Its all about business.

Archive for July, 2007

Your Business… Your success…

Jul 31

Posted by Steve Gray in Excellence!, Growth, People!, Personal Development, Planning, Risk Management, Starting out in business, The Board Room | No Comments

In business the success you get is often based on what you do as the business Owner/Operator, Director, Manager, CEO… Sure there is a matter of Luck, being in the right place and the right time (serendipity) but mainly the L.U.C.K. boils down to Learning Under Correct/Constant Knowledge.

Over time you might be able to ‘fluke’ a few results that make you feel good, look good etc… However there is often a more logical approach that can be taken to ensure your business success.

Firstly lets look at a few starting points, one being Business Profiles the other being your efforts towards success at the level of the profile you are at or want to be at. If you start with a level one business (and many do) the writing can be on the wall if you allow yourself to not see growth potential or take into acocunt the principal of making a profit. Mind you, you could do yourself in if that is all you were to see.

Business is a wholsitic device, which requires a number of things to happen to get apositive result. No matter what level your business is at you need to be aware of the positive and negative forces at play that can make or break it.

I would suggest that as a successful business operator you need to be able to have your finger on the pulse of what’s is happening, what could happen and what you want to have happen to make your business be all it can be.

Business failure rates are high, and to overcome that devices like the Business Profiles can give some indicators as to how you might explore the level you are at and decipher what to so to get to where you want to be.

Success is many things to many people and if it is about working towards worthwhile goals then your goal must surely be to create a successful venture. Using the profiles above and developing a plan of action from that to provide you with your goals is therefore an important factor in getting to where you want to go.

Using Promotional Products As Retail Babysitters

Jul 30

Posted by Michael Crooks in Excellence!, Growth, Innovation and Creativity, Starting out in business, The Customer Service Dept, The Marketing Dept, The Operations Dept, The Sales Dept | No Comments

I almost laughed out loud. A clerk tried to explain the features and benefits of a hair dyer to a woman who had a small child with her. The clerk’s sales attempt was interrupted every 20 seconds with, “Mommy, look at this!”, followed by mommy’s horrified look as she foresaw three possible outcomes: 1) Junior was about to maim himself; 2) Junior was about to maim someone else; 3) Mommy was about to spend way more than she intended on something that she didn’t want — that was about to be broken into at least 5 pieces.

Since it wasn’t my kid, I found it hilarious. The salesperson was exasperated. And mommy? Well, mommy finally said, “hell with it”, took Devil Child by the arm and exited the store after a carefully stacked display of towels suddenly became un-stacked — because Junior wanted the towel on the bottom.

When children hinder the sales process, salespeople can’t effectively do their job and profits suffer. Smarter retailers know they MUST occupy the children if they want mommy and daddy’s attention. That’s where Retail Babysitters come in.

For a promotional item to serve as an effective Retail Babysitter it should meet the following criteria:

1) Be age appropriate;
2) Be clean and mess free;
3) Consume children’s time.

A fourth criteria that, while not mandatory to keep kids from sabotaging your sales efforts, is VITAL if you want to get the best R.O.I.:

4) Whenever possible, Retail Babysitters should contain a tangible component to aid in the continuing promotion of your business or service off-premise.

Logoed items that meet the above criteria include stickers, sticker sheets, waterless tattoos, coloring books, crayons, your letterhead and custom activity sheets.

Businesses such as flooring showrooms, vehicle dealerships and furniture stores where children remain visible, can create a children’s area with carpet, a table and chairs. Suggesting to small children that they make a card or picture for mommy and daddy can work wonders. You can provide your letterhead, 8 1.2″ x 11″ sheets of construction paper, logoed boxes of crayons and logoed stickers or sticker sheets.

Waterless temporary tattoos can also be used in this way as they transfer well to paper products as well as the skin. Themed coloring books with your imprint on them along with the crayons are another good option.

For older children, create custom activity sheets. For instance, the sheet for a flooring store could contain a word search where kids search for words such as flooring, carpet, vinyl, etc.; a word jumble; a maze and other activities.

If you can’t create a Kid’s Corner, placing a coloring book & crayons with some stickers and waterless tattoos in a logoed paper lunch bag can fill the bill. Many kids will sit on the floor next to the parents, look through the bag and begin to apply stickers, waterless tattoos, use the coloring books or decorate the paper bag.

To aid in off-premise promotion of your business, offer a monthly coloring contest. The kids either finish a coloring book picture while at the establishment or finish it at home. The parents can drop the finished picture off later. (This gets them back in the store). Pictures are displayed and once a month, one or more winners is chosen and goes up on the winner’s wall. Each child who turns in a drawing gets an entry prize of some sort with the monthly winners getting larger prizes. (Monthly winners must come in to claim their prize.)

To provide the most benefit to your establishment, all prizes (water bottles, plastic flyers, knit caps) carry your logo and contact information. You can also get lot’s of play out of featuring selected children’s drawings in your monthly newspaper/print ads and on your website. You can also use the drawings to create a custom business calendar.

If you work with a competent promotional products consultant, they can be on the lookout for and bring select items to your attention that are on closeout or are seasonal specials. This will also serve to keep your prize selection fresh and seasonally appropriate.

Children can be a salesperson’s worst nightmare. But with a little thought and the right promotional products to serve as Retail Babysitters, children can actually become an asset as you use them to leverage favor — and sales with the parents.

Make it real…

Jul 28

Posted by Steve Gray in Finance, Growth, The Board Room | No Comments

Busy in business? most are… But have you noticed that these days we are so used to $$ coming in and going out electronically that we don’t realise it’s happening.

In the ‘good old days it was cash and Cheques, now its eftops and credit cards, bank transfers and the like.

