Time Is A Measure Of Business
December 29, 2008
Sir Francis Bacon said, “Time is the measure of business” in the 1600’s. Those words are truer today than ever. How many times have you sat through a meeting that was a waste of time? We all have, in fact, we have even set them up and in the end realized it was not time well spent. How many times have you met the same person or group and walked out of the meeting with comments like “great meeting”, nice people”, “that person is really smart”, but what was the outcome? Why did I just spend one hour of my day with this person or group? Read more… »
The Importance Of Psychology In The Sales Process - Selling To The “Influencer” - Part II
December 14, 2008
If you would persuade, you must appeal to
interest rather than intellect
Benjamin Franklin
In Part I of this series we discussed the D of DISC.
D=Dominant
I=Influencer
S=Steady Relator
C=Critical Analyzer
In this article, we’ll be focusing on selling to “Influencers.” A more personal approach tends to have greater efficacy with this type of buyer. Read more… »
The Importance Of Psychology In The Sales Process - Selling To The “Dominant” Ones - Part I
November 23, 2008
“When you have got an elephant by the hind leg, and he is trying to run away, it’s best to let him run.”
Abraham Lincoln
Anyone out there, who is familiar with personality profiling, has at one point dealt with the system called “DISC”. DISC is a breakdown of the 4 major personalities.
D=Dominant
I=Influencer
S=Steady Relator
C=Critical Analyzer
In this article, we will be focusing on tips and strategies for selling to the “Dominant” personality. Read more… »
My Customer Hates Me
November 16, 2008
In these economically distressed times, there are very few companies that are not facing uncertainty in how they will move their business forward. One thing is clear, we are all emotionally tattered trying to increase the top line and optimize the bottom line. A quality axiom states that if you increase the level of quality you “Hold the Gain”. This is also true for the sales professionals that are on the front line dealing with your customers. They need to get the sale and “Hold the Gain”. In order to do so, they need to understand what the customers hate about them. Read more… »
Don’t Be The Deal Killer
November 15, 2008
As you look to develop your business in China, the last thing you want is to have your deal killed over a business or cultural Faux Pas. Whether, you are expanding your own business, going to work in China for your employer, or developing suppliers, you will at some point make a trip to the Middle Kingdom and come face to face with the people and the culture. Rather than having an 11th hour cram session before the trip, we offer three basic tips that will ensure that you aren’t a deal killer. Read more… »
The Evolution Of The Expat - Part III
October 22, 2008
Two roads diverged in a wood and I-
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference
Robert Frost
In the final installment of The Evolution of the Expat we would like to discuss repatriation, bring the Expat home or not. A critical, but frequently overlooked step of the Expat process is proper repatriation provided by the company. In many cases, Expats have grown apart from their home country and the culture at headquarters, so the challenge of repatriating is difficult, especially when one has to go it alone. It is not uncommon for companies to bring Expats back without any real position for them. The responsibility is placed on the employee to find his/her place in the organization. What is the repatriation survival process for the Expat, or Global Executive? Let’s take a closer look. Read more… »
The Evolution Of The Expat - Part II
September 23, 2008
In our first series we discussed the need for Expatriates (Expats), why they are important, and the “recipe” for maximizing ROI. In this second installment, we will discuss how the Expat needs to manage, how they need to be managed, and how they change over time.
In the 1980’s and 1990’s Expats both successful and unsuccessful were characterized by a curious mindset. They didn’t keep anything inside for long, and because nature abhors a vacuum, they constantly needed to ingest something new, replenish themselves, multiply, augment. The Expat’s mind found it difficult to stop at one event or one country. Something always propelled them forward, drove them on without rest. Such people, while useful, even agreeable, to others, were, if truth be told, frequently unhappy-lonely in fact. Problems would arise because the Expat was on his/her own. They lost touch with the best practices of their home country, both professionally and personally. This caused two major problems, first the Expat was no longer effective at driving the HQ message across and the Expat no longer fit in back home. Read more… »
The Evolution Of The Expat - Part I
September 7, 2008
I found Rome a city of bricks and left it a city of marble
Augustus Caesar
This is the first of a three part series that will discuss the transition from the Expatriate (Expat) to Global Executive. For decades, Expats were characterized in one of two ways. Either they were a loyal lifetime employee who didn’t quite have the talent to run a unit in the U.S., or there simply wasn’t any spot for them in the U.S. These loyal employees were still rewarded with a posting, including the perks of club, car and international school for the kids, in locations such as Hong Kong or Paris as their “Swan Song.” Usually, these offices were already established and the Expat played a caretaker role, performing mostly ceremonial duties. Another major reason for sending these mediocre talents was that the CEO usually wanted their best and brightest right next to them at headquarters. Fast forward to the 21st century and this has completely changed.
Creating New Wealth Through Organizational Design
August 17, 2008
The chief problem that companies face today is that they are using 20th century strategies to compete in the 21st century. Strategic models for the 20th century made the assumptions that capital was scarce, interaction costs were high and that vertically integrated structures were the key to efficient operation. Fast forward to the 21st century and the companies that are thriving are tapping into employees’ knowledge, relationships and hidden talents. They are using new performance metrics measuring profit per employee, rather than returns on capital. The reason for this is that in the 21st century, capital is not scarce, but talent is. The time has come for executives to develop the organization as a strategic need that will allow companies to compete no matter what the market situation. Read more… »
Understanding Mental Models
August 5, 2008
“We are prisoners of our own islands of thought until some foreign intruders come to our shores. Then we realize the wonder and perils of interacting with this “brave new world” outside the scope of our former mental models.”
Shakespeare’s “The Tempest”
Why do some people seem to handle conflict and form relationships with ease? Were they just born that way? Read more… »