Ruminate December 2012

Ruminate
The Best of
Xamun Blog +

^
Updates + Tips

No. 2: The Project Management Issue December 2012

KEEP
CALM
AND
GET THINGS
DONE
Xamun Project: Xamun Task Xamun CEO:
The most robust Boards: The Online Task Board
project management Awesome threesome will set your project
tool out there for task management free

Inside Ruminate
Headlines of the Month
Xamun Project: The Most Robust Project Management 1
Tool Out There

The Incredible Power of the Online Task Board 6
Xamun Task Boards 11

Xamun Updates 14

Xamun Tips
#4: Converting Subtasks into Task Cards 15
#5: Importing Tasks via Templates 17
#6: Using the Ticket Board 19

More From Blog.xamun.com 21

Ruminate December 2012 | i

From the Editor
Breathe and use Xamun Project.
This is the key message of the second issue of Ruminate. And that’s why the cover image was
inspired by Keep Calm and Carry On, a propaganda poster produced by the British government in
1939 during the beginning of the Second World War. This poster was intended to lift the morale of
the British public in the event of a Nazi invasion of the UK.
Project management is at the center of Ruminate December 2012, which features articles on the
topic or on our project management app called Xamun Project. At times, managers who run projects
get overwhelmed by the amount of work that needs to be done. With Xamun Project, you’re always
on top of your project deliverables. And the great thing about Xamun Project is, you run your project
as a team. This collaborative type of work coincides with the principles of agile software
development.
It’s very challenging to run projects across a team of creative or knowledge workers, even more so
if the team is distributed across various locations. Since Xamun Project is cloud-based, it also enables
you to be at the helm of your project as if everyone’s in the same room.

There are more dimensions to Xamun Project, which you will see in the
next couple of pages. I invite you to read on and see how project
management can be a breeze with Xamun Project. Happy reading!

Burns Puzon
G&A Manager, Xamun

PS: Also in this issue of Ruminate, we’re introducing a new section called “More from
blog.xamun.com”, which features even more articles from our blog.

Find us on

Ruminate December 2012 | ii


Xamun Project:
The Most Robust
Project Management Tool
Out There

P roject management is comprised of planning, organizing, securing,
managing, leading, and controlling resources to achieve certain goals. It’s
not as easy as it sounds, and it gets extremely challenging for distributed
teams. Xamun Project was designed to help you manage your entire project
in a single place – wherever you, your team or your clients are in the world.
Xamun Project is integrated with the rest of the apps in Xamun, making your project delivery as
tight-knit as possible and keeping project risks to a minimal. Xamun enables you to keep everyone in
the team to stay on the same page, make them aware of project responsibilities, and encourage
transparency and accountability.
The following areas in project management are covered by Xamun Project:

Ruminate December 2012 | 1

Xamun Project: The Most Robust PM Tool Out There

Task Management
Xamun Project has three types of work boards for managing tasks. The Task Board for
general types of projects, and the Scrum Board and Kanban Board for software development
projects. Each board has specific features that will cater to different types of projects.

Time Tracking
Time Tracking is as important as accomplishing a task. By monitoring your team’s
productivity, you will be able to track the progress of the task assigned to them. Inside Xamun,
the time tracking app is called the Xamun Timesheet. As a timesheet approver, you are able to
approve timesheet entries or remind employees with unfiled timesheets with a simple
messaging feature that can be accessed anywhere as long as you are connected to the web.



Issue and Bug Management
Working to improve tasks for a better project results is also part of project management.
Xamun Helpdesk enables you to quickly address issues or bugs like what your support system
does. The catch is that you don’t have to exit your app then log in to another app for this to
function. It also appears similarly like your Project Board making it easier to familiarize with.

Social Collaboration
Businesses are quickly becoming social, be it on Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn, having an
online presence is considered an edge. With Xamun, you can turn your business social by using
Xamun Community and Xamun Marketplace. Discuss your projects, post links, and attach files
as easy as using Facebook or Twitter. Xamun will automatically create your groups when you
post a project. All team members in that project will be able to throw ideas, post files, and
update project status.



Daily Status Monitoring
On your Xamun Project app, a Daily Status tab enables you to have a full view of which
project tasks are done for a particular day. Eliminate the process of going to-and-fro team
members to check status updates. In an Agile Setting, team leaders are able to perform daily
stand up meetings where impediments are identified.