We could become a nation of people seeing numbers and not cash. So what if you were to take one months ‘cash flow’ and look at it as $1 coins… or $10 bills. How would it stack up? how high would the income and outgoings piles be? and the profit pile? and the wages pile… Get the point.

Its about becoming more aware of the real terms of business and how the cash really stacks up, not just the numbers.

Sketchcasting, a new way of blogging?

Jul 25

Posted by Bren Ryan in Excellence!, Innovation and Creativity | 3 Comments

I was getting my daily dose of Darren Rowse today and saw a very interesting new concept.

This has enormous potential, especially for those of us who can convey thoughts and concepts much better standing at a white board than we can with the written word.

I love it! I can’t wait to learn how to do this and give it a go.

A great idea from Richard Ziade @ Sketch Basement

Bullying no thanks…

Jul 23

Posted by Steve Gray in Growth, Health and Safety Dept, Human Resource Management, Leadership, People!, Personal Development, Risk Management, The Board Room | No Comments

Of increasing annoyance is the challenge employers face in dealing with Bullying in the workplace. No longer is it just a blue collar “stir up the new apprentice with some pranks issue” but it’s a bigger issue involving all business types. It seems there are as many bullies as there are workplaces.

Finding out you have a bully is one thing, but dealing with them is entirely another… Often you find out you have one or three bullies far too late and their manipulative ways mean they may have already infected a range of people in your organisation. Poor productivity, lots of sick days taken, higher staff turnover may be just a few of the indicators a bully is in your midsts.

To combat this employers, managers and supervisors need to be vigilant that 1. they are not the bullies and that 2. they have a process of some kind in place for dealing with them. Finally 3. they have a way of discovering if they have any.

Attached is a document that can give you some insights into bullies and the ways they do things, use that as a starting point to pinpoint the behaviours bullies have and then work towards ways to over come these parasites feeding on your business.
Workplace Bully Information

What level are you at?

Jul 21

Posted by Steve Gray in Excellence!, Finance, Leadership, People!, Personal Development, Planning | No Comments

I took a list at the Australian Business Review Weekly’s top 200 rich list.

I was not in it… BUT plenty were (200 in fact) what struck me was the list at the back of the notables that were dropped off the list from last itme, one person still had a fortune of $121mil but it was no where near enough to get him into the top 100 list. In fact he was near the bottom of the ousted group.

So, I’m not at his level (no where near it…) but it got me thinking about levels, new businesses starting out and older businesses that have only got so far. I am fortunate to be able to have access to a lot of startups via a business forum and offer some assistance in their journey in business, they are looking up, I am looking back.

But with the higher groups I am looking up and want to find those looking back to provide me with the info to take me to the next level… Mentors? Coaches? Perhaps.

The aim here, to get  you thinking about your level and where you want to be.  Seek and ye shall find!

Sustainability and the start up.

Jul 21

Posted by Steve Gray in Growth, Starting out in business | 5 Comments

You got into business to do great things and then what do you suppose happened when you discovered it was all going “pear shaped…” You wondered what you had done to deserve the hassle, the pain, the torment, the lack of dollars, the lack of customers the lack of support… the list goes on, and on… and it happens way too easily.

Here are a few things to get you thinking and in your initial start up phase these things should be priority number one!

  1. Have I done enough research? – Not so much research that the business never gets started, but enough to know that what you want to do will be able to turn a profit, meet a need or want for the customers and provide the income you need to make a living and keep the business growing.
  2. Will I be happy? – In a job you can duck and weave, take holidays, take sick leave and so on to get out of a ‘dud period’, in business however, you are it. So will your business keep you happy, make you happy, or build up to happiness? If not, why do it? Any thing less than happiness is probably misery, and in business you cannot just walk away without losing something (lots of $$, self esteem, respect, etc.)
  3. Sustainability? Whats that? – You have a business idea, will it last, will it be something that peole want to have for a long while to come or will it be something that fades out in a short time frame (a year or two.) If you are in the research phase check out carefully if this will be the case, there is little sense in putting a lot of time and effort into something that will be gone in a year or two (e.g. some software ideas have come in and gone out in a few years.)

Now lets take a deeper look at what can be done.

  1. Find out as much as you can about the buisness side of the industry – For many going into business will mean they have worked in a role for many years, built the skills and so on, but not really built any buisness skills to assist them in their endeavours. No need to do a big fully blown business course that take years, but do get any short term training to assist you in business. Then ask questions about growth prospects for the industry as well as finding out why a business needs to grow to be sustainable. Do the figures, how much do you need to earn to make things REALLY viable, its not dificult to do, it just needs some thinking and a calculator to bring it to fruition.
  2. Happiness – Ask questions to find out what being in business is really going to be like, are other industry leaders in your chosen field that run businesses really happy? And how would you measure that? Too often I hear people say… “It will be ok, it will be worth it.” they set up and then fail… Is that worth it? “I would not change a thing…” Even though there was a lot of heartache and hassle? loss of $$ is that really worth it?
  3. Do more than the basic research – It’s easy to research on the internet and chat to a few business people, but what is life really like for the industry leaders in your chosen business area? How will you find that out? After all going into business is not just about the money and satisfaction, its about lifestyle. It’s also about sustainability, so you can create an asset that will be of REAL long term value to you. Ask more questions, get face to face with the RIGHT people, not just supporters of your ideas. Start asking questions about buisness plans and chat to business owners about what plans they have… (if any). And also ask how much money they had to put up to get the business started…

It might sound like I want to put people off going into business, (actually I doubt that I would stop anyone that has a head full of emotion wanting to start a business!) but really I want to make sure everyone with a buisness idea sets off on the task with a clear head and a solid set of goals, after all it’s the lifestyle choice that will probably be your biggest one (and hopefully the most profitable one), so do it properly.

