• Why don’t we sell our service or product quality?
• What are you competing on?
• What is your differentiation in the marketplace?
• Why are your clients dealing with you?

Society has been conditioned to barter or ask for a discount.  Why bow to the pressure of discounting.  Look for alternatives to sell your differentiation or Unique Selling Proposition (USP).   Are you able to offer better quality and service; add options of extended warranties, payment plans or upgrade bonuses?

Explore and extend your unique product or service experience by marketing that which is your advantage.  (Exploit it)

By having a marketing communication plan, you will have already looked at the positioning of your product/service and its rightful place in the marketplace.  A pricing strategy is critical for long term business viability and the covering of business overheads in addition to cost of goods (COG).

Sit back and reflect as to why you are really discounting.

Don’t get me wrong, certain times call for a form of discounting. Bundle services with an applicable saving; pass on freight savings due to volume discount you receive on larger deliveries.  All great selling points are where your service now takes the focus off the price.  The customer is getting quality service as well as a competitive price.

Don’t sell yourself short and compete purely on price.

John Burkhardt – Gold Coast Business Coach

Apart from the initial limbic response of their brain to weigh up their environment and consider the immediate response of stay or fight/flight, there is a considerable portion of their communication style which may not connect to the way you are communicating your message or ideas?

I hear you saying, “what are you talking about” – EXACTLY.

As I may waffle on and include the details and facts of this, are you:

Just get on with it… give me the facts and move on OR

Yeah I hear you, but can’t we slow down a bit and get to know each other OR

Yep, Yep; Ok just shorten it and lets go for a drink so I can tell you a bit more about me OR

Yes, I understand that, maybe a question or two on the limbic system………….

Does one of these messages resonate with you?

This is effective communication, all I need to know is how I communicate best and then how you communicate best and adapt my style to match or at least get closer to the way you are communicating.

• Are you missing this with your niche target market and those ideal clients?
• Are you talking to them in your communication style and not theirs?
• Is the language structured to suit them and what they would prefer?

Communication (or lack of it) is the basis of all relationships and happens nearly as quickly as the Trust component.

To learn more about your Communication style, visit FACE-Matrix and do a quick, fun and easy to understand profile.

Have fun with it, share it with your friends and if you want to know more, then the best buy is the FACE, The Global Language e-book

Learn to love it and embrace it.

Let me know your results and what you think.

John Burkhardt - Amplio Business Solutions

The group is run by experienced business people with coaching qualifications.  It is only $10 per night (first time free) and covers business mindset and a great broad coverage on all aspects of business based on the e-Myth (Michael Gerber) models complimented by real life scenarios and coaching models.

If you wish to be on the meeting list for updates email David Beard here.  We can also forward on information about MasterMind Groups in Brisbane.

With our business connections we come into a many and varied group of people and their business’s.  If you are after a referral to a business, it is more than likely we know someone who can help you or put you onto someone who can.

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As your business grows you will be faced with challenging functions that you either have no or a limited skills set in. This could be marketing, accounting, financial invoicing, form design or any other business function.

A basic thought process for good outsourcing is looking at whether you can delegate, eliminate or leverage the function.

A good starting point is asking yourself where your skills set places on a 1-10 scale for the function required to be most effective and efficient.

Secondly, are you wanting to do this function?  Is it something that you wish to learn more skills for?  Is it something that having that skills set will be part of your long term role and business goals?  Do you need to know just a little more before you delegate or outsource the function?

Answering these will quickly show you your attitude to the function and will allow you to emotionally move past “hanging onto that function”.

Delegating

Can you delegate the function to someone else within your business? Is this time and resource effective?

Can you delegate to outside contractors either within the local area or via ecommerce outsourcing such as ODesk or eLance?

Are you prepared to be very specific as to what you expect and to set the boundaries and KPI associated with that function?

Eliminating

Can you eliminate the function altogether?  Scary thought, but sometimes we do things because that is how they have always been done and no-one has ever questioned if it is necessary to the end product/service or if there is a better way of doing it.  There have been cases of 12 page documents being reduced to 2 pages and obtaining the necessary information to do the required task.  Sometimes we just have to get out of the forest to see the trees.

Leverage

The most common way to leverage is by allowing someone with these skills sets to do the function much more effectively and efficiently that you ever would.  In doing this you pick up a larger time period, reduce your stress and actually make money to offset the outsourcing or delegated tasks.  The most common example is bookkeeping, artwork and form design.

The effective use of your skills set to concentrate on your passion and talents will quickly be rewarded.

Should you create an entire system, HR support etc for functions that aren’t the core of your business or leverage your time and resources by contracting a business who specializes in that area. e.g. Information Technology, Marketing, Graphic Design etc.

