Working with a client recently I was asked what did I think is the key to motivating people. The business had a very clear commission structure, however the MD was struggling with engendering team spirit across the front-end teams.
I have been brought up in business to understand the simple fact is that all people are motivated to a degree, but it is up to the Leader to recognise whether their team is motivated by achieving targets they have been set, or by something else, something less tangible. Simple, trite even, but nonetheless true. Throwing money at people only works so far, assuming of course that there is fair pay for a fair’s day work to begin with and that targets are SMART!
The highest performing Global companies undergoing Business and Transformational Change are those whose leaders intrinsically recognise the motivational needs of their team, and reward by:
- Appreciation – Thanking their staff sincerely and on a regular basis when appreciation is deserved
- Recognition – Seeing and acknowledging what team members have achieved and contributed
- Encouragement – Instilling confidence to their teams and individuals to be bold, to take calculated risks and not to be afraid of facing challenges that arise
- Empowerment – Communicating openly with their teams and engaging them in decision making, whilst giving them the tools to achieve this
- Delegation – Delegation is the key to the success of a team, and must be done in a supported, unambiguous and structured way – delegation is not abdication of responsibility. Effective delegation will free up the Leader’s time to focus on his/her own goals, and will develop more self-confidence in the delegates to achieve even more of their and their team’s goals
Speak to us today if you’re interested in a fresh approach to Leadership and Motivation for your people proposition and Business Transformation.
Author Kate Mutter-Bowen
Working with businesses of all shapes, sizes, & cultures, I always find it fascinating the “step change” you see in a business when you get people really working together as a team.
Those that get it really right always seem to have some common characteristics that I admire in great businesses & which I can really empathise with:
Common Characteristics
The leaders in the business:
- Create & encourage an open culture that inspires creative thought, innovation, & an energetic environment.
- Embrace & drive empowerment
- Everyone’s opinion is valued & welcomed equally
- Each department respects the expertise & experience within others
- Divergent & contrasting viewpoints are hard fought but consensuses reached are supported & collectively driven forward
and “yes” these very same businesses often tend to be the same top performers in:
- Customer Advocacy results
- Staff Advocacy results
- & business growth & profitability
That feels like a business model and culture I’d buy into …
Speak to us today if your interested in a fresh approach to engaging & developing your people proposition & enhancing your Customer Experience.
Author Derek Findlayson
Making the right choices is key, as it can either make or break your business. Get it right, & the futures very rosy, get it wrong and it can be very painful …
The word on everyone’s lips at the moment in the broker market seems to be “Acquisitions” but why is it some get these “so right” & others get it “so wrong”?
Well first of all, getting it right is not necessarily easy, particularly in a vibrant market. For some it’s new territory, for others it’s the latest of many. If it’s your “first”, it can feel like there’s a myriad of things to think about. If it’s your “latest”, you may be wondering why was this one a success and that one a disaster.
So let’s strip it back & simplify it. From working with a range of acquisitive businesses across, brokers, insurers, software houses, & data providers, those that do it well & in a sustainable way that works importantly for both the businesses involved & the people in them, tend to have a few things in common:
- They have a tried & tested acquisition strategy & due diligence process
- They invest the time to make sure the fit’s spot on … with a particular focus on:
- Getting the Cultural fit & alignment right
- Shared Values & beliefs e.g. focus & passion for customer service
- They have a clear strategy in place and a clear plan to bring it alive
- They understand their business inside out with real clarity on:
- The profile of their customer base
- Their customer proposition
- What they do well
- Where they could improve
- and where the right acquisition could add additional value & skill-set
They have access to the right resources to successfully manage change and integrate the businesses at the right moment in time
Making the right choices is key, as it can either make or break your business. Get it right, and the future very rosy, get it wrong and it can be very painful …
Speak to us today if your interested in a fresh approach to helping you identify the right acquisitions and having done so, get the most out of them.
Author Derek Findlayson
Being privileged to work with a range of great businesses across the Insurance sector, from Insurers, to brokers, to software houses, to MGA’s, we’re often asked “What do you mean by business intelligence?”
Today’s fast paced world has introduced a plethora of new buzz words that energise some, & strike fear into the hearts of others – from ‘forward” & ‘backward” KPI’s, to dynamic data, to big data, but for me what really matters is:
What information can you gather that will give you an insight into “How you can enhance your customer experience & through this your customer proposition”
Those businesses that put their customer journey at the heart of the business intelligence & insight they gather, tend to be:
- The businesses that are at the forefront of innovation
- Top Quartile when it comes to Customer Advocacy
- Top Quartile when it comes to business results
Why is that?
Well, it’s pretty simple really, they’ve made that transition from focusing on management information to “what do you do with that information” & what new information & insight do you need to gather” (Business Intelligence).
Those that get this really right join the loop between:
- Continuous Customer Feedback
- Smart & insightful use of data
- Thought Leadership based on real & meaningful insight
- & Customer Centric experience based Innovation
That feels like a great environment to be part of to me whether your a customer or a member of the team.
Speak to us today if your interested in a fresh approach to using business intelligence & insight to enhance your Customer Experience.
Author Derek Findlayson
Someone in the Insurance market asked me the other day, what does it take nowadays to deliver a “great customer experience”?
That got me thinking about a number of things:
- How do I want to interact with my Insurers(s) & service providers?
- What would really meaningful interactions & consumer engagement look & feel like?
- What would my children say?
It prompted me to consider what really matters to me, as a reasonably “tech savvy” consumer:
I want my Broker & insurer(s) to focus on understanding my preferences & behaviors whether that’s:
- Communicating with me through my preferred channel of communication (in my case digital)
- Using data that I choose to share as a consumer to understand what information might be relevant to me, or that I might be interested in … In other words, I’m happy to be engaged with if it’s relevant to me
- Time is important to me, so I want to access all of my insurance & protection needs in one easy to access place rather than having to go to a plethora of places to find/organize the products & services that are both important & relevant to me.
Doesn’t it feel “archaic” in today’s world that this is hard to achieve.
From speaking to a spectrum of colleagues in the industry it seems I’m not alone … indeed, the feedback from my children, took this even further. They expect to be able to interact with their insurers via their tablet or mobile, & will actively be influenced by social media activity & commentary when it comes to fulfilling their insurance needs. So if you haven’t already done so, move your thinking from:
- Product journeys to customer journeys
- Traditional marketing to Content marketing
I read an article recently , which stated that just 2 in 5 companies understand the customer journey and adapt their channel mix according. If 60% of businesses havent invested the time to map their current & potential customer’s journey to get a holistic view of the experience from the customer’s perspective and really understand what it’s like for them on a personal level is it any wonder that there remains significant room for improvement.
Done well the customer journey map is an illustration or diagram of all the places (or ‘touchpoints’) your customers (or prospects) come into contact with your company both online and off. The map can be used to improve the customer experience through identifying how customers are interacting with you now and help you to identify areas for improvement moving forward. The best customer journey maps are rooted in data-driven research, and visually represent the different phases your customers experience.
Done well, Customer Journey mapping:
- Will help you locate improvement opportunities, as well as identify the areas where there’s a risk of dissatisfying a customer
- Brings different teams together for a common goal: the customer experience
- Drives cross-functional change involving all elements of the organisation and is not just left in the hands of the marketing function
- Not only makes customers happy but also delivers quantifiable value to the business through driving customer loyalty whilst reducing cost to serve
Customers needs & expectations are changing & increasing, & the Insurance market need to rapidly evolve to keep pace.
Speak to us today about enhancing your Marketing strategy for a business that shows real growth and development.
Author Derek Findlayson
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