Giving... the gift of time


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ISSUE 35 | APRIL 2015

ADVANCED BUSINESS MANAGEMENT

UPDATE

TRAINING

TOMORROW’S

BUSINESS

LEADERS

Giving... the gift of time Most of us just don’t have 10 - 15 spare hours per week to spend on post-graduate studies. We need help! Here at ABM we are firm believers in the power of a support network. We have always maintained that employers and mentors play a vital, supportive part in this course. As you know, mentors are compulsory for all ABM students, and we encourage employer backing as much as possible. As an ABM student, how are you coping with the workload? If you are currently not using any work time for the ABM, we suggest that you chat to your employer and see if he would consider giving work time if he believes this would be beneficial to satisfactory completion of the course. We feel that 4 - 5 weekly hours donated by an employer is reasonable, as benefits from this course are already obvious in businesses around the globe. If it’s not

practical to do coursework on business premises, you may be able to come to an alternative arrangement where you have, for example, one paid half-day off per week. If you’re lacking employer involvement, why not approach your employer positively and simply ask for support? He may never have realised that you need encouragement and you could be pleasantly surprised!

MODULE 11 High Achievers Very warm congratulations to you all for the excellent Module 11 grades! A special mention goes to our top nine high achievers, for their outstanding results: • 98%

Nelson Boram (CAN), Arnie Deck (NZ), Duane Mailey (CAN)

• 96%

Kyle Bartlett (AUS), Jon Boon (NZ), Anthony Capper (NZ), Nathan Hyslop (AUS), Alex Morton (AUS), Kevin Rogers (CAN)

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when you say that!

All of us communicate for several hours every day. We phone, email, speak face to face, video conference, text and more. After years of carrying out this vital function, without even thinking about it, most of us simply don’t appreciate its importance. According to UCLA professor Albert Mehrabian, an amazing 55% of what we convey comes from body language, 38% from the tone of voice, and only 7% from the words we say. When we consider that written language, such as emails and letters, only contains the words we say that’s a pretty startling fact.

we’re saying. Beware the folded arms signal which can send out a defensive message inadvertently - we will often fold our arms just because we’re cold or because the chair doesn’t have arms. The classic feet apart, head up, shoulders back and arms wide shows confidence and control.

As adults, most of us have learned how to control our faces and can easily portray a calm, interested expression. However, true feelings "leak out" in our micro-expressions and these may be telling a different story. When our words and body language don’t match up, the listener believes our body language. Gesture, posture, tone of voice and eye contact are all giveaways to what we’re really saying so be careful of sending out messages unconsciously:

• Tone of voice – slow or uneven speech, an over eagerness to fill the pauses, or too many ‘pitch raises’ (instead of the pitch dropping at the end of a reply, it rises like a question), mumbling, rambling, or contradicting ourselves all indicate nervousness and discomfort. Using a comfortably pitched tone and vocal range indicates interest; once a relaxed conversation begins, women often slip into a ‘sing-song’ voice while men drop theirs an octave.

• Gestures – raised or furrowed brows indicate discomfort or tension, touching the face shows we’re nervous, and moving the legs restlessly or drumming fingers signals anxiety, irritation or both. On the other hand, tilting the head to one side, nodding, leaning in to a conversation, smiling, laughing and “mirroring” (where we match the listener’s movements) all indicate we’re comfortable, relaxed and have made a connection.

• Eye contact - not making or maintaining eye contact usually indicates we’re bored, embarrassed, ill at ease or the listener is standing closer than we feel comfortable with. Overdone eye contact can indicate something to hide or giving more attention than is called for. Comfortable eye contact is maintained for around 50 - 60% of the time and indicates a positive interest in the listener and what he or she is saying.

• Posture – leaning back, or turning the body slightly away from someone indicates we’d much rather be somewhere else, crossed legs show resistance and low reception, lowering the chin towards the chest and hunching over indicates stress, and standing “feet together” makes us seem hesitant or unsure of what

Correctly used, body language can be the key to greater success. 2

Correctly used, body language can be the key to greater success. It can help us to develop positive business relationships, influence and motivate the people who report to us, improve productivity, bond with members of our team, and present our ideas with more impact.

