Still a great competition - the FA Cup - where dreams are made!

What a scintillating draw in the FA Cup.  Last year’s runner up hosting the formidable Arsenal.  And what timing!  Given their defensive frailties, in-camp arguments and lack of cutting edge in the centre of the park, is there ever going to be a better time to defeat the Premiership boys?!

But then we’ve lost Chopra and Routledge for seemingly inexplicable reasons.  And despite Ledley insisting it’s game on, you have to wonder whether he’ll be a Bluebird come kick-off.  Could a normal business run on such uncertainty?  Yes people come and go, but we normal folk don’t submit transfer requests nor are we followed by several admirers causing speculation of our departure (unless you’re very lucky!).  Matters not - I digress.

Vansdirect wish the Bluebirds success against the Gunners and hope the January sales prove fruitful!!!

Happy New Year

I’m not necessarily one for the frivolities of the New Year spirit.  I certainly don’t make resolutions that I will ditch 2 weeks in for example.  However, as we wake up to a new year and stumble back to our office chairs, I ask everyone to think about what the year has in store.

Don’t think about the global problems - you can’t solve those (I assume no one in No 10 or the White House is reading this).  Instead, think about your own aspirations and goals.  What can you do to add value to your business this year?  How can you add value to your own stock?  Remember, if we all improve by 1%, then the business in question improves also….the knock-on effects could be endless.

2009 needn’t be all about doom and gloom.  With every problem there is a solution and an opportunity waiting to be exploited.

Above all, don’t set large and ridiculous resolutions - think small, realistic progression.  Evolution, not revolution.

]]> http://www.vansdirectnews.com/new-year/feed/ http://www.vansdirectnews.com/txt-spk-v-xmas/ http://www.vansdirectnews.com/txt-spk-v-xmas/#comments Fri, 19 Dec 2008 13:01:23 +0000 admin http://www.vansdirectnews.com/?p=730

Text Speak is Wrong!!!

Only a few hours after finishing my unapologetic attack on abbreviations in the workplace, another pet peeve of mine reared its ugly head - text speak!  What made this worse was the apparent contradiction contained within my friend’s statement - “It’s not Xmas, it’s Christmas BTW!” (it should be noted that his words weren’t directed at my use of the abbreviation).

I’ve noticed such behaviour creep into life at Vansdirect.  When we sell a van, we no longer send “documents” but instead “docs”.  No longer do we require “proof of identity,” instead it’s “proofs”.  I’ve even heard the company referred to as “Vans” rather than our self-created one-word title of Vansdirect.

This would surely be enough to make the marketing guys cry into their coffee?!  All their efforts of brand propoganda destroyed in a single word.  It’s up to those in marketing and Human Resources (HR for those who forgot what “HR” stands for) to combat this insurgent pest.  A cross-function partnership to indoctrinate the use of the correct terminology.  Business can only benefit.

pls, the nxt time u snd a txt or email, think if u ave dun the right ting.  When spking, even if l8, try and use the full word.

I’ve confused myself!  And just in case I don’t blog again for before the festivities, have a good Xmas or Christmas - whichever you prefer!

Marketing Linguistics?!

Most things in life are fairly straight forward and easily understood.  Why therefore do marketing people like to complicate everything with jargon and abbreviations for everything?  I was reminded of Robin Williams in Good Morning Vietnam today as Vansdirect’s Marketing Manager, who I won’t name (…Owain Cassidy…), went into a whole spiel of marketing linguistics which us mere mortals could only nod along to.

It’s true to say that all departments are guilty of this.  We all preach “Communication” as a virtue yet we make it more complicated by integrating short-hand into our daily routines.  I accept that this can save time.  Time is money after-all.  But I can’t carry the business dictionary and thesaurus with me all day!

The next time you go into a meeting consider your audience.  If it’s one business function jargon-it-up all you like.  But, if you’re presenting to an outsider (and they do exist), try to use terms they’ll understand.  Oh, and if anyone can tell me what an “SEO” is, I would be much obliged.

Strictly In the Wrong!

The Vansdirect office has been surprisingly quiet over Saturday’s Strictly Come Dancing semi-final.  Perhaps no one in our offices voted for Tom Chambers or the other remaining contestants.  Whilst the debate about refunds continues, I remain amazed that this is the main controversy.  Bruce and Tess cited an “unprecedented” outcome meaning that all three couples must go through.  If business was this naive, most would be bankrupt before John Sergeant could master marching!

Firstly, let’s clear up the mess.  The BBC could have closed one phone line only (Tom’s) and the votes to the other lines would have determined which of the remaining couples would enter the dance off.

Alternatively, the BBC could have used a system that has been employed by sports and other competitions for generations - award the tied couples half of the combined points.  In this instance, Rachel and Lisa would have walked away with 2.5 points compared to Tom’s 1.  Low and behold, the public vote could still have meant something.

However, the main point to be taken from this latest BBC debacle is that outcomes should not be unprecedented.  In business, regardless of the discipline or function you fill, you must consider all possible outcomes.  Planning for all possible contingencies removes embarrassing mistakes and saves time and money.  Remember your cost benefit analysis and remember that the path of least resistance doesn’t necessarily result in the best or cheapest outcome.

I’ve always liked the “5 P’s” adopted by the SAS -  “Planning Prevents Piss-Poor Performance”.

