Fleet Management Explained

If you have more than two company vehicles, you have a fleet. As with all business components, fleets need managing and this can include a wide range of duties including vehicle financing, maintenance, tracking and diagnostics, driver management, fuel, and health and safety management. Fleet management minimises the risks associated with vehicle investment, improving efficiency, productivity and ensuring that overall transportation costs are kept to a minimum. They are either dealt with by a dedicated in-house fleet management department or outsourced to a fleet management provider.

One of the most fundamental components in fleet management is vehicle tracking. Modern technology in the form of GPS tracking devices has made tracking and diagnostics much more efficient and easier, leading to far more efficient fleet management overall. Vehicle trackers allow a fleet manager to know exactly where every vehicle in the fleet is at any given time and gives them the opportunity to plan the most efficient routes and reduce waiting time for customers. Vehicle tracking also introduces safety and crime prevention elements by allowing a silent alarm to be triggered if the vehicle is stolen or involved in an accident. This is particularly important if the fleet operates in more remote areas and can mean a far more rapid response to an emergency system. The introduction of ‘Low-Jacking’ technology also means that if a vehicle is stolen, the engine can be disabled remotely by the fleet manager and the Police can be directed to the exact location of the vehicle. This reduces recovery time for stolen vehicles and therefore the costs associated with vehicle theft.

Tracking systems can also provide fleet managers with crucial data for mechanical diagnostics including mileage and fuel consumption, speed and direction. This enables fleet managers to build up a profile of the activities of both driver and vehicle and if the driver is persistently speeding, for example, the fleet manager can then implement actions to reduce this behaviour. Speeding uses up fuel and by monitoring the average speed of the vehicle, larger fleets can make considerable savings in their annual fuel bill. It also presents a far better image of the company to the general public, particularly if your fleet is made up of sign-written vehicles or carries the company’s logo.

One very important part of fleet management is duty of care. In April 2008, the UK’s Corporate Manslaughter Act was strengthened to target company directors as well as their drivers where road accidents that resulted in deaths were caused by fleet vehicles. The Police now treat every road death as an ‘unlawful killing’ and are determined to bring prosecutions against company directors who fail to provide clear policies and guidance for employees who drive on company business. Vehicle tracking systems incorporate software that can build up a profile of a driver’s habits, so enabling fleet managers to monitor behaviour on the road and just how safely company vehicles are being driven. Part of fleet management is also the essential maintenance of fleet vehicles, ensuring that every vehicle is roadworthy before leaving the depot. Diagnostic information provided by vehicle tracking systems can make this task much easier, preventing vehicles that may be faulty or dangerous from being used. This ensures that a fleet manager’s duty of care to both the public and their employees and drivers is maintained at the highest level.

Fleet management is a complex and far-reaching position and is far more than just knowing where drivers and vehicles are or occasionally checking the oil levels in the fleet vans. With the assistance of modern technology such as GPS devices or vehicle tracking systems, that job has now become much easier.

The Difference a Holistic Business Approach Makes

A holistic business approach is a relatively new concept that is increasingly being accepted by the business world. To be a business that uses holistic techniques, it means that the entire organization is considered in its processes and policies, as opposed to focusing only on its specific components. By using the holistic approach to running a business, you will make certain that your business is running at its full potential, as opposed to simply having strong areas and weak areas.

Holistic approaches to business, such as the increasingly popular Six Sigma business strategy developed by Motorola, involve the consideration of the entire business situation instead of only a single time or portion of it.

In order to implement such a process, many businesses choose to reach out to professionals for help, with consultants such as the Six Sigma Champions and Black Belts who will help different team members to see the organization in an entirely new light.

This thinking isn’t simply “out of the box”, but instead it believes that it removes the box altogether. In this sense, holistic business strategies allow business people to develop entirely new mindsets and beliefs about their companies and their roles within them. Dramatic improvements are made to help to maximize the potential of the business, and then take full advantage of that potential.

