Tag: Make sense

Less is Mo’re

Posted on November 7, 2024 by - Build a better business, Wholesale distributors and manufacturers

in business less is more

Sometimes it’s as simple as that. 

 

We live in a culture that’s all about more. More hard work, more hours, more sales, more emails, more meetings. More. More. More. What if, just for a moment we gave “less” a try.  

 

More hard work  

The journey of overdoing “more” is paved by buzz words and zeitgeisty business trends. We hear things like “high performance culture” and we think we must do more to reach these heights. And sure, growth is needed, abundance is great, big fan of expansion.   

However sometimes if we apply – dare I say it – more foresight, we may see that there is such a thing as too much “more”.  

  • We do more but think less.  
  • We stress more but achieve less.  
  • We‘re more busy but less productive.

If all we do is add more to our diaries, inboxes and cortisol levels, we may eventually  end up doing more, but achieving less.  

 

They call all of this more-ness, ‘busywork’ 

/ˈbɪzɪwəːk/ 

It’s defined as “work that keeps a person busy but has little value in itself.”  

That thought terrifies me. It feels like I might be gaslighting myself into thinking I’m productive when I’m actually just busy.  

However, think about it. The more I do, the less I strategise and plan and see the bigger picture. I add more targets, I add more team status meetings, I add more presentations.   

And, my day clogs up, and I feel very productive. I do this almost mindlessly. It would take more thought to intentionally plan my day and clear my diary, but with the intention of achieving more.   

Feels very Mark Twainish in its irony.  

 

“I didn’t have time to write a short letter, so I wrote a long one instead.” -Mark Twain  

 

I don’t have time to think about working smarter, so I’m working harder.   

Think about it. Let’s say you want to sell more in Q4 than Q3. Logically then, we need to do more customer visits, we need to sell more products, we need to work more. Which adds up. Makes sense.  

So, we add on zeros and percentages and green and red arrows to our target spreadsheets, and we rationalise that more effort means more profit.  

But… 

 

The art of less 

I know this heading sounds like something a lazy person would say to rebrand laziness. But what if we said we want to achieve more in Q4 by doing less.  

Now, this requires more thought. This requires the art of strategic thinking. This requires rethinking. Questioning the way we do things. 

 

Not just asking can we do more? But rather, can we do better?  

 

It’s like the saying, “What got you here, won’t get you there” (thanks Marshall Goldsmith). If you think of work through a ‘journey to destination’ lens, it’s easy to think we must just put our heads down and walk more to get further. When actually, if you just look up, there was a shorter path all along.  

 

Work smarter > Work harder 

Words to work by. Live by. Think by.   

To do less by thinking more, is all about a smarter way. It’s not the ‘easy way out’. But it is easier, thanks to technology.   

We live in a digital age whereby technology can not only help us find a shorter path but also help us find the right path. 

Technology can ease the burden of work a little, so we can think more. It can do the tasks, the admin and even provide the insights. Rather than spending our time, skillsand resources on collating information, we can spend it on applying that information and on learning and growing from it.  

Now, that’s smart. 

 

Access to less 

As we have established, it’s initially easier to just “do more” to get more, while the idea or process of trying to get more by doing less can seem overwhelming. So, how does one do it? You give yourself time.   

Take time to rethink and re-strategise your process. Time to consider if there is a way to implement technology, or any other options, that can simplify these processes. Make them more streamlined. 

If the answer is ‘yes‘? Which it will be. Say yes to whatever helps you achieve more with less. 

 

We are built different

Posted on September 23, 2024 by - Wholesale distributors and manufacturers

South Africans are built different

For that reason, we build differently 

There is something special about Heritage Month. You can hear the braais sizzling, the eish clinking, and the hadedas hadeda-ing. These are the sounds that call us to come together.  

As the whole country physically and metaphorically seems to thaw from the winter season, we celebrate and honour our South Africanness. Over the past year, many notable South Africans have continued to thrive on the field, on our screens, and in our hearts.  

But what does this South Africanness look like? Not from the perspective of the headlines, but rather, that of the bottom line? 