Project Summary
In Xamun Project, identifying your whole project health is possible. Get a quick overview of
your project by using the Report tab. Report tab holds general project details such as the team
members, as well as a pie chart summarizing all tasks’ status and the project plan. You can
import this to a PDF that you can send or print out for a client.



Time Off Management
In doing a project, you can’t ignore the work-life-balance that you and your team members
need. Manage your team’s time-off requests anywhere you are. Time-Off Manager, a Xamun
applet allows you to approve/deny leaves of your team members that will enable you to plan
your project deliverables accordingly.

Schedule Management
Xamun My Day is your daily task scheduler in Xamun. You can schedule daily tasks and
appointments, be it personal or project related, where you can set to share to other task assignees.
My Day is now integrated with Google Calendar and Windows Live Calendar.


Headlines of the Month Lean
Common
Sense
Arup Maity

The incredible power
of the ONLINE TASK BOARD
H ave you ever tried getting something done that requires a concerted
effort from a bunch of people? Have you ever organized an event such as an
alumni homecoming for your high school class, a New Year’s party for your
club, or a fundraiser for your favorite cause? How about something in a
more formal setting, such as leading a team for a project at work?
It sure is difficult. The challenge doesn’t
come from the tasks at hand; most of the time In my experience, in order to resolve this

those are not the problem. You may even say it conflict, one must master the process of:

would be so much easier if you did it all by
yourself, right? However, doing it all by 1. Breaking down the entire project into

ourselves is very inefficient, after all the concept smaller parts;

of “division of labor” is supposed to be one of 2. Distributing these smaller parts among

the greatest social achievements that helped members of the team;

human beings progress. So what’s the cause of 3. Monitoring the progress on “who is

this conflict? If it’s so easy for each member of supposed to do what” before you run out of

a team to do things separately and it only time; and

makes sense that a team would be more 4. Re-planning if some original assumptions

efficient of you split a set of tasks among its change during the course of doing things.

members, then why does it become harder to
get things done when more people join a team?


The Incredible Power of the ONLINE TASK BOARD

These activities above, known to some as project management, are causes the
difficulty if not carried out properly. When we do it alone, those four activities are taken as a
whole and are performed in our minds, but in a team this set of activities tends to be overlooked.
Some people even think all those things above are actually a waste of time: they would rather get the
work done immediately than plan and check it. The thinking is, “it’s all good until things get done”. If

4
(Doesn’t always mean you’re on the same page.)

a team is doing similar things regularly and all members are familiar with the tasks at hand, risks are
lowered from repetition. Then again, if someone slips due to some unforeseen reason, the whole
project can be at risk.
Do I mean to say most people don’t do this? No, not really. There usually is an effort
among project teams to meet and plan. It’s actually fun to do it, specially at the start of the
project. Nothing much gets done in these kickoff meetings (most of the time). Most people after a
kickoff meeting resort to emailing each other or making an Excel list and updating it – until some
point in the process, things gets out of control and they simply drop all those activities
together and just ‘go with the flow.'



By now you should be asking me, “What,
So you may ask, how about
then, is the solution?” What do I think makes
getting one of those project getting projects done easier, more fun and at a
lower risk? If the team is sitting in the same
management software like
room all day, perhaps all you need to do is take
Microsoft Project and trying to a wall, divide it into three columns (To Do, In
Progress, and Done), get a bunch of post-its,
keep tabs on everything that’s
write down what needs to be done, and each
getting done. Sure, this is better person just picks up what they are going to do
and update the wall. Maybe do a short 15
than nothing, but the trouble is,
minute meeting every day to collaborate and
this is a centralized command update each other, benefit from the collective
wisdom and getting the project done
and control kind of thinking.
successfully. This practice works, for sure.

One person has to take this role and run after
everyone in getting things done and finding out However, in a lot of projects
if they are doing what they are supposed to and
today, you don’t spend the day
what stage it’s in etc. This type of centralized
effort is not very efficient for a number of together, you don’t even get to
reasons:
meet each other often. Heck,
• The project manager becomes responsible
for the success and failure of a project, thus team members may even be
allowing team members to be less
from a different city, country,
responsible for the overall success
• Reduces the benefit of collective wisdom that or continent. What do you do
comes from collaboration and visibility
now? Is there a liberator in
• This still does not provide the
communication and collaboration needed on sight?
regular basis for project success



(Introducing: The Incredible Online Task Board!)

