BUSINESS MANAGEMENT ESSENTIALS - 2018 

I am often asked by clients to review their business strategies because they are too close to the business to be objective. I usually apply a "formula" based on Analysis Tools I have developed over the years of working with Global Corporations to Medium to Small Businesses as well Department Managers and Team Leaders. 

I begin at the "Macro" level before focusing on the Operational challenges and solutions. I am continually surprised at successful "Flying by the seat of my pants approach" businesses (better known as entrepreneurs!!) which is great when the business is small and manageable but not when the business reaches a "critical mass"

IF YOU DON'T KNOW WHERE YOU ARE GOING, WITH WHAT, WHY AND HOW, YOU COULD END UP AT ANY DESTINATION OUT OF YOUR CONTROL!!

Here are some questions to challenge you! If you ever want help or clarity - just contact me! 

MISSION STATEMENT

* Can you clearly articulate your Mission Statement for the business as a whole as well as your area of accountability?

VISION

* What is the business Vision?

* What are the core elements of your area of responsibility and the respective Visions?

CULTURE

* What are your Cultural and Behavioural Values?

* What are the specific behavioural standards for your Management, Team and Customer Charters and what are the exact consequences if they are not followed?

* Are there any exemptions to these standards and why?

 OBJECTIVES

*  What are the specific, measurable components and standards for the business and your current role (Outputs - the What, Inputs the How) including behaviours and specifically how are you currently tracking against your budgets?

MARKETING AND SALES 

* What are the business components of your Marketing and Sales Plans

* How have you analysed those components and what are your Strategic Plans for each component? Articulate the Vision for each component. 

CUSTOMERS MARKETING AND SALES 

* What are the business components of your Marketing and Sales Plans

* How have you analysed those components and what are your Strategic Plans for each component? Articulate the Vision for each component. 

CUSTOMERS

* Who are your Key Stakeholders (internal and external)  and how do you analyse the relationship dynamics?

ORGANISATIONAL STRUCTURE AND PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT

* What is your current Organisational Structure and what will it be in 1, 3 and 5 years if everything goes to plan? 

* How clearly articulated and prioritised are your Position Descriptions?

* Do you and all your staff have Individual Performance and Development Plans in place and are being executed?

* What are the components for effective Performance Feedback and how effective is your staff performance feedback process?

* How are your current Selection and Induction programs structured and what specific strategies do you have to evaluate new employees against processes, competencies, knowledge and behaviours?

PROCESS MAPPING

* What is your overall business Process Map

* How many of your important processes have been described (and are current) and are used for bench marking and training on an ongoing basis?  

INNOVATION

* How many independent Innovation or Continuous Improvement events are organised on a quarterly basis?

* What actions have been taken as a result of these meetings? 

RELATIONSHIPS

* Who are your key Relationship Partners (Internal or External) and how do you measure and how often do you ask for feedback on those relationships?

RESOURCES and ASSETS

* What are your key resources?

* How do you measure the effectiveness of these resources (including personnel)

* What are your specific plans to improve the effectiveness of your key resources?

STRATEGIC PLANNING

* How do you analyse your business components for Strategic Planning purposes? How often do you do this?

* What are the Strategic Plans for your overall business and/or your Department? Do you have Contingency Plans? 

* How well do the key stakeholders articulate and/or follow those Strategic Plans 

 IF YOU NEED ANY HELP WITH THESE OR ANY OTHER BUSINESS PLANNING CLARIFICATION, PLEASE DON'T HESITATE TO CONTACT TOM ON 0412522144 OE 61 3 98522144 OR JUST EMAIL. 

 MOTIVATION

 I have been asked many times to motivate a group of people and I have asked "What do you mean by "Motivation" and what are your expectations of your people once they have been motivated?"

I usually get the answer "To get them to work harder and be more productive"

The truth is that I can only INFLUENCE people. Motivation has to come from within.

So, what is Motivation?

I describe Motivation as an "excess of positive personal energy" and to be "self motivated" requires the individual to be able to understand and manage their factors and influencers that give them positive energy and those factors and influencers that take away their energy.

For example, one person may gain energy from encouragement and support and lose energy when criticised or given constructive feedback. Another person may gain energy from being challenged or from being in a competitive environment and they could lose energy (become complacent) if given positive feedback.

MOTIVATIONAL FACTORS AND INFLUENCERS ARE NEITHER GOOD OR BAD, RIGHT OR WRONG - THEY ARE WHAT THEY ARE FOR EACH INDIVIDUAL. 

Because I get asked so many times to present "Motivation" seminars I thought that it would be much better if individuals had a "self help" document that allows them to determine what factors and influencers add energy to themselves or takes away energy. This document, called "MOTIVATING YOURSELF" has a number of chapters as listed below. 