 

Local is still really lekker 

Let’s face it, we do love us a locally-made product. We really embrace this philosophy, the benefits of buying and supporting local. Beyond the feel-good factor, there is an “if you know, you know” element. There are certain products and services South Africans need, that only a South African could create.  

Our braais are built different (don’t come at us with no gas BBQ nonsense). Our beers taste different. And the smell of a pannekoek outside the shops on a Saturday morning, well, that just hits different entirely.  

The same can and should be said about the B2B space. 

 

We trade in trust. For reals.  

As South Africans, we’ve had our fair share of broken promises. Whether it’s water, or lights or simply saying RIP to your tyres after a trip down a road that’s holier than a Sunday. Let’s face it, we have trust issues.  

In fact, in the B2B space, trust is even more important because the deliverables and the services rendered are often intangible. Unlike our B2C counterparts: You buy a t-shirt. There’s a hole in it. You see it is poor quality. Much easier path to enlightenment.  

In B2B, your investment is less clear. It might be in streamlined processes, increased sales, decreased risks. And the holes here are a lot harder to see.  

So, trust equity is even more of a decision-making factor for businesses.

 

South African’s build from a place of problem-solving rather than simply product or service creation. So, we hold ourselves to a higher standard. 

 

In SA-to-SA businesses, you’d better believe we hold it to a higher standard than “we hope it works”. It absolutely must deliver on its promise.

 

We invest in ‘rugged’ solutions. Because South Africa’s a tough country. 

We trust certain bakkie brands with our lives, right? They have been built with our needs in mind. They have a reputation for getting the job done, no matter what.  

As decision-makers, we are often tempted to look overseas for big-brand solutions. But let’s apply bakkie-thinking when we look for a B2B partner or supplier.   

Why? Because most local businesses create solutions for South African problems. So, whilst B2B products and services may not rumble like an engine, taste like a beer, or smell like a pancake, we deeply meet a South African need in a way that no international brand can.  

 

Who better to trust with your business than a business that faces the same challenges as you? On a daily basis. And, more importantly, has overcome these, and can help you do the same? 

 

We proudly share in the mentality that “Hulle weet nie, wat ons weet nie“. But then we trust some of those who are not “ons”, with the livelihood of “ons” companies to “weet“ what we “weet“ they “weet nie”. You “weet“ what we mean? 

 

Simply put, we are built differently. And so, we build differently.  

On the sports field, in a factory or around the boardroom, we build from a lifetime of grit, resilience and passion. No one does it quite like we can. We get the value of trust equity, like no one else does. 

And let’s be honest, as South Africans our BS radar is in “always on” mode. We don’t like being messed around.   

South African-built businesses like Skynamo understand this. In B2B, you deal in trust, not just contracts.  

So, how do you know who you can trust? Well, you look for trust cues along the way. Like testimonials, values, case studies, referrals. You find out if the company is still innovating, or if they’ve quietly stopped trying to solve new problems. You ask around and see what others think of a company before you answer their email or book a demo.  

 

Ultimately, you want tech, services and products to be designed with you in mind, and the people you work with to do what they say they will.  

 

And trust, in South Africa, is worth more than anything. Even more so in the B2B space where you engage in intangibles over a long period of time.   

Ultimately, that’s why we trust other South African businesses to patch the holes in our business. Because they have learned to create a solution from patching their own.  

I like it when you talk foreign 

So, to recap: we are built differently, and we build differently. By South Africans, for South Africans. Get it? Got it? Good. Let’s go further.  

It’s not only South Africans who appreciate how we are built differently. Beyond the rugby field (where we’re numero uno, as a gentle reminder), South African work ethic, candor and creativity are widely acknowledged at an international level.   

Why wouldn’t it be, right? South Africans and South African business are built on resilience, grit and passion. And the most important thing of all we build: trust. 

 All that‘s to say, next time you’re in the business to do business… make sure it’s a South African one.  

 Happy Heritage Month, fellow Saffers. You legends! 

 

written by Taylea du Toit (Marketing Manager) 

Hulle Weet Nog Steeds Nie Wat Ons Weet Nie

Posted on August 19, 2024 by - Wholesale distributors and manufacturers

Hulle Weet Nog Steeds Nie Wat Ons Weet Nie

In a world where you can be anything, be South African. 

