Especially with the price of oil and therefore gas at the pumps, seeming to have an infinite ceiling, anything that might reduce our cost of motoring must surely be welcome. Right?
Well, I guess the honest answer is a cautious “maybe”, even if the first, reactive answer was a resounding YES!
The ultimate in cost reduction wouldn’t be the title of this brief article; it’s actually getting to drive a free car! I can hear you asking “How?” already. If you live in the US, Canada and the UK particularly, it’s not too hard to find companies who are willing to pay to qualified applicants. Even France and Spain also have a number, and it’s growing too in Australia.
Why do they pay? Simple. They pay you to carry advertisements on your car, or the free one they give you. I should state at this point that the actual chances of qualifying to be given a free car covered in an advert are pretty slim. You’d need to live in a major city, with a spotlessly clean driving record, drive at least 25,000 miles a year, preferably double that, and be prepared to park your somewhere at night where it is still going to be secure, but widely seen. You must wash it at least weekly, have it maintained to the manufacturer’s specs and avoid accidents at all costs! Actually the maintenance is usually paid by the sponsor and all you have to pay is the gas, insurance and road tax. In some countries you may have to pay an advertising license too, although the sponsors are more likely to pay.
Far more though, will qualify for schemes which pay you to drive your own car, also of course, carrying an advert. With most schemes, you don’t get to choose which ad can now adorn your car, but you can refuse one which you don’t like. However, doing that will put you back in the queue again, for these are very popular schemes.
I’ve seen ads by some very well known names, such as:
♦ Yahoo!
♦ Sony
♦ Toshiba
♦ ABC
♦ HBO
♦ IBM
♦ Tic-Tac mints and so on
♦ Smaller local companies also take advantage of this form of mobile advertising.
Naturally, the more your car is wrapped in the ad, even almost 100% (except the windscreen and most of the rest of the windows), the more you’ll be paid. Living in a major city, such as Los Angeles, Toronto, London, Paris or Madrid, will push up your pay too (New York is a no-no unfortunately, as mobile advertising is banned in NYC). Schemes vary enormously, but of the companies I am prepared to promote as affiliate partners on my website (see below), have sponsors who will pay anything from around $400 per month up to as much as $3,000 or slightly more. These very high payers are few and far between, but who among us would turn down $4-500 pm as extra income? I know I wouldn’t.
As I’ve commented in the article “Internet and Affiliate Marketing”, also on this blog, you should be very wary, however, of spending any money, no matter how small, before you’re as satisfied as you can be as to the honesty and integrity of the web sites offering this type of deal. You should know that it is not the advertisers or even the advertising agencies themselves who offer to you directly, but third party service providers, not all of whom, sad to say, are genuine.
On my website, I’ve only agreed to join affiliate partners from whom you can confirm that sponsors do exist in, or close to where you live. Too many sites want you to pay first, and only then will they provide you with the directory of sponsors. Don’t touch these sites with a barge pole.
If this is something that interests you, and you live in a country where the schemes are available, then by all means give it a try. If you have concerns, I invite you to email me through my web sites given below, and I’ll try to help. However, if you’re ready to try the scheme, perhaps using one of the companies who are my affiliate partner, I’d really like to hear how you got on. Good luck, and I hope you and your bank manager will be very happy!
Michael is a British citizen, but long term resident of Asia (Hong Kong and now Malaysia).
After 25 years with a global banking leader, he began to head up his own Management consulting company, and today this successful business has branched out to include database/direct marketing aswell as Internet and Affiliate Marketing. Michael may be contacted through his web site http://www.makingdollars4u.com or directly via email mikeATmakingdollars4u.com
Friday, May 30, 2008
Internet and Affiliate Marketing – finding the good guys!
One of the most noticeable aspects of the world of Internet and Affiliate Marketing is the uneven split between the good guys, who seem to be in a minority, and the rest who seem to be a mixture of possible (or even confirmed) scammers, and way, way over the top hype writers.
