“Elementary my dear Watson."

In business, I think expecially in sales, working is more and more trying to find out new opportunities: and quickly.

"Running to stand still" is infact the biggest concern.
Going around to find new business JUST to fill up the reductions coming from other areas that are suffering due to the business environment.

You may say, it's better to stand still than to go back but, from a purely motivational point of view, to see a double digit growth is the best fuel for everybody's self contiousness. On the other hand, seeing that all your work has brought a mere 3% is like someone cutting your tyres.

The business approach therefore is therefore quite moved towards the "new opportunity analysis" than towards the optimisation of the current contacts.
We are more and more becoming a sort of detective seraching for evidences and things that could change the game.

And what's the best detective ever if not mr.Sherlock Holmes?

I picked up some hints from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's novels that could give us some pieces of advice to focus your magnifying lens.

'You see, but you do not observe. The distinction is clear.'

Quickly is the key word in today's business scenario. Doing things quickly means, most of the time, doing things "AS WE HAVE ALWAYS DONE". So, first of all let's stop and observe what we can do better or in a different way. Improve the efficiency and the effect of your work.

Data!data!data!" he cried impatiently. "I can't make bricks without clay.”

We are flooding into datas. We can see things in thousands of perspectives and, unfortunately, this means a lot work because there's always someone searching for the different angle to see the numbers. 

"If you have a watch you know what's the time if you have two you are always uncertain". So let us find the right datas to look at and distill all the info out of them. Data are necessary to understand where to go and what to expect, too many datas are dangerous.

"The world is full of obvious things which nobody by any chance ever observes."

First look into close to what you have always done. There are a lot of companies looking for big changes, big investments and new ventures.
These are clearly good things to do and part of a develoment strategy that can ensure a long term result (maybe) but are quite time and menpower consuming.
Quick and reliable results can sometimes come from places that you thought were not interesting.

“Elementary my dear Watson."

In reality there is no novel where Sherlock Holmes said these words but, everywhere in the world, this is one of his typical quotes.
Having said that, these point seem elementary and obvious but, when people are stressed and desperately looking for some solution, they often loose the calm and pragmatic approach that is necessary in these cases.

That's all for this week.
See you soon and enjoy today's "POST SONG"; U2's "Running to stand still"