Information repositories

I had lunch with some former, now retired colleagues yesterday - some of whom I knew well, and others less so. What I found astonishing (though I should not have done) was their collective knowledge and wisdom.

Don't forget resources that exist - even though they are not 'packaged' as you might normally expect.

Re-learn ..... often!

The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn
Alvin Toffler

Businesses too have to be flexible. Expect - and deal with - change. Have your staff ready for change by keeping them updated about your products, your business environment, your customers. If they can't cope, its because you didn't prepare them well enough.

Find the 'wow' factor

I am just about to change my mobile phone. Contracts on iPhones are more than I can justify ... but I do like my technology. So, I'm going for an HTC hero (all of the same features as an iPhone but without the same price tag). It definitely has a 'wow' factor and I'm quite excited ... over a mobile phone.

What does or could excite YOUR customers about your products or services. What, for them, constitutes the 'extra mile' you have to go to move beyond simply being 'good'.

If you can identify and then deliver that factor, you've got a good business. If you can't, you will always have to struggle.

(For those out there like me who are technology/gadget freaks,
take a look at:
http://www.htc.com/www/product/hero/overview.html )

When?

I am writing this post while 'house-sitting' for my son who is at work but had to be able to let in the gasman coming to service the heating boiler. Hence my presence. The lesson ... you have to make your goods and services available conveniently .. or surround them with additional services that handle the inconvenience. What about charging less for those who can give you access to their premises in daytime hours? What about ....

No, you have to solve the problems for your business . Just think about what your customers need, and then think about how you can give it to them.

Not all doom and gloom

During the downturn/recession/slump (choose your own word for the economic crisis) sales of productivity tools have held up while sales of entertainment gadgets have declined significantly. So if you make monitors, printers, projectors, scanners, telephones, and/or storage devices you should be happy … but by contrast, if you make items like music players, digital cameras and DVD players then you are likely to be waiting for ‘the turn’. The moral - understand your products/services, understand the environment in which you are operating ... and understand the linkages between them!

Is it pure?

I have a bottle in front of me which purports to contain "Ethical Pure Apple Juice". I hope it is doing some good ... and I am by buying it .... but the message must be to keep an advertising message simple and uni-functional. Otherwise it becomes counter-productive.

Too many tips

If you are reading this, perhaps you read lots of internet business tips. Perhaps you read too many! It might depend when and how you read ... it is in your leisure rather than working time, isn't it?