 NOTE: YOUR MOTIVATIONAL FACTORS CAN CHANGE OVER TIME - THEY ARE NOT SET PERMANENTLY. EVENTS, EXPERIENCES AND HEALTH CAN COMBINE TO ALTER YOUR KEY FACTORS. 

 These are the chapters of my document:

(1) WORK FACTORS THAT IMPACT ON YOUR MOTIVATION AND PERSONAL ENERGY

(2) WORK INFLUENCERS THAT IMPACT ON YOUR MOTIVATION AND PERSONAL ENERGY

(3) PERSONAL INFLUENCERS

(4) PERSONAL TIME - LIFE BALANCE

(5) WORK TIME - LIFE BALANCE

(6) WORK ACTIVITY PREFERENCES

(7) FUTURE GOALS AND ASPIRATIONS - WORK

(8) FUTURE GOALS AND ASPIRATIONS - PERSONAL 

If you are interested in learning more about SELF MOTIVATION please contact me, Tom Harbottle, by email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or directly by phone on 61 3 9852144 or mobile 61 3 (0) 412 522 144.

Have a prosperous, safe and healthy 2018. 

THE TOP 10 MANAGEMENT CHALLENGES

I have been involved in leadership, management and sales training now for over 40 years. I was recently asked by a client: "What significant changes in leadership and management have occurred in that time frame - were the challenges 40 years ago different from to-day?"

I considered expectations, technology, social media, 9-11 and all the other influences we have experienced in those 40 years.

The 10 challenges for people managers have tended to remain constant through the decades. My clients still ask for help with the following skills, whether they be senior executives or junior managers about to embark on their career:

* HOW DO I MANAGE DIFFICULT AND EMOTIONAL PEOPLE AND SITUATIONS?

* HOW DO I GET THE BEST FROM MY STAFF - WHAT ARE THE KEY COMPONENTS AND STRUCTURES?

* HOW DO I BETTER PERFORMANCE MANAGE MY STAFF AND GIVE THEM EFFECTIVE FEEDBACK? HOW DO I PREVENT MY BEST STAFF FROM LEAVING?

* HOW DO I BETTER ENGAGE AND MOTIVATE MY STAFF?

* HOW DO I GET MY IDEAS LISTENED TO (ESPECIALLY BY SENIOR MANAGEMENT) AND WHAT SHOULD I DO IF THEY SAY "NO!"

* HOW DO I INTRODUCVE DIFFICULT OR UNPOPULAR CHANGE WITHOUT LOSING PRODUCTIVITY?

* HOW DO I BETTER MANAGE MY TIME AND GET A WORK/LIFE BALANCE?

* HOW DO I KNOW IF I AM AN EFFECTIVE LEADER/MANAGER?

* HOW CAN I GET MY PEOPLE TO WORK TOGETHER AS A TEAM?

* HOW DO I COACH, TRAIN, MENTOR AND DEVELOP MY PEOPLE?

Over the next few weeks I will be addressing each one of these challenges. If you would like to know before then and wish to have a program tailored to meet your exact needs - just call Tom Harbottle on 0412522144 or email him at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Tom.

MANAGING DIFFICULT OR EMOTIONAL PEOPLE OR SITUATIONS

CASE STUDY

I was once asked to help a manager who had been shocked by the "sudden" resignation of his valued personal assistant.

The manager relied heavily on his assistant who corrected his mistakes, competently dealt with all the work he gave her and was seen by everyone as extremely efficient and friendly.

The manager had rewarded her with above average pay increases, time off in lieu of the extra hours she worked and did not interfere with her workload management.

He could not understand why she wanted to leave - especially as she had been with him for some time and appeared to enjoy her work.

When I interviewed her she agreed that she was well paid, she liked the variety of the work tasks given to her and loved working for the company.

She had resigned after much heartache - not because of the money, not because of the work or the company but because of how she felt about her relationship with the manager.

She felt totally disengaged.

Tasks were given to her without an explanation or context, little personal feedback or recognition was given except the occasional "good job". The manager appeared not to know about or understand the pressures on her of raising two children without a partner and the general communication was centred around how the manager had fared at the weekend on his golf game and how successful he had made the department.

The final breaking point was when she arrived at her desk and saw it was piled up with files with the message "Sort these out by the time I get back" - no explanation or please.

DISCUSSION

Dealing with difficult or emotional people requires 3 key skills:

- Active Listening

- Gathering Information

- Empathy

There also needs to be an understanding that people respond to 3 major stimuli:

- What is in it for them (that is, a sense of logical gain)

- What negative consequences may occur (that is, a sense of fear, loss or punishment)

- Emotions (that is, how the person FEELS about the relationship or transaction)

Just because something makes logical sense to you doesn't mean that it will make logical sense to the other person.