Welcome the world of web 2.0 and online Incredible Online Task Board together
collaboration. There are many online solutions with a more social collaboration wall like
out there to choose from. Some thoughtful Facebook for free-flowing and easy
people came up with tools to make task lists communication, then you have what we
online that can be seen by all team members call a perfect combination.
and be updated as required. This can work for
rather simple projects, but it lacks the benefit of In fact, we made a version of The Incredible
collaboration and overall visibility. Some teams Online Task Board and a collaboration wall
even resort to using blogs where they can write after experiencing the above issues first hand in
down the tasks and update each other in real dealing with projects both in-house and with
time. That can work, too, I guess. But nothing clients across the world. The nature of these
works like The Incredible Online Task projects span from something as simple as a list
Board. of things to fix, to complicated multi-year
It’s similar to the real-life or physical task projects building complicated products, to the
board using a blank wall, but this time implementation of a business process across
distributed teams can work seamlessly – as if different departments, to hiring a specialized
they’re in the same room. If you use The resources for an upcoming project. We’ve seen



(The Incredible Online Task Board is available in Xamun)

it all, and after several months of using what we created, we are definitely seeing the benefits.
What we created is called Xamun. It exists in two versions – Lite and Business. The former is
tailor-made for those users that need the task board and a collaboration wall, while the latter is a
robust version that extends to other different functions and areas of management and allows you to
run your entire business online.

The power of The Incredible Online Task Board is at the heart of Xamun, and you can see it for
yourself by visiting www.xamun.com and taking a 30-day free trial.

***This article originally appeared on Arup Maity’s blog, Lean Common Sense.

Arup is the founding President/CEO of BlastAsia, Inc. Under his leadership, BlastAsia has grown
from a modest four member organization to one of the largest .Net providers in its segment in the
Philippines, having more than a hundred technical staff in its pool. He is very much involved in every
aspect of the organization from business development to process improvement initiatives.

Arup Maity, through his effective leadership, drives the organization towards the realization of its
strategic goals and guides the company in implementing balanced corporate governance and quality
objectives.

Arup brings diverse experience in project management and general management practices in
various roles and industries. He started his career by managing projects in civil construction and
consulting. After taking up his MBA from the Asian Institute of Management (AIM) in 1997, he joined
the Business Consulting in the area of Real Estate as Director for Business Development heading the
Business Planning Group of Landco Pacific Corporation, Inc. Arup then started LandExcel Consulting,
Inc., a business consulting company focusing on real estate and retail. As a senior partner in
LandExcel, the concentration of his experience has been in managing Market research, Feasibility
Planning, Pricing and business strategy for top business houses in Philippines for the Green Field and
problem projects.

As a member of the Project Management institute (PMI), Arup is a Certified Project Management
Professional (188635) and more recently, a Certified Scrum Master and member of the Scrum
Alliance. He is also an adjunct faculty of Project Management and IT Strategy at AIM since 2002. An
active member of the Philippine Software Industry Association (PSIA), Arup has served as a Director
from 2006 to 2008.



Xamun Because almost anything
can be turned into a
project, Xamun

Task introduces a new way of
running different types
of projects in one place.

Boards
T o kick start a project, it is important to accomplish smaller tasks to get the project on the right
track. But even before working on a task, we usually like to list down all the things that needs
to be done to see our working timeline and predict the outcome of the project. By accomplishing
smaller tasks, you can already celebrate small successes, and the more intimidating tasks are easier
hurdles to get over. Ultimately, task management is at the heart of managing a project.

There are several task management tools to choose from: it can be a simple checklist or a more
elaborate task board. A task board is a visual task management tool that shows tasks in columns or
lanes – typically To Do, In Progress, and Done – in order to organize a project team's work. Xamun
Project has three different types of boards. Xamun’s Task Board is perfect for general types of
projects, while the Scrum Board and the Kanban Board are specially designed for agile software
development projects.

Task Kanban Scrum
Board Board Board
For general projects For software projects For software projects


Xamun Task Boards

Task Board
If you have general projects lined up, Xamun
Task Board is recommended. Track the
progress of your project and update the tasks
assigned to your team in real time. The task
cards on the board carry your task information
and you can drag and drop these cards based on
their progress status.
You can also use the drag and drop function
when assigning a task to a team mate by
dragging and dropping their photos into a task
card.

