Do Business Well

Master your Product

There is no doubt that great persuaders know their product, service, or business. I have found that great persuaders use their own product or service. Through this use, they have experienced what their audience will experience. You must know every possible thing about your industry. Nothing is going to surprise a great per- suader. They are up to speed on the economy, the industry, the company, and the competition. Continue Reading »

2 Comments »

So, you have selected for talent and you have defined the right outcomes. You have your people, and they have their goals. What should you do now? What should you do to speed each person’s progress toward performance?

Great managers would offer you this advice: Focus on each person’s strengths and manage around his weaknesses. Don’t try to fix the weaknesses. Don’t try to perfect each person. Instead do everything you can to help each person cultivate his talents. Help each person become more of who he already is.

This radical approach is fueled by one simple insight: Each person is different. Each person has a unique set of talents, a unique pattern of behaviors, of passions, of yearnings. Each person’s pattern of talents is enduring, resistant to change. Each person, therefore, has a unique destiny. Continue Reading »

6 Comments »

We’ve neglected consumer desire. That’s why consumers are taking an extended holiday in this recession. Why the Web was wiped out overnight. Why many Christmas retailers and resorts have gone into mourning.

Today’s advertising is so busy looking over its shoulder to see what analysts are saying about its company’s stock value, and what its competitors are saying in their ads, that the consumer has been left out of the loop. Continue Reading »

5 Comments »

The majority of people who work from home, whether they be working for giant corporations or in one-man bands, work by themselves. On the one hand, that means they are extremely efficient — no interruptions, no joking during meetings, no office politicking around the coffee machine, or gossiping in the lunch break — but it also means that homeworkers can feel terribly alone and isolated.

`I found that working six hours a day at home was worth more than eight in the office,’ says Emma Dally, now Publishing Director for The National Magazine Company. ‘There are so few interruptions that you are able to work very intensively.’ Continue Reading »

5 Comments »

Expenditure on advertising etc is very often simply a matter of personal judgement. You can argue for more expenditure; you can argue for less expenditure. You can argue that the recent advertising spree has resulted in more sales; you can argue that greater advertising would have increased sales even further. The advertising budget is a subjective decision, but the publicity and advertising staff are certainly capable of achieving high spending levels.

1. Keep a special watch on the big spenders in the camp

If your company has a big spender, he could well be in the publicity department. It may not be his fault, however, because he is often under pressure from all sides to improve the company’s image. Because of this pressure the publicity budget is often overspent, so a firm resolve to keep within budget is needed. Continue Reading »

5 Comments »

What greeted you when you arrived in your office this morning? Those reports, notes, letters and memos that I just have been discussing. By the time you have waded through it all, it’s nearly lunch break.

Did you know that the average person spends 45 minutes a day aimlessly searching for something lost on a desk? Moreover, an untidy desk may well cost you a contract, a new client or a project missed because you fail to react soon enough.

How did you fare? Did you find that you’re losing the battle? If so, you will need to implement all the ideas below to get on top of things. Continue Reading »

6 Comments »

Poor Accounting Controls

Accounts receivable. The A/R ledger has to be reconciled with the sales journal and the cash receipts journal. If not, it /Ispossible to lose an invoice, have the customer never pay, and never realize it. It’s also a good idea to add up the totals of your numerical invoice file and compare the results with your sales journal.

Accounts payable. Make certain that your A/P ledger agrees with your purchase journal and your disbursement journal. If you don’t do this exercise, you could double-pay an invoice, or lose an invoice and not pay it. The next time you need product from the supplier you will be past due on the account. This may result in your having to pay the old bill (which you weren’t expecting) and pay for the next order COD because you lost your credit standing with this supplier. Continue Reading »

5 Comments »