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10 Killer Sales Letter Mistakes That Suck Money From Your Business
The letter...Ah, yes. It's a very splendid thing - when done correctly. But when was the last time you read a letter than really 'talked' to you, that pulled you in, that did its job?
Whether used as sales devices in their own right, to entice...
A Great Testimonial is Worth A Thousand Cold Calls
If you hate cold calling, and even if you don't, you should start capitalizing on the work you’ve already done.
So often we don’t utilize one of the most persuasive selling components in our marketing materials – the words of our own clients. ...
Business Brokerage
Want to Buy a Business? Have a Plan!
You have several financing options to choose from when you are trying to secure finances to buy a business. But all of them involve convincing someone that your idea is so good that they should give you...
Common Sources of Financing for Small Business
The choice of financing is an important determinant of whether a product reaches the market, or whether an existing business can survive. The choice of financing is an important part of being an entrepreneur and business owner, and the ability...
Home Business Success Secret: Earn Money..Don't Make It!
I can remember the first trip my husband and I went on – all expenses paid – direct sales company I worked for. It was an all expense paid stay in Athens, Greece, and a cruise of the Greek Islands. Still ranks as one of the best trips I’ve ever had....
How To Get Your Business Creative Juices Flowing
Creativite change equals growth for your business.
Creativity…”Originality, Imaginative thinking”You’ve no doubt heard about “thinking outside the box”. Very often, business creativity is referred to as thinking outside the box. You can...
Innovation Management – the need for Knowledge Managers
But what do we do with all these ideas?
Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation whilst innovation can be defined as idea selection, development and commercialisation.
There are other useful...
Innovation Management – the Value of Structure
Structure is one of the most valuable tools for enhancing creativity. There are essentially two types of structure: Frameworks and Work Processes.
Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation whilst innovation...
Leadership and employees. Eight actions for success
How can leadership liberate and enable employees
Leadership and employees. Eight tips for success Each employee brings a unique set of gifts to an organisation and the role of leadership is to liberate and enable these gifts. How can leadership...
Organizational Structure, Creativity, Innovation
Organizational structure can inhibit or foster creativity and innovation. The problem with organizational structure though, is that it is resultant of many factors, including history, organic growth, strategy, operational design, product diversity,...
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Systems for Simplicity: What any Business can learn from McDonald's
Open any book on the subject of building effective business systems and you are sure to find McDonald's used as a prime example. Now their food mightn't be to everyones' liking, but it has one outstanding characteristic: it is entirely predictable. And few could argue that they haven't been successful.
Consider this: in less than fifty years, McDonald's have built over 29,000 stores based on a very robust system. If you didn't like the Big Mac you had in Moscow, you can be sure you would equally dislike the Big Macs you might have in Madrid, Melbourne or Manila.
Of course, McDonalds have it easy. Their business has never been about their food - it has always been about their systems. It is the sameness of their food, rather than its originality, which is what their customers expect. So it is sameness that they deliver.
Which is hardly what most of us are looking to provide, is it? We are selling a product or a service - not a 'system'. Our creativity, our unique approach, our flexibility to customer needs - these are what we are selling. The McDonald's approach seems anathema.
The reality is that systems have a place in every business because, used properly, they can help us achieve something that every business wants: efficiency and happy customers.
Take your average plumber. He is selling his skills - certainly not a
system. The plumber loves to plumb - he hates administration. But we still expect him to return our calls, to keep appointments and to provide us with accurate invoices.
So the plumber has a choice. He can forget to return calls, turn up late and get increasingly bogged down in paperwork (both of which happen all too often). Or he can put in place a basic time management and bookkeeping system.
Either way he'll still be a good plumber, but the system will provide him with more, happier customers and greater peace-of-mind.
What your plumber can't systemise is the art of plumbing. His experience and his apparently innate ability to diagnose a problem: these can only be passed on properly over time. Becoming the plumbing equivalent of Ronald McDonald is unrealistic.
Somewhere between McDonald's and your plumber lie most other businesses. Systems have a place in every business - it is simply a matter of degree. But we need to make a conscious effort to identify those parts of our business that can be 'systemised'.
In the long run, we will be rewarded with a simpler business and happier customers.
© David Brewster, January 2002
About the Author
David Brewster runs 'Business Simplification' and writes, talks and coaches on reducing the complexity of business and achieving greater clarity and effectiveness
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