Money is unlimited but time is not.  So when you have a decision to make in regards to money and time which one is more important?

I watch people negotiate on a number of different paths of their wants to save money and to get a good deal.  That is not only because they value their money, but they also realise that to get money takes time.  You hear people say “I have worked hard to achieve this, it has taken me a long time”.  That is a statement in reflection of the time it has taken to create wealth, to purchase something that means a lot to an individual.

Sometimes however people get that concerned about money that they lose the capacity to judge its value.  In essence they lose the meaning of time.  There is one clear message to realise is that money can be re-earned, time cannot.  How much time people spend on negotiating and dealing in direct proportion to the result that they have achieved in time can sometimes be wasted money 

How valuable your time is when you are using it to build wealth will only be determined by whether you believe you are better at creating wealth than you are at defending the wealth that you have got. 

Time is a much greater asset than money.  The only thing I know is that money can’t buy time.

This is one of the key areas of a leading businessperson.  So much of our business success rests on the ability of us individually to make proactive client and sales related calls.

I admire business people and salespeople who have the ability to be routine in their follow up with making phone calls.  They build trust, they build confidence and ultimately they bond the relationship.  So why do so many sales orientated people not follow up?  It is linked to perceived failure and also involves self talk regarding the call before the call is made.  The best way to get around call reluctance is to either have a set script or to have three set questions.  When you go to a call centre there is no call reluctance.  Why?  Because the caller has a set script to work from and the call becomes routine.  It is easy to do, you know what direction you are heading and you know how the call is to be finished.  Most of us are not call centres, most of us are people in business trying to generate more business. 

When we establish a routine in making phonecalls then we are guaranteed that business will be generated.  In the cycle of the sales process there are two parts to making telephone contact.  The first is where you are calling a client to either establish a relationship or to sell a product.  The second part is the follow up call to either ascertain where the business is up to or to close the business.  Making telephone calls is the fastest way to generate new business and to make appointments.  Going from part contact to full contact is the reason why we make phonecalls.

Three things to remember to avoid call reluctance: 

1. Set a routine time every week to make your calls.
2. Know who you are going to call and what you are going to call about.
3. Promise that you will be making a follow up call.

With these three components making phone calls will be successful. 

PERSONAL TIP : If you are serious about phone contact get yourself a headset you will find they have many benefits for you.

On a global scale we understand what is meant by environmental change.  It requires all of us to be conscious and to play a small role together which makes a big impact collectively. 

In the industry that I work in salespeople have an environment choice.  They work on commission only and so unlike any other industry there are always jobs available in real estate, it is just a matter of where and who with.  In business leaders have a certain degree of attraction and people join individuals first, but they also look at the environment around them – where are they going to be spending the majority of their working hours and how will it impact on their ability to maximise their own personal productivity?  I see many real estate offices, a better description would be real estate office environments.  Some are very good, some are average and some are tired and lack energy. 

If you can make an environmental change to your business it can be done in such a small way, positive livery, ensuring significant light into your work areas and having where possible a reception area that reflects the standards of your business.  I thought about this because recently I was in a real estate office that was tired and a customer came in and was looking at the displays and you could see them looking around and making a visual judgement on this business, then they walked out.  The environment of that real estate office was not friendly and was due for a business environmental change. 

What small changes can you make in your business to make it environmentally attractive and productive?

These were a series of questions sent to me through Alexander Communications regarding my business travel experiences.

This is due to be published in The Independent next week.

What are the best/worst airports – and why?
Auckland – based on the fact that I know it; the short-cuts, check-in counters and Customs.  Delhi airport is the worst – there is no APEC; it’s ciaos as you come through and baggage takes at least half an hour.  I do know however that they are building a new airport which is understood to be the biggest in the world, hence why it probably isn’t so great now.

What is the best/worst hotel/accommodation – and why?
The Westin in Shanghai.  It’s centrally located but one of the few hotels that actually has an area around it, which is unusual in such a heavily populated city.

Your best/worst hotel experience? (eg. Did you ever get stuck in a lift for 12 hours, or find your hotel was actually a brothel, or have your best wool suit shrunk by the laundry service?)
The worst hotel was a capsule hotel I had to stay in because of a plan diversion into Hong Kong. A very unusual experience – I probably know how a morgue feels.  It had a very claustrophobic feeling to it.

Best/worst airline for service – and why?
Emirates.  The feeling is very calm on their flights; unobtrusive service and they seem to rely on the passenger to be the best judge of their behaviour.
The worst airline is Dragon Air.  Two reasons for me personally; firstly, I don’t understand Chinese and secondly the age of their planes seemed to be more dated than most other airlines.

Which is the best airline on the Tasman (NZ-Australia) route?
Air New Zealand is the best airline for the Tasman.  They have a number of services which makes flying easier and the process quicker.  They have very much lifted their processing points across the Tasman route to now be the best.

Which domestic airline do you rate best?
Air New Zealand is the best domestic airline.  The introduction of the e-tag Fast Bag and their valet parking services takes them to the top of the list.

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Over the last 15 years I have been in New Zealand our company has had varying opportunities with other companies.  One of the very first of these opportunities was in Christchurch where we looked at a business that had its geographical presence just in Canterbury and we went through and did a lot of work and because of the nature of the opportunity their company also looked into how we ran our business.  The deal didn’t happen.  About a year later one of the people from within the company that we were in talks with used information that he had gained through this period for his own personal commercial advantage.  From that day forward I began to understand about confidence, trust and commercial sensitivity. We did successfully go on to complete another opportunity with the Kent Prier Group – they we the epitome of trust.

Our business has grown progressively over the last 15 years.  We have taken doubled our marketshare to new record highs through our current membership and organic growth.  The business we are in has had an has a lot of competitors.  Over the years different competitors have had varying degrees of success with their model.  Some of our competitors are no longer here. 

When you get to a certain level in business (generally leadership) you must look for opportunity.  It is part of growth and the way a business evolves.  When you look for opportunity, you have to talk to people within your own company and those in other companies and in doing so respect of the information that you have learned for your own benefit is of the utmost importance. Ice and thin ice.

Recently I became aware of another company who have passed information onto their members about a commercially sensitive discussion and for the second time in my career I find myself questioning some of those who are at the leadership level of business.  The best companies build their reputation through their leaders.  The key leadership qualities that are known are trust, confidence and the ability to see the big picture.  A couple of questions arise for me when I deal with people in regards to opportunities.  Firstly, can I trust them?  Secondly, do I have confidence in their ability to focus on opportunity rather than gain? And, do I know that they can look beyond the deal to see the growth? 

Across the world of business those who can fit these categories will take their companies from good to great.  Those who don’t understand trust, confidence and commercial sensitivity will find their businesses losing opportunity and amongst those that are dropping in marketshare because when it all comes down to it, it doesn’t matter what the colours are or what the brand is, the leader reflects the business.