To find out more about getting started in business, or planning for more buisness check out the business profile PDf file for more ideas and information.

Business Profiles

Strategy, tactics, methods? Which one???

Jul 19

Posted by Steve Gray in Negotiation, Planning, Starting out in business, The Customer Service Dept, The Marketing Dept, The Sales Dept | 2 Comments

I have fielded a few enquiries over the past few months on how to market products and services and have noted there are a number of organisations that have started a business but had no ideas about the sales side, what tactics, strategies and or methods they will use to get people to spend $$ with them.

step 1. Know that you need a plan of action.

step 2. Know that you NEED to build a relationship with people so they trust your organisation enough to want to buy from you.

step 3. Find out what their needs are, then propose a solution.

step 4. Take time to develop all this and get it running… otherwise you will be chasing your tail…

Hope that helps!

Ford jobs issue creating concern…

Jul 19

Posted by Steve Gray in Human Resource Management, People!, Personal Development, Risk Management | No Comments

The Ford Geelong issue will cause a few problems for a while yet. Local business identity Lawrie Miller who is part of the local Chamber of Commerce has suggested it will not cause a big ripple, that the people out on their ear may be absorbed in part, into “IT and Bio Tech industries…” (Geelong Advertiser 19/July/07)

Some might, but my gut instinct says its a bigger issue than that… Imagine being part of an organisation for 15 – 20 years making castings to be given the advice go into IT or Bio Tech… Yes it can happen and in some cases re skilling will take place, BUT if you have cast steel and aluminium for a long while, a ‘softer job’ in IT may not suit, you might want a more physical position similar to your past emloyment.

The issues around this won’t lay down in a hurry but what will happen in the messy business that is developing, will be interesting to watch, redploy or not there will certainly be some casualties. In what is histrocially a working class area there are those that are set in their ways and want things to remain the same as they have always been. Hopefully there are enough with the ‘improvise, adapt and overcome’ attitude, which will propel them forward into new roles.

Lets hope that people can see through politcal smokescreens (the company and the government) and see a clear way forward, so the security these people are used to can continue.

What’s in your blind spot?

Jul 19

Posted by Steve Gray in Excellence!, Growth, Health and Safety Dept, Personal Development, Planning, Risk Management | No Comments

In a car you have a couple of blind spots that mean you have to turn your head to see out of a side window to see what is really happening, and I see the same in business, in retail it’s often called store blindness where the details become common place and things that need to be changed, cleaned up repaired etc are not seen. and I guess due to us being in our businesses so much many other things escape our attention.

Yet funnily enough the blindness disappears often when we go to someone elses business, we are able to turn on our radar and spot any number of minor things that irritate us.

So to be able to see the blindspots in your busness and then do something about them is vital. Here are some poitnsto consider.

  • Ask others – customers staff members, friends and family.
  • Use your professional support people – accountant – coach – bookkeeper.

Whoever it is get them involved in taking a look at what’s happening and give you real feedback. make a list of what needs work and do it or delegate it.

They say its true… 600 jobs gone…

Jul 18

Posted by Steve Gray in Growth, Human Resource Management, Innovation and Creativity, Leadership, People!, Planning, Risk Management, The Board Room | No Comments

The news today is saying they will drop 600 jobs at Ford in Geelong in the casting plant, as they can get the engines cheaper o/s. That might be true but what about the carnage… not just the jobs, the investment.

The Victorian Government has put in over 60million dollars investing in the car maker to keep it here, keep it viable and so forth, but now has that money gone down the drain? Probably.. Will the Detroit big guns be swayed by a delegation from down under… nah probably too late… Will we as tax payers see the millions back in our coffers… “Sorry boys we spent it already.

Someone has made some cash out of the whole thing.

One thing is for sure even ten mil could have provided for those 600 by providing jobs in other areas in the region. A think tank on how to use 10 mill to make a highly sustainable range of businesses so that jobs and enterprise could be secured would have been useful.

But instead the people in power have had their arms twisted to give away a lot more and get little back. Lets see if anything good comes of the situation as the Detroit big guns throw their hands in the air and say “Hey there’s nothing we can do!”

Welcome to the clever country peoples!

Time For A Business “Forms Review”?

Jul 18

Posted by Michael Crooks in Growth, Human Resource Management, IT Dept, Planning, The Customer Service Dept, The Marketing Dept, The Operations Dept, The Sales Dept | No Comments

When was the last time you updated your business forms? This issue came to light recently as I sat in a doctor’s office filling out forms. While I wasn’t there because of a pain in my rear, I was quickly developing one.

For starters, there was barely enough room to write my first name, let alone my middle and last name. Where I was to put ‘city” there was only enough room to put the first four letters of Butte. And I was only able to squeeze in 3 of the 5 zip code digits. To make a long story short, no one manufactures a pen with a fine enough point to allow me to squeeze in the information the form asks for.

Then I get to the medical questions. Half the stuff they ask, “if I’ve ever had’ — I just now developed as a result of trying to fill out the form, including eye pain, double vision, a headache and anxiety.

Then I read the following: “Have you ever had any of the following problems?”. Really?
Do they really mean

    ever?

1) Frequent Urination. Well, yeah. I mean, you simply can’t pound a six pack and not have frequent urination. 2) Testicular Pain or Swelling. Again, yeah … there were a few times in gym class during dodge ball I thought I was going to swallow my eyeballs. And, I don’t know any father who hasn’t fallen victim to an over-zealous 2 year old with a “cute little plastic baseball bat”. I’m rolling on the floor, writhing in pain, can’t catch my breath and my wife’s telling me to “man up”, get over it and take care of some heavy-lifting in the garage.

But seriously, when WAS the last time you updated your business forms? It may be time for a “forms review”.

