Monday 24 February 2014

Are you a problem solving organisation ?

 Are you a problem solving organisation ?

You should look at your business as a problem-solving organization. 

All businesses thrive because they solve problems for consumers — and learn how to profit from it.

Bill Gates reached success with Microsoft because he figured out ways to fix problems. 

Facebook has solved the problem of global communication by making each person’s world a bit smaller. 

People flocked to Oprah Winfrey’s show because they believed she could provide advice for some of their life challenges.
Everyone has some kind of problem that’s waiting to be solved. 
Companies are struggling to stay in business, families are losing their homes, and too many people are out of work. 
As a company and as an employee, you should not be discouraged by the state of the economy – you should look for opportunities.
Become an innovative leader who helps guide your company through the country’s economic struggles. 
  • What can you do to improve the situation for a family that is struggling financially? 
  • What services can you provide for Australians on lower budgets?
  •  Look to solve problems on a global scale with a targeted approach, creating innovative ways to reach out to your customers and meet their needs.

The more problems you solve for more people, the more successful your organisation will be. 

Whether you are a business owner or an employee, you should aim to find new solutions to problems everyday. 

What problems does your business seek to solve, and are you being held accountable for solving them? 

As an employee, how can you start solving more problems for your company?

Successful business boils down to holding yourself accountable. 

You must encourage your team to refocus on your fundamental principles and goals, seeking new and specific problems and developing targeted plans to solve them.

Here are three key tips that will help keep your company focused on problem solving.

1.    Always talk about your clients in terms of solving their problems. This keeps you in the right mindset to effectively meet your customers’ needs. Become the solution to their problems.

2.    Never start your business meeting by discussing efforts to make more money. Your primary goal should be to solve your customers’ problems, and profit should come as a result.

3.    Always think about how you can solve more problems for more people. You should always be seeking opportunities for growth, and the best way to expand your business is to find creative solutions to pressing problems.

Basic marketing - focus on the customer needs and wants and how you can satisfy them.

Tony Park
Business Gardener.
www.businessgardener.com.au 

Friday 21 February 2014

A Mentor can help you to create your future.

A Mentor could help you create your future 

From Mark Zuckerberg to Tony Robbins, some of the most successful people in all forms of business have credited part of their success to having a great mentor.
Mentors are not always well known people who work in the same field as the people they are mentoring. They can be family members or others who serve as moral and character guides. 
Before you look for a mentor, consider the following.

1. WHAT SKILLS DO YOU WANT TO BUILD?

Before you consider looking for a mentor, you have to visualize your future. Where do you see yourself down the road in five, 10, or 15 years? What kind of work are you doing? What kind of a person have you become? Realize that every worthwhile accomplishment has started out as a dream in someone’s mind. After you have your future goals fixed in your mind, ask yourself who would be the best person to serve as your guide on your journey? What kind of help would be of most benefit to you? Is it technical knowledge, business acumen, or personal guidance? A mentor can serve all these purposes, but usually one is predominant.

2. LOOK FOR CHARACTER BEFORE QUALIFICATIONS

Before moving on to what you think your mentor needs to know, think of the kind of person he or she needs to be. Do you have respect for them as a person apart from what they know? Would you be pleased to have them as part of your family? If the answer to these questions is no, look elsewhere. Even though they may be highly knowledgeable, intelligent and technically brilliant, your subconscious may have a hard time accepting any advice or ideas that come from them. A good mentor should always leave you feeling positive and inspired.

3. SOMEONE WHO WON'T TELL YOU WHAT TO DO.

In order to grow, we need to make our own decisions and mistakes. A good mentor will allow us to do both. He or she will never tell us what we should or need to do. Instead they will offer and share ideas based on their own experiences. They will freely offer what has or hasn’t worked for them and leave it up to you as to whether you take their advice. Take from them what is valuable to you and leave the rest.

4. FIND A PERSON WHO IS OPEN, HONEST, AND NOT EGO DRIVEN

In order for feedback to be worthy from anyone, it must be honest and forthright. As well as giving you praise when your mentor thinks you have done something well, it is equally important that they challenge and encourage you to accomplish more when you are struggling. A good mentor does not get upset or angry when you don’t follow their advice. They are not ego driven and don’t see your success or failure as a direct reflection on their mentoring skills. They accept and know that, like themselves, you are your totally responsible for your own success and failure in life.

