Recession, good news about the economy, bad news, talk of double dip, exports down, quantitative easing, exports up, redundancies........... And so it goes on! Each day the newspapers bring a new twist to the current economic ‘state of play’. So lets blame the politicians, and those bankers are culpable too. Sepp Blatter, he's not helped, neither has E Coli, whoever he is. But are we not missing something? Surely confidence comes from business, at least that’s how it should be, not from the flamboyant Mr Mervyn King (sorry wrong adjective). So, how do we gain confidence? We look for new sales - simple. Either existing clients who can buy products they do not normally get from us (they have always bought screws from us, but never washers!), or we find NEW customers. New customers indeed? Perish the thought! In a time when a salesman is measured by his ability to operate a CRM system, not his ability to influence and ‘bring home the bacon’ we can easily lose sight of the real issue. … [Read more...]
>France – a few things you did not know!
>Name a country with a productive, highly skilled work force. Germany, you say? Sweden? Singapore?You can do better: France."People in France are very well-qualified," says Clara Gaymard, vice-president of government strategy and sales for General Electric International and President and CEO of GE France, in Paris. This U.S. company has had a presence in France for over 40 years, where it employs 10,000 people.According to the International Labour Organization (ILO), France is ranked just after the U.S. and Norway for hourly labor productivity, calculated by dividing gross domestic product by the number of hours worked. This calculation works to France's disadvantage though, as Norway's GDP is inflated by oil revenue, which isn't entirely the fruit of a person's labor.Germany and Sweden, which are both well below France for hourly productivity, along with Singapore, which is lower still, don't even bear comparison, while productivity in Europe's "cheap" destination, Romania, is a … [Read more...]
>France – a few things you did not know!
>Name a country with a productive, highly skilled work force. Germany, you say? Sweden? Singapore?You can do better: France."People in France are very well-qualified," says Clara Gaymard, vice-president of government strategy and sales for General Electric International and President and CEO of GE France, in Paris. This U.S. company has had a presence in France for over 40 years, where it employs 10,000 people.According to the International Labour Organization (ILO), France is ranked just after the U.S. and Norway for hourly labor productivity, calculated by dividing gross domestic product by the number of hours worked. This calculation works to France's disadvantage though, as Norway's GDP is inflated by oil revenue, which isn't entirely the fruit of a person's labor.Germany and Sweden, which are both well below France for hourly productivity, along with Singapore, which is lower still, don't even bear comparison, while productivity in Europe's "cheap" destination, Romania, is a … [Read more...]
Why Should We Embrace Sustainability?
Sustainability is one of the latest buzz words in business today. But what is sustainability as applied to businesses and isn’t it an unnecessary additional cost? Sustainability in most people’s eyes is about ‘green’ issues. Phrases such as global warming, carbon footprint, energy reduction all spring to mind but sustainability when applied to a business should be a business philosophy and strategy. One definition of sustainability is that it is the process of protecting your business from the risks of today, and ensuring that your business can respond to the challenges and opportunities of tomorrow. This can encompass for instance embracing the challenges of changing technology, reducing waste, streamlining supply chains and many other processes. So what are the benefits of a sustainability strategy? A Carbon Trust report carried out by McKinsey shows that businesses adopting a sustainable strategy can drive business value by up to 80%. Indeed it also shows that failing to … [Read more...]
>Why Should We Embrace Sustainability?
>Sustainability is one of the latest buzz words in business today. But what is sustainability as applied to businesses and isn’t it an unnecessary additional cost? Sustainability in most people’s eyes is about ‘green’ issues. Phrases such as global warming, carbon footprint, energy reduction all spring to mind but sustainability when applied to a business should be a business philosophy and strategy. One definition of sustainability is that it is the process of protecting your business from the risks of today, and ensuring that your business can respond to the challenges and opportunities of tomorrow. This can encompass for instance embracing the challenges of changing technology, reducing waste, streamlining supply chains and many other processes. So what are the benefits of a sustainability strategy? A Carbon Trust report carried out by McKinsey shows that businesses adopting a sustainable strategy can drive business value by up to 80%. Indeed it also shows that failing to … [Read more...]
