Category: Blog

A business can succeed or fail on effective scheduling, so it’s really important to have a procedure in place for planning upcoming projects – setting timescales and managing operational delivery of work.

My previous blog post ‘Order! Order! How an order book can help keep your business in line’ discusses how essential it is to set up and maintain an order book, documenting all current projects and placing them in a monthly schedule of works to be completed – but there are steps you need to take to ensure your order book works effectively.

Here are a few tips on scheduling your work – so that you are able to set realistic deadlines that you can stick to!

Take a comprehensive brief
This should be a given – that you understand exactly what is required of you before you even put in your proposal or quote.  All too often, however, sales teams fail to take a comprehensive brief, which leads to all sorts of problems down the line.  Not only can this cause your quotation to be askew, if you find out later that more is expected of you than you thought, it makes scheduling impossible. Make sure you understand, in as much detail as possible, what the client wants!

Monitor how long different project tasks take
To schedule your workload effectively, you need to understand your output levels. How long does each task take? Do you need to allow extra time to troubleshoot any problems? Is your work dependent on receiving information or products from others that could cause delays? Try and set a maximum delivery time for each project task.

Match projects to work hours available
To ensure you meet deadlines, you need to schedule new work into your existing production programme.  If you don’t have the man hours to start work on a project for a couple of weeks, make sure you take this into account when calculating your deadlines. You will need to consider staffing levels, allowing for holidays etc.

Communicate with your client!
One of the most vital steps in scheduling works is communicating your plans to the client to ensure your potential deadline meets with their expectation.  If they have a distinct deadline, you need to know you can meet it.  If you can’t, you need to tell them – it’s just good customer service.

Monitor your schedule regularly
Things do crop up in business that can mess up even the most meticulous plans. Unexpected staff absences, urgent jobs that must be prioritised, unanticipated delays, the list goes on. Regular monitoring of your work schedule is, therefore, essential. You may need to shuffle tasks around, speak to clients about moving deadlines or enlist more help to get work completed – so ongoing management of scheduled works is vital.

Update your order book accordingly
Make sure you keep your order book updated! Add in new work according to your planning, with a realistic deadline. If you have to shuffle tasks, change the details in your order book so that it doesn’t throw your invoicing or cash flow predictions out.

For more in-depth advice on project scheduling, take a look at Doug’s practical guidebook ‘Getting Down to Business’ or speak to him direct about the support he can offer.

Some may think it’s an outdated practice, but keeping your order book in order can really help you keep your business in check.  It may be seen as an ‘old way’ of doing things, but my argument has always been – if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!

On my initial visits to clients, I often hear they have no order book system in place.  Very much like the sales board I advocate for tracking your sales pipeline, an order book is essential to track and plan your operational delivery.

Whilst updating the order book is still seen as an essential process in the manufacturing industry, to keep a check on how much output you need through the production line each month to fulfil your orders, it is often overlooked in the service industries.  Keeping an order book, however, is a useful tool in any business.

Here are just some of the ways it can help you:

1 – Scheduling client work
One of the worst things you can do with client work is over-promise and under-deliver.  This often happens when we set unrealistic deadlines for completion of client work – and are left struggling to fulfil orders as promised.  But there really is no excuse for mis-scheduling!  An order book allows you to check your current workload in any given month, so you can schedule new orders around it.

2 – To do list
An order book will help you plan your task sheet, or to do list.  Let’s face it, if you have no easy way to see at a glance what jobs you have on your books each month – how are you going to plan the delivery of the work?  Instead of writing a day-to-day to do list, and risk missing tasks in the process, an order book will help you plan your work production in advance.

3 – Forecasting cash flow
An order book helps you predict your company’s income – a necessity to ensure you have enough work to sustain you.  It allows you to see exactly how much you should be able to invoice in any given month.  As long as you understand your break-even figures, you can work out whether you are meeting that as a minimum each month.

4 – Marketing and sales activity
A glance at your order book will tell you in an instant where you need to focus your marketing and sales activity.  You might find you’re stacked out with work for the next three months, but then have nothing – or you’ve pre-booked loads of work for three months time, but have nothing now.  Use this information to focus your marketing and sales activity.  Run a marketing campaign that encourages orders in your quiet months, maybe running a short-term offer, or prioritise the sales calls you think will bring work in when it is needed most.

