When I became self employed I received a lot of doom-and-gloom advice from presumably well-meaning people:

- “It’s hard work from now on – you’d better kiss holidays goodbye.”

- “Self-employment? Fine, if you like working evenings and weekends.”

- “My dad/friend/uncle/milkman is self-employed and he hasn’t had a holiday for 15 years.”

I’ve cheerfully ignored this ‘advice’ and I can happily say that since I became self employed three years ago I have had at least a fortnight away every year, taken Christmas off and plenty of long weekend breaks in between. My business is as strong as ever, my clients have never suffered and I would say my life is richer and more prosperous for it.

However, the practical truth is that if you’re ‘it’ – the sole trader, owner-manager or proprietor of your enterprise, if, in whatever way, you and your business are one, taking a holiday involves plenty of careful planning.

This planning will pay off – you get your R&R, but it will also help you achieve your ultimate business goals. Most of us started businesses because we wanted a more comfortable life, a better work-life balance, or the freedom to pursue a professional or creative dream.

However, running a business can suck you into daily grind that holds you back from doing any of these things – until you’ve mastered the art of breaking free. Holiday time is your chance to practice just that.

Try these 7 steps to a guilt-free fortnight away:

Step 1. Sort out your attitude to time off

Drop the self-punishing, old-fashioned work ethic that says you’re only going places if your nose is on the grindstone. Leaving the work treadmill for food, rest and play shows strong commitment to your business success – because you are only at your best when you are adequately fed and rested.

Pushing yourself into long hours is a fast track to stress, ill health and burnout. Work is just work, and there are plenty of other aspects to you and your life – love, creativity, fun, health – that need and deserve your attention.

If you have any feelings of guilt or panic when you think about being away from your business for more than an afternoon, giving in to them will not take you to a good place. You need to get some perspective. You need a holiday!

Approach your holiday as though it’s a work project, rather than something taking you away from work. For example, you could imagine it as a big order or contract that will take most of your focus for two weeks – which means you’re going to have to clear the diary out for that fortnight. See? It’s easier already.

Looking at it this way helps you value a break as being important to the business – which it is! Your business depends on your wellbeing, so invest in it.

Step 2. Book your break

It doesn’t matter where you go, so long as you’re away, with your laptop far behind you and your mobile switched off. Ideally go where there is a limited mobile phone signal, or prohibitive costs to make and receive calls! To unplug is to unwind.

If you’re feeling twitchy about time off, I’d recommend booking your break at least four months in advance. That gives you plenty of time to plan ahead.

Step 3. Make some decisions

Does your business need to continue at full throttle in your absence, or can you allow it to tick over?

Do your customers and clients need your services day in, day out or can you provide extra products or services in advance to carry them through?

Would two weeks out mean a loss of two weeks’ revenue, or can you come up with a creative way of maintaining cashflow in your absence?

Step 4. Look into your systems

Taking a holiday is a good time to test how functional your business is without you. You need to be aware of what could happen should you become sick or otherwise indisposed, so now is a good time for contingency planning. Can your banking, social media activities, sales or bookkeeping become automated, for example? All will save you time and make your business less dependent on you.

Step 5. Get some help

If you have employees, now is the time to get involved in their development and bestow a little more responsibility on them.

If you are a one-woman band, look around for other businesses like yours who may be able to step in. Your competitors are also colleagues who can potentially help maintain consistency of service to your customers. If you’re worried about client-theft, talk to your solicitor about drawing up an associate contract which protects you from poaching.

Step 6. Communicate!

Decide on your cut-off time for taking on new projects, and don’t allow yourself to be pushed into taking on work you might be tempted to rush. If you’re feeling stressed or resentful, you won’t give it the attention it deserves, so you owe it to the client to be firm with them.

Tell your regular customers well in advance that you’re going away, and encourage them to plan ahead as well. It’s great to feel indispensable, but they can do without you for a fortnight if it’s properly planned. Convince yourself of that, so you can convince them, too.

Step 7. Plan, plan and plan

The earlier the planning starts, the more relaxed you’ll be when you get away. The best plans work with set milestones at strategic points, so establish where you want to be each week before your break. Finally, spare a thought for the post-holiday you, because re-entry can be difficult as you find your feet again. Try and cover yourself for the first few days back by not booking in too many meetings or massive projects you’ll be coming to cold.

