“In Business” by Roland Millward

With this recession beginning to take its toll now is the time to make sure that we really focus on our business and the services and goods that we provide.

The businesses that will survive will be very different from those that fail. This is not just in the sense of good financial management but in the way which they operate in the market place. Businesses that are middle of the road will certainly face severe problems. As a business owner / manager you will need to lift your business above mediocrity.

Your service and products will need to be the best – not the cheapest. The immediate reaction in a downturn is to simply cut prices. However cutting prices reduces profits and if a business makes a loss it is heading for disaster. Take a look at what you can do to improve service and sell products that people are willing to pay a fair price for without cutting into profits. Try and avoid simply competing on price alone. Look for ways that you can add value to your goods or services that will set you apart from nearly all of your competitors.

Look for all the advice that you can get and analyse your business plans and action immediately things that need adjusting.

Speed is essential in surviving. You must stay ahead of your competition. In a survey of what made the most successful entrepreneurs, it was discovered that it was the speed at how quickly they reacted and put plans into action that really made it for them. Do the same!

Here is a great tool that sits in your Firefox web browser.

You can see at a glance how much businesses are paying for Google Adwords and then you can see which keywords are working and what you will need to pay to get them.

Take a look at a video explaining how it works and how you can have a free download.

Click Here!

One of the things that many of us are bad at is pausing.

You know the scenario. You ask a question and then because the person does not answer quickly enough (in our minds) we say something else.

Today I want to write about pausing in several ways. The first in connection with the above scenario.

When you ask a question. Wait for an answer. Several seconds can seem like minutes but people do need time to think as to how they are going to answer. The time will seem far longer to you that it will to them. However the time will be worth it. You will get a proper answer and if it is being used as part of selling a product you will be far more successful.
The second point is to use pausing in our general speech. Good pausing is used to make ourselves clearer. For instance to emphasize something important then either pause before your statement of after it. Pausing certainly makes your point stand out. If there is a distraction perhaps a loud noise then rather than shout over the top of it, pause until it passes or we can move to a quieter location. Pausing gives our listeners time to think about what we have said and not to miss something else we are saying whilst they are trying to work out what we said last.

Thirdly it is in this context. Before making a decision or answering a question, pause! Think about what you are going to say or why you are going to do something. Do not be rash. Yes, far too often we are in a rush and this causes mistakes to be made. We can reduce those errors by simply pausing and taking a moment to reflect first.

Yes pausing is important and by taking the time to think about it and learn how to pause at the right time and in the right places will help you not only in your business but in life generally.

What do you think about this article? Have you any experiences that show the benefit of using pausing as tool?
Your comments are welcome.

For many business owners there is the frustration of not getting their websites listed onto the first page of search engines, particularly the big 2 Google & Yahoo. Of course there is not room for everyone on the first page.

You could of course pay for the privilege using the sponsored search facilities such as Adwords on Google.

However if you have your website optimized for searches you may get there without paying Google for the privilege. It is possible to do it yourself or employ a Search Optimization Specialist but remember there can be no gurantees.

A search on Google or Yahoo will help you find such companies and also tips on how to do it yourself. There are many books written on the subject too.

When you are selling a product there are many techniques that a salesperson can use. In fact there is no one single way to sell and you need to learn all the techniques that you can to be successful.

One way that I would like to write about today is the ‘puppy dog’ method.

Let me describe a situation. Let’s say you have kids and someone asks you to take a puppy home for a few days to look after it. The kids (and probably you too) fall in love with this little bundle of fun. Why he’s so cute!

Now what happens when after a few days you have to hand this bundle of joy back? Can you imagine the devatation in your household. How can you let this little fella go?

Now apply this technique to a product. Perhaps you sell large Plasma TV’s. Imagine you let someone have one on trial for a weekend. How would they feel when you came to collect it? Maybe they would decide there and then that no way are you taking this away … they want it …. why they need it!

Yes a short trial can be enough to convince the most hardened purchaser that they should buy this item. Remember the ‘puppy dog’ technique you could see those sales rise!

For years people have said, “It’s not what you know but who you know that counts!”.

This statement is very true in business. If you want to develop your business it will pay dividends if you have a core of people that can help you achieve your goals. This could be the people who you use to help you with accounts, advertising, web design, marketing store design and layout and the list goes on.

There is also another way that ‘who you know’ is important and that is in knowing those who can give you business by introducing you to others. For example if you are a builder wouldn’t it be great if you had a number of estate agents (realtors in US) who when selling homes in need of buidling work you would be recommended?

Such relationships need not happen by accident. There are many ways to develop these through what has become known as networking. Opportunities for networking can be through organized networking events. Groups have been set up that often have breafast meetings that give an opportunity for all there to talk to each other and set up arrangements. For example 4networking have regular meetings across the U.K. and are well worth attending.

In addition you could try and set up arrangements by contacting companies that could have a mutual relationship with each other.

So if you are not networking now make plans to do so today!

Each one of us when we buy something want to be reassured. We ask “what if I don’t like it?” or “what happens if it stops working?”. These questions can be resolved with a guarantee.

If it doesn’t work we’ll replace it!
If you don’t like it bring it, back and we’ll refund your money.

Some great businesses have been built up because the customer knows that they have a good guarantee and as a result they trust that company and buy from them.

What guarantees do you offer in your business? Examine your products and service and see how you can give a guarantee. You may sell products that already have a manufacturer’s guarantees but is there anything else you can add that will enhance your business and make you better than the next?

Take some time to think about this and put those guarantees in place. Then make sure that you honour those guarantees and build a great reputation with your customers.

News of your guarantees will be passed on by satisfied customers and your business will grow.

Guaranteed!

One of the best tools in business that was ever invented is the humble business card.

I have found that nothing can compare to it when you are in a person to person business. People like to do business with people and they love to have a reminder of you.

Many many years ago when I worked in a department store I decided to have my own business card printed (with my employers permission) as the store did not provide them.
Customers were not used to going into a store and having a card given them and they loved it.
My sales and those of the department that I worked in sky rocketed!

Whenever I can I make sure that my clients have plenty of business cards. Whenever I mail them I enclose 3 cards in the envelope and usually a note to say that they can be passed onto friends and family. I would not recommend giving more than 3 unless the client asks. This is because you don’t want to appear to be forcing them to distribute your cards but to make sure that they have enough for one or two people.

It is amazing how many referrals I get from this simple method.

Make sure that your business cards are of good quality and appearance. Quality business cards are not at all expensive these days and I can recommend Vistaprint for their quality and service.