MODULE 11

Interview We interviewed Arnie Deck and Nelson Boram (Mentors – Laurie Hill & Larry Robertson) to learn more about how they are finding the course: ABM: Good to meet you both! Should we begin by hearing a bit about your backgrounds? NJB: Hello Lucy! You really should be interviewing my mentor! It’s his follow up and commitment that has got me this far! Anyway, I work at Safeguard Business Systems which started as a family business in 1976 and has been recently sold to a competitor. We provide quality business printing to a customer base of 6000 customers in the Vancouver area. I work in the marketing department and get involved with a bit of IT when needs arise (which ummm… seems to happen much much more than I would like!). AJD: Good morning, or evening as it is for you over there! At Civilquip we market ourselves as the “experts in the control of hazardous liquids” which, in essence, is a range of products to store, transfer and clean up dangerous liquids (which is pretty much everything bar water!). Being a pretty small country our customer base stretches the length of New Zealand and includes the Pacific Islands and parts of Australia. I am a co-director and my main role in the business is to head up our sales team. Never a dull moment… ABM: Sounds fascinating! Usually the only hazard present when there’s any spillages, is me… So I’m interested to find out how marketing works in your companies. Nelson, at Safeguard, what do you consider to be the first step to marketing a new product or service? NJB: We are very fortunate to have a very large amount of referral sources that

do most of our marketing for us! We truly believe that word of mouth is the most powerful form of marketing. With such great referral sources we see an average of three to four new customers a day from them alone. Arnie would likely have far better insight into new products, but as we learned in ABM, I think it begins with research. Market research and product research being among the most important. AJD: Bit of a challenging question because in sales we have great ideas about how marketing should go about something – without knowing a lot about it! I guess that the first step for us is to put ourselves in the customer’s shoes and ask, “What value would this product have for me and what would encourage me to buy it?” We have found too often that we analyse a new product from our viewpoint, rather than the customers’. Whether you get that feedback over the phone or by showing them a prototype, it isn’t that difficult and customers are almost always willing to give advice – sometimes too willing! ABM: Absolutely, I like the research – which could include researching how other companies have got similar products to market - and the word of mouth! You could even encourage loyal, existing customers of yours to use your product or service free of charge and then write a review. And that’s so true about analysing a product from the seller’s viewpoint… which leads me to my next question. There’s a very old and well-known saying: “features tell and benefits sell”. We all know it’s vital to share the WIIFM, but letting features "tell" is still important – once you've sold a customer on what you can do for him or her, the details can ease the decision-making. So, Arnie, how do you get that balance right when you communicate your products’ features and benefits to clients? 3

AJD: Yes, it is tough to get that balance. As part of ABM we learnt that the traditional goal of marketing is to stimulate consumer demand. If we look at it in that light, then the benefits really need to come first, then outlining the features once we determine more about their needs. We find that some customers are very green (not literally!) and are looking for the benefits of a product whereas others have had previous experience and simply want the features. It makes that challenging task called listening pretty important, doesn’t it?! NJB: Oh boy! You do ask hard questions Lucy! Ummm… I’ve also found it’s very important to listen to the customer and give them what they want to hear. Every customer is different. Some have all day to go into great depth and detail and get mad if you don’t, but in some cases going over all the features may simply put them to sleep. I imagine sleeping customers usually buy less than engaged, eager customers! However, I’ve never exactly experienced a sleeping client so I couldn't say for sure! ABM: It’s interesting you both mention listening! Good marketing isn’t about persuading someone to buy something, is it? That’s selling. It’s more about listening carefully to customers and prospects, understanding their existing and emerging needs, and constantly modifying your products or services to meet those needs. Which reminds me, I was having a conversation with someone the other day about where customer service fits in a company. Some put it under Ops while others firmly believe it’s Sales. I think, like most of these arguments, there’s really no right or wrong; it’s what suits your own company, but I’d like to throw in an extra twist here…! Nelson, in your opinion, what role does marketing play in customer service?

Interview continued...

