The Clash of The Internet Browsers.....

It has recently dawned on me just how much and how quickly web technology has evolved. The Ackces team have boldly gone beyond the call of duty to develop a site for all our trendsetting entrepreneurs, inventors and business users out there.

Why?

The answer is because only the best is good enough for Ackces users.
When we designed Ackces we thought of you, our pacesetting clients. What can we create to show you how much we value you, not just as a user, but as the new generation of business innovator?

Ackces users are suave and modern.

They are intelligent and ambitious go-getters.

They are always on the move and always ahead of the game.

They can spot an opportunity and know how to get what they want.

They are charismatic, elegant and live life to the full.

They are pioneers in their field and inventors within their milieu.

They are the Ackcessors: the new breed of business celebrities, renowned for their innovation and vision. These are our people, and as we always believe in finishing the race first, regardless of the obstacles we face, we have taken business networking to a whole new level.

We know that those who use Ackces are a new breed of stars: creating exclusive events, organising business meetings across a broad spectrum, advertising top of the range venues and selling products on a stylish platform already renowned for complimenting their brand.

With that in mind we got really caught up in the spirit of things. We are exceptionally proud to have on board a team of cutting edge web developers who we’ve pushed to the limits of their technical genius. On our day of launch we knew we would come up with some opposition. The Ackces site - too high tech for Internet Explorer 6 - could only be accessed through Fire Fox or Explorer 7.

What about Ackcessors that are simply too busy to update to the latest version of Internet Explorer?

Well, as the technology we use is a bit too advanced for Internet Explorer 6, we came up with a brilliant idea. We would pre-launch the site in Explorer 7, giving Ackcessors the opportunity to start building their brand or service on the site.

We will then launch the IE 6 compatible site in July 2008. Bold move right? Well we set out to push the boundaries of creativity, not the boundaries of our deadlines. In the end a sacrifice had to be made in the fight to stay true to our vision for Ackces. So what we are saying is that faced with certain obstacles you must decide on your goals and your visions for the future. Our testing caused a bit of a stir amongst users. Some were open to the temporary exclusivity of Fire Fox and IE 7 users, while others described not catering for Explorer 6 as ‘discriminating against a certain group of users’.

In a nutshell, for all our Explorer 6 users out there your time is In July. We have a treat for you that we hope you will enjoy! And if you can’t wait that long to Ackces the site, download Fire Fox or upgrade to Explorer 7. Remember that all Ackcessors are a rare breed of talent, charm and skill. As fellow innovators and modernisers we salute you, and we hope to hear your stories on the Ackces blog very soon. In the meantime, enjoy Ackces, send us your feedback, and we really can’t wait to come to one of your events!

www.ackces.com

Ackces.com.......Pomoting Positive Team Spirit

“Management means helping people to get the best out of themselves, not organising things” Lauren Appley.

5 ways to Inspire & Improve Team Performance

All great minds think alike, and so do great managers when it comes to managing their teams and employees. A Team is a collection of individuals. Make sure you know what makes each individual tick. Make a note of important dates, birthdays and similar; showing that you care makes a massive difference but be sincere.

Team Building creates effective teams, which means

• Improved team motivation
• Increased productivity
• Improved harmony & job satisfaction
• Greater staff retention

1. Motivation: find out what makes your employees tick, and then once that’s done, use it to boost their motivation level in a way that will encourage them to use their strengths for the task at hand. This is a key element when working as part of a team. Understanding and encouragement will enable a group of people to feel stable and will ensure good performance. Motivation can take form in recognition i.e. individuals should be praised and recognised for meeting targets. Praise will encourage those who are doing well to continue and others to aspire.

2. Goal Setting: It’s not only important for you as their manager or leader to know the company vision or project vision. It’s important to communicate this from the onset and to constantly direct that towards the goal. Make them feel like they are part of the business and not merely hired hands. Provide weekly/monthly feed back to ensure targets are me.

A team exists when members have responsibility for accomplishing a common goal. An effective team is aware of and manages:

The extent to which goals are clear understood and communicated to all members
The amount of ownership of team goals
The extent to which goals are defined, quantified and deliverable
The extent to which goals are shared or congruent
The extent of goal conflict or divergence

3. Praise: It is in people’s nature to want to be appreciated, show your appreciation from anything as simple as a verbal acknowledgement to a bonus in pay. Company organised incentives are one thing but saying “thanks” for a job well done can really provide a buzz in individuals and teams. Use names and praise. For Example the team bonus: this means that to enhance team working member could decide how they spend the reward i.e. split the money equally or use the money towards a team weekend vacation etc. This can also help to levitate stress and promotes healthy competition between individual teams.