If you have any more ideas about how to take a break from your business, we’d love to hear them.  Drop us a comment below – and bon voyage!

Gather round Ladies – I have a secret to share with you.  Size does not matter…indeed small can bring the most personal satisfaction.   What am I talking about?  Well business of course!

Both men and women buy into the myth that size equals success in business and we are horribly prone to making judgements on our peers based on this yard stick.  Let me share with you from personal experience just why this is so wrong.

It would be fair to say that the majority of men start businesses with an aim to bring home the bacon and preferably lots of it.  Women have much more diverse reasons.  Some of these are as follows

• We may indeed start from financial necessity
• We may start not from absolute necessity but still for financial reasons, to increase the overall household income or to provide us with financial independence.
• We may start because we have a particular passion for a cause and want to share it.
• We may start from helping husbands/partners/families in their businesses.
• We may have a particular flair or talent which we are encouraged to nurture and turn into a commercial enterprise.
• Some of us have an aim to grow large.

And of course there are many more reasons…

Why I started

When I first started, it was certainly financial necessity.  I was absolutely broke and had two small children to support.  I could have, however, chosen to go out and get a job and get a child minder.  I didn’t simply because I also wanted to be with my children and I tailored my job and my business to suit that.  Like many women, therefore, there were lifestyle choices involved.

I am not saying I didn’t have the same nightmare moments as everyone else, but because the end was justifying the means, I enjoyed about 7-8 very happy years, with a very small business, bringing in a pretty low income but with a huge flexibility that enabled me to have a huge amount of time with my children when they were young.  It was as near a perfect balance as possible.

Growing up

Later, when my children were in their teens and needing me considerably less, an opportunity presented itself to grow my business.  I had a great deal of luck in the timing again, by that time, I was ready for a new challenge and would probably have suffered considerably from feeling like a bored and redundant mum had chance not played a hand.  Running a much bigger and more challenging operation suited me at that point.

Making mistakes

That said, in the second wave of growth, I made the vital mistake of buying into the myth and assuming that going on growing would mean success.  In my ignorance, I changed a very successful little business that was making a rather serious amount of dosh into one of twice the size that was immediately so badly run – untrained staff, systems that did not suit a larger company and so on – that it nearly crashed altogether.  I overlooked that when it comes to the finances of a business, the size of the business is irrelevant, the size of the bottom line is all that matters.

Don’t believe the hype

Another motivation that many of us have – both men and women, and high fliers in particular – is that we believe that “success” in public terms will solve our self esteem problems.  This is (easy to say from the outside) complete nonsense.  No outside factor ever solves self esteem.  The result is that simply we set ourselves ridiculous targets that we will be a “success” if we reach that much turnover or that many staff.  This one is particularly fatal as we work ourselves into a state of complete exhaustion, reach the plateau and promptly have major, and often literal, nervous breakdowns, finding that the space above the clouds is just as empty as it was below.

The key to success

I am absolutely passionate about encouraging people into business but my lesson to you all is therefore this.  Be very clear as to your reasons for doing it from day one.    If you want to work for yourself and only work 10 hours a week and earn X number of pounds, and you achieve that and still manage to look after your children, race motor bikes, do the garden, practice acrobatics, – whatever your other life is, the rest of the time, you are a success.

Working for yourself gives you one of the greatest gifts and that is having the power to control your own life.  Do not ever waste it by allowing other people’s judgements to colour your own.  It is your life, organize it just how you want it.  That is the greatest triumph of them all.

About the Author: Jan Cavelle is a member of the rare breed of successful women in manufacturing.  Her story began as a single mum, desperate for an income and deciding to sell a product on the phone – strategically placed under the stairs at home– with one pad, one pen -  and settling on furniture.  She went on to acquire her own manufacturing business, selling top end furniture to customers worldwide.  She has also fulfilled her original journalistic ambitions, writing for Real Business, and is a passionate supporter of enterprise, currently one of 50 UK Female Entrepreneurial Ambassadors in Europe and working with Start Up Britain.

www.jancavelle.com

@jancavelle – Twitter

The following business strategies for small business will help you grow your business, get more clients, retain your current clients and make you more sales.