Is there really enough room for anyone, including the elderly and those with arthritis, to easily fit their information in the space provided? Pretend your name is Samantha Allison Jamison-O’Hara or Johnathon Abernathy Wellington. Can you really fit a long street name and an apartment # in the address line?

Room to write is one issue. Another is relevant information. If you’ve been using the same forms for a number of years, they may be outdated. Many forms created years ago weren’t designed to capture “Late Trend” information such as e-mail addresses, cell phone numbers or allow for blended family name or female hyphenated name issues. A “forms review” is the perfect time to address these issues.
Seek input from your patients, customers or clients — those who must fill out the forms. Are the questions really clear? Is the sequence of the information asked for logical? And while some comments and suggestions will be totally irrelevant, by and large, you’ll end up with some quality input. It’s also a great PR move.

Your patients or customers will feel like they have some ownership in the form and it will create goodwill. You can even add a line at the bottom such as, “This form was designed with the thoughtful input of our patients to be as user-friendly as possible.”

In addition to having your office staff sit down and actually fill out your office forms, ask them if they’d improve anything. It’s possible they’ve been hearing complaints for months or years and simply smiled and nodded knowingly to the complainers.

Once the forms are redesigned, make full-size copies and have people actually fill them out and evaluate them. Have the staff do the same thing over a couple day period. Often, errors are overlooked in the rush to get it done. Take the time to do it right, because if past performance is any indication of the future, you’ll be using these new forms for years.

The 12 page business plan

Jul 18

Posted by Steve Gray in Leadership, Planning, Risk Management, Starting out in business, The Board Room | No Comments

Okay some of you are saying “another one!”, we have a one pager, a fully blown (dunno how many) pager and now I have seen everything a 12 pager!

That’s okay I figure whatever works for you is a great plan to have. Too many clients have plans that don’t work, or no plan which I think is even worse.

So here goes a 12 page plan, are you ready for this one? (probably not…)

1. Get 12 peices of paper – (any size is okay) the bigger the better in most cases.

2. Write a month on the top of each – Jan to Dec.

3. Split each into four -  One each for Marketing – Management – Systems – Quality

4. Now fill in the gaps – For each of these area write in a few things that either need doing or you want to have them done at some stage.

Break it down into easy bullet points in each section and then take action each month to compete the tasks you set, spread themout in your diary and at the end of the month tick off those that have been started, those compelted and those not done transfer them tot he next month. Celebrate the competed ones, keep going on the rest.

NOTE: I have specified the four areas above, as I believe they will make the biggest difference to your business in moving it forward. It will generally cover all of your business activities anyway.

Have a go and see if you can devise a range of business goals from the above to make a solid difference in your business.

Trade show ideas to sit up and take notice of.

Jul 17

Posted by Steve Gray in Innovation and Creativity, People!, The Marketing Dept, The Sales Dept | 18 Comments

Trade shows and expos are the bane of many business peoples life that has to contend with them, from the organising, the results required, to staffing the stall, then the logistics, the giveaways, the data base and so on.

And what if you get asked to do a talk? Ohh it can all get too hard.

The aim of the event should be rock solidly clear, perhaps it’s to gather details of people who qualify to be prospected to. Maybe its to generally spread the word about a new product or service and you want them to go to your website to find out more. Either way have an aim…

Well here are a few pointers to give things the edge, (in no particular order) Remember a trade show is all about presenting the company in a good way (PR) and getting leads (preferably QUALIFIED leads).

  1. Be open - Chatting to people in an open and friendly way. Hi how are you instead of “Want to see what we can offer?” Often the good guys stack questions to get you started and then can’t stop. Make it easy for people to interact with you, don’t sell them, chat to them with the aim of building the relationship.
  2. A give away prize of a really decent bottle of red wine… over $45 value. “ People give away cheap stuff all the time, but a good red can be a great winner for those that enjoy a red, for those that don’t, offer an alternative”. I also suggest you avoid giving away your product, after all you want the chance to sell that. Remember it’s all about selling so you can make a profit. But entice people with a decent give away. The aim is to cause them to take interest.
  3. A non stop talking ‘brochure’ – Female/male, model material, “sex sells…” There can be a video of the product in the background and they are the eye candy and mouth piece all rolled into one. Sorry but it works… Some will say this is sexist, yet I still see it at trade shows all over the place, some do it better than others.

    Think about it, your target market may well want to chat to a young lady or guy that looks stunning rather than a stuffy suited CEO or some Sales Team sent to “prop things up” or because the “CEO wants to look good…” It’s about the company’s image not the CEO’s. Then use this relationship builder to  get information from the prospect, test to see if they are interested in what you offer and then go the next step in the process and getting more data of value for a follow up, or not…

  4. Give these out freely-ish – Qualify the prospect first hough… A bright cap with a message and your logo, a brightly coloured lanyard with a story on a card fitted to the end (story and logo on the card).  Make the card numbered for a prize every half hour or so…  It causes them to want to come to your site and get one.

    Swap a business card or their contact details to get any of the freebies (If they are in the market for what you provide). This builds your presence at the event for more than just a display, people see hats, lanyards, etc all over the place. Note some items you might want to give away might be passe’ (some bags, and brochures can do that!) so make it stand out, after all you want to be remembered, RIGHT?

  5. Think about the message you want them to remember – Perhaps the trade show is a starting point or even a midway point if you can send them info before hand (knowing that you have a niche market), “See you at the show”. It’s all about the relationship that is being built, so build it well, from start to finish.
  6. Create a buzz - As Seth Godin says, “Create a Buzz but have it lead somewhere…” If there is a funny or memorable thing that happened at the event that people will remember, play on that afterwards in a follow up mail, (You are going to follow up on the leads yeah?)

