Responsibility + Sensitivity = Cooperative Authority
I was wondering if you can give me some advice. I work as a salesman and the company owner is a DICTATOR. Nothing is accepted unless he personally approves it. That’s causing us big problems since we can’t sell on the spot. And if the bargain isn’t completed at the moment, someone else will come and take it. Salesmen here don’t have any authority to do anything. We get embarrassed in front of our clients. This is not professional. And if anyone talks about this problem, the owner simply says, ‘It’s my money and not yours.’ What can I do to convince him? I would appreciate your ideas about this.***Excellent question! Here’s my reply:Sometimes business owners and department heads can be very restrictive. Sometimes it is due to insecurity, sometimes to past bad experiences, sometimes they are simply unsure how to loosen the reins.One course of action you can take is to give your company owner a proposal outlining the exact situations you are concerned about, and the parameters you would li

Web Surveys
The growth of market economy and competition has shifted the base from sellers to the buyers. Companies today cannot afford to ignore customer's perspective. Companies have to make an earnest effort to gain an insight into customer's viewpoint so as to survive in the market. There can be more than one way of getting feedback from customers to assess a company's performance and prospect. The most important tool used commonly by companies for this purpose is web surveys.Web surveys come handy to the companies because of the technological revolution brought by Internet. Web surveys facilitate understanding of the basic attributes, conduct, perceptions and knowledge of the target group. Surveys make it possible for companies to gather lot of information about customers. The use of sophisticated modern technologies help in accumulating lot of data pertaining to customer preferences, which is humanly difficult to achieve.Online surveys have additional benefit of reaching out to the customers who live in di

Leadership Matters Work Habits That Sustain Competitive Advantage
"The only unique asset that business has for gaining a sustained competitive advantage over rivals is its workforce-the skills and dedication of its employees. There is no other sustainable competitive advantage in the modern, high-tech, global economy," said Robert B. Reich, former Secretary of Labor under President Bill Clinton and now professor of public policy at the Goldman School of Public Policy at the University of California at Berkeley.Managing Labor in Tough Times The workforce is changing, and depending on what sector your business is in or what part of the country it is located in, you may be feeling the pinch of the growing labor shortage. Recent research from the Boston College Center on Aging and Work indicates what some companies are doing and that is: intensifying recruitment and reorganizing work flow so that they stay productive with fewer people. In these tougher labor times, organizations will also need to address poor work habits of their current employees to increase reten

10 Steps to Making That Change Happen
Hair Salon Management can always be broken down into easy chunks. So if you're salon management team wants the best way of how to run a hair salon, then by following these hair salon owners tips it will ensure that you can shout "more clients in my salon" and have a successfully run salon business.Put into action these steps and you will see results?­ I promise!Step OneThink about the result you want from your change. Get your Salon Management team together and really think it thru. If you're a salon owner then get some stylists together and talk it over with them. Sounds obvious but all the of the jigsaw needs to make sense if you are to get the team commitment and corporation. But no need for you to explain your reasons for changing.Step TwoYou have to change your approach or behaviour in order to change the behaviour in others CONSISTENTLY! For example if you want all clients to have a consultation before their hair is washed then yo

How Much To Pay Your Ad Agency?
I'm sure this is the interesting question you had pondered often. Even your creative agency returned with a fantastic concept, you would still be wondering if you should accept that $3900 or $59,900 quotation.What, exactly, are you paying for? Many think that they are only paying for that piece of advertisement or poster, the artwork. That would be very far from the truth. Behind that seemingly simple A4 artwork is a complex web of research, analysis, planning, conceptualizing, copywriting, experience, testing, creativity and execution."But there's only a few lines plus one photo and my agency took no more than a few hours!" Sure, it may look simple but, simple doesn't equate to easy. Also please understand that many brains, several hands and umpteen years of experience made that quality and speed possible. One mentor told me "A job that takes 20-minutes to accomplish doesn't mean it is only worth 20-minute of time. Behind that 20-minutes lies 20 years of experience."It is not always easy to t

Buying vs. Renting Your Next Trade Show Exhibit
Are you thinking about purchasing a display, but not sure about the investment? Renting may be the best option. Good justifications can be made for both renting and purchasing a trade show exhibit. This sometimes stressful decision depends on the nature of your trade show program, marketing goals, and budget.Renting can be a wise decision when your company has decided to start exhibiting at trade shows, your company is new and wants to make an initial big splash with a smaller budget, or your trade show schedule has overlapping shows and you need a second display. When first developing a trade show program to drive, supplement, or diversify your marketing mix, it can be difficult to determine the best exhibit for your needs. Making a large financial commitment on an exhibit under these circumstances can be a daunting task. Analyzing your company's needs and choosing the right booth is integral to a successful trade show. It can be a good idea to rent rather than purchase a display even after you have