The days of being a big fish in a small local pond are gone, never to return. Whether as individuals or organisations our competition is worldwide thanks to the joy of the internet. If I want to buy goods then suppliers across the world are just a click away. When…
Getting more customers is easy. Just cut prices until people buy from you because you are the cheapest. Many businesses use this as a strategy and it works so long as you keep in mind two things. Firstly, there will always be someone cheaper than you. How many times have…
I’m a huge fan of zero inbox email. Also, when used effectively I’m a great fan of email, but email efficiency is not the same as email effectiveness. Let me explain. In the past, I have been guilty of worshiping the great god of email efficiency. Email efficiency involves quickly…
Qualifications are really important in certain areas. I want my doctor, solicitor and optician to be fully qualified but the things I value in effective people are not based on qualifications. Here are ten effective things that don’t require qualifications. Being on time. Some people seem to think that keeping…
Don’t get me wrong. I’m a big a fan of measuring things. Data is really important and very useful in taking decisions but I have a problem with Big Data. Too many people and organisations are using the outputs without looking at why big data can be efficient but not…
I would like to take credit for this method but it is actually based on an idea from Rory Sutherland of Ogilvy. However, I have taken his idea and want to show you how to predict the future based on using this method. The problem with most methods of trying…
The definition of productivity is generally thought to be the ration of output volume to the volume of inputs. Put another way, in order to increase productivity you must either reduce inputs or increase outputs. YouTube and the self help bookshelves are full of productivity improvement advice. We are constantly…
A while ago in the blog Why Fixed Overheads Are So Important we discussed fixed costs and their negative effects. These are even more important when looking to make decisions in times of trauma, especially if sales are falling. This is when the effective costing of products & services can make…
Profit maximisation has been the goal for so many organisations since time began. In the days when cheap, obedient labour was the main resource and hire and fire was the name of the game then profit maximisation by keeping costs low was achievable. However, things have changed. Let’s look at…
It is a given that it is important, some would say vital, to know your customer. If you read the LEAN literature then everything should be done having listened to the Voice Of The Customer (VOC) and anything for which the customer will not pay is defined as waste. We…