner than you think!

Tags: business success, communication, customer relationship executive, great service, marketing mix, marketing success, People!, service, starting your marketing campaign, steve gray, The Customer Service Dept, The Marketing Dept

Your culture is showing… so who looks after it?

Jul 15

Posted by Steve Gray in Excellence!, Human Resource Management, People!, Planning, Risk Management | 4 Comments

In your business, the culture is determined by a number of things, but getting it to develop and not go sour is vital… So who looks after it?

If you are a small business then you’re the person handing it (along with everything else) but if you have a HR person then they should be poised to provide services in this area.

Often people see the HR function as, recruit – select – payroll – rostering – ohs – industrial relations. Clearly however there is more and loosely put it’s about staff well being – Training and development, induction programs, skills updates, policies and procedures, performance management and lastly our topic, working the culture – In short the internal relationships and the things that make them go well.

So the HR team looks after the culture… (ask about that next time you interview a person for a role in HR and see their response…) But what is ‘it’ that they have to tweak to make it work?

Basically it’s about behaviour adjustment, (to match to the organisations culture) but before that happens the HR team need to figure out if anything needs to be adjusted (an ecology check), assessing the current situation and looking for ‘gaps’ or areas of ‘risk’ which are or could become an issue, they need to understand and figure out ways to develop internal relationships so they can know the who, how, why, what and where of what needs adjusting.

Then they need to plan ways to tweak the culture so it’s healthier and can stay that way. If you look at organizational culture in this way, your team should be able to develop a sure fire development plan which is based not just on developing role based skills and abilities but enhancing the philosophical, intellectual and emotional intelligence of the team too. E.g. a leader may need to have more ‘people’ skills to be more effective in their role, so a program which allows better ‘reading’ of people and explore what makes them tick, might be useful, yet not something which may be directly business related when you look for courses or workshops to develop these skills.

If the first step is an assessment of the team culture, the second step is developing a program which explores and develops all relevant aspects of the analysis.

Perhaps the program is a series of information sheets – a revamp of the organization’s value statement – a new section in the induction program – and or new Key Performance Indicators – or a more personal development based approach to training and development. Let’s not forget it may also be an adjustment to the physical aspects of the business, colours, furnishings and the like can have a huge bearing on how staff perceive a business and therefore relate and respond to the environment.

Whatever approach you take to the notion of developing your business culture, you should give it due concern, the positive flow on effects can make a big difference to the way things happen in your business.

Remember this little statement… (thanks Tom P)

Excellence, always! If not Excellence, what? If not Excellence now, when?

Business culture – Some more points

Jul 14

Posted by Steve Gray in Human Resource Management, Leadership, People! | 1 Comment

Your team fits to the culture of the organisation, some because they have to (mortgages and other commitments), some because they want to (they love the job no matter what their commitments are).

Your aim as a business person should be to make the workplace culture brilliant so the team WANT to be there and readily go the extra mile because it’s the right thing to do, not because things are a have to…

It’s a lot about creating an environment where people get things to feel right, where they get a ‘sense’ that things are good. Let’s start with that.

Your team has a sense of…

Belonging – In the work you do and the team you are part of, if you belong you will feel a greater sense of esteem, people like to be with people they like and if they readily fit because they were chosen not just for their skills and abilities but also for their team fit then all the better.
Connectedness – To the people they work with, to the culture of the organisation, to the customers and the overall service and product the organisation provides. It can also take in the broader community with support for groups who do broader works in the community to assist others (Good corporate citizenship).
Achievement – A sense of achievement can be a great boost to all. In your organisation what gets measured and how do the staff know ‘where they are at’ in the scheme of things, are they meeting quotas? Are they being valued for input? Do they feel like they are part of a team who wants to achieve more… All of these are vital and it’s up to you to see that the team can have a sense of achievement. Stuck for ways to measure this? Just ask the team you will soon get a bunch of ideas for things to measure.
Contribution and value adding – Do you or your organisation value the contributions of your team? Do the team readily put ideas forward for your consideration? What do you have in place to get the ideas going in your workplace… a suggestion box might seem like a great start but really you might have to ‘kick start’ a few idea development sessions to brainstorm options… but don’t let it stop there!
Purpose – What is the purpose of your organisation? Those mission and vision statements along with value statements and the like can be a great bonus to people fitting to the purpose of your organisation – It’s probably a great interview question to ask “What do you know about our organisational purpose?”
Being valued by others – Do others value the people in the team, their contribution, their personality fit, their communication style? If not why not and what can be done to alter that?
Organisational integrity – The structural integrity of the organisation is a big factor to people feeling secure and stable in the business. If the business is stable then the team will feel it too and before you know it they will ‘go deeper’ and look at other internal organisational issues (often subconsciously) from the processes to cause things to flow in the organisation to the robustness of systems and hierarchies and connections. It’s a big area to explore… Just like you should not build a business on a poor physical foundation so to the psychological and philosophical foundations they have to work with.
Leadership – No lead, no direction, from the people to the plans and strategies they have in place to achieve more and create even greater security for all in the team.
Safety – Last but certainly not least. If the above points add to a sense of safety that’s great, but the physical side of safety is VITAL and will assist the above points to come together, esp these days with a greater focus on softer issues, such as workplace bullying and its prevention.
Security – The organisation provides a profitable income for itself and the team are aware they are part of a sustainable and solid organisation which is able to ‘improvise, adapt and overcome’ various challenges it may face along the way. Physical security is clearly an issue as well so the team can feel comfortable in the knowledge harm is either eliminated or minimised.

