John Linton ...or maybe just the 'eye of the storm'?
Maybe it the approaching 'Christmas Season' that is making business life a little easier than it has been all year. Maybe its the result of 12 months of intensive 'fine tuning' leavened with some meat axe' decision making that has finally brought about some positive changes to many aspects of Exetel's business - or maybe it's just a temporary aberration. Whatever the reason the current 'niceness' of the recent business days is very welcome.
We appear to be finally making some progress on several 'fronts' of the current communications industry 'wars' with most of our suppliers becoming more accommodating and, either through more careful research or the 'sledge hammer' effects of falling sales, beginning to recognise that these are not 'business as usual' times but require very different views on just what HAS to be done to get through the current 'unpleasantness'. Innovation is gaining momentum from all sorts of suppliers who, in the past, have been known for their pretty rigid mind sets to a point where I am more than surprised. Perhaps it is partly due to the original thought processes we bring to various discussions but that may well not be the case.
Perhaps, as suggested by one of our suppliers yesterday, the 'free' concept is making some headway against the 'unlimited' concept but I don't think that is the case - at least as yet - it's much too soon for that to percolate through the thought processes of the general buyers. Whatever has happened it has been a long time coming and, assuming it is not just a brief aberration, it would be good to have a month or so of less demanding days. I don't know that I would have had the physical and mental ability to keep on working at the pace that has been required over the past two years for too much longer. Perhaps it's the end of the beginning as someone with far more skill with using words than I have once noted.
Of course, Telstra Retail has a great deal of its $A1 billion of 'promotional money' left to spend and who knows what their next 'promotion' will focus on? Their last telephone call to our house had reached $300.00 in cash bonus to move from "your current provider and cover any early penalty fees for ending our contract" - I'm not sure but I think that was the fourth telephone call since July offering "amazing deals" to transfer to Telstra Retail. Doubtless they will shortly start on their "Christmas Specials" which you would think would have to be even better than the discount levels offered to date. Maybe these days of 'niceness' are just providing a brief respite in between Telstra Retail campaigns.
I will be interested to see if November sustains its strong start, across almost all our endeavours. It's nice to have more relaxing days - I'd forgotten that there were such things.
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