John Burkhardt – Amplio Business Solutions

There is scope for coaching particularly in setting up the business goals, direction, vision etc and about looking at the mindset of the owner, customers and staff, challenging and stretching that thinking and the thought processes involved.  In this area we sometimes touch on consulting items and vice versa.

Consulting supports the business owner by providing a structured framework to grow their business.  The focus is to work ‘on your business’ rather than working ‘in your business’.  Like Business Coaching, the initial phase includes analysing your personal and business goals, but the difference is from a strategic and operational viewpoint.  Our recommended Consultants will work with the business owner to create a practical strategic business plan and through on-going performance management, will be there to ensure successful implementation, no matter how long it takes

Should you wish to contract a consultant, we have great relationships with top quality consultants who work from the ground up.  We compliment them with engaging the owner, management and staff in regards to the mindset and thinking.

We are proud to recommend consulting with:

Susan Draper – Full consulting service (Susan’s profile is available here)

All businesses have tasks that need to be done on time every time and are critical usually to other tasks being done effectively or even stopping other tasks from starting until the original one is completed.

Timetabling is the perfect adjunct to position descriptions.  It allows you to plan the processes with respect to the tasks involved, equipment to be used and human resources.

All to often one person has all the tasks in a particular role, so there is no checks and measures in place to ensure that the task is done correctly or on time.  A great example in a basic way was in a business when the role of banking was tasked out between 3 different people.  The receptionist didn’t have to complete the reconciliation or actually take the banking to the bank.  We then timetabled in the closing off of the banking (with the receptionist and initial balance), then the second position checking it and arranging the banking paperwork and then the third position of actually taking the banking to the bank.

Each was given the company policy on banking and the procedure in total and the procedure that was their responsibility. Each was made responsible to make sure that their section was done and to the next position at a set time.

This was timetabled into their daily tasks and it didn’t take long before any one being slack was bought up to speed.  The process also enabled a set of checks that were reported to management.  It didn’t take long before the banking was being done consistently and on time every day.  A task that use to be hit and miss turned into a task with 3 positions responsible!

Following a weekly meeting, the system (procedure) was improved further.  The start of this was simply timetabling in for each position when their task was to be done and allowing them to fine tune the system of what happened and where they took over the total task from and to.

Start timetabling even the simple things, lunch, banking, business planning etc and watch your Day improve

John Burkhardt – Amplio Business Solutions

Maybe one of the most forgotten steps in any business naming or change of naming a business is the customer.  All too often we get caught up in our little piece of the world to stop long enough to ask what the customer sees as the perception of our business, its name, its product or service and also asking them for referrals (another subject)

At a breakfast meeting the other day, a professional business had re-branded to move into a similar service.  The move had been planned and the business platform was now established, but they were lacking the growth to fill up the platform.  Most of the discussion evolved around marketing and client management which is correct, but no one had actually been back to the customers to ask them what they thought of the new business branding, the service levels and also what they thought the new branded business actually offered as services now?  (Don’t ask them for referrals either, you will grow too fast!)

From the discussion (and without talking to the customers), there seemed to be a doubt as to whether the existing customers actually cared about the branding (they were after the same or improved service levels) and were they really aware of the extra services now offered?

Our suggestion was to get back and ask your existing client base about their perception of the business and then hang onto the ride.  Follow that up with asking for 3 referrals off everyone and hang onto the ride!

More shortly. John Burkhardt – Amplio Business Solutions

Outsourcing is sometimes overlooked whilst people are planning within their business and its requirements for Human Resources (or services and products).  I have listed some benefits and challenges with outsourcing for you to consider:

Benefits

Contract rate: No overheads with regards to tax, GST, superannuation, workcover, insurance, office space, tools or equipment

Specialized expertise: You gain access to specialized expertise, machinery, tools and equipment which you may not be able to otherwise afford, investigate, operate or source by yourself.

Timely: It can be managed to fit in with your product or service delivery.  It may work much faster than if you had to arrange and source the item or service yourself.

Challenges

Contract rate: With no previous experience here you will need to do a lot of R&D into what you get for your money and how to operate and control it.  Allow yourself plenty  of time to work on researching the original contacts.

Specialized expertise: You will need to gain some knowledge of the area yourself so that you can see how good the expertise is that you are contacting in.  All too often we see where outsourcing leads to poor quality, poor standards  due to insufficient boundaries or briefs.

Timely: Be careful with time restrictions.  Know what time frames and share expectations with the outsourced company.  It will go a long way for both of your businesses if you can coordinate what time frames with realistic outputs.
The best advice is to research the area you which to outsource, do a full brief (being very clear), call for tenders and manage the project.

