High Speed Broadband Trains – More Questions Than Answers

It was recently announced that high speed mobile broadband was being introduced by some train companies and the International Data Corporation (IDC) is now raising queries about the introduction of this.

It has stated that this will fail to solve all of the problems and that there are more questions than answers.  IDC’s, John Delaney has welcomed the proposed improvements but he considers that Network Rail’s suggestions do not solve the current problem.  He stated that there is also a requirement for high-speed radio access network and he questions the terms on wich this would be provided and by whom.

He is quoted as saying “Will passengers be able to use better broadband on trains as part of their regular mobile data subscription or will they have to pay an extra fee for it?  If they have to pay extra how will competition between on-train broadband service providers be ensured?”.

He ended with a warning that these issues need to be resolved before the proposed improvement can be made.

Test the relationship
Once we have a customer that we value we are often very sensitive to anything that might put them off buying from us.
 
On the one hand, this is a very good thing, as we do need to recognise the true value of our customers and to make sure they stay with us for as long as possible. However, sometimes this can lead to us missing opportunities to strengthen the relationship and do even more business.
 
For example, many people won’t ask the customer for referrals, or raise the need to increase prices, for fear of damaging the good relationship. Our experience is that relationships become stronger for being tested, as long as they are not tested too much.
 
We have seen many examples of customer relationships coming through adversity and emerging much stronger as a result. If your customer truly values what you do, they will want to help you be successful, and they will understand that sometimes you have to increase prices.

Buying local - how important is it?

With THAT time of year very fast approaching, thoughts come to mind about were best to spend our hard earned cash. Even though it's tempting to look online, and buy on ebay, amazon and the like, this will not help our local shops to survive. It's of course not easy to find the latest electro-digital gadget in the nearby high street, or the designer handbag at the independent fashion boutique next door. The handbag might be there, but not at the online price.

The immediate effect of buying locally is that there are less travel costs involved and also no postage to pay. Internet shopping is quite handy, but there are usually a good few pounds added for postage and packing. It's also quite often a bit of a gamble buying something you can't actually see in 'the flesh' or touch. The long term effects are something we do not notice straight away, but are  made obvious when we think about what has already happened in a lot of places.

We have a catch 22 situation - the less money people spend in their local shops, the less choice there will be, the more likely it is that customers stay away. And the more likely that good local shops will close, allowing charity shops and coffee outlets to take over the town. So the downward spiral continues. It's a sight that we see duplicated more and more often in more and more towns.

Encouraging people to spend their money locally is not easy in these times when disposable income has generally gone down across the country. And people will make choices that affect them directly. Maybe it's time to see the bigger picture, at least to think about it now and then, how our buying habits affect the world around us. 

Make sure you bond with the customer before you try to sell

There’s an old saying in sales – people buy from people first. If you don’t get a strong bond with the customer, you will find it incredibly hard to make a sale. Now, we’ve known each other for a long time now haven’t we? So I’ll take a risk and say something really sexist. This applies much more to women than it does to men.
 
Most men will still buy even if they don’t like the salesman, if they really need the product or service, and it is the best deal they can get. Most women, on the other hand, won’t buy, no matter what.
 
So, in any case, and especially if you are selling to women, make sure the customer likes and bonds with you before you start your sales presentation

Eating your Frogs

Anna Roberts – Get Sorted

There’s an old saying that if the first thing you do in the morning is eat a live frog you’ll be happy in the knowledge that it’s probably the worst thing you’ll do all day.

The subtitle of Brian Tracy’s book “Eat That Frog” is ’21 Great Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Get More Done in Less Time’ and it’s well worth a read.

The idea is that if you tackle the most challenging item on your To Do list – often the one you dread the most – it’s probably the one that will have the most positive impact on your life.

Reading it got me thinking that like many people in business, what I do is help people eat their frogs. In fact, I’m often a lot better at helping people eat their frogs than I am at eating my own. This is often the case.

A recurring theme among many of my clients is one room or an area of their house that is bringing them down – what I call a ‘guilty room’. There are no particular problems with the rest of the house and in their working life these people are often highly organised. But the guilty room has become the dumping ground.

Sometimes it’s their home office – piles of paperwork that they intend to get around to sorting – and all their systems have slipped because when more paperwork comes in they just add it to the pile.

I hear:

“My heart sinks every time I pass that room/open the garage door/go into the loft”

“I want to write a book but I can’t get down to it because sorting this room is hanging over me like a big dark cloud. It’s knocked all my creativity out of me.”

“I haven’t read a book for about 6 months because I feel too guilty”

“The state of my office is making me less productive.”

Yes, I suppose you could argue that clearing and sorting that space is something they could do themselves. I often think that I could redecorate our house but actually, my free time is precious to me and calling in a professional will get it done in a fraction of the time.

The thought of redecorating a room over my weekend isn’t just a frog. In my mind, it’s a great big toad. Ok, the pay-off is great but I’d get a greater sense of satisfaction if someone else did it in half the time – and I’d have no brushes to wash out.

In conclusion, some people are better at tackling frogs than others. Certain frogs are easier to deal with - others leave people with a sense of dread. So, choose your frogs and tackle them at your most productive time of day. If it’s something you dread, call in a professional.