First of all business owners need to understand that any business strategy needs to be implemented to be of any value. Knowing what to do and how to do it means nothing if you don’t put it into action.

Here a some simple business strategies for small business that will help you if you implement them.

Database Marketing.

Database Marketing is a business strategy that most small businesses do not use to its potential.

It is a simple strategy that involves creating a Database of all your current clients and prospects. Enter their names and contact details in to a program, management system or even a Xcel Spreadsheet. Group the Database in to Categories relevant to your industry. Categorize by geographical location, age, sex, previous purchase history, product needs or whatever category suits your business.

Once you have your Database categorized, you can then begin regular communication with your clients and prospects. Your communication should always be providing value to them. Deliver quality information that is of interest to the category you are addressing. The information can be hints, tips and strategies or you can even discuss a new product giving an independent review of its benefits and setbacks. Always be sure to inform them how the product will be of value to them either personally or to their business.

Give your Database Special Offers that apply only to them. Make them feel special that they are your quality or Premium Client. Have a special link in the communication so that you can track and measure the success of your campaigns.

Time your communication to an average of one every 10 days or so. This will keep your business in their minds. You should be the first one they think of when they need your product or service.

Making use of your current list of clients and prospects will help improve your conversions from Prospect to Client. It will also help improve your client retention.

Internet Stats show that an average of 7 contacts with your Database will result in a conversion to Prospect or Lead.

Referral Marketing.

Asking your Clients and Prospects for a referral is definitely a business strategy that brings great results for small business.

This strategy is reliant on you providing the best quality service, best quality products and outstanding customer service to your clients.

Showing your clients that you are the best in what you do will have them raving about your service and products to their family and friends. Now that you have satisfied clients, you need to ask the question. “Who else do you know that will benefit from our service?” Let them know that your business succeeds because of referrals from current clients.

You can offer incentives to your clients for every referral they make that becomes a new client. Consider a small gift of value, a free treatment or discount on a treatment. Send a Thank You card, free movie tickets or what ever you feel comfortable with.

Let all new clients know that your business has a referral system and they you expect at least three referrals from them if they are happy with your products and services. Every new client bringing in 3 new referrals will grow your business if you are the best at what you do.

Business Marketing Website.

This business strategy is the way of the future for small business going in to 2011. Consumers have certainly changed their behaviour in how they look for local services and products.

Historically, consumers went to the Yellow Pages, Newspaper Ads, Radio Ads and so on. Today, 85% of consumers search on the internet for a local service and products. If you fail to market your small business online you are going to miss a huge portion of market share that could be yours.

Your Website needs to be simple and it needs to be able to get your visitors to do what you want them to do. You have around 7 seconds to keep your visitor interested and to stay on your site. The content on your site needs to be good enough to show them you have integrity, you provide value and that you are the one they should be doing business with.

Big Flash Websites don’t really do much for your business. You need to have a website that is designed from a Marketing perspective to achieve the best results.

Once you have your Business Marketing Website, you need to have that Website on the Front Page of Google under the search phrases that are relevant to your industry. It is vital to be on the Front Page because that is where your prospects are looking. Rarely do people look beyond the first page and a large majority never go past Page three.

To get your business on to the Front Page of Google takes specialized knowledge and skill. We would recommend that you use the services of a Specialist Internet Marketing Consultant. Check out http://SolutionsToMarketingOnline.com

These three business strategies for small business are simple to implement and will certainly help you grow your business.

About the Author: Sene Iafeta works close with Paul Dwyer a Business Consultant in Brisbane. They help business owners solve problems within their business, provides them with proven strategies that will get them more clients, make more sales and put more money in the bank.

How easy to read are your prices?

If there is one question that comes up time and time again with clients who want their website reviewed, it’s this:
“Do I display my prices?”

My answer time and time again is YES! Of course! Why wouldn’t you?

“Oh, because I don’t want my competitors knowing what I charge.”

“I don’t want to put people off from contacting me.”