This type of business strategy is considered by many experts to be fundamental to achieving the successes that are desired. To reach the right goals, a proper foundation must be laid, and according to many, this foundation is a strong holistic business strategy.

The training for a holistic business strategy doesn’t involve only a handful of an organization’s team members, but will instead involve the entire team. After all, since the entire basis of a holistic business strategy is that the entire company and its situation must be considered in order to achieve success, this is only possible if the entire staff of the business is functioning on this same level.

If you are curious about implementing a holistic business strategy in your company in order to bring about its full potential, your first step is likely the internet. Have a look at the different holistic options available. Six Sigma is among the most accepted at the moment, but there are many options out there that will allow you to get the most out of your business and have it perform at its highest ability.

What Can An MBA Do For Your Career?

It is not enough that we do our best; sometimes we have to do what is required – Sir Winston Churchill.

An MBA helps you acquire the broadest range of people skills and a perfected set of proven management skills in addition to helping you develop your thought processes. An MBA also prepares you for positions of leadership. Simply put, an MBA helps you become a leader with appropriate leadership tool set. Once you get these things under your belt, which is the essence of getting an MBA, the things such as making the “right career move” and “achieving your goals” all fall into their logical place.

What Does An MBA Teach You?

An MBA helps you by broadening your educational horizons. As an MBA you are looked upon to lead teams and carry out the goals of an organization. MBA’s are routinely called upon to implement tasks that require both strong leadership skills and vision.

1. Personality Development: The general aptitude that one has developed during his or her undergraduate studies will need to be translated into management ability. During the course of MBA studies, students learn various aspects of business activities and the intricate nuances involved.

2. Leadership Ability: Leadership abilities are not limited to those who born leaders. The characteristics of leadership such as composed nature, analytical abilities, an eye for detail and identifying winning strategies are instilled during the course of MBA. A manager is looked upon as a leader having vision and ability to lead from the front and by example. Six Sigma Professionals often have as much, if not more, leadership potential than newly-minted MBA’s.

3. Domain Expertise: An MBA is supposed to be a person of resource. If for example, marketing is your chosen field for MBA, you will deeply study the science of marketing and selling consumer and capital goods. This goal is also achieved by studying the psychology of the market as a whole as well as consumers. As an MBA student, you will also study how to quantify the market, budgeting and how to manage corporate finance.

Characteristics of an MBA

There are several attributes of an MBA. But the critical one which differentiates an MBA (or any good manager, for that matter) from others is the understanding of the difference between choosing a conventional approach and a radical approach, on a case by case basis.
In addition to this, through an MBA you will learn the intricacies of planning, goal setting, and interpersonal skills (being a team player). You will identify the importance of building relationships with your employees; creating a good working environment, developing intuition, commitment and discipline. This list also includes work culture, competence and the ability to delegate tasks.

What Does All This Do For You?

Brainstorming, which is the mainstay MBA training, teaches the techniques of developing great ideas and strategies. But more than that, apart from your academics, you learn composure, empathy and team building skills which are all the qualities of a good manager.
Large corporations are looking for more and more MBAs for their senior positions not because others are incompetent, but because MBAs will have learned things that would take years for others to learn without going through a formal MBA program.

The 7 Reasons New Employees Fail

When a new employee starts with your company, the first few months are like a honeymoon period. You and the employee are getting to know each other, working out what makes each other tick and the employee is learning about your business.

During this period, both sides work out if they are a “fit” and if the employee is not working out, then their employment is not confirmed (read – sacked).

Almost 100% of employees start a new job with the hope of doing the right thing and being successful in the role. They genuinely want to build and support your company.

So, why does it often not work out?

What I am going to say may sound harsh. In my experience most failures during probation are squarely the fault of the manager and the company. The top 7 reasons new employees fail are:

1. Incorrect recruitment. You grabbed the first person breathing who looked at your job and didn’t really match their interest, attitude and skills to the position.

