Wednesday 19 November 2014

HOW TO BUILD YOUR BUSINESS IN TOUGH TIMES

There is no secret that confidence in the current market is lacking which is affecting the financial position of companies across many industries. This has forced many companies to embrace, change. Companies may develop strategies based on cutting costs and waiting for the storm to pass. Emmanuel Lardis from Logicus Training Solutions says “Entrepreneurial decision makers invest in growth strategies to increase productivity and create opportunities designed to increase sales and market share”.

“We have heard of companies that boom in times of economic hardship, how they do it?” said Emmanuel. “These businesses do it the SMART way by developing new strategies and outsourcing solutions to generate more SALES”. “Companies are still working with strategies that are now outdated, ineffective and do not provide the same return on investment as they did in the past” So many things have changed even in the last 5 years, such as technology, the economy and customer perceptions. Shouldn’t sales strategies also change?”
Ashlee Borovina from Impact Panel and Paint in Joondalup said “Many businesses we speak to seem to be struggling.” “We have looked at getting advice from experts such as Emmanuel who has given us the tools required to move forward and continue to grow our business”.

Emmanuel said “While others wait out the uncertainty, the opportunist will capitalise on capturing a larger slice of the market share, strengthening their position as the economy finds its feet.”

Outsourcing reputable sales trainers and coaches that provide current strategies can provide ongoing financial rewards. Sales advisors can provide different angles, markets and direction that can be seen if you know how, where and what to look for.

The market is in a cleansing period that is pushing out businesses reluctant to change and increase market share for those who are willing to adapt and invest in the future.  We have a choice of waiting for the uncertainty to pass us by, or pushing forward by generating more sales and growing your business, the SMART way.

For more information visit www.logicustraining.com.au or call (08) 9307 3771

Logicus Training Solutions - Building Business and People the SMART way!

Tuesday 16 September 2014

SELLING THROUGH THE ECONOMIC UNCERTAINTY

HOW THE CURRENT MARKET CAN BUILD YOUR BUSINESS

There is no secret that confidence in the current market is lacking which is affecting the financial position of companies across many industries. This historic trend in the economy has placed many businesses and companies in a situation that requires change. Various companies will develop strategies based on cutting costs, downsizing their capital investment, and even retrenching staff. These strategies are designed to consolidate costs, lay low and wait for the storm to pass. Entrepreneurial decision makers invest in growth strategies designed to increase productivity, optimise opportunities and increase sales.

We have all heard of companies that boom in times of economic hardship. How do they do it?
Answer: The SMART way!

One of the most important processes of a business is sales. No sales, no business! No matter how much we save on costs or spend on marketing and advertising, we will not achieve our optimal rewards objective if we do not convert and generate sales.

In the last 5 the changes in technology, society, the economy, and perceptions are staggering. What was extremely relevant 5 years ago is not so relevant now. Unfortunately, many businesses are still working with strategies that are now outdated, ineffective and do not provide the same return on investment as they did in the past.

Sales strategies and techniques are key to this necessity of change. The sales strategies and techniques we used a few years ago are not as effective today. Customers are wiser, more educated and more suspicious of the stereotypical sales person that is perceived as filled with self-interest.

Sales strategies and techniques need to address the current broader factors and evolve to suit today’s environment. Our ability to sell is limited by our experience, our mindset and our knowledge. There are other factors that can affect the selling process, but a true solutions provider (traditionally known as salesperson) can always find the answer. Today’s process should not be so much on focusing to sell but helping our customer to buy!

While others wait out the uncertainty, the opportunist will capitalise on capturing a larger part of the market share, strengthening their position as the economy finds its feet. Outsourcing reputable sales trainers and coaches that provide current strategies can provide an opportunity of expansion in this market. Sales advisors can provide different angles, markets and direction that can be seen if you know how, where and what to look for.


The market is in a cleansing period that is pushing out operators that are reluctant to change and increase market share for those who are willing to adapt and invest in the future. We have a choice of waiting for the uncertainty to pass us by or pushing forward by generating more sales and growing your business, the SMART way.

