When hearing someone putting czech nation down by saying “We are not self-confident. We can’t make our way through” my reaction is “Please, speak for Your-self”. “We are not self-confident” is not heard only in pubs during small talks. I heard this from a top class czech entrepreneur during his keynote speech. What a shame. Yet I think our real problem is the way we perceive an importance of decision making. Let me expain this.
There is a scientific study that proves that if anyone has an option to change his decision afterwards he is automatically less satisfied with that…
Yesterday when I was travelling home by train two young guys who seemingly finished their shift in a factory sat down next to me. I was wearing a suit. There was an apparent differnce in our dress-codes. I was reading a book about angel investing while they sitting crosswise were exchanging wood blocks being happy they could have taken them for free from a factory. A lady sitting crosswise to me was having fun of the whole situation. I was surprised they were not complaining about anything what I would have expected. …
Some poeple say “to risk means to make stupid mistakes”. Others say “who doesn’t take any risk doesn’t get anywhere”. Our experience and mind say “Too risky, don’t do that!” Our heart whispers “Try it!”
A mind resp. science through Daniel Kahneman’s words says that people are extremely sensitive to a possibility to lose something in comparison to a possibility to get something. Dan Ariely amends that with a proof that all of us want to have a back door, spare option “just in case”. We are literally obsessed with it.
Anyway there are many activities where there are no…
Would You marry someone You’ve only seen once at a party? I suppose not (even it may be an adventure). You’d probably consider such act as foolish and imprudent.
What about business decisions? Nobody would expect imprudent decisions there. I mean — nobody would call it this way. Then You can’t wonder if You see a company founded by two guys who’ve met 14 days ago at a networking. Newly hired employees during their first interview. Employees being promoted because they’ve insisted on it. A discount given right after a customer asked for it. Radical change of sales strategy because…
Do You remember Your last experience when You’ve been disappointed during Your purchase? Your expectation was not fulfilled. Maybe only by 10%. Your meal looked like on this picture, Your shipment was late, Your new car got broken the second day or You got stuck in a cableway (like me a few weeks ago). To hear an appologize should be a matter of course. Unfortunately not even this is a standart.
Whoever failed customer’s expectation shall know that he owes something to him. That’s the way a customer feels (even he does not say). It is necessary to compensate. Or…
Many times I have heard that somebody knows this director, that company owner, that celebrity etc. At interviews many sales people sell them-selves through declaring they have a huge network of contact (as it is written as a requirment in the ads). My question is: Is it really that important to have contacts? Does it have the crucial value? Let me fasten this with two examples:
- An interview with a sales candidate: “So You have a lot of contacts. That is great. What if I tell You just as an example that for our company with our product Your contacts…
I almost never drink a beer. If ever I do a non-alcoholic #birrel. It tastes great. I don’t ask where does this taste come from or how did it get there. I simply enjoy that result. In business and sales however I prefer exactly opposite approach.
Whenever someone comes to me to show off his new contract I immediately congratulate and share his enthusiasm. At the same time I feel a bit ill at ease as I know I may calm down his gladness with a few following questions. …
I see it almost every day. A teacher criticizes his students, a manager criticizes his team. Internet forums are full of haters and trolls.
Our great Jaromir Jagr says: “A praise is pleasant. Critique is necessary” and I would sign this any time. Obviously there is big difference between constructive critique VS just a critique. Everyone can criticize anything. That is easy. Unfortunately that brings no value except compensating personal complexes or satisfyign criticizer’s ego.
If someone wants to give constructive critique resp. feedback the first he shall build is a trust and a relationship with that person. At least…
My favourite quote from G.B.Shaw says:
“ Progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything.”
We talk to each other, read articles, hear opinions. And we have always two options:
- We can take that thing we just saw or heard, think about it, try to figure out what is there for me, how it can help me and how can I amend it so that it works for me. If there is nothing for me we just leave it there and continue.
- Or we don’t think about it and start figuring out why it is stupid instead. Why it can’t work. Or we can even state it is total…
Technology changes today’s world, our lives and sales, too. Very soon there will be no need to use a sales guy to find out how many cokes does a fuel station need to order. This position won’t be even called with a word “sales” and will be done by drone or an app.
Collection of customer needs data is being done more and more automatically. Big data, algorithms, cookies, social media etc. Yet a purchase decision is and will remain emotional. One exchanges a freedom to spend money on anything for a concrete thing, wich is hard to give back…
Kristian Gambiraza
CEO at STARTUPRISES, Startups Mentor
