Opinion

SALES reps get a bad rap for trying to sell too hard.You've heard the term ‘pushy salesman', ‘aggressive salesperson' or even ‘obnoxious salesman'. How do those phrases make you feel?

YOUR team is probably fired up about grabbing more market share this year. If you want to achieve that goal, however, it's time to look at your operation through a fresh lens.

The late Robert Holmes a Court loved what he called “black letter law” - written so tightly by governments that they thought no-one could find a loophole, but which to him was merely a mental puzzle - the sort solved by BHP Billiton as it revved up a 320-tonne Komatsu ore-truck and drove it through the minerals resource rent tax.

State Labor is aiming to trade on its reputation as the party that cares about public transport.

Both sides of politics will argue over costings until election day, but we can still expect a barrage of public transport promises.

After dealing itself out of the market in the early 2000s, Russia may take advantage of a resurgent palladium price.

Developments in Canberra and in the west highlight the need for reform of electoral terms and electioneering while in government.

The business dealings of China's political elite and their offspring are shrouded in secrecy, but there's no doubt about how lucrative those deals have been for the chosen few.

WHEN someone tells me to ‘have a nice day', I don't think they mean it. I think they're just saying it as a kind of mundane, almost impolite, form of politeness. Forced nicety.

WITH better accounting systems and management information these days, it's easy to be bombarded with loads of numbers and data about your business, without really appreciating what are the most imp

There will be some glum faces among the many Australian goldminers in Cape Town this week for the world's second biggest mining conference, the annual Mining Indaba, because their favourite metal s

I AM sick of reading claims hyping me to ‘have my best year ever' FYI: The trend of ‘best year ever' was originated more than a decade ago by the late, great, Jim Rohn.

WITH a new year well under way, now is a good time to reassess your business's marketing strategy ... and avoid common marketing mistakes that stand in the way of success.

Neither side of politics has yet managed to engage the electorate with a clear and comprehensive transport strategy.

Bad experiences with air-conditioning and solar power may help prevent the same issues arising with the possible shift towards electric-powered vehicles.

Traditional business models are still playing catch-up with the internet.

Lone DLP Senator John Madigan plans to introduce two bills to parliament that, if adopted, would transform Australian politics.

Clear communication and an ability to share the values of your business with staff are among seven strategies to keep your best performers.

It's a perennial debate, but the latest indicators for the state and national economies show the glass really is half full.

THE issue of succession planning can prove problematic for many businesspeople, both personally and financially, particularly as the demographic bump of the baby boomer generation heads into retire

Claude Dauphin and Gina Rinehart are two of the richest people in the world with fortunes built on commodities, but that's where the comparison ends because Dauphin is pessimistic about future comm

IN case no-one has told you, the old way of selling is dead. Problem is, people are still using the old way and, even worse, the ‘experts' are still teaching the old way.

Last year was a tumultuous time for business owners in WA.

THE prospect of global currency war presents a fresh challenge for governments and financial markets worldwide, including Australia.

Discussion of the value and administration of the Kimberley goes as far back as 1861.

International miners have a lot to learn about the Australian resources sector.

The credibility of each party's spending promises is emerging as a key issue in the unofficial state election campaign.

Financial crises in the US and Europe have done little to slow the enthusiasm for big spending of the federal Labor government and that of Colin Barnett.

WESTERN Australia has long been seen as a safe, sustainable and secure supply hub for a range of commodities and processing facilities.

Until now the skills shortage which has dogged the resources sector has been all about a lack of tradesmen and technical professionals whereas the Rio Tinto crisis reveals that the real problem is

Sam Walsh has the chance of a lifetime to head one of the world's biggest companies, but he won't be chief executive of Rio Tinto for long, and he's only there because the board has finally decided

Initially lauded for the certainty it provided, the government's decision to create fixed parliamentary terms is not without its shortcomings – some of them significant.