Do Business Well

Each manager’s routine was different, reflecting his or her unique style. Nonetheless, hidden within this diversity we found four characteristics common to the “performance management” routines of great managers.

First, the routine is simple. Great managers dislike the complexity of most company-sponsored performance appraisal schemes. They don’t want to waste their time trying to decipher the alien terms and to fill out bureaucratic forms. Instead they prefer a simple format that allows them to concentrate on the truly difficult work: what to say to each employee and how to say it. Continue Reading »

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Going to a workshop may seem attractive. Yes, you can pick up some skills. But it’s difficult to transfer these skills to your work environment. The so-called university model of training (sending employees to outside educational institutions) has proven relatively ineffective. On the average, you can expect to see the transfer of no more than 5 to 20 percent of the desired skills two years after the training program. Continue Reading »

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Most of the suggestions offered to the manager/chairperson are aplicable to you as a group member. You just can’t be as directive.

1. First, be a good group member. One positive, helpful person in a meeting can do a lot of good. You can offer process suggestions to your group like “Why don’t we figure out how we are going to deal with this issue before we rush off in different directions?”

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It’s almost Meeting Failure-Proof

Keep in mind that most meetings aren’t very effective as they are now run. When you get a chance to facilitate or record, it will be because your group has agreed that it is worth trying something new. You are probably going to look good no matter what you do. The mere presence of a facilitator, recorder, and group memory will do wonders. Even if you think you have done a lousy job, your group may well be impressed just because it will all be so new. Explain that you are learning and will make mistakes. Ask people to help you stay in your role and remain neutral. You are there to help them. It’s their meeting and they share the responsibility for making it a success. Continue Reading »

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Some businesses reach the size or position where a great deal of internal communication and contact are necessary. Hand in hand with the increase in necessary internal communication grows a plethora of less necessary and even superfluous communication. A business may reach a stage where the extent of internal communication and reporting has got out of hand.

1. Eliminate unnecessary internal communication and reporting

People could be asking for information for the sake of it. It may take five minutes to read a report but it may take the writer and secretary hours or even days of research to produce it. They are expensive people — don’t waste their time. Continue Reading »

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Assuming a meeting is necessary, here are some guidelines for running meetings in an intelligent and decisive manner.

Practical arrangements

If you are elected as either chairperson or secretary, you will be involved in the pre-meeting arrangements. The secretary makes most of these practical arrangements. But he or she should do this in consultation with the chairperson, who needs to be kept fully informed of developments.

Let’s take a look at the when, where and how of an effective meeting: Continue Reading »

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A route map to success

As with the birth of a child, the first few months are extremely important to a new business. To ensure your business is a thundering success, you need to work at it in a disciplined way. And you need results early on to keep you motivated.

A number of different ’starter’ programmes of various lengths are suggested by network marketing companies. The programme below covers the first four weeks only. In each week we suggest that you do 10 things. Of course you can do more, but don’t do less!

What follows is just a guide to the sort of things you should map out for yourself. The key ingredients have already been mentioned but are so important that they are repeated here. They are:

• Use products you sell yourself.
• Study your starter kit and video.
• Plan your success with your sponsor.
• Learn as much as you can about your products. III Look for prospects.
• Help people you introduce to be a success (sponsor).
• Attend training meetings/motivational sessions.
• Hold small group meetings.
• Keep your records up to date.
• Have fun.

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House meetings (or group meetings) can work extremely well, not only to gain distributors but to generate enthusiasm and excitement about network marketing. Make these meetings a lot of fun. There are many pluses about properly run group meetings. You will find that the group dynamics and the spirit and enthusiasm of your team rubs off on the new distributor. If, say, your personality and that of a new prospect clash (she likes talking about her five children, the garden and her home and your interests are largely centred around business growth, travelling and seizing new opportunities) you could find, no matter how hard you try, that the conversation does not flow smoothly. But if you have a large group with varied personalities, the chances are that she will find someone to whom your prospect can relate easily. Continue Reading »

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