You know the latter guys, I’m sure. They’re the ones who over-promise so much that it really does make you laugh. In my experience, many of these guys are not actually running a scam, but you find it hard not to see it that way. They’ve clearly been stuck in the marketing world of the 60s or 70s where hard sells promised you the earth, only to deliver a 1,000 square feet apartment. But, hey, that’s actually not so bad, is it.
No the guys to watch out for are those who charge you a fee for joining their directory membership list, but don’t even bother to offer a money-back guarantee, and of course fail to tell you that once you’ve got their list, most of it is out of date.
The good guys ARE out there. Some of the things to look for:
· How long have they been in business? If it’s more than two or three years, that’s a good pointer towards honesty and a genuine site
· Do they carry a certificate from Web Trust or similar? Those who do have usually been through some due diligence by the providers of the certification.
· Do they have a search facility which allows you to check that there are providers of the service you’re keen on, within an area that’s convenient for you. On my site (please see my details below) especially on the page devoted to getting paid to advertise on your car, or providing a free new one, I’ve made a point of only supporting affiliates who offer this search facility. It’s a great sign of their integrity.
· Have good review sites, like Top Site Review, given their recommendation to the site? I’ve found them particularly useful as they have tested out claims of money-back guarantees, and unless they have worked without hassle, the site does not get recommended.
· If you’re looking to become an affiliate yourself, does the site you’re considering state they will pay you themselves or go through a trusted intermediary like Clickbank? I’d be far more wary of those who say they’ll pay you themselves. I’ve found both Clickbank to be very efficient and prompt in their payments.
In conclusion, I’d say that I do not believe or expect to become extra-ordinarily wealthy through my online affiliate marketing business, but I do know that I can make a pretty comfortable living, provided I’ve not only chosen the right affiliate partners, but also, of course, that I have properly optimized my site for the top search engines.
If you follow a similar approach, either as a affiliate partner or as a member of the companies offering their directory services, you should find a similar outcome.
Michael is a British citizen, but long term resident of Asia (Hong Kong and now Malaysia).
After 25 years with a global banking leader, he began to head up his own Management consulting company, and today this successful business has branched out to include database/direct marketing aswell as Internet and Affiliate Marketing. Michael may be contacted through his web site http://www.makingdollars4u.com or directly via email mikeATmakingdollars4u.com
You know the latter guys, I’m sure. They’re the ones who over-promise so much that it really does make you laugh. In my experience, many of these guys are not actually running a scam, but you find it hard not to see it that way. They’ve clearly been stuck in the marketing world of the 60s or 70s where hard sells promised you the earth, only to deliver a 1,000 square feet apartment. But, hey, that’s actually not so bad, is it.
No the guys to watch out for are those who charge you a fee for joining their directory membership list, but don’t even bother to offer a money-back guarantee, and of course fail to tell you that once you’ve got their list, most of it is out of date.
The good guys ARE out there. Some of the things to look for:
· How long have they been in business? If it’s more than two or three years, that’s a good pointer towards honesty and a genuine site
· Do they carry a certificate from Web Trust or similar? Those who do have usually been through some due diligence by the providers of the certification.
· Do they have a search facility which allows you to check that there are providers of the service you’re keen on, within an area that’s convenient for you. On my site (please see my details below) especially on the page devoted to getting paid to advertise on your car, or providing a free new one, I’ve made a point of only supporting affiliates who offer this search facility. It’s a great sign of their integrity.
· Have good review sites, like Top Site Review, given their recommendation to the site? I’ve found them particularly useful as they have tested out claims of money-back guarantees, and unless they have worked without hassle, the site does not get recommended.
· If you’re looking to become an affiliate yourself, does the site you’re considering state they will pay you themselves or go through a trusted intermediary like Clickbank? I’d be far more wary of those who say they’ll pay you themselves. I’ve found both Clickbank to be very efficient and prompt in their payments.