NJB: I think it’s absolutely everything! Anytime you ‘touch’ the client, you are shaping the ‘customer experience’. Be it a phone call, an email, a delivered product or especially how the company reacts to customer complaints, it’s an opportunity to create a raving fan or a nasty old complainer! As I said before, word of mouth is the most powerful form of marketing and it’s up to you whether that marketing is good or bad. Fortunately for some, and unfortunately for others, social media only multiplies this factor. I guess that’s just my opinion Lucy! I’m sure Arnie could tell us more. AJD: Yes, Nelson is quite right, the customer has a positive or negative experience every time he comes into contact with your company. I know that sounds pretty simple but if customer service is about the customer’s experience with your company, then it is across all areas of your business. So, in customer service, I guess marketing is all about the messages we put across: are they positive or do I let a negative vibe come across when working through a complaint, a crisis or even when I answer the phone Monday morning…? ABM: Absolutely! If marketing brings a customer in, customer service is what keeps them coming back. And, like you both say, this is most critical in the case of an unhappy customer - especially in this age of social media. The PR disaster “United break guitars” protest song comes to mind...! So thanks very much for your time; really enjoyed speaking to you both. NJB: I do also want to thank you Lucy! Your support in making this course interesting and helping us through the challenging bits has been invaluable! By the way folks, I don’t think this Lucy sleeps ever! Keep it up! ABM: Haha! This story that I don’t sleep has been going round for about three years now! I reckon it’s turned into an ABM legend… Thank you, I appreciate that and I can truly say it’s been my pleasure. I do love my job with all the opportunities to meet new people and learn something new every day! AJD: Yes, this module has been a good one! Having a sales background primarily, I was keen to learn more about marketing and welcomed the excuse to find out how ours actually ticked. In the past I have probably thought marketing was simply about how nice your product catalogue looked but it is so much more than that; its ‘vital link between your business and the market place’. Thanks again, Lucy. Interview by Lucy Smart

A day with...

Garth Davis NAME COMPANY JOB TITLE MAINLY RESPONSIBLE FOR

Garth Davis Farmland Foods Limited Director Sales & Marketing

My working day starts at 7.00am. My first task of the day is usually to check emails for anything that needs urgent attention. Being in the food business means we are always alert as to the safety of the products we produce so products are constantly being tested and any results of concern are immediately elevated. My goal for today is to research purchasing some of our raw material from other countries around the world as we are facing shortages within our own country. At Farmland we are passionate about producing products that are fantastic quality, great tasting and unbeatable value. We do this by having great teams, the latest equipment and processes and a real passion for being the best at what we do. My time management tip is often too much time can be wasted behind a computer. Only use them when you need to, don’t let them use you! Before I leave, at the end of the day, I consider any big rocks due tomorrow and make sure other members of my team know where I am going to be. To ABM students I would say that business is all about relationships. People still do business with people, not with computers. Treat other people as you would want to be treated yourself. Be open and honest and deal with integrity. People will then enjoy doing business with you and your company and the results will speak for themselves. Learn all you can about the mechanics of business but never forget it’s relationships that make a good business great.

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13th March 2015

Sydney Sales Achievers Seminar What’s in it for us all?! (WIIFUA) Well, the latest proven tips to succeed in the current challenging economic conditions. About 1,000 eager beavers converged on Sydney for an opportunity to get together to help ensure 2015 means growth. Here is a snapshot of the day. The top four sales challenges faced in the room were: 1. Teamwork and Team Management 2. Sales skills 3. The Economy 4. Competition Some points of discussion from the key note speakers:

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Sales Mindsets - No one likes to be sold! The five sales mindsets and the proven success of pressure free selling. Need to learn the supporter’s mindset to help build credibility and trust. Learn to ask better questions. Contract law - The importance of finding out the local / global risks your business could be exposed to in its contracts and supply of goods process. Pipeline numbers and the effective ways to look at achieving 20%+ growth. Don’t pull budget numbers out of the air! If your indicators are in a declining trend, what makes you think that upping the budget number of activities is going to actually achieve the end result? The need to change. Identify and

make small improvements to your conversion ratios and see the huge effect it has on the profitability and saleable value of your business. -

Strategic approach to business and the power of change.

