Devant Limited commercial contract and negotiation specialistsWe enable businesses to make the most of their commercial relationships and maximize opportunity.Devant gives businesses the tools to deliver better margin from new sales, structure and negotiate more profitable deals, manage risk and drive more value from their relationships with partners, suppliers and clients, so they can resolve disputes quickly and positively.
Creating a Business StrategyOn a scale of one to ten, having a good business strategy rates about a fifteen!
No matter what kind of business you have -- whether you sell products or a service, as the saying goes, "if you fail to plan, then you're really planning to fail
Writing A Business Plan What Makes A Good OneWriting a business plan can be a lot of hard work or it can be great fun. An effective plan can help your company to greatness. A poor one can lead you out of business. No plan is like asking to fail before you even start.
Improve to Lead: A New Leaderhip Phrase Phrases like “walk the talk” and “lead by example” are commonplace management and leadership language. These phrases provide frameworks for discussion on effective leadership. That said, I want to make the case today that it is not enough in today’s marketplace to simply “walk the talk” or “lead by example”.
Change: It Doesn't Have To Be So DifficultWhy does change appear to be so difficult? Because our status quo seems set in concrete and we don’t know how to go about making changes unless we have some assurance that a new comfort will result.
Differences Between Products And ServicesWhat are some of the main differences between products and services? And when are these differences relevant?
Franchise Outlet Training and New HiresOften in franchising, franchise outlets will have turnover of key personnel. They may seek the services of the franchisor to train the new employee. In some cases franchise or training of managers may actually be required to be done by the franchise himself.
You're the Expert, You Fire Him!Family businesses are always a challenge. Despite our best intentions, baser emotions often rear their ugly heads, distracting us from what's truly important. One of those emotions is entitlement. In this article, I'm sharing a story about one family and their struggle with entitlement in their business.
DOD Contractor Dumping Practices and TacticsThere are anti-dumping laws in the United States but still it occurs, as one company enters a new market they will lower prices in a price war prone position and take it in the sorts just to get their butts in the door. Where is the most common market for this to occur?
Lean Manufacturing is Alive and Well in the Small Batch EnvironmentA view of how lean manufacturing techniques can be used in low volume, high mix environments to generate business improvements and permanent change.
Five Steps to a Successful CRM ImplementationFor the professional services person, some iterations of CRM may be confusing - many are slanted toward automating customer service operations. But never fear, there is a whole lot more to CRM than fielding service calls. In fact, a new breed of CRM is quickly becoming a powerful solution for professional services firms, especially those with management teams that want to leverage firm-wide intellectual property to grow their client base, improve productivity and maximize profitability.
Why Change Management Training is Essential for Your CompanyMost companies will face major changes in their organization. To help the transformation process go more smoothly have your leaders engage in change management training. Read on for more.
Change in Four Steps: How to Make Effective Changes at WorkWhy is this the third time you have set this goal? You know how to set goals. Where is the problem? It could be that you have no plan for accomplishing this change. How can you expect to accomplish this without a new approach? You can’t.
How to make 5S work - Part 1As most employees actually want 5S, you need to involve them in the work. If you do this right you will not just get a better running operation, but also motivated employees eager to continue with the change process.
Managing Change: The Three Laws for Successful TransitionToday’s organizations are struggling with the fast pace of change. In spite of the massive amount of words that have been written on managing change, many organizations still seem to be going backwards. There are some simple yet powerful lessons to be learned from thought leaders of the past. See how you can apply one such lesson to kick-start your current change program.
Change Management Checklist – Give Your Change Program a Quick Health CheckHow is your change initiative going? Whether you are implementing a new local accounting system in your department or your organization is embarking on a comprehensive culture change program, it makes sense to take a breath and review how you are traveling. Here is a quick eighteen-point checklist that you can use on your current change project to determine areas for improvement.
The People Factor: Collaborative Decision-MakingWe all generally get the 'doing' just fine: we know how to introduce strategic initiatives, how to begin the implementation process, how to offer our people 'change management' programs so the new systems (or whatever) are up on time and do what they are supposed to do.But how do we help our people adjust, and do a competent job, when we are asking them to simultaneously work with new people, new technology, new vocabularies, new outcomes, and new job descriptions – and aren't teaching them how to juggle all of that while maintaining their daily job requirements?
