Blogs & Articles

Make no mistake if you're making the transition from team member to manager, everything is about to change. And that includes the way in which you conduct yourself and behave in the presence of others in the workplace.

If, as a business leader or sales manager, you've ever looked at your workload and thought 'there just aren't enough hours in the day' the chances are that you may not be managing your time as effectively as you could be. The modern work environment is invariably fast-paced and busy and an inability to manage time properly can result in stress, lowered morale and a decline in productivity.

The blanket term 'lone worker' covers a multitude of different employment scenarios; lone workers are not merely self-employed people who work from home. In fact businesses of all sizes may employ staff who fit the definition of lone workers, from the salesperson on the road and travelling alone to the single security guard who protects business premises overnight.

Conducting a SWOT analysis of your business is a practical means of obtaining baseline information regarding the factors both internal and external which may either hinder or facilitate prosperity. The beauty of SWOT as an analytical tool is that it is very simple in concept and use, yet provides extremely valuable insights which can be used as the basis for a robust business strategy.

Stress in the workplace can affect anyone - whether you're a manager, salesperson or team member. Any number of circumstances can contribute to the creation of stress in the workplace: business change, increased workloads, unfamiliarity with a new job or environment, conflict between teams or employees, performance issues, the list goes on.

Just as there are two sides to every story, so there are two parties to every sales negotiation: the seller and the buyer. There are seemingly countless techniques and strategies that can be deployed by the salesperson in order to strike a deal and close a sale, but what about the buyer?

No salesperson worth their salt wants to miss an opportunity to increase the revenue from a sale. Upselling is an invaluable technique whereby the salesperson invites the customer to buy further items which enhance or are closely associated with the initial purchase.

Repeated short-term absenteeism can present a problem for any business, but particularly for smaller companies with fewer staff. The ability of managers to deal with persistent short-term absenteeism in a correct and appropriate manner is essential, but this is an area that needs to be handled carefully.

The modern workplace is a truly diverse environment in which teams of employees may be comprised of people from different ethnic, cultural and social backgrounds; different ages; different genders and different levels of experience. Leading a diverse workforce is not without its challenges, but managers who can embrace diversity and possess the skills needed to shape employees with varied backgrounds into a cohesive and productive team are those destined for long-term success.

The modern business world is very much dog-eat-dog thanks to the globalised marketplace opened up by the internet. For a business to survive it must be compelling to customers and competitive. The keys to long-term survival and profitability include knowing your core customers inside-out, aligning your business strategy to their evolving needs, and being fully commercially aware. This means looking at the bigger picture: the factors affecting your industry sector, what your competitors are up to and how your business ranks alongside them.