5. DOES YOUR POTENTIAL MENTOR HAVE A HISTORY OF CREDITING OTHERS FOR SUCCESS?

Effective mentors are people who have a record of service to their community, organizations or groups they belong to. They see beyond their own needs and have a desire to make their community and the world a better place to live. While others recognize them for their success, they don’t bring this up, and if asked about it, will give credit to others. Others will know them for their unselfishness and desire to give back.
Tony Park at the Business Gardener can assist you to create your future. I have many experiences across a number of industry sectors, had many positive experiences and also a large number of failures that I can share.
Contact me at tony@businessgardener.com.au to see what we can do together for you.

Monday 17 February 2014

When a Salesman isn't a Salesman


When a Salesman isn’t a Salesman


A business owner decides to beef up his company’s sales talent. He forks out a hefty salary for a “proven performer” from another industry; then…nothing.
empty suitThe salesman (or woman) is glib, professional and hard working. The owner devotes more resources to marketing and lead generation in an attempt to make good on his investment. Still no results.
Frequently, the owner assumes the blame for the shortfall. After all, the employee earned huge commissions in his previous job. He sold to CEOs, or to high net worth individuals, or products that were ten times the price of yours. Why can’t he sell your stuff?
Sales is a relative term, and sales compensation is a relative measure. I knew a former tennis pro who had made a huge salary “selling” medical devices to surgeons. When he transitioned to selling OEM hard drives, he failed miserably. He had qualified leads, and heavy marketing to support brand identity. His skill, however, was in demonstrating to the doctors how they could work faster and more profitably if they insisted the hospital pay for his devices. Faced with cost-conscious purchasing managers who perceived his product as a commodity, he was lost.
The owner of a technology company shared this with me last week. He is looking for reps to sell managed services to large corporations. There are plenty of highly compensated salespeople in the technology world. What he has found, however, is that selling networking equipment, software or telecommunications gear has little in common with “invisible” services located in the cloud.
Both examples are similar. In the first, the salesperson moved from selling to an end user who was focused on technical issues to a financial buyer. In the second the shift is from selling a known solution for a known problem to selling change that is disruptive to an entrenched infrastructure. Other than calling both jobs “selling,” they have very little in common.
The technical aspects of presenting a solution to customers are basic to all sales, but that doesn’t mean that all sales skills are transferrable. Someone who was provided with qualified leads likely lacks the training for effective cold calling. One who represented a well-known brand may not be prepared to educate buyers on a need they haven’t yet identified. Selling to large corporations is nothing like selling to small businesses.
Choosing an effective salesperson has little to do with how much he made in a previous position. Translating his or her success to your business depends on who he sold, how he sold, and what he sold. If those three factors match your sales profile, then prior successes are worth considering.
Tony Park the Head Gardener at the Business Gardener, can assist you in the skills to ensure you are selling to your market - not the market from your last position.
www.businessgardener.com.au
Tony Park

Wednesday 12 February 2014

Learn How To Grow Strategically

Learn How to Grow Strategically

As entrepreneurs, we’re pulled in a million different directions every day. Although we start our days with the best of intention, it’s easy to get pulled off course with emergencies (caused by others) putting out fires (created by others) and shiny objects (marketed by others.) And, even a small course deviation, can change the course of your business over a period of time.

small_business_to_do

As the business owner, your primary job is planning and change which requires a disciplined way to think, plan, act – and rethink and replan every day. This is strategic thinking.
According to Chief Executive Magazine, strategic thinking is the most valued skill for entrepreneurs today yet only 3 out of every 10 entrepreneurs actually think strategically.
Not every entrepreneur is endowed with the gift of strategic thinking however there are several steps you can take to ensure you put your business on a strategic path each and every day.
1. Begin with the end in mind – To understand where you’re headed, consider these questions:
Why are you in business?
What do you do?
What do you want to achieve?
How will you get there?
These questions, and many more, are answered with the creation of your missionvision, strategies, objectives and goals – or your strategic plan.

2. Think – and act – strategically everyday. 
Did you know that 85% of entrepreneurs spend an hour or less a month strategic thinking? Given your primary responsibility being that of planning and change, carving out time for strategic thinking, planning and acting is vitally important.  Strategic thinking and planning is even more important knowing 80% of most activities that entrepreneurs are involved in each day contribute to only 20% of the business long-term values. The use of a daily goal planner gives you new insights and concrete steps for improvement.
3. Constantly question your own opinion. 
We all develop blind spots that can prevent us from taking full advantage of new developments in our industry.  By not questioning on our thoughts/opinions – or always believing we’re right –  we can destroy  our business no matter how talented or brilliant we are.
Once you add these three actionable steps to your daily to-do list, strategic thinking becomes a daily habit and, along with it, business growth.
Tony Park
Business Gardener.