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I often tell fellow members of Fusion that the only secret to our success in this business is that there is no secret and its down to hard work, intelligence and a lot of luck at times. Now, if I put my business hat on and translate that into something more personable I would say it’s a case of getting the “Right people in the Right place at the Right time”. If we can get those three attributes inline we should get the Right results.

Let me elaborate…

The Right people

Be it Sales, Pre/Post Sales, Support Consulting, Management or Operations, getting the right DNA in staff is key. Get it wrong and you have a recipe for disaster. (I know, I have come close a couple of times) With the right DNA you guide as opposed to dictate, nurture instead of man-manage, and eventually that individual will not need as much management, nor coaching nor picking up off the floor when failure seems to stare them in the face.

If you look at the comments we get from our customers, it’s not about the company, nor the processes we follow, nor the technology, it’s all about the fantastic job our people have done. Time and time again I re-read the customer feedback and it shines through as the single constant.

Now, take a look at the attrition rates in Fusion, single figures year-on-year. Some leave and come back. Over time the numbers don’t lie. It’s like economics, you can talk and talk about it and make all sorts of assumptions, but at the end of the day the Profit and Loss tells the story. Fusion are continuously (without exception) profitable.

The Right Place

Just as difficult as getting the right DNA, is to put it in the right place. Sales and Pre- Sales are a classic example. Its only that “pre” that separated them on the keyboard but it’s a mission mile apart in reality.

I make a determined effort to front end our staff to the Customer….24 hour response times, the Account Manager is king as they are the Customer representative within Fusion, do what is right by the Customer and in the long term it will always pay dividends, tell the Customer the truth even if it’s not what they want to hear. Finally, get in front of your Customer, listen to them, learn their business, their objectives, their constraints and help them.

The Right Time

There is never really a wrong time when it comes to business. The general principal is simple. Do not procrastinate. Do not put off till tomorrow if it can be done today. This is particularly true when communicating with the Customer. Let the Customer decide if they want to delay. Don’t be the cause of that delay.

That’s the science, there is of course the “human element” and I am afraid despite what the text books might tell us, you either have it or you don’t.

If I was to add anything that makes Fusion as a company stand out its quite simple, we have the right people, in the right place, at the right time….most of the time, we don’t always get everything right, but our Customer base recognise our values of integrity, honesty and that willingness to go the extra mile. Its why they keep coming back, why they transfer from other Partners, why they come to Fusion in the first instance and why we are successful long-term. I said earlier the numbers don’t lie, we are growing year-on-year, we are profitable, we retain staff, we retain and grow our customer base, and finally we believe in what we are doing.

John Mohan
CEO

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