Many managers rely on THEIR LOGIC alone to deal with difficult people or situations or resort to using GREED (what is in it for the other person) or FEAR (the consequence or punishment if the other person does not comply) They should focus on HOW THE PERSON FEELS about the transaction or relationship because it has a three times more impactful influence on the outcome than the Fear and Greed combined.

You can bribe and threaten the person but they will only listen and then act if they WANT to.

SO, IF YOU WANT TO KNOW HOW TO MANAGE THIS SITUATION OR ONE THAT MAY BE SIMILAR - PLEASE CONTACT TOM BY EMAIL AT This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or by telephone on 61 3 98522144 (mobile: 0412522144)

SUCCESSFUL SELLING SIMPLIFIED

A NEW LOOK AT SELLING!

Many sales people believe that selling is all about “Closing” the sale and their focus is to “get the order” at any cost.

They believe that “PRICE” is the one benefit that all buyers want and that discounting will give them the best chance of success.

Whilst this is true – most buyers will say “Yes” if they get the product or service at no cost to them – the role of the sales person is to achieve the sale so that the sales person can be paid, the company makes profit and the customer is satisfied.

PRICE is the simplistic variable in the sales process – what is most important is the VALUE that the buyer perceives in the transaction.

This VALUE, however must be seen in the buyer’s terms – NOT the sales person’s.

The skill of the sales person is to uncover and confirm the needs of the buyer, identify the VALUE of those needs and assist the buyer in reaching a decision that satisfies those needs.

There are three basic needs all buyers need to have satisfied and once the sales person understands and focuses on these needs – they will get success.

This done through a SALES PROCESS, using the skills of Active Listening, Gathering Information, Empathy, Persuasion, Influencing, Selling and Negotiation.

If you want to get the best sales results from yourself or your sales staff and learn how to sell value rather than price - just call Tom Harbottle on 0412 522 144 or email me at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it   

DO YOU WANT TO DEVELOP YOUR SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE?

JUST IDENTIFY YOUR NEEDS FROM THE LISTS BELOW AND I WILL GIVE YOU AN OBLIGATION FREE ESTIMATE HOW LONG IT WILL TAKE TO LEARN AND HOW MUCH IT WILL COST.  

PEOPLE AND RELATIONSHIPS

How to manage difficult or emotional situations

How to manage your own emotions

How to motivate and be motivated

How to plan for a difficult conversation

How to give sensitive feedback to difficult people

How to give feedback to reinforce or change behaviour

How to ask for and receive feedback

How to introduce difficult change

How to build relationships

How to repair relationships

How to manage conflict and disagreements

How to mediate

How to counsel

How to build a team environment

how to sustain a high performing team

How to set behavioural ground rules

How to get ideas accepted through influencing and persuasion

How to get past "no!"

How to say "no!"

How to manage upwards

How to manage political situations

MANAGEMENT

How to write a Business Plan

How to write a Sales and Marketing Plan

How to write a Strategic Plan

How to lead and manage people

How to motivate

How to performance manage

How to select staff

How to induct staff

How to set meaningful KPOs and KPIs

How to identify and measure competencies

How to manage and introduce difficult change

How to manage your own emotions and those of others

How to gain co-operation from internal customers

How to make a powerful presentation to a group

How to structure and manage effective meetings

How to manage negativity

How to manage differences and conflict

How to give performance feedback

How to develop a team

How to time manage - prioritise, plan, not procrastinate, problem solve and make decisions

How to manage upwards

How to coach

Hiow to delegate

How to facilitate

How to innovate

How to train

SALES

How to sell - The sales process

How to plan a sales territory

How to plan and prepare for a sales call

How to prospect and plan for new business

How to measure sales performance - KPIs and KPOs

How to identify and measure sales competencies

How to self motivate and manage your own emotions

How to manage complaints and emotional people

How to build rapport

How to check for sales opportunities

How to gather information to uncover needs

How to present to different buyer personalities

How to make a powerful presenmtation to a group

How to get past "No!"

How to manage negativity

How to trial close and close

How to keep meaningful records

How to evaluate your sales call

How to self develop

How to persyuade

How to influence

How to negotiate

How to counter competition

How to sell strategically - Business to Business

How to manage upwards and internal departments

How to manage tome and prioritise

How to manage a sales project

How to problem solve

INTERESTED IN LEARNING MORE ABOUT THE POSSIBILITIES FOR DEVELOPING YOURSELF OR THE POTENTIAL OF YOUR STAFF - JUST CALL OR EMAIL TOM HARBOTTLE (0412 522 144 or 61 3 9852 2144) AND HE WILL BE DELIGHTED TO HELP YOU TAILOR A PROGRAM TO MEET YOUR SPECIFIC NEEDS FOR 2018!!