Miscellaneous
Motivating the Masses
October 2008
I run a small business and have noticed a drop in staff morale over the past quarter, which is largely a result of the credit crunch. I am finding it harder to motivate staff and encourage entrepreneurial spirit. How can I increase motivation without spending too much?
Steve Young, director of Winning Pitch, Wales and South West, says , “Market conditions are affecting all aspects of the economy, with indications that staff morale is at an all time low. As a result of the media hype about the credit crunch, it is easy for staff to believe the negativity in the papers, and for failure to become a self-fulfilling prophecy.
“It is important for managers of small and medium sized companies to remain positive, regardless of how tough market conditions become. If a workforce witnesses its own leaders negativity, it tends to become de-motivated and the virus of pessimism can sweep through the organisation.
“An unstable economy can also affect entrepreneurial spirit within a company in relation to the drive to secure new business opportunities. Business owners, particularly in tough market conditions, must ensure that their employees have the right tools and equipment to grab opportunities before their competitors and to make sure no targets are being missed.
“Wherever possible, managers should align people’s passion with the job role, recognising the strengths and weaknesses of staff and ensuring, where possible, that people are doing the job they love.
“It should also be remembered that a tougher economic climates create a great opportunity to test a business’s innovation, creativity and competitive edge. By giving staff the chance to express and deliver ideas, they will feel more motivated to succeed during the downturn, particularly if “token” bonuses are given as a further incentive.
“It is particularly important to recognise employees’ achievements, either through public acknowledgement or an incentive scheme. Offering softer benefits such as office drinks and team building events, which need not cost the earth, are appreciated and greatly improve staff relations.”
Son of a pitch - 17th September 2008
Winning Pitch, the sales training organisation set up by John Leach in Manchester, is up and running at its new Liverpool site. The business has taken space at Liverpool Innovation Park and is working with Digitalinc and the International Centre for Digital Content. Leach assists technologists and other early-stage businesses with sales...more
New Look Leaders - 8th September 2008
Winning Pitch were in the Training and Development section in Edge Magazine. Click here to view the article. ...more
Join the 'One Club' Expo - 22nd July
Coaches don’t come cheap- so how can organisations measure their return on investment in coaching? As fears of a recession grow, training and HR specialists are under pressure to justify their spending, and must brace themselves to fight back against he traditional arguments that they are cost centres. People developers have to...more
Join the 'One Club' Expo - 30th June 2008
Ambitious start-p and ‘early years’ companies are being invited to showcase their services free of charge at a unique expo at One Central Park in East Manchester. The first ‘One Expo’ will take place on Tuesday, July 15 th , hosted by members of ‘One Club’ – a dynamic networking group set by...more
Winning Pitch posts maiden H1 pre-tax profit - 21st May 2008
London (Thomson Financial) – Plus Market-listed consultancy services provider Winning Pitch Plc posted a maiden first-half pretax profit and said it remains confident in its outlook. For the six months to March 28, the company reported a pretax profit of 83,649 pounds on turnover of 750,132 pounds. The group said it is...more
Money Market - 25th May 2008
Click the link below for article in Growing Business: http://www.growingbusiness.co.uk/06959143454576375056/money-market.html ...more
Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce Networking Lunch - 29th April 2008
Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce and BBV Ltd would like to invite you. We will be joined by Peter Gaunt from Winning Pitch who will talk about a simple process to help you impress and communicate better during networking meetings. Peter has 25 years experience of business development, sales and marketing and has worked...more
Manchester Science Park thrives on spinning diversity - March 2008
Since its launch 25 years ago, manchester Science Park (msp) has grown to accomodate 90 businesses and types of companies at msp have grown moew and more diverse. The park is now the home to incubator graduates, university spin-outs, overseas companies as well as start ups and its business community appears to be thriving as a result. ...more
Entrepreneurial – people - March 2008
Accountancy firm Tenon has promoted Manchester based Jeremy Woodside to the position of recovery director. Jeremy has over ten years experience in recovery and insolvency, eight of these at Tenon. Following its admission to PLUS in December 1007 Manchester-based Winning Pitch has appointed business author, speaker and advisor, Rene Carayol as...more
March 2008
Winning pitch, the Manchester based business consultancy, has won a contract from Stockport Borough Council to provide advice and guidance to existing and new businesses based in Houldsworth and Broadstone mills. ...more