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Name of author Rick Baker, P.Eng.

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Thought Tweet #543

by Rick Baker
On Aug 15, 2012

Thought Tweet #543 Plan and Integrate your Sales activity: do not view Sales as a stand-alone business function.

 

The Thinking Behind The Tweet

Phillip Delves Broughton, talking about 

'The Art of the Sale', (2011) About Ron Popeil: inventor [for example, Popeil Pocket Fisherman], infomercial personality, and master salesman:

"Popeil grew up selling at state and county fairs before making his fortune in infomercials. He wrote about selling not as a stand-alone business activity but as one piece of a process that begins with great ideas, includes patents, design, packaging, pricing, manufacturing, advertising, and publicity. The greatest salesman, by Popeil's definition, understands how all these steps are integrated because he is the inventor, manager, and seller. The moment selling becomes a separate business function you're sunk."

source: copied from audio book...'The Art of the Sale', (2011)

Tags:

Sales | Thought Tweets

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Thought Tweet #542

by Rick Baker
On Aug 14, 2012

Thought Tweet #542 Who, in our community, is responsible for improving our manufacturing sector?

 

The Thinking Behind The Tweet

  1. link to recent post about manufacturing contracts
  2. Government - Federal?, Provincial?, Municipal? 
    Community - Prosperity Organizations?, Chambers of Commerce? 
    Industry - Trade Associations? 
    Industry - the various manufacturing sectors? 
    Individual manufacturing companies?

Tags:

Leaders' Thoughts | Questions?: The Art of Asking Good Questions | Thought Tweets

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Manufacturing Sector Contracts: what you don't know...

by Rick Baker
On Aug 14, 2012
Manufacturing Sector Contracts: what you don't know...will hurt you. 
 
What's bad - manufacturers in Ontario continue to leave money on the contract-table and accept the burden of a transfer of risks. We have seen evidence of this on many occasions. 
 
What's worse - we've encountered a resistance to advice on how this problem can be remedied. Frequently, we have heard responses like "That's just the way it is" and "We can't do that in our industry". 
 
What's worst - a good number of Ontario manufacturers are no longer in business, at least in part due to their refusal to accept contracting advice. Poor contracting practices - narrow-focused negotiation and industry-sector-biased negotiating - and failure to borrow better practices from other sectors has contributed to the reduction of the Ontario manufacturing sector.
 
Ontario can and will do better.
 
There's no question - many Ontario manufacturing companies can do a better job of negotiating major contracts.
 
Here are some bullet points to consider...an objective 3rd-party view on contracting:
  • When you restrict your thinking to your industry sector, or even to industry in general, you leave money on the table or expose your company to extra risk
  • When you do not know and have confidence in your differential advantage you are negotiating on weak legs
  • When you believe you are negotiating from a position of weakness...then you are [so, terminate that thinking]
  • Borrow brilliance and better negotiating practices from other industry sectors and from commercial sectors...seek out different perspectives
  • When you approach RFPs with a limited-possibilities mindset you open the door to problems
  • Major companies utilize a variety of people to explore and test contracting boundaries...not just company executives and [in-house and 3rd-party] lawyers and accountants
  • Major companies combine thorough contracting processes with creative thinking processes
  • It's time to get back into auto-sector work...but, this time use enhanced negotiating practices
What do you think?

Tags:

Borrowing Brilliance | Entrepreneur Thinking | Sales

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Thought Tweet #541

by Rick Baker
On Aug 13, 2012

Thought Tweet #541 Bad habits make no one feel good.

 

The Thinking Behind The Tweet

That's the essence, the definition, of Bad Habits.

Tags:

Habits: Good Habits, Bad Habits, & New Things | Thought Tweets

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Thought Tweet #540

by Rick Baker
On Aug 10, 2012

Thought Tweet #540 Some say, "Forget your mistakes". That's not good advice.

 

The Thinking Behind The Tweet

  1. Our brains are powerful machines, designed to remember, not to forget. Why waste brain-energy fighting the natural flow?
  2. Invest brain-energy learning from mistakes and then celebrate that learning.

Tags:

Brain: about the Human Brain | Solutions & Opportunities | Thought Tweets

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Thought Tweet #539

by Rick Baker
On Aug 9, 2012

Thought Tweet #539 Common sense: easy to see in self but tough to find in others. A pessimist said that. I have no idea why.

 

The Thinking Behind The Tweet

Or was it an optimist...

Tags:

Optimism & Pessimism | Thought Tweets

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