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A collection of Small Business articles and tips from Skilled Business Mentors and Coaches
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Let’s Talk Business
1
Let’s Talk Business Back To Basics Business Solutions - Support for Small Business
Volume 2 Issue 19 - June 2014
Inside this issue
Cover Story - Small Business & the Older Worker…............…..........2
Something to Say?…...…3
The ABC Approach to Poor
Performance
Dr Tim Baker ……...............4
Biz Snippets …………….......5
Is There a Need for Training
in Your Business?
Dennis Chiron .......... ...........6
Improve Your Reputation
With Better Stories
Geoff Butler ………………..7
Tax Time 2014
Jo-Anne Chaplin ………......8
What Nearly Every Business
Have Absolutely No Clue
About
Dan Buzer ………………….9
To Blog Or Not To Blog
Karen Ahl ……..………….10
Stop Painting Over The Rust
Peter Nicol ………………..11
Causes of Hearing Damage
Ron Court …..…….….…...12
Key Risks You Must Consider
Before Moving to the Cloud –
Part 2
Karen Davey-Thorpe …....13
Price Versus Value
Paul Gillmore ….................14
Editor’s BizTips ………….15
LTB Objectives …..........…16
Small Business and the Older Worker
Photograph courtesy of the Sydney Morning Herald
Let’s Talk Business
2
Small Business & The Older Worker
The Federal government has
confirmed that the pension age will
rise to 70 by 2035.
In what may be an opportunity for the
increasing army of older job-seekers,
the government will pay subsidies of
up to $10,000 over two years to
employers who hire mature workers.
“Mature workers” in this instance, are
deemed to be over 50 years of age.
The program is expected to cost about
$525 million over four years and
could benefit up to 32,000 older
workers a year.
Employers will initially be paid
$3,000 as an incentive to hire workers
over 50 who have been unemployed
for six months or more. The package
will consist of a phased-in system,
and employers will be then eligible to
receive a further $3,000 for keeping
these workers employed for 12
months.
A further $2,000 will be available for
those kept in jobs for 18 months and a
final $2,000 if businesses employ a
mature-age worker for two years or
more.
The program commences on July 1st
next year and will cost $190 million.
Once a mature worker has been
continuously employed for six
months, the business will start to
receive the incentive payment of
$250 a fortnight for the subsequent
six months.
Some businesses have indicated that
they are keen to snap up the federal
government's $10,000 grants to hire
older workers, and numerous
employers and recruitment agencies
have praised the incentive as good for
encouraging bosses to hire mature
workers.
However, official statistics show ageism
in the workplace kicks in as early as 45,
and ridding the workplace of ageism will
take some time.
An AAP analysis of Australian Bureau
of Statistics data shows people who lose
their jobs when aged between 45 and 54
can expect to be out of work for about a
year. And the older you are, the harder it
is to find work.
Nick Behrens, general manager of
advocacy for the Chamber of Commerce
and Industry Queensland, said the bonus
is unlikely to change employer hiring
decisions.
A $10,000 payout to employers hiring
older workers is unlikely to change
hiring practices, making it difficult for
Australians to work longer and leaving
the economy facing a huge workforce
and revenue shortfall in coming years,
Mr Behrens warned.
“Firstly, it’s four separate payments,
four touchpoints between business and
government and in business’s view
that’s probably four too many,” Mr
Behrens said.
He said the Baby Boomer generation’s
retirement will mean a massive
workforce exodus and the loss of their
income tax will leave governments
desperately struggling to cover higher
healthcare costs.
“So we’re going to need hundreds of
thousands of new workers over that time
and so the $10,000 incentive payment,
well it’s quite simply not enough of an
influence to address these issues of the
age dependency ratio and really enabling
Australians to work to 70 years of
age,” Mr Behrens said.
There are many more who also believe
that this initiative simply won’t work.
Equal opportunity commissioner Kate
Jenkins, who previously worked in the
field of discrimination law, said age
discrimination in employment started
from about 45, and was ''pretty
systemic and accepted''.
This included workers being picked
for redundancy because they were
older, or workers as young as 50 being
asked when they were going to retire.
''It surprises me. It's really quite overt
age discrimination,'' she said.
Ms Jenkins said the concern about the
economic decision to increase the
pension age was the fact age
discrimination in employment was
already a very big issue.
There are many differing opinions on
whether Australians want to work that
long, are physically capable of
working into their 70s, and whether
there will be enough jobs for them.
And what about small business
owners … Do they really want to
employ older workers? Is small
business really set up to meet the
needs of the older worker?
Many small business owners feel that
productivity will decline if they
employ older workers (say 70 and
beyond), mainly because it’s
reasonable to assume that the older
worker is simply slower than their
younger counterparts.
It also begs the question: How difficult
it might be to sack an older worker?
Let’s Talk Business
3
Letters and Article
contributions from
readers are most welcome
Please send your letters to
Something To Say?
GOOD NEWS FOR LTB
READERS!
You Have the Skills, the Knowledge and the Experience, but do you have the Qualification?
“Let’s Talk Business” (LTB) has
joined forces with Brisbane
Career College to offer a range of
Nationally Recognised
Qualifications (NRQ) for LTB
readers.