5 – Invoicing
Your monthly invoicing will be so much easier if you have a record of work completed each month.  When work is signed off as delivered successfully, mark your order as complete in your order book and date it.  This then becomes your working document to charge clients for finished projects.

These are my top five reasons, but I’m certain that once you start using an order book system, you will discover many more benefits.

Doug’s book ‘Getting Down to Business’ includes a more in-depth look at how to set up and maintain an order book – as well as covering other essentials of business success. Buy it here now!

If you’re left wondering month after month why you haven’t got enough prospects converting to customers, or why your customer numbers are rising but your profits aren’t, you’re probably not tracking your numbers effectively.

It’s not uncommon, and is often because business owners simply don’t know where to start to get the information they need. Following a step-by-step sales process and keeping a track of your pipeline can make a huge difference, however, and help you to plan for a profitable future.

It might not be sexy, but gathering stats will help you sell!

So, here’s my simple, step-by-step guide to tracking your sales numbers:

1.     Understand your sales process

Every business might have a slightly different sales process, but it’s important to have one – and to understand what yours is!  A simple example would be:

• Initial contact with prospect
• Follow up call to book appointment
• Send relevant information before meeting
• Meeting to discuss requirements
• Send proposal/quote
• Follow up
• Close

2.     Set up a sales board

It may take some time initially, but setting up and maintaining a sales board will pay dividends in terms of streamlining and tracking your sales. It allows you to see in an instant where each of your prospects are in the sales pipeline and ensures you keep on top of follow ups. Check out this earlier blog about the sales board to find out more.

3.     Track your numbers!

Once all this is in place, tracking your numbers becomes very easy. The information you want to record might include:

• Number of prospects
• Number of proposals sent
• Number of closes
• Value per close
• Length of time taken from initial contact to close

Only when you have all of this information in front of you can you work out where improvements are needed for you to grow your business.

You can work out how many closes you are getting in relation to prospects, how much your average close is worth and how long your sales process is taking.

For example:

• You have 15 prospects
• You close 5 deals
• Average of £10,000 per close
• Sales process takes one month

If this is a regular pattern, you can deduce that you are closing one in three deals and for every 15 prospects you bring in, you are closing deals  worth £50,000 of business.

From here you can now start to plan. If this is the average activity in one month, you can project your annual figures.

If you want to see that sales figure grow, you have to do one of three things – bring in more prospects, get better at closing or work on getting higher value clients.

So, if your sales figures are running away with you, implement these simple steps to get back on track!

Doug D’Aubrey has helped hundreds of companies grow and become more profitable with his practical, straight-forward advice. To find out if his growth or mentoring programmes could help you, request a free business review here.

As a business coach, I talk a lot about the sales process. It’s vital in a business to know how to find and follow-up on leads, how to approach and negotiate with customers and how to close a deal.

One of the issues that crops up time and again when talking sales with clients, however, is helping them appreciate the difference between the price of their product or service and its value to the customer.

A common mistake salespeople make is to negotiate on price, without considering the true value of their proposition to the customer.

So, what do I mean by value?

Think about why the customer is talking to you about your product or service. There must be a need there, usually a problem that they need solving. You simply need to identify what the problem is and what value they place on solving that problem.

Assessing the needs of a potential client should be the first conversation you have in any sales process. Listening is so much more important than talking in the early stages of communication with prospects – learning about their business and how you can help them.  Only then can you fully understand the value of what you’re offering.

For example…

The easiest way to illustrate the difference between price and value, is by citing some examples I’ve come across.

Example 1

A roofer receives a call from a factory owner.  The factory roof is leaking – so requires a quick fix.

The problem the roofer can solve here isn’t just the leaky roof. Consider the other problems that may occur.

The leak will probably be causing water damage inside the building – and possibly to stock, equipment or other contents. It could be causing operational disruption, requiring them to move operations to a different area, reducing workspace or making it difficult to maintain productivity levels. Depending on the severity of the problem, they might not be able to operate at all, and could be losing £1,000s in business. Left unchecked for any length of time, the cost incurred could inflate to a full replacement roof.

