Sales Outcomes – Random or Predetermined?

From time to time I have cause to think about how our sales operations and outcomes compare with those of our competitors.  On one such recent occasion, it occurred to me that the game cycle of a “slot machine” and the sales process are very similar!

Today’s gaming machines are microprocessor-controlled (effectively a dedicated computer) but the first slot machines were entirely mechanical. Pulling the handle started a clockwork apparatus and, as it slowed to a halt, the 3 reels also stopped. This activated a set of mechanical “fingers” which pushed through perforated metal plates on the side of each reel and the distance each finger penetrated the perforations enabled the machine to “know” what symbols were displayed on the centre line. Of course, these mechanical machines didn’t really know anything. Pulling the handle simply set in motion a train of events, the outcome of which was completely random.

Although we are very proud of how we employ the latest methods, knowledge and technology in our organisation, I rather like this old-school approach and we still apply it in our sales activities. When a customer comes to us with an enquiry, we make it our business to go through a systematic process with no presumption of the likely outcome.

By contrast, today’s “slot machines” are very different. When you insert your money and press the start button, the computer decides, in an instant, what the outcome is going to be and simply spins the reels for a few seconds before stopping them in the predetermined positions. This gives the player a perception of involvement and value. He or she would find it very unsatisfying if the reels spun to the new combination in a second!

So is your supplier a “random” or “predetermined” operator?  When you “press the start button” to begin your purchase enquiry, do you feel that the salesperson goes through a thorough process leading to your best eventual outcome? Or do you feel they have already decided what they want to sell you and their process is just a charade to give you a perception of value?

1962-2012 – A 50th Anniversary

Osmond Group Limited, the company I run, was formed in 1962 (when I was almost 7 years old). 2012 is therefore the 50th Anniversary of the business, a comparatively rare achievement in modern commerce.

As well as an opportunity for celebration, such an event also prompts reflection and I plan to spend some blog time over the coming year exploring how we used to do things, how we do them now and how things compare. First, a little background …

I am the oldest of four brothers and the company was originally established as I.S. Osmond & Sons Ltd. My father (the eponymous I.S. Osmond) obviously thought there was a dynasty in the making! In fact, one brother is now a Maths teacher, one is in the oil business in the United States and only Max, the youngest (who wasn’t even born in 1962), is also an active director, running our sister company, MSA Manufacturing.

Over the years, in addition to the ergonomics business, our corporate activities have included property development, a wine bar, a children’s clothes shop, business card printing machines, satellite TV, packaging, crafts, composite CNC machining, automotive logistics and Space Invaders. As I sometimes say, when asked for a profile, “I have been involved in running more businesses than I now have chins”!

Looking back through the archives, there are dramatic changes in technology, legislation and the understanding of workers and workplaces but our core values have remained remarkably constant. You might reasonably argue that Core Values must be constant but, over fifty years, the shape, size and activities of the company have changed dramatically and I am not sure that anyone had ever used the expression “Core Values” in 1962!

2011 Review

The WordPress.com stats robots prepared a 2011 summary report for this blog.

Here’s an excerpt:

A San Francisco cable car holds 60 people. This blog was viewed about 2,000 times in 2011. If it were a cable car, it would take about 33 trips to carry that many people.

Click here to see the complete report.

RSI or BPS?

Since we started working with Work Screen, I have become increasingly interested in the psycho-social factors surrounding the many musculoskeletal issues we address each year.  I’m not any sort of expert (I’m no more than a beginner) but I have researched the topic, attended resilience training and had many discussions with experienced professionals so I’m coming to understand more of the “bigger picture”.

What certainly seems to be the case is that, where we assist individuals with apparent musculoskeletal problems (bad backs, upper limb disorders, etc.), it is apparent that issues beyond the purely physical are becoming increasingly relevant.  At the moment, these observations are entirely anecdotal but conversations with physiotherapists, GPs and others suggest my observations are well-founded.

So how does an employer address the biopsychosocial (BPS) needs of their personnel?  Many of the people we deal with are working longer hours with fewer resources than a few years ago.  Most organisations in both the public and private sector are still cutting back or, at the very least, maintaining strict controls over costs.  As I have explored elsewhere, reduced absenteeism statistics may be concealing increased presenteeism.

Wellness or wellbeing programmes are becoming more widespread and, it seems to me, there is a clear need to provide personnel with more information and guidance to increase their resilience.  I don’t pretend to have answers – just questions!  I welcome feedback from anyone who can tell me more about this topic.  I think its relevance will continue to grow over the next few years.

