Tag: Housekeeping

A thorough legal clean up of the company several months in advance of going to market removes the risk of having your dirty laundry...

"Innovation" is a woolly beast. It has many disguises and aliases. To get face-to-face and down and dirty with innovation is no mean feat.

Being the first mover can offer some advantages but does it determine a company's success?

Every organisation has a culture. Spend time observing the day-to-day goings on within, say, a medical practice, a law firm, an airline and a fast food franchise, and you will notice some stark differences. While each business might have common objectives - serving clients, generating profits - it is very likely they go about these objectives in vastly different ways.

One of the great misconceptions about patents is that they can only be obtained on an invention of a tangible item. However, patents can also be obtained for how a business function is performed, provided certain criteria are met. These patents are known as "business method patents".

For small-to-medium sized enterprises, it takes more than just a well-rehearsed sales pitch to catch and keep the eye of a cashed-up suitor.

For small-to-medium sized enterprises, it takes more than just a well-rehearsed sales pitch to catch and keep the eye of a cashed-up suitor.

It's not news that the number of eyeballs searching for products and services online is growing rapidly. But you're possibly not aware of just how rapidly growth in internet commerce is occurring.

Don't be caught unprepared if a journalist calls your office requesting an interview. Preparation is the difference between good publicity and bad publicity. Here are some simple things you can do to maximise the outcomes of a media interview.

While it may be heretical to some, I believe great leaders are made, not born. Undoubtedly, there are those among us who inherited certain traits that naturally lead them to leadership roles. But any individual with the right character, willpower and discipline can become a great leader.

For anyone who has ever been part of a team working late the night before a tender document is due, you’ll appreciate the...

It's a concept that has taken on many names in recent times, including buzz marketing, viral marketing, word-of-mouth, word-of-mouse and stealth marketing. Whatever you call it, the concept is simple: using customers to create a conversation about a product or service.

It's a concept that has taken on many names in recent times, including buzz marketing, viral marketing, word-of-mouth, word-of-mouse and stealth marketing. Whatever you call it, the concept is simple: using customers to create a conversation about a product or service.

While sometimes apocryphal, start-up failure rates tell a sombre story: most start-ups don't see their third anniversary. This high attrition rate has many causes, but a primary factor is poor cash flow management.

Your strategy is your objective for the pitch and the tactics and specific actions you employ to achieve that objective. A great way to get the objective clear is to imagine the pitch is over and you have won. If, at the company's next board meeting, the selection committee were asked to succinctly explain why they selected you, what would they say? We call this The "Board Room" Statement. For example, your Boardroom Statement might be: "We selected them because they had good ideas and enough experience to do the job, but more so, a level of enthusiasm and desire to work with us that none of their competitors could match."

Direct marketing is a form of advertising that requires a direct response from the consumer. This includes mail, catalogues, advertising, telemarketing, direct selling and email initiatives that are delivered directly to the individual.

Being the first to react to changing customer needs and preferences is often the difference between business success and failure. Witness, for example, how quickly Sony lost its early dominance of the portable music device market to Apple, which responded faster and more innovatively to demand for digital audio devices.

So, you've selected a great brand and have started to build consumer awareness and loyalty in it. And, of course, you've done the right thing to protect your rights in the brand by registering it with IP Australia. Your work is finished. Right?

J P Morgan, the famous American Industrialist, said: "People do things for two reasons... the right reason and the real reason". Understanding the real reason can be the ultimate point of differentiation when pitching for business.

Public speaking is a core business skill that's often not taught in any business course. Many people avoid public speaking and don't understand the importance of using presentations to help build their business. Here are some tips to help you plan and deliver a presentation with impact.