Category: Blog

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.

Managing staff is definitely not a one size fits all.  Knowing how to manage different personalities is a skill managers need to grasp if their business is to really flourish.

You may have pulled together an amazing team, recruiting individuals that suit their specific role to a tee, but unless you know how to draw the best out of each one of them, and get the different personalities working together, it can still be a recipe for disaster.

What motivates one person may have another running for the hills, and asking two clashing personalities to work together can disrupt your whole operation!

This is why it’s so important to understand what makes your staff tick, and work that to your advantage so the mix of personalities benefit, not bankrupt the company.

Take the two opposing ends of the scale, extroverts and introverts, for example.

An extrovert might be comfortable expressing their views and offering suggestions in an open forum or meeting, but an introvert certainly wouldn’t.  So, if this is the only means staff have to put forward opinions and ideas, you could be missing out on some really important input from the less outspoken members of the team.

An extrovert would probably thrive on being centre of attention if acknowledged publically for some great work, but this could negatively impact an introvert’s confidence and productivity.  They may give a little less, for fear of being embarrassed again with a public commendation.

Can you see how, on a daily basis, the way you interact with and manage staff can have a huge impact on morale and productivity?

It’s a tricky area.  People are complex beings.  Even their different moods can alter how they might react to a situation from day to day.

Whether you use formal profiling, or just pay close attention to your team members as you work together, to successfully manage you need to be aware of personalities and know how to act and react appropriately with them.

If you fail to correctly tailor your management practices with individual personalities in mind, you may find yourself struggling with a high staff turnover, or a disgruntled and under-performing team.

ETC’s business growth and mentoring programmes include expert advice and training on all aspects of leadership and management. For further advice and guidance on getting the most out of your workforce, call Doug on 01384 355444 and book a free business review.

One of the biggest business owners’ bug-bears is having to work over each night, because there aren’t enough hours in the day to get everything done!

Well, there are certain things in life you simply can’t be late for, like catching a plane. So how is it we can make these deadlines and not others?

The simple answer is, we plan for it. Plan effectively and you can achieve anything – including getting home on time.

What exactly do we mean when we talk about time management in business? We can’t ‘manage’ time, it keeps rolling along whether we like it or not. What we can manage, however, is how we plan our time, how we prioritise what we do and make active decisions about when we do it.

Use the example of planning for a trip abroad, and make your departure time from your working day as much a priority as catching a plane, and you might suddenly find time management is manageable after all…

It’s a simple three step process:

1 – Know your deadline

Catching a plane has a distinct date and time allocated to it, so ensure you set your departure date and time in the same way. For some, this may be already set in stone – if they have to be at the school gates to pick up children, for example – but if you don’t have this time in mind, it’s all too easy to just keep working. A deadline adds a degree of urgency, which can force us to be more productive. Rather than pushing tasks aside thinking, ‘I’ll get to that later’, the mindset becomes ‘Let’s do it now as I have to be away by…’.

2 – Set it as a priority

Everyone knows catching a plane is a priority, but we don’t always set the same importance on home time. Why not? My previous blog here explains why burning the midnight oil can be counter-productive. Time away from the workplace is essential, and looking forward to that time away can give you the incentive you need to be more focused at your desk.

3 – Plan what you need to do and when

When you plan a trip away, there are a set number of things you need to do before you go. Book flights, book accommodation, arrange travel insurance, arrange transfers or car hire, make sure your passport is in date, pack etc. You’ll probably make a list, and there’s no question as to whether you tick everything off the list – you simply have to – so you make sure you set aside time to do these things.

When you plan for home time, you need to do the same. Make a list in the morning of what has to be done before departure. Prioritise the list and be realistic about what can be achieved in the time you have. If there are a number of things that could wait until the next day, put these at the end of the list as ‘will try to dos’ rather than ‘to dos’. Allocate times to the tasks, so you know your first hour is for phone calls, for example, and your second hour is to write up that urgent report… Now, this is the important bit, no procrastinating! There simply isn’t time! Stick to your timetable and stay focused on that deadline.

Sometimes, all it needs is a change in attitude and approach and you can achieve what you thought was impossible – effective time management that allows you to jet home each evening and enjoy some much needed rest and recuperation.

For further support and advice with managing time and workload, and making your business more profitable, contact Doug and request a free business review.

School may be a distant memory to some of us, but it might be worth recalling one aspect of your school days for a moment, to see if it can help you in your business.

I’m not talking about what you studied here, but how you studied…

Have you ever considered what a momentous task it is to get thousands of children through the school system, teaching them everything they need to know on the set curriculum of the day, sticking fastidiously to the same working hours each week?

When you stop and think about it, you realise how crucial timetabling is to a school’s success – and this is where we should take a leaf from the school book!