    Want to create a techno aware buzz. use QR codes printed out on a sign, a promo gift or whatever, so when the people come by your stand you have a great way for them to link to an online demo of your product or services, or even just your website. This can make it easy fro them to keep in touch with you.

  7. Think “What if…” – You add a section to your web site so they can log in when they get home to discover more ways you can assist them (7 key points I did not tell you at the trade show…) they need to use a login that they can only get at the trade show and its on the lanyard. Make it valid only for 10 days on from the trade show and that’s it, so it has a sense of urgency to it, you read the stats and see how it went.
    - What if those that do not go to the show but are in this niche were to see a short sharp video or power-point to get a feel for what they missed out on.
    - What if they could get some other key points with another login to another section so the Co could see which one generated more leads…
    - What if you offered (even those that weren’t there) a life changing opportunity if they use your services (it’s a top secret educational holiday for 10 people on a tropical Isle with a guest speaker on communication and personal development skills training, or info on shares or investing or whatever your business offers.) Obviously for big-ticket items… land, buildings etc.

Oh and what should be in the display? How about a deck chair with a sign that says gone fishing! Some of us are too busy enjoying life to be here right now, want more info ask me how, then dress the sales team in Hawaiian shirts and have them wander the place giving out freebies in exchange for their business cards. (They can ask a simple qualifying question or three to make this work well).

So take the stress out of the situation and have fun, be seen as the one to make the event a breeze, enjoyable and exciting while letting all the others stress about the situation. Be creative, be open and think about getting results not just sore feet.

Ford to dump workers…

Jul 14

Posted by Steve Gray in Human Resource Management, Innovation and Creativity, Leadership, People!, Planning, Risk Management, The Board Room | No Comments

Ford may dump workers at its Geelong (Aust) plant in a chance to rebound from a slump in sales of its larger engines produced at the plant. This has people from all sectors of Government and industry bodies jumping to try and stem the flow on effect this may have IF it happens. My view, lets see what happens first and not jump in too hastily.

Okay companies have dumped workers before (Geelong Cement threw out 150 workers, closed up and walked away) and despite claims of many ill effects, generally little happens due to a range of paramaters that kick in. Some take early retirement, some redploy readily (some happily), some will move out of the area to seek a new start,  some may even start a business, so they can be their own boss… and so on.

In the case of Geelong Cement many of these kicked in and the leftovers took a little while to find their place but generally the kicking and screaming was VERY minimal.

I guess there will be some that struggle if the company closes part of its facility but things are far diferent now that a few years back when Australia was in the throes of recession and much higher unemployment.

My point… Times change, people move on, (some struggle, some find it easy, some may even say its the best thing for them to be pushed into something new.)

In business things change, and life charges on. Goverments can throw a lifeline if they wish, but perhaps they should use caution and watch proceedings develop first rather than be part of the “sky is falling” mob.

Business changes are bought about through various changes in what the market wants… Typewriter sales went out the window with computers coming in… Things change and we have to addapt to that.

Sure jobs are important, but in a climate of low unemployment, skills shortages in a range of industries, perhaps Ford’s “dumping of staff” will assist other businesses to flourish and not cause nearly as much devastation as the protagonists would have us think.

Pass me the keys please…

Jul 13

Posted by Steve Gray in Growth, Human Resource Management, Leadership, People!, Planning, Risk Management, Starting out in business | No Comments

No not the keys to the car, the keys to my business success!

Wouldn’t it be nice to have a few keys to making your business better? For many in business its about building the team they have so they can leverage their time and money more effectively. So here goes, check these key tips out to help you create a team to assist you to be more successful in business.

1. Know you need to plan for people - If you aim to get staff at the last minute to fill a gap, chances are you will end up with a few challenges down the track, get a clear idea of what sorts of skills you want and the attitude you need to make the job work for you. Then hire carefully with these key points in mind.

2. Train them - Okay so you are not big on training, it does not need to be big, just effective. Make a list of what things they need to know and tick them off as you show them… Where things are, who the OHS officer is, how the system works, who does what, who their buddy is. Do it bit by bit and share the load with others if you have a few people in the team already.

3. Buddy them – Link the person to a buddy, a buddy will look after them for proably a few weeks until they know things inside and out. Then you can assess the persons performance three ways, from your observations, the buddies view point and a chat to the person in question.

4, Chat to them – Find out how day one went, then day two, day four, day seven and so on. Keep them in the loop about things that happen and things you expect. Remember to be friendly and fair, so tell all the team the same things in a friendly way, inspire them, don’t push them.

5. Start them late – Most people start a job on a monday, but what if its was a thursday or friday… they don’t get a brain overload that way and you ease them into the role in a more relaxed way… Chances are they will remember more of the info you want them to remember as well.

6. Career path - Provide a series of steps for them in the business, its probably only a title and then a small rise in pay, but it can build a sense of self esteem, self worth, growth and development and not just become another job they turn up to day in day out without any opportunities.

7. Reward them with incentives - It may only be a few small things, concession items like dinner for two, an award plague for x years of service, but the aim is to show you care about their contribution and provide the little things along the way that make their job worth doing. ure  you pay them but this little add ons can have a huge bonus effect becuase people generally love it when they are noticed for all the right things.

8. Share the businesses successes - Peoople often like feeling they played a part in the development of something and in this case it can be a big buzz to know you helped the business to win a job, create better systems and so on. BUT you have to tell them about it and not just expect them to figure out that things are going well.

So there’s a few keys to your business success, keeping the team firing on all cylinders. Its not rocket science but it can cause your busines to shoot for the stars!