More to come.

John Burkhardt – Amplio Business Solutions

Why: Believe it or not, a lot of people process information much quicker as a graphic, picture or image.  It also retains much easier and can be retrieved and copied quicker and easier at a later date.

Why: An organizational chart gives a quick overall picture showing the direction of reporting, company divisions and position descriptions (PD’s) involved (groups of tasks).  It is quick and easy.

How: The best way is to use a computer aided program (specific software or something like Microsoft Excel).  This also aids you in future changes and keeping different versions as the organization chart changes.   It’s worth the time getting to know it.  You can then pretty it up with shapes and colors etc later on.

How: Start with the Management roles and how they report to each other.  This will usually create the different divisions and make it easier to show different PD’s underneath them.  Remember to keep ownership and directors out of it.  Their only place in the chart is if they have a fixed PD they are in.

How: Put PD’s that report to the one higher PD on the same line if possible.  If not due to size of the group, then hang them down underneath each other (putting them in alphabetical order can stop fights, but it is important that everyone understands it is to get them to fit on the same page, not an indication of hierachy!)

How: If you have problems with the amount of management on one line, you maybe indicating a higher than average ratio of management PD’s to lower PD’s.  This may be necessary in your structure with your systems, however it may indicate that you need to rethink the structure.

How: Keep like minded PD’s within the same group, with a common higher PD above them (i.e. their supervisor or manager)

How: Don’t try to share PD’s with two higher PD’s.  They may look like the same tasks, but if they are in different areas or reporting to different managers, you have a problem.  Simplify it and make it two PD’s where they belong.  They also may be PD’s filled with casual or temporary staff or hours to get the PD’s tasks completed.
More to come

John Burkhardt - Amplio Business Solutions

Well, all of us will at some stage.  It is a human condition to learn from our mistakes, to meet new challenges and basically to ignore what others have done before us because “we can do it better”.

Some of the most common mistakes I see regularly about organizational planning are:

Thinking that each box on the organisational chart represents a person; it actually represents a group of tasks, commonly referred to as a position description.  This represents the tasks, not the person.  So get rid of their name off the chart until the very end (in another version)

Thinking that each box represents a full time positions; it actually represents the group of tasks, but more importantly until you time it out, it represents an amount of time taken in your business to achieve that group of tasks.  For some businesses, this may only be for a few hours a day or month to achieve those tasks.

Thinking that each box needs to be done in-house; a lot of tasks can be outsourced to do the few hours required.  With the world of IT moving at great speeds you can outsource to other countries with the skills set required and on a contract basis.  No workcover, no taxes etc.

These are some of the most common mistakes.  By getting a grip on the structure you have on your chart and how you can fill these boxes with yourself, staff, contractors or outsourced staff; you can really start to move forward with business development.

Good luck with your business planning.

John Burkhardt – Amplio Business Solutions

We have all heard of the statistics, you know the ones about how many businesses survive etc.  The reality is you don’t want to focus on that, you need to focus on what the ones who do survive, prosper and grow are doing.  In nearly all cases:

Formal education is not a prerequsite
They have a written concise and well thought out plan has been utilised
They have surrounded themselves with people they respect for mentoring
They have connected to local Church, Social, Sporting and Business networking groups
They are passionate about their product or services
They are willing to make mistakes and learn from them
They work with professionals in the finance, insurance, financial planning, accounting and legal sectors for quality advice
They monitor (not do) everything in their business.  They have their finger on the pulse of their business
They reward themselves
They crave knowledge and wisdom and much more!

At Amplio we have provided a business links page for some government and private businesses which provide mainly free tools to understanding business, business planning and business development.

The main aim is to start. Get the ideas onto paper and start organising it.  How would you expect to get expert input or raise finance if you have nothing to show them.

Think like you are going to franchise this business in the future.  Let it underpin everything you do with marketing, systems, attitude, planning etc.  Open your eyes to a better way of doing things.

Finally, contract a business coach to assist you in questioning your motives, your plans and direction.  The main thing here is the questioning so that you have thought about everything you need to, fill in the gaps and move on.  This is not mean to be a negative or counterproductive exercise, but rather one that stetches the mind to create better or new ways of looking at things.

More information at www.AmplioBusinessSolutions.com

In the coming weeks you will see an array of business related posts here.  From starting up a business, to marketing a business, business development, use of other business professionals, succession planning and much more!

Please book mark this blog and remember to check in regularly or subscribe to our RSS feed.

For more information on who “we” are at Amplio Business Solutions, please have a look at our website and we appreciate feedback.

Thanks

John Burkhardt – Amplio Business Solutions