Aussie Rules

Yesterday I spoke to the owner of a business who was getting more than a little fed-up with the quality of clients he was attracting. Furthermore, the conversation with prospective clients always centred around cost. Time and time again, he saw the quality of his work undermined by unreasonable financial demands.

I innocently asked what made his business any different from his competitors. He responded saying that his work was always delivered on time; was absolutely what the client wanted; that he was professional in his approach; consistent with his service delivery and so on and so on and so on.

Sounds familiar doesn’t it? Chuck in a few ‘Australia’s leading’, ‘high integrity & values’, ‘customer focused’ and the like, and you’ve got every other service professional in the southern hemisphere.

Here’s the point: so long as we don’t have a real and meaningful point of difference, we only have ourselves to blame when it all comes down to price.

Splashing our services all over a website or into a lavish brochure will achieve little if those who read it forget whose website they are on, or whose brochure they are reading.

Get to the bottom of what makes you different and you’ll jettison yourself away from conversations about fees.

Take a few moments to consider when you last paid for professional services. If cost was not a major determining factor, ask yourself why. What was it about the provider that allowed the cost of services to be secondary?

Thoughts? Comments? Let me have them.

(7min 51) Click on “Play” to hear the podcast or click “Get It” to download.

Do you worry about the amount of coffee you drink at your desk each day?

Today on BTalk Australia four-cups-a-day-man Phil Dobbie asks Dr Michael Lyvers from Bond University about the impact of caffeine on his ability to think. They also discuss nicotine and other addictions that could influence how well you work.

Add your thoughts in the Talkback section at the bottom of this post.

Subscribe to BTalk Australia on iTunes.

Recently I was reminded of the role and power of visual imagery as reinforcement to our goals and dreams. I reckon it’s worthy of further exploration.

When we’re considering and planning actions that will move us towards our ideal future, we invariably have strong — though often fleeting — visual images in our mind.

These images may be directly related to aspects of our work or, more frequently, are of a life that has evolved as a consequence of change.

In other words, they may be images of a swanky new office; or of a deckchair on a deserted beach. You get the picture. Pun intended.

In precisely the way an impending holiday helps us plough through work in the weeks immediately prior, clear pictures representing a snapshot of our future provide energy and stimulus when we need it most.

So if our imagination really helps inspire and motivate us, why do these images gradually dissipate? Quite simply, because we expect too much of our imagination.

When we’re buried in some of the mundane and laborious tasks that proliferate our working life, it’s simply too much to expect our creative mind to conveniently pop up with a yummy and inspiring image.

We need to give our imagination a helping hand and to do so is an absolute doddle.

Get yourself a stack of magazines, a pair of scissors and some glue and do what every ad agency, interior designer, graphic designer, fashion designer and research company has been doing for decades…create a storyboard that sells the concept.

The concept is your future and the client is the most important one you’ll ever have — you.

When you’ve completed your storyboard, with a mass of pasted images that have some meaning to you, hang it somewhere prominent or turn it into a digital image and set it as your screen saver.

I’ll show you mine if you show me yours!

Concerned about how many brain cells you’ve killed? Don’t be, you are constantly regenerating them.

Around a decade ago, researchers put an end to the myth that we were born with a set number of brain cells. More recent discoveries show exercise is the best way to improve your creativity, thinking and memory, all vital elements of innovation.

Why? Deep inside your brain is the Hippocampus. Shaped like a seahorse and operating like an Intel chip, the hippocampus grows the more you exercise it.

Alone or in tandem, physical and mental exercises improve your brain’s performance and help delay the onset of dementia.

• High intensity exercises are better than low intensity
• Combining resistance and aerobic training gives better results
• Sessions more than 30 minutes are better than shorter
• Exercising for 30 minutes or more before a test will increase your score
• The daily sudoku, crossword or brainstorming session gives your brain a great workout

P.S. Why is memory the basis for innovation? If you can remember something that you saw, read, or discussed six days, six months or six years ago and apply it to the situation now, you will have more creative ideas and innovative solutions.

