Top 10 Articles

  • Decisions and Negotiating: When to Ask the Question
    For a negotiation to end, decisions have to be made. Large decisions, small decisions, important decisions and mundane decisions. The process of making decisions is what advances a negotiation to its final outcome. People naturally resist making dec.... read more »
  • Feed Em Back Their Arguments!
    Does this symphony sound familiar? You are too! Am not!! You are TOO! AM NOT! YOU ARE ALSO!! AM NOT!! Familiar? It's how kids argue. I'm sure you've tried this mode of arguing decades back. Children, when pointed out that they are "xxx", tend to ret.... read more »
  • Business Competition Best Practices: Win Loss Research
    Frequently I am asked "how do you get information about the competition?" Most people are surprised when I tell them that getting useful competitive intelligence is actually the easiest part of managing successful business competition. One of the be.... read more »
  • Updating Your Business Plan
    Business plans are not static documents. Rather, they are dynamic documents that change often. Keeping your business plan up-to-date can be a critical factor in both your ability to raise capital and your ability to execute on the opportunity at han.... read more »
  • Writing a Business Plan - What Makes a Good One?
    Writing a business plan can be a lot of hard work or it can be great fun. An effective plan can help your company to greatness. A poor one can lead you out of business. No plan is like asking to fail before you even start. Not every business needs a.... read more »
  • How to Get More Visibility, Increase Your Influence, and Get More Referrals
    Earlier today I was helping a client develop a better strategy to generate more referrals from local businesses. While that particular client owns an orthodontic practice, the ideas I gave him will work equally well in your business. Before I tell y.... read more »
  • Build Your Business through Strategic Networking
    Networking its the latest business trend. Or is it? Actually, business owners have always engaged in the art and science of networking. Only years ago it didnt have a name. Business owners would get together, shake hands, and smile and chat about t.... read more »
  • Business Referrals Should Never Be Free
    Let's say you are a small business owner or a professional such as an attorney, CPA, engineer, insurance broker, or engineer and someone gives you a good business referral that results in a sale. The referral may have come from a colleague, an assoc.... read more »
  • How to Talk to People of the Opposite Sex
    If you feel like you dont know how to talk to people of the opposite sex, you might be onto something! Men and women definitely have different ways of communicating. Learning how the other half uses language will help to improve your communication w.... read more »
  • Double Peppermint Schnapps on the Rocks
    Many years ago when I was young, attractive and a viable commodity on the dating market, I was employed as a bartender. Believe it or not, I actually went to "school" to learn this trade. I was living in Las Vegas at the time, and I decided to attend.... read more »

Author Spotlight

Derek Cheshire

Derek Cheshire Derek Cheshire is an expert, speaker, consultant and facilitator in the areas of Business Creativity, Innovation and Idea Generation. He is creator of the Innovation Toolkit, the only tool that can assess an organisation's capability to innovate before embarking on an innovation or change programme. He is co creator of workshops such as Creating The Difference, Creativity as a Business Tool, Sticky Strategy and The Idea Factory. When not working, he likes nothing better than to sample a Single Malt Whisky and drive classic cars.

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