>Why Should We Embrace Sustainability?
>Sustainability is one of the latest buzz words in business today. But what is sustainability as applied to businesses and isn’t it an unnecessary additional cost? Sustainability in most people’s eyes is about ‘green’ issues. Phrases such as global warming, carbon footprint, energy reduction all spring to mind but sustainability when applied to a business should be a business philosophy and strategy. One definition of sustainability is that it is the process of protecting your business from the risks of today, and ensuring that your business can respond to the challenges and opportunities of tomorrow. This can encompass for instance embracing the challenges of changing technology, reducing waste, streamlining supply chains and many other processes. So what are the benefits of a sustainability strategy? A Carbon Trust report carried out by McKinsey shows that businesses adopting a sustainable strategy can drive business value by up to 80%. Indeed it also shows that failing to … [Read more...]
>How to manage Distributors
>My previous article, "Distributors, Good Bad and Indifferent", talked about distributors and the various options and routes to market. This article is aimed at those companies who have decided the Distributor route is right for their strategy. For ease of understanding, I will describe the 'supplying company' as the 'Supplier' during this article. I have previously explained how important up front research, due diligence and general strategy is when selecting a partner to be your Distributor. Indeed the word 'partner' is deliberately chosen, as the relationship must be considered one of joint responsibility. The day a Supplier describes a Distributor as a 'Customer' is a sad one, as the motives for selling to them will be misguided.A Supplier will never have control over its Distributor, and it should not try to do so. However with thoughtful and planned management, the Supplier can influence significantly the thinking and strategy of the Distributor.A shared vision is important, … [Read more...]
>How to manage Distributors
>My previous article, "Distributors, Good Bad and Indifferent", talked about distributors and the various options and routes to market. This article is aimed at those companies who have decided the Distributor route is right for their strategy. For ease of understanding, I will describe the 'supplying company' as the 'Supplier' during this article. I have previously explained how important up front research, due diligence and general strategy is when selecting a partner to be your Distributor. Indeed the word 'partner' is deliberately chosen, as the relationship must be considered one of joint responsibility. The day a Supplier describes a Distributor as a 'Customer' is a sad one, as the motives for selling to them will be misguided.A Supplier will never have control over its Distributor, and it should not try to do so. However with thoughtful and planned management, the Supplier can influence significantly the thinking and strategy of the Distributor.A shared vision is important, … [Read more...]
>Distributors, Good, Bad and Indifferent.
>Many Companies operate through distributors and stockists. There can be many reasons why a Company chooses this route to market.Some Suppliers do not have the ability to serve the wide and varied market place, and it makes sense for third parties (Distributors) to offer their products. In others it is used as a strategy to secure business in overseas markets, or places/market sectors that are remote from the Supplier. The down side is that a significant profit margin is given away, to allow the Distributor to operate profitably.So, how do Distributors come about?Many have been past friends, or friends of friends! Others have come as a result of an Exhibition meeting, answering an advert, or some simple research. A few have been placed by seeking Commercial Attaché services provided by the Government.What is a Distributor? Ideally, it is a company operating in a sector that is key to the Suppliers target market (or one of the key markets). They will have a vested interest in selling … [Read more...]
>Distributors, Good, Bad and Indifferent.
>Many Companies operate through distributors and stockists. There can be many reasons why a Company chooses this route to market.Some Suppliers do not have the ability to serve the wide and varied market place, and it makes sense for third parties (Distributors) to offer their products. In others it is used as a strategy to secure business in overseas markets, or places/market sectors that are remote from the Supplier. The down side is that a significant profit margin is given away, to allow the Distributor to operate profitably.So, how do Distributors come about?Many have been past friends, or friends of friends! Others have come as a result of an Exhibition meeting, answering an advert, or some simple research. A few have been placed by seeking Commercial Attaché services provided by the Government.What is a Distributor? Ideally, it is a company operating in a sector that is key to the Suppliers target market (or one of the key markets). They will have a vested interest in selling … [Read more...]
