Advising, Consulting and Mentoring Greater Houston area business since 1986
May 2015
 
   


 
From The Editor...     

 

A+++

May is the month when students prepare for final exams. In some cases the grades they receive on these final exams could make a difference in whether they graduate, move on to the next grade, or are held back and repeat a year. Most of us are glad those days are over --- or are they? If you are in business, your customers are grading you every time they buy your products, use your services or call your business. In some cases you know what your grade is because you will hear from your customers either positively or negatively. Those times when you don't hear anything but never see the customer again should make you wonder, what happened?

Here are a few tips for you to consider to help you prepare for that customer grading. Call your business and see how the phone is answered and how you were treated. Have an associate do a mystery shop of your business and report back to you what the experience was like. Have a third party service do customer surveys. Do some comparative shopping to check your competition's pricing, delivery and customer service. Make sure all your employees know exactly what you expect from them.

 

If you need help in preparing for the grade your customers will be giving you, seek the advice and guidance from an experienced business advisor, consultant, or mentor. Before you take your final exam, contact a Silver Fox Advisor.

 

We encourage you to visit our Website at www.silverfox.org or www.silverfoxadvisors.com to select a Silver Fox Advisor and also to learn more about the Silver Fox Advisors, our Associates and their businesses, as well as our great programs and community outreach endeavors.

 

 

Richard T. Hendee, Editor

The Silver Fox Advisor

Tips For How To Have A Good Assistant

By Harlene Anderson, Ph.d and a Silver Fox Advisor

Most bosses depend on a right-hand-person to support them. Whether you are in the "corner office" or the owner of a small business, having the most effective assistant is one of the most valuable assets you can have. They will help you be more efficient and productive by helping you generate a positive work flow, schedule meetings, work with clients, and run your office as flawlessly as possible. But how do you get the "right" person? Many bosses think it's in the interview/hiring and to a large extent it is. You, however, are the key to having a good assistant: taking the time to explain your work style, expectations and their worth, as well as learn about their expectations on the job, will be time well spent and will help you save time and company dollars without having to cut corners to meet goals. 

Here are some tips to best maximize your assistant's talents and potentials, regardless of your office size or your position. In my consulting and leadership training experiences, I continually received positive feedback on how these tips have helped bosses and their assistants develop positive working relationships, creating a more productive, effective and successful office. You're the boss, so take the lead.

Seven Tips, Plus One


Read more...
 

Avoid The Tired, Trite Terms

Encourage Original Thought.

Focus on Priorities and Strategy.

By Hank Moore, Corporate Strategistâ„¢

Words count. Put together, they reflect corporate culture. Used out of context, words become excuses, gibberish, rationales and basically wastes of energy.

When people hear certain words and expressions often enough, they parrot them. Rather than use critical thinking to communicate, many people often gravitate to the same old tired catch phrases.

I sat in a meeting of highly educated business executives. The presenter was dropping the term "brand" into every other sentence. The word had lost its power and came across as a fill-in-the-blank substitution for a more appropriate though. Many people used to do the same thing with the word "technology," using it far from its reasonable definitions.

These clichés do not belong in business dialog, in strategic planning and in corporate strategy. These expressions are trite and reflect a copy-cat way of talking and thinking:
 

Read More... 

"If you are not willing to risk the usual you will have to settle for the ordinary."

~ Jim Rohn



 

 

Silver Fox Advisors 

 

Silver Fox Advisors are current and former business owners, entrepreneurs and executives dedicated to assisting business owners to improve their enterprises through mentoring and consulting. Advisors have been sharing their knowledge, experience and skills since 1986.

To work with a Silver Fox Advisor, please visit our website at  www.silverfox.org and select your advisor.

Books by
Silver Fox Advisors
  

Several Silver Fox Advisors have written books sharing their business experiences and expertise. These books contain information that you may find helpful to you and your business. We encourage you to visit our web site and click on the Resources link to find a listing of all books that are available.

 

This Month's Featured Book 

 

 

 
 

Lunch & Learn

Thursday, May 28, 2015

  

Speaker: Robert C. Robbins, M.D. President and Chief Executive Office

Texas Medical Center

                 

Topic: "The Future of the Texas Medical Center"

 

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Silver Fox Advisors  713.467.5900  executivedirector@silverfox.org