Kanban Board
Kanban is a specialized project management
methodology so if you’re doing projects that are
leaning towards this methodology, you can
choose to set your Board type to Kanban.
Carry out the Kanban software development
process easily where you can limit work-in-
progress, manage workflows, implement
feedback loops, and improve team
collaboration.


Xamun Task Boards

Scrum Board
Alternately, you can also choose the Xamun
Scrum Board if you have projects that needed to
be implemented on this methodology. Product
owners can track, monitor, and virtually
manage scrum projects together with a
distributed team.
The Scrum Board also enables your team to
perform release management and sprint
planning, as well as conduct virtual daily
standup meetings. Like the general task board,
you can also size estimations, add subtasks,
post on discussion feeds, attach files, and
categorize tasks.

Xamun created these three board type to fit your task management needs, and we’re
just getting started. They’re all available in Xamun Project, one of the six online
apps in Xamun Productivity for Business accounts.

For just $12/month per user, get everything you need to manage projects, people,
and clients.


Xamun Updates
Xamun introduces Pipeline
To make Xamun a more complete solution,
we’ve created Xamun Pipeline, an online
sales management app that includes its
own Deal Board, Deal Cards, Resource and
Product License Allocators, and Progress lanes.

With Xamun Pipeline, can now efficiently
manage your upcoming projects and enable
your sales team to drive your company's
growth.

Xamun unveils Helpdesk
Another new addition Xamun's Productivity
apps is Xamun Helpdesk, designed
for issue or bug management.

With it, you can now create support
tickets for certain issues raised by customers
and other stakeholders, assign them,
and address them right away. Xamun
Helpdesk is fully integrated with Xamun
Project, where tickets automatically appear on
the task board as soon as you assign them.
Tickets can be assigned to individuals, project
teams, or departments to better serve both
external and internal clients.
.

Xamun launches integrations
We know how important your current apps
are, so we’ve integrated Xamun with third-
party appps.

Chat, call, and set-up face-to-face meetings
through Skype on Xamun Project. Sync your
schedule with Google or Windows Live
Calendar and Xamun My Day. Import your
contacts on LinkedIn and Facebook
to Xamun Community. The great thing is, we’re
only getting started!


Xamun Tips # 4: Converting Subtasks into
Task Cards
Xamun Project is mainly made up of task cards that swim across
lanes on the task board. In these task cards, you can write subtasks to
break down major tasks.
Sometimes, these subtasks are still quite complex and heavy.
What you can do in Xamun Project is to convert these subtasks into
task cards.

On the task card, you can see the subtask list which is found below the Task Description. If it’s
missing, it’s most likely hidden. To show your subtask list, go to Other Options panel found on the
right side of the task card and click on Subtask. To hide your subtask list, all you have to do is click on
it again. (Note: if you hide/show the subtask list on one task card, it will apply to all your other task
cards.)


Converting Subtasks into task cards

After converting, your new task cards will look like this:

Your subtasks are now task cards of their own. Converted subtasks will appear as yellow task cards.
When you click on a converted subtask, you can set various details like in a regular task card. The
green tab above these converted task cards is the parent task.

To learn more, you can watch our Xamun Video Tutorial on Converting Subtasks to Task Cards.


Xamun Tips # 5: Importing Tasks via
Templates
One of the most tasking duties of starting a new project is filling out
tasks. Templates are very useful when you are working on
similar types of projects under different clients. Save time by
importing similar tasks to your new project so you could focus on other
activities at work.

Access project templates by
clicking on the Template Icon
found at the right side of the
Masterlist header.

You can also find the template icon
when you click on the Project
Name.


Importing Tasks via Templates

Upon clicking the Template icon,
the templates window will pop
up. It will look like this:

Choose the project that contains
the tasks that you want to import.
You can choose from your
existing projects, company
templates (if you are in a
corporate setting), and public
templates.

Once the importing is done, the tasks will load on the Masterlist lane where you can edit it like
your regular task cards.

To learn more, you can watch our Xamun Video Tutorial on Using Templates to Get Started.


