The above title is one of the best pieces of advice I have received and I've been putting it to good use in Telstra International this week.

I've been continuing my work with the marketing team this week. We are looking at a product refresh between Telstra International and Telstra Clear - looking at Telstra's GWAN product. I have been developing product collateral which will provide the sales team with a reference document so they can increase their product knowledge and understand the process involved in responding to an RFQ from a customer. I've been working closely with the head of operational sales and commercial sales to work on a process to ensure the product is priced competitively and the RFQ reaches the customer in a timely manner.

Several process issues have cropped up which has involved sitting in a room and discussing, debating and investigating the proposed process designs. I've learned about how products are priced and the process involved from when a customer first contacts Telstra to the point where they receive a quote. I've also leearned a lot about communication styles - as a more independent observer, it was interesting to watch how people were communicating; how they were phrasing and explaining their thoughts and how the other people in the room were listening and interpreting them. It was amazing how much of the message was lost in translation

Within the new process, it became apparent that it was essential to address the problems and find a solution. If a question is asked and no-one knows the answer, we need to find someone that does. We didn't have all the answers but had managed to come up with several solutions, all of which we could present as possible alternatives.

This weekend I'm heading to the whisky expo at Randwick Racecourse, Kyle is coming from New Zealand to see Sydney so I'm sure we'll catch up over lunch this weekend and I'm sure I'll fit in another trip to the beach!