2.Incorrect induction or no induction. You didn’t explain the company and how their particular role fits into the bigger picture. You were not welcoming. You didn’t explain basic internal processes and rules and the person broke the rules.

3. Unclear communication. You were not clear in explaining what had to be done, in what order and for what reason. If you are fuzzy, what hope has a new employee without your experience of the business have of getting it right?

4. Muddy management reporting lines. Does your employee know who their direct report is or are they getting torn between different managers telling them different things?

5. No explanation of the code of conduct. Did you explain what acceptable and unacceptable behaviour was?

6. Poor performance management. When they were going off track, did you take time to bring them back gently on track or did you just nuke them? Did you give them feedback that there was a problem, or did you just sack them?

7. Changing boundaries. The person was hired for one position and you changed the role and duties after they started.

There will be the odd occasion where a person genuinely doesn’t care, but these are less than 1% of all new employee failures.

If you find that you are having a number of new employee failures – then go back and check out where the problem really lies. You usually will find it is not with the individuals hired, but with the person doing the hiring.

So, what do you do about it? When you have a vacancy, start by being really clear on the role you want to fill. What precisely will they be doing? Who do they report to? What are they accountable for?

Next be clear on the person who will best fit your role – their skills, attitudes and attributes.

Once you have found someone – how can you make them feel welcome, important and valued? What do you need to tell them so they quickly understand your business and “how you do things around here”.

If they get off track – talk with them and explain what you really meant for them to do. Ask for feedback on your communication and act on suggestions to improve it. Guide them back on track as gently as possible.

Yes, all of this takes time. But so does having to constantly hire new staff. Where would you prefer to invest your time

Diversity, Management, The Marketplace And Bottomline Profits

At the beginning of every business consultation I more than often spend some time talking about why companies exist. i.e. to provide products and services via specific marketing channels to end users. The challenge is to identify the relevant channels to market which relate to the target end user customer, other major factors such as compelling value propositions, branding and category marketing all have a bearing on the final strategy decisions.

The companies which define their target customers the best and deliver their products and services to them via the most appropriate marketing channels are the companies which end up having the most success.

Today’s companies with its diverse workforce find themselves in potentially advantageous positions that is, if they harness the marketing capability advantages of the the workforce. Individuals from a particular dimension of Diversity with the relevant marketing expertise may well find themselves in the best placed position to interpret research data, conduct focus groups and talk to end user customer who are like themselves. The challenge is for the organizations is to allow the talent which exists within the various segments of the workforce to bubble up to the surface through recognition and appropriate promotions to be in the positions where they can make relevant decisions as to devising and executing company strategies and tactics.

It is indeed beneficial to all involved to view Diversity in this unemotional fashion i.e. having the best people in the best positions to make the best decisions for the company. This is indeed one of the many challenges facing management today when faced with developing, marketing and delivering products and services to a diverse target end user customer base.

Much of the questions that arise in say developing skincare products to dark skinned women when the majority of skincare products are developed for Caucasian skin may we be more readily answered by individuals who have faced the specific issues all their lives. Skincare is just one of the many examples that could be cited; food is another one wish springs readily to mind where the benefit of the point of view of individuals from specific backgrounds and cultures may well enhance the strategy development process.

The results of fully incorporating Diversity into the fabric of the organization’s decision making process by the management team (ably assisted by the Human Resources department) will result in products and services which are more targeted to the desired end user customers and delivered to those customers via appropriate marketing channels.

It is therefore the responsibility of the management team to keep the diverse target end user customer base in mind (where appropriate) and doing so ensure that the teams in place to develop and deliver the company’s products and services and best placed to do so. i.e. those teams should ideally have the balance of product development and marketing strategy skills coupled with an understanding of the end user customers of which they are selling to.

