June 19, 2013

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Avoiding 3 common sales traps

May 15, 2013 Leave a Comment
Gabor Holch

Gabor Holch

Sales people are having a tough time these days. A poor economy makes people and companies spend less, while providers of goods and services push harder (as they may also be running low on cash). And when you become pushy, that’s when people take a step back – perhaps towards a competitor who does something differently.

The worst thing you can do in a crisis market is to do the same thing as you did before, just push harder. For sales people (just like for investors), the hard times are a chance to try smarter strategies and build lasting partnerships.

[Read more...]

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How smart phones kill smart meetings

May 21, 2012 Leave a Comment

Gabor Holch

“They are neither listening nor contributing – they are just playing with their phones!” This complaint did not come from a school teacher, but from a top-level executive at a Fortune 500 firm who attended one of our communication courses.

15 years ago a boring meeting was full of long and uncomfortable silences. Today, you hardly notice the lack of ideas. The comfortable clicking of keyboards can make us forget when the meeting is a complete time-waster.

Here is how smart phones can make your meetings more stupid.

[Read more...]

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Good communication is half silence

July 6, 2011 Leave a Comment

Gabor Holch

Did you hang up on an unsolicited cold caller recently? Of course you did.

The reason why you hung up was not their product.

In fact, most cold callers do not even have a chance to introduce the product. The reason is that they did not start by listening.

Whether you use it for sales, leadership or conflict management, effective communication needs a careful balance of ‘speaking time’ and ‘listening time’. The ideal ratio is 50-50.

[Read more...]

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Webinar: Meetings as Teamwork

July 3, 2011 Leave a Comment

Are meetings an essential part of work or major time-wasters?

[event_signup display_till="Sep 16, 2011" event_date="Sep 15, 2011 4-5:30 pm CST"  venue=Webinar (Online workshop)" charge="EUR 23 or RMB 200" event_name="Meetings as Teamwork"]

Of course, it depends on how you plan them, prepare them and conduct them. The average office worker spends 25-30% of her time in meetings, yet we all too often have bad feelings about the time we spend there, because:

  • People turn up late or/and unprepared.
  • Meeting participants do not have the necessary information to make decisions.
  • No one seems to be in charge of results.
  • The main outcome of the meeting is that you scheduled another meeting.
  • No one follows up on suggestions and decisions made at the meeting.

Sounds familiar? Then it is time to think about the 3 fundamental questions of meeting management: Who? What? When?

[Read more...]

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3 deadly enemies to email efficiency

May 27, 2011 Leave a Comment

Gabor Holch

Have you done your emails today?

Emails were designed to make communication efficient, but by now they became the problem.

A busy executive or administrator may get hundreds of emails in a day. That is far more than one can read, digest and reply with a clear head. So what do most busy people do? They flag the messages, or make a mental note to act on them later. Then, emails start piling up. Yesterday’s emails keep you from replying today’s mails, and last week’s important mails become a major source of stress.

If the above problem is familiar, it is worth rethinking whether you need those hundreds of emails every day.

Emails are like food – If you cannot digest it, you should not have it. Here are my top 3 tips for cutting down on emailing time and stress. They are not very sophisticated, but they work – if you follow them consistently.
[Read more...]

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Make Meetings Effective: Assign team roles!

December 13, 2010 Leave a Comment

You often wish meetings were more (much more!) efficient. Everyone does.

The average office worker spends around 20% of her time at meetings, only to find that too much of the meeting time was wasted. When I mention the word “meeting” to my clients, almost nobody gives a positive non-verbal response (smile, raised eyebrows or leaning forward), as they would for the word “holiday”. The usual reaction is a facial gesture that says ‘Oh, here we go again about meetings!’.

What is the problem with meetings? If we need them so much, why don’t we get our act together? If we do not, why do we keep spending our time there?

[Read more...]

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EU Chamber Business Ideas and Solutions Fair, Shanghai

November 5, 2010 Leave a Comment

Great news for small or medium-size business owners: the EU Chamber in Shanghai created a fair where exhibitors and visitors actually have time to speak to each other. The idea: business owners bring their ideas and challenges, while service providers bring their expertise. The fair is a forum to talk in detail.

We will be there at the Grand Mercure Hongqiao (369 Xian Xia Road) between 2 and 6pm, and do what we always do. Come along if you need new ideas or solutions related to:

  • Creating a business strategy
  • Strategy deployment
  • Leadership skills or methods
  • Communication skills and practices
  • Corporate social responsibility

Door charge is RMB 100, free for Chamber members.

Click here to see the details on the EU Chamber’s site.

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What keeps you away from being a good listener?

May 9, 2010 Leave a Comment

“Are you a good listener?” If you are, it is not only an accidental characteristic that makes people around you happier. It is essential for business as well. White-collar workers spend 30-50% of their time listening to others. Well, sometimes they spend that time pretending to listen…

If you are a good listener, you find out about opportunities sooner, you find it easier to convince, influence and motivate people and it is even easier to sell. After all, you know what people’s hopes and worries are. And that is all you know to motivate them, lead them or sell to them.

but what keeps you away from being a good listener? Here are three common challenges:

[Read more...]

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Campanile-Active Selection Event Targets Listening Skills

May 29, 2008 Leave a Comment

More than 20 HR Managers, business owners and the global leaders of Active Selection were treated to a demonstration of the importance of effective of listening skills in business.

Participating managers and enterpreneurs all agreed that lots of valuable information gets lost every day in organizations every day by simply not paying attention or forgetting quickly. This results not only in the repetition of tasks but more pressure at work as well. And the usual response (put everything on paper, send detailed emails!) is hardly the way to save time and decrease pressure.

The learning event shared a few practical tips from CBC’s “Negotiation Skills: Strategy and Tactics”, which help professionals make their listening skills more efficient. Skills included how to make notes without losing focus on the other speaker and how to deal with counter-opinions better.

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Cross-Cultural Negotiation: Strategy and Tactics

February 27, 2008 Leave a Comment

Negotiation between different cultures is no longer for travelling business people: from a call centre to the GeneralManager, everyone is working in an increasingly international and intercultural environment. With the growing number of multinational companies and international business opportunities, you may soon find yourself working with different cultures in your own city.

An insufficient understanding of how people are different and act differently can undermine trust, waste time, cause unnecessary frustration and hinder the success of present and future businesses. Negotiation is about results, and preparing for the cultural environment can be one of the most decisive factors for your success. [Read more...]

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