Professional Services

I recently received an email from a business acquaintance who had somehow come upon the book I coauthored and published in 2010 (CoDestiny: Overcome Your Growth Challenges by Helping Your Customers Overcome Theirs). His email explained that he and his firm were grappling with the challenge described in the case study in the book’s first chapter, namely that of capturing value from innovations offered to customers who seem to care only about price. His email included the following observations:

Established in 2010, Poswa Incorporated (Poswa Inc.) is a progressive law firm, which specialises in providing services across all aspects of commercial law, including the structuring of transactions, negotiation and drafting of agreements, legal opinions and legal due diligences. Through specialist insight and personalised service, Poswa Inc. focuses on tailor made legal solutions that broaden business horizons.

1. Question the status quo

Much of the current emphasis on innovation seems to concentrate on new sectors capable of bringing about significant social and economic change, from mobile telephony to digital technology. As a result, sectors that could be classified as mature and which are seen as generating little in terms of innovation are given scant regard.

We all know that good leaders set the direction for a company, as US clergyman and leadership guru John C Maxwell put it, “A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way.” But how do these leaders define their mission in the first place and set the right goals for their business?

Leaders need to think big, in order to create a compelling vision, using plenty of imagination and creativity to consider the future business strategy.

We all know that the job market can be tough and competitive, so setting yourself apart from the crowd is vital.

Once you’ve got past the first hurdle of being invited for interview, the second is getting through it without saying something you’ll live to regret.

Here are ten things you sould definately avoid saying during an interview.

Business leaders strive to achieve a consistent growth in their business and entrepreneurs may find that there comes a time in their business life where their enthusiasm and ambition need to be bolstered by the infusion of the hard headed realism which experienced management talent brings.

Zimkhitha Zatu (30), who holds a responsible managerial position in the finance department of South Africa's largest cement manufacturer, believes that women who enter the construction industry should keep an eye out for male counterparts willing to become mentors. “You will be surprised by the number of male employees who are always willing to mentor their female colleagues and help them to make a success of themselves in this hard industry,” says Zatu.

Spam emails can not only be annoying, but can also waste huge amounts of professional time and therefore incur massive costs for businesses.

As scammers become more sophisticated their emails are becoming more realistic, and it’s becoming increasingly difficult to discern these con artists from genuine emails. However, by following a few simple rules you can minimize the risks.

The Winter Members’ Meeting of the Institute for the Study of Business Markets focused on the theme of “customer experience”. Leading academics, business researchers, and practitioners from best practice companies provided what I found to be clear evidence that attention to the many factors that determine the quality of your customer’s experience with your firm has a positive bottom-line payoff. It was remarkable how often customer loyalty and purchase decisions were influenced by “little things” that are often overlooked.