Business and Money Tips

Give us 4 weeks and we'll turn your managers into better managers at here Although few dare to admit, we know that many managers are not real managers because they lack power. Some are at the mercy of their staff, while others are so dependent on their bosses that they are just figure heads or administrators.   To be a real manager takes 4 things as follows: 1.  Have the Right Skills, Beliefs and Identity of a Manager .  The believe in the impossible and the identity of a can-do and a Solution Provider.  The 6 skills to posses include: Planning, especially budgeting and forecasting Decision-making, especially taking risk People Management, in terms of handling difficult people and get people to work for you Leadership, to be important, not impotent Communication, how to get your message across and influence people Business Strategy and Growing the Business, this must be the most important skill of all 2.   Have the Opportunity to Excel, to Real...

Yes, the  lack of sales  is not caused by the market, your competitors or even your boss.  Salespeople are the problems, and the big problem is that they don't even realize this.  By far the biggest problem is salespeople not realizing that they are the problem and justify their situation as 'everyone is also like that, right' thinking.   There are 8 ways that salespeople make themselves the biggest problem. Know them, eradicate them, and you'll be on the path to greatness in sales... Lack of Selling Skills , especially in doing  sales  follow-up  and overcoming of tough objections ; Never Leverage on the Team , especially the customer's team and your company's support team; No Follow-Through and Follow-up on Leads , leading to no leads and thus no sales; Lack of Lead Generating Activities , resulting in no  prospects  to follow-up on and thus no prospects in sales; Never Listen to the Real Needs of customers ,  thus missi...

Are you pushing your team hard for results? Is motivation and morale becoming an issue? Make no mistake: higher performance comes not from pushing but PULLING. The truth is that most managers are not trained in the softer side of things: how to get to the heart and soul of each staff so as to get the most out of them. This course is for people who want to take action to get real results. It is NOT for people looking for excuses. There are 11 powerful lessons spread over 7 videos, 3 games and 1 challenging test. Note: We also run this course in-house, subjet to a minimum of 7 persons. Call Andy at 8201-4347 to enquire Power-packed Contents Include: HOW TO BE AN INSPIRING & MOTIVATING MANAGER Date : 25 Feb 2015 Wednesday 9 am to 5 pm Venue : The Plaza 02-346, 7500A Beach Rd (inside Parkroyal Hotel building) Fees : $398 each; $299 each for 2 & above; $199 each for 5 pax & above Test on Are you Inspiring People or Just Perplexing them? What is tr...

Tom Peters said, "The surplus economy has too many similar companies employing similar people, coming up with similar ideas, and producing similar products and services at similar quality and similar prices".  Just look at the smartphone market now and you'll know what Peters is talking about.  In fact, knowing this will explain why Samsung's Galaxy phones are not selling well this year (more at here ). If that is the case, how do we differentiate successfully?  From Jack Trout's best-selling book " Differentiate or Die ", there are 7 ways to differentiate unsuccessfully: Creative Advertising is never a differentiating idea . This is because customers want information, not news Quality is rarely a differentiating idea .  These days quality is a given, not a difference. Even if your quality is good, how long can you sustain it in the face of onslaught from hungry competitors who come up with better and more advance features?  A good example is S...

Following our "First Impressions Count" article (at here ), here's the 2nd step: Seeing Eye to Eye: Face-to-Face Contacts (note: GST here means Greet Smile Thank You) As we know, customers come into your business because of your products and services, but they will only come back again when they are treated well .  A business that does not have repeat business is not a business, it is only a promotion.  How to get them to come back again?  The secret lies in your face-to-face contacts: how to make every moment extra-ordinary .  The 4 steps are: 1.  Greeting the Customer A quick smile, an interested look, and a friendly greeting are necessary.   When you greet them, say more than hello . Add something to let them know that you are happy they walked into your premise.  Eg, "Good morning, we're glad to see you".   Next, ask or explain how you can provide help and give your name.  Say "My name is Andy, and I'll be happy to help you in ...

* Registration for Effective Sales Tactics course on 10 Oct 2014 Fri 9 am is now closed *  We know positive techniques work, but sometimes people like to be defiant.  So don't be surprised to know that negative techniques sometimes work better than positive ones!  If you don't believe me, ask yourself this question: do you tend to disagree more than agree with what your salesperson said?  There are 7 popular negative techniques that you too can use today in your sales and marketing: Take Away , that is, show them that they should not buy, because the price is beyond their reach.  Buyers like to show off to you that they can afford, that's why this tactic works! Doubt What They Say .  Since buyers say negative things more than positive things, when you doubt them, double negatives will equal to positive.  Like when they say they cannot afford it, you doubt them, that means you believe that they can afford it.  Scarcity , make things scarce,...

