The least stylish things around Christmas time are e-mailings with "Seasons Greetings". Please: Do not do it. It is so OUT....
The least stylish things around Christmas time are e-mailings with "Seasons Greetings". Please: Do not do it. It is so OUT. Send a card, or a gift, but those e-mails are nothing but: spam. And embarrasing as well.
When it comes to distribution a really poor sector for me is the business with high-quality furniture....
When it comes to distribution a really poor sector for me is the business with high-quality furniture. There are great furniture stores everywhere, but anything beyond Ikea or Segmüller only comes with endless delivery times. Why is this? Is it because the pieces on display only belong to the manufacturer anyway? The product portfolio is not very large, so a distributor in the back wings could handle it, right? It is just a matter of a drop shipment directly from the distributor to the end customer a few days later and everyone is happy.
Recently we had two chairs delivered at home - I almost refused the delivery because I completely forgot that we had ordered them a few months before. How is it that a move on short notice is possible, but your couch from Italy takes 16 weeks to arrive?
In my opinion there is a need for action here, because manufacturers lose business if they cannot deliver furniture. I have often purchased other items, simply because the product I wanted to have was not available. I have also ordered tailor-made furniture from China, because it was finished in ten days, then took only four weeks to be shipped; no furniture store in Frankfurt could match that. Our tables at home are all from one carpenter - not just because they should be different than the standard, but because we did not feel like going through furniture stores only to have to delay the changes to the living room by three months.
If any of you need an investment idea: this is a good place to start!
One can often fend off a telemarketer with a friendly "thank you", since most callers are very nice people....
One can often fend off a telemarketer with a friendly "thank you", since most callers are very nice people. I do turn evil though if someone tries to get to me with lies like "I was in the army with Mr. Spranger." (where I had never been) or "at school" (where I rarely was) or something similar.
However, there are also companies where you never get off of the list. Every week someone calls, asking "Who is in charge of your ... ".
For cases like these, we now have Mr. Neumann! Because instead of simply hanging up and still repeatedly receiving the same calls, I prefer to answer: " ... For this only Mr. Neumann is responsible. However, since Mr. Neumann is deaf, unfortunately you can only really reach him by e-mail at dirk.neumann@jarltech.de. There is no other way."
Sometimes there are newsletters that you cannot easily unsubscribe to, because you have to show interest in a specific provider. But a quick note by email, asking to please address all future messages to Mr. Neumann is polite, and the problem is immediately solved.
And lo and behold ... it works. The number of calls is less, and I do not see whether or not Mr. Neumann receives e-mails, because I have chosen a 16-digit password for him, without looking at the keyboard.
We find it funny that now also mail for Mr. Neumann comes to our office. Catalogues, giveaways and even invitations. Even this mail is not annoying, because it can be put straight into the trash can. Since Mr. Neumann is now already included in a number of marketing lists, where you can obviously not make any mention of him being deaf, several companies still call here asking for him. For example, they want to try the latest investment tricks directly from London. Of course, each caller would say that he is naturally not making an "unsolicited" call, because he has been in a business relationship with Mr. Neumann for a long time.
This just came to mind: I kindly ask our marketing department to print business cards with Mr. Neumann's contact information, which I can then use at trade shows.
It's lunch time, so I will call Mr. Neumann into the conference room, so that at least I can eat meeting biscuits in peace and quiet. And if you want to write something from the soul, simply write to dirk.neumann@jarltech.de. He is a good listener and I promise you he will not annoy you!
In the last quarter, Jarltech has again met or exceeded all targets set by the vendors, and we are pleased to continue experiencing steady, double-digit growth.
...In the last quarter, Jarltech has again met or exceeded all targets set by the vendors, and we are pleased to continue experiencing steady, double-digit growth.
What's funny is that some of our competitors who are losing revenue say over and over again during their analysis conferences: "Although we are losing revenue, we are gaining market share." Sorry, that is a bold-faced lie. But I do not have to buy your shares.
You can see where one or the other vendor on the market is losing points in the fact that some vendors again dig deep into the "promo" box in order to stimulate sales.