For various products and services the input into the product development process may well be seen to benefit greatly with the input of those within the organization who are most closely aligned to the target market customers. Getting these individuals involved in the appropriate decisions making junctures may well provide cherished career development opportunities as well as providing management with valuable interaction with those within the organization from the various dimensions of Diversity.

Giving Positive Feedback On Performance

A challenge for managers is to provide feedback on performance. If it’s given in a constructive way, it makes what’s expected from them very clear. It also helps in the area of motivation because it helps them to see where they can improve. Positive feedback is just as helpful as negative feedback. When I say negative feedback I don’t mean that you should berate anyone. What I mean is that sometimes what we have to say to a person isn’t going to be pleasant for them to hear but it has to be said non the less so they can move forward.

I have seen a lot of managers over the years giving feedback to their staff and a lot made me cringe when I listened to it. When some of that feedback was directed at me I thought ‘do you really think that what you are saying is going to make me want to work harder for you’? Luckily I’m a little more thick skinned than most and I shrugged it all of but some would just walk away totally demotivated. I remember one instance where the area manager was giving a ‘motivational’ talk to our staff. He began by berating them because of the bad month we were having and he concluded by berating them. By the end of it, a few people resigned on the spot. There is a more productive way to give negative feedback to someone than that!

If you have to give feedback to someone (which you would have to as a manager or a supervisor) you need to think it all through first. a few points you should decide on before you approach someone are:

A better managing tip 1.

Make sure that when you are giving feedback, be in a positive frame of mind. It can be difficult to do that but it is a must. when you are in a bad mood, everything can seem worse than it is. If you are like that, give feedback another time.

A better managing tip 2.

You also need to stick to the topic. Don’t go from one issue to another as it’s hard for someone to absorb too much feedback at once. Do it gradually. if someone has too many things to work on, they will fail.

A better managing tip 3.

The appropriate time and place is also important. My favorite place for a not too serious discussion was at our downstairs coffee shop. For something of a serious nature, it was either a meeting room or in my office with the door closed.

A better managing tip 4.

It’s very important to focus on the behavior and not the person. It’s not the person but it’s their observable behavior that you are seeking to change. For example, don’t say something like ‘you are a lazy bum because the paperwork you hand in is always late and untidy. You are a gross little pig’! You should say something like, ‘I have noticed that your paperwork is illegible most of the time and mistakes are easily made when it’s like that’…or something like that.

Feedback when it’s negative is difficult enough to take for some people but when you make it a pleasant experience for someone when they are on the receiving end, then the results will have a positive outcome. You will find that with a little preparation beforehand, being in the right frame of mind and using the appropriate location, this will increase their motivation and excel at their work.

Sales Manager Coaching

Sales management training with coaching is the ideal program to foster new creativity in your company. A sales manager coaching reps can have great success stories to relate to the team; furthermore, sales manager coaching is fabulous for introducing fresh ideas to team members. Sales management training with coaching can also be a way to spark new team work and communication among staff. Sales manager coaching will assure the very best company leaders. With a sales manager coaching reps, valuable information can be shared, much of which will work to increase your company’s revenues and profits.

Sales management training with coaching can be utilized within your company in several different manners.

However the transition from that of a sales team member or even a manager to that of a sales manager coaching reps can be a difficult transition for some if you do not take the right steps.

A program such as this will generate conversation among team members who may have never had opportunities to work together.

A sales manager coaching reps should further be able to relate war stories for his reps. This will encourage teambuilding, communication, and can even demonstrate sales techniques that can work for others.

Sales management training with coaching will also provide managers with the ability to determine the sales skills of others on the staff, and to help them make any necessary improvements.

Sales management training with coaching can further be a useful tool for soliciting feedback from your staff. They may become at ease with informing you of any problems in the field with a sales manager coaching reps at the helm.

A sales manager coaching reps will do wonderful things for your company. Implementing a policy that supports sales management training with coaching is quite beneficial. Overall, you can find many benefits for your business with sales manager coaching in place.