We may call it scheduling in the workplace, rather than timetabling, but it amounts to the same thing. If you have a lot of work to get through, setting out a regimented timetable and following it to the letter really can help you manage your time effectively.

More importantly, it can give you that all important start and end time to your working day, keeping you productive when you need to be so you can stop and enjoy home time when you want to!

Here are my ideas on how you can adapt the school timetabling system to help manage your workload and time more efficiently in your business:

Physically draw out your timetable

Whether you do this on paper or online, make sure you have your working week represented in diary format, where you can mark up allocated chunks of time to specific jobs. Having something visible is essential to make this work, don’t just vaguely set times in your head. You might need to work a timetable over a fortnight, or month, to fit everything in. Think about how this can work best for your workload.

List the different aspects of your work

I don’t mean the smaller daily and weekly tasks here. Think about this like writing a job description for everything you have to cover in your working month. It may include things like administration, accounts, operational duties, client meetings, sales activity, marketing etc. Try and keep it as generic as possible, so you can work your timetable into a recurring pattern.

Allocate times to your listed jobs

As accurately as you can, allocate time-spans to this list of jobs. You may know, for example, that you are currently spending your first hour every day on administration – checking and responding to emails, tying up paperwork etc. – so, allocate 5 hours per week to administration. You may set yourself the target of spending two hours per week on sales calls – so write this down under sales activity. This is a fantastic way to also see if your job list is achievable! If your tasks add up to a 60 hour working week, for example, more needs addressing than scheduling your time.

Think about working productively and efficiently

Before you start marking up your timetable, look at the list you’ve made and evaluate the time you’re currently spending on certain activities. See if you can streamline any of your tasks. The idea of this exercise is not to document how you do things now, but to work it to your advantage so you can be more productive and effective. Perhaps, for example, you might get more done in a day if you didn’t spend your first hour on administration. Setting aside a 3-hour block at the beginning or end of the week to focus on administrative tasks, so that the remainder of your week can be free for other work activity, might be more advantageous.

Chunk your time

After evaluating and amending your job list, start to fill in your timetable by chunking time slots for specific tasks. Start with repeating tasks that you know have to be completed by a specific time – like month end accounts. Block out the time on your schedule when this needs to be done. Work your way down your list. If you know you always have a certain amount of client meetings each week, set aside Tuesday and Thursday afternoons for meetings etc.

Don’t let others dictate your timetable!

Once you’ve drawn up your timetable – stick to it! One of the biggest mistakes businesses make is, they let others dictate their timetable. Change your mindset! Don’t ask what availability your client has for a meeting, tell them ‘I’m available Tuesday afternoon or Thursday afternoon for a meeting’. Next time a client calls to ask for a job to be completed, tell them ‘I can set aside Wednesday morning to complete this for you’. Time management is often about managing expectations, so you’re not setting yourself unrealistic deadlines then burning the midnight oil trying to reach them.

It may seem simplistic, but it’s a proven, successful model. Schools offer us the perfect operational example! Try it for a month and see if the timetable can work for you.

Timetabling is one of the exercises I often do with my clients to help them define their working week, allocate time to jobs and schedule their workload more effectively. If you would like advice or support on helping you manage time within your business, give ETC a call on 01384 355 444.

I recently discussed the importance of delegation in my blog post “Why do we find delegating so difficult?” – but I thought it was important to expand on that by outlining what I feel the secrets are to successful delegation.

The biggest stumbling block, I find, to effective delegation is – you have to place your trust in someone else to complete work to your standard.

But the solution really is simple – put steps in place to ensure employees or agencies can do the job the way you want it done!

Here’s my easy three-step guide to successful delegation:

Explain the task thoroughly

No-one can undertake an assignment without a proper brief. Often, managers assume they are the only one who can undertake certain tasks because all the knowledge about how to complete it is in their head. I don’t mean to over-simplify here, but get those details out of your head and structure them on paper into a ‘how to’ guide. Go through this with the individual you are delegating to and make sure they understand what is expected of them.

Ensure robust systems and procedures are in place

To complete any task satisfactorily, you need the right tools for the job. With many administrative tasks, the right tools are the systems and procedures that underpin what you do. Make sure documents you need are easily accessible, anything that needs to be recorded has a file ready and waiting and there is an easy-to-follow process to complete the task.

Deliver tailored in-house training

Never assume a person should know how things are done in your organisation. Even if they have extensive industry knowledge and have undertaken similar tasks for other companies, you will have your own way of doing things – and this needs explaining. Even when outsourcing to an agency or service supplier, delivering job-specific training to show them how you want things done is imperative.

Follow these three steps and you are setting employees up for success. Have confidence in them and let them try.

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