Did you think that business culture was not important? Hope fully now you realise how it’s EVERYTHING in your organisation, without it you may as well throw money out the window, it’s quicker than watching a business fail a long slow death simply because your team had a sense of things not going quite how they should…

Tags: business, business culture, business success, communication, culture, HR, hr leadership, lateral thinking, Leadership, People!, Risk Management, training, your business culture

Your business culture needs work

Jun 5

Posted by Steve Gray in Growth, Human Resource Management, Innovation and Creativity, Leadership, People!, Planning, Risk Management | 3 Comments

When you want a new staff member to ‘fit in’ you generally go for a good culture fit when you interview them. Usually this means the recruits actions and thoughts fit well with the rest of the team and the way they do things, their patterns of behaviour. It makes sense to do that, however what if you want things to change in your organisation… perhaps more growth, explore new markets, push some boundaries. Then things might be different.

Consider the role of a senior member of staff, perhaps a person in a strategic planning or Human Resource Development role. Your aim may well be to push some boundaries and open the playing field up to new ideas and options. In that case you may want a person with a different approach or cultural fit to the rest. This then raises questions about the type of cultural differences and skill sets you might want to have with this type of recruit.

How will you decide what culture and skill sets you require? That depends on the role and how much of a ‘shift’ you want to create in the system. Clearly if you go for a person who is totally different in their interests, values and beliefs to the rest of the team, you may end up with a situation where the gap between your current culture and your ‘imposed’ one is too great to sustain for any length of time. I liken it to a bridge trying to span a distance which is too great for the structure to hold for long, eventually it fails.

Your new cultural direction should consider the following points.

The change should be different enough from the existing situation but still maintain structural integrity.
Creative approaches or not? – if the existing culture requires stimulus to get it moving then a more creative skill set can do just that.
If the growth pattern of the enterprise is stagnant then a more profit driven or sales oriented person can add value.
Managing the change might need extra effort on the part of the HR dept, supervisors and team leaders to oversee the new direction.
Is this culture re-shuffle a part of an ongoing strategic plan? – If so it will probably fit with a core value of innovation. With that underpinning the new approach, the team should see the benefits this will bring for the longer term.
Although a different cultural fit might be the main aim it doesn’t mean the core organisational values need to be ignored, in fact they are probably going to be strengthened by this new approach as terms such as respect – innovation and service get a bigger airing and may be explored at a deeper level.

Like anything changes to a business need to take into consideration various factors before being implemented but the above cultural development points might be a good starting point to consider.

Inspire the Team

May 27

Posted by Steve Gray in Human Resource Management, Innovation and Creativity, Leadership, People! | 1 Comment

Are you inspiring your people?

Are they waiting for you to inspire them? Did you aim to inspire before they even started with your company…

Imagine a new employee getting a letter and a gift before starting with a new company… This way you can set up a positive position with that person before they start. The gift? A simple congratulations gift, flowers, a congratulation helium balloon etc, delivered to their home.

Then when they start, how will you wow them then… A great office environment, a well set up workspace, a warm welcome, allocating their start day in 12 months time as an anniversary “day off” for them (then every year after that)

What about existing workers, how do you inspire them so they feel truly valued? Random morning teas, small gift vouchers to mark great project milestones and completions.

Think about other ways you can do things to keep them interested, motivated and productive. The worker retention and greater morale these few activities can create is generally very profitable and well worth the investment of time and effort. Of course you need to make sure this kind of activity can be kept up – if your organisation is big enough to have a HR Dept, put them in charge of it. Either way inspiring your team should be a task which you make a top priority in good times and bad.

Retail therapy…

May 26

Posted by Steve Gray in People!, The Marketing Dept | 2 Comments

As we come into winter in Australia there are going to be plenty of businesses finding their retail stores are not full of people and hope they can make it through the leaner times with the profits they (hopefully) made during the peak summer months.