“I want to be flexible so I can charge more if I feel I can get away with it.”

Rubbish. Rubbish. Rubbish. And here are my reasons why:

Perception of being too expensive.

I was checking out a new webinar system earlier this week and no matter how hard I tried, I just couldn’t find the page called “Prices” or “Packages”. All I could do was to either sign up for a free 30 day trial or fill in a form for someone to contact me.

I know they wanted my contact details first. They wanted to pull me in to their marketing system so they could follow up and wear me down until I decided to buy. But I wanted to know whether the product was within my budget.

By not having the price on their website easily accessible, my only thoughts were “bet they are too expensive!” (Note: this is a good strategy to take for luxury, top end products if you do actually want to create the image of being expensive in your marketing.)

Wasted time on enquiries.

If you want people to contact you for a price, you have to have the systems and spend the time to respond to these enquires. Coaches, you are the worst at this! You offer a free consultation – up to an hour of your time – only for the potential client to say “thanks, but I’ll have to go away and think about it”. Translated: “Thanks but it’s more than I thought.  I can’t afford your services but I don’t want to say this to you directly”

My conversion rate when I first started out went from 30% to 60% as soon as I put my prices on my website. If the prices put people off before contacting me, great. It saved me that consultation hour and I was able to get on with other stuff that did make me money.

If you have created the right product/service to provide a solution for your client’s problems, be confident about your pricing.  If you are not overcharging or under selling yourself, charging the “right” price is a good business decision!  It’s nothing to be ashamed of ;o)

Makes the sale easier.

If someone knows what you charge before they start talking to you, the whole sales process becomes so much smoother. There is no need for you to stumble over the question “What do you charge?” They already know, so you don’t need to feel embarrassed or awkward discussing it. (We really don’t like talking money, do we?!)

If you do a lot of bespoke work and have to quote per client, then make sure you publicize a starter package, for example. Or quote a price range, highlighting what they would get for that package.

Stuff the competition.

So what if your competitors know your price. If you don’t put it on your website, I am pretty sure – if they really wanted to – they would find a way of getting your price lists. You don’t have time to be getting in to petty price wars with other businesses.

So be bold. Be brave. Clearly state your prices or packages so your potential clients know exactly what they are in for, so that when you get to speak to them or they click the order button, they are ready to make the decision to buy.

About the Author: Karen Skidmore helps small business owners work smarter and use the right marketing tools so they can attract more of the right clients to their business. Karen created the Web Tech Club to show you how to use tools such as email newsletters, blogs, Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.  To subscribe to her free email newsletter and get access to practical advice and marketing ideas that will move your business forward, visit www.CanDoCanBe.co.uk

When you first decide to set up your own business, designing your business card is one of the most exciting things you can do. Somehow, the business card makes you feel like your business is ‘real’.

The likelihood is that you spent a lot of time getting your business cards right, or you may employ a designer to do it for you, so it’s important to make sure that you get all the important pieces of information on there.

So how do you do this?

To begin with, think about what your business card should do. For most of us, when we give out a card, it is intended to work as a reminder of who we are, and provide relevant contact information, so the person receiving the card can get in touch with us later.

Some business owners may have additional uses for their cards, such as appointment reminders….but I’ll come back to that a bit later.

Returning to the reminder and contact functions of the card, there are many ways to use your card to remind the recipient of who you are.

Your Name:

Firstly, and most obviously, your name. Don’t put your middle name or initials on there unless you use them as part of your name on a daily basis. If you have a title such as Dr., Prof., or Rev. include it if you use it. You don’t need to put Mr/Mrs/Ms/Ms or similar on your card, as it looks unprofessional or even pretentious. Just put your first name and surname.

Your Business Name & Logo:

If you are a freelancer, you don’t necessarily have a business name and logo, but otherwise you need to put these on your card. Your business name and logo need to be big and clear enough to see easily (don’t squish them in a corner).

Your Title or Description:

My card reads “Marketing Mentor, Consultant & Speaker” under my name. This is a blend of a title (Marketing Mentor) and a description (Consultant & Speaker), and you could use the same idea.