Leading the pack in this hustle and bustle is a large vendor of ours, who actually hurled eight "promos" with one stroke on 1 October. Plus, some of our employees are to be paid directly for the sales (which we cannot stand, because we want to decide for ourselves what products we promote). When a vendor employee wins a prize at our Networking Dinner there is immediate compliance-terror - but suddenly the companies can pay cash directly to our employees.
Or there are massive "retrospective rebates" on products which are still not selling better. Our dealers do not now go and buy 100 extra scanners if there is not a job order.
And if I lower a scanner price by 30%, then I have to massively sell more to reach a similar turnover. Of course, we distributors also preach that quarterly targets need to be reduced accordingly. Since all vendors should sell 30% more, it is quite logical that the price also is in the basement. It has taken just three days for the promos to be sent via data feed into all retail web shops - and thus the product is not interesting for a software house, since there is nothing more to earn.
Apparently, one or the other manager wants to reach for quarterly target by any means necessary - but maybe you should re-negotiate the goals realistically with your employer, rather than to give away a massive margin and to annoy the channel.
If one looks for the cause: every one of this vendor's employees which one talks to finds this promo mania completely useless and cumbersome, and nobody wants it to be "it" again. Maybe it was just a hacker from the competition, and it's all been just a stupid joke in the end.
What a party! Thank you to all of those who helped!
...
What a party! Thank you to all of those who helped!
Jarltech invites all EMEA employees to Frankfurt at least twice a year, as well as the employees of several vendors. Over the years we have perfected this event. Both bands only ran out of steam at 3am, and the last guests did not depart until 7am - in order to meet colleagues for breakfast. :)
The largest Carrera race track in Europe attracted many "children at play".
The cost for such an event is naturally enormous, especially if you do not wish to offer a pathetic buffet, but rather, reward both your employees and partners. Here and there during events held by our vendors one could ask the question "What did I do wrong?" when you see the catering.
Thankfully we gratefully receive amounts in the form of sponsorships from several vendors, although the bulk of the costs lies with us. Because of this, such an event is often controversially discussed. At the end the conclusion is always unanimously in favor of it.
We believe that a company which has 14 branches in Europe and the Middle East alone definitely needs a forum for exchanging ideas in a relaxed atmosphere. We also believe that it makes sense when an account manager of a Spanish scanner vendor has the opportunity to see our headquarters. It is also helpful for him (or her) to be able to exchange ideas with a Country Manager from the Netherlands. Plus our sales employees in Poland should know who it is packaging their orders or processing their expense reports.
After each Networking Dinner my iPhone is stuffed with new ideas from at least fifty short discussions. The most important thing to heed is my last note for the evening: do not schedule any appointments the next day!
P.S.: You will find photos and a short video of the event on www.facebook.com/jarltech
From the banking sector I frequently hear that bank managers are not reachable during their holidays....
From the banking sector I frequently hear that bank managers are not reachable during their holidays. And that with force: some banks cut off the Blackberry feed, close all email addresses, plus all access to the bank system is inaccessible for the employees. Quite drastic actions for those who want to keep working. Or for those who are not bothered by an occasional email, and who hate cleaning up 100% before holidays begin in order to hand over work assignments.
In addition, employees must obligate themselves to take two weeks of holidays at once at least once per year, or else the company will assign them a block of time.
My suspicion that this is action on the grounds of employment protection to punish achievers for their intentions is completely wrong. No - it's management that enforces this rule with all their power. For those who play with banking and client funds on the securities markets could indeed cheat the bank, or at least try to cover up what's not going so well.
The calculation is that after at least two weeks of inactivity, or takeover by a foreign representative, 90% of all fraud and concealment attempts are busted. Well then - off to holidays. Not as a reward, but because your boss does not trust you and hereby can much more adeptly check what you are actually doing.
As a side effect roaming charges for 100,000 employees are also quickly gone. In case of an actual emergency, you can even leave the hotel address :)
P.S.: My spell check says it does not know the word "holidays". I just had to laugh at that. But it was a grammatical error. Maybe I'm slowly ready for holidays.
An increase of 46% over the previous year is simply a great result....
An increase of 46% over the previous year is simply a great result. Adjust this number to the new subsidiary "Jarltech China," and still a 35% increase in order intakes remains. The result is even sweeter when you read in the competitors' reports - sometimes now over several quarters - and see declines. Thus Jarltech grows disproportionately in market share.