Logicus Training Solutions - Training and Business Consultants (08) 9307 3771
(Registered Training Organisation 52635 - www.logicustraining.com.au)

Wednesday 23 April 2014

10 Trends Shaping Training and Development

10 Trends Shaping 


Training & Development


There are 10 key trends helping to shape the current landscape of
organizational training and development (T&D), according to research
 by AMA Enterprise.
“AMA has tracked a number of developments—some major, some
minor—affecting T&D that must be understood as well as adapted
to current market realities,” said Jennifer Jones, Director at AMA
Enterprise, which provides organizations with assessment,
measurement, and tailored learning solutions. “For instance,
workers are becoming much savvier when it comes to tapping into
company leadership programs and external development opportunities.
There’s also steady globalization, pressure for greater transparency,
 and an expectation by senior management that these efforts pay off in
some measurable way. Every development professional must be
attuned to these trends.”
The key trends identified by AMA Enterprise are:
1. The definition of “leader” is broadening.
A majority of large organizations now consider individuals to be 
leaders based on their impact, not on their authority or position. 
Increasingly, a leader is viewed as “anyone, whether they manage 
others or not, who is a top-performer in their specific role.”

2. Management faces a more risk-averse workforce.
A growing proportion of the workforce has become risk-averse,
probably due to the sluggish economy and weak job market.
Management must assess its own responsibility for this
phenomenon and determine if the organization really encourages
initiative or risk taking.

3. Demand for “big data” skills is growing sharply.
A greater volume of information is now at the disposal of organizations 
today, but employees lack the analytical skills to deal with such
complex data, and management is now pressed to provide the
needed training.

4. More organizations avoid the term “high potential.“
There is a growing reluctance to call candidates for accelerated career 
development “high potential.“ The term may suggest that other
employees do not have much potential, which is not a healthy message
to convey, either to them or to the organization.

5. Selection for high potential programs becoming more impartial. 
Companies now seek to make the application process for such
programs more systematic and impartial. Anticipate greater
transparency on performance criteria, changes in corporate strategy,
more flexible career opportunities, and tighter high potential selection
and management succession processes.

6. Leadership programs are being retooled for globalization. 
Some companies have long had a global dimension to their
development initiatives. But others find they must now play catch-up
or lose ground in an increasingly competitive global marketplace. The
top competencies for global leadership development are change
management, ability to influence and build coalitions, and critical
thinking and problem solving.

7. Many organizations are ill-prepared for rising turnover. 
One-third of employers are concerned that employee turnover may rise
as the job market improves, a 2013 AMA survey found. And many
companies admit they are not ready to deal with the challenge and are
seeking suitable solutions.

8. Core skills are a renewed focus. 
Classic programs devoted to basic skills often suffered during the
recession, taking a back seat to specialized modules that met
immediate business challenges. There is now greater demand for
programs that develop communications skills, critical thinking,
collaboration and creativity, all of which aim to improve long-term
employee productivity.

9. More employees seek entry into leadership programs. 
If the selection process for programs once had a low profile, ambitious 
individuals now volunteer themselves for any kind of leadership
development offering. Organizations realize they must find ways to
meet this growing demand.

10. A growing focus on developing individual contributors. 
More than one in three organizations have stepped up efforts to
develop individual contributors. So-called high potential candidates
from the management ranks often get all the attention, while individual
contributors hardly figure in development programs. Yet these are
key constituents within every organization—core players who get
things done despite having no direct management authority.
Change has always been constant in the T&D sector, observed
Jones.“Some change is obvious, but other change is less so.
Development professionals must prepare and be able to respond to
change in all its forms.”


Logicus Training Solutions - Training and business consultants (Registered Training Organisation - www.logicustraining.com.au)

Monday 10 March 2014

15 Customer Service Skills that Every Employee Needs


15 Customer Service Skills that Every Employee Needs 

15 Customer Service Skills that Every Employee Needs



There are certain customer service skills that every employee must master if they are forward-facing with customers.
Without them, you run the risk of finding your business in an embarrassing customer service train-wreck, or simply losing customers as your service continues to let people down.
Luckily, there are a few universal skills that every support member can master that will drastically improve their interactions with customers.
Below I'll go over the 15 most-needed skills that matter to this incredibly important position.

The Customer Service Skills that Matter

When most business publications talk about customer service skills, things like "being a people person" tend to take the spotlight...
It's not that this trait is outright wrong, but it's so vague and generic that it is hardly a help to those looking to get involved in support positions within a company, and certainly doesn't help out entrepreneurs/founders who are looking for the right set of skills when hiring the all-important folks who will be taking care of their customers.
With that said, let's get into some SPECIFIC skills that every support employee can master to "WOW" the customers that they interact with on a daily basis...