Portman Road - Home of Ipswich Town aka Tractor Boys

The football world is full of cliches, rumour and gossip.  It’s therefore nice to see a player come out and say it (or at least their agent) - “The most likely with Joe is that maybe he plays his contract out, then we see where we are.”  Joe Ledley therefore, a fantastic player with bags of potential will be with the Bluebirds a little longer.  Or is this a clever ploy to get Risdale and Jones to weigh-up £6m in January or £ZERO in 18 months?!

No matter.  What matters now for the Vansdirect team is a trip to Ipswich.  The Bluebirds are looking to hold onto a playoff spot whilst the Tractor Boys will be looking to build on their 3 goal display against Bristol City and perhaps nick a playoff spot.

Cardiff will travel without top scorer McCormack and midfield maestro Peter Whittingham.  Jay Bothroyd will undergo a late fitness test to see if he can play.  McPhail is back after suspension which should give strength to the midfield.

Magilton is keeping things close to his chest and will post his team news later today.

Ipswich have only failed to score at home on one occasion this season and have some impressive scalps under their belts.  However, being a pragmatist, I think this will be a 1-1 draw.  My guess if Cardiff will take the initiative but the Tractor Boys will level in the last 20 minutes.

Chicken? Egg? Congestion Charge? Public Transport?

With Manchester voting on a London-like congestion charge, I got to thinking….what comes first?  The spend on public transport or the charge?  Surely most of us drive because public transport is both unreliable and inconvenient.  If this is true, how can we stop driving our cars because of the charge?  It’s a chicken and egg debate in its truest sense.

Moreover, public transport is hopeless.  Councils assume you live a 2 minute walk from a bus stop and that your place of work happens to be on route!  As I said yesterday, I drive 42 miles to the Vansdirect office every morning - a journey that takes 1 hour.  To do this using nothing but the power of my own two feet and public transport is a near 3 hour marathon involving 3 buses and a train!

Then there are the van drivers.  Those people whose work depends on going into our city centres.  With a tax hike on fuel and a congestion charge to boot, what will they do?  They can’t change their habits can they?  No, it will probably mean the cost being passed on to us via the shop concerned.

Transport issues begin with city design.  We’ve gone too far to remedy this, but stop and think before putting in a congestion charge.  Will it really pay for another bendy-bus (another stupid idea) or will it merely cover the cost of the bureaucratic running of the system?

I hope if Manchester does vote yes, that they reap the benefits than London seems to have negated.

The Stig can stay in the fast lane

I drive 42 miles to Vansdirect every day; a round trip of 84 miles.  I think this makes me somewhat qualified to unpick the madness that is Britain’s motorways.  The government spends millions on their upkeep and millions on their expansion yet we still seem to need more.  This isn’t due to overcongestion as we’re led to believe (although it’s partly to blame), it’s simply down to the way we use our roads!

Take a moment and think about your last journey.  I bet that you used the middle lane of the motorway more than any other and….. I bet there were few if any cars in the slow lane.  We essentially waste a third of Britain’s motorways!  With Driving Miss Daisy in the middle lane and the Stig in the fast lane, those of us doing 70-80mph are stuck.

We don’t need more speed cameras - the fast guys don’t bother me on the motorway (built up areas are different).  We need to move people into the slow lane.  Perhaps we should even adopt the American’s approach and have a minimum speed limit - somehting the M25 would call Zero - this would eliminate much road rage and free up our roads.  Accidents may even be reduced!

So, the next time you’re on the motorway.  THINK!  Do I need to be in the middle lane?  If not, don’t be lazy, pull into the slow lane.

Where do I go with this?!

I’ve been updating this site for a little while now (on and off), with news about vans, cars and the motor industry.  Yesterday I was told that it’s time for vansdirect news to take a new direction.  Van news will now be published on the Vansdirect site proper.  For those of you who don’t know it, it’s vansdirect.co.uk.

In the meantime, I’ll continue to bring you news of Cardiff City and anything else that doesn’t quite fit in with the corporate image portrayed on our main page. Think of this as the vansdirect viral area.

The main page isn’t totally corporate - it’s not all about selling as many cheap vans as possible you know!  Vansdirect.co.uk also has guidance and tips on how to save money whilst driving your new van and links to cheap insurance.

As I write this, I must admit the “new direction” is somewhat daunting.  What I know about vans could be written on the back of a stamp - probably why they’ve redirected the van news to the main page (someone else can enjoy that).  I need inspiration.  I need the van buying, car buying, van driving public to give me ideas.  I need you to register and leave your comments.  Think of the comments area as the back end of a very dirty van - use your finger to write whatever you want!  “Clean Me” and “I wish my wife was this dirty” are commonly found on the back of a van but aren’t really going to help me.

So, to finish this, my first proper blog, I beg you - HELP ME!!!

THINK!

It’s the festive season and therefore that time of year when THINK! warn all motorists not to drink and drive.  Whilst it may be tempting to drive home from the office Christmas party, remember that last year 460 people died as a result of drink driving.

THINK! are launching their festive campaign with a £1.6m investment.  Road Safety Minister, Jim Fitzpatrick is clear with the intended message - ” If you get behind the wheel after a festive tipple you risk wrecking your own and other people’s lives - don’t do it.”

Vansdirect joins THINK! and the Government in urging all drivers not to drink and drive.  Please, if in doubt - get a taxi.  Designate a driver before going out.  Whatever it takes to avoid the potential consequences of drink driving.