The important thing is that it needs to mean something to the person reading the card. So, using the term “Managing Director” when you have a 1-person business, might make you feel like you’ve ‘arrived’, but it doesn’t mean much to the person reading the card. The rule of thumb is that if someone ONLY reads your title (and not your business name or strapline), they should be able to understand what you do.

Your contact details:

It is important to include the details of how to contact you, through ALL of your key communication channels. For me, that means I have not only my address, phone numbers, and email address on the card, but also details of my twitter profile.

So, think of all the different ways that people can get in touch with you, and put the main ones on your business card – even if they are not what you’d normally expect to see.

Added interest:

Everything that is listed above can be fitted on one side of your business card, so you still have the back of the card to play with, and there are a number of different things you can do here:

• A picture of your work
• A picture of you
• A testimonial from a happy client
• A quote from a press piece about you
• Space for appointment details
• A map showing how to find your shop or office
• A quote from a review of your work
• A quote about your industry
• Your logo
• A description of what you do
• Details of awards you have received
• Logos of publications where you have appeared.

A last word:

You could be thinking of creating a business card with an unusual look, and that’s a great idea because it will make your card stand out from the crowd. However, you have to make sure that you don’t sacrifice the clarity of the key information on your card to a flashy design.

Enjoy creating your perfect business card!

About the Author: Tamsin Fox-Davies is London’s favourite Marketing Mentor. She is also the author of Free Marketing Tips, simple weekly how-to guidance to really make your marketing move. You can get your copy when you sign up for free at  www.enthusemarketing.com.

As a small business owner where do you start with online marketing, what is really going to get you the results you’re looking for and the sort of return your business needs?

Let’s look at things a little more generally and get into what the secrets of successful online marketing, really comes down to. There are 5 keys to ensuring your business can grow through the use of online marketing strategies. Let’s take a closer look at each one.

1. You Must Hit The Target

Being relevant is the most critical part of online marketing. You got to remember that in the online world a billion people have the potential to see your site, content and business. Unfortunately depending on what business you have you can’t cater for a billion people and for most businesses they can’t cater for people outside of their geographic location. Your website and the way you promote it, needs to be as relevant as possible to your target market. Otherwise you will be paying for traffic or getting leads from people in which you can’t do business with. Not a smart way to grow. You have to remember that traffic to your site that doesn’t automatically turn into paying customers. Taking the time to research your target market thoroughly and what makes them tick will save you a lot of wasted resources.

2. Always Measure and Test Your Results

Everything you do online in the marketing world you should be testing and measuring its effectiveness. This at the start should be daily and weekly and then could ease off to monthly. The online marketing world changes day to day, new inventions are created, new traffic forms are generated, so you need to ensure you’re watching what is going on. If something isn’t getting the results you want, ask why, do some more research, make simple little changes and see if the results improve. Businesses that succeed at online marketing are those that are willing to test and measure and make changes as required.

3. Take Control

I have said many a time that business owners should be spending 80% of their day on marketing and sales. Doing activities that will create sales that will build the business profile and that will generate leads. As a business owner writing your own blogs, doing articles, video’s, building relationships, being on social media should all be at the for front of the weekly activity list. Not only does this ensure those crucial activities are being done but it can save you a lot of money to spend elsewhere.

4. Set Your Key Performance Indicators

In order to get the most value from your online marketing spend you need to monitor your results on a regular basis. You need to set key performance indicators and you need to be hitting them weekly. The online marketing world is very fragile and you can’t know what is going to happen next. Things can change very quickly, you might be getting great pay per click conversions one month, and the next they are dreadful because your competitors have altered their strategy and effected your results. Set weekly, monthly and quarterly KPI’s

5. Invest In Yourself

Marketing online does not take an abundance of time, it really is a magical myth out there that to be online you need an extra 6hrs in a day. In our business marketing online takes approximately 1hr per day and we complete the following. – Social Media updates for 8 pages – Blog written and posted – Articles sent to over 10,000 article sites – Video shot and sent to over 300 channels – Forums checked and questions answered – Relationships targeted or continued to be built

So you can see a lot can be achieved once you systemise things. The most important thing you can do is invest in your own knowledge and education on the topic. This means you can take control of your own business, if you can complete the tasks rather than outsourcing them, you can save your business tens of thousands per year. To think a 10k course to save you 50k over a year, knowing you have the knowledge and education for the rest of your business life. To me it’s a no brainer.