(21 Ways to Add Value at here ) They say either you fire them up or you'll have to fire them (article at here ).   Even though Whatsapp is so common today, few people know how to use Whatsapp correctly.  In fact, the following are the 7 most common mistakes people make in Whatsapp.  Know them, avoid them, and you'll be seen as different from the rest: Abuse chatroom .  Some people use the chatroom for very trivial personal things, like their new nail painting.  The point is if less than half of the 30 people in the chatroom is interested in you, you will be seen as egoistic Never identify themselves .  Some people assume that people will key in their phone number inside their address book, so they often did not state their name at the end of the message. The result: people just ignore your message for they don't know you.  Use too many short forms.  Like 'WTF', some may see you as vulgar, when what you meant is simply a congratulatory 'Wow...

*Read Negative Strategies that Work Better at here * They say either you fire them up or you'll have to fire them (article at here ) Behavioural scientists said that the difference in a person's performance, under different situations, can be as wide as 90%. As much as 80% of that difference can be attributed to the conditions and environment that a person is in. That's why in our management training  (discover 'The 4 Weeks' at here ) we teach people that a manager's job is not to hire the best people available, but to make the best out of the people available . A good manager is one that can turn a mediocre performer into a star performer as long as he can create the conditions and environment for people to perform. The 7 conditions and environment are: 1. Open and Transparent environment , where people can see directly what are the rules of the game and what they can do and cannot do. People will then use their resources to create the best performance p...

In our Sales Power and How to Close Every Sale courses, people often asked if there are some techniques that can be applied to all industries, all products and all levels of salespeople.  There are actually 27 common sales techniques, but today let's look at 7 first: Never Sell, but put Service to Others as Your Highest Purpose .  This means taking care of the customer's interest more than your own, like you would rather lose the sale than push the customer to buy something that is not suitable for him. Sales Manager's Close . Here the 'Sales Manager' would help the Sales Executive by highlighting to the customer that the whole process is very simple.  All the customer needs to do is to just sign on the form and everything will be settled Choices of Three , and put the choice you want them to take in the middle.  This is because most people like to take the middle Take the customer's 'No' as 'Need to Know more' and not 'No Opportu...

* Next Sun Tzu Art of War for Leadership is on 17 March 2015 Tuesday 9 am to 1 pm.  Details at here Sun Tzu is the one that truly understands war. He said that because war is expensive, we must avoid war at all cost. That's why he advocates Strategy and not Force.  The highest strategy is to win without fighting. What does this means in People Management and Human Resource Management?  (How to Be a Better Manager is here ) 1. Salary Instead of paying top salaries, we attract talents to join us by giving them attractive incentives, fast career growth, solid training and love and care. 2. Self Management Because management is expensive, we empower people so that they can do more and be responsible for their own results. In this way there is no need for a manager or supervisor as each staff runs as though he is running his own business. 3. KPIs Sun Tzu is all about planning your strategies and adapting them to the situation. So is KPIs - Key Performance Ind...

There is no future in any job. The future lies in the person who holds the job.  George Crane Books are like people, they'll turn up in your life when you most need them.  Emma Thompson A ship in harbour is safe, but that is not what ships are built for.  John Shedd The most courageous act is still to think for yourself.  Coco Chanel You should take your job seriously but not yourself.  Judi Dench Every book or quote is a self-help book.  Marc Maron Failure seldom stops you.  What stops you is the fear of failure. Jack Lemon Enthusiasm is everything.  It must be taut and vibrating like a guitar string.  Pele Work hard is not hard if you work with your hearts.  Andy Ng (AndyTheCoach) A Manager's job is to make people work hard, not to make people's work hard. Asia Trainers Andy Ng of Asia Trainers compiled this. Related articles: First impressions and how to serve from your heart Make people feel powerful, not powerles...

(For Face-to-Face Customer Service, read here ) 1. First Impressions Matter First impressions are mental snapshots the customer take when they first encounter you.  They include your look, your grooming, clothing, body language, posture, tone of voice and most importantly, your SMILE.   SMILE means Sincerity, Mental Readiness, Interested Look, Liveliness and Enthusiasm.   You need to maintain a relaxed and open demeanour.   2.  Courtesy The best way to convey a positive first impression is GST - Greet, Smile and Thank You .  GST also comes in other forms: Excuse me I'm sorry (when you did something wrong) Use Sir/Ma'am Use Yes rather than Yeah Smile Introduce yourself by saying "My name is Andy, I'll be happy to help you" Common courtesies include things that you should not be in the presence of customers, including talking with your colleagues, using your mobile phone, eating or chewing something.  3.  Attitude is Everythin...