In conclusion, I’d say that I do not believe or expect to become extra-ordinarily wealthy through my online affiliate marketing business, but I do know that I can make a pretty comfortable living, provided I’ve not only chosen the right affiliate partners, but also, of course, that I have properly optimized my site for the top search engines.
If you follow a similar approach, either as a affiliate partner or as a member of the companies offering their directory services, you should find a similar outcome.
Michael is a British citizen, but long term resident of Asia (Hong Kong and now Malaysia).
After 25 years with a global banking leader, he began to head up his own Management consulting company, and today this successful business has branched out to include database/direct marketing aswell as Internet and Affiliate Marketing. Michael may be contacted through his web site http://www.makingdollars4u.com or directly via email mikeATmakingdollars4u.com
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Dressing for Success at Interviews
The first and most important advice you will get from this article is to dress your best for all your interviews, regardless of the dress code for the organisation.
For example for a guy, it’s a lot easier to remove your tie or jacket upon invitation from the interviewer, whereas it’s next to impossible to suddenly acquire a jacket or tie. The ideas that follow, come from many years of experience as a senior HR manager and more recently as a consultant with a thriving recruitment and executive search business.
I am frequently appalled by the lack of dress sense, and even courtesy, displayed by some candidates. I wonder how they can possibly expect to be taken seriously. Not so long ago, I interviewed a very well qualified candidate for a senior corporate position in a well known multi-national. I doubt his shoes had ever been polished, nor his ties dry cleaned. When I looked at his grubby finger nails, I determined straight away to close the interview without any further questions. He was taken aback and asked why so short. I told him, or rather, advised him what he needed to do to be taken seriously.
Here's what we advise trainees at our Interviewing Skills course:
♦ Wear a solid colour, conservative suit with a coordinated shirt or blouse, or of course, your country’s national dress if this is appropriate
♦ Wear moderate shoes and make sure they are clean and well polished.
♦ Make sure your hair is well groomed and neat; check your finger-nails, are they clean and tidy?
♦ Don't overdo the perfume, makeup, or after-shave, and use no more than a light fragrance
♦ Limit your jewelry
♦ Make sure to try on your outfit BEFORE the day of the interview if you’ve not worn it for a while. If shoes are new, probably not a good idea to wear, but if you do, make sure the price label is removed from the sole!
♦ Bring a portfolio, or briefcase, pad and pen
Tips:
1. Your clothes are your image, check the mirror and see what others see, better still ask a trusted friend or family member to advise you
2. It is better to be overdressed than underdressed
3. If it's too tight or too loose - don't wear it!
4. Girls, most male interviewers are NOT impressed (at least not professionally!) with a very short skirt – save it for the disco! That transparent blouse, yes we know the boyfriend likes it, but do you really want to let the (male) interviewer think you’re trying to impress him with your lingerie? You won’t impress, you’ll turn him off, professionally at least.
5. Guys, the medallion might be a hit with “the in-crowd”, but it’ll not impress an interviewer, lose it for the interview. Same goes for loud colours. Even if the tie was a present from Auntie, unless it is relatively conservative, save it for the next visit to Auntie’s house.
At my consultancy (http://www.skillnet-resources.com) we have whole training programme on Interview Skills – don’t hesitate to contact us if you’re interested in it being run for your company.
For example for a guy, it’s a lot easier to remove your tie or jacket upon invitation from the interviewer, whereas it’s next to impossible to suddenly acquire a jacket or tie. The ideas that follow, come from many years of experience as a senior HR manager and more recently as a consultant with a thriving recruitment and executive search business.
I am frequently appalled by the lack of dress sense, and even courtesy, displayed by some candidates. I wonder how they can possibly expect to be taken seriously. Not so long ago, I interviewed a very well qualified candidate for a senior corporate position in a well known multi-national. I doubt his shoes had ever been polished, nor his ties dry cleaned. When I looked at his grubby finger nails, I determined straight away to close the interview without any further questions. He was taken aback and asked why so short. I told him, or rather, advised him what he needed to do to be taken seriously.