A number of NRQs that are
available are:
Diploma of Business
Administration
Diploma of Business
Diploma of Management
Advanced Diploma of Business
Advanced Diploma of
Management
Certificate IV in TAE
Diploma of VET
And the GOOD NEWS is that if
you have the previous skills,
knowledge or experience, you
could receive your qualification
through Recognised Prior
Learning (RPL)
Please check out Brisbane Career
College’s website at
www.brisbanecollege.edu.au, or
contact the College direct at
LTB EDITORIAL
Communicating -
Are We Really Responsive?
In this exciting age we enjoy many
technological advances. With the
range of communication techniques
rapidly increasing with computers,
data bases, pagers, phones, iPads,
etc., it would seem that we have
every possible high-tech assistance to
help us communicate extremely
effectively.
Yet recent studies show disturbing
trends about people’s responsiveness
to each other. Despite the fact that
more sophisticated communication
devices are available now more than
ever before, many experts believe
that fewer and fewer communications
are actually getting through.
The experts are saying that because
we are barraged with so many signals
from so many sources, we simply
cannot absorb them all. To defend
ourselves against information
overload, we have become experts at
tuning out unwanted signals. This has
become such an automatic reaction
for most of us that we are often not
even conscious that we are doing it.
Indeed, it seems certain that the more
our world becomes addicted to high -
tech wizardry, the less responsive we
will become.
The one thing that remains constant
in our ever-changing world is our
freedom to choose how we will
respond to others. In fact, those
people who make the choice to be
responsive to others will always be in
great demand.
Well Done!
To the 30 budding entrepreneurs who took a
large chunk out of their Saturday recently,
to attend a workshop on “Starting Your
Own Business” held at the Caboolture
Business Enterprise Centre (CBEC).
The fact that you were prepared to spend a
large part of your weekend to attend,
indicates, to me, that you are prepared to go
“the extra mile” - an essential ingredient for
success.
The BEC is considering delivering a series
of these free workshops for the regions’
entrepreneurs, including Business Planning,
Marketing and Planning Your Finances.
President of the BEC, Adam Leishman, said
that if today’s attendance numbers are any
indication of not just the popularity of these
workshops, but more importantly, the need
for them, then he believes his Committee
would be only too happy to run more of
these type of Workshops.
Well done, Adam, to you and your
Committee for putting this together.
Let’s Talk Business
4
How do you approach poor
performance without starting World
War III?
The ABC analysis is a good way to
consider all the factors associated with
a particular performance issue. All
behaviours (B) have antecedents (A) ─
that is, triggers ─ and consequences
(C).
When working out how to adjust
unhelpful behaviours, analyse what the
factors may be and pay attention to
subtle external antecedents ─ do not
assume that the trigger for a particular
behaviour is wholly internal to the
employee. Make an effort also to
analyse the consequences that might
subtly be reinforcing the unhelpful
behaviour.
For example, if you are a manager and
your colleague’s last three reports
contained lots of mistakes (B), ask them
what the reasons were.
They may say that they were rushed and
─ after further probing from you ─
point out that they were delayed
internally by someone who did not get
them the information they required (A).
Because the information was late, the
employee you are having the
conversation with points out, they had
no time to thoroughly proofread the
reports (C).
The discussion then moves to how to
ensure that they receive timely
information in future.
Ask the employee to commit to
thoroughly proofreading the final draft
before submission if they receive timely
information in future.
In this case, not only have you got the
employee’s commitment that they will
take care to proofread their reports, but
you have also unearthed some
background to assist them to modify
their behaviour.
You can read more about this and
other useful strategies in The End of
the Performance Review: A New
Approach to Appraising Employee
Performance.
Dr Tim Baker is the author of a new
book - Attracting and Retaining
Talent: Becoming and Employer of
Choice which will shortly be
published through Palgrave
Macmillan
(www.winnersatwork.com.au).
Dr Tim Baker
Managing Director
WINNERS AT WORK Pty Ltd
www.winnersatwork.com.au
www.about.me/tim.baker
Telephone. +61 7 3899 8881
The ABC Approach
to Poor Performance
Editor’s Note:
Dr. Tim Baker is an international consultant, successful author, keynote speaker, master trainer, executive coach, university lecturer and skilful facilitator.
In a nutshell, he has conducted over 2,430 seminars, workshops and keynote addresses to over 45,000 people in 11 countries across 21 industry groups.
"“Dr Baker leads the world in
offering an innovative new approach
to appraising employee performance.
His research and energy in the
specialised field of performance
management is evidenced by his
international profile as a renowned
speaker, management consultant and
facilitator". Stephen Hartley,
Australia’s leading expert on project
management and author of "Project
Management: Principles, Processes
and Practices.
Let’s Talk Business
5
Great Boss
Smith goes to see
his supervisor in
the front office.
"Boss," he says,
"we're doing some heavy house-
cleaning at home tomorrow, and my
wife needs me to help with the attic
and the garage, moving and hauling
stuff."
"We're short-handed, Smith," the
boss replies. "I can't give you the day
off."
"Great. Thanks, boss," says Smith, "I
knew I could count on you!"
Cheapest
Parking in
Town
Before going to
Europe on
business, a man
drives his Rolls-Royce to a
downtown New York City bank and
asks for an immediate loan of
$5,000. The loan officer, taken
aback, requests collateral. "Well
then, here are the keys to my Rolls-
Royce," the man says. The loan
officer promptly has the car driven
into the bank's underground parking
for safe keeping and gives the man
the $5,000.
Two weeks later, the man walks
through the bank's doors and asks to
settle up his loan and get his car
back. "That will be $5,000 in
principal, and $15.40 in interest," the
loan officer says.
