I Know the Look

I know the look. Eyes glazed over; forced smiles. The look that says, “Why am I here? I don’t need to know this! I’m not an accountant”. I can count on one hand how many people have actually been excited to sit down and start talking about budgets and cash flow forecasts!

Years ago, it was true that only accountants and finance managers needed to understand business acumen. But in today’s world, everyone benefits from understanding basic financial statements. Companies see how important it is for employees to understand the fundamentals of bottom line impact initiatives and “why we are doing what we are doing”.

Our family loves to play games! That is why I love training our business acumen classes. We use a game –simulation approach. All simulations offer a 3D visual representation of your company’s current financial position. This transitions the learning from the classroom to the real world. The tie-backs and discussions relate the simulation experience to your company’s concerns, measures, and goals. It is a fun and competitive way to learn the world of financial statements!

We do a lot of training in the Agriculture Retail world. I remember after one particular session, while packing up my materials, I had a senior salesperson tell me that he knew he would be far more effective as a salesperson moving forward, having a greater understanding of how his customers manage their businesses. He hit the nail on the head and I knew he “got it”- no more glazed eyes for him or his team!

Whether you are new to the business world or an experienced salesperson, business acumen discussions relate methodology that makes it easy for anyone to quickly understand financial statements and concepts.