On many occasions I have spoken to retailers who say “Oh well what can you do, it gets quieter and you hope for the best, you get on the phone and have a chat to friends, get the juniors to clean up a bit and even open a bit later.”

I have seen many retailers in shopping strips sitting waiting and hoping… some survive some fade away.

How do you get around this issue and ensure your business can make it through tough times and perhaps thrive even though the temperature outside is telling you this really is “the winter of our discontent”.

Add to and ‘milk’ your database - If your business is interesting and has had customers come to your store for those one of a kind items you are known for, then you probably have a database of interested persons. If not then start building one! Make contact and start inviting them in for a fantastic shopping experience. Email and snail mail them AT LEAST 4 times a year (although you can readily do more with Email). Add a subscription service to your website, blog and online store then do everything you can to get people signed up and steadily build your numbers.

Shopping experience - You have a shop… what’s the ‘experience’ like… Do people love your service, your personality, the extras you add on, the items you sell? Or do they just come in because they have to and hate every minute of it. My view… Go for a stunning experience. Figure out how to do that with some brainstorming, internet research and KICK BUTT! – BRILLIANT service should be the first step, great displays, fast transactions, wonderful Staff, acknowledge all people who enter the store with a solid heart felt “Hello!”

Use your time – When it’s quiet in the store, develop your marketing plan and act on it. Devise a HEAP of ways to contact your database, build your database and keep them coming back for as little cost as you can. Email and facebook pages are one way, tweaking your informative and engaging website is another, adding to your web blog is yet another. Oh and here’s a critical one… do not vacuum the floor when people are in the store or anywhere near the store and see you (or any staff) doing it, I hate it with a vengeance and will avoid the store at all costs (the noise is one thing, the tripping hazard of the cord is another and it’s just plain poor form!)

Get Excited! – If you are running a boring ‘old fart store’ with little life, a gruff disposition and a cold shoulder, prospects will find it hard to want to become customers, let alone repeat shoppers (clients). The more you can add excitement to cause people to want to shop in your store, more the more value you can get from them.

Cause people to take action – Ok so it’s quieter at certain times of the day. Can you run an event (an in-store demonstration or special display) or sponsor a catch up for a small group. Or perhaps you offer great package options you can make happen only at special times, to cause people to come in and stay there for a while. Or what about an in store treasure hunt… each day you could give people clues about where to find the treasure, perhaps online.

Give simple and effective reminders – Promo products can do this, drop a printed pen into their bag of purchases, give then an imprinted gift for purchases over $x. Chat to your friendly branding expert to get more ideas and ways to engage them more often. Add business cards in the bags each time (about 3 each time) people soon keep them for friends if the service is sensational and the experience and products are good.

Create an online shop – People like to buy, so sell to them in a way which fits for them, at home, anywhere in the world! Make it an easy to navigate online shop with Pay Pal as the payment device. And put on those things people can’t really get anywhere else. Avoid discounting the prices, buying is buying! then promote it on your FB page, twit about it, email people overseas and interstate (try to keep your locals shopping LIVE… They will find the online shop soon enough! are there other online or local shops you can connect with? Perhaps they can link to your shop too, you could have a whole community of connected businesses all working together feeding each other leads.

Get out there! – Sitting in your shop will cause you to go nuts. Get you and your staff out in front and hand out goodies to prospective customers, give business cards, chocolates “With the compliments of shop X”, a flier, an invitation to an event. (You can have them excited before they even enter the store!)

All of these tips are simply about loving people so they can love you back, and if you love your staff they will love you and the customers, Go on explore ways to give UNCONDITIONAL love to everyone you come into contact with. I think in an ideal world you could get so busy you would have to hire someone to keep this list of innovative connection options happening, as you could be too busy manning the till! Now that would be nice…

Tags: branding expert, business, business mechanics, business success, Central Geelong Business, communication, creativity, Geelong Business, have fun in business, innovation, Planning, promotional marketing, retail therapy, small business marketing, small business marketing strategies, starting in marketing, starting your marketing campaign, steve gray, The Marketing Dept

How happy are your employees?

May 23

Posted by Steve Gray in Growth, Human Resource Management, People!, Planning | 2 Comments

How happy are your employees?

They turn up, they do the tasks, but how happy are they? Some of you are now asking “why should I care?” as long as they turn up and do the tasks…

Well a happy team will generally do things more effectively and with greater interest. If they are more at ease then they will probably be more alert and less stressed. Now does it make sense… So what can you do to assist them to be happier?

Survey them – Every few months or so develop a simple survey to measure how they are going in the happiness stakes at work – and loosely at home, you don’t need to pry too deeply but imagine if things are down at home, then it can impact the work situation, what will you ask them? well try doing an internet search for staff surveys and make a list of questions from there.

