Living in Central Victoria, the last two weeks have been proven to be a difficult time to maintain a positive outlook. With the number of people out of a job and the economy nosediving everything looks gloomy. Then again, how do you compare this with the death toll from the bushfires now over 200 and over 1000 homes lost. I live 20Km from one of the fires that broke out on 7th February so was naturally worried but a friend of mine got out of Marysville about 1.5 hours before it was lost. How do you balance that with reports that up to 100 people lost their lives in Marysville? You don't and you can't. All you can do is grieve and then remember to focus on the positive.
It will become obvious that for most of us, we have friends and family to help share the load. Hopefully for those left without a family, friends will help fill the void.
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
The Karma Deal (not to be confused with a bluebird)
I'm not sure if I coined the term Karma Deal or not. The first time I used it was in 1994.
A colleague and I had started the Melbourne office of a distributor and we were having trouble getting the orders flowing. After a few months of desperation I went to a former senior sales executive that we had both worked with a few years prior and asked him, what was his secret?
He gave us a simple format that provided regular activity and contact with companies that should be interested in what we had to sell. It worked! And every time sales slowed down we would dust off the same routine and it never failed to work. The funny thing was that, often, the sales came from a different direction than we expected.
The lesson we learned was that the sales never came if we sat pondering the universe. Eventually, it became obvious that we created our own Karma.
Bluebirds are those opportunities that fly in the window with the salesperson not having to lift a finger. They have nothing to do with Karma!
Go to http://www.intermizzi.com.au/ to find out more.
A colleague and I had started the Melbourne office of a distributor and we were having trouble getting the orders flowing. After a few months of desperation I went to a former senior sales executive that we had both worked with a few years prior and asked him, what was his secret?
He gave us a simple format that provided regular activity and contact with companies that should be interested in what we had to sell. It worked! And every time sales slowed down we would dust off the same routine and it never failed to work. The funny thing was that, often, the sales came from a different direction than we expected.
The lesson we learned was that the sales never came if we sat pondering the universe. Eventually, it became obvious that we created our own Karma.
Bluebirds are those opportunities that fly in the window with the salesperson not having to lift a finger. They have nothing to do with Karma!
Go to http://www.intermizzi.com.au/ to find out more.
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Making More Of It Obvious
Most of the people I know make sure that they read and listen to new ideas because it is obvious that the quickest way to gain knowledge is to learn from those who are already successful at it.
So when there are thousands of books, audio streams, courses, websites and blogs out there, how do you know which ones to follow up? I do know some people who seem to be trying to read everything that comes along. I prefer to follow the path of the advice above and take recommendations from those who have already read the book.
A recent great read is the book Made To Stick by Dan & Chip Heath. It is about making ideas stickier. They have some great free resources at their website www.madetostick.com
Go to http://www.intermizzi.com.au/ to find out more.
So when there are thousands of books, audio streams, courses, websites and blogs out there, how do you know which ones to follow up? I do know some people who seem to be trying to read everything that comes along. I prefer to follow the path of the advice above and take recommendations from those who have already read the book.
A recent great read is the book Made To Stick by Dan & Chip Heath. It is about making ideas stickier. They have some great free resources at their website www.madetostick.com
Go to http://www.intermizzi.com.au/ to find out more.
Thursday, January 29, 2009
What is top of mind right now for everyone?
For most of us it is “Will I make it through the recession?”
Those of us with enough experience (some would say “wisdom gained with age”) have the fortune to have lived through this a number of times. One of my favourites was in 1993 when my General Manager told me that he would know by breakfast if our whole division was to be closed.
When he met me the next morning he informed me that we were both out of a job!
Then “The Internet” took off and both of us worked our way into senior roles in the IT&T industry.
There is always a way through and most of the time it will lead to something better. If you can't see the way through then ask someone for help!
Go to http://www.intermizzi.com.au/ to find out more.
Those of us with enough experience (some would say “wisdom gained with age”) have the fortune to have lived through this a number of times. One of my favourites was in 1993 when my General Manager told me that he would know by breakfast if our whole division was to be closed.
When he met me the next morning he informed me that we were both out of a job!
Then “The Internet” took off and both of us worked our way into senior roles in the IT&T industry.
There is always a way through and most of the time it will lead to something better. If you can't see the way through then ask someone for help!
Go to http://www.intermizzi.com.au/ to find out more.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
How to develop a corporate partnership?
I was recently asked how to establish a partnership relationship instead of being known as a product supplier. The answer is in the questions that you ask.
A partnership is a strategic relationship. If you get to be in front of a decision maker and start pushing your product then you will be relegated to the position of product supplier. On the other hand, if you start asking questions about their business then you will immediately differentiate yourself from the rest of the field.
What questions should you ask? Take some time to research the company and you will find suitable questions. If you really want to impress then make sure you read their annual report and press releases and organise your questions to seek clarification. This also happens to be the best way to figure out where your product or solution will best assist the company in reaching their goals.
Go to http://www.intermizzi.com.au/ to find out more.
A partnership is a strategic relationship. If you get to be in front of a decision maker and start pushing your product then you will be relegated to the position of product supplier. On the other hand, if you start asking questions about their business then you will immediately differentiate yourself from the rest of the field.
What questions should you ask? Take some time to research the company and you will find suitable questions. If you really want to impress then make sure you read their annual report and press releases and organise your questions to seek clarification. This also happens to be the best way to figure out where your product or solution will best assist the company in reaching their goals.
Go to http://www.intermizzi.com.au/ to find out more.
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