Xamun Tips # 6: Using the Ticket Board

The newly implemented tab on your Project Sidebar is called
the Ticket Board. The Ticket Board is where you create tickets for
tasks that are related to customer support or product/
service enhancement. You will also land on the Ticket Board
when you access it via the Helpdesk app. Xamun integrated the
Ticket Board inside Xamun Project so it will be accessible in just one
click. Noted on the left side of the Ticket Board tab is the number of
tickets that you need to attend to.


Using the Ticket Board

Your Ticket Board looks like your typical Xamun Board. It also has customizable swim lanes where
you can monitor your ticket progress.

Creating a ticket is easy, too. Use the provided form, fill out the details, and click OK. After that, it
will appear on the New lane then you can assign it to your team members by dragging and dropping
their photo on the ticket card.

Assigning a task to someone will enable the ticket card to appear on that person’s Task Board in
Xamun Project. It will be converted into a task but it will carry a special Ticket icon so your team
member knows which to prioritize first.

To learn more about the Tip, you can watch our Xamun Video Tutorial on Using the Ticket Board.


More from Blog.xamun.com

Why Use Time Tracking
For Creatives?
Yes, yes we know. Creative types want their freedom and independence when doing
the work that they do. Tracking time would be stifling and detrimental to the creative
process. Or would it?

W hen would tracking time be beneficial to a creative agency and its staff? Why do some design
labs and creative houses use time tracking tools such as those in Xamun to resounding
success? Here are some convincing reasons why time tracking for creatives can be a good thing:

Time tracking lets you know how much Time tracking allows you to charge
time you spend on a project clients appropriately
Why is it important to know how much time Once you know how much time you put into
you spend on a project? Having a tool to track each of your projects, then you can bill your
the time you put into each project gives you the clients properly. The project that takes the
clarity to temper your creative activities with longest time to do and eats up the most hours
practicality. It also gives you a concrete and should, logically, be the ones that pay you
measurable basis for analyzing past projects as more. This is only fair for you, your clients, and
well as to plan for future ones. your staff.

Time tracking allows creatives to manage In short, time tracking is a great tool for
their time wisely creatives
Creatives are notorious for haphazard time Time tracking need not be the enemy of
management. If this is the case in your creativity that it is usually made out to be.
company, then it is up to the agency to instill a When productivity and the completion of a
system that allows the artistic staff to be able to project is the end goal, then having a system of
work productively within reasonable limits. time management could even be beneficial to
This kind of planning ensures that time is not each one of your creative staff and to the
wasted on unnecessary things and that there company as a whole.
will always be enough time to do the creative
Source: FunctionPoint
work that must be done.


Top 5 Problems of Remote Workers
Today and How To Solve Them
Now that we our lives are global, more and more businesses are seeing the benefits of
having a virtual office: reduced operations cost, happier staff, and increased
production to name a few. On the flip side, there are a few problems that arise from
working remotely.

R emote workers face problems that are not usually seen in a traditional workplace. So if you
want to make the most out of your business and motivate your remote workers to their fullest,
watch out and prepare for these trouble spots:

1
Training is tricky
If your remote workers have recently transitioned from in-office to a remote working place, you
better brace yourself for difficult training sessions ahead. It will take more effort on your part, as well
as patience, because the only form of communication that you’ll have with your employees will be
thru emails and IMs.
To clear up any misunderstandings and issues faster, assign knowledgeable support staff that
could provide guidance with your new remote employees. This way, they will feel that they have a
mentor whom they can always call for help.

2
Issues on hardware and software compatibility
Not all people are technologically inclined and having a remote work setup can be frustrating,
especially when issues on hardware and software arise. Without any IT support staff nearby,
productivity time will be drastically affected.
It’s best to practice being proactive and provide your employees with guidelines for fixing issues.
You can also provide tutorials and FAQs on how to properly use the tools that you will provide. This
way you’ll save your remote workers downtime and the hassle of dealing with hardware and software
incompatibility.