The man writes out a check and starts
to walk away. "Wait, sir," the loan
officer says. "You are a millionaire.
Why in the world would you need to
borrow $5,000?" The man smiles,
"Where else could I find a safer place
to park my Rolls-Royce in
Manhattan for two weeks and pay
only $15.40?"
Failure is not an option—it comes
bundled with the software.
The successful business owner is the one
who finds out what is the matter with
their business before their competitors
do. Roy L. Smith
Eagles soar, but weasels don’t get
sucked into jet engines.
The light at the end of the tunnel has
been turned off due to budget cuts.
A meeting is an event at which the
minutes are kept and the hours are
lost.
Nothing is illegal if Government
decide to do it. Andrew Young
There’s an enormous number of
managers who have retired on the
job. Peter Drucker
Seen at a Senior’s school in
Caringbah (Sydney): School’s
starting! Teachers; You can’t hit the
students, but you can still hit the bottle
… The sign was taken down after only
2 days
On a lawn maintenance van: Major
Tom’s Ground Control
On a shop’s doorway: Push to open.
If that doesn’t work then Pull. If that
doesn’t work then try the proper
entrance around the corner.
On a Solar Screens and Window
Repair van: Glen’s Pane in the Glass
-----------------------------------------
Interview with a
journalist
A quote from an
interview with the
head of a growing company.
Journalist asks: “So how many
employees are working in your
company?”
Boss: “Approximately half of them”
HUMOUROUS SIGNS
QUOTES & QUIPS
Unwanted Staffer? -
Relocation
“Why did you leave your
last job?”
“The company relocated
and didn't tell me where”
Let’s Talk Business
6
Is There a Need For Training In Your Business?
Dennis Chiron Marketing Means Business
0451 184 599 www.marketingmeansbusiness.com
[email protected] Skype: dennis.chiron2
The future of any company is dependent
on the skills, knowledge and motivation
of it people. Training of staff is
necessary to provide employees with
knowledge and ability to carry out their
work correctly and satisfactorily. This
will enable the company to increase
output and help employees to feel more
confident in their work and their
productivity. Employees will be more
motivated and enthusiastic about their
work which may open new and long -
term opportunities for them.
To achieve successful staff training and
development, there are two main area to
concentrate on. They are:
On-the-job training, and
Off-the-job training
On-the-job training involves the new
employee learning about the work by
actually performing it at the workplace.
An experienced co-worker, supervisor
or manager should train the employee in
the correct procedure for carrying out
the work. In order to carry out on-the-
job training successfully, there are a
number of basic steps.
Firstly, you should explain to your staff
who are undertaking the training, your
firm’s training procedures and your
reasoning for the training. It may be to
maintain quality, increase productivity,
improve employee’s skills or to
maintain the reputation of the company
for having skilled, highly trained staff.
The next step is to familiarise the
employee with the overall objectives of
your firm, and explain the quality and
quantity of work outcomes that are
achieved.
They should then be shown how they
are to achieve the expected level of
work, and once this has been made
clear, the trainer should go through the
steps with them again. As a result, they
will feel more comfortable and it will
encourage more confidence and
capability as they mature in their
position.
Once the employee commences you
should, once again, explain the correct
procedure in carrying out the job.
When mistakes occur correct them
immediately, and if necessary, carry
out the more difficult steps again.
Whenever they perform a task well,
compliment them.
Finally, should ensure that they know
who to report to if problems occur.
This person should be someone who is
always present and easy to find.
Off-the-job training: as the name
suggests, off-the-job training is
provided away from the immediate
workplace.
This might be at a specialist training
centre or at a college or at a company’s
own premises. This type of training can
be particularly useful for developing
transferable skills that can be used in
many different parts of the business. It
may be used, for example, to train
employees in the use of new equipment
and new methods or to bring them up
to date with changes in the law.
Off-the-job training involves
training outside of the working
premises and may include seminars,
lectures and case studies. These can
be very useful when training staff for
it gives them outside information
which the company may overlook.
It will widen the scope for the staff
who are undertaking the training,
and will contribute to developing a
more competent employee.
Typical off-the-job training may
include:
Day release (employee takes
time off work to attend a local
college or training centre)
Distance learning / evening
classes
Block release courses - which
may involve several weeks at a
local college
“Sandwich” courses - where the
employee spends a longer period
of time at college (e.g. six
months) before returning to
work
Sponsored courses in higher
education
Self-study, computer-based
training
A continuing training program is
vital for any business - big and small
- intent on improving employee’s
skills, increasing quality and
productivity, improving morale and
maintaining standards and
reputation.
Let’s Talk Business
7
Psychologists have discovered that
your brain, just like your stomach,
can get full.
This phenomenon is called semantic
satiation where people got so tired
of hearing a repeated word or
phrase, that their brain began
processing it as gibberish.
The rise of jargon isn’t a new
phenomenon of course, and it has
long been greeted with everything
from annoyance to mild
amusement. Beyond the snickering
about ‘synergies’ and ‘value added
solutions’ lies a real problem.
Too many business and their
owners are trying to tell someone
else’s story.
They are relying on words that
don’t accurately or authentically
characterise what they do and why
they are different, or how they
provide value to customers,
employees, and society.
Take for example, the latest
buzzword: “innovation.”
