One thing is true for all businesses; if we have any work, we have customers! One of the most important parts of our work is maintaining and enhancing our relationships with our clients. Maintaining and growing these relationships makes the time spent on a project more enjoyable, satisfying and effective. Improved relationships also improves the […]
Points to Consider When Setting a Marketing Strategy
Your marketing strategy consists of the things that you do in your business to make the phone ring. Each technique requires different combinations of financial and human resources. Here are a few pointers on which marketing decisions to improve the return on marketing investment. Market research Forward-thinking businesses conduct market research to identify market trends […]
Setting Effective KPIs
Setting goals and a strategy for your business is important. However you then need to measure how the business is performing in order to understand if the firm is moving forward and is on track to achieve its goals. As such it is necessary to set Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). However many business owners and […]
Communication & Performance Management
Good communication is key in any business and no more so than when it comes to performance management in a firm. Issues relating to staff members and the performance of their duties arise often when running a business (or a department for that matter). Whether it is timekeeping and attendance issues or failing to complete […]
Tips for Being a Better Manager
No matter how big or small a business is, good managers will always make a business better. What traits make a highly effective manager? Experience being a given, here are a few points to consider: Decisiveness Effective managers are known to make decisions quickly and are slow to change those decisions. This is often seen […]
Know Your Competitors
Businesses need to know their competition, especially in today’s hyper-competitive business environment. Knowing what the competition is up to allows you to develop unique selling points (USPs) which will encourage buyers to purchase from you. People In order to understand the customer experience offered by your competitors, try “mystery shopping” your nearest direct competitors. Things […]
Hosting a Great Seminar
Hosting a seminar is a great way to reach out to new customers and give existing customers a little bit of “value added”. However, putting on a good event isn’t always as easy as it looks. It takes a lot of preparation, coordination and attention to detail to pull off a successful seminar. Audience You […]
The Employer’s £2,000 NIC Allowance
This valuable allowance is due to start for all businesses on 6 April 2014, and simply exempts the employer from the normal employer NICs of 13.8% of the earnings paid. The mechanics are that the allowance will be obtained via standard payroll software and HMRC’s RTI system. A facility will be added to the RTI […]
Tips for Media Interviews
As a business owner or manager, you will most likely have to speak to the press or media at some point in your career. Here are some tips to help you deliver a compelling message when engaging with the press: Create a Headline Every time you give an interview, the journalist / reporter should walk […]