We are especially proud that we have continued with double-digit growth in the home market Germany / Austria / Switzerland. This area accounts for 45% of our sales.
To continue to encourage growth, we are still looking for new employees in many countries, especially in sales. The training activity continues to progress; in June we celebrated the acquisition of six apprentices in Germany.
You can find pictures of Jarltech continuously at www.facebook.com/jarltech
In the past years, I lifted off a runway about 150 times, which fortunately coincides with the number of successful landings....
In the past years, I lifted off a runway about 150 times, which fortunately coincides with the number of successful landings. Accidents in aviation are becoming less frequent, while they are moving to geographical regions that use outdated equipment for lack of alternatives.
As a supporter of aviation and as a professional pilot (don't worry, I stopped flying aircrafts myself a long time ago) I know well how difficult it is to break a modern jet. Only wilful damage, gross stupidity or abysmal training can achieve that. It's unbelievable that such things still happen, even within global aviation alliances.
Who should one travel with? I am lucky enough to mostly travel with the most secure airlines worldwide, such as Cathay Pacific, Emirates, or Singapore Airlines. But what do statistics tell? Thai Airways uses the most modern A380, Turkish Airlines was recently re-elected best airline company in Europe, and China Airlines actually comes from Taiwan, one of the most modern countries in the world. France has a long tradition in aircraft construction; yet, of all companies, Air France seemingly leaves a lot to desire in regard to its pilot training. And of all companies, it is those companies who scrapped so many tonnes of flight equipment, and who count many more casualties than many other companies. However, is ten years without an accident reason enough to change the companies training culture? Just because there is a new training programme, will the young co-pilot answer back and order a "go-around" when the "seasoned" pilot balks his landing?
Unfortunately, one does not always have a choice. It's not always possible to take the train instead of a domestic Chinese flight, besides being able to analyse whether the pilot has a good or a bad day beforehand, or whether he is overworked. What use does the statistics have when the airline only existed a few months?
Specifically in Asia, there are plenty of brand new aeroplanes, which make Lufthansa's fleet look like scrap metal regarding statistics. However, is an Airbus that was produced in China as good as one produced in Hamburg-Finkenwerder? Of course, says Airbus. If so, then it should be possible to train pilots centrally, as well as monitor crew resource management.
In my opinion, there are way too many questions that cause worry. Even Asiana never had an accident with a Boeing 777 - yet, the current case shows that the cockpit crew made elementary mistakes, only because, exceptionally, the approach didn't match the standard. That's sad.
(Now a text swiped from: SWISSCOM)
Telephone conferences are annoying.
...(Now a text swiped from: SWISSCOM)
Telephone conferences are annoying.
Sure, we are (among other things) a communications company, and a "telecon" instead of a meeting saves money, but even more, it does not just benefit us, but also our customers and the environment. Nevertheless, there are some points that should be noted:
1. A tight agenda at a teleconference is of no importance. Colleagues can indeed work as usual on other things when they are bored. If they happen to be driving, they have nothing better to do anyway.
2. Even if you have nothing to say, do not mute your apparatus, so that you can always react promptly. The other participants should be used to any background noise, plus they contribute to a more authentic experience.
3. If you're on the go, let the other participants know, although they might hear the telltale train station announcements or passing trains anyway (as the microphone remains on!). It underlines your appreciation of your colleagues and of the cause.
4. If you are currently in the train, do not shy away from discussing internal company matters on the phone. This way you can also contribute to your company's Public Relations.
5. What's more fashionable to discuss than PowerPoint slides via screen sharing in the telecon? The other participants will love it if you explain your text-heavy slides by telephone in every detail.
6. In contrast to a real meeting, it does not interfere in the telecon if you are late or leave early. You can remedy this situation by again welcoming all the participants personally and giving the reasons for your delay in great detail.
7. A summary of what was said or even a protocol is not necessary for a telecon, since we colleagues all have (well, except for those who dialed in by mobile phone) seen the detailed PowerPoint slides, which speak for themselves.
8. Even if the voice quality is sometimes reminiscent of short-wave radio because of tunnels: dialect is still ok!