A 2012 Wall Street Journal report
found that U.S. companies used
some form of the word ‘innovation’
over 33,000 times in SEC-filed
reports - a 64% increase compared
to 2007. In 2013, the Journal
discovered that the number of
Standard & Poor's 500 companies
mentioning innovation on their
quarterly conference calls had
doubled to 197, from just 99 five
years prior.
Do we think there are suddenly twice
as many innovative companies? A
more likely explanation is that the
same companies that undoubtedly
understand the perils of ‘me too’
marketing of their products are,
embracing ‘me too’ marketing of
their company.
The more companies that claim to be
innovative, the less it really means.
When asking executives to identify
the biggest barriers to achieving their
company’s innovation targets, the top
reply was ‘the absence of a well-
defined innovation strategy. It’s
tough to meet a goal when you can’t
define what it is.
The word ‘innovation’ isn’t the real
problem. Nor is the desire to be seen
as innovative. The problem is
thinking that the secret to better
communications and a better
reputation is better adjectives.
Instead of finding better adjectives,
companies need to find a better story.
Don’t tell an audience how
innovative you are. Show them with a
great story.
Good company stories do more than
just engage or entertain. They
highlight what really makes you
different, and how you actually put
your company values into practice.
They demonstrate how a complicated
technology or business can deliver
simple, easy to understand value to
the people who buy from you, invest
in you, work with you, or depend on
you to solve problems.
In searching for these stories, don’t
think about what you want to say. Find
out what your respective audiences
want or need to hear. Do the research to
see how you and your industry are
really perceived; to see if what you say
matches what people really think about
you.
Don’t tell an audience how innovative
you are. Show them with a great story.
These insights will help you develop
and deliver a consistent narrative that
reinforces good perceptions and
provides an authentic picture of what
you do.
Tell the right stories with an original
voice and your audience just may
conclude on their own that you are
innovative, or strategic, or whatever
else you want to, without you ever
having to actually say it.
The importance of good storytelling
will continue to grow as companies
deal with audiences that have shorter
attention spans and diminishing
confidence in anything government and
business have to say.
Many companies are still lagging
behind, piling into an overcrowded
communications marketplace with
more jargon, when they should be
separating themselves with better
stories.
Almost every company has interesting
stories to tell that will resonate and be
relevant to the audiences they care
about.
Now, they just need to tell them.
Geoff Butler FAIM AP, MAITD MACE
Principal/Business Improvement & Implementation Specialist
Business Optimizers
Mobile: 0414 943072
Fax: 3036 6131
Email: [email protected]
Skype: business.optimizers1
Improve Your Reputation
with Better Stories
Not Adjectives
Let’s Talk Business
8
Jo-Anne Chaplin
Tax & Superannuation Professionals Pty Ltd
PH 07 3410 8116 / Mobile 0457 960 566
Email : [email protected]
Web: www.taxandsuperprofessionals.com.au
I am a qualified Accountant and will celebrate my 20th anniversary as a
Registered Tax Agent this year. During my time in Public Practice I have
assisted clients to achieve business growth and prosperity. My earlier career
included positions in banking, manufacturing, construction and retail. My
particular interest is in promoting a culture of using local industries and
business in order to build a strong community.
Tax Time 2014
Tax time 2014
It’s nearly time to lodge our annual
income tax returns again, so I thought
I would remind clients of the types of
claims that may be available to them.
As always, the ATO have a target list
of industries they are going to be
reviewing, and this year their focus
will be on the building and
construction labourers, construction
supervisors, project managers and
sales & marketing managers.
Claims which you may be able to
make include:
Tools, equipment, stationery,
mobile phone, diaries, uniforms
& protective clothing
Motor vehicle, travel for business
Courses, professional
development, reference &
instruction manuals
Professional memberships,
licensing fees, union fees
Tax advice and preparation fees
Other potential claims are:
Home office expenses
Travel between unrelated places
of work or alternate places of
work
Sickness & Accident insurance
Substantiaton is required for all
claims made in your income tax return.
There are different forms of
substantiation depending on the claim
being made.
For example, motor vehicle claims are
supported by either a log book plus
receipts for running and ownership
costs, or by a “detailed & reasonable
estimate” of the business use of the car.
Claims for business and contractors are
much the same as above, but will also
include:
Wages and contract payments
made
Legal expenses
Rental of business or storage
premises
Advertising, office expenses
Superannuation contributions
If you have a rental property claims
will include:
Agent fees, repairs, replacements,
Ownership expenses – rates, body
corporate, insurance
Interest and fees on loan to acquire
the property
Travel to inspect or maintain the
property
Depreciation on fittings and
Building Allowance write-off
Lodgement of your Returns
If you lodge through a Tax Agent,
your return will generally have an
extension of time to be lodged.
However, if you were late lodging
your previous year’s return, or you
lodge your return personally, then
your return will be due on 31st
October,2014.
Businesses usually wait until the last
minute to lodge their returns,
believing that it will extend the time
they have to pay any liability due.
This is not correct, and I would urge
businesses to lodge as early as
possible.
Any liability you have to pay will still
be due for payment in the latter
quarter of the 2014/15 financial year.
The benefit of lodging early though,
will be the adjustment to the payg
instalment being paid throughout the
year will more closely represent your
actual liability instead of being either
too much or too little.
Another side benefit of lodging early
is the chance to review the past year’s
trading more promptly to identify any
areas that need attention.
Managing your business will promote
increases in profits, risk management
and cash flow.
Let’s Talk Business
9
What Nearly Every Business, Including Your
Competitors, Have Absolutely NO CLUE About!
