RPS Blogs

Higgs Force – now available on the Kindle I’m pleased to announce that the electronic (Kindle) version of our first book is now available for purchase on the Amazon from Quantum Wave Publishing. Higgs Force is the story of how scientists came to understand the laws of the cosmos, from the ideas of the Greeks, through the middle ages to the great scientific discoveries of the 19th and 20th Centuries, and leading up to experiments being conducted at CERN in the search for the elusive Higgs particle. Higgs Force is engaging and concentrates on the human stories of the characters involved, and is...

Customer Care is how a business looks after its customers. This includes everything from the moment a customer makes contact with your business, at point of sale, during the provision and installation of goods and after sales care. For a long time this has been a major bone of contention for me, and over the years as an Operations Manager I have suffered the wrath of a couple of customers due to bad levels of service and customer care. And to be honest, sometimes I’ve deserved it, most of the time it’s because somebody in the organisation has failed to keep...

One of the things which has worried me for years is the gradual decline of the local bookshop. The rise of companies like Amazon, with their huge purchasing power means that they can hold a massive range of titles and still undercut small local shops (Amazon don’t pay high street rent and rates, and also benefit from their huge investment in software automation). Before continuing, I should admit that for technical books, which I often need in a hurry, I can (and do) often get them a lot faster from Amazon than locally. Although it’s possible to find almost any book on-line,...

Quantum Wave Publishing – time to experiment! I’ve always been interested in popular science, and recently decided it might be fun to become a publisher of books (and e-books, apps etc). So we’ve set up Quantum Wave Publishing. Our first book is Higgs Force by Nicholas Mee, a fascinating book about the story of particle physics, leading to the search for the Higgs Particle. The second edition (and our first) will be on sale in the next few days, (I’ll post again as soon as it is). Pretty much all of the mechanics (printing, distribution, stock etc) can now be outsourced, so the...

I’m sure from time to time you’ve been in strange situations that you could never have imagined. Last night, a friend of mine reminded me of such an experience. On the way back from our recent Cycle India trip we had the unusual experience of travelling on a “Sleeper Bus”. Basically it’s a coach with bunk beds, basic, but clean. There was just one, ehem, omission. No toilet. With 20 passengers, and a few hundred miles to go, that wasn’t a happy combination. Anyway, off we set and I dozed off almost immediately. A few hours later, my friend (who was in an adjacent bunk) woke...

Just a quick update to say that Apple called me back on Friday and the app is back in the store! My app is back! The only slight hitch is that I’ve got to re-submit it with a “17+” rating. Not because there is anything offensive in it, but they don’t want kids accidentally buying $399 apps! Which is fair enough, I suppose. The only downside is they’ve recommended I resubmit it before Monday, so no pressure… Apparently the reason it was pulled is something to do with their automated systems tracking unexpected price rises. This could just be coincidence, but I suspect the previous post...

***** Here we go the final part 3 of the article where it all makes sense The answer really is quite simple…………. It might sound a bit blasé, but the answer really is that simple!……. You have to use the markets leading user-friendly conservatory and orangery sales, survey and ordering software. Gone are the days where potential customers will spend 10, 20, 30, maybe 40k or more based on a simple lined sketch drawn on the back of a cigarette packet. With more and more customers using the internet they have become more knowledgeable about the designs they desire and the price range of...

Over the years in the double glazing industry one thing I have really looked forward to and enjoyed was the annual day out with colleagues at the industry trade shows in the NEC Birmingham such as Glassex and then Interbuild. Without doubt in the early years Glassex was the best trade show around and you could get a preview of the latest industry innovations coupled with meeting people who have the same enthusiasm for the industry. It was without doubt a good day out, where you could see new products, meet suppliers and build business relations with companies. Sad times for...

In Part 1 of this article I talked about the 10 things you would like to improve in your sales business. Following on, Part 2 will help you reduce those costly, frustrating, profit draining parts of your sales business that I know you will not be happy with. I’m not trying to tell you how to suck eggs, but I’ve always found it helps to get a little reminder to jog the old grey matter into seeing what you may be missing and how you can improve certain areas. Quite often, when you are in a high pressure environment with lots going...

If you’re not you should be! ………… What’s more you can, quite easily! This article isn’t about the different sales techniques you use. It’s about the tools you must have to do the job. You wouldn’t send a bricklayer out to lay bricks without a trowel!,  or an electrician out to change a plug socket without a screwdriver,  So why send your sales representatives out on a lead that’s already cost you a lot of money, without the tools he needs to successfully convert your valuable lead into a sale? It just wouldn’t make sense. Wouldn’t it be nice if you could improve...