CHALLENGES FACED BY WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS
Over the years the number of women taking on entrepreneurial responsibilities has picked up indicating a healthy trend. However despite the numbers slowly going up, there is a long way to go before many more Indian women can be convinced about the potential that can be exploited in them having their own enterprises. Many women nip their interests in the bud or give up midway not because it is hard to become an Entrepreneur but because they find their journey too uphill to remain one. Here are a few challenges that women face as they embark on their entrepreneurial journey.
PROSPECTING: KEY DRIVER FOR SALES SUCCESS
Prospecting is the engine that drives the sales in your business and unless you keep that engine tuned up and running efficiently, it’ll start sputtering, making weird noises, and eventually will break down. And like any car, when the engine stalls, it doesn’t matter how pretty the car is or how much money you spent to own it, it’s not going anywhere. In the same way, you can have the finest of clothes, the best sales gear and script that money can buy, but unless you have a well-maintained process and system for prospecting, you will never be able to drum up new business.
SERVICE EXCELLENCE – THE HUMAN DIMENSION
The essence of Customer Service is doing ordinary things extraordinarilywell, going beyond what is expected, adding value to every interaction, being at your best with every customer, discovering new ways to delight and taking care of your customers like you would take care of your loved ones.Service excellence requires us to provide a quality product or service and satisfy the needs/wants of the customer.
STRATEGIC SELLING
Most successful sellers and consultants believe that the key to their success is the ability to communicate effectively with clients, and to develop and grow strong relationships with them. They shift focus from price charged to value provided by using processes, skills and tools to sell more profitably, confidently and professionally.
THE JOURNEY OF GOAL ACHIEVEMENT
At the start of every year come the expectations to set new goals, along with the plans to achieve them. Resolutions can be a powerful tool for your success, but the catch is, once you make a resolution, you have to work to make it come true. The reason most people don’t achieve their goals is not because of a lack of ability, but more because of a lack of action and persistency. If you dream of big plans, your next challenge will be to take that leap of faith; and if you are working towards your goals, the challenge is to keep pressing on even in the midst of setbacks and obstacles.
TIME MANAGEMENT IS SELF-MANAGEMENT
You have heard people say over and over again: “I don’t have time.” The fact is that every person has the same number of hours in each day and can choose what to do with those hours. According to Benjamin Franklin, time is the stuff of which life is made. If that is true, it means that time management is no more than self-management.Start with these simple ideas to make your life a little easier. Remember, they are simple ideas, but not necessarily easy; they will require self-discipline, just as developing any good habit does.
WINNING THE GAME OF DISRUPTION
Disruption is not new. More than 100 years ago, the Ford Motor Company gave the world its first automobile which revolutionized transportation — and disrupted a number of industries, including wagon and carriage businesses, and the makers of buggy whips.Disruption is a major concern for business leaders, who worry about new rivals disrupting their business models and unsettling their industry’s equilibrium. The fear of making the wrong choices leads some companies to strategic paralysis.
DYNAMIC DOZEN STRATEGIES FOR EFFECTIVE TIME USE
Assume ownership of your time:
Most people would be surprised if someone reached in
their wallet without asking and helped themselves to the money found there. But how different is that
from letting others help themselves to your time? Take ownership of your own time and do not allow others
to make commitments of your time without your permission. It is not selfish to keep others from squandering
your time. Give your time freely when you want but don't make the mistake of undervaluing this resource,
or feeling guilty when you do not allow others to waste it. Think of a time recently when someone wasted
your time. How could you have handled the situation better?
THE MAGIC OF CREATIVITY
We are all creative. We all have boundless imagination. We always have. Unfortunately our educational system has progressively stunted that aspect of our capabilities. No educational system in the world puts as much emphasis on creativity as they do logic. Think about the number of maths and science classes you took versus the arts and humanities. Not that logic is bad. In fact, it’s a critical element of who we are. It’s just over balanced compared to creativity. I believe the lack of creativity is slowly killing business. Without creative thinking how will the engineering team discover the next breakthrough product?