Now, I know that sounds like a rash
statement, so let me prove it to you.
Go to www.google.com, type in a
suburb name where you know there
are lots of businesses (like an
industrial estate), zoom into any area
where you can see the buildings of
businesses.
What do you see? How many tags
come up, showing the names of the
businesses? I bet that there’s only
about 1 in 10 businesses showing up
as being recognised by Google maps!
Oh, but wait … there’s MORE! Of
the businesses that a bubble shows up
on, stating the name of the business,
click on the icon inside that bubble
called ‘more’.
This is that businesses opportunity to
tell you how good they are, how they
are unique and to show you photos of
their wonderful products, amazing
people and even happy smiley photos
of customers!
But they’re NOT there, are they?!
Why? Because they don’t know …
but now YOU do!
But, there’s EVEN MORE!!! Google
is scouring the internet looking for
things to index, particularly
businesses, as they are the ones that
spend money with Google.
To get noticed by Google the best
thing you can do is tell them as much
as you can about yourself. Tick as
many boxes as you can, describe
yourself in the appropriate sections
and fill every photo slot you can (there
are 10).
However, here’s a little secret. Google
has trained the world to have a
maximum of a 9 second attention span.
Yep, that’s their magic number. If a
page takes 9 seconds to load up, the
person looking for that page has moved
on to a faster loading page. Due to this
phenomenon Google has identified that
people prefer short, snappy and popular
videos!
So they have added to the Google+
profile page an area where you can
upload 5 YouTube videos.
“Why YouTube videos, Dan?” Glad
you asked! Google took this ‘grab
people’s attention’ thing seriously. Very
seriously! In fact, they took it so
seriously they acquired YouTube!!
Now do I have YOUR attention? So
imagine how much you would stand out
to Google if you were one of the very,
very, very few businesses that
completely filled out their profile,
uploaded 10 photos AND uploaded 5
YouTube videos?
Now you have done the basics. To do
those things will take about a day (and a
couple glasses of wine). The next
project is to add the final piece of the
puzzle. By the way, you haven’t spent a
cent!
Your YouTube Channel is essential.
This is a little bit trickier and you may
want to borrow a guru for a few hours
to set up your page.
But once it’s set up, you can easily
upload videos and share them with
your Google+ profile, Facebook page,
website, blog and lots of other places.
“But Dan, I’m not very experienced at
putting videos together”. Here’s a little
trick for you. Go to www.animoto.com.
It’s about $30/month (cheaper if you
pay for a year up front) and is
incredibly easy to learn. Even better
than that, it’s loaded with music,
images and video clips that are
copyright free!
By the way, your phone camera is good
enough to take video with. You can add
captions and your own video clips and
still shots, so you don’t have to worry
about sound.
Remember, the videos just need to a.
Exist so you can keep Google happy. b.
Be interesting enough for people to
take a look at (hint, video people, send
it to them and they will share it because
it’s all about them!).
There’s one more thing to do to turbo
charge your efforts. If you call me on
0414 567 188 I’ll tell you! If you don’t
call … well, let’s hope your
competitors don’t!
Dan Buzer
Profit Mechanics
0414 567 188
www.profitmechanics.net/ [email protected]
Let’s Talk Business
10
What is a BLOG?
noun: blog; plural noun: blogs
a personal website or web page
on which an individual records
opinions, links to other sites,
etc. on a regular basis. ….
Source: www.google.com
Originally, Blog sites started as a
kind-of online website diary.
Predominately used by individuals,
they would write about their
personal lives, hobbies, clubs, kids,
pets and experiences to share
online with family and friends.
Like a long-winded version of
Facebook.
Applying BLOGGING to
BUSINESS
These days, in our attempt to
appease the Search Engines,
Blogging has become the THING
to do. Blogging also allows you to
communicate short (or long)
articles about a range of topics
associated to your industry. Blogs
can also be a combination of and
image/s and words.
The benefits of blogging
There are many benefits in favour
of Blogging, this is why so many
people do it and almost every
website designer, developer and
search engine specialist will
suggest it.
You can use a BLOG to establish
yourself as ‘the expert’ in your
industry. If you are the ‘Garden
Guru’, ‘Marketing Mogul’ or
‘Catering Queen’ in your area, the
article/s online can extend your
potential reach.
A kept-up-to-date Blog also
encourages visitors back to your
website. E.g. a catering website offer
free recipes or car audio retailer
providing product reviews on new
accessories. Blogging also gives you
a great way to connect to existing
customers.
Blog articles also give the search
engines something to feast on (the
search engines like current content).
Keeping your article at approximately
300 words with some images is ideal.
Keeping the content related to one
topic is also important. This can help
increase the chances of you appearing
in the search engines.
Check with your website provider…
most recently created websites are
capable of having a Blog page added
in without too much expense. Once
established, if you have access to the
backend of your website to make
edits, you should be able to add your
own Blog articles at no cost.
Here are some tips:
1. Provide information that helps
your readers.
2. Keep it professional &
entertaining.
3. Blog on a regular basis – once a
week or fortnight is manageable
for most small business.
4. Don’t write just one Blog article
and then get too busy. Schedule
time.
5. Keep the search engines in mind
and incorporate keywords and
phrases that you want to rank for
into your article wording.
6. Pick one topic and stick to it.
7. Provide images, diagrams, video
content – most people crave
visual stimuli.