Do a Maslow – Dr Maslow came up with a list of needs people have in a range of situations, but the workplace is a great place to use it. Do a search on his list and then use it as a guide to measure with – It can be a very useful way to set up an induction program, or anytime a person moves to a new position or division and things change. It can give you a view into what sorts of things should be in place for this person to perform well. According to Maslow you should be aiming to get your people to a ‘self actualised’ position, this way they are in the best position to add great value to your organisation.

Is your workplace a brilliant place to be? – Take a look, is it a great place or a dump or somewhere in-between? Now figure out what can be done and when. It’s a great way to start forward strategic planning. When profit gets to x level you can update a few things, and continue on from there bit by bit until you get the organisation up to a great standard. As a one off big spend it might cost a lot, but in stages it can be a lot easier to handle. It could be developed by adding a question or two in the initial survey.

Keep on tweaking the list! – Use this list as a guide to improving your business and keep on tweaking it see if over time the results are showing up.

Here’s to employee success…

May 15

Posted by Steve Gray in Human Resource Management, People!, Risk Management | No Comments

You hire people to be part of your team, what do you expect from them, how will they ‘put in’ and why will they excel? Three great questions to explore.

Firstly you select a new staff member, all the basic boxes are ticked for skills and ability, and hopefully you have interviewed enough and asked enough questions to figure out if there is a ‘cultural fit’ to your team.

On starting out the new recruit will have some basic needs, and you will have the intrepid task of setting some guidelines and expectations. Somewhere in here is a happy medium perhaps where both feel comfortable.

If things work out and they are happy, you should also be happy with their performance and expectations should rise along with productivity over time.

It’s tough all round when a new person starts with an organisation, so much to learn, names and things to remember new tasks to learn. In all it’s a bit daunting for both young and old alike.

But how about excelling? What will cause them to take off in the role and give their all to put in a top effort for the organisation, to earn trust and develop a solid niche as a valued team member?

Simply put, it’s lots of things and here are just a few.

When they feel at ease – About the job, the organisation, the tasks they have to do regularly and the support they have in the team. If any of these are lacking the ill at ease feeling can translate to mistakes, undue stress and annoyance. all of these can lead to a poor output. It can also come down to bad or ineffective training.
When the systems are good – If they feel the system is difficult or is in a mess then they can feel like they can follow a routine. This is important in the starting phase of any job, an example would be if the team has a range of different ways of doing things, it can get confusing and daunting to remember which one to use.
When the culture is suitable – Like it or not your organisation will have a culture of its own. A culture is simply a pattern of behaviours generally applied to the interaction and communication between the staff, and staff to customers. Often it’s about subtleties and many minor things which can make your team different to others in a similar organisation.
When they get the tools needed to do the job well – Wrong tools, slow tools, bad tools all round! From an outdated computer to a badly presented company vehicle, or an office environment which is poorly fitted out and seems cheap. all of these and more can add up and the new recruit might not want to blame their tools but have little choice at times.

All of these (and more) are factors which can prevent or slow the new recruit down in being able to excel in their role. So how to fix these and get off to a great stunning start?

Get set up for the new recruit early – Have a chat with your team about the environment they will work in, is it good, great, exceptional, if not why not and what can be done to make it right? What about the ‘tools’ they will use, are they in great condition and up to the task.
Get the training right – People learn in different ways at differing speeds so be flexible in your approach to the new recruit and give them the best start you can. Make sure you have back up information after the training they can refer to and not just a buddy (it may take them a while to connect with the buddy). Does the training cover the key performance points the recruit will have to meet at the end of the probation period (better to not have BAD surprises at the end of the period!)
Start them off easily – Ease them into a role, perhaps they start late in the first week, or come in late for the first few days and leave early create a low stress environment. Or perhaps have them work with a buddy to watch how they do things a few times during the first week or two to pick up on key points and details.
Be open to mistakes and learning opportunities – This goes with the training aspect but can happen in other areas too. Let them know you really mean it’s OK to make mistakes, cover ups and longer term challenges can show up if they hide mistakes and don’t learn.
Review how things are going – Have a list of things you can chat to them about and tick them off as you go. Make sure they really do get the OHS side of things and that they are settling in to who’s who in the zoo! Remember you thought they might be a good cultural fit, but are they really?
ASK! – What can you do to make their working time and environment better, and listen carefully. You might not be able to supply some of the things straight away but over time they might be doable. And ask about any other things which could be a negative impact on them, other people’s habits, attitudes and methods. Then while you are at it, ask “How’s my leadership style? to hard, too soft…” but avoid pushing it like you are fishing for compliments!
Provide opportunities – flexible time arrangements, a few hours worked extra here can translate to a few hours off somewhere else (Not always possible but it can be a great thing if it’s not abused.) Be on the lookout for things which could be a great opportunity for the employee, more training, articles from journals and magazines which are useful to them. There are many more options, but these are just a few starters.