Here's what we advise trainees at our Interviewing Skills course:
♦ Wear a solid colour, conservative suit with a coordinated shirt or blouse, or of course, your country’s national dress if this is appropriate
♦ Wear moderate shoes and make sure they are clean and well polished.
♦ Make sure your hair is well groomed and neat; check your finger-nails, are they clean and tidy?
♦ Don't overdo the perfume, makeup, or after-shave, and use no more than a light fragrance
♦ Limit your jewelry
♦ Make sure to try on your outfit BEFORE the day of the interview if you’ve not worn it for a while. If shoes are new, probably not a good idea to wear, but if you do, make sure the price label is removed from the sole!
♦ Bring a portfolio, or briefcase, pad and pen
Tips:
1. Your clothes are your image, check the mirror and see what others see, better still ask a trusted friend or family member to advise you
2. It is better to be overdressed than underdressed
3. If it's too tight or too loose - don't wear it!
4. Girls, most male interviewers are NOT impressed (at least not professionally!) with a very short skirt – save it for the disco! That transparent blouse, yes we know the boyfriend likes it, but do you really want to let the (male) interviewer think you’re trying to impress him with your lingerie? You won’t impress, you’ll turn him off, professionally at least.
5. Guys, the medallion might be a hit with “the in-crowd”, but it’ll not impress an interviewer, lose it for the interview. Same goes for loud colours. Even if the tie was a present from Auntie, unless it is relatively conservative, save it for the next visit to Auntie’s house.
At my consultancy (http://www.skillnet-resources.com) we have whole training programme on Interview Skills – don’t hesitate to contact us if you’re interested in it being run for your company.
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
....and now for something completely different!
Cooking for me is therapy. I get away from the strains of the workday, and once I'm in the kitchen, fortified no doubt with a glass of a good Merlot, I forget about the trials and tribulations of the office.
As Mrs Z will tell you, I'm always searching for new ways to prepare dishes, and very occasionally come up with something, following no recipe at all, which really does taste very good.
OK, this is what I did with a whole chicken.
Cut the chicken into the usual pieces, ie drumsticks, thighs, wings, breasts, ribs etc, and put it into a marinade, made as follows:
As Mrs Z will tell you, I'm always searching for new ways to prepare dishes, and very occasionally come up with something, following no recipe at all, which really does taste very good.
OK, this is what I did with a whole chicken.
Cut the chicken into the usual pieces, ie drumsticks, thighs, wings, breasts, ribs etc, and put it into a marinade, made as follows:
- 6 garlic cloves
- 2 red chilis with seeds
- A large finger of fresh young ginger
- 3 table spoons of extra virgin olive oil
- 3 table spoons of Chinese rice wine (or use dry sherry if you don't have the rice wine)
- 4 table spoons of pouring honey
- 2 table spoons of dijon mustard
- 1 table spoon of demerara sugar
- Half a tea spoon of sea salt
- Half a tea spoon of freshly ground black pepper
Blitz it all in a blender or food processor and pour into a large freezer bag, already containing the chicken. Close bag and massage it well before putting into the fridge for about 2 hours minimum - overnight is even better.
Take out of the fridge and pour it all into a roasting tin, but cover the tin with aluminium foil. Put into the oven, pre-heated to 230c (450F) for about 20 mins, turning down to 210c (400F) for a further 20 mins, then, after pouring off all the juice and retaining it, and drizzling olive oil over the chicken, put back into the oven, turned back up to 230c for a further 15 mins to crisp the skin.
Pour the juice into a pan and boil to reduce by half, adding a couple of knobs of butter to thicken, and letting it simmer for a couple of minutes.