8. Do not copy – Be aware of
copyright laws. Be original and
reference other people’s work
when applicable.
Other things you can Blog about:
Organisations/charities that your
business is involved with/
support.
New staff, new services, new
products.
Interesting research results
relevant to your industry.
Educational/entertaining
YouTube videos or diagrams.
Industry related DIY
instructions.
Step by step instructions
Product reviews
For further information, please feel
free to email Karen ~ The Webgirl.
Karen Ahl Bac. Bus (Mark, Man), TAE40110,
Cert IV IT Caboolture, Queensland
Ph 0415 142 178
www.web-sta.com.au [email protected]
To Blog Or Not To Blog!
Let’s Talk Business
11
Peter Nicol
Wisdom Marketing & Management Services
0417627097
www.wisdommarketing.com.au
Stop Painting Over The Rust !
“If you always do what you have
always done, you will get what you
have always got.” …. I reckon
whoever said this was right.
Of recent months I have been seeing a
lot of retailers and businesses who
seem to be stuck on go.
The economy is no doubt slowing and
the consumer confidence index is the
lowest since 2009. However, no point
behaving like possums caught in the
lights of the oncoming car and getting
flattened.
Every business has an obligation to do
something that can enhance sales as
they chart their way through these
times.
You cannot discover new oceans until
you lose sight of the shore. The need to
discover new markets and customers is
the fuel that any business needs.
So doing what you have always done
just might need a rethink. In most cases
I see it does. So stop painting over the
rust.
I recommend a real good look at sales
development tactics. I did a small
survey (verbal) with a few contacts and
friends in business. All were what I
call shop or deskbound businesses.
They had a two dimensional approach
to their business. People either walked
in or walked past. Yet, the array of
their products was worthy of many
more clients than they currently had.
I asked if they ever set time aside to
see some of the businesses in their
area. In all cases the answer was no.
Yet, in the previous days I found
myself in many of these outside places
that they could do business with.
I found I had to visit a number of
councils. Councils buy a lot of stuff
and yes I know they call tenders and
all the other things that can make it all
too hard. Yet, I was amazed at how
many of them had accounts with
nearby business houses.
Their staff could go up and order what
they needed when the time arose. Yet
no one ever called on them. Not huge
volumes but good bread and butter
stuff.
What would happen if you decided to
put aside a day a week and go out and
do some canvassing?
Leave a few business cards out there.
Have a trade night and have a supplier
pay for a few chops and a soft drinks.
This is sales development at its very
basic and very best. Why not put a
sign up on their noticeboard and
say that employees of that facility
were entitled to a discount of some
sorts?
I know that works as I have done it
dozens of times. No costs involved
only your time to go see them and
ask permission to put your card or
message on the noticeboard.
These are some of the best ways to
get customers into your store.
I once did a promotion for a
mortgage broker; we offered a free
meat tray for any employee of a
large factory who came to him
looking for a loan.
He put the sign up in the factory
canteen and did a deal with a local
butcher and he got business. He
had the costs of doing the call to
the factory and the cost of $50
meat tray.
I did the same for a large catering
house who did weddings. Lot of
people read notice boards to see
what their shifts are going to be.
Most women are going to be
brides or mothers of brides. They
love to look at options for
receptions.
The workplace noticeboard is a
powerful medium as it gets
lookers. Yup it worked.
Try getting out of the shop and do
some cold calling. It works.
Let’s Talk Business
12
the organ of Corti.
Temporary threshold shift (TTS)
A temporary threshold shift (TTS),
which recovers between exposures, is
commonly experienced. You may
have noticed sound seeming muffled
after exposure to loud noise or music.
If you have to turn the car radio up
after a day's noisy work, then find it
too loud the next morning, you may
be experiencing TTS. This may last,
depending on the nature of the
exposure and the individual, for
minutes, hours, or days, after the
sound has stopped.
In general, for continuous noise, as
the exposure time increases so does
the TTS, until after 4 to 12 hours a
plateau (or asymptotic level) is
reached. For impact noises the
asymptotic level of TTS appears after
only 1 to 2 hours. The recovery after
exposure ceases is at first rapid, but
then slows down, with complete
recovery taking at least as long as the
original exposure time.
Permanent threshold shift
A permanent threshold shift (PTS)
occurs gradually. Normally, it is the
hair cells in the inner ear, which
detect the 4-6 kHz frequencies,
which deteriorate first. As most of
the speech frequencies are below this
range, the loss may initially go
unnoticed.
Tinnitus
Research into the causes of tinnitus is
ongoing and more detail can be
found in the links in the Further
Reading section.
The current theory is that damage to
the hair cells of the inner ear (from
Ron Court, AMC, Dip (Funerals) ,Cert IV OH&S, Cert IV Training & Assessment TAE, MQJA, JP (Qual)
OH&S Advisor
0419 679 619 [email protected]
Causes of Hearing Damage
noise or other agents) causes the
generation of weak, abnormal nerve
impulses, which are mistakenly
perceived by the brain as real
external sounds.
In the 10% or so of people who are
troubled by persistent tinnitus, it is
thought that these weak signals are
amplified to a disturbing level in
the neural pathways that connect
the cochlea to the different parts of
the brain.
This process seems to be made
worse by stress or emotional events,
which may explain why tinnitus is
twice as common in hearing
impaired people - straining to hear
focuses the subconscious brain to
pick up anything coming from the
inner ear.