Cold and in a heap

Jul 12

Posted by Steve Gray in People!, Risk Management | 1 Comment

It’s that time of the year in Oz, cold and wet. Then to top it off I’ve got a cold… I have not had one in about 3 years (lucky I guess), But this one has a grip like you would not beleive. More cold and flu tabs, cough mixtures and so on to try and have some sense of normality but I still feel lousy.

Beng a solo business if there is work to be done I have little to fall back on. Most customers go “Yeah ok reschedule” but some really need things done now, not next week and so I head out to do some ‘stuff’ to keep things going.

So it becomes a risk management issue, a bit like the Hernia I dealt with earlier in the year and the Kidney stone I currently have, there are some things adding up that can and are impacting my business. It’s a nusiance, I would much rather work than be in bed coughing and wheezing, head throbbing in pain.

It’s taken me about 30 mins to write this post, and multiple mistakes… but I can only hope I am on the mend and the risk management issue lessens over time (preferably a VERY short time!)

Get a Grip on Your Business!

Jul 10

Posted by Jenny Stilwell in Planning, Risk Management, Starting out in business, The Board Room, The Marketing Dept | No Comments

Not wanting to over-simplify the whole ‘running a business thing’, but I’ve developed a list (based on my own experiences, and that of my clients and other business owners), which covers some of the things we need to know for different stages of building a business:

Start-up phase:

  • Start a business because you want to, don’t just fall into it
  • Do your homework – know what you’re getting yourself into, and who else is doing it too
  • Do what you love – have a passion
  • Recognise that it’s going to be tough and be prepared
  • Budget for a completely different level of income (!) (that’s a lower income, not a higher one…)
  • Talk to people who remember setting up their own business, and learn from their advice.
  • Use suppliers who can meet your budget. Don’t be ‘sold’ into paying more than you want to – there will be time enough for that when your business is making plenty of money.
  • Know where you want to go, and don’t lose sight of that
  • Make sure you have plenty of capital to get you through this phase – you’ll need all of it. Keep expenses to a minimum – it will take time to start generating an income.
  • Depending on your financial position, join relevant networks and associations, and attend events. Make sure they’re the same groups where you will find your target market.
  • Draw up a database of all your contacts and spend time getting out there and talking to people. Tell them what you’re doing, and listen to what they need.
  • Try to do business with people you want to do business with. This is likely to be amore effective strategy in generating referrals and building your business.
  • Don’t neglect the marketing fundamentals: understand what it is you can offer potential clients, understand what they need, develop a very clear value proposition, and know who your competitors are and what makes you different. If you haven’t sorted this out, you aren’t ready.

Up and running:

  • Keep the momentum going – keep selling, keep acquiring new business, watch the cash
  • Use good financial measurement systems to understand the key drives and key performance indicators of your business. Think of it as a control panel.
  • Relationships are critical – pay attention to them (staff, clients, associates, etc.)
  • Don’t employ staff until you need them, and provide clear guidelines to those you have.
  • Make sure you understand your financial and business reports, and generate them on a regular basis.
  • Keep your costs down, even when you don’t need to worry. It’s a good discipline for when you need to pare back, and will keep you in much better financial shape.
  • Don’t take you eye off the numbers! Know how your cashflow is tracking.
  • Secure yourself some reliable and competent advisors – accountants, financial advisors, a lawyer, a business mentor
  • Start to build your knowledge and expertise in areas where you’re not naturally strong (finance, marketing, sales, etc)
  • Have goals, know how you’re going to get there, and just do it! Planning without action won’t get you anywhere and you’ll never move forward.
  • Sell before you buy – don’t extend yourself before you have the required level of business coming in
  • Keep focused on your priorities. Don’t sweat the small stuff but don’t ignore the big stuff. Focus on what will generate revenue (and be profitable).
  • Customer retention is important in maintaining stability. If you focus on this now, it will provide a strong foundation for the future.
  • Stay healthy – it takes a lot of energy to maintain and build a business.
  • Get support – business and emotional support is essential. We all need help in some way.
  • Understand the different business models which you could be using, and which are more effective. Don’t be scared to re-engineer what and how you deliver to your customers if a new model is more profitable. This is really very important.
  • Build you reputation and your image. Be consistent in the process!

Established & Growing

  • Implement systems where you can – it helps make the business run more efficiently and makes it less reliant on you
  • Focus on the big picture and know what it looks like.
  • Have a vision and a strategy to realise it.
  • Keep watching the cash.
  • Innovate to stay ahead of your competitors
  • A good client list and a cash cow product will be the key to you ‘having a life’
  • Look seriously at growth strategies and why you want to grow – acquisition, organic or both

Wisdom of experience:

  • Finance & funding are critical – know what you need, be prepared, understand your options – always.
  • Sales and marketing are critical to success – never stop these activities.
  • People management and leadership – start the way you wish to continue
  • Systems and process add value to your business – you may want to sell it one day
  • Revenue from cash cows frees you up from your business. It’s all tied in with the business model.
  • Strategy and execution are a never-ending cycle.

What do you know…

Jul 9

Posted by Steve Gray in Human Resource Management, Leadership, Personal Development, Planning, Risk Management, The Board Room | No Comments

People are only as good as what they know. That’s a simple piece of information everyone should know. But very importantly in business its a great thing to be aware of with staff and customers alike. You might assume they know lots of things like you do, but when push comes to shove you might find out too late they don’t know what you thought they knew… and that can be VERY CHALLENGING.

Here’s an example, I remember in Uni I wanted to buy a typewriter to do assignments with (my handwriting is illegible to most…) and my father in law asked me did I get one that was a word processor? I gave a blank stare, at time I did not know what that meant… I fobbed him off with a “Oh yeah it can plug into some thing to print out a thingy…” and I did everythng I could to change the subject.

Clearly I did not know what the term meant or how it would be of value to me.

