Simon Fawkes

I help hi-tech companies grow faster in niche export markets through: - hi-tech export coaching - facilitation - consulting: business planning, marketing strategies and exporting. I have an unusual background, being a linguist with fluent German and French as well as a “reformed engineer”.

Most commented posts

  1. Closing the gap. Can Australia catch up with New Zealand? — 8 comments
  2. Applying “The Art of Action” to Your Business — 3 comments
  3. Mindshop Change Success Model — 3 comments
  4. “Yes, no or maybe”. The diplomat and the lady. — 2 comments
  5. We should all be vigilant and combat racism! — 2 comments

Author's posts

Why Results and Motivation beat Features and Benefits

Solution vs Problem

Understand the pain of each customer segment first Start with the results and motivation Features are important, but they come at the end and not the beginning.  Puzzled?  Read on and this will become clear. The key points are: Results and Motivation define the problem Features and Benefits define the solution. The problem must be …

Continue reading

Will new technology endanger your business?

WHEN will new technology endanger your business? If you hold to the belief that new technology does not pose a threat to your business, you are likely to suffer the same fate as Pony Express.  The most you can hope for is to go down in history as a spectacular failure.  This is unlikely to …

Continue reading

3 Key Ideas to Help Business Leaders Succeed in 2013 / 2014

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) 1. Lead and Lag indicators, what are you measuring? When seeking to drive improved performance across your organization most business leaders focus their attention solely on Key Performance Indicators (KPI’s) that are ‘lag’ indicators. Lag indicators are a signal of performance AFTER an outcome is achieve and include aspects such as …

Continue reading

Project Management: a Core Competency for Managers in Today’s World

Many organizational managers may not realize it but much of what occupies their day-to-day business tasks is actually ‘project management‘. According to the bible of project management (PMBOK®: Project Management Body of Knowledge) the definition of a ‘Project’ is:  “A temporary endeavour undertaken to create a unique product, service or result”. Based on this definition could not all …

Continue reading

Small Business Exit Strategies for Current Times

Small Business Exit Strategies for Current Times

Over the past few years, I’ve noticed a tightening in cash being lent to purchasers to buy businesses, even good businesses. This has caused small business owners to explore some interesting new strategies when planning their exit. Let’s look at a few in the Mindshop style of Now, Where, How. 1) First identify where you …

Continue reading