(8min 49) Click on “Play” to hear the podcast or click “Get It” to download.

More businesses are seeing the benefits of communicating with customers via a corporate blog. Depending on what you say, this could open you up to legal action from competitors.

On today’s BTalk Australia Phil Dobbie talks to Christien Corns from law firm Middletons about how to play it safe when blogging for your business.

Add your thoughts in the Talkback section at the bottom of this post.

Subscribe to BTalk Australia on iTunes.

(13min 32) Click on “Play” to hear the podcast or click “Get It” to download.

The Auditor General’s Office recently criticised Tourism Australia’s management of the Lara Bingle “Where the Bloody Hell Are They?” tourism campaign.

Today on BTalk Australia Phil Dobbie asks Matt Hingerty, the Managing Director of the Australian Tourism Export Council, for his views on the way Australia is marketed overseas and the future of inbound tourism in the face of increased competition.

Add your views on tourism marketing in the Talkback section at the bottom of this post.

See also: Air Today, Gone Tomorrow | BTalk Australia

Subscribe to BTalk Australia on iTunes.

When we talk of lifestyle, we generally refer to leisure, recreation and fun. These pursuits along with friendship, love, diet, sleep and exercise comprise our key sources of energy.

The energy we gain here is essential for the remainder of our life…particularly the time we’re at work. Like you didn’t know that.

Look closely at anyone who has truly mastered the concept of ‘workstyle’ and you’ll see that sources of energy are an integral part of a working week, not reserved for weekends.

To win at work, we must weave energy sources into every day and minimise activities that are an energy drain.

Which do you suppose is better for you and your work: A junk meal at your desk or something fresh and a short walk in the park?

The Dalai Lama — he of the oft cool sayings — sums it up nicely when he talks about having so much work to do that he has to meditate for twice as long.

Sounds good to me. What are your thoughts?

(11min 09) Click on “Play” to hear the podcast or click “Get It” to download.

The latest Hays Quarterly Report shows that there continues to be a high demand for job candidates in many sectors of the economy.

Today on BTalk Australia Phil Dobbie talks to Grahame Doyle about how this buoyant job market is making candidates choosy about the roles they take. What does this mean for companies trying to secure the right person for a job? How can you hang on to the talent you already have?

Add your thoughts in the Talkback section at the bottom of this post.

See also: Do Older Workers Have The Staying Power | BTalk Australia

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Here’s an interesting court case: a pregnant employee, who had used up all her sick leave entitlements, was given a written warning about her performance and then dismissed one week before she would have been entitled to 12 months unpaid maternity leave. Although the employer argued that her employment was terminated solely on account of her poor work performance (unreliable attendance, being behind in her workload and excessive personal use of telephone and Internet), the tribunal did not accept this version of events.

The tribunal found that the employer’s reasons for dismissal were unsubstantiated and exaggerated. There was not enough evidence to support the view that her performance was so bad as to warrant termination. The real reason for her dismissal, in the tribunal’s view, was that she had taken a lot of sick leave once pregnant, which made her an unreliable employee in the employer’s view. Terminating her employment before maternity leave amounted to discrimination on the ground of pregnancy. The tribunal awarded the dismissed employee approximately AU$10,500 in damages.

Firing employees is always a delicate thing, but for pregnant employees, employers must take special care in documenting performance issues so that they are not seen to be dismissing pregnant employees for invented, exaggerated or unsubstantiated reasons.

(17min 25) Click on “Play” to hear the podcast or click “Get It” to download.

Asking customers to work their way through IVR systems before they get to talk to a call agent can be frustrating and damaging for your brand. Speech recognition software can help the process and drive efficiencies.

In today’s BTalk Australia Phil Dobbie talks to Paul Magee the Managing Director of VeCommerce about the growth in this technology and how voice biometrics is opening the way for new efficiencies.

Add your thoughts and comments by clicking “Participate” at the bottom of this post.

Subscribe to BTalk Australia on iTunes.