1. Patience

If you don't see this near the top of a customer service skills list, you should just stop reading.
Not only is patience important to customers, who often reach out to support when they are confused and frustrated, but it's also important to the business at large: we've shown you before that great service beats fast service every single time.
Yet patience shouldn't be used as an excuse for slothful service either!
Derek Sivers explained his view on "slower" service as being an interaction where the time spent with the customer was used to better understand their problems and needs from the company.
If you deal with customers on a daily basis, be sure to stay patient when they come to you stumped and frustrated, but also be sure to take the time to truly figure out what they want — they'd rather get competent service than be rushed out the door!

2. Attentiveness

I feel like men may need to re-read this one twice, if girlfriends and wives are to be believed... ;)
The ability to really listen to customers is so crucial for providing great service for a number of reasons.
Last week I went over a few customer feedback systems, and long before that I showed you the data on why listening to customer feedback is a must for many businesses who are looking to innovate.
Not only is it important to pay attention to individual customer interactions (watching the language/terms that they use to describe their problems), but it's also important to be mindful and attentive to the feedback that you receive at large.
For instance, customers may not be saying it outright, but perhaps there is a pervasive feeling that your software's dashboard isn't laid out correctly. Customers aren't likely to say, "Please improve your UX!", but they may say things like, "I can never find the search feature," or, "Where is the _____ function at again?"
What are your customers telling you without saying it?

3. Clear Communication Skills

For all of the "mumblers" and people who love to ramble on (that's me!), you need to listen up!
It's okay to find out more about your customers, but make sure you're getting to the problem at hand quickly; customers don't need your life story or to hear about how your day is going.
More importantly, you need to be cautious about how some of your communication habits translate to customers, and it's best to err on the side of caution whenever you find yourself questioning a situation.
An example: The last time I went to get work done on my car, I was told by an employee that if I wanted to get an oil change, it would be "included" in my final bill.

I thought that meant I'd be getting it for free, yet as it turns out, that wasn't the case. The employee apologized and I truly believe it was an accident (they just worked there), but I haven't been back to that shop since because of the miscommunication.
When it comes to important points that you need to relay clearly to customers, keep it simple and leave nothing to doubt.

4. Knowledge of the Product

As a non-technical guy, this is one I try to work on every single day.
The best forward-facing employees in your company will work on having a deep knowledge of how your product works.
It's not that every single team member should be able to build your product from scratch, but rather they should know the ins and outs of how your product works, just like a customer who uses it everyday would.
Without knowing your product from front-to-back, you won't know how to help customers when they run into problems.

5. Ability to Use "Positive Language"

Sounds like fluffy nonsense, but your ability to make minor changes in your conversational patterns can truly go a long way in creating happy customers.
Language is a very important part of persuasion, and people (especially customers) create perceptions about you and your company based off of the language that you use.
Here's an example: Let's say a customer contacts you with an interest in a particular product, but that product happens to be back ordered until next month.
Small changes that utilize "positive language" can greatly affect how the customer hears your response...
  • Without positive language: "I can't get you that product until next month; it is back-ordered and unavailable at this time."
  • With positive language: "That product will be available next month. I can place the order for you right now and make sure that it is sent to you as soon as it reaches our warehouse."
The first example isn't negative by any means, but the tone that it conveys feels abrupt and impersonal, and can be taken the wrong way by customers.
Conversely, the second example is stating the same thing (the item is unavailable), but instead focuses on when/how the customer will get to their resolution rather than focusing on the negative.

6. Acting Skills

Let's get real honest here... sometimes you're going to come across people that you'll never be able to make happy.
Situations outside of your control (they had a terrible day, or they are just a natural-born complainer) will sometimes creep into your usual support routine, and you'll be greeted with those "barnacle" customers that seem to want nothing else but to pull you down.
Every great customer service rep will have those basic acting skills necessary to maintain their usual cheery persona in spite of dealing with people who may be just plain grumpy.

