As a strategy and valuation consultant, I’m often asked good questions at conferences, seminars, mixers, airports, and train stations.  With this blog I will share a composite of the more general questions and my off-the-cuff answers in the hope that you will find this information useful.  As with everything on the internet, please read the disclaimer and exercise good judgment.  If you have a question for me or a comment on the answers provided, please e-mail AskHal@troutcreekconsulting.com.

Q11.  What should I do to receive a good reference?  What should I do to give a good reference?

Q10.  Due to a restructuring, I will now supervise my former peers as head of global sales for my division.  While my peers are professionals, I think they could be more effective if they did things differently.  I’m also supposed to create and implement an Asia strategy that includes building our sales and marketing organization in Asia and dramatically growing our limited sales there.  How should I approach this new role?

Q9.  I’m frustrated with my sales people.  They always tell me we need to drop price by xx% because the customer says it wants an xx% drop.  Why doesn’t my sales force do a better job of pushing the interests of our business to the customer?  Why don’t they take more ownership for the performance of our business?

Q8.  What is the one piece of advice you would give supervisors, managers, and executives?

Q7.  How should bonus compensation programs be structured?

Q6.  What do you think of the American economic stimulus packages being proposed (as of early 2009) and what should be in a stimulus package?

Q5.  Our state government is facing a multi-billion dollar budget shortfall this year.  I understand that if we stop paying all of our bills (e.g., suppliers, government employees, etc.) right now for 90 days and move everyone to 90 day terms instead of the current 0-60 day terms, we can push most of the shortfall into next year, push some of next year’s expenses into the following year, etc.  What do you think?

Q4.  What is the biggest mistake that management can make in a difficult economic environment?

Q3.  How should a fine chemicals manufacturer segment the market?

Q2.  Times are tough and we need to cut costs.  How should we cut our SG&A and R&D costs?

Q1.  I want to sell my company in 2 years, what should I do to maximize the value it might sell for?