What is the worst kind of selling?

It is when your customer feels cheated after buying your product. There are plenty of techniques and tricks to convince customers to buy. We can use these to close the deal. But one day, one week, or one year later, is your customer going to look back and regret having bought from you? The worst kind of selling is when you make a profit, but you do not give the same value (or more) to your customer.

If you want a sustainable business, you want your customers to come back for more because you have done right by them. You want them to recommend you to their friends.

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Do you expect loyalty from your employees?

Let's refine this question. To what extent do you expect loyalty from your employees? At one extreme, some traditional companies may think it normal for an employee to work for them for life. They also expect to provide for the employee and his family for life - job security, benefits, perks, insurance and so on. Loyalty goes both ways. At the other extreme, some companies are mercenary in nature, treating all employees like contractors, hiring and firing purely based on business (i.e. profitability) needs. No loyalty is expected. It's just business. If you employ full-time employees, how much loyalty do you expect from your people? Or in what forms do you expect loyalty from them?

"Bosses should not get too close to staff"

 

If you do, you won't be able to control them. They complain if you try to be strict, but if you are lenient, others think you are unfair. So a boss must maintain the image of a boss and keep a certain distance. 

So says a supposed management expert. I think they are completely missing the point. 

A capable leader does not fear that her staff feels close to her. She doesn't need to use fear to control others. She communicates her expectations clearly. She holds firmly to her principles. She both rewards and penalises without hesitation. She doesn't need others to fear her, and she doesn't need others to love her either. When you lead well, your staff respects you. They don't fear you. They want to do a good job not because you are strict with them, but because you inspire them and they themselves want to be productive and contributing members of the company. 

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How do you handle a tough crowd?

At one recent online training I conducted, I found that none of the attendees had their video on. I had been warned that most preferred to have video off. Right at the start of the session, I laid down the ground rules, and one of them was about keeping video on. One guy turned his video on. I thanked him. I continued to encourage others to do the same. Unfortunately no one else was willing to do so. Eventually that poor guy felt awkward and turned his video off. That was an ominous start for my session. 

I didn't press further. I started on my content. Speaking to a black wall of names on my computer screen was not exactly exciting. I switched to the form of engagement this audience was more accustomed to - answering simple questions in the chat box. I started with simple yes / no questions, then moved on to some open-ended questions. I picked some answers to discuss and elaborate. That worked better. Many did write in the chat box, and they wrote meaningful answers. I kept them engaged. 

Then we came to the activity part of the training, when I needed two attendees to do roleplaying. I knew I was not likely going to get volunteers, knowing this shy crowd. Was this activity going to fail spectacularly? I looked at the chat box to identify attendees who had contributed the most. I invited one of them by name to take part in the roleplaying. I "volunteered" him. There was a pause. He certainly hesitated. Or possibly he was putting on clothes. Eventually he turned on his video and said hello. I then "volunteered" the next person by name, also one of the more active contributors. We were able to conduct the roleplaying activity successfully. 

What would you have done if you were in my shoes? What other methods can be applied to engage a shy crowd? 

Systems - a cure or a curse?

 

For growing companies, having systems and processes in place is vital to support scaling up and to maintain quality. The growing organisation needs to stay aligned. However systems can also be what holds you down as you try to achieve high performance. Systems can lead to bureaucracy, resistance to change and doing for the sake of doing. To manage an organisation effectively, a leader must understand how to use systems and how to avoid the pitfalls. 

This and other tips in my book Every Employee an Entrepreneur: 

• Shopee Malaysia
• Lazada Malaysia
• Google Playstore e-book
• Amazon
• Amazon Kindle e-book

Must you start on time?

Let's say you are conducting a meeting. A few attendees are late. Do you start the meeting on time? You probably should. Why penalise the people who show up on time, right? But what if some of the latecomers are important decision makers who need to be in the discussion? Wouldn't it be a waste of energy to repeat the same topics after they arrive? What if the boss is a late? Would you start without him?

Punctuality is a culture to be instilled. In a working environment, it is basic respect and professionalism. What message do you send to your customers when your organisation cannot even be consistently punctual?

I have been in an organisation where everyone is early at meetings by 5 minutes. No meetings start late. In fact they tend to start early once everyone is in the room. They also tend to be efficient and end early. I have also seen organisations where attendees don't show up and only ask their secretaries to inform the group after the meeting start time has passed.

What kind of organisation culture do you want to build?

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What hiking taught me - say good morning

 

As I make the hike up the hill, I see a few hikers walking towards me, already on the way back. The leading hiker greets me good morning. I look up and smile. I echo good morning. He nods, smiles and continues on his way. The next few hikers behind him smile and tip their heads. I do the same. I walk further. I meet two hikers who look particularly tired. I cheerfully say good morning. Slightly taken aback, they smile and say good morning. I bet the next time they meet another hiker they will say good morning too. Good mornings are contagious. 

Make good mornings a habit. It brightens the day of the people you speak to. It brightens YOUR day. 

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Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

If you have not heard of this movie starring Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet, watch it without reading or learning anything about it. It is a story well told. I watched it without any expectations and truly enjoyed it. I was horrified when I later watched the trailer, which revealed some important (to me) spoilers. I can understand why the marketing department decided to make the trailer this way, but had I watched it, it would have diminished the joy of discovering the story myself. This is a movie that makes you think about and appreciate your relationships.