When working in a noisy
environment remember the
Hierarchy of Hazard Control:
1. ELIMINATION
2. SUBSTITUTION
3. ISOLATION
4. ENGINEERING CONTROL
5. ADMINISTRATION
CONTROL
6. PERSONAL PROTECTIVE
EQUIPMENT
You can get information about your
OH&S obligations and other
valuable OH&S resources both in
hard copy and online from their
websites.
http://www.deir.qld.gov.au
Always seek independent legal
advice on what is applicable to your
situation.
Agents of hearing damage
Hearing damage may result from
several agents - both occupational and
non-occupational:
Noise - occupational (called
occupational noise-induced hearing
loss ONIHL).
Noise - non-occupational (called
sociocusis*).
Ageing - (called presbyacusis*).
Diseases and infections, ototoxic*
medications, trauma (blows) to the
head (collectively called
nosoacusis*).
Ototoxic substances in the workplace
(eg organic solvents, lead).
Describing the hearing loss
If the agent affects the function of the
middle ear, eardrum or blocks the ear
canal, the hearing loss is called
conductive.
If the agent damages the cochlea
structures, nerve fibres, auditory
nerve or auditory centres of the brain,
the hearing loss is called
sensorineural.
Noise can affect hearing in different
ways
Noise can affect hearing in four main
ways:
1. Acoustic trauma
2. Temporary threshold shift (TTS)
3. Permanent threshold shift (PTS)
4. Tinnitus
Acoustic trauma
Acoustic trauma, from the effect of a
single exposure or relatively few
exposures to a very intense level of
sound, may cause:
Damage to the ear drum;
Damage to the ossicles; and
Mechanical damage to the hair
cells, supporting cells and tissues of
Let’s Talk Business
13
transfer of data and IP ownership to a
third party have on your business?
How much confidential or
commercially sensitive information
would you share using this service
and what would it mean to lose
control over it?
Before you agree to any cloud service
provider’s terms and conditions,
make sure you understand who will
own the data and IP (Intellectual
Property).
Risk 5: Cloud Provider Lock-In
There is currently little in the way of
tools, procedures or standards that
could guarantee portability of data
and processes across cloud providers.
Be sure to pick your cloud provider
carefully and do your research as
once you have chosen a cloud
provider it may be difficult to move
elsewhere if you are unhappy with
the performance or service.
Cloud providers could make it
difficult to extract your data from
their cloud and, in some cases, a third
-party tool is needed to migrate that
data back on premise.
Risk 6: Long-term viability.
It would be nice to believe that your
cloud service provider will never go
broke or get acquired by a larger
company.
However, given there is a lot of
activity in the industry right now,
there is a high possibility that this is
exactly what may happen.
Karen Davey-Thorpe AAIDC CC
Smart n Savvy Business Solutions
1800 899 198
You need to satisfy yourself that
your data will remain available
even after such an event. You may
do this by asking potential
providers how you would get your
data back and if it would be in a
format that you could import into a
replacement application.
Risk 7: Disaster Recovery
Hosting your data with a cloud
provider makes the cloud provider’s
disaster recovery capabilities vitally
important to your businesses’
disaster recovery plans.
It is important that you know your
cloud provider’s disaster recovery
capabilities, including their ability
to do a complete restoration, and
how long it will take.
It is also important to know if their
disaster recovery plans are tested
and how often.
As with the implementation of any
key business activity, it is important
to plan properly and consider how
all areas of your business that may
be affected.
The decision to proceed with a
cloud computing solution should
only be undertaken once a risk
assessment has been completed and
you are satisfied the risks and
mitigation actions are acceptable.
If you’d like to learn more about
whether cloud should be part of
your business, please contact me.
The marketing of cloud has been
very effective in promoting the
positive aspects of what cloud
computing can deliver for business
(quicker, cheaper, better), however
there are many risks and business
impacts that must be understood
before deciding whether or not
cloud computing is the right choice
for you.
Previously I’ve discussed risks
concerning network dependency
(speed and reliability), data
sovereignty and security, and
compliance.
Today’s article will explore four
more risks that you should consider
so you can determine what
mitigation actions you may need to
take to support your cloud
migration.
Risk 4: Data and Intellectual
Property Ownership
Did you know that by agreeing to
the terms and conditions of some
cloud services (like those providing
free email, document/image sharing
and storage) that you may be
signing over the ownership of your
content and IP to that cloud service
provider? Not only will they own it,
they can use it for their own
commercial purposes.
This may not be important when it
comes to the personal emails and
documents/images you send to your
friends and family, but what about
your business emails and
documents? What impact would the
Key Risks You Must Consider Before Moving to the Cloud – Part 2
Let’s Talk Business
14
At a recent Bribie Better Business
meeting, local businesses came together
to discuss their issues and concerns. The
purpose was to ‘brainstorm’ and
generate ideas and potential directions
for future discussions and presentations.
Key issues such as Penalty Rates,
Industrial Relations – hiring and firing;
Over-Regulation; Taxation; Government
Grants and of course, Marketing and
Promotion were flagged for discussion.
Another issue which often interests us
but sometimes confounds, is the issue of
Price versus Value. We often look at
costs and associated ways to improve
but maybe we over emphasise these
efforts from time to time.
If we know that “Price” is what we
charge but “Value” is what we deliver
then we can alter our perspective and
perhaps focus more on delivering value.