RIDING THE CHANGE: PHARMA SALES MANAGERS MUST STEP UP
Sweeping regulatory interventions in the Pharmaceutical and Healthcare Industry are changing the industry landscape forcing companies to quickly re-align their marketing strategies and business operations. The Medical Council of India is clamping down through legislation on the product management and sales promotion avenues used thus far, and regulators are closely monitoring the efficacy and safety of medicines sold across the counter. And these are only a few of the challenges. The enforcement of the Drug Prices Control Order (DPCO) leading to a steep decrease in prices of several essential medicines,
RE-INVENTING THE TEACHING PROFESSION
Teaching is recognized as one of the most challenging and respected career choices, absolutely vital to the social, cultural, and economic health of any nation. It is a fulfilling profession since teachers have the potential to shape minds and influence other’s perspectives, approach and future behavior. Teaching also helps us find opportunities to learn from many young and fertile minds that have a new way of looking at things.To be able to prepare the next generation face the future with confidence, purpose and responsibility, the crucial role of teachers cannot be overemphasized.
NEW DIMENSIONS FOR PHARMA SALES MANAGEMENT
The pharmaceutical and healthcare industry is undergoing drastic transformational change. Shrinking margins, increasing pressure from regulators, demographic shifts, expiring patents, focus on generics, growth of bio-similars, addressing ethical concerns, tackling emerging markets and leveraging technology including digitization are just a few of the issues that pharmaceutical companies are grappling with.These challenges are impacting organizational strategies, systems and processes in a big way and are making it imperative for companies to have the right organizational structure and appropriate skills in place.
DRIVING YOUR BUSINESS FOR PERFORMANCE & RESULTS
Political and economic headwinds can rock an organization without capsizing it. While larger companies have the resilience to withstand the pressures of downturns in the economy, it is often the smaller businesses that wilt under the pressures of a turbulent business environment. Many business founders come up with great ideas, yet they are unable to scale their companies successfully. There are 5 levers that are needed to ensure consistent business performance that can weather the storm to eventually reach success.
JOYS OF BEING IN BUSINESS
Entrepreneurs and business people play an important role in the economic development of a nation. It is a purposeful activity that includes initiation, promotion and distribution of wealth and service. A business person is an integral part of the socio-economic transformation. It is a risk-taking activity and needs the utmost devotion, total commitment and sincerity.Success in business is not the proprietary quality of any caste or community. Many of us may possess the qualities but are baffled with too many questions and apprehensions.
ANCHORING YOUR FUTURE
Develop a systematic reading program:
My teacher once said, “You will be the same in five years as you are today except for the people you meet and the books you read”. The words you devour are more than mere ink on paper.
They become a rich, permanent reservoir from which you will continually draw. It is sad that some people earn a college degree and feel their need for “book learning” is over.
Without realizing it, their conversation soon becomes mundane and their mind settles into a predictable rut.Schedule a time every day for reading. View it as being as important as eating or sleeping – not as an optional or spare time activity.
THOUGHTS FOR OUR YOUTH
When you view India through a prism, its multi-faceted refractions are awesome, unique and partly distressing. A multiethnic, multi-religious, multilingual, multi-cultural diverse democracy, rich in its distinctive heritage — India is, indeed, captivating. Our democracy resonates throughout the world. Moreover, the way in which India has transformed itself from a colonial, agri-based backwater economy into an independent, modern, knowledge-driven one is the stuff of case studies at the best-in-class business schools the world over.
SUCCEEDING IN BUSINESS
There is a sense of liberation that comes with being in business - you follow your own rules, there are no bosses or managers to listen to and best of all you can put in all the hard work and reap the benefits. Your efforts are not just a figure on the company’s profit charts. I know people who are happy working for someone else, where they don’t have to worry about risk. They do what they are told, get their salaries, bonuses and promotions and are satisfied with that. Well considering the current global economic meltdown, even these guys would be worried.