Core Business Solutions Advice

Working as a professional business advisor, you may be forgiven for thinking that my main competitors would be other advisors or consultants. But no, it’s actually the companies that need my
type of help that are the ‘competition’ - preventing themselves from getting the help they need - and making their lives tougher as a result. Here are the top 10 comments I hear.

1. ”Haven’t got time for that - I’ve got too many fires to fight!”

Fire fighting can make you feel useful and needed, and can become addictive. Too much is a sign that your business is out of control, and I can guarantee that your business performance will be suffering as a result.

2. “What difference could an outsider possibly make to my business?”
Quite a lot actually! You’re likely to be ‘too close’ to your business. An outside view, from an expert who can take an overview of your whole business is likely to result in rapid and far reaching benefits for you. I’ve helped a number of businesses where the owners were originally convinced that no-one from outside
could help. I have a saying “If you do what you’ve always done, you’ll get what you’ve always got - if you’re lucky!”

3. “I’ve resigned myself to live with the problems - I’ve lowered my expectations and given up on my original dreams - I guess there was no alternative.”
This is working on the ‘If you can’t change the problem, change the way you think about it’ approach, and is a natural human reaction to preserve your sanity! But don’t write your dreams off yet - get an impartial view from a business professional who has probably encountered most of the difficulties you face.

4. ”I know I don’t really understand this, but I’ll have a go and hope for the best, as I don’t want to spend money unnecessarily.”
You may be tempted to think “How difficult can this be?” You are the expert in your field - this is what you enjoy and do best, and where your time and effort should be spent. Be smart and bring in expert help to support you in the other areas where you feel less comfortable. Likewise, where I support clients, I can
coordinate what is best for their business as a whole, and won’t hesitate to bring in other experts known to me when I feel the client will be better served.

5. “I know I should do something about this, but I really can’t be bothered.”
Some areas of your business are just not going to inspire you - even when you know they’re important!
I can help you understand your situation and suggest the benefits you may gain by taking action versus the likely results of carrying on as you are. The choice is then yours. I can arrange for experts (who enjoy these areas that you don’t) to take care of these for you. Some clients want me to hold them to account as
this can give them the gentle nudge they need, and the structure they want.

6. “It’s just not the right time to do anything about this.”
There will always be circumstances that you can use to justify to yourself why now is not the time to finally sort your problems. When is the best time to plant a tree?  Answer: 20 years ago.
When is the second best time to plant a tree?  Answer: Now!

7. “Problems, what problems? It’s just a temporary blip.”
This is the most dangerous place for your business to be and is characterized by: Finger-pointing; “problems are temporary”; “it’s someone else’s fault”; “our business is different”. Often there is an irrational attempt to be optimistic, or to look for comforting data. You need an external influence to bring realism and help lift you
out of this ‘den of denial’.

8. “I know I need help, but what would others say about me bringing in experts.”
You are an expert In your field -- which has made you successful. But no one person can be expected to have all the expertise to solve all the problems you’re likely to encounter in running a successful business. I’m not an expert in everything either - but I am an expert in taking an overview on what needs to happen in a business, and I make it my business to be in touch with experts in every field that you may need. People will not think less of you for bringing in support - they will quickly realize your wisdom in sourcing the right solution - making your business better!

9. “I realize that I could probably make or save five times my investment, but it’s still spending money isn’t it?”
There are times in life when you have to ‘spend money to make money’ - think of it as an investment with a good likely rate of return. In most cases, it will actually cost you more money, yes - MORE money, NOT to use my services. It’s a bit like having a leaking roof which needs to be fixed - and if you ignore it - the
damage will spread and be much costlier to put right later on!

10. “This is really hurting now, and I can’t see a way out -- my options seem to be disappearing -- only to be faced by  options that I like even less!”
If this is where your business is now, or if you realize this is the path you are on - you need to get professional help now. This will not improve without the right help; don’t suffer alone.

Whatever the circumstances, I can help you now.

If you or someone you know needs help wth their business have them give me a call for a free consultation.

I hope this info can help business owners work better "on" thier business.

In about 2-3 weeks or so I'll review another subject designed to provide business owners with information they can use to help them work "on" their business.