If your organisation really values it’s number one assets (people) you will ensure that from day one these points are in place to give your team the edge. If they feel valued then your organisation will reap the reward of increased morale and a improved profitability over time.

New Leadership Book – Leadership Excellence

May 3

Posted by Steve Gray in Excellence!, Human Resource Management, Leadership, People! | 1 Comment

Released recently on Amazon here’s an e book with a leadership twist, it’s a how to manual so you can develop the skills of an excellent leader.

Ok I wrote it, so lets get that out of the way… (awkward moment) but hey If I don’t tell people how will they know? Here’s the link

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004XTTUMS

Or for those without a kIndle to view it on, you can also get it here in a variety of formats to suit your needs from Smashwords, great for ipad and iphone users.

I hope you enjoy it…

Tags: business, business mechanics, business success, communication, hr leadership, Leadership, leadership excellence, People!, recruitment, steve gray, success, training

Hello radio listeners in Qld

Apr 24

Posted by Steve Gray in People! | No Comments

To all the Listeners who tuned in this morning to radio 4bc in Qld Australia, A warm welcome.

I hope you enjoyed the short chat I had this morning with Kevin Turner about franchise marketing.

Have a good read through some of our many articles I feel sure you will find great information to assist you in whatever your business endeavour is!

How does the receptionist sound?

Apr 7

Posted by Steve Gray in People!, The Customer Service Dept | No Comments

In the past few months I have made many hundreds of phone calls developing a Customer Acquisition Program. It’s been fascinating developing a program like that. The thing is though you get to hear a lot of people answer the phone and you realise how many great receptionists there are out there. The problem is the bad ones drag the rest down!

It must be hard to be in the one spot taking calls and saying the same thing all day, every day and then directing people. The challenge is doing it in a way which makes the company sound professional every time.

Here are just some of the things I found.

The company name was not clear – Some companies have strange names, okay so make sure you say it in such a way that people don’t have to re ask the name to make sure they have the right number. Mumbling, a quiet voice a poorly directed phone hand-piece, speaking too fast or an accent make it very hard to understand.
The person’s name not clear – For all the above reasons the name of the person answering the phone is not clear, as the caller it’s hard to refer to them by name if you can’t understand it.
What do I do next? – Ok they figure out you are calling to chat to a specific person who does not want to get sold to. They have been told not to pass you on, but with a few ‘deft words’ and a touch of rapport building, voom “I was in the door” due mainly to them not really knowing how to deal with calls out of the norm. Training would help I’m sure.
Being a great gatekeeper can be an art, but not that difficult if you do some research – I was amazed at how easy it was to get through at times to the right Dept or the right person in a flash. If the company has a policy of not letting their people get tied up with inbound sales call then figure out a method to stop the callers in their tracks. A privacy policy of not letting callers know the name of any staff from a chat to the receptionist is a great way to go.
Being on hold while waiting – It’s a necessity some times sure, but to get the obligatory recorded advert at the start or a “press this button for sales..” became frustrating. I want a person on the phone who can direct me fast.

Have you rung in to your business… have you had a few friends ring in… what did they find, what was the experience like. Now ask, what can we do to make a change for the better and get the system right, so the caller can feel like they are dealing with top notch professionals.

Tags: business success, callers, communication, receptionist, service

Making the Marketing Difference

Feb 22

Posted by Steve Gray in Franchising, People!, The Marketing Dept | 7 Comments

You are up to your elbows in work, pressures from all sides are making your job NOT what you want, a lot of hassle. How do you find time to get out of the pressure cooker and search for solutions to give you breathing space?

Chances are if you have the time to read this, that’s probably about as good as things will get! So let’s jump in and see if we can provide some fast answers to your marketing department challenges.

Marketing relief options…

Get support – There are a whole host of “marketing supply” organisations all wanting to take your cash and supply you with goodies, but use the ones who can take the pressure off. The good ones do this by doing at least SOME of the thinking and organizing for you as well as supplying great products, the great ones will show you how to use the products as well… Try calling your friendly branding expert and see if they can do it for you.
1 hassle or five+? – If you look after marketing for a single organisation there is probably less hassle, however if you are looking after multiple organisations (in the case of a franchise group), then you might have a whole range of conflicting forces pushing and pulling. Find ways to keep these forces off your back, perhaps by educating the end users on how to fully use the marketing devices to full effect.
Think, not do… – It’s easy to say it but sometimes hard to do it! Perhaps it’s outsourcing the “practical side of things” and even some of the thinking, so you can plan better what’s coming up next. A friendly Branding Expert should be able to assist you with this and not just be a provider of products.
Plan – Yes the thinking part means you can be more strategic in your approach so planning has to be next. Figure out if you have to get more new customers, keep existing ones interested or support an organisation you are sponsoring. Then build your calendar of marketing options from there.
Keep your people informed – if you are a one person marketing dept or a 100 strong team, your wider network of staff in the organisation will probably need to know about how to handle the promotions and various processes you will put in place so use your intranet, email and or training sessions, to give them information and get feedback on what’s taking place, often great ideas can come from some very unlikely sources.