It's all ready for serving, which I did with steamed rice, and choy sum (stir fried and served in oyster sauce).
Enjoy!
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
Core Competencies for Asian Companies
In an ideal world, each and every company would spend a great deal of time, effort and money to identify those traits, skills and attributes which together, as Core Competencies, make for a successful managerial or supervisory level employee within their company.
However, we don't live in an ideal world. We live in one where the majority of companies need to find ways and means of identifying and introducing human resource management and development practices which more than adequately meet their requirements, without breaking their budget.
To meet this need, I have designed for several local and regional companies, a set of Generic Core Competencies which can fit into just about any Asian company's culture with little or no customisation. Naturally, I’ve always made myself available to assist companies requiring some customisation and probably half have taken advantage of this.
Why should companies use Core Competencies?
By identifying those traits, skills and attributes which make for a successful employee, it becomes so much easier, and far more cost effective, to:
* Recruit and retain employees
* Appraise employees
* Train employees
* Develop employees
* Succession plan
Being easier and more effective translates into cost savings and increased profitability. When a company's HRM and HRD practices have a consistent measuring tool, they are able to significantly reduce subjectivity in HR decision making processes, visibly demonstrate fairness, have a common language which all employees can understand, and as a result create and maintain a highly motivated workforce.
Below are some examples of a few Generic Core Competencies. These are given here for illustration. The complete profile contains some twenty five Core Competencies, split among five Managerial Attributes. The full set has been arrived at after considerable research amongst local and regional companies across a wide range of industries. The definitions are not complete, but are provided to give an appreciation
The five managerial attributes are:
* Performance of Duties
* Management and Leadership Skills
* Decision Making Skills
* Communication Skills
* Personal Qualities
Competency Examples (just ten of twenty five)
Responsibility - Displaying maturity, reacting positively to constructive feedback, setting a good example, profit and cost conscious.
Leadership - An ability to share the corporate vision with the team, give clear and confident direction to the team, whilst taking a consultative and delegative approach, without abdicating responsibility.
Management of Resources and People - Knowing the skills, qualities and attributes of direct reports and using this knowledge to maximise output and gain through them the most effective use of material resources.
Judgement - Demonstrates the ability to evaluate behaviours, situations and opportunities and arrive at a sensible conclusion.
Problem solving - Possessing the ability to use both objective analysis and creativity in approaching solutions to problems.
Interpersonal Skills - The ability to create rapport easily and build relationships quickly. Having an awareness of the sensitivities of others and a diplomatic astuteness in responding to them.
Initiative and drive - The ambition to strive for achievement within the company seeking business opportunities and displaying an energetic pro-activity.
Co-operativeness and Teamworking - Shows a willingness to assist colleagues (within own department and outside it) even when personally under pressure.
Dependability - Can be relied upon to consistently support team colleagues throughout the organisation.
Creativity - Can see an issue from different perspectives and is able to provide a number of alternative solutions to problems which are practical as well as innovative.
Major Advantages
One of the major advantages of using Core Competencies across a framework of HRM and HRD activities, is the consistency they provide. What better than to:
* Recruit against the competencies
* Train against the competencies
* Select, develop and promote against the competencies
* Appraise against the competencies
* Use the competencies in manpower and succession planning
Not only is this approach extremely cost effective, it provides employees with a very clear picture of career progression opportunities and the confidence that their performance appraisals, training/development needs and suitability for promotion, are objectively assessed.
I do urge companies to take great care when introducing a competencies framework, to ensure that the attributes and definitions really do match the company’s culture and philosophies. Unless your HR department has the skills within to ensure that this happens, I strongly recommend that the company seeks professional assistance, from consultancies like my own.