4. Feedback: It is a positive aspect to keep the team updated with team performance, activities chances etc. The more people know the more they can work together to improve and meet targets. Provide constructive criticism as necessary but be sure to throw in some great praise in between for the good points and the potential you see your employees reaching.

5. Management: have an open door policy in general; make yourself a resource and not just a manager of human resources. Become a model of that performance from which you want your employees and team to achieve. In recent years "benchmarking" has come to mean examining someone's successful work procedures, with a view to learning the process, copying its best features, and using it as a standard against which to measure progress.
Many organizations follow the practice internally. Benchmarking has helped many companies to improve safety through examining the practices of other companies with excellent safety records. But we also discovered that you can do a whole lot, just by observing a successful department, team leader or supervisor within your own organization. We learned that to achieve results from benchmarking, you have to do your homework, know what you want to achieve, and be prepared to give your mentor something in return.

www.ackces.com

Ackces.com........The Wow Factor.......

Creating Your Unique Personal Brand

Love it or loath it, most entrepreneurs know that “self-branding” is important if you want you (and your company) to get noticed.

Image is important. Whether you want to the next Donald Trump or have the aura and wealth of Oprah Winfrey, or even the all powerful Alan Sugar and Simon Cowell.

All these successful businesspeople know that their image commands respect,. They are what they say and they say what they are. They dress for success. And although behind the scene many have their carefully hired publicist, stylist, trainer, nutritionist and even spin doctor -they all have one thing in common. They have the wow factor!

So what about you? What happens when you enter a room? Are you forgettable or do you own that room? Do others stand up and take notice of you?

We all have a signature style - something that sets us apart from those around us; and if we don’t it is important that we cultivate one for ourselves.

So it is important that you create a strong brand in the way you move, speak, dress and present yourself.

When dressing for your body type, think in terms of a silhouette. You don’t want your signature style to showcase a part of your body you dislike. Instead, aim to camouflage your trouble areas while playing up your best features.

So how exactly can you brand yourself?

1. Identify your unique selling point (USP). This is simply what makes you unique. Remember that you are an original – there is no one else quite like you. What do you stand for? What are your philosophies? Try to sum up are your key strengths and talents in a few key words or phrases.
2. Develop a personal brand statement that tells the world who you are and what you do. Since your brand statement is the essence of you, incorporate it into all of your printed material. Make it a part of your introduction at networking and other functions. Communicate your brand statement in the way you conduct business and in your personal image.
3. Watch your appearance: If the visual image you are projecting is not a direct reflection of your personal brand statement, you are doing yourself and others a disservice. Consider your personal image as the packaging of your personal brand.
4. Check your brand behaviour: Packaging your brand includes not only your appearance but your conduct. Do you return phone calls and emails promptly? Do you deliver on your promises? Although it may seem obvious, being forgetful and stretching yourself so thin that you don’t deliver on what you promises can negatively affect the integrity of your personal brand.
5. Evaluate your brand regularly. Make an appointment with yourself twice a year to re-evaluate your personal brand statement. If your unique values and key attributes have undergone changes (we are continually growing and evolving and there are times when that growth is so great it alters our personal brand) compare those changes with your personal brand statement and adjust as needed.
8. Invest in your brand: Many people will make the excuse that they don’t have enough money, or time, to invest in themselves (or their brands). No brand is successful without making an investment. Whether that’s your appearance or your filing system - if it needs attention, find a way.

Now take a good look at yourself. Would you buy into you? What do you think would give you an edge and set you apart from your competitors?

The mirror should be your best friend. If you cannot confront yourself then you are spending too much time fooling yourself. If you were in a room with a handful of people and you had to choose one to run your company and make it a success - would you choose yourself? Could you be the face of the next billion dollar brand?

If it is yes: you are on your way to becoming a star.

If however you answer no: research…redefine...restyle…repackage…rebrand and then sell! Sell! Sell! And sell!

We hope to hear your success story soon on Ackces.com