Until Next Time : Live Simply, Speak Kindly, Care Deeply, Love Generously and Live In The Moment

All The Best To Everyone,

Walt Morey
Executive Business Advisor Accredited by the Institute for Independent Business
http://www.corebizsolution.com/

Many types of problems can threaten the very survival of any business.

The typical problems are:

• Lack of Sales
• Lack of New Customers
• Marketing Problems
• Cash Flow Problems
• Poor Employee Productivity

And the list can go on ad nauseum.

But how should you react or behave when these problems arise?

What you can't afford to do is to behave like the following:

• A Goldfish - simply does not realize that there is a problem until it is too late.
• An Ostrich - buries it's head in the sand and will not face up to how serious the problem(s) are.
• A Deer in the headlights - frozen into inactivity by the fear of the inevitablility of the impending crash (which becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy).
• A Headless Chicken - runs around making lots of noise and complaining about everything ('the sky is falling'), but is unable to focus on taking the structured actions necessary to tackle the real issues.

The management animal you need to be is the Sheepdog:

1. Remaining in control of the situation
2. Identify the actions required to solve the issues
3. Staying focused on achieveing your objectives
4. Herd (lead) your business around the obstacles and distractions back to the safe path

Remember, operating a successful business requires three steps that you must complete and these same 3 steps will help you solve most any problem:

I- Plan- Put a plan down on paper; What will you do to solve the problem (brainstorm all possible solutions)? Who will do it? Why will you do it? How will it get done? When will the plan be accomplished? Is there expert help I need to be sure the plan gets done?

II- Execute- Implement the Plan; "Plan your work and work your plan"; Be sure all the steps are completed on time; FOLLOW THROUGH!

III- Measure- How did the plan work? What were the results? Has the problem been resolved? If not, develop another plan (See step I above)

So in a quick summary you should:

A- Be conscious of your difficulties as soon as possible
B- Face up to the situation and plan what you will do
C- Get expert help to stay on track
D- Design systems (probably some type of report) to give early warning of problems ahead

Once the problem(s) has been solved, make changes in your business to stop the problem from reoccuring.

In about 2-3 weeks or so I'll review another subject designed to provide business owners with information they can use to help them work "on" their business.


Until Next Time : Live Simply, Speak Kindly, Care Deeply, Love Generously and Live In The Moment

All The Best To Everyone,

Walt Morey
Executive Business Advisor Accredited by the Institute for Independent Business
http://www.corebizsolution.com/
Core Business Solutons is proud to be an Affiliate of Amazon.com

A lot of people create excitement around ideas, but then those lofty goals more often than not, fall to the wayside. Why is this?

To begin with, let's look at the excuses we use to justify why our goals fail.

Ever notice these excuses?:
1- I don't have time / I'm too busy
2-I don't have enough money
3- It's (insert someone else's name)'s fault
4-It's too hard / harder than I expected
5-I'll do it later
6-I don't know how
7- It's just not "the right time"

Let's talk about setting goals. You have to be SMART about your goals.
SMART goals are:

S – Specific
M - Measurable
A - Attainable
R - Realistic
T - Timely

Here are some common business goals:
A- Make more money (how much?)
B-Generate more sales
C-Meet more people (how many? /How?)
D-Generate more leads

What happens if you don't meet your goals? It's ok! Just take a realistic look at what happened, and set a new milestone date. Just don't go back to the excuse list!
If you don't respect yourself or hold yourself in high enough regard, why should other people?

Learn to keep your commitments to yourself first [Self integrity], and then you will be better prepared to deal with the commitments to others in your life -your clients, family, and employees.
Watch how others start regarding you when you take yourself seriously.

What if you really don't have time? Oh right...you're *different*. The truth is, that everybody has time for the things that are important to them. If you don't have time, then maybe it just isn't really a priority for you (and, that's OK!?).

If someone offered you a million dollars to do something you "don't have time to do," would you find time?

What is achieving your goals really worth to you? If you did achieve them how much better would your business and your life be?

Keys to accomplishing your goals:

1-Write them down [Planning, sound familiar?]

2-Tape them to your wall, or carry them in a notebook.

3-Look at them every day.

4-Tell other people - enlist others in helping to make you accountable.