About the author: Michael Griffiths is the CEO and Founder of Secrets Of A Super Small Business and My Small Business Marketing Guru. His mission is to help small business owners generate more leads, get more clients and increase their profits to have the business they’re always dreamed off. To grab your 7 free marketing resources visit http://www.mysmallbusinessmarketingguru.com.au

If you are considering starting up a new business venture in the near future, or currently own an established business, it is likely that you may be unsure as to what the next steps are in order to take your business further. When it comes to owning your own business, it is vital that you make goals in order to see your business flourish and grow to its full potential.

However, the main issue which stops many business owners from thinking big in terms of their business goals is that they tend to focus on the negative aspects of goal setting. What if my attempts fail? What if I damage the current status of my business? On the other hand, what if you succeed in achieving your goals and realizing your business’ true potential?

Reach for the sky

If you are unable to envision your business going further than it currently is, chances are it is unlikely that you will be able to achieve any big goals. It is understandable that any business owners will fear failure, and so will simply opt to not set large goals in order to dodge any great failure. However, as you see the years pass and your business cease to grow, it is then that you will realize that thinking big when drafting your business goals is one of the most effective ways in which to push yourself and your business to its full potential.

Share your goals

It is unlikely that we can immediately achieve any business goal we set out mind to instantaneously. Anything that is worthwhile takes time. However, by taking the risk to make our business dreams a reality and be realistic with our goals, we will have a higher chance of seeing this reality. One of the most effective ways in which to make your goals is to share these with someone else and make yourself accountable. This may be something you have already done, but for others, communicating their business goals out loud-no matter how small they may be, can be incredibly empowering and can motivate them more to try to achieve them.

Think BIG

Many business owners make the mistake of staying small when drafting their business goals as they believe that smaller goals are easier to achieve. In some respect this is true, but with the correct determination and planning, you can achieve anything. This is not to say that your big goals will be realized in quick succession and without effort, but by continuing with the running and growth of your business, building on your marketing, advertising and so forth in order to achieve your smaller goals, then with time, your big goals will be realized. As you achieve your previous goals, you can create new goals and continuing to grow your business. However, be realistic. Making large goals which you know you will never achieve can dishearten you but stay too small, and you may be de-motivated.

Break it down

So, how can you make your big goals a reality? Break down your big business goals into section which are realistic and will be achievable. For example, if you aspire to gain 200 new clients, break this down so that you will aim to gain 10 new clients a month, and build on this number as you start to achieve this goal. Changing your big goal into smaller, more manageable goals will make it easier for you to achieve, thus filling you with a sense of accomplishment and motivation as it is realized.

Don’t play it safe

Setting big business goals can be a daunting task, especially in the event that your business is starting from the basics. However, many businesses fail as they refuse to take the chance to dream big, showing how being safe can be just as dangerous as dreaming big. So, if you want your business to grow to the establishment which you dream and know it can be, don’t be afraid to be ambitious, realistic and above all, don’t be afraid to dream big.

________

About the author: Diana Samalot is mother of twin girls, writer, entrepreneur, master internet marketer and success coach. She can help you market your with a proven system, training, coaching and world class support. To find out more, go to  http://thebestmillionairecreator.com

There is no doubt that 2009 has been tough, many businesses haven’t weathered the storm, many have profited on the situation and many have managed to stay afloat. Most have broke even and have to try and start a New Year with only positive hopes for where the economy is heading in 2010.

There is a saying that goes “it costs more money to find a new customer than to keep an old one”. In these times this is a good maxim to run your business by.  Whether you offer a product or service to the consumer, or you are a B2B operation, taking care of your existing customers will pay dividends in these difficult times.

A bird in the hand…

Marketing to gain new business is tough, money is tight and competitors are being even more cutthroat in their campaigns. Can your business really afford to offer the world to gain a new customer?

Looking after an existing customer will benefit your business two fold, one they will be loyal to your business and continue to spend the disposable income they do have with you, and secondly they will not hesitate to recommend your business to friends and colleagues.