Top 5 Problems of Remote Workers Today and How To Solve Them

3
No social life
The office is one big social space for many
people and the transition from on-site to
remotely working can be a shock to newbies.
Having a new work environment all to yourself
will be a new experience, plus it takes some
time to accept the fact that they’ve lost the
social aspect they’ve always been used to.
To save your staff from the loneliness of
working alone, organize regular staff event so
that they’ll get the chance to know the other

5
people they’re working with in the cyber office.
Promotion can take a long time
Working remotely can be a big challenge for

4
Rewards are somewhat intangible
Most remote workers feel their worth being
those who want to climb up the ladder of the
workforce. With the work distribution, they will
feel more often than not more like a tool to get
disregarded and their efforts unnoticed because
the job done without their abilities being
of the cyber barrier in remote workplaces. As a
noticed. This is especially true when companies
supervisor, make them feel valued by giving
also employ on-site staff.
them positive feedback to increase their morale.
As the employer, it is your responsibility to
While a tap on the back and a verbal praise is
make it clear that promotions are performance
next to impossible in a remote working place,
based, so that remote staff will feel they are as
spending time to make a customized short
visible and valuable as on site employees.
email on their job well done will suffice.

While remote working provides numerous benefits, there are also problems that need to be dealt
with. This way, the distribution of workload will be easier and your work staff will be happier and
more productive and satisfied with how you handle the business.

Source: GigaOm



Motivate Employees
With a BIG CAR
What do employees really want? Their paychecks plus the benefits
would be your instant answer, but there’s more to that. Although a good salary is
important, it’s only a part of what they love about their jobs. What they really want is
simply, a BIG CAR.

T hat’s right. Having a BIG CAR not only makes your workers feel satisfied, it also helps keep
them motivated. But this doesn’t mean you’ll have to give each of them a Hummer (we know
that’s too much). BIG CAR is simply an acronym, and we’ll tackle what each letter means below.

Belongingness
Belongingness is a human need for the mind and soul and it greatly affects how someone
functions, especially socially and mentally. Remember your employees are human beings too and the
sense of belonging in the workplace is what keeps them stay and motivated.
Make your employees learn about you and each other better through fun side activities like parties or
sports. Simple chit-chats over coffee or even free company shirt giveaways can make them feel a part
of a big family.

Involvement
Employees are always eager to apply their skills and knowledge to their jobs. They have a lot to
suggest in fact so let them be free to share these ideas during work. No one wants to be a robot who
just takes orders.
Let everyone involved by sharing your ideas, listen to theirs and even have a healthy argument to
prove each other’s points. With these, your employees would feel important, be more interested and
gladly accept challenges.

Growth
Learning doesn’t stop after studying. It’s a continuous experience and should definitely be
available to your employees. Fewer learning activities create less motivated employees and thus lead
to less productivity.

Motivate Employees With a BIG CAR

Prevent having stagnant employees and give them a reason to be excited with new challenges and
responsibilities by offering learning opportunities both in and out of the office. More than acquiring
new knowledge, training your employees lets them renew their energy and creativity, driving them to
perform better.

Connection
“How are you?” A simple yet meaningful question that shows that somehow in your tight schedule
you still have the time to show your employees that you care.
Short personal whats-ups, asking for what they need, or just a “Hello” with a sincere smile
connects you to your people, even if you’re just passing by their cubicles. Easy but it could be a day
maker.

Achievement
There’s no point in doing something if you don’t have a goal. You and your employees must have a
clear line of sight on what should be done and where you want to go.
Share to your employees the company’s goal and assign them their missions that should be
accomplished for a certain time. This will tell them where they’re heading and push more to reach the
goal. In the end, they’ll feel better knowing that they were a part of creating something big and
successful.

Recognition
Getting noticed and feeling appreciated are what your employees want the most. After long days of
hard work to finish something, the best thing they can hear from you is that they did a good job and
you fully appreciated it.
Saying “You did well!”, rewarding certificates of recognition, or giving better incentives to those
who deserve it will create happy and fully engaged employees. These will also drive other workers to
work better.

Start having that BIG CAR in your company, make sure it’s working fine and nothing’s missing to
have a productive and happy ‘road trip’ with your workers.