 

How fitting that as we approach Heritage Month, we continue to celebrate South African success. From outstanding Olympic feats to the rugby fields, to fighting rings – there’s never been a better time to celebrate our heritage. One thing about everything synonymous with being South African, is that the pull of patriotism toward our people often provides relief from the pain of our politics.  

 

So, what if we all decided to pull on this further? What if we all chose to dive into national pride along with those who pioneer it? What if we decided to stand tall, in a world that can often make us feel small? 

 

To quote the ever-resilient Dricus Du Plessis, “They don’t know, what we know.” Presumably, because they never needed to “know it”.  

 

As South Africans, however, many of us face countless opponents before we even reach the battle. We fight, we struggle, we win. Not only because we want to, but because we have to.  

 

So, when one of us wins, we all win. Because most of us, at some level, can relate to the journey it took to get there.  

 

Let’s get down to business 

It’s phenomenal to see our sportsmen, our musicians, our people standing in their South Africanness, not shying away from it and getting the acclaim they so deserve. So, perhaps the challenge is for more South African businesses to do the same.  

 

We find ourselves in a digital world that’s created a global village of opportunity. So, SA born-and-bred businesses can continue to grow in reach and influence beyond our borders.  

 

However, there seems to be a misconception that – to grow into the world we aspire to – we must grow out of the one we came from. We must tweak our accents, limit our “ja’s”, and adapt to dollar tastes with rand budgets. Nee man!  

 

As South African businesses, we should take guidance from our champions. Embrace the culture, the courage, the chaos of what makes us, us.  

 

Lean into the accents. Embrace the anecdotes.  Align businesses unapologetically to our fynbos-covered roots.  

 

Local is still very lekker 

Fact of the matter is…South African businesses are filled with South Africans, and sho, what a strength that is.  

 

Simply put, it’s our people.  

 

Our people who show grit simply getting out of bed in the morning.  

Our people who sip on tenacity with their Rooibos tea and Ouma rusks.  

Our people who, before even getting to work, have dealt with everything from lights being off to the news being on and all the potholes in between.  

 

The resilience of our people outside our office walls is exactly what drives the brilliance within them.  

 

While resources speak, necessity roars 

They say necessity is the mother of innovation. 

Well, ja, then we truly must be the motherland.  

Our people want for very little but need for a whole lot. This has been the seed of many flourishing innovations, all rooted in the deep need of those who plant them.  

 

We are the birthplace of some of the best technologies and technicians in the world and the irony is that we got used to sitting in the dark for multiple hours a day. But the key here is that we never let the realities of the current world inhibit us from creating a better one. We simply use it as fuel to drive innovation faster. 

 

We create, innovate, and collaborate to find solutions because often we can’t afford not to. It’s this difference in having such ingrained purpose that sets our innovations apart from the rest of the world before they have even left the pitch deck. So, perhaps our most prevalent resource is often our complete lack thereof.  

 

And, when this purpose meets the passion of the aforementioned people, well… let’s just say: they don’t know, what we know, and that’s our greatest strength. 

 

written by Taylea du Toit (Marketing Manager)

How to swipe left on sales fatigue and fall in love with selling again

Posted on February 19, 2024 by - Wholesale distributors and manufacturers

How to swipe left on sales fatigue and fall in love with selling again

You’re just a salesperson, standing in front of a prospect… asking them to love your product.

 

It’s the romantic comedy of errors that can be the selling profession. See the thing is, selling and dating are a dynamic duo of similarities, that frankly we don’t talk enough about. So let’s unpack the parallels shall we?

The Rassie Effect: why your business needs coach Rassie if you want to win

Posted on October 27, 2023 by - Wholesale distributors and manufacturers

The Rassie Effect: Why your business needs coach Rassie if you want to win.

You may be asking yourself, “What the ruck can my business learn from a rugby coach?” 

The parallels are more than you would think and the lessons to be learnt more than you can count. From managing teams to tackling traditions, there are many lessons from the field that the boardrooms of South Africa could benefit from applying. So, put down the spreadsheets and pull up a chair.