Look after your own first!

Your customers are your best marketing tool, for sake of paying attention to customer service in return your customer promotes your business free of charge!

Many businesses rely on ‘customer get customer’ marketing.  Offering numerous referral campaigns and incentives, which are in itself a great way of generating new business, but this will only work if your existing customers are happy, the lure of a cheap gift won’t always swing it!

Unfortunately many businesses cut costs in their after sale departments at times of recession to concentrate on winning more business from a difficult market place. Sometimes this reduction in service will reflect badly on business, if an existing customer isn’t getting the service promised at point of sale this will lead to dissatisfaction and the loss of business going forward as well as potential referrals.

What does great customer service look like

So what does great customer service look like? A telephone that is answered promptly and politely, remembers clients names and details about them, calling a customer back within a set period of time, keeping in touch with a customer periodically, and making a customer feel important – these are all the fundamentals in customer service, there are many more that can be tailor made to your business.

The next time you hear a colleague answer the phone impolitely, or you may notice that they still haven’t called back a client, or they are avoiding a call from a difficult client – think about how this approach to customer service is reflecting on your business, would you treat a prospect like this prior to them becoming a customer? For the sake of avoiding a difficult conversation your colleague could potentially lose your business a customer, a customer which costs a lot to replace!

Make 2010 the year that your clients wouldn’t go anywhere else to do business, in 2010 Customer Service is King!

Although expert opinions vary and there are already ‘green shoots’ of recovery in certain areas, the business environment looks set to be turbulent for some time.

What does this mean for you and your business?  Now is the time to be strong.  Maximise your chances of success by paying proper attention to the financial needs of your business.

In Favour of Flexibility

Don’t lose sight of what you are trying to achieve; stay focused. In a changing economic climate, be prepared to be flexible and ready to adapt to whatever life throws at you. It is really important for you to take steps now to make sure your business is in good shape.  This will help you become leaner and more efficient in the future.

You may have to adapt your products or services, or diversify.  Take a close look at each of your products and services and eliminate those that are unprofitable or not core products/services.  Are there any strategic alliances you could form with another business?  Are there any additional services/products you could offer?  This may be a chance to widen your appeal or attract a different business audience.
Review every cost in your business.  Is each one necessary?  Are you getting the best value for your expenditure?  Explore new avenues and shop around.

Cash is king (and queen)

It is essential that you maintain accurate, up-to-date information about your bank balance.  Monitor your cashflow on a daily and weekly basis.

Review your debtors regularly.  Who owes you money?  Chase up any overdue invoices immediately.  Continue to follow up politely and persistently.  Review your client contracts and terms of business.  Do they contain explicit payment terms?  Ensure your sales invoices are correct before they are issued as this can cause unnecessary delays in payment.  Put in place a formal debtor management system and stick to it.

If some of your customers are suffering in this unstable environment, they may start to delay payment to you.  This, in turn, may mean you are unable to pay your suppliers on time.  If you think it is appropriate or necessary, now is the time to speak to your suppliers and try to agree extended payment terms with them.  If you communicate with your suppliers in advance, you will probably be able to maintain a good relationship with them in the future.

Why not review your banking facilities?  Arrange a meeting with your bank manager.  Are you able to negotiate lower bank charges?  What can the bank do to help you?    If you think you will need an overdraft facility, it is well worth discussing this in advance so that everything is set up before you actually need to use it.

If you are worried about being able to meet tax payments, HMRC has introduced a business payment support service, designed to meet the needs of businesses affected by the current economic conditions.  Don’t wait until your payment becomes overdue.  You can find more information on the HMRC website at www.hmrc.gov.uk .

Client relationships

It is more important than ever to maintain your relationships with your customers.  Are you doing enough for them?  What are your competitors offering?  Does your service/product compare favourably?  Your clients may be looking around for better value or enhanced services.  Put extra effort into making sure your relationships are solid.  This doesn’t need to cost the earth.  A simple thank you card to current clients thanking them for their business or for a referral is a simple touch but will be appreciated.  Ask your clients what is important to them right now.  Can you provide what they are asking for?

