by Paul Simister
on June 27, 2016
In my review of the book
Attention: Make Irresistible Compelling Offers by Bob Oros
posted on Amazon.co.uk, I gave it 2 Stars.
Here is my review.
Not what I was after, it’s more about improving selling skills and getting the customer to listen to you
I bought this book because I believe “crafting offers” is an overlooking skill since phrasing the offer, “this is what you get for your money”, is the core of marketing.
The book turned out to be one of a series about improving your selling skills and the focus is very much on what you can say quickly to encourage the customer to listen to you.
It didn’t meet my needs or live up to its title “Attention: Make Irresistible Compelling Offers” although some may find it has some good points.
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by Paul Simister
on June 17, 2016
If your business is stuck and your performance has stalled in terms of sales and profit, or worse if things have turned down, you need to take action.
The first thing to ask is…
Do You Know Why Your Business Is Stuck?
In detail? Meaning you have identified specific causes?
Or have you made an assumption based on gut instinct. If so, beware. These attributions are often wrong.
Do You Know What To Do And How To Do It?
For change to happen, you need three things:
- To know what to do.
- To know how to do it.
- To have the commitment to take the necessary actions.
[continue reading…]
by Paul Simister
on June 12, 2016
Right from the start of my career, I’ve been fascinated by the idea of helping turn around businesses in trouble. When I was being interviewed as a trainee accountant in 1981, I expressed interest in the firms’ business recovery departments.
My career as an employee had its share of highs and lows. I was seconded to a start-up company in a group and had the true “cradle-to-grave” experience as I eventually closed it and sold off the assets. I was also the Finance Director of a business that found itself caught in a savage price war and I’ve never seen profit drain away from a business so quickly.
When I had to write a dissertation for my MBA, it seemed obvious to choose a topic that looked at how small businesses in financial difficulty might be rescued before collapse. It involved extensive research into the causes of failure and how businesses can achieve turnaround and I really threw myself into it. So much so that I had to ask for a six month extension. When finished, the dissertation was received a Grade A Distinction, which meant it qualified to be permanently bound and placed into the Manchester Business School library.
I’m telling you this because one of the interesting things thrown up by my research was the issue of causal attribution and how business managers and owners deceived themselves, at the risk of the future survival of the business.
Let’s have a look at what I discovered. [continue reading…]