TripTracker

I have been travelling quite a lot in the last month or so: even more than usual. TripTracker has been an absolute boon. If you are flying with different airlines and using properties from one or more hotel groups, it aggregates the whole lot into one reliable chronological agenda. It can even include car hire information. Simply enter your frequent flyer or loyalty account details for all providers and its agenda will pull all your travel information from their databases.  It updates flight information like gate numbers and anticipated delays in real time, often sooner than they appear on airport displays. It even notifies you when your loyalty points have been updated and shows your current balances. Brilliant! http://www.pageonce.com/travel/iphone

RSA Animate

I have seen other animations by Andrew Park of Cognitive Media but this series from the RSA illustrates very effectively how the understanding of quite complex topics can be aided and enhanced with his brilliant cartoons.  There are plenty of other illustrators on YouTube but, in my view, nothing else comes close to the quality, style and humour that Andrew offers.  The animations also condense concepts into abridged versions of the full lecture or presentation.  This RSA series covers topics that affect all our personal and work lives – guaranteed to get you thinking!

Wordle

The web site describes it as a “toy” but I think that Wordle is actually a useful (and free) business tool. It provides a quick and easy way of creating focus or finding the core message from a single document or from several concatenated together. Simply go to the Wordle web site and paste in your text from one or several documents.

Moments later, Wordle shows the word cloud it has created. Sometimes, the results are a real surprise, even for the author of the text!

3D-Printing – the Next Industrial Revolution

Mathias Bengtsson's Cell chair, commissioned for the V&A

I have been familiar with the principle of Rapid Prototyping (RP) for several years but only recently realised just how far this technology has progressed.

I was listening to a couple of recent podcasts of Peter Day’s excellent World of Business. These are entitled “New Dimensions for Manufacturing” and discuss the current state of 3D-printing (also known as Additive Manufacturing) technology. It has been described by some as the “next industrial revolution” and, it seems to me, this may be an understatement.

In case you are not familiar with the concept, there are now machines that can convert a CAD (computer-aided design) file into a 3D reality. In the same way that an inkjet printer lays tiny droplets of ink onto a sheet of paper, these machines build up layer upon (very thin) layer of epoxy to create an object from the base up. Epoxy resin is the most common material but developments in building manufacture are now using the same methodology to create building components from concrete and a printer developed at Exeter University apparently creates products out of chocolate!

Only a few years ago, RP products were brittle and fragile, and only available in a murky grey colour. By contrast, multi-coloured 3D-printed products are already in stressful everyday use in Formula One motor racing, orthopaedic surgery and aerospace. Other applications will follow rapidly as costs come down.

There are other significant advantages to the process. It is possible to create a single item which would have to be made in several components by traditional methods (so assembly is eliminated). It is also possible to manufacture products that would quite simply be impossible any other way so designers can be freed to let their imagination run wild. Perhaps most significantly, it reintroduces the viability of replacing smaller elements and extending the life of vehicles, domestic appliances and other household objects. For example, the hose casing on your vacuum cleaner breaks and, instead, of throwing it all away and buying a new vacuum cleaner, you pop down to your nearest hardware supermarket (or corner shop 3D-printer?) where they download the CAD file (like an iTunes purchase) and 3D-print it for you whilst you wait. There are no stock-holding costs for the component, it was not made and shipped half way round the world, there is no waste in the manufacturing process and you extend the life of your vacuum cleaner. There are, therefore, very significant environmental benefits and this technology also has the potential to bring manufacturing back to the UK and reintroduce the specialist corner shop.

Perhaps it is only a few years before you are able to purchase a specialist computer mouse from us and find it is delivered in the form of one electronics module and a password-link to a computer download. That download will enable you to enter certain dimensions to configure the CAD file and then your local 3D-printer shop will create the body of the mouse to fit your hand exactly.

By then, you may even be able to 3D-print it at your desk!

In the meantime, Belgian 3D-printing specialist, Materialise, is already selling designer jewellery and household products manufactured in this way under the .mgx brand and Victoria & Albert museum features 3D-printed products at its London Design Festival 2011.  More here.

Skyscanner

I have known of the Skyscanner web site and have been using it online, along with Travel Jungle, for some time to find cost-effective flights at viable times. The Skyscanner iPhone app has just been updated and is now very quick and easy to use. It offers clear choices, stores previous searches and enables the user to share flight options via email. It also links directly to airline web sites to complete a booking. The only downside is that you have to re-enter all the data into some airlines’ web sites. However, this is a comparatively small price to pay for the ease of identifying the best flight option.   (N.B.  Don’t mix this up with Sky Scanner (two words), a different app that provides an augmented reality view of flights above you).

Rugby World Cup 2011

The free app for the 2011 Rugby World Cup is a brilliant resource whether you’re a dedicated fan or you just want to find what it’s all about. As well as team information, match times and pool lists, it is constantly updated with results, videos, news, and, for statistics geeks, there’s even real time territory and ball possession data! There are versions for all mobile variants: http://www.rugbyworldcup.com/mobileapps/index.html