There are plenty of examples I am sure you can think of. Of real interest to me here though is to raise the awareness of management training to small and medium business operators. Many are tradespeople who learn a skill, start a business but are unable to grow the business successfully as they do not know how to manage it, they were never taught that.

And often its right across the board, staffing, finances, leadership and so on. So to ensure you are able to make your business sustainable, make the time to learn more so you can be, and do more in your business.

Blogs Are Roads; Intersections

Jul 7

Posted by Bren Ryan in Excellence!, Innovation and Creativity, Planning, Starting out in business, The Marketing Dept | 1 Comment

I feel we have a fairly unique product here at Free Business Tips.

One of the reasons the blog and the rest of the site is unique is because, well, to be honest we had no idea what a blog ‘should be’ and what it ‘should do’ and what they features ‘should have’.

This means that we just told our web designer what we wanted, simple right?

Yes and no.

Our lack of “blogging savvy” means we have set things up a little differently to other blogs (and unique is cool), but it also meant we have been a little slow on the uptake on what makes a blog popular and how to get love from Google, Technorati, Alexa, Bloglines etc etc.

Lately I have been surfing around, madly reading blogs and researching what makes a good (popular) blog.

I was having a read at Darren Rowse’s Problogger site and Darren had linked back to a blog post Blogs Are Roads; Intersections by Steve Remington at Skinny Moose Media (cool name)

Steve points out that you shouldn’t be scared to share some “link love” from your blog,

The first biggest mistake most business blogs make is not linking out to external blogs. Some people are afraid it will drive traffic away to potential competitors.

He uses the analogy that you need to place your blog in a position to gain traffic from other blogs, like other fast food restaurants position themselves on the same intersections as McDonalds,

Look at Burger King and McDonald’s. You will always find them across the street from each other, or at least on the same strip of road in any given city. Burger King may lose some business to McDonald’s but in the long run they would actually be losing more business by moving out on a back road somewhere hoping people will come to them.

See how this is working already? Steve writes a great article for people new to blogging, Darren links back to him, I read Steve’s blog because I value Darren’s opinion, I am impressed by the article so I write one of my own and link back to Steve as well. I read the comments on Steve’s article and follow some of the links to the sites of commenters who might have said something particularly sensible, my track back will appear in Steve’s blog as a comment, and potentially we will get some traffic from Steve’s site………

See how the link love works!

Ok, so all you experienced bloggers will say, “Duh, we have known this for ages” I know, I know, bear with me while I catch up!

Have a read of Steve’s post On Skinny Moose Media (it is a cool name, I love it), it’s well worth it if like me you are a little green on the blog thing.

As for us at Free Business Tips, we will be working very hard to increase the traffic, and ranking of the site.

In the near future we will be changing the way we post in the blog a little. We will still have our own unique blogging format (articles written by our very smart contributors) but we will also be blogging in a more traditional way, more topical posts by myself and Steve Gray , more reviews of other blogs and business sites (to get the link love going!), we might even do some competitions, Speed linking (see an example of Speed linking on Problogger) and some other methods.

We are also looking at a layout change.

So, any suggestions are more than welcome, and please drop me a line if you see something on the web that you think deserves a little ‘link love’ from us at FBT

Grab and hold on…

Jul 6

Posted by Steve Gray in Excellence!, Innovation and Creativity | No Comments

Its back to the basics… I see all sorts of wonderful things in the modern age, from ipods and iphones to lap tops that do wireless broadband and lots on between, but any one can tell in this hustle and bustle age that many of the basics are missing, good service (any one can tell you bad service stroies even a kid!).

So in getting back to square one, wouldn’t it be useful to grab a hold of each customer and hold on (gently and elegantly of course) so that you can develop a customer for life? Ok there are those you grab and want to let go of really fast I appreciate that, but the ones that are gems, the ones that have value, the ones that you can see will be of value in the long haul, they’re the ones to hold on to.

Even for a retail business such as a bakery, give customers the chance to leave their details so you can build a deeper relationship with them over time. Perhaps its mailing out specials and info that might make their day a little brighter, if its just specials all the time they will tire of it. Perhaps its ways to do things more effectively so they can make less of an impact on the environment… Perhaps its about what the community is doing in the area.

It could be lots of things… The thing is to build interest in your business, and keep that interest there. Grab them and hold on, gently!

Best Business Links on the Web

Jul 5

Posted by Bren Ryan in Excellence!, Innovation and Creativity, The Board Room, The Customer Service Dept, The Marketing Dept, The Sales Dept | No Comments

I was checking out our Technorati rank today and saw that Adam Brucker; Founder and Managing Director of Criterion Advisors, a training and consulting firm based in Boulder, Colorado has named our site in his list of 143 Of The Best Business Links On The Web.

I thought that was fanatasic (of course) and headed over to have a look at the list. To my great delight we were amongst company the caliber of Tom Peters, Seth Godin, Trump, Copyblogger and 138 other great resources!

Very flattered and humbled, thanks Adam.

While I was there I had a look around Adam’s blog;The Tough Questions Blog. A great resource and worth a look.

The tough questions are:

Is what you are working on:
1) …Audience Centric?
2) …as Simple as it could be?
3) …Valuable enough for all?
4) …Real, Authentic & Genuine?
5) …of high enough Quality?
6) …Remarkable in any way?

The tough Questions Blog is full of real examples of great answers to those questions. Real case studies and sometimes just Adam’s point of veiw.

Adam is also working on a book due for publication in 2008, he actually asks for submissions for it, maybe your business can answer the tough questions well enough to be featured in print?

Thanks again for your vote of confidence Adam, for everyone else, check out Adam’s blog and ask the tough questions!

What can Madonna and Martha Teach You About Writing Copy?