It seems that we are thoroughly
conditioned to look at price. I would like
to challenge this by asking you if you
have ever purchased anything from a
‘Discount Shop’? How well did the item
perform? How long did it last? Did the
item annoy you in the way it worked?
Did it break within the first few times of
using it?
Now don’t get me wrong. I am not
denigrating discount shops because they
do have their place in the market and I
do shop there myself. I draw your
intention to the motivating factor of
Price as the primary reason for shopping
there – certainly there are also items that
equate very well on price and value, so
please shop there.
When it comes to our businesses though,
sometimes it would be nice to sell on
value rather than price alone. But how
do we do this when the bloke down the
road is in direct competition?
How is Your Product Better?
Do you use better ingredients? Is your
process better? Are you better at looking
after your clients/customers? Shouldn’t
you be paid for the better value that you
bring to the market place?
YES ! I hear you say – but how?
I’m glad you asked. You could begin by
asking your existing clients what they
like about your business and exactly
why they buy from you rather than the
bloke down the road – Take notes.
Next, you could brainstorm ALL the
really good things about your product,
your process, your service. Make an
EXHAUSTIVE List under each
category. You can then simply chat to
your clients as you do business with
them to find out if they knew any of
these things and how important they are
to them, is there anything they would
like that you are not doing now – take
notes on these too.
Next, do you absolutely, completely,
wholeheartedly, unshakeably BELIEVE
in your product AND YOURSELF?
Then take a step back and think about
these things . . .
Paul GILLMORE DFS
Founder and Director
Southern Cross Financial Services
07 5429 5561
0402 685 032
Marriage
Let’s marry the things that clients
want and like, with the really good
things about our business. So TELL
them the BENEFITS before they
hand over any money. Our quest is
to create a “marriage made in
heaven” of your business with their
wants, needs and desires.
Cheap at Twice the Price
Our goal is to stack up SO MANY
BENEFITS as to make our product
look cheap.
Once we have established superior
value to the bloke down the road we
have strong and valid reasons as to
why our price is higher and here’s
the thing, people will pay for
quality.
Just ask yourself why you don’t
always buy the cheapest item –
your clients are the same. Think of
perfume, jewellery, coffee,
chocolate and it’s easy to see that
people are happy to pay for better
quality.
No E.S.P. though
But your clients don’t have E.S.P.
and they can’t read your mind so
you will have to tell them why your
ingredients, process or end product
is better BEFORE they pay – then
you can remind them from time to
time as their repeat business comes.
Let’s sell on value NOT price.
Price versus Value
Let’s Talk Business
15
6 Steps To Get More Business
From Your Existing Clients
1 Make a list of your top 25 clients
you may be able to do more
business with.
2 Arrange a meeting with each of
the above 25 clients to re-visit
their current situation and see if
there are additional ways you can
assist them.
3 In the actual meeting ask probing
questions to uncover additional
needs or problems that you can
solve.
4 Present them with a solution.
5 Ask for referrals to other people
you can help.
6 Check off each client as you
complete the process.
This is such a simple thing to do -
and it works! Not only will you
generate additional revenues, but
your customers will be more
satisfied, as you are solving
problems for them and they are
getting more of what they want from
you! ...TRY IT!
The Power of Advertising
Advertising is one of the more
popular facets of a comprehensive
marketing campaign. It provides a
direct line of communication to your
customers regarding your product or
service and it is usually a necessary
part of establishing and/or growing a
business.
However, like all other aspects of
your business, for advertising to be
successful, it must be carefully
planned.
Keeping Your Customers
Customers are the reason why you
are still in business, but too often,
they are neglected. However, there
are simple systems you can put in
place which will ensure your
customers are happy with your
service. Here are some simple hints
and tips which could make all the
difference to your customers - and
your sales!
Everybody in the company should
be concerned about customers.
Without customers there would be
no jobs and no money.
Maintain Customer Contact
It has been estimated that you
should contact each customer at
least eight times a year to retain
them as active customers. You
must consider every customer a
whole new Business
Opportunity. Follow up is one of
the greatest tools you can use to
assure repeat patronage.
Immediate follow-up will set the
stage for a long-lasting
relationship between your
customer and your company.
A simple "thank you" at the end of
a transaction will impress your
customer and give you an
opportunity to measure your
customer's level of satisfaction.
That's where the follow up begins,
but if you want this business
opportunity to be a business
success, you won't let that be
where your follow up ends.
Knowing when to advertise will help
you make the most of your marketing
dollar. It will also play a part in
helping you choose what to
advertise, and what medium works
the best for you.
Check Out Potential Business
Partners Or Suppliers
Need to check out potential business
partners or suppliers? Meeting them
at their offices can give you the most
well-rounded picture of their
capabilities and a sense of their
personalities.
Always meet with them more than
once to double-check your first
impression.
When at their offices, watch how
they treat others. How do they deal
with others when they are angry or
feeling insecure?
Here's a simple reliability test: Ask
them to call you back at a certain
time and see if they do.
How Much Should You Spend
On Advertising?
Advertising is a necessary part of any
business. However, to be effective it
takes more than just putting ads in
every state newspaper and hoping for
the best. Often businesses spend too
much money at the wrong time,
wasting their valuable resources. By
analysing your sales history and your
cost of advertising, you can then
discover not only how much you
should be spending on advertising
but when.
Dennis Chiron Marketing Means Business
0451 184 599 www.marketingmeansbusiness.com
[email protected] Skype: dennis.chiron2
Let’s Talk Business
16
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