Performance Management - Making Appraisals Work
I once saw a quote in a book by Tom Clancy, called "Net Force" (Published by Headline Book Publishing, a Division of Hodder Headline PLC, ISBN 0 7472 6040 0). The quote read:
"Remember the Rule of the 5Ps
- Proper Planning Prevents Poor Performance"
I could not agree more! (Actually the quote was the 6Ps - I left out the four-letter expletive that went before the word 'poor'!) In my view, the essence of the a good performance management system revolves around planning - in this case individual performance planning, derived from organisational planning. When this model is followed, not only will planned business goals be more effectively achieved, individuals will be more motivated, as they know with greater clarity than ever before, exactly what is expected of them, and what their part has been in the company's success. Organisations that are better able to reward good performances, are planning for their future success.
The Performance Management System (PMS) which I have designed for a number of companies here, has two distinct parts A and B, and is the means by which individual managerial or supervisory performance is linked to an organisation’s business objectives and operating plans (Part A) and to the organisation’s future through assessing the potential of each managerial or executive level employee(Part B). For any company to be successful every Manager must establish and agree precise, measurable and objective standards and goals for individual performance that will in turn lead to improved performance by the company as a whole.
This Performance Management System (and its sister system, covering clerical and operator level employees), is put together after many years of experience with performance management, both as a Corporate Human Resource Manager and as a Consultant. Our aim is to provide our clients with all the company needs to introduce a simple, but effective system of measuring and rewarding employee performances.
"Remember the Rule of the 5Ps
- Proper Planning Prevents Poor Performance"
I could not agree more! (Actually the quote was the 6Ps - I left out the four-letter expletive that went before the word 'poor'!) In my view, the essence of the a good performance management system revolves around planning - in this case individual performance planning, derived from organisational planning. When this model is followed, not only will planned business goals be more effectively achieved, individuals will be more motivated, as they know with greater clarity than ever before, exactly what is expected of them, and what their part has been in the company's success. Organisations that are better able to reward good performances, are planning for their future success.
The Performance Management System (PMS) which I have designed for a number of companies here, has two distinct parts A and B, and is the means by which individual managerial or supervisory performance is linked to an organisation’s business objectives and operating plans (Part A) and to the organisation’s future through assessing the potential of each managerial or executive level employee(Part B). For any company to be successful every Manager must establish and agree precise, measurable and objective standards and goals for individual performance that will in turn lead to improved performance by the company as a whole.
This Performance Management System (and its sister system, covering clerical and operator level employees), is put together after many years of experience with performance management, both as a Corporate Human Resource Manager and as a Consultant. Our aim is to provide our clients with all the company needs to introduce a simple, but effective system of measuring and rewarding employee performances.
The Aims of PMS
· PMS aims to make every managerial and supervisory level employee completely aware of the company's business plans, and through the cascading of those plans to individuals, provide them with the motivation to achieve, and then, the ownership of success
· PMS is concerned with improvement - organisationally through increased contribution by each individual and personally through the broadening of experience and career opportunities.
· It aims to make the appraisal of Managers and Supervisors as fair as possible and less subjective, by focusing on planning, performance, priorities and key result areas.
· It seeks to provide rigorous and current information about an executive in order to activate appropriate training and development opportunities and to facilitate career progression.
· PMS aims to make every managerial and supervisory level employee completely aware of the company's business plans, and through the cascading of those plans to individuals, provide them with the motivation to achieve, and then, the ownership of success
· PMS is concerned with improvement - organisationally through increased contribution by each individual and personally through the broadening of experience and career opportunities.
· It aims to make the appraisal of Managers and Supervisors as fair as possible and less subjective, by focusing on planning, performance, priorities and key result areas.
· It seeks to provide rigorous and current information about an executive in order to activate appropriate training and development opportunities and to facilitate career progression.
The Role of PMS
PMS is central not only to a need to develop, train and motivate employees, but also to its continued business success. It provides a structure to focus the resources and activities of all Managers on achieving the company's major business objectives. PMS is the basis for assessment of performance, ability and potential and an essential source of data on employees for manpower and succession planning purposes.