Sales Process

The theory of sales process improvement focuses on several aspects, all of which will make your company a bigger success. The fundamentals of the sales process involve much of which revolves around both customer and company satisfaction; therefore it can be a premium to invest in some sales process consulting to make a stronger work environment. Sales process improvement is beneficial for any company, and it is highly recommended by many to stress the importance of the sales process to your sales team staff.

The sales process can be dealt with in various manners. The key is to develop strategies which work to meet the individual needs of your clients.

One of the best tools for sales process improvement is to really focus on those with whom you wish to work, and who conversely choose to work with you. Stop wasting time on others who are not going to be won over by your products.

Have your advertising and public relations appeal to a wide audience. Yes, focus upon your target; however, do not limit the demographics of that audience. Make your marketing appealing to all.

Tweak your communication and presentation skills so that these never fail you. Have ready information about your company at all times. Remain current about product knowledge, and be able to communicate clearly with your clients and prospects.

Sales process consulting will further encourage your business to train and hire only the best in your field. Let your company develop a reputation as the best by putting your well-educated staff in the field. Business will certainly follow.

Finally, really utilize the strategies stressed in sales process improvement. Put the methods into practice and you are sure to see increases in revenues.

The sales process is tough. Businesses are forever devising new ways for sales process improvement. With just the right sales process improvement, however, you are sure to head straight to the top.

How Much Is Employee Turnover Costing You?

The steep price of employee turnover is a disease that can ruin a company. Much like an undetected cancer in an overtly healthy-looking person, it destroys from the inside out. There are a number of reasons for this symptom, but for today we’ll tackle the hiring process.

Hard Costs – How Much Is Too Much? A study evaluating the effects of the U. S. Family Medical Leave Act estimates the cost of turnover for a manager can be as high as 150% of their annual salary. What costs are being evaluated?

* Advertising

* Recruiting fees

* Travel expenses for candidates and recruiters

* Relocation expenses

* Increased unemployment insurance costs

* Administration time – collecting resumes, scheduling interviews

* HR time – orientation, paperwork

* Management time – interviews, training, and development

But It Doesn’t Stop There – Soft costs can be difficult to calculate with precision, but often overshadow hard costs. And the cost is more significant based on the critical nature of the position in question. Here are some general soft costs to consider:

* Intellectual property loss

* Loss of productivity during the ramp-up phase

* Morale issues

* Customer Satisfaction – the most important and often the most costly

Turning Around Turnover – It’s been said “Hire hard to manage easy.” Simple enough to repeat but much more difficult to follow through when you’re in the final two minutes and your team is down by a touchdown. And the smaller your organization, the more critical this issue becomes. Things like deadlines, mission critical processes, and business cash flow are heavily weighted factors.

Here’s a 5-step process to help you: 1) Match to the job – you cannot put a square peg in a round hole, so why try to make someone “fit” into a position? Pre-employment assessments are ideal to clarify what a “fit” really should be. 2) Structured process designed to screen out at each stage – this requires a negative bias toward the hiring process (i.e. rather to pass on a questionable candidate than risk hiring a bad one). Example: One recent client solution was to measure the number of significant employment gaps in the initial resume screening narrowed from 21 to 8. Phone interviews further narrowed from 8 to 5, which were given pre-employment assessments prior to a personal interview. 3) 70/30 Rule – let the candidate do most of the talking. Too often hiring managers in desperate situations try to “sell” the candidates versus determining a clear match for the job. Consequently, they don’t learn enough about who they hire before it costs them. 4) Behavior-based interviewing – discover what they’ve done in the past (without “leading the witness”) to determine what they are likely to do in the future 5) Set yourself up with objectivity as the key ingredient – have an experienced 3rd party participate in the hiring process. This could be another hiring manager or a credible outside source.

Using this formula to recruit only the best candidates, you can prevent costly mistakes and gain a competitive edge.