Sometimes closing the deal relies on no surprises popping up during sales presentations, writes Trey Morris, vice president and senior consultant for the Center for Sales Strategy. Morris writes that presentations should address business needs and client pain points, as well as focus on the return on investment for the price.
Top-down approaches to business transformation often fail to generate lasting results, with only one in eight transformations succeeding as cost-cutting is prioritized over fundamental operational changes, write Michael Mankins and Patrick Litre of Bain. Effective transformations require a balance of insights from the middle layers of the organization, the pair write, offering advice about how to lean on middle management to complete successful transformations.
BMW's first attempt at an electric vehicle, the i3, was met with disappointing sales when it debuted in 2013, but BMW is now outpacing Audi and Mercedes-Benz in EV sales. The automaker, which redesigned its EVs to resemble its internal combustion engine models, features a lineup ranging from the iX1 SUV to the i7 luxury sedan.
Leaders can make themselves unnecessarily anxious by focusing too much on negative thoughts that lead to all or nothing conclusions or over-generalization of situations that prevent them from seeing opportunities and solutions, writes LaRae Quy. "If we practice a more balanced way of analyzing outcomes daily, it helps to dial down our level of anxiety when confronted with a more threatening situation," Quy notes.
More jobs are the reason the US economy is growing faster, as people who find new, often better-paying jobs tend to spend more money. Fifty-seven percent of workers hired in the last six months increased spending after they got a new job, according to a ZipRecruiter poll.
Leaders can maximize their executive team by hiring top talent (and quickly letting them go if it isn't working out) and being willing to make unpopular decisions for the good of the company, says Owen Tripp, co-founder and CEO of Included Health. "It's actually about setting a moderate tone on something and just being pragmatic and practical, which isn't necessarily going to drive a lot of engagement," Tripp says.
Too much positivity in business in the form of "Ursula Upbeat" type employees who engage in wishful thinking can make leaders miss emerging dangers, writes Adam Hanft, CEO of Hanft Ideas, who recommends balancing optimists with some "Debbie Downers." "We must widen our definition of diversity so those who are genetically wired to fight rose-colored cognition have a visible and honored place in the enterprise," Hanft asserts.
American Airlines plans to offer "Flagship Suite Preferred" seats in the front row of its premium cabins, offering a little more space and more luxurious amenities, while all of its Flagship suites will offer privacy doors, Bluetooth integration and wireless charging. American is also upgrading its bedding and amenity kits, with different levels of luxury for business and premium economy passengers.
Publishers are testing a new TikTok feature that would allow them to add links to organic videos, with the hopes of getting their social media audiences to their websites. However, many are cautious of how well the feature would accomplish this goal, since the platform is designed to keep people in the app.
A new ant species discovered in Australia has been dubbed Leptanilla voldemort in a tribute to "the antagonist in the Harry Potter book series, Lord Voldemort, a terrifying wizard who, like the new ant, is slender, pale and thrives in darkness," according to University of Western Australia scientists. Lead author of the study, Mark Wong, describes the ant who must not be named as "surely a predator, a fearsome hunter in the dark," who preys mainly on soil-dwelling centipedes.