7. Time Management Skills

Hey, despite my many research-backed rants on why you should spend more time with customers, the bottom line is that there is a limit, and you need to be concerned with getting customers what they want in an efficient manner.
The trick here is that this should also be applied when realizing when you simply cannot help a customer. If you don't know the solution to a problem, the best kind of support member will get a customer over to someone who does.
Don't waste time trying to go above and beyond for a customer in an area where you will just end up wasting both of your time!

8. Ability to "Read" Customers

You won't always be able to see customers face-to-face, and in many instances (nowadays) you won't even hear a customer's voice!
That doesn't exempt you from understanding some basic principles of behavioral psychology and being able to "read" the customer's current emotional state.
This is an important part of the personalization process as well, because it takes knowing your customers to create a personal experience for them.
More importantly though, this skill is essential because you don't want to misread a customer and end up losing them due to confusion and miscommunication.
Look and listen for subtle clues about their current mood, patience level, personality, etc., and you'll go far in keeping your customer interactions positive.

9. A Calming Presence

There's a lot of metaphors for this type of personality: "keeps their cool," "staying cool under pressure," etc., but it all represents the same thing... the ability that some people have to stay calm and even influence others when things get a little hectic.
I've had my fair share of hairy hosting situations, and I can tell you in all honesty that the #1 reason I stick with certain hosting companies is due to the ability of their customer support team to keep me from pulling my hair out.
The best customer service reps know that they cannot let a heated customer force them to lose their cool; in fact it is their job to try to be the "rock" for a customer who thinks the world is falling down due to their current problem.

10. Goal Oriented Focus

This may seem like a strange thing to list as a customer service skill, but I assure you that it is vitally important.
In my article on empowering employees, I noted that many customer service experts have shown how giving employees unfettered power to "WOW" customers doesn't always generated the returns that many businesses expect to see.
That's because it leaves employees without goals, and business goals + customer happiness can work hand-in-hand without resulting in poor service.
Relying on frameworks like the Net Promoter Score can help businesses come up with guidelines for their employees that allow plenty of freedom to handle customers on a case-to-case basis, but also leave them priority solutions and "go-to" fixes for common problems.

11. Ability to Handle Surprises

Despite what I had to say above, sometimes the customer support world is going to throw you a curveball!
Maybe the problem you encounter isn't specifically covered in the company's guidelines, or maybe the customer isn't reacting how you thought they would.
Whatever the case, it's best to be able to think on your feet... but it's even better to create guidelines for yourself in these sorts of situations.
Let's say, for instance, you want to come up with a quick system for when you come across a customer who has a product problem you've never seen before...
  • Who? One thing you can decide right off the bat is who you should consider your "go-to" person when you don't know what to do. The CEO might be able to help you, but you can't go to them with every single question! Define a logical chain for yourself to use, then you won't be left wondering who you should forward the problem too.
  • What? When the problem is noticeably out of your league, what are you going to send to the people above? The full conversation, just the important parts, or maybe some highlights and an example of a similar ticket?
  • How? When it comes time to get someone else involved, how are you going to contact them? For instance, at Help Scout we prefer to solve small dilemmas over chat, and save bigger problems for email, keeping inbox clutter down to a minimum.

12. Persuasion Skills

This is one a lot of people didn't see coming!
Experienced customer support personnel know that oftentimes, you will get messages in your inbox that are more about the curiosity of your company's product, rather than having problems with it.
(Especially true if your email is available on-site, like ours)
To truly take your customer service skills to the next level, you need to have some mastery of persuasion so that you can convince interested customers that your product is right for them (if it truly is).
It's not about making a sales pitch in each email, but it is about not letting potential customers slip away because you couldn't create a compelling message that your company's product is worth purchasing!

13. Tenacity

Call it what you want, but a great work ethic and a willingness to do what needs to be done (and not take shortcuts) is a key skill when providing the kind of service that people talk about.
The many memorable customer service stories out there (many of which had a huge impact on the business) were created by a single employee who refused to just do the "status quo" when it came to helping someone out.
Remembering that your customers are people too, and knowing that putting in the extra effort will come back to you ten-fold should be your driving motivation to never "cheat" your customers with lazy service.