The value to the customer of fixing the roof, and doing so speedily, therefore, is being able to continue their daily operations unhindered, preventing the loss or damage of factory contents and preventing further expense if the problem gets worse. What is this worth to them?

Example 2

A payroll specialist is contacted by a care home. They are about to be inspected by HMRC and are concerned their payroll is not being done correctly. To the specialist, this is a simple job that won’t take a great deal of time so their initial thought is to charge a reasonable hourly rate for the time it takes to fix. But, consider the value of this job to the care home.

The specialist is not only being asked to ensure legal compliance for the future, offering peace of mind, they are preventing the client being fined £15,000 for non-compliance. This is a huge saving in financial terms, but will also save them the stress and inconvenience of legal proceedings, and help uphold their professional reputation. What value would they place on all of that?

Communicate all of that to the customer and they may well agree a much higher hourly rate!

And it’s not just the service we offer that we often undervalue – we undervalue ourselves and the skills and experience we bring.

Example 3

A counsellor was revising her fees and wasn’t sure what she should charge for her services.  She had always tried to remain in-line with the government’s fees for offering mental health support to children and families, which was around £20 per hour, thinking that people wouldn’t pay more. But her qualifications and experience far out-weighed those of the counsellors offered under the state mental health provision.

The years of specialist training undertaken in the area of child and family counselling has a value! To a family experiencing difficulties, the knowledge that they are going to get the right advice from someone who is fully versed in their problems, that will bring real results, is worth paying extra for.

Ironically, when this particular counsellor amended her prices to reflect her experience, and started charging £75 per hour, rather than struggling to fill spaces – she found herself with a waiting list.

It just goes to show, if you value yourself and your services highly, others tend to too.

Hopefully, you can now see why knowing and understanding the value of your service is so important before you try and agree on a price. Solving the customer’s problems is your selling point, and you should lead any discussions about price based on value.

During Doug D’Aubrey’s time working in business development for global corporations, he helped turn failing and unprofitable enterprises into multi-million pound businesses. He now shares his wealth of experience in business operations with others, helping them develop and grow in line with their business goals. His expertise spans all the core issues faced by corporate bodies, large or small, such as employee training, team management, HR, logistics, sales development, sales management and customer service.

To discover how Doug’s help could improve your business, request a free business review here.

If you own or manage a company, chances are you’ve been invited to at least one networking event.

They come in all shapes and sizes: big and small; morning, lunch or evening; weekly, fortnightly or one-off events; paid membership or free to attend… you get the picture! The burning question is, however, do any of them work?

The short answer is yes – but I do need to qualify that by saying yes, if you understand what networking is all about and do it the right way! You can’t expect to turn up at a networking event for the first time and leave with 20 new customers. There’s a networking etiquette that you need to understand and appreciate before you swagger in with a handful of business cards.

So, let’s start with the basics.

What is networking?

I quite like the description of networking on Wikipedia: “Networking is a socioeconomic business activity by which businesspeople and entrepreneurs meet to form business relationships and to recognise, create, or act upon business opportunities, share information and seek potential partners for ventures.”

Notice, nowhere does it say businesspeople go to sell their products or services! In my own words, networking is a marketing activity, the aim of which is to grow your contacts, meet people you may have a business affinity with and find potential referral partners.

What is a referral partner?

A referral partner is someone you could form a mutually beneficial business relationship with – someone you could pass contacts or work to and who can reciprocate, in turn passing useful contacts and opportunities to you.  In the wedding industry, for example, bridalwear shops, cake-makers, venues, photographers, florists and hair and beauty salons could all be great referral partners for each other.  Working together, a group of referral partners can become a power team that continually generate business for each other.

A great referral partner will generally:

• Work alongside or within the same industry as you
• Have a similar client base
• Be a well established and trusted supplier with a proven reputation
• Be someone you like or feel you can get on well with!

That last point may not sound particularly politically correct but, for any business partnership to work, it has to be based on mutual respect and trust and you need to feel a willingness to work together.

How do I go about finding referral partners?