Now you are back on track, see what’s out there to make your job easier and less hassle.

Tags: branding expert, business mechanics, communication, marketing action plan, marketing success, Planning, promotional marketing, small business marketing, small business marketing strategies, starting your marketing campaign, The Marketing Dept

Don’t do it! – How not to be part of a trade show

Feb 17

Posted by Steve Gray in People!, The Customer Service Dept, The Marketing Dept, The Sales Dept | No Comments

A recent trade show, lots of activity and displays for all sorts of interesting suppliers, generally a good time was had, however one thing which struck me was the appalling use of mobile phones by those who’s stalls were not doing a brisk trade.

There were staff sitting and standing about texting or chatting on their phones, some CLEARLY bored out of their brains.

Dear Boss… Tell them not to do it please!

I was embarrassed for them and I was a spectator.

If you take a stall at a trade show, you are on show, the business is on show… Therefore make sure you do the right thing and present professionally and do it well.

Firstly, these people may have had no idea what to do when they got to the show, they may have been told to “Turn up and chat to people.”

Secondly, if you feel you must text or email people use a lap top or an i pad so you look like you are doing business, or don’t do it at all.

I fully appreciate it can be a hard task to be at a trade show and be attentive all day long, it really is a draining experience.

May I suggest.

These people need to have something to do,

Set the situation up so they have appointments with people before the event, book some prospects to drop in and see what’s going on.
Make it clear about the things they can and can not do while on the stand texting for more than 30 secs is a no no!
Ensure you use a friendly branding expert to have creative ways to work with the people walking by the stand. It may be a giveaway you actively hand to the people, get the chance to chat to them and find out more, qualify them to see if they are a fit to what you have on offer, if they are then get their details and reward them with a better handout, this time with solid “remember us” branding on it.
Perhaps involve the people in a survey.
Consider other novel approaches to create interest. A juggler, a celebrity… make it so the people walking by want to stop, engage them, qualify and go form there.
Just because a person is not a prospect now, does not mean they can’t change if they move companies or start a different business later on.

Simply put, having people just sitting or standing about mindlessly not engaged in “working the crowd” are a liability, not an asset. perceptions and image are often paramount to ensuring your business puts it’s best foot forward.

Oh and to finish, “To the man who was so rude as to ignore myself and my friend by looking straight past us once he had figured out we were of no use to him, think again. The scan tag telling you my line of business is only one of my business activities so you gave me a BAD impression of your business, so the very important question I wanted to ask you will wait for the next celebrity speaking bureau chief I meet.”

Tags: branding expert, Burning Business Bridges, business grump, business mechanics, business success, critical marketing, expo, hr leadership, innovation, lateral thinking, marketing action plan, marketing success, People!, starting in marketing, trade show

Your business organisation…

Jan 31

Posted by Steve Gray in People!, Planning | No Comments

So are you really organised? Let’s get serious, on the desk in front of you is there, papers, notepads, tape, pencils pens, cards, a charger or two, various notes, empty packets of “stuff”… and is this ALL OVER the place?

Generally I figure the answer is yes.

Next step, if that’s the desk, how is the bookkeeping? The payroll, and accounts in general…

So how is this really effecting your business? In the day to day things you do each and every day you are probably not that effected by it, you have a reasonable idea where to find the “usual” things and heaven help anyone who gets in a cleans up! (even if it is you.)

The challenge comes when people add more things to your stack of things to do, then a client walks in with an unusual request, then a supplier dumps a new catalogue in your lap and before long you are in a spin wondering what to do next.

You reach for the to do list… nope not where you thought it was, oh well you create a new one (only to find the old one sometime later and wonder where the new one is!

Sounds familiar? Yep I’m with you on this one it seems okay until a few things build up out of the norm, but what to do about it.

Discipline!

Get yourself into a position where you can create some time, (2 hours perhaps) make it early in the day (before business starts) or after hours, perhaps on a weekend (yes I know that’s family time so have the family help you if you are that way inclined.)

Take all of the mess off your desk and sort it only once the desk has been cleared and cleaned down. Sort the computer cables somehow and put only the things you really need to have in front of you on the desk to make things run smoothly.

Now take a look at ways to keep things organised so you can get on with the tasks which really need to be handled well.