Completion of Parts A and B are separated in time by six months. When the two quite different objectives of each part are separated in time, experience of many major companies has been that far more effective attention is given to the assessment of individuals’ potential, development and training needs.
However, if a company so chooses, there is nothing to prevent them carrying out Parts A and B at the same time, say both at the end of the year. But we do urge such companies to hold two separate discussions between Appraiser and Appraisee, in order that sufficient focus is directed to the employee's longer-term potential and training and development needs.
Completion of Parts A and B are separated in time by six months. When the two quite different objectives of each part are separated in time, experience of many major companies has been that far more effective attention is given to the assessment of individuals’ potential, development and training needs.
However, if a company so chooses, there is nothing to prevent them carrying out Parts A and B at the same time, say both at the end of the year. But we do urge such companies to hold two separate discussions between Appraiser and Appraisee, in order that sufficient focus is directed to the employee's longer-term potential and training and development needs.
There is so much that can be said and written about performance appraisals, and I'll let this suffice for now, but will return to the topic again in the future.
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Are you being served?
It is said that the only thing which separates your company from the competition, is the quality of the service you provide.
We’ve all got plenty of examples of the poor service we’ve received, but sadly, perhaps fewer of the good. I want to concentrate on the good, and to examine some of the reasons why.
Let me give you one or two examples from my personal experience.
Take the case of the guy who services my car. Not only does he charge a fair price, he also picks up the car from my office in the morning and delivers it back in the evening. As a result I have often recommended him to many of my friends.
Or the case of the lady who runs my local mini-market (corner shop). I regularly stop there to buy the odds and ends which I might have run out of, prior to the weekly shop at the market. A few weeks ago I was in there buying a few cans of beer. I'm not too fussy about brands, and although I might usually buy a particular one, she said to me on checking out that why don't I take another brand as they are on offer at present, and I hadn't noticed. She didn't need to do this, as I was now buying something which gave her less revenue. But she did, and as a result, more often than not now, I will buy from her rather than from the supermarket, even if it might be easier when I'm getting all the rest of the shopping.
And how about my newspaper vendor, from whom I buy my newspaper most mornings. One morning a few weeks ago I was later than usual and there was only one left. I commented how lucky I was. He replied that it wasn't lucky, because he had saved it for me. I had never asked him to do that, but do it he did.
Notice a theme here? All of these positive cases I've mentioned have one common factor - they are running their own businesses, however small they may be, and perhaps therein lies one of the answers to the reasons why we seem to get better service from small, owner-run businesses. Could it be that they recognise that they get their income from us, their customers, and we have a choice - to use them, or their competitors. Employees of much larger organisations may not have this same level of enlightenment.
But I would not place the blame on them. I would place it firmly with the owners of the businesses who have failed to provide their people with the right motivation. In my opinion, it's not their training that is lacking, either in substance or quality, it's a far greater problem one which will not be solved until businesses which employ large numbers of people, recognise the critical importance of what I term intrinsic motivation.
Everyone, without fail, is (inherently) positively motivated by something. It might be money, a pleasant working environment, performance-based incentives, share options, longer holidays or whatever. It doesn't matter what it is, employers need to find out from their employees and then act upon it. Of course, you're never going to be able to please (motivate) all of the people all of the time. However, as long as an employer manages to feed the intrinsic motivation of the majority of his employees, he'll find a marked increase in customer satisfaction, which will ultimately turn into increased profitability.
Another facet of life working in a small companies (eg less than 10 people), is that you really do feel a part of the organisation, and not merely someone who needs an ID tag around their neck so the company’s security people knows who they are. There are less than 10 in my consultancy (dozens more of course in our network of associates), and I am proud to tell you that they all not only know our company’s goals, short and long term , they are also intrinsically motivated to want to succeed. They know that if the company succeeds it’s because of them, and that the result will be the reward they KNOW they’ll want. And it isn’t just money.