Attending networking events and business exhibitions is a great first step to finding potential referral partners, but you have to go with the right attitude.  Turn up with the intention of finding out as much as you can about the other businesses attending.  Ask questions first, before mentioning what it is you do.  Here are some great questions, after ‘What do you do?’ that will help you glean the information you need to determine whether or not they will be a good ‘match’ for you and a potential referral partner:

• Who do you work with already?
• Who is your ideal customer?
• Are you looking to connect with anyone specific today?
• How can I help you?

People generally like to talk about themselves, so it shouldn’t be hard to get a conversation started.  If you think there is a genuine affinity, ask to book a one-to-one meeting at a later date where you can talk at greater length.

Which networking events are best?

As I mentioned in my opening paragraph, there are a huge variety of networking events out there.  Which one is best will differ for everyone.  Not all networking events will necessarily suit you and your business, so I always suggest you attend a few to:

• Discover what other businesses attend
• Decide if you like the meeting structure – some are very formal and some informal, for example
• Work out if you can commit to the group – some have certain expectations of their members, like bringing visitors to the group or passing a certain amount of referrals to other members
• Determine whether you feel it is worth the investment, both in terms of your time and any membership or meeting fees

If you are going to commit to attending one networking group regularly, make it one that you’re comfortable with, and that you feel you can benefit from.  Set yourself a time limit – say six months. If you haven’t found any opportunities with other members in this time, move on!

Do I have to attend meetings to network?

To meet new people and find fresh opportunities, attending events and meetings is the best way. Before you do that, however, just take a look through your existing database of contacts. Think about the qualities I set out above that make a great referral partner. You may have contacts that fit the bill already, but have never thought to explore the potential for passing referrals to one another. Find five influential people in your business circle – ask them how you can help each other.

The best advice I can offer is to give networking a go with the above in mind. You’re not looking for hundreds of people, just a select few that can become key referral partners. Offer to help others and you will usually find they are willing to help you in return.

If you would like to join me as a visitor at a networking group in Wolverhampton, I attend a weekly meeting at The Goldthorn Hotel on a Thursday morning.  There is no obligation to join.  For more information, please give me a call on 01384 355 444.

There’s not many people who are ‘natural networkers’, who feel totally comfortable mingling in a room full of strangers.
It’s something I’ve had to work at as a businessman, which is why the horrified look I get from clients when I suggest they start networking doesn’t surprise me. The worry of feeling like an outsider in a group, combined with the terrifying possibility of having to stand up and say something, stop a lot of people embracing this element of marketing.

Public speaking remains one of the top fears amongst the business community. In fact, a poll in 2013 placed public speaking above death in a list of people’s greatest fears – which explains why many find the thought of networking nerve-wracking. The study even prompted the publication of a book ‘…and Death Came Third!: The Definitive Guide to Networking and Speaking in Public’ by Andy Lopata and Peter Roper. It’s worth a read if you want some lengthier advice on how to fight the fear.

I’ve heard some coaches tell their clients ‘practise makes perfect’ and advise them to just get out there and do it. I’ve also heard coaches come out with the old adage ‘do something every day that scares you, or pushes your boundaries’, but neither of these nuggets of advice really help dispel those nerves! What has proved helpful with some of my clients, however, is giving them a few facts to remember when they’re faced with entering and addressing a room full of business peers.  So, I thought I’d share them with you.

Here are my top five fear-busting facts to take with you next time you go networking:

1 – Everyone else in the room is there to do the same as you – they want to talk to you and they want to hear what you have to say.  And the majority probably have the same fears as you, some simply hide it better than others!

2 – Networking is simply about conversing with people. Whether you’re asked to tell one person or 20 about your business, think of it as nothing more than a conversation. Answer the question as if you were in a one-to-one situation – it’s exactly the same.

3 – No-one is waiting to throw rotten tomatoes at you – they want you to succeed.

4 – You don’t have to be an outgoing person to network, people will come to you. New faces at networking events are generally welcomed with open arms, it’s very rare you’ll be left a wilting wallflower.  Embrace the interest and chat to people.  They’ll usually do their best to help you feel at ease.

5 – Remember why you’re there. This is a business meeting, and it will make a difference to your business by being there. Focus on the goal, you want to meet like-minded professional people who you may be able to work with in the future. Put on your best professional persona – it helps keep the personal feelings under control.