Source: MindFlash, Work.com



How To Get Pricing Right
For Your Business
H ave you ever wondered why a lot
of people are willing to pay a lot of
money for products with low quality? Or
have you ever looked around shops and
wondered why so many items have prices ending in the amount .99? Well, it’s really a
pretty basic concept in marketing: the way you price your product affects what your
customers think about it.
Here’s something every marketer should know: every customer has her own preconceptions
regarding any product or service they will be buying. In other words, everyone has a price range; it’s
simple psychology.
When you quote a price that’s outside their price range, whether it’s too high or too low, you better
be able to justify it or say goodbye to your sale. Here are some pricing tips to help you close more
deals:

Bundle your products
There are two ways that businesses get
Bundling your service is all about giving the
pricing wrong today: the first is when they
client an idea of the value of the product
bunch all their services together into one
without itemizing every bit with a cost estimate.
generic and vague offer: something like “IT
People today are task-oriented, so every service
Solutions: $3,500.” People are likely to shy
should be broken down into tasks, not
away from this because they have no idea what
timetables. Make sure that the client knows
the value of the product is. Similarly, you should
what he or she is getting and that every element
also avoid pricing each item individually, as this
of your service bundle is essential to the whole.
lead customers to question the value of each
element.


How To Get Pricing Right For Your Business

Charge for value, not cost.
A sure way to get yourself stuck working
without making any real income is thinking Options, options and options

that value is the same as cost. When you price Avoid backing the potential into a corner

your items, don’t price them by thinking about where he or she has to say yes or no to your

what they cost you and then add a bit of price. Make sure you offer options. This actually

markup. That’s transactional thinking and quite puts your potential customer into a state of

frankly, it won’t get you either income or mind where they’re already decided on getting

customer loyalty. your service, and only just have to decide on

Think about what a specific customer would customizing their personal experience.

be willing to pay for what you have to offer. The
key here is to get patronage, not a single
transaction. Remember that repeat business is
what every enterprise thrives on.

Use discounts for the right reasons
When you do offer discounts, do it to
encourage right customer behavior. Don’t offer
discounts just to get customers, it devalues your

Don’t blink: reduce value, not just price business. Offer discounts for paying up front, or

Some customers like to play a bit of ‘business for paying with cash, not credit card. Use

chicken’. Cite a price and they’ll haggle, asking discounts to make things more convenient for

you to lower the price or threaten to walk away. you, not to get customers.

Whatever you do, do not give a discount. This The right pricing strategy will not just give

will get them thinking that the service you offer you better income, it will also get customers in

is at a lesser value than they thought. If you the right mindset about your business. Try

really want to work with that specific client, these strategies out and tell us which of these

take a look at the items on the bundled price pricing techniques work for you.

you quoted and ask them which services or
elements they would be willing to forego in Source: MindFlash, Work.com
order to pay less.



Get Inspired By Copying The Best
G
reat ideas are often inspired, be it
from nature, existing tools, and
other great ideas. Think about it: if the
apple hadn’t fall from the tree, Isaac
Newton wouldn’t have thought about
that universal force that pulls everything
to the Earth’s surface we all now know as
gravity. A new concept will always
attribute itself to an older concept. We
get ideas from other ideas, and we really
can’t do without inspiration.

In the workplace, inspiration is one of the driving forces behind creativity. Sometimes, though,
expressing an idea, no matter how great, can be difficult. It’s hard to tell others exactly what you
want, so you have to give them something they can base their work on.

That’s where the “peg” comes in.

“Peg” is ad-speak for “inspiration” or “basis.” It’s what you show your team to give them an idea
for the kind of look or feel you’d like for a certain product. For every project, it’s important to give
your team a peg so they can see a more concrete concept of what you want, and work within
reasonable limitations.

Here’s an example: you want a neat, magazine-type website where you can introduce your
company, boast of your previous achievements, show your products and services, while connecting
with your clients. You can explain all these to your team, but for additional inspiration, you can give
a peg, such as TribalDDB.com they can follow.


Get Inspired By Copying The Best

Pegs can definitely make you and your team’s life easier. With good reference, you can:

- create clearer communication lines between you and your team.

- whip up better ideas, products, and executions by revolutionizing previously effective concepts

- save time by doing away with back-and-forth paper and email work due to revisions.

Now, you might ask yourself: “I’m getting all these really neat ideas from other people and using
them as pegs — does that mean that I’m plagiarizing them?” Don’t worry, you’re not. Getting
inspiration from great pegs isn’t idea stealing — as long as you don’t copy it pixel by pixel. Many great
writers, artists, and photographers all have their own sources of inspiration. What they did was to
take an old idea and transform it into something wholly new and relevant, and call it their own.

So the next time you brief your team about a new assignment, give them something to work with.
Inspire them with an old concept, let them build on it, and watch them create something bigger and
better.


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to manage your projects, clients, and people

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