14. Closing Ability

To be clear, this has nothing to do with "closing sales" or other related terms.
Being able to close with a customer means being able to end the conversation with confirmed satisfaction (or as close to it as you can achieve) and with the customer feeling that everything has been taken care of (or will be).
Getting booted after a customer service call or before all of their problems have been addressed isthe last thing that customers want, so be sure to take the time to confirm with customers that each and every issue they had on deck has been entirely resolved.
Your willingness to do this shows the customer 3 very important things:
  • That you care about getting it right
  • That you're willing to keep going until you get it right
  • That the customer is the one who determines what "right" is.
When you get a customer to, "Yes, I'm all set!" is when you know the conversation is over!

15. Willingness to Learn!

If you came across this article and read all the way to the bottom, you likely already have this skill (nice!).
This is probably the most "general" skill on the list, but it's still necessary.
Those who don't seek to improve what they do, whether it's building products, marketing businesses, or helping customers, will get left behind by the people willing to invest in their skills.
We love how the BufferApp team approaches this skill with their wonderful monthly customer happiness updates. The updates are public, detailed, and go through how the support team (and the team at large) handled incoming emails for the month. What better way can a start up's support team learn as it goes then breaking down their own customer happiness metrics each and every month, for the public to see?

Your Turn...

Now I need to hear from you!
  1. Which of the 15 customer service skills addressed above do you feel is most important? Are there any that I missed?
Written by Gregory Ciotti Greg ciotti   https://www.helpscout.net/blog/customer-service-skills/

Thursday 30 January 2014

Inspired Through Solutions

For some motivation is an innate sense of being. A fire that continually burns through unquestioned self belief, inspiration or the unrelenting focus on achievement. They focus on the positive and see the negatives as lessons learnt. Obstacle are seen as a challenges, the emotion of fear is wasted energy and procrastination as a cost on the inevitable. They focus on the solution as this will provide the answer to move forward and advance ever closer to their goal. For some, self motivation comes naturally but for others it takes practice, reminding and focus.

For many what inspires us is progress. When we can see the benefits of our labors through achievement, it motivates us to continue to strive. By us continuing to strive for achievement we will continue to be motivated.

What many struggle with is the self discipline to continue the fight when we are faced with obstacles that may slow or hinder our progress. Obstacles are only as large as we sometimes perceive them to be. There are answers to every problem, sometimes many answers, but it is the focus on the solution that creates the opportunity for progress.

It is the ability to train your mindset to see everything as an opportunity and the ability for advancement that will inspire you to be self motivated. Always seek the solution and never allow yourself to be burdened with the continual thought of the problem.

This does not mean to ignore the problem , but to source the root of the problem and solve it. Create operational or strategic changes that inhibit the problem from re arising and continue to move forward.

"The problem is a by product of the past, the solution is the answer to progress".




Monday 20 January 2014

Personal and Business Growth - Relationship for Success

Many business owners who struggle to expand or maintain growth in their business see market forces, demand or external conditions affecting their performance. What they fail to see is the most crucial factor to success in business - Adapting to change.
The market, technology and instruments of business are ever changing. Refer back to even ten years ago how businesses and the market operated and compare it to today.  We have seen revolutionary changes in business and market strategy in only the last five years and this continues ever frequent as innovation continues to flourish.
Technology has been a integral part of this revolution. The internet, social media, mobile technology, communications, cloud storage and many more innovations have provided an opportunity for us to work smarter and more effective.
Technology has opened opportunities that was once thought to be only accessible to the financially affluent. Information, ideas, tools and expert advice are freely provided through online social platforms allowing the opportunity for better informed decision making, strategy and operations.
What many business owners fail to do is adapt to this opportunity and change as it challenges their comfort zone. "For a business to grow and flourish, we as individuals must grow with it". We must be open and willing to accept new ideas and view it as a necessary process for success.
We must continually challenge and expand our comfort zone by allowing ourselves to adapt to change. It should be viewed as a goal to expand and grow as an individual, as science fiction becomes a reality.
Logicus Training Solutions - Training and business consultants (www.logicustraining.com.au)

Thursday 16 January 2014

We need to clarify is the definition of competence in the training sector.

I think what we need to clarify the definition of competence in the training sector. What level of competence are we gauging? Does knowledge and theory with minimal practical experience deem you competent in your chosen course?
Are we overstating the obvious that competence comes with experience over time (12 -18 months), with repetition. What we deem competent in the training world is theory based competence. I feel we tend to over dramatise the term competence by overstating its definition.
Logicus Training Solutions - Training and business consultants (www.logicustraining.com.au)