Large companies CAN do this too, and I know of one from personal experience. They are one of the world’s largest international banks and I worked for them for some 28 years, in London, Hong Kong and Malaysia. In each location they strived hard to keep people as informed as possible about the company’s goals and its performance against those targets. OK, as this can be market sensitive information, it had to be cloaked in terms which related to percentage increases and so on rather than exact figures, except of course, where this was public information anyway.
People are far better self-motivated when they have a clear picture of how their own performance has contributed to the company’s. Hopefully too, this will be reflected in their performance appraisal – but that’s a topic for another time.
We’ve all got plenty of examples of the poor service we’ve received, but sadly, perhaps fewer of the good. I want to concentrate on the good, and to examine some of the reasons why.
Let me give you one or two examples from my personal experience.
Take the case of the guy who services my car. Not only does he charge a fair price, he also picks up the car from my office in the morning and delivers it back in the evening. As a result I have often recommended him to many of my friends.
Or the case of the lady who runs my local mini-market (corner shop). I regularly stop there to buy the odds and ends which I might have run out of, prior to the weekly shop at the market. A few weeks ago I was in there buying a few cans of beer. I'm not too fussy about brands, and although I might usually buy a particular one, she said to me on checking out that why don't I take another brand as they are on offer at present, and I hadn't noticed. She didn't need to do this, as I was now buying something which gave her less revenue. But she did, and as a result, more often than not now, I will buy from her rather than from the supermarket, even if it might be easier when I'm getting all the rest of the shopping.
And how about my newspaper vendor, from whom I buy my newspaper most mornings. One morning a few weeks ago I was later than usual and there was only one left. I commented how lucky I was. He replied that it wasn't lucky, because he had saved it for me. I had never asked him to do that, but do it he did.
Notice a theme here? All of these positive cases I've mentioned have one common factor - they are running their own businesses, however small they may be, and perhaps therein lies one of the answers to the reasons why we seem to get better service from small, owner-run businesses. Could it be that they recognise that they get their income from us, their customers, and we have a choice - to use them, or their competitors. Employees of much larger organisations may not have this same level of enlightenment.
But I would not place the blame on them. I would place it firmly with the owners of the businesses who have failed to provide their people with the right motivation. In my opinion, it's not their training that is lacking, either in substance or quality, it's a far greater problem one which will not be solved until businesses which employ large numbers of people, recognise the critical importance of what I term intrinsic motivation.
Everyone, without fail, is (inherently) positively motivated by something. It might be money, a pleasant working environment, performance-based incentives, share options, longer holidays or whatever. It doesn't matter what it is, employers need to find out from their employees and then act upon it. Of course, you're never going to be able to please (motivate) all of the people all of the time. However, as long as an employer manages to feed the intrinsic motivation of the majority of his employees, he'll find a marked increase in customer satisfaction, which will ultimately turn into increased profitability.
Another facet of life working in a small companies (eg less than 10 people), is that you really do feel a part of the organisation, and not merely someone who needs an ID tag around their neck so the company’s security people knows who they are. There are less than 10 in my consultancy (dozens more of course in our network of associates), and I am proud to tell you that they all not only know our company’s goals, short and long term , they are also intrinsically motivated to want to succeed. They know that if the company succeeds it’s because of them, and that the result will be the reward they KNOW they’ll want. And it isn’t just money.
Large companies CAN do this too, and I know of one from personal experience. They are one of the world’s largest international banks and I worked for them for some 28 years, in London, Hong Kong and Malaysia. In each location they strived hard to keep people as informed as possible about the company’s goals and its performance against those targets. OK, as this can be market sensitive information, it had to be cloaked in terms which related to percentage increases and so on rather than exact figures, except of course, where this was public information anyway.
People are far better self-motivated when they have a clear picture of how their own performance has contributed to the company’s. Hopefully too, this will be reflected in their performance appraisal – but that’s a topic for another time.
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