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18
Jul
Read MoreWhich is more important – fee or relationship?
A while ago I was thrust into an interesting situation. A long-term commercial client of mine had asked me if I could recommend a specialist tax consultant for some advice that he needed regarding a pending transaction. To cut a long story short, I recommended a senior tax specialist to my client and the two of them started to meet to plan & discuss the project at hand. The first meeting went well and then things fell apart. Without going into the gory details, the advice delivered didn't help my client and the final bill that came was about double what the client thought the service was worth. A tax friend on one side and a long term client on the other. I was the chap who brought them together and neither was happy. Not a good situation to say the least!
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25
Jun
Read MoreWhy now is the best time for networking
Busy? Well now is the time to get out there and seek new business... It’s easy to get caught up in your own little work bubble. I’ve learned that it’s when you are busiest that you should be getting out to network. At your peaks, you should be building a pipeline (instead of leaving it till things are quiet) and making new contacts is a great way to do that. I love it when you have an opportunity to combine elements in your events. I met some amazing people while doing the CEO Sleepout last Thursday and know I will have a chance to meet some more when I sleep on the streets of New Zealand this Thursday (p.s. Kiwi readers, it’s not to late to sponsor me!). The best thing about these events is the chance to meet people while doing something meaningful. It changes the whole tone of an event when you are all there for a common purpose.
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30
Apr
Read MoreDealing with difficult people
People you deal with don’t always operate in the same way you do – what happens when you deal with aggressive, passive aggressive or just downright difficult people? I’ve just come off the back of running my month long Grateful in April campaign where the focus was on what is good in people’s lives. It’s been uplifting and my dealings have been incredibly pleasurable. Imagine my horror when I found myself in a couple of recent situations – one dealing with a person who was being incredibly difficult and another where someone was behaving in a passive aggressive manner.
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09
Mar
Read MoreShall we lunch?
For most people, the humble lunch break is time to grab a quick sandwich in front of their computer, but an enterprising group of Kiwis is set to change the lunch game. Introducing LetsLunch – an innovative new way to build your business contacts, learn tips and advice from industry leaders and make some new friends…all in your lunch break! With its origins in Silicon Valley, the idea of expanding your professional network over lunch has been brought to New Zealand by local entrepreneur, Chirag Ahuja.
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07
Mar
Read MoreHow to bug me on LinkedIn
A look at what you may be doing to annoy your connections. For some reason, when we network online, we really forget how to communicate with the person on the other end of the computer. In fact we forget that there even is a real person on the other end of the computer. Basic real life etiquette flies out of the window as we try and do everything at a trillion miles an hour to get connected, friended, followed and now pinned to as many people as possible. But slow down, connection collector, relax, and be more meaningful in your approach, and avoid some of the things that I see all too often that really bug me. If you want to develop a business relationship with your connection, don’t get off on the wrong foot.
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29
Feb
Read MoreThe power of asking better questions
One of my favourite maxims is – “If you want a better answer … ask a better question.” I love it so much it appears in the header graphic of my own blog . If you don’t believe me, just look up whatdoclientsreallywant.com. Clients are impressed by accountants and advisers that ask questions they weren’t expecting or that they haven’t been asked before. It shows preparedness on the part of the questioner that he/she has invested time and effort in understanding the clients business and circumstances. One of the best questions one can ask is “why?” If asked in the right way, the question of “why” can uncover a treasure trove of insights. There is a school of thought that claims that asking “why” at least 3 times in the one meeting or conversation can uncover the root cause or motivation behind any aspect of business activity undertaken by people both internal and external to an organisation.
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