This got me thininking how have I learnt from my business mistakes and how do I pick myself up?

Business mistakes…

So here are some of the business mistakes I have learnt from and what I now do differently

1. Feeling uncomfortable asking for the sale – ASK for the sale and set up referral networks & learn to market my business so it is easy
2. Not getting paid for a large job – getting deposits up front
3. Feeling all alone making business decisions from my home office – attending regular networking events & asking for help & getting a coach to make me accountable
4. Thinking marketing was going to cost me a lot – learning how to use social media
5. Not following my own sales systems – stop and check out what my gut instinct is telling me

When I fail I…

• Ask myself what can I do differently next time?
• Ask for feedback from trusted advisors
• Blog about what I learnt
• Build it into my systems and teach my clients about it

Love to hear what your strategies are

I have been into many businesses where a temp has been sitting behind a desk answering calls and running over to interrupt staff to answer questions or greeting guests and not knowing where to put them or how to find the person they are due to be meeting.

So if you are looking to…

• Sell your business and would like a better price
• Take on new staff
• Use temporary staff
• Plan on taking on contractors
• Outsource administration work
• Plan to use a virtual assistant

having some basics about your business written down will mean that the first impression your clients /customers receive will be consistent and professional.

This week I am giving away a whole page of information from the Adminstration Manual for you to use to record some of the core things that help your business run smoothly.

Use the table and record your company’s information and leave a copy on the reception desk computer or print it out.

I suggest you record details about how to print documents and where the stationery is kept.

We have created a product which captures all this really useful information and packaged it at a great price.

Visit this page to get started Adminstration Manual

The BUCKET LIST contains 3 columns

1. the thing I want to do
2. date I achieved it
3. what I learned

At the end of  March I ticked off the 1st item on the list which was to walk the 19.4k  Tongariro crossing. I learnt so much about my mindset & persistence & the kindness of other human beings that it got me thinking what if I applied this to my business?

How would my business learn and grow from my stretching myself?

What do think would change in your business if you created a bucket list ? ( I am counting on injecting some more fun )

I wonder how we would all approach our businesses with this mindset in place?

Would we give more to our clients, be kinder to our team & suppliers?Create more exciting products and services? Work with other people in afflilations?

Would that list of things you know would benefit the business suddenly get done?

If you would like a copy of my Bucket List template  email fiona.hall@kiffin.co.nzwith Bucket List in the subject line.

Each new business card I had printed was different in an effort to improve my image and make my business look bigger and more professional. I can see some of you nodding your heads right now as you read this.

As the majority of my business has come via networking a good business card has been crucial to my business. People buy from those they trust – first impressions count. Yet a business card maybe the only thing people are left with to remember you by. So don’t follow the crowd, make your card memorable & ensure that the message, information, font style and colours match your website. Do give the card some white space so people can write on it. When I take someones card I write on the date & place I met them.

When I have met with someone new the first thing I do is look up the website if I have to Google them to find it – that slows me down and I may not is one barrier to doing business with them. Don’t make it hard for people to contact or connect with you and your business.

So what information do you need on your business card?

Marketing experts will tell you this depends on your target audience.

My current business card contains:

• My name big & bold
• Phone
• Mobile
• Email
• Skype
• LinkedIn
• Twitter
• Website

TIP for iphone users download the Card Munch app to scan and upload new business cards

 Persistence & Resilience   Here is a link to remind us all that the great people we might admire from history did not fall into success they worked hard and often in the face of those who told them they would not succeed.

The common theme appears to be persistence & resilence in the face of nayer sayers and critics.

Great reminder for anyone and I would add find yourself some honest cheerleaders who will help you celebrate your well deserved successes.

Life = Risk

What have you worked hard to achieve?

I worked in a company where the issue of rubbish not being put out became a very smelly one!

The key things to record are who does what when where and how.

 Top 5 Adminstration Functions to Record

1. Alarm company details
2. Cleaner company details
3. Rubbish handling
4. Courier company details
5. Phone & It company details

The benefits of recording these functions are:

• as you grow your business, staff induction is sped up
• when staff take a holiday their functions are easy to reassign
•  a smoother and quicker transistion for those looking to retire or sell there business

If you are not sure where to start and don’t have the time to do it yourself Kiffin offers a great package called The Adminstration Manual .

We do all the filling in for you & updating.

The Adminstration manual contains all the standard Administration functions required to run a business. Email info@kiffin.co.nz to get a copy of the table of contents.

•  Not completed it?
• Needed to do the task again and realised you have no idea where you stored the document?
• Recreated the document it again and oops forgot where it you put it?

You are not alone !  – With out a clear way of storing information on tasks, processes and procedures you will do this over and over again.

Best Practice

So what do you need to write down?

1. When – Frequency – how often do we do this? ( The 1st Wednesday of the month)
2. Who does it – name the role preferably not the person
3. What needs to be done ? In what order?
4. Why do we need to get this done – does it impact on other areas if it is left?
5. How is it done ?  – get really specific

Know you need this and don’t have the time or skills to do it yourself?

Click Here to see how easy it is to start.

Businesses forms that work need to:

• address the needs of the user
• be easy to understand and to use
• be easy to find
• reflect current practises

Planning is the key. Before diving in and typing on a clean blank page read these 5 tips.

1. Start with how it will look – match it to your branding ,  colours, logo, fonts etc. Ideally you will have a template setup for this with standard styles for fonts, headings, tables.      ( Please do not use Times New Roman which is the default in Word )
2. Define all the information that needs to go on the form.
3. Determine the order the information it needs to be presented ( eg: Date, First Name, Last Name)
4. Will it be filled in online or printed out and written on?
5. Ensure it is named and stored in a place where those who use it can find it easily then train all the users – Ideally it will be held on an intranet or inside a managed content system.

Then you get down to the nitty gritty of the layout and setup.

My favourite layout tool for Word is tables … more on that next time.

Most businesses we will need to set up forms as some point. The easiest place to start is in Microsoft Word or for more advanced users Adobe PDF.

Would you invite your friends over for dinner and only prepare for their arrival by setting the table?

Not plan a menu , shop for food & tidy the house and greet them at the door when they arrived?

Most business rely heavily on computers and phones for their employees to do their jobs. So having these two basic things set up should be a given.

What are you telling your employees on their first day of work if they do not have the tools to do their job?

• Don’t worry about delivering on time
• You are not important
• We forgot you where coming
• We are disorganised

Your staff are also your customers

Enough of my whinging…

Solution:

1. Write a checklist of who needs to do what to set up a new employee
2. Assign the checklist to the person who is the best host & great at follow up in your organisation.
3. When the new staff member starts get the host to show them around and answer questions.

TIP: Remember to allow time for deliver and setup of equipment.

No idea were to start?  The Kiffin team can help you write this and set it up . Give Fiona a call now 021 627 822

Now is a great time to review your service delivery – coming back into the workplace from a holiday you maybe be refreshed and ready to focus on fine tuning how you do business.

Use these questions to discover what systems are in place and what needs to be put into place.

1. Where do my sales come from and what percentage comes from what area?
2. When & how do you know the sale in made?
3. What expectations do you and your client have? – do they match are they clear?
4. How do you know the product & service is being delivered as promised?
5. How do you know payment is made on time?
6. How do you get client feedback and ask for referrals or repeat business?