Buy-In: What Is It? And Why Is It Important?Buy-in is sought when an adjustment – often for logical, necessary, or profitable reasons - is required within the status quo. It can be a mission statement change, or a new software solution, a new team member, or a new initiative, for example. While the impetus for the change may differ, plans for implementation seem to be predicated on the basic belief that buy-in can be achieved, and a new set of actions agreed upon and carried out, once a logical, congruent case is made for the requested change.
The New Feudal Society: How to Prosper in the Coming Age of Poverty and PrivilegeAre we are entering a New Feudal Society? As an example of what is occuring in our national economy, median househould income (adjusted for inflation) topped-out in 1999 and has been declining ever since. It is now 3.8% below the 1999 peak. This is unheard of in the post World War II era. This is in addition to substantial rising benefit costs to employees. In this environment the new lords will be those people who can quickly discern, adapt to,and exploit the unpredictable movement in the turbulent flow of life
Change Management versus Resistance - Stop Resisting!Change is good. That's a fact. Most don't like change. Also a fact. so how must we "manage" change such that it impacts us all in a positive manner?
Do You Need a War Room? Life in the Command CenterThe War Room or Command Center has its origin in military and technology environments. But businesses, other governmental and non-profit organizations have all adapted the command center concept. This article outlines the key elements of an effective command center regardless of the type of organization or intended purpose.
Going For Growth: Debt, Rate-of-Return and RiskAll businesses make investments in both plant and equipment, and also in their employees. Depending on the type of enterprise, some businesses will have more invested capital than others. No matter the type of business, the primary question remains the same. The question is - what is the purpose (or goal) of any business investment? The answer - the purpose of any investment is to increase the net worth of that investment. The question then becomes--how to finance it?
A Successful Organizational Marriage: Cultural Integration is the Secret to a Successful M&AM&A activities bring about significant change involving employees, organizational entities, systems, shareholders, customers, and many other stakeholders.
Companies that want to expand, strive to acquire businesses that enhance their product portfolio and secure additional employees with specialized skills. However, many companies enter into M&A activity without recognizing the impact on the organization and the overall impact on the human element within the two merging companies. M&A activities that are improperly managed can result in lost revenue, customer dissatisfaction, and employee attrition.
Managing Change: Principles for SuccessDespite the wealth of books written on the subject of change management, many change initiatives still go off the rails. A rule based guidebook approach is no longer enough to ensure success in today’s complex environment. By living out certain key change principles, you and your team will be able to fill in the gaps and provide a much needed human dimension to organizational change. Find out what core principles you need to adopt and model for your change program to make a positive impact in your organization.
Attention! Using Projects For Guiding Change - Small Versus Large OrganizationsThere are many similarities between large companies on one hand and small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) on the other hand. Many concepts that may have been developed for large organizations are applicable for small businesses.
Large organization could benefit from (forgotten) methods that are used by small businesses. Especcially when dealing with change.
Golden Rules of Problem Solving – A Great Tool to Help Dissolve Those Management Problems1. As a manager do you feel isolated?2. Do you experience problems, whether it be staffing, policy, communication etc on a regular basis with no one to discuss them with?3. Do you have a thirst to meet with like minded individuals who are committed to finding solutions?4. Is the glass half empty or half full?5. Do you think every problem/issue has a unique and elegant solution?
Turnarounds: From the Oval Office to the Corner OfficeThe headlines recently have focused on how the replacement of President George W. Bush’s chief of staff may serve to salvage the President’s second term. His new chief of staff has set an agenda, made announcements and started lopping off heads, so to speak, in a very public way. This is not too different from what has happened at corporations during turnarounds. Whether looking at financial institutions, industrial companies, airlines, consumer goods companies or telecommunications giants, the visible dynamics are they same.
Learn, Teach, Market, and Sell Business OwnersBusiness reality demands that you are conversant in the language of business - or your credibility will suffer, and you may not be hired in favor of someone who can "talk the talk".
Ten Signs That It is Time to Sell the Family BusinessA Business Owner's Toughest Decision is deciding to sell. In many cases he ignores some market dynamics that fortell difficult times ahead. Those difficult times often result in a significant drop in the value of the business. This article will help you identify some of those signs.
Convert Ideas into GrowthIdeation is the flow of ideas that can be converted into growth on a consistent basis. Ideas for new products and/or services can come from two places: inside your organization or outside of it.
