Sunday, October 10, 2010
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Healthier commercial relationships start with healthier business people!
In a few short weeks, the good people of Swallowfield, a village a mile along the road from our office in Riseley, will be hosting the first Swallowfield 10 + 3. This is a family-friendly, off-road 3k fun-run, together with a more competitive 10k road race.
So why is Devant involved?
In the shadowy land of alternative realities (i.e. life outside the office!) my alter-ego is Tiff the Beaver Leader. This means that every Monday evening, I am responsible for the entertainment and Scouting education of a bunch of 6 and 7 year-olds, preparing them for Cubs and eventually Scouts. It's great fun, and a fantastic excuse to indulge in activities like igloo-building, making nettle soup, and hiking in the dark to see the stars...
Like most voluntary organisations, Scouting is cash-strapped, and 1st Swallowfield Scout Group is no exception. So the Swallowfield 10 + 3 is intended as a major fund raiser for the group.
I'm thrilled to be able to sponsor the event (we'll be paying for your goody-bag, if you come along and run!). If you've ever fancied yourself as a potential Seb Coe, sign up for the 3k fun run. Or if you're a seasoned runner, the 10k might be more your thing. Either way, it would be fab to see you there!
So why is Devant involved?
In the shadowy land of alternative realities (i.e. life outside the office!) my alter-ego is Tiff the Beaver Leader. This means that every Monday evening, I am responsible for the entertainment and Scouting education of a bunch of 6 and 7 year-olds, preparing them for Cubs and eventually Scouts. It's great fun, and a fantastic excuse to indulge in activities like igloo-building, making nettle soup, and hiking in the dark to see the stars...
Like most voluntary organisations, Scouting is cash-strapped, and 1st Swallowfield Scout Group is no exception. So the Swallowfield 10 + 3 is intended as a major fund raiser for the group.
I'm thrilled to be able to sponsor the event (we'll be paying for your goody-bag, if you come along and run!). If you've ever fancied yourself as a potential Seb Coe, sign up for the 3k fun run. Or if you're a seasoned runner, the 10k might be more your thing. Either way, it would be fab to see you there!
Thursday, July 08, 2010
A Bit of a 'Do'
Last Thursday, 1st July, we celebrated our office move with a party at our new premises. We had a great turnout, and there was a fabulous buzz as new contacts were made, wine was drunk and interesting discussions were had by all.
Our client and guest speaker, Neal Gandhi of QuickStart Global, delivered a rousing call to action for those of us based in the UK. Our unique position on the Greenwich timeline gives us access to both hemispheres, which Neal identifies as a key strength of the UK as a centre of global business.
Early the following morning (when we'd just finished clearing up the empties!) an email popped into my inbox from client Alan 'Brand' Williamson. He'd taken pictures during the evening, and linked them into a funky video, complete with husky French soundtrack - click here to enjoy the fun.
We were also lucky to have my wonderful husband, Simon, of Hyde End Studios, taking some great images of the guests during the evening.
Our client and guest speaker, Neal Gandhi of QuickStart Global, delivered a rousing call to action for those of us based in the UK. Our unique position on the Greenwich timeline gives us access to both hemispheres, which Neal identifies as a key strength of the UK as a centre of global business.
Early the following morning (when we'd just finished clearing up the empties!) an email popped into my inbox from client Alan 'Brand' Williamson. He'd taken pictures during the evening, and linked them into a funky video, complete with husky French soundtrack - click here to enjoy the fun.
We were also lucky to have my wonderful husband, Simon, of Hyde End Studios, taking some great images of the guests during the evening.
Monday, June 07, 2010
Pastures new!
On Friday 4th June, I had the opportunity to live out my fantasy as 'Nessa from "Gavin and Stacey". In the driver's seat of our rented truck, I pounded the lanes between Spencer's Wood and Riseley ferrying furniture from the old office to the new.
The new premises are a couple of miles further south Junction 11 of the M4, in the tranquil village of Riseley. Essentially, make for the old office but don't turn down Hyde End Road - just carry on until you get to Riseley Business Park. If you pass The Bull (our new local pub!), you've gone too far.