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Economics - Brief overview of the current economy and the benefits of looking at economic data, having an understanding of it and how history repeats itself. It highlights the challenges you face and opportunities you have.

…leaving the best till last we had an afternoon of community business case studies from a wide range of markets: oil to lettuce leaves, textiles to... The speakers very passionately and amusingly shared some really valuable tips and experiences about their successful change stories. Some points discussed: • Know your customer and sell with personality • Know the most about your product • Who is the market? How do they get it now?

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• Think for the long haul. Need for vision and commitment • Become the interesting and trusted supplier • Continually identify and create for new needs • Every team needs a captain. (Need for coaching) • Never knock back an opportunity. Turn a negative into an opportunity • Identify your customers’ learning style and present to/in their style • Find your niche (market sweet spot) • The test of a leader is to create more leaders

Insanity is... doing the same thing, over and over again, but expecting different results -Cameron Crowther – ABM Graduate-

UBT Trade Expo 2015 (UK) The UBT Trade Expo 2015 was a “first of its kind” event for UBT anywhere in the world, and it was held at the UBT premises in Warwick, UK on 17th – 19th March. The concept behind this was to give UBT’s customers a place where they could find all UBT’s offerings in one place, test and see products first hand and meet and talk with many of UBT’s recommended providers. UBT themselves had a large stand with the latest IT products on display, and there were several vehicle agencies offering test drives in their vehicles, as well as service providers such as Gary Delbridge sales training through to

insurance providers, marketing services and even healthcare. “It seriously added value to my business by attending this event.” We had a stand for our thisisIT training products there which I enjoyed working at over the three days, and directly in front of our stand was UBT’s stand for their premium courses, including the ABM course! There was a business card draw at their stand giving you the chance to win a free premium course. The winner for the ABM course was Bruce Reynolds, so we’ll be welcoming him to the ABM course next year. “I have managed to speak to all the exhibitors I needed to – something that otherwise would have taken hours of my time – learned lots I didn’t know and also found time to do some networking!” Every hour during the day there was a seminar-like presentation given by different professionals exhibiting at the show – topics included marketing, insurance pitfalls, health and safety 6

compliance, etc. Although I didn’t actually attend any of these presentations, they were obviously very popular as the main exhibition area would go very quiet during these sessions. From comments I heard, the Expo was a huge success, both for the exhibitors and for the customers. Events Organiser, Alister Turner, commented: “Trade Expo exceeded all expectations, with a positive, businesslike atmosphere throughout. All the suppliers were very impressed with the event and it certainly raised awareness of the breadth of UBT’s offerings.” With nearly 50 exhibitors, plenty of free giveaways, several draws to win, seven seminar type presentations each day and free breakfast and lunch provided – this really was a successful event. “Any business owner wishing to grow their business and keep alert to current opportunities and threats will be missing out if they don’t visit.” -Mathew Steele-

Loading Students have almost finished writing their first draft of the assignment for Unit 2. They are being marked by Bobby Hutton and returned to the students, who will revise them before final submission to ILM on 3rd April.

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Unit 1 results

ABM 2014: Level 2 F2F workshops are scheduled for April and May. Please do your best to attend.

1st

Carl Sorensen (NZ) 82%

2nd Dale Record (UK) Athol Stead (AUS) 4th

80% 80%

Joshua Stanners (NZ) 77%

ABM 2015: We hope to upload Module 4 on 6th May. Please print this off and begin working through the exercises in the three weeks prior to the webinar. By now you should be beginning Module 3 workbook and be ready to complete the post-module test and submit your assignment from 22nd April onwards. Please ensure that you leave a space in your diary for the Module 4 webinar.

Accountability…

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11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 Module 4

Profit is not a dirty word is it? Profit is the cost of remaining in business. You always tell your customer, you don’t apologise for a price rise, I have to be here. I have to stay in business or you won’t want to deal with me. 7

© Copyright Universal Business Team Pty Ltd 2015