It is true that your confidence will grow with experience, so although it may feel very strange and a little scary at first, it will get better. If you feel more comfortable taking a friend or colleague the first time, then do that.  It never hurts to have a friendly face in the crowd and a fallback to talk to.

Just don’t let the fear stand in your way!

I’m thrilled to announce I’ve been invited to run a series of mentoring workshops for the Black Country Chamber of Commerce, offering expert support and advice on growing your business and becoming more profitable.

Have you ever heard the saying, ‘to achieve something different – you have to do something different’?

As a busy company director or manager, it can be easy to get tied up in the day-to-day operations of your business – working all hours to keep afloat and wondering why you’re still struggling with cash flow.  Does this sound familiar?

Unless you sit back and evaluate how the company is performing, and make changes to improve, however, you will never develop and grow.

Can you give just two hours per month to make your business more profitable?

Sometimes, it only takes small changes to create big differences in your fortunes.  This is what I demonstrate day-in, day-out with my clients.

It doesn’t matter how big or small your business is currently, or what industry you work in, the challenges we face in business are very much the same.

These workshops are designed to help you re-focus on the bigger picture, ensuring business essentials are not only in place, but are working effectively for you – leading to better profits and a smoother-running operation.

The three mentoring workshops will develop your skills constructively, helping you plan more strategically and offering practical take-away tips that you can implement straight away.

Here’s a breakdown of the workshop dates and content:

Mentoring Workshop One
Monday 3rd October
A Marketing Strategy

Create a marketing plan, understand which prospects to target and how to generate the right leads, and decide on the action you need to take to promote yourself effectively.

Mentoring Workshop Two
Thursday 3rd November
The Sales Strategy

Discover the best way to make contact with prospects, set appointments, and ultimately close the deal.

Mentoring Workshop Three
Tuesday 6th December
The Customer Retention Strategy

Once you have a customer base, it’s important to nurture it! Learn what activities and actions can reduce customer defections and grow customer and brand loyalty.

Each workshop runs from 9:30am to 11:30am at the Black Country Chamber Of Commerce, Creative Industries Centre, Wolverhampton Science Park, Wolverhampton, WV10 9TG.

Sessions are just £10 each for Black Country Chamber members, or £20 each for non-members (a total of £30 or £60 for all three)*  I hope you’ll agree that’s fantastic value!

*Prices are subject to VAT

Book your place today

To book online visit the BCC website at www.blackcountrychamber.co.uk/bcc-events or telephone 01902 912305 or email events@blackcountrychamber.co.uk.

Please note that cancellations are required in writing 7 days prior to the event, at which point an official cancellation number will be issued. Unfortunately cancellations within this time cannot be accommodated by a full refund.  PLEASE NOTE WE CANNOT ACCEPT BOOKING WITHOUT PRIOR PAYMENT.

A strategic alliance is an arrangement between two companies that have decided to share resources to undertake a specific, mutually beneficial project.

Where marketing is concerned, this is generally an agreement to share each other’s details with their client base, or split costs to conduct a joint marketing campaign.

A strategic alliance is less involved and less permanent than a joint venture, and does not usually constitute a legally binding agreement.  It is simply two compatible businesses agreeing to work together for mutual gain.

Some businesses do this very well, but it can be a forgotten avenue of marketing in this tech-led, digital age!

One of my clients that does this very successfully is a wedding boutique who has formed a strategic alliance with a local jeweller. When better to capture brides than at the purchase of the engagement ring?  They have placed a bridal display with a dressed mannequin in the jewellery shop, offering a 10% discount on wedding dresses if they purchase their engagement ring at the jewellers. This is an incentive for the customer to make their purchase with that specific jeweller – and provides the bridal boutique with a new prospect.

There are a number of ways strategic alliances can work for marketing purposes.

Here are a few suggestions.

Reciprocal links on your websites
Include an ‘our trusted partners’ page on your website and list your network of professionals with compatible businesses – in return, ask them to do the same with a link to your website on theirs.

Displays in each other’s shop
As illustrated with the wedding boutique example, an eye-catching display coupled with the right offer can bring fantastic results.

Joint campaigns
Team up with a relevant business to promote a joint campaign.  For example, a hotel could link with a local attraction or two to promote a family deal – bed and breakfast at the hotel plus tickets to the local attractions at a discount price.