With the windows open I could see the appeal of the trucking life - even if our truck was rather smaller than the one ably piloted by 'Nessa on the BBC. Hefting desks and boxes of files up and down stairs was less appealing, but left us all with a sense of great satisfaction at the end of the day.
It's nearly three years since we moved out of my front room and into our little offices on Hyde End Road. That was a huge leap of faith, but the last few years have shown that it was a good move. The business has gone from strength to strength, and when we realised that the return of a member of staff from maternity leave would require us to install "bunk desks", a new office seemed like a good idea!
The new premises are a couple of miles further south Junction 11 of the M4, in the tranquil village of Riseley. Essentially, make for the old office but don't turn down Hyde End Road - just carry on until you get to Riseley Business Park. If you pass The Bull (our new local pub!), you've gone too far.
So what's so exciting about the new office? Apart from the acres of space (here it is, before the desks arrived)
to support our challenging five year growth plan, we also have the luxury of our own training room. Seating 10 in comfort, we will now be able to deliver commercial contract and negotiation workshops from our very own premises. A separate meeting room (here it is in all its glory!)
- gives us ample space for the breakout sessions on our negotiation workshop, and a little kitchen facilitates timely breaks.
- gives us ample space for the breakout sessions on our negotiation workshop, and a little kitchen facilitates timely breaks.Add to that our proximity to open countryside for some lunchtime walks, and a friendly landlord serving great 'pub grub' just across the road, and I think we'll be very happy here!
To celebrate our move, and launch some of the new services currently in the pipeline, we're having a 'bit of a do' on Thursday 1st July, from 6pm - 8pm. Invites are going in the post today, so if you haven't received yours soon, and would like to join us, please drop me a line - tiffany.kemp@devant.co.uk.
Tuesday, February 02, 2010
BSkyB and EDS: When overcommitment comes home to roost
The case of BSkyB and EDS, decided last month in an English court, illustrates the perils of making promises you can't keep. The traditional "I'll catch 'em, you skin 'em" approach of sales teams, in which promises are given and representations are made during the sales process, only for them to be broken during the delivery phase, has landed EDS with a potential bill of £70million for costs, and damages somewhere between £200million and £700million.
The key issue in this case, which prevented EDS from being able to rely on its limit of liability clause, was that BSkyB was able to demonstrate that EDS had lied during the sales process, and that had it not lied, the contract would have been awarded to PwC.
Making claims that it knew to be untrue, specifically about its capability to deliver the project on time, was EDS's undoing. Had this not been proven, EDS would have been able to limit its liability to that set out in the contract, of £30million. It is now the job of HP, EDS's new owner, to push for an appeal.
What does this mean to you? Nothing new, if you exercise caution during the sales process, and are confident that your sales team steer clear of unfounded hyperbole. But if your organisation is ever tempted to say "Yes, we can!" when it is thinking "Well, we might be able to, with a following wind and favourable planetary alignment...", then it should carefully consider the consequences of failure. Although the huge costs and complexity of this case make it unlikely that other clients of failed projects will be rushing to follow in BSkyB's footsteps, the potential of unlimited liability should be sufficient to make vendors think twice before making representations that they are not truly confident in.
The key issue in this case, which prevented EDS from being able to rely on its limit of liability clause, was that BSkyB was able to demonstrate that EDS had lied during the sales process, and that had it not lied, the contract would have been awarded to PwC.
Making claims that it knew to be untrue, specifically about its capability to deliver the project on time, was EDS's undoing. Had this not been proven, EDS would have been able to limit its liability to that set out in the contract, of £30million. It is now the job of HP, EDS's new owner, to push for an appeal.
What does this mean to you? Nothing new, if you exercise caution during the sales process, and are confident that your sales team steer clear of unfounded hyperbole. But if your organisation is ever tempted to say "Yes, we can!" when it is thinking "Well, we might be able to, with a following wind and favourable planetary alignment...", then it should carefully consider the consequences of failure. Although the huge costs and complexity of this case make it unlikely that other clients of failed projects will be rushing to follow in BSkyB's footsteps, the potential of unlimited liability should be sufficient to make vendors think twice before making representations that they are not truly confident in.