Jul 3

Posted by Lorrie Morgan-Ferrero in Excellence!, Innovation and Creativity, Leadership, People!, Personal Development, Planning, Risk Management, The Marketing Dept | No Comments

Love ‘em or hate ‘em, you can’t argue that pop queen Madonna and domestic doyenne Martha Stewart are two master marketers.  One is a calculated maverick who’s stayed at what has to be the world’s toughest and most fickle business for nearly a quarter century.  The other turned an at-home catering business into a multimedia empire that even a prison term couldn’t derail.

What lessons can we draw from these power players?

Madonna:  You know your business best.
Madonna runs a giant organization, but everything she does is based on her own vision.  She knows she’s the one who cares the most about her own success, and acts accordingly, which empowers her business.  The same holds true for you when you write your own copy.  You know your business strengths better than anyone, and, when you master this very learnable skill, you empower your business.

Madonna:  Pick what you like and make it your own.
Although she is known as the Queen of Reinvention, Madonna knows no idea is completely new.  She gets ideas from an amazing range of sources, from Marilyn Monroe movies to geisha stories to Broadway musicals to what the kids in a Tokyo neighborhood are wearing this week – then she gives it her own spin.

Build swipe files (a collection of great copy clipped from all around you) from magazines, direct mail, and even tabloids.  Capture great copy you see in daily life, whether it’s a billboard or a picket sign.  (I keep a spiral-bound deck of index cards handy to jot down these nuggets.)  Even if the ad or letter seems way outside your target market, parts of it may be just the kick in the pants your copy needs.

Madonna: Embrace your passions wholeheartedly and without apology.
Madonna would understand your desire to shuck off your current identity and dive into something completely different. Nude centerfold to nursery rhyme writer, boy toy to the reincarnation of Queen Esther: she’s leapt even further and thrived just fine. It could be argued that without her continual reinvention, Madonna would be just another ‘Where Are They Now?’ 80′s Pop Tart.

Martha: You are the sole CEO and brand manager of your own life.
Not your boss, your company, your friends, or the people who tell you you can’t do it. Madonna runs her empire modeled after her own vision and values, no matter what those happen to look like this season.

Martha:  Publicity is powerful.
Successful entrepreneurs like Martha not only score publicity at crucial moments, they use that attention to get more attention, unleashing a domino effect of business-boosting buzz.  She started with a book and put herself out there as an expert on entertaining, which led to appearances on TV, radio…you know the rest of the story.

Think of the area where you’re the expert, and start offering to share the (knowledge) wealth with local media.  Don’t put off writing that press release a minute longer. With so many publications, e-zines, blogs, sites, podcasts, satellite radio shows out there, the media needs fresh content like never before.  They’re all dying to talk about something interesting – so be snappy and interesting!

Martha:  Learn something new every day.
Martha closes out all her interviews and shows with this motto, embracing skills too numerous to mention and maintaining curiosity about everything from the names of birds to the best wax to use on your car.  Take a look at any of her magazines, and you’ll find yourself drawn into something you never dreamed could be fascinating, thanks to the great copy and stunning design.

To build your own business, make it a point to soak in something every day:  subscribe to e-zines, browse the bookstore, take a teleseminar or an e-course. When you make the commitment to never stop learning, you put yourself far above the pack.

Madonna AND Martha: When emulating role models, you don’t have to buy the whole package. Both have qualities you can cherry-pick from. Take what you like and leave the rest. Make yourself into the “you” you want to be.

Self-Managing is Job One!

Jul 3

Posted by Jenny Stilwell in Leadership, People!, Personal Development, Planning, Starting out in business, The Board Room | No Comments

If you can’t manage yourself, don’t expect to manage a business, or other people, or clients, well.

We use a really effective technique to help our clients self-manage. “Big Rocks” is a management concept of sorts which has been used in various ways for some time. It’s a concept which I use with all of my clients, and we use at BOSS Management Group, to keep focused on what needs to be done to move the business forward.

There are many techniques to use to help us self-manage, but I’ve found ‘Big Rocks’ to be easy to remember, easy to visualise, easy to keep focused on, and consequently it produces results.

My definition of Big Rocks, in a business context, is those actions or projects or achievements which will actually move your business forward. If you have two Big Rocks for a month, and you achieve them, it will actually move your business forward. Think of them as critical foundations for the business you are building.

Being busy vs being productive:
Imagine you have a bucket, which represents your capacity or available time, in any given day, week or month. Now, imagine you have a number of big rocks that need to go into that bucket. Put them in. You’ll still have room for a few pebbles, and then you’ll be able to add some sand to fill up the rest of your capacity, and if you really want to, you could add still more if you add some water into the bucket.

You can fill your time with lots of activities and be very busy as a result, but the key to effective self management is not to be busy but to be productive!

Big Rocks must go first!
The point of the story is not that you can always fit more into your day, or month, but that if you don’t attend to the Big Rocks (most important priorities) first, you’ll never fit them in.
Sometimes we can all get consumed by the day to day, and at the end of those days, we feel drained and also that we haven’t really achieved anything or made any forward progress. It sort of feels like treading water.

Big Rocks = Bigger Game
Keep focused on what your Big Rocks are for the month, and if you can achieve at least one of them each month, you’ll be moving your business forward. Big Rocks help keep you focused on the bigger game, and allow you to still deal with the pebbles and sand each day.

Once you have the important priorities identified and in focus for yourself each month, you can use the same tool for each of your key staff, or teams.

These are the four key points to remember:

  1. Self management is Job One.
  2. Use Big Rocks as your simplest self management tool, to keep clear on priorities.
  3. Big Rocks move your business forward.
  4. Use the Big Rocks concept with your team to keep them focused and on track.

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