If you are now selling base on price, do not read further. We teach people how to sell on value, not price.  Sell the sizzle, not the steak, and you can close every sale and sell ice to the Eskimos.   Even if your selling price is higher than your competitors, you will still be able to sell if you know how to add value to the customer .  There are 21 ways to add value: Better Service - comes in many forms including delivery, convenience, internet assistance, telephone answering, administration support, longer operating hours, and customer service Better Technical Support Longer Credit Terms or Higher Credit Limit Unique packaging or limited edition versions that add value to your product or service Salesperson Serving the Customer - fast prompt response, entertainment, listening, patience, problem solving, courteous service and go extra mile service Top Management Serving the Customer - imagine if the Prime Minister of Singapore serves you, price is no longer a...

The 71 Zero Cost Ways to Increase Your Sales at here Anthony Robbins said: If you keep doing the same things and expect different results, you're insane. Change the way you sell in these 7 ways:  1. Instead of spending lots of time on prospecting, attract the right prospects to you with Attraction Selling 2. Never sell base on price alone, for this is the fastest way to bankruptcy. Instead sell on value with Value Selling .   Value selling comes in 3 ways: how you help the customer to make more money, save time and create more 'likes' from people 3. Whenever you can, ask a question and not make a statement. This is because asking questions will make the prospect speak, and he will believe more of what he himself says that what you the salesperson say. We called this Question-based Selling . SPIN (Situation Problem Implication Needs) is the preferred model 4. To hit your sales targets, other than working hard, you need to change your positioning from a salesperson t...

As I learnt from my friend VS Kumar (see How to Be a Better Manager in 4 days at here ). Course listing at here During a recent robbery in Hong Kong, the bank robber shouted to everyone in the bank:  "Don't move. The money belongs to the Government. Your life belongs to you."  Everyone in the bank laid down quietly. This is called " Mind Changing Concept ” Changing the conventional way of thinking. When a lady lay on the table provocatively, the robber shouted at her: "Please be civilised! This is a robbery and not a rape!" This is called " Being Professional”.  Focus only on what you are trained to do! When the bank robbers returned home, the younger robber (MBA trained) told the older robber (who has only completed Year 6 in primary school): "Big brother, let's count how much we got." The older robber rebutted and said: "You are very stupid. There is so much money it will take us a long time to count. Tonig...

Discover how to be a better manager in just 4 weeks at here I just read this from the internet and couldn't wait to translate this to you.  This is the teachings from Li Ka-Shing, the multi-billionaire that is also the richest Chinese in the world from China's Hong Kong.  (See related article: A tale of 2 companies in Singapore at here ) There are 3 types of money in this world that the more you spend, the more you will earn.   First Type: Invest in Yourself for Self-Growth You must spend money on learning and upgrading yourself.  If we were to throw Bill Gates to a rural village in Africa and never give him any money, in no time Bill Gates will have money.  This is because the entire capital of Bill Gates lies in his wisdom and his brain. If your mind is poor, your life will be poor. In other words, putting money into your own head is the safest financial advise I can give to you.  You may say that what you learn may not be realized into gains...

If you don't fire your people up, you might as well fire them. More at here Your people are your greatest asset, but how many leaders actually make their people feel powerful?  Instead I see many leaders make their people feel powerless by taking away freedom from them and insulting them in public.  From now on make your people feel powerful and you'll have a powerful team . There are 5 powerless ways to make people feel powerful: Delegate important tasks to them.  Let them take the risk and fail if necessary.   Let go of your authority, control and compliance.  Let them do things their way, and they will realize that following your system and path is better Communicate with them frequently, let them be the first to know important things, and encourage them to share their views on important issues.  Ask them, "Can I have your opinion on this?" You don't have to promote people to leadership position to make them powerful, all you need is to offer...

If you don’t like the title of this article, read on.  By ‘boss’ here, I am referring to a person that an employee (or self-employed) reports to.  That reporting boss can be a customer, the shareholders, superior and in some cases, the government. Today I shall focus on your superior, that is, someone that you report to in your work.  Most of the time this person is a manager or supervisor. Whenever an employee has a performance issue, most managers will assume it is the lack of training.  As a trainer with 16 years of experience training 81,131 people in 13 countries since 1996, I know that many a times it is not the lack of training.  It may not even be the lack of skills or attitude.                     The biggest obstacle to performing well is not about knowing what to do.  The biggest obstacle is n ot doing what we know we should be doing, d...