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
The Curse of the Conscience
Oh dear, I've done it again. Talked myself out of work, that is.
One of the wonderful things about Devant is that we get to talk to all sorts of interesting business people, at many different stages of their business. This means that some of them will be new startups, with no cash, while others will be medium-sized companies having to manage sizeable contracts and cashflow.
Because our objective with all of these companies is to develop lasting commercial relationships, I find myself advising some of them that they really shouldn't be spending money on their contracts right now. When it's clear that what the business needs most is clients, not contracts, and that the risk of everything going wrong (which would be addressed by a contract) is smaller than the risk of going under because of even our modest bills, I feel duty bound to point this out.
Which is why I've just finished a phone call with a lovely lady, whose business is destined to be very successful, in which I've suggested that for now, she puts together a simple letter setting out what she will deliver, and the basis for payment. When the clients (and the cash) flood in, and her risk increases along with the quantities of both, we can look at sorting out her Ts & Cs. In the mean time, I hope I've given her enough pointers to keep her out of trouble.
Eventually, if cosmic karma is doing its bit (!), we'll talk again - and we'll be able to help her business grow and protect against risks, through some really fab terms and conditions.
I know this approach might not be the most commercial - any lawyers reading this will doubtless be thinking 'Take the money now!!', and composing their scare stories to ensure that any such client visiting them is too frightened to venture forth without a contract. But I believe ours is the right approach in the long run. Indeed, the freedom to be able to give this sort of advice - pragmatic, based on a realistic assessment of the risks, issues and benefits - is one of the joys of being a commercial contracts consultancy and not a law firm.
One of the wonderful things about Devant is that we get to talk to all sorts of interesting business people, at many different stages of their business. This means that some of them will be new startups, with no cash, while others will be medium-sized companies having to manage sizeable contracts and cashflow.
Because our objective with all of these companies is to develop lasting commercial relationships, I find myself advising some of them that they really shouldn't be spending money on their contracts right now. When it's clear that what the business needs most is clients, not contracts, and that the risk of everything going wrong (which would be addressed by a contract) is smaller than the risk of going under because of even our modest bills, I feel duty bound to point this out.
Which is why I've just finished a phone call with a lovely lady, whose business is destined to be very successful, in which I've suggested that for now, she puts together a simple letter setting out what she will deliver, and the basis for payment. When the clients (and the cash) flood in, and her risk increases along with the quantities of both, we can look at sorting out her Ts & Cs. In the mean time, I hope I've given her enough pointers to keep her out of trouble.
Eventually, if cosmic karma is doing its bit (!), we'll talk again - and we'll be able to help her business grow and protect against risks, through some really fab terms and conditions.
I know this approach might not be the most commercial - any lawyers reading this will doubtless be thinking 'Take the money now!!', and composing their scare stories to ensure that any such client visiting them is too frightened to venture forth without a contract. But I believe ours is the right approach in the long run. Indeed, the freedom to be able to give this sort of advice - pragmatic, based on a realistic assessment of the risks, issues and benefits - is one of the joys of being a commercial contracts consultancy and not a law firm.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Twitter - my mid-life crisis?
Last week I turned 40. I have to say I'm quite delighted with my new age. There is bound to be a religious cult somewhere that bases its beliefs on numerology, but for me, some numbers just have a happier resonance. Thirty nine = 3 x 13, which is just not a good vibe.
Forty, on the other hand, is very neat. It's well groomed and rounded... I like it.
I don't know whether my finally caving in to pressure to set up a Twitter account is linked to my new status as a 40-something. It may be just that I feel the tiny character count allowed for 'tweets' will encourage me to communicate with the world more frequently than my blog. If you'd like see whether it's worked (and possibly to laugh at my efforts...) you can find me by clicking here.
Forty, on the other hand, is very neat. It's well groomed and rounded... I like it.
I don't know whether my finally caving in to pressure to set up a Twitter account is linked to my new status as a 40-something. It may be just that I feel the tiny character count allowed for 'tweets' will encourage me to communicate with the world more frequently than my blog. If you'd like see whether it's worked (and possibly to laugh at my efforts...) you can find me by clicking here.
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