Tags: discipline, organisation, Planning, to do lists

Three Persuasive Business Points

Jan 29

Posted by Steve Gray in Leadership, Planning, Starting out in business | 2 Comments

Here are three points I think you will find make a persuasive business argument, take one of these factors out and you will be out of business fast. Let me know what you think in the comments…

1. Have something to sell.

2. Sell it.

3. Make a profit.

To do so you need to market the offerings, have a process to sell with, manage the money.

To do that you need to have a handle on the HR, finances, marketing, overheads and it then starts to get more in depth from there. However you probably should be thinking in the terms of the basic 3 things to do, then see what’s happening from there.

May I suggest, you make a BIG poster or three with those key points on it.

Then consider breaking things down from there, so at any given moment you can know how each area is going, which one to tweak next and set a plan for the next one.

On your breakdown you will probably have a list of finer points relating to each area, then you can ask yourself, “which smaller area works well and which needs adjusting?”

Lets face it, business is not easy, in fact very challenging at times! But if these simple steps can make it easier for you then that’s got to be a good thing.

Oh wait I forgot! there’s a fourth point, oh silly me… Notice how you are looking at the business as the owner (from the perspective I have written it), note also how you are looking at the business, as a whole. Therefore you are taking a leaders view, a coaches view if you like.

Therefore you can be the coach and suggest strategies, work with your people to develop tactics, involve them in the game, many of them will know their parts in the process and know you have a chance to direct things that bit further. Go on be the leader, check out the strategies and concepts you need to put in place, then bring it all together like a great symphony, all orchestrated and conducted by you the business leader.

Tags: business, business mechanics, business success, hr leadership, Planning, Risk Management

What do You Need to be Doing in your Business?

Jan 28

Posted by Steve Gray in Excellence!, Growth, People!, Planning, Risk Management | No Comments

What do you need to be doing in your business? It’s still early enough in the year to be thinking about planning and implementing.

I often think about what I would WANT to be doing in my business, yet the need to’s cut through the wants and nag me to pieces… Often it’s the wants which cause us to go off on inappropriate tangents.

Should you be…

Getting more new prospects.
Streamlining systems.
Finding ways to make things more profitable.
Developing cash-flow projections.
Looking after existing customers better.
Checking OHS issues and risks factors.
Implementing a staff happiness program.
Developing a marketing plan.
Implementing the marketing plan with your friendly branding expert.
Tweaking your business plan.
Developing your customer service strategies.

You know there are a whole lot more options you need to be doing, so what stops you?

Hate to do things which are forced on you?
Figure it will go away somehow?
You want to hire some one someday who can look after these things for you.
Don’t know where to start because the list becomes overwhelming?
You refuse to delegate?
You like to chat to suppliers rather than face the reality your business might slowly be going down the “gurgler”?

Looking for excuses will not help, you should take control and get the team together and make a list of what needs to be done and hand over as much of it as possible, then get on with doing your part of it.

In the end your business is just that your business, so it requires you to take on the responsibility which comes with the territory.

Tags: business, business mechanics, business success, communication, have fun in business, hr leadership, improve customer service, Planning, starting your marketing campaign, workplace safety

Marketing Interview

Jan 26

Posted by Steve Gray in People!, Planning, The Marketing Dept | 4 Comments

Alan Miller, a freelance Journalist from Sydney interviewed me recently about Marketing, Enjoy!

Steve Gray has been in business for 30 years one way or another and has published hundreds of articles on business topics, from Leadership – Innovation – Communication to Marketing and Management issues. His hard won marketing experience means he is able to assist organisations to effectively get their name and message to their customers.

A.M: Steve you have done lots of things in business, you are a Trainer, a writer on a range of business issues, a business mentor and a speaker on Leadership, Innovation and Communication issues, how did you come to get so involved in business?

Steve: I’m an artist by qualification, and over the years I have been introduced to business, from printing T’shirts in the beginning to design and photography (all fairly art related) then over time I grew my knowledge base and things spiraled from there.

A.M. I was surprised to learn you know a lot about marketing, which is the focus of the interview today… Is there a reason for that?

Steve: Like all businesses there is a need to get your product or service noticed, I placed adverts for my own business like most people and failed at it. I soon learnt a great headline helps, then you go from there, I read more, asked more questions, used my design and art training to explore more options and innovate a little. The more I explored the more I learnt. I note now there are always things to learn and check out like social networking and the culture developing around that to make it work, it’s quite fascinating.

A.M: Steve, what are some of the basic mistakes people make with marketing their business?

Steve: Having an aim (more new customers, more repeat business, raising brand awareness) and of course a plan of action which leads into an investment of time and effort rather than a liability. With no aim the shotgun goes off and hits very little you want it to hit.

A.M: Do you find many organisations have no marketing budget planned?

