Advice
Management Styles 101
Managers and business owners, gather round. Not sure if you realised, but we all fall into some pretty set routines with our ways of working. Some of the tasks we do can’t be changed, and we’re literally wearing paths in our carpet. Other things we do are varied from day to day – never the same.
To quote some Monty Python, “we’re all individuals” – and yet, we’ve already been ‘classified’ as to the types of managers we are. Management theories list at least four basic styles of management, plus a compliment of industry-specific styles.
What’s important about the following list of management styles is not so much in identifying which style sounds the most like you, but in looking at the other styles, to see if there could be benefits to you, your staff, and your business.
Why don’t we push the envelope?
A tricky question this time around – why, with the best of intentions, do we stick with what we know, rather than trying to expand the horizons of our business? There’s nothing wrong with a quick recharge of the batteries, or doing a little bit of navel gazing before ploughing onwards and upwards… But if you’re not exactly firing on all cylinders, how to you get back into gear again?
Domain Names 101
What is a domain name? At it’s most simplest, a domain name is a signpost, pointing the way to a location on the internet where web sites, email servers, or other internet services are located. It’s an address that’s human readable and hopefully memorable.
Finding your virtual salesman
This month is a weird topic, but stick with me: the challenge to you as a business owner is to find yourself a virtual salesperson. Let me explain. A *virtual* salesman is a person who is not employed by your business whatsoever, but has a vested interest in actively telling others about your business, your products, and the wonderful service you provide. The trick is in finding them.
MyTwitBook – a parent’s guide to social media – Part Two
Last month, I outlined what social media is, and began to give you, the parent, a quick primer on some of the big players (if you can’t get a hold of last month’s Bellarines Best, just head to rebusiness.com.au for a quick recap). We covered SMSs, MySpace and the wonderful world of Blogging, but we saved the best till last…
MyTwitBook – a parent’s guide to social media – Part One
Part One: Baby-boomers, Gen Y, Gen X, Gen *whatever* – one thing I know for sure is that the generations are slowly becoming separated by the tyranny of new technology – more so by the pace at which new technology evolves. For parents, the issue is two-fold: 1) where are my children going on the internet? and 2) what harm/good my children be able to do?
Psst… what’s the password?
Passwords, PIN numbers and security access codes – they seem like the bane of 21st century living. It’s so easy to forget which combination goes with which web site or with which credit card. Remembering passwords is almost a skill in itself. But with more and more of our lives going online, the first and foremost line of defence against unwanted intruders is the strength of our passwords.
Bowing to a higher authority
I’d suggest that as an individual, we don’t need to be able to amass 100% of the skills we need all by ourselves – in fact, we simply can’t – and that apart from the odd moments of epiphany, we gain our skills and experience by absorbing information from other rich sources – our own stable of mentors. So – who are my own ‘rich sources’ of pure gold? Who are my mentors? Let me introduce you to a couple…
So, what do you do?
Just like the bad pick-up lines from days gone by (shudder), your opening line to a prospective customer can sometimes be a make-or-break thing: it’s the first opportunity you have to get across what you do with a bit of passion, and a bit of flair. This first contact is often called the ‘elevator pitch’ – if you only have 30 seconds to explain your business to someone you’ve never met, how would you do it? All it takes is a little navel-gazing, a little pre-planning, and some guinea-pigs to practice it on… Ready? Let’s take a quick look!
How to turn web visitors into web customers
In 1943, Abraham Maslow proposed his “hierarchy of needs” – food, safety, love, respect & acceptance – a series of 5 levels that were the building blocks for every human’s existence. In 2009, I’m proposing a new set of 5 ‘needs’ to be able to turn a web visitor into a customer.