5- Ask people for help - don't assume people know what you want or need.
Try being direct it's a rare trait these days.

In conclusion - being SMART about your goals, is the key to achieving them.

In about 2-3 weeks or so I'll review another subject designed to provide business owners with information they can use to help them work "on" their business.

Until Then : Live Simply, Speak Kindly, Care Deeply & Love Generously.

All The Best To Everyone,

Walt Morey

Executive Business Advisor Accredited by the Institute for Independent Business

http://www.corebizsolution.com/

Do you even have a specific plan for building customer loyalty?
Have you truly given the subject much thought? In most successful businesses 20% of their customers generate 80% of their volume.
If you currently retain 60 percent of your customers and you start a program to improve that to 70 percent, you'll add an additional 10 percent to your growth rate.

Because of the high cost of landing new customers versus the high profitability of a loyal customer base, you might want to reflect upon your current business strategy.

Here are ten ideas to help you improve customer loyalty:

1. Product Awareness. Know what your steady patrons purchase and keep these items in stock. Add other products and/or services that accompany or compliment the products that your regular customers buy regularly. And make sure that your staff understands everything they can about your products. This is crucial. Cross selling is easy if the product knowledge has been provided to your employees. Be sure your staff knows that they are 'expected' to offer the cross sale item. Train them.

2. Reliability. If you say a purchase will arrive on Wednesday, deliver it on Wednesday. Be reliable. If something goes wrong, let customers know immediately and compensate them for their inconvenience. The best way to handle this is to always under-promise and over-deliver. If you know it will take 3 days to deliver your product, tell the customer it could take 'up to 5 days'. When you deliver in 3 or 4 days your customer will be pleasantly surprised and a more loyal customer.

3. Be Flexible. Try to solve customer problems or complaints to the best of your ability and as quickly as possible. Excuses — such as "That's our policy" — will lose more customers than most anything else you can do. Remember- "The customer is not always right, but the customer is always the customer." Use the 'Golden Rule' here.

4. Use People over Technology. The harder it is for a customer to speak to a human being when he or she has a problem, the less likely it is that you will see that customer again. In the name of cost savings companies have automated much of customer service. This will cost more in the long run with lost customers in the name of efficiency.

5. Know Their Names. This another part of the 'human' equation to business success. Remember the theme song to the television show Cheers? Get to know the names of regular customers or at least recognize their faces. Welcome them to your business and thank them for coming.

6. Communicate. Here's that 'human' thing again. I call it "stirring the pot" It's also known as Appreciation Marketing. Whether it is an email newsletter, monthly flier, a reminder card for a tune up, or a holiday greeting card, reach out to your steady customers. This tells your customers you are thinking of them. This creates a positive comfort level in your customer base.

7. Customer Service. Go that extra mile and meet customer needs. Train the staff to do the same. Customers will remember being treated well and return.

8. Employee Loyalty. Loyalty works from the top down. If you are loyal to your employees, they will feel positively about their jobs and pass that loyalty along to your customers.

9. Employee Training. Train employees in the manner that you want them to interact with customers. Empower employees to make decisions that benefit the customer.

10. Customer Incentives. Customers need a reason to return to your business. For instance, because children outgrow shoes quickly, the owner of a children’s shoe store might offer a card that makes the tenth pair of shoes half price. Likewise, a Hair Salon, Massage Therapist or Auto Repair Shop may give a 30% discount off all services on every 3rd visit to any regular customer. A simple "Loyalty Card" program can work well here with simple tracking. In personal services businesses, keep a file on each customer to track their prior purchasing habits and preferences. Train your employees (& yourself) to review these files before a customer comes in for their next appointment. Ask them how their past purchases worked out. That 'human' personal touch will seperate you from your competition.

So to sum it up, creating customer loyalty is critical to the success of most businesses. Make sure the culture of you company/business is customer friendly and 'human'. Plan now to implement startegies to improve your customer retention in 2010.

In about 2-3 weeks or so I'll review another subject designed to provide business owners with information they can use to help them work "on" their business.

Until Then : Live Simply, Speak Kindly, Care Deeply & Love Generously.

All The Best,
Walt Morey an Executive Business Advisor Accredited by the Institute for Independent Businesswww.corebizsolution.com