Steve: Often! This can be due to having no plan, no idea about what they need to do and what it might cost, Yet it can be so simple to develop.

A.M: What are some of the great things which have wowed you in regards to marketing and great brand placement?

Steve: We are seeing more integrated approaches emerge, people want to stand out from their competition, so a directory advert for example is only one approach, a newspaper advert is another… It’s when people start to realise they need to be more targeted and put a range of things together. E.g. a direct mail piece to prospects, followed up with a phone call and a chat to see if there is a fit to their needs from your business (esp in B2B sales) then there is social media and websites where people can let a lot of people know about their expertise and keep their info and details in front of more of the right people, that’s becoming more powerful.

A.M: Is bundling of a range of marketing devices a way to go?

Steve: Clearly the one shot advert approach is a loser these days. You should realise prospects need to see your details more than once to be remembered, so the exposure side of things is a big issue. Therefore an advert with a call to action, perhaps a branded product as a reward for taking action can sit on their desk for ages, and that’s good! So take it a step further and have the info you want to tell people about readily available to them, a business card is one way, but there are more options to keep your name in front of them. From articles and information on the web to branded products people use everyday.

A.M: Should people link their promotion to their website or social media? And how would they do that?

Steve: Of course they should, I see it like a ring of connections where people can get in at most points and be guided to learn more about the business as they go. Perhaps via an active Face book page, or a group in Linked in (for business) this can lead to articles on their website, which can then get them more info via an email campaign. It doesn’t need to be difficult either! The more people get to see your business name in front of them the better. Couple the strong image retention provided with great service and you will be on a winner.

A.M: Do many of your clients have a marketing plan and should they?

Steve: Few do, and yes they should, at least a one page plan and a calendar of when they want to do things, then stick to it. Tweak it when things don’t work and know what does work.

A.M: How will social Media impact on marketing, in comparison to say branded items?

Steve: A branded item with a message can let people know you have a social media presence, so use it to do that (that gives it an aim then…) from there it’s up to you how you use the social media to blow your own horn and let your target audience know more about things which can be of value to them.

A.M: Do businesses need to be creative geniuses to make their marketing work or look snappy?

Steve: It’s great if they are, but not essential, pay someone else to be the creative one. However make sure it leads to a good aim or end product, like getting you more business, retaining customers. It’s great to have a creative approach and be noticed, but if all you get is a 2 minute wow factor then where’s the value in that? If on the other hand the creative approach meant you were handing out branded devices with your business details on them then your name is in front of more people for longer, that’s got to be good! Chat to your friendly branding expert for ways to get the message right and connect it with other things you are doing in your business.

A.M: Not everyone needs a marketing company to do their marketing for them, most can’t afford that, how would you help these kinds of organisations?

Steve: I suggest they create a plan of action knowing what the outcome is they want, then build on that plan and take action to get the results. Consistency is important. There are other branding experts who are not part of a big marketing company who can be of assistance, have a chat to them for friendly advice.

A.M.: A plan is one thing, implementing it is another…

Steve: Sure it is, if you want to get new prospects to look at what you offer, then you need to consider a way to do that, for instance in a business to business environment things can be different so the approach can be perhaps more targeted, therefore how you implement the plan is vital. You might start with a list of ideal customers or industries then figure out ways to get your name in their hands, your ongoing aim would then be how you keep it there. Your plan therefore should focus on ways to get your name in front of them and then what you can do from there.

A.M: There are many ways a business can market themselves, what works?

Steve: There are lots of things which work… Junk mail can work well, adverts in newspapers can too, and the same with branded products. It comes down to your target and the best way to get to the target. e.g. if I want to target accountants and I send out brochures to every household in town I have wasted a lot on the ones who are not accountants. Think about how your target wants to be presented to, then do that.

A.M: You mention branded products, many people would look at branded products as great giveaways at a trade show or convention, how can they be used by the average business to market themselves?

Steve: It depends on the aim, if they want to reward existing customers and say thanks, they can hand out simple things to remind them about the company, pens, calendars, imprinted note pads, things which would be useful for the end user and keep the business details in front of them. They can be also used as a device to get the attention of a new prospect, most people love gifts and they need not cost a fortune.

A.M: How should organisations go about choosing from the vast array of options available to them for marketing?

Steve: Chat with your friendly branding expert and explore what the businesses aims are, then look openly at ways they might be able to provide direction for the organisations aims and objectives. It might mean they have to create some great graphics to launch a message, brand some products and develop a way to get them in from of the right people. The big thing is being able to make the right connections at the right time so your marketing becomes the all important investment it needs to be, and not just another business expense.

Tags: branding expert, business, business mechanics, business success, communication, critical marketing, promotional marketing, small business marketing strategies, starting in marketing, starting your marketing campaign

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