I recently found a eulogy my father had written for a family friend and colleague who he originally met when they both worked for Kurt Salmon Associates; a highly successful independent Management Consultancy founded in 1935 and as of 2016, part of Accenture. According to the eulogy Kurt Salmon’s tenet for the business was “Always […]
Not putting your client’s needs first is costing you money. Read More »
According to the National Sales Executive Association, 80% of sales are made on the fifth to twelfth contact and only 10% of sales people make more than three contacts. That’s an awful lot of business left on the table for the lack of follow up! One of my clients recently spoke to me about their
Could you be using the telephone more? Read More »
I’ve been meeting a lot of receptionists this month, and bank staff and shop assistants. Not intentionally, but I just seem to have been out and about more than usual. And overall, I’ve enjoyed the human connection … however I can’t tell you the difference a smile has made to the interaction. Don’t get me
How far does a smile go? Further than you might imagine. Read More »
For some people I meet, networking describes everything that they don’t want to do … … Walking into a room full of strangers, making small talk, listening to others talking about themselves or waiting for their turn to jump into the conversation and tell you about themselves. And to cap it all … having to
Are you planning to network more this year? Read More »
Do you tell yourself stories about what is, has or will happen? Or provide yourself with a running commentary as you go about your daily business? That’s self-talk … the voice in your head … what you say to yourself, whether positive or negative, can boost or undermine your confidence. And unless you question it
Why self-talk matters. Read More »
One of the services that we offer to our tourism and front of house clients is a spot of mystery shopping! We aren’t interested in whether the signage works or the shop is well stocked. We are only interested in how the staff make us feel as visitors. In it’s simplest terms we’re looking for
How to make your customer’s day without spending money. Read More »
I overheard part of a conversation in a shop last week, between a customer and member of staff. The customer was irritated that the price he was charged was higher than the price on the signage and he wanted the shop assistant to know what had happened. The assistant’s response was to leap to a
Why it isn’t their job to understand? Read More »
If you had some negative feedback to impart to a colleague, we were told to dress it up with something pleasant. So, you would find a couple of positive elements and then sandwich the negative comment in between. Imagine you thought a team member’s presentation was pretty good but that the slides they had created
How not to give feedback and what to do instead Read More »
As regular readers will know, I attend a lot of networking events, at which business owners and representatives can take the opportunity to give a short presentation. The topic usually relates to an overview of their business, the market they work in or some top tips for the audience to take away. As the speaker,
Five ways to ruin your presentation and what to do instead! Read More »
Some years back I was invited to be a guest on Business Connections Live The UK’s leading online business television channel. And I won’t lie … I was nervous! Over the past few months, a couple of our clients have been presenting in studio for programmes to be aired in- house and for TV channels with
How comfortable are you in a TV studio? Read More »
