Tag Archive for: Communication

Business Strategies for Christmas and New Year: A Guide for Small to Medium Enterprises

As the festive season approaches, the small to medium business sector (SMBs) face unique challenges and opportunities. The period leading up to Christmas and the New Year is crucial for maintaining momentum, managing resources, and ensuring a successful transition into the new year. This article outlines essential areas that SMBs should focus on to position themselves effectively for both the silly season and the year beyond.

Must-Do Strategies for Christmas

1. Manage Cash Flow

Cash flow management is paramount during this period. Increased consumer spending can lead to higher sales, but it can also strain your finances if not monitored
… Read More
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The Benefit of Honest and Timely Performance Appraisals

Staff can be the greatest asset in your business, but for any service based business – they typically will be the greatest expense – whether they are an asset or not.

Perhaps its my corporate background, my genuine desire to improve things (people and businesses), or it might simply just be my objective to see a larger number at the bottom line – but regardless of the driver, I have consistently found that well delivered performance appraisals work AND….that most small and medium businesses don’t do them.

Well performing and engaged staff are truely a great asset to any business. … Read More

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Avoiding Web Mishaps: The Hidden Costs for Your Business

The web site of today is like the business card of 20 years ago – no serious business would be without one. It provides your name and contact number, but is also a window into the business, with your design, logo and flair. As with a business card, you can tell a lot about a business with even a quick look at their web site – but…as with business cards, not all web sites were born equal.

Regrettably, some of these sites have never successfully “drawn breath” and have either been a pure cost to the business, or have … Read More

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Enhancing Business Efficiency in Small Enterprises

Improvement in efficiency has been an age old quest in business, as it has enabled either more to be achieved with less effort, or for the same amount of effort, but faster with more profit.

For many reading this article, the phone or tablet you are using provides you with a more effective use of your time – as you can read this on the run. Five years ago, you would have needed to be at a computer, 10-15 years ago you would have needed to go and buy a magazine.

Increased efficiency has a variety of potential benefits, including; … Read More

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Tailoring Your Business Communication for Success

Have you ever read a business note, perhaps an email or a letter and thought – huh, what’s that about…..as the tone or content of the note is as if its been written for someone else? Well perhaps it has!

In business I have found that the principle of writing for a “third party” audience, is actually not that uncommon. Often these days its in email format, with the note written more for the benefit of the person checking or reviewing the document than the recipient. The third party could be the boss, a manager, … Read More

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Impactful Close Line Communication for Business Results

In business, communicating your “close” line for impact is often a crucial factor in success or failure.

The right timing for a marketing advance, to lodge a finance application or even enter a queue……all appear to have timing influencing the outcome.

The reality is that there are a number of factors at play, however good preparation is able to guide you to the right time for optimal success. 

There is no better example of this than the right timing in either dispute resolution or negotiations. Preparation to ensure that you pitch your point at the right time – … Read More

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Making Sound Business Decisions: A Strategic Guide

In all businesses, small or large, actions are often taken in the moment – reacting to a symptom rather than making a fully informed decision based on the cause.

Symptom management is a very frequent occurrence, with the management decisions based at a superficial level to arrest what is the perceived cause which in the bulk of cases is not the true underlying driver.

An example of this was with an electrical contractor who we once met – we will call them ElectroInc.

ElectroInc had been operating for several years with a number of electrical teams on the road … Read More

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The Cost of Tolerance in Business: Understanding the Impact

Business owners tolerate a lot, whether it is poor performing staff, process problems, cash flow, IT and the like. In doing this, the level of stress or pressure on the owner (and in many cases – the business) rises in direct proportion.

The two questions I pose are why…….and…..what is the cost?

In general terms, things are tolerated because of either a perceived lack of alternative or an inability to implement change. History shows me that there is always an alternative, albeit it may be painful, costly or difficult – but there is always a choice. The implementation of a … Read More

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It’s Never the Message, Always the Delivery: Secrets of Business Communication

How many times have you been given some news and reacted badly; triggering a sudden or violent reaction, not gaining an understanding or getting the full message?

In finance, most bad news revolves around loans – the words that most clients don’t want to hear from their Banker include;

  • No!
  • Declined. 
  • …there’s a problem….

These are of course simple words – nothing more, but we tend to attribute lots of meaning to them and often far more than the actual message intended. Equally the shorter the message, the less context comes with it – so our minds … Read More

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Playing Business Decisions Forward Three Hands: A Strategic Approach

Many strategies and decisions are made “in the moment” – considering only todays issues with little thought given to the flow on effects or impacts.

Consider for a moment what this could look like in a practical business context;

Problem: Business is going well with a large volume of short term contracts driving the existing business resources very hard.

Solution: Hire some additional staff to do the excess work – problem solved!

At a high level the problem is solved, as the problem of having too much work for the existing staff has been covered by bringing … Read More

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