Joint flyers
Share design and print costs and produce a double sided leaflet that promotes both businesses.

Joint stand at networking events
Exhibiting at networking events, particularly larger, industry-specific events like the Birmingham NEC’s wedding show, can prove extremely costly.  Splitting the cost of a stand with a compatible partner business can allow you to have a presence without the extortionate price tag.  OK, you halve your space, but it’s better to have some presence than none.

Page advert in a magazine or newspaper
Splitting the space in a magazine or newspaper advert can work in much the same way as exhibition space.  Promotional activity that could otherwise be out of reach due to cost, suddenly becomes a viable option.

So, spend half an hour writing down which businesses might ‘fit’ well with yours and get in touch.  As long as you can offer them something of value in return, why would they say no? It’s worth a go!

If you would like more insights on marketing and growing your business, book a FREE business review with Doug today.

Marketing your business can seem like a gargantuan task.

Google ‘marketing’ and you’ll be deluged with articles, blog posts, books and resources that all claim to know the best way to promote your services or products – as well as lots of companies wanting to do it for you, for a fee.

By all means buy a book, dip into some blogs and drink in the ‘how to’ tips on building a marketing strategy, producing content marketing,  getting results from email marketing, or text marketing etc. Knowledge is always a good thing. You might even cost up outsourcing some, or all, of your marketing – but, before you spend any of your marketing budget, please take a look at my six steps to marketing success. Unless you have these basics in place, whether you’re taking the DIY approach or employing a specialist marketing company, you’ll just be throwing your money away.

First and foremost, however, make sure you understand what marketing actually is!  Marketing is NOT sales. Marketing is the activity you undertake to bring in leads and prospects. Once you have prospects, you can then follow a sales process to get them to buy what you’re offering. It’s important not to get the two mixed up as discussed in a previous post here.

When you’re clear on the distinction, here’s how to succeed at marketing.

1 – Clearly define your product or service

Yes, it may sound simple – but you’d be surprised how many business people I’ve met who attempt to tell me what they do, and I end up with no clue as to what they offer! Often, we can be too close to it ourselves to see it through a customer’s eyes. We live it every day but, what we think is self-explanatory, often isn’t.

If you offer marketing services, for example, don’t just say ‘I do marketing’. Not everyone will understand what exactly you can do for them. Tell people you help promote businesses by creating tailored marketing campaigns that bring in valuable leads and prospects. It’s an introduction that allows you to then move seamlessly into talking about the kinds of campaigns you run and the results you can achieve.

Getting this initial definition correct is so crucial because, why will people buy if they’re not sure what they’ll be getting?

The best solution is to try and explain it as you would to a 14-year-old. Be descriptive, but don’t lose them in the detail. Keep it simple, jargon free and succinct. When you’ve got your definition together, try it out on a few people. Tell them what you’re selling and see if they can understand and relay it back to you.

2 – Understand who you’re marketing to

A really important thing to remember with any marketing activity is, the more tailored you can make it to a specific audience, the more successful you will be. Try and promote to ‘everyone’, and you’ll find you’re promoting to no-one!

Once you can easily and clearly describe your product, think about who will want to buy it.  Are you aiming to capture the imagination of the trendy teens, or pitching at a more mature audience? Are you looking for families with young children, or affluent couples with greater disposable income? If you’re offering a business-to-business service, are there specific industries you need to focus on? Paint a picture in your mind of the person you’re aiming your marketing at. Refine it as much as possible. For individuals, think about age, gender, profession, family situation and geographical area. For businesses, focus on relevant industries, the contact you require within the company and geographical area.

3 – Find out where your target audience shops

Once you know who you want to contact, it’s much easier to figure out the best way to do that. Are they always online? Are they regular users of specific social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram or Linked In? Will they read newspapers, magazines or industry publications? Do they go to networking events? Do they shop in certain high street shops? Could you consider a strategic alliance with another business?

Give some real thought to the best places to get in front of your target market and it will help you determine the best marketing activities to focus on.

4 – Now to take action!

