Friday, July 25th, 2008
Archive for the 'Planning Tips' Category
Friday, July 25th, 2008
Sunday, July 20th, 2008
The other day, a friend and I were chatting about accomplishments and how they impact people differently. They can either hold a person back, or help a person move forward. The choice is up to each of us.
If we focus on the accomplishment and judge future actions by its scale, the accomplishment can become an anchor that hold us back. It can prevent us from trying new things, things where we might fail.
At the other extreme, some say to “let it go.” It seems to my friend and me that, taken literally, they are forgetting to learn from experience.
Doesn’t it make more sense to learn from accomplishments (and failures) and to use the lessons learned in other areas? If so, accomplishments (and failures) can help us move forward and move in many different directions. At that point, it is just a matter of deciding on the opportunities that are of greatest interest to each of us.
Saturday, July 19th, 2008
When Connie Customer looks at a potential supplier, what does Connie want and need to know?
Reverse the roles for a minute and put yourself in Connie’s shoes. What would you want to know if you were looking at a potential supplier?
At the end of the day, the thing you want to know - the ONLY thing you want to know - is that, if you select the potential supplier, the potential supplier will help you meet your business goals.
In order to reach this conclusion, you will probably want to look at a variety of things such as:
- Does the potential supplier work with customers that are like you?
- What has the potential supplier helped these customers do?
- How has the potential supplier worked with these customers?
- When issues arose, how did the potential supplier deal with them?
- What results did the potential supplier help the customers achieve?
Past experience of a firm is not a guarantee of future results. A supplier may have been great in one context for one customer, but might be unable to help a different customer or the same customer achieve a different goal.
Now that you know what Connie needs to know, what can Connie do to make sure that the potential supplier helps Connie achieve her business objectives?
Wednesday, November 7th, 2007
The other day, John had a terrible negotiation. It went downhill from the instant he picked up the telephone. The customer was angry about how John had handled an issue. John was unprepared for the discussion. The customer started yelling at him, and John went on the defensive. The situation went from bad to worse.
What might John have done to avoid or deal with this issue?
For me, this is the cost justification for voice mail, caller ID, answering machines, and having people screen calls. These approaches yield results in two ways.
First, this approach reduces the risk that John will say something he regrets, or in anger. Once the words are spoken, it is very difficult to retract them. Often, if people have a built-in pause, they are less likely to say something they regret.
Second, this approach can provide John with enough information to prepare for the discussion. When John knows who is calling, he can (1) talk with his team about the account and see if there are known issues, (2) find out how the relationship is working from his team’s perspective, and (3) prepare for the discussion. In many cases, John may identify options or solutions that address the problems before returning the call. If John can do this, his value to all parties increases.
What other steps can John take to prevent or deal with the situation?
Technorati Tags: negotiation problem solving conflict avoidance conflict resolution communication teamsThursday, November 1st, 2007
The other day, a customer said that he had been coming to The Illahe Lodge every year for the last 24 years.
Why might a customer use a firm for an extended period of time? Certainly advertising costs are lower and customers and the business have greater knowledge of what each offers. What are the costs and benefits associated with this decision? Think about the difficulties that could arise if a major customer experienced financial hardship or became dissatisfied. Consider too the pain that can result with changing the business model. Still, there are risks associated with every business decisions and every business model. It seems to me that we have to choose the approach that involves risks we find more tolerable. What one person may find more tolerable may be unacceptable to someone else…
So what is the moral of the story? Business relationships need to be aligned with a firm’s business model. Some firms do this by offering discounts on return visits, accepting higher prices or paying higher compensation based on tenure, or weighing their decision matrix towards suppliers with longer tenure.
Now, think about your business model and the importance of repeat and referral relationships. Who are you targeting as customers, suppliers, and employees? What are some steps that you are taking to appeal to people in these groups who meet your criteria?
Want to know more or talk about your situation specifically? If so, please feel free to send me an email at infoli@c-davisconsulting.com, or click on the button at the right to contact me.
Thursday, August 2nd, 2007
In some organizations, a manager’s role is to supervise and direct other people as the other people perform the tasks. In smaller businesses (and some large ones - like the ones where I worked), a manager may be responsible for doing the work itself.
If you have a preference about what your role would be, it is a good idea to ask what a typical work day would look like. Then drill down to find out how the tasks will actually be accomplished. Often, some aspects of this can be negotiated. By understanding the expectations, you are better positioned to identify topics that may warrant negotiation.
Technorati Tags: manager business negotiation interviewsThursday, July 12th, 2007
Suppose that Sam Supplier is with a small firm that is providing products and services to a large customer. In this situation, Sam’s firm and the large customer are likely to have differences in their relative bargaining power.
Often, small firms are so anxious to win business, especially from large companies that they are likely to agree to provisions that can cause challenges for them. At times, the customers pressure the small firms to do more. In many cases though, the small firms pressure themselves to do so.
Whenever there is a difference in bargaining power, it is a good idea to talk about the small firm’s ability to meet the big customer’s needs.Â
Think about what this scenario means for your business. Specifically, consider questions like:
Technorati Tags: negotiate bargaining power business communication relationship techniquesHow could disparity of bargaining power arise for your business?
Are there certain signs that would lead you to think there is a disparity in bargaining power?
If the parties have disparity in bargaining power, what are some steps that you might take to deal with the issues?
What are some communication techniques that might help you identify and deal with disparity in the parties’ bargaining power?