One Step Ahead

Are your targets realistic in the current business environment?  Set your budget and closely monitor your actual results against it regularly.  If you are not meeting your targets, you need to be alerted to the fact immediately, so you can take any necessary action.

It will help if you establish some key performance indicators (KPI’s) for your business and measure them on a weekly basis, for example:

• Number of sales leads generated
• Orders supplied/fulfilled
• Bank balance
• Debtor Days
• Gross Profit
• Net Profit

You need reliable, timely and accurate information on which to base strategic decisions.

Although the business environment is uncertain, it’s certainly not all doom and gloom.  This is an ideal time to get back to basics, review the processes within your business and focus on staying one step ahead.

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About the author: Kay Daniels.   Kay has twenty years’ accountancy experience across a variety of sectors.  She is the founder and managing director of Daniels Accountancy, based in Ealing, West London.  Daniels Accountancy provides bespoke accountancy and business support to its clients.  To subscribe to their free newsletter, visit www.danielsaccountancy.com

Pirated pop videos and teenager’s angst-ridden mini-films are YouTube’s most well-known content. However,

it is also home to many videos about products and services. Some videos are made by companies. Others are made by professional and amateur reviewers of products. Most importantly, some of the videos are made by customers.

Potential customers are increasingly using these videos to make their purchasing decision – to buy or not to buy.

Demonstrations from the company

Imagine that you are considering taking your children to Disneyland Paris and you want to find out what you can do and see there. Disney has dozens of professionally-shot videos on their YouTube channel. By watching their videos, you can see the hotels, rides and the parades for yourself.

Dialogue with customers is one of the more sophisticated uses of videos by companies. On one of its recent Vlogs (video blogs), Dell’s Technology Strategist demonstrates three different operating systems for its computers. He begins by thanking customers for their feedback on Twitter and then explains how Dell has responded to their comments.

Feedback from other customers

Potential customers often want to know what other customers think of a product. By using the internet, they can now find this out without any intermediation by the company.

Instinctively, I turned to YouTube when I was trying to decide if my husband would enjoy indoor skydiving. He has been obsessed with space since he was three so maybe this would be the zero gravity experience that he has always craved.

Sean, Salgareda and Jane had all posted the videos of their indoor skydives on YouTube. I could see for myself that they were having a great time. This convinced me that my husband would love it too.

Reviews from the professionals (and the amateurs)

Customers are particularly likely to seek advice before buying expensive, complicated products. We all know that a car or computer can look good and perform badly.

Jeremy Clarkson’s videos attract many viewers simply because of their entertainment value, that’s true. But probably some of the 200,000 people who watched his review of the Jaguar XKRR wanted to know his opinion before deciding whether to buy one for themselves.

Amateur and semi-professional reviews of computer products are almost a mini-industry now. Some reviewers have posted hundreds of product assessments. If you are considering buying a new laptop, you can watch these reviewers demonstrate it. They also give their opinion of its strengths and weaknesses and how it compares to alternative machines.

Making YouTube work for your business

You may be able to entice more potential customers to buy if you showcase your products or services in a video. Perhaps you could demonstrate how your products work? Maybe you could interview customers about their experience of your service? If you are running a small business, an inexpensive, well-shot amateur video may be all you need.

Remember to include a link to your video on your website. You could even include a link in your e-newsletters and email campaigns.

Finally, it is worthwhile being aware of the videos about your products made by other people. The opinions of customers and amateur and professional reviewers can have an enormous impact on your sales.

Tell us… who do you think is using You Tube really well as a business tool… please leave a comment below

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About the author: Margaret Webster. www.pagster.co.uk Margaret Webster is a freelance copywriter. She helps companies to communicate with their customers, employees, investors and other key audiences by writing their websites, intranet sites, brochures and other promotional material. She also writes articles about marketing and corporate communications.

Margaret’s approach is to begin each project by understanding the client company, its objectives and its audience. This has enabled her to write engaging, results-oriented copy for a wide range of audiences as diverse as CEOs of large organisations and track workers on the railway. Margaret wrote Network Rail’s website and an intranet site for one of their employee programmes. She has just completed writing the website for Epigeum, an online training company.