You’re now ready to market yourself. You know what you’re marketing, who you’re marketing to and the best ways to reach your target audience. Now might be the best time to research your chosen marketing activity a little deeper and pick up tips on how to do it well. If you’ve decided you need to be promoting yourself and advertising on Facebook, find out how to do this professionally and effectively by reading some articles on it, or booking onto a local training workshop.

Here’s the biggy, though – whatever marketing methods you use, it’s vital to keep that activity going regardless of how busy you get! You might find you bring in loads of leads in the first month and are so busy following up and doing the work, that you don’t think it’s important to do more marketing. This is a big mistake. You’ll just have to start from scratch again when those initial leads and work dry up.  Marketing should continue constantly in the background, producing a steady flow of prospects. This is where outsourcing can really pay dividends. Consider employing a marketing company to keep churning out the content for you.

5 – Remember your call to action

How frustrating would it be if you received a leaflet about a workshop, you’re really interested in attending, but there are no details included on how to book? Believe it or not, this does happen!

Before sending anything out – proofread it (or even better, get someone else to look over it and see if they can spot anything you’ve missed) and make sure it has a call to action, and contact details!

Think about what you want to achieve. Do you want visits to your website? For people to call you? Or bookings onto an event? Whatever the outcome you’re hoping for, make sure your marketing material makes this clear and gives the audience everything they need to complete that action.

6 – Measure and adjust

Whenever you undertake any marketing activity, especially if you’re allocating budget to it, you want to  make sure it’s performing as you hoped and is worthy of the spend. There are lots of ways of monitoring and measuring your marketing and, again, there are plenty of resources available that will tell you exactly how to do it.  Measuring your marketing’s effectiveness is the only way you can hope to ensure a return on investment, and work towards improving your activity in the future. One client, for example, was paying £1,000s on an annual Yellow Pages display advert.  When they started asking leads where they had found their details, however, not one had come from Yellow Pages!  Time for a re-think, me thinks!

Keep a record of how many leads each marketing activity brings in and measure the quality of these leads.  How many turn into paid work? Don’t be afraid to experiment with different marketing methods to see which brings the greater return. You should constantly question and adjust your marketing methods – don’t just do what you’ve always done.

Marketing and getting your message right are addressed in more detail in my book, ‘Getting Down to Business’.  You can order your copy here.

It also forms part of my business mentoring programmes.  If you feel you could benefit from my support with any aspect of growing your business and becoming more profitable, book a FREE business review here.

Do you know what personality type you fall into?  Have you ever tried to classify who you are, what motivates you or aggravates you, what job might suit you best?

For a manager, it’s a good thing to know about yourself, but even more important is having that information about your staff.  In fact, it’s vital to running a successful company.

Ensuring you have the right personalities in your business is as important as having the right skills and experience – and has to be a consideration at recruitment stage.

It’s no good having a business full of creative, idea-generators if there’s no-one with a logical and practical personality to think about the workability of their grand ideas.

And you can’t cram a team full of studious introverts who are great at getting the work done but won’t say boo to a goose, because who’s going to go out and network and sell your product or service?

To have a profitable and successful business, you have to get the mix just right.

Placing the right people in the right position can make or break a company, whether it’s a receptionist with a sunny disposition who is unflappable and able to multi-task or a gregarious salesperson with an uncanny knack of reading people and situations.

Finding someone with the right personality traits has to be high on the list when searching for fresh talent.

Some managers are brilliant at personality profiling, simply from having a conversation with someone.  If you find that more difficult, you might want to consider psychometric testing as part of your interview process.

It can help determine whether a person is suited to their role, who they would work best with, how you can motivate them to achieve their potential and how you can develop them within the company.

If you haven’t recruited with personality in mind, it could be the reason you’re experiencing staff tensions, which can lead to operational dysfunction.

The good news is, it’s never too late! Personality profiling can be a really useful team building exercise.  Take an afternoon out and get your workforce taking the Briggs Myers test, or DISC profiling.

Learning more about what makes each other tick could help resolve existing issues, and prevent future friction.

You might find it even leads to a staff re-shuffle, matching the right people with the right tasks and teams according to their personality could have a huge, positive impact on your productivity.

If you would like further advice and guidance on recruitment issues, or successfully managing a team, call ETC and book a free business review.