Cyclings new killer app - as a business training tool

Cyclings new killer app - as a business training tool.


*****************************
SMH: Keep pushing and you will conquer that hill
http://businessnetwork.smh.com.au/ar...4/06/4372.html
Friday, 7 April 2006

A good idea alone is not enough to be successful, says Mr Allardyce.

Even if your company sometimes feels as if it is going under, you must
never give up, says Ross Allardyce, avid cyclist and chief executive
officer of software development company Beethoven Computer Services.

Cycling with Bicycle Victoria around some tough country trails has
taught Mr Allardyce, 61, that perseverance wins. "Even when you're
exhausted you have to just keep pushing. Sometimes in your career,
through the difficult times you just have to put your head down and
keep ploughing forward."

It was one of those difficult times for Mr Allardyce (pictured) when he
decided to keep the software development side of Beethoven and sell off
the profitable networking part of the business in 2000, losing $8
million in annual revenue.

"We struggled for a good year and a half to make ends meet and continue
the development and sales efforts. Our perseverance traits kicked in.
The idea was to focus all our energies on Resolve (now its flagship
customer-management software product), and ultimately to live or die by
it. It's our speciality, and we know the market very well."

But a good idea alone is not enough to be successful, says Mr
Allardyce. "Lots of people in IT have really good ideas but they
approach business from a technical point of view and neglect the sales
and marketing functions."

Having cut his technical teeth in California's Silicon Valley in the
1970s and '80s, Mr Allardyce learnt about sales and marketing the hard
way when he started his own company, Advanced Software Technique, where
he developed software that monitored and corrected IBM mainframe
operating systems.

He was the technical expert in the company so he teamed with an ex-IBM
salesman to take care of sales and marketing functions. This turned out
to be a mistake but it taught Mr Allardyce how to run a business. "He
couldn't or wouldn't do the work. That eventually drove me to run the
back office of the business. I walked in as a techo and walked out a
business manager. I also learnt to thoroughly research the people you
hire."

Mr Allardyce has made "tons of mistakes" in business. "What I've learnt
from my mistakes is to treat each one as a learning experience and never
make the same mistake again," he says.

Now Mr Allardyce is more conservative. He plans to expand Beethoven
into the US, but is starting small by expanding into New Zealand first
so the company can practise with a "small and controllable market".

Last week Beethoven signed on New Zealand IT consultants Simpl to
maintain and expand its customer base there, before it ventures into
bigger markets.

His years in software development have taught Mr Allardyce not to guide
product development by what a single customer tells you, no matter how
important that customer is. "I've learnt it is better to have a set of
standards to work to and then listen to all your customers. If you get
it right, your product will improve exponentially."

If customers complain, listen to them, he says. "A complaint is a gift.
It is an opportunity to talk with one of your customers. It lets you fix
the mistake and show them how good you are. If you handle it
professionally and efficiently, you can turn the complainer into
someone who will buy again. Show that you are an organisation that has
good customer-service skills and turn someone who has a complaint into
a re-purchaser."

Mr Allardyce learnt a lot about running a business from his friend and
mentor, Bob Watson, who successfully expanded a small recruiting
company.

"I admire his work ethic and absolute dedication to the job at hand. He
would focus on a task and get it done. He showed me that hard work,
dedication and smarts are invaluable and with those attributes you can
do anything."

Mr Allardyce keeps up his smarts by cycling, which keeps him fit and
ready to navigate his way through the next business decision. "When I
ride into the city, I already feel good. My brain works better and I
can feel I can handle anything. I have more energy."

NEXT LESSONS

· If you are confident in your product or service, be persistent and
persevere during the tough times.

· A great idea isn't enough: you need sales and marketing.

· Don't make the same mistake twice.

· Research the people you hire.

· A customer complaint is a gift. Show them how good you are when you
deal with it.

Cynthia Karena


--
cfsmtb

yawn/yuck... talk about company advertisement with a pinch of "hes a
cyclist, that explains it!".. let me reword this around a topic other
than cycling...


Poop stops around some tough country out houses has taught Mr
Allardyce, 61, that perseverance wins. "Even when you're exhausted you
have to just keep pushing. Sometimes in your career, through the
difficult times you just have to put your head down and keep ploughing
forward."

Mr Allardyce keeps up his smarts by pushing hard on the out house,
which keeps him fit and ready to navigate his way through the next
business decision. "When I poop before going into the city, I already
feel good. My brain works better and I can feel I can handle anything.
I have more energy."


crap on!
GPL


--
gplama

Yup.

I reckon the over 50's divide into two groups.

Group A : Those who can remember what they were thinking in their 20's
as "Mr over 50" prattled on about the "keys to success".

Group BSA : Those who cannot remember, and as a consequence blather on
endlessly about what wonderful people they are.

As Yoda would be putting it: time for shutting up, there is.

gplama Wrote:
yawn/yuck... talk about company advertisement with a pinch of "hes a
cyclist, that explains it!".. let me reword this around a topic other
than cycling...


Poop stops around some tough country out houses has taught Mr
Allardyce, 61, that perseverance wins. "Even when you're exhausted you
have to just keep pushing. Sometimes in your career, through the
difficult times you just have to put your head down and keep ploughing
forward."

Mr Allardyce keeps up his smarts by pushing hard on the out house,
which keeps him fit and ready to navigate his way through the next
business decision. "When I poop before going into the city, I already
feel good. My brain works better and I can feel I can handle anything.
I have more energy."


crap on!
GPL

bahahahahahahah. Lama gets 'Post of the day' nomination


--
flyingdutch

AndrewJ wrote:

I reckon the over 50's divide into two groups.

Group A : Those who can remember what they were thinking in their 20's
as "Mr over 50" prattled on about the "keys to success".

Group BSA : Those who cannot remember, and as a consequence blather on
endlessly about what wonderful people they are.

That's a bit harsh on the over 50's. Some of us remember.... something.

You can also divide the under 25's into two groups.
Group A: Those that can't think.
Group B: Those that don't.

:-)

Theo

cfsmtb wrote:
I walked in as a techo and walked out a business manager.

As lama said, the standard business promotion form article. The above
line is really the only thing you need to take on board if you are
considering a business.

There are three aspects you need to master equally to be successfull;
1) the techo knowledge; every business has it (Hint, best learnt at
someone elses expense)

2) how to sell your product. You need customers clients, etc.

He mentioned the above two, but not the blood sucker of a third.

3) The book keeping. It is really worthwhile to learn enough to flick
off your accountant and do your own BAS, Tax, etc. Yes, I don't like
accountants because most of them are one trick ponies that only vaguley
know their field.

Theo Bekkers wrote:

You can also divide the under 25's into THREE groups.
Group A: Those that can't think.
Group B: Those that don't.
Group C: Those who think they can do everything, but can not.

In aus.bicycle on Fri, 7 Apr 2006 09:16:30 +0800
Theo Bekkers wrote:
AndrewJ wrote:

I reckon the over 50's divide into two groups.

Group A : Those who can remember what they were thinking in their 20's
as "Mr over 50" prattled on about the "keys to success".

Group BSA : Those who cannot remember, and as a consequence blather on
endlessly about what wonderful people they are.

That's a bit harsh on the over 50's. Some of us remember.... something.


BSAs presumably.

Zebee

DaveB wrote:
Zebee Johnstone wrote:
Theo wrote

That's a bit harsh on the over 50's. Some of us remember....
something.

BSAs presumably.

Now that's definitely harsh. My first road bike as a teenager was a
BSA and I'm well under 50. I wonder whatever happened to that bike??

My first motorcycle was a BSA and Zebee knew that. :-)

Theo