What's New

BiZFiT Pulse Checks - book now for free!

The BiZFit Program has been designed to help business people sustain their business for the long term-regardless of the business conditions.

• Do you know how healthy your business is financially?.
• Can you take holidays when you want?.
• Do you sometimes resent your business?.
• Is your business growing too fast?.

Now you can access a free comprehensive, one-on-one BIZFIT pulse check for business to identify its strengths and weaknesses, and discuss with a specialist business advisor the priority actions you can take to grow and strengthen your business.

Call us now, to arrange your free BIZFIT Pulse Check.

To book an appointment please call Jenny on 9771 2699 or email info@sbcwb.com.au

AussieHost Customer Service Skills Workshop

AussieHost is a nationally recognised customer service training program that focuses on interpersonal communications, customer relations and service, applicable to a wide range of customer service businesses and sectors.

This one day, fun and interactive workshop focuses on the following key subject areas:

• What is customer service excellence?.
• Workplace and personal presentation.
• Excelling in communication skills.
• Effective telephone communication.
• Handling customer complaints and dissatisfaction.
• Who is your customer?.

Certification:  Following successful completion of the AussieHost Customer Service Fundamentals Workshop, participants will receive an internationally recognised AussieHost certificate.  This AussieHost workshop has been mapped agains the relevant units from SIR07/SIT07.

Each participant will receive a 56 page workbook.

Learning Outcomes:

• Understand that the customer is the lifeblood of the company.
• Communicate effectively.
• Avoid assumptions and change customer perceptions for the better.
• Give the customer a quality experience and demonstrate how that benefits everybody.
• Meet, greet and remember names and faces.
• Listen actibely and ask open questions.
• Handle complaining customers and solve service related problems.

Next AussieHost Workshop proposed for November 2010 - special price $195, includes morning tea, lunch, afternoon tea and workbook.

For more information on the November Aussie Host workshop, please contact Jenny at 9771 2966 or email info@sbcwb.com.au

Five Ways to Become a More Successful Business

Brad Sugars is Founder and Chairman of ActionCOACH, the world's number one business coaching firm and offers five ways to become a more successful business below:

BEING IN BUSINESS for yourself can be exciting... and more than a little scary.  So what are some of the basics you can master to help you push forward, despite your doubts and fears?  Here are five simple steps which, if you get them right, will quickly deliver better results for your business.

1.  Adopt the right mindset

To adopt the mindset of an entrepreneur, you need to see challenges as opportunities, know the "rules of the game" of business, learn how to keep score and finally, learn how to have fun.

So...what are the "rules"?

• Sell things people want to buy (instead of things you want to sell);
• Know the cost of customer acquisition;
• Test and measure everything you do.

Then, you can "keep score" by focusing maniacally on your cash flow which, when managed correctly, will in turn lead to increased profits.

Finally, by making business a game you and your team can play - you can acutally have some fun building your company.  Try setting challenges like boosting cash flow ten per cent in a week, or seeing who can make the most calls to the most customers in a day ... or having a contest to see who can create the best customer recognition system.

All will help build up your team... and your bottom-line.

2.  Plan and know your numbers BEFORE you go into work each day.

The more you know your numbers now, the better off you'll be today, tomorrow and forever.

What's a good benchmark for judging the numbers on a new initiative or test? I'd say always increase the expense side by at least 30 per cent and decrease your revenue side by at least 20 per cent.  Then take a new look at your projections:  Is there still cash flow or profit?

For your ongoing business, have a daily handle on the number of customers it takes to generate sales, cash flow and profits.  Let's say you've figured out you need 12 sales per day to profit.  To get to that number, you also figure you can convert 15 percent of your prospects into an actual customer.  Armed with this information you can see you'll need to get at least 80 people through your doors to be profitable.  Now your money question becomes, "How can I get 80 people through my doors?"

A focus on the numbers means you're making decisions based on information, instead of guesses, wishes or whims.  It also allows you to better plan and strategise the steps that will lead you to profit, which really is the most important part of yourbusiness.

3.  Learn to love profit

You can't have a successful business without profit, so if you have misgivings about making a profit or have the mindset that profit is somehow bad or evil or shameful, you're going to have a hard time generating any.

As long as you give value to your customers in the exchange and transaction and you product is something that your customers want, need or desire, you create value.  You should be rewarded for that result... and that reward in time will show up as profits in your company.

Remember, even non-profits need "profits" to survive.

4. Create marketing programs that buy customers

You can't always have a business that offers something cheaper, faster or even better, but marketing is one area of your company where you can create big advantages over your competition.

If you adopt the mindset that your goal is to generate leads overy building a brand... and that your job is to "buy" as many customers as you can with your campaigns at the lowest possible price, you can turn any marketing expense into an investment.

Look at it this way: if you could create a system that cost you $20 to get a new customer, but that customer spent $200 per visit, you'd track and continue to spend on that campaign, wouldn't you?  How about if it costs you $100 to get a new customer, but that customer only spent $50 with you?  One campaign is a winner and one should be killed before it kills your business... unless the lifetime value of that $50 first-time customer is very high.

If you're not spending at least half of your time working on marketing (with the other half focused on the distribution and customer service aspects of your product or service, NOT its production), you are wasting valuable resources that could be making you loads more money.

5.  Learn to work ON... and not IN your business

My definition of a successful business is a profitable, commercial enterprise that works just as well without you.  Here's why: when you first started out, you were probably doing the lost all by yourself.  If you aren't thinking about how to eventually run your business without having to work in it every day you just have a glorified job.

If you area a builder and spend your time hammering nails, you are not growing your business.  Instead, learn "how" to build your own business... and be prepared to hire others for the "work", while you focus on the things that produce turnover and profits.

Understand your job asa business owner is not to bake the cakes or build the deck.  Your job is to systematically grow your business.  And once you start to do that, you's learn that you never have to work "in" your business ever again.

Spring clean your business

Its September, the days are starting to lengthen, green shoots are popping up and you're (hopefully) feeling full of enthusiasm about improving your business.  To help spring clean, My Business asked 10 leading entrepreneurs, thinkers and experts for their tips on how to reinvigorate your business.

To find out more go to:  www.mybusiness.com.au

Coming Soon

Cashflow Management Workshop facilitated by Nathan Walter RSM Bird Cameron to be held on Tuesday 16th November, 2010

For information on the Workshop please call Jenny at the Small Business Centre on 9771 2699.