Category: Planning & Management

Over my 12 years of being in business, and speaking with many, many business owners over that time, I’ve discovered that when it comes to creating a strategic business and marketing plan for their business, these business owners typically fall into one of these four camps:

The Perfectionist Camp.  These business owners plan everything in minute detail and won’t dive in until everything is perfect. They constantly tweak, change, and revisit their plan.  The problem with this approach is that it will never be perfect.  Your business plan won’t ever be perfect, so you may as well just start now and get going.  You can always tweak/change/update as you go along.

The BSO Camp. These business owners are constantly distracted by Bright Shiny Object syndrome, never finishing one project before moving on to the next.  The problem with this approach to running your business is that you never get anything done. Nothing ever gets implemented.  No results (or very lackluster results) are ever seen. So there’s no real business growth and everything becomes confusing and overwhelming.

The Boxing-Myself-In Camp. Then there’s the business owner who won’t create a business plan because, if they do, they feel they’ll be boxing themselves in and missing out on opportunities that arise.  The problem with this approach is that by not having a business you don’t have any real roadmap for growing your business; nothing is done in a very strategic way.  And the irony is, you do end up missing out on opportunities because you don’t have a point of reference for anything that you do.

The Don’t Know What To Do Camp.  And finally there’s the business owner who simply doesn’t know what to do.  They’re very confused by all the different elements of online business management and really don’t know where to start when it comes to running to their business. They don’t know what their starting point should be.  Because they don’t know where to start, it’s really hard for them to create a strategic business and marketing plan that is going to work for them.

Despite all of these different scenarios there is one thing in common.  Without a strategic business and marketing plan in place, it’s going to be very difficult to grow your business and sustain it over the long-term.  Opportunities will be missed.  Revenues will be lost.  And you’ll have no benchmark with which to gauge your success by.

This is why it’s so important you spend a little time planning out what you want for your business.  And I recommend to business owners who have never created a plan before that the first start with a 90-day business plan. Even by creating a plan that focus on a shorter timeframe, it will provide them with the much-needed structure in which to grow their business.

Article Contributed by Joey Faucette

Zig Ziglar describes well the essence of the fifth core practice, “Receive,” of a Work Positive lifestyle in which you increase sales with greater team productivity so you get out of the office earlier: “When you help others get what they want, you get everything you want,” he said.

What goes around, comes around.

You reap what you sow.

So how do you actually practice “Receive” in your daily business?

Here are 3 No-Cost Ways to Positively Receive More Business:

Discover What Your Customers Want

The most powerful, transformational question you ask your customers is, “How can I help you?”

Everyone wants some kind of help. All of us find challenges, get stuck, and want more positive something. That’s one reason this question is so vital and robust. You surge the relationship to new heights by proactively caring enough to ask.

This question is also empowering. Rather than assuming you know what they want, you ask. This curiosity steers your business directly to more revenue because you avoid answering questions they’re not asking. You stay on the profitability path as this question is your GPS to your next pot of gold.

Deliver What Your Customers Want

Many times we fail to ask “How can I help you?” because we fear our customers will ask for something we can’t deliver. Just the opposite is true.

Your customers’ answers are based on their relationship with you. Even if it’s a new relationship, what they know of you and your business informs their response. They offer a service or product based on what they understand you can deliver.

For instance, I recently asked, “How can I help you?” and a coaching client asked about preparing to shift his business toward less work involvement to free time to spend with his grandchildren. I understand personal and organizational development.

I asked “How can I help you?” of another client who, knowing I’m a best-selling author, responded, “I think I want to write a book.”

Our customers respond based on who they know us to be. So ask and deliver with confidence.

Declare What You Want

Asking “How can I help you?” opens up a mutually beneficial relationship. Your customer will ask, “Now how can I help you?”

Be ready by already having declared to yourself, “Here’s what I want…” Share that with your customer when the opportunity presents. Even prompt it by saying, “May I ask a favor?”

Of course you receive more business from that one customer. Also, be prepared to ask for referrals. You’ve earned the trust and established credibility. “Who else do you know?” is a powerful question that prompts a direct response.

You desire to positively receive more business. Get it as you discover what your customers want, deliver it, and then declare what you want as you Work Positive today.

Bio

Dr. Joey Faucette is the #1 Amazon best-selling author of Work Positive in a Negative World (Entrepreneur Press), Work Positive coach, & speaker who helps business professionals increase sales with greater productivity so they leave the office earlier to do what they love with those they love. Discover more at www.ListentoLife.org.

If you don’t already know, I am a big fan of spreadsheets! They have so many more uses than just calculating figures. They are also a great tool to help you manage your time effectively.

As a busy soloprofessional you are not only working for your clients, but you have to work ON your business too. Effective time management is crucial for developing and growing your business, as well as income generating activities.

Below are my top 3 tips for effective time management using spreadsheets.

1. Create a Work Schedule

When I started to get busier I realised I needed a system that would allow me to anticipate or schedule in client’s work. I designed a really simple spreadsheet with the weeks along the top and the client’s down the side. I encourage my clients to book work with me in advance so that I can put this in my schedule. For regular clients I can book in so many hours for them each week, and because my spreadsheet totals the number of hours booked each week I can see what my commitments are and what I have left.

I find that it’s really working, not only because my clients can get ‘booked in’, but when I get an enquiry for new work I can look at my schedule to see if I can meet their deadline.

This system works well for me!

If you find yourself having time management issues with your clients, then give my system a go!

2. To Do List

How do you manage your day-to-day tasks? Do you have a notebook for your To Do lists and cross out each one as you go along? Or do you have little yellow post-its stuck all over the place? Is this really the best way of managing your daily tasks?

Spreadsheets are a great way for you to organise your To Do list. Set up headings in the first row and add your tasks below. You can then sort your list by any column that you choose, making it an interactive To Do list. And best of all, your list is contained in one place.

Create a shortcut to your To Do list and place it on your desktop so that you can access it easily, or just keep it open and minimise your screen each time you’re not using it.

Make your To Do list even more interactive by filtering out those tasks that have already been completed. How? Use the AutoFilter built into Excel!

3. Plan Projects and Activities

How do you keep a track of what needs to be done and when?

The answer’s simple — set up a spreadsheet!

Spreadsheets also accept date formats and this makes them a great tool for tracking projects or planning activities. You can easily use AutoFill to create a date timeline too. Use the column headings for your dates, and the rows for your activities.

Use the cell where the date meets the activity to enter notes, To Do, or anything else relating to your project or activity. Once an activity is complete you can use the strikeout feature to cross it off!

As you work along the timeline, you can hide the columns with past dates, showing only those columns for current and future dates. And if you want to be really creative, use different colours for the cells to represent different activities, i.e. blue cells = to be done; red cells = overdue etc.

Follow these 3 time management tips, and you will soon be using more time more wisely!

One of the goals that nearly every entrepreneur has is that they all want to expand their business as far as possible. No matter what your business, expanding your company should be one of your top priorities. You know that there is a huge market out there for your products or services – why aren’t you tapping into it?

For most small businesses, expansion can be as intimidating as it is exciting. While growing your business is the main focus, getting there can be quite risky due to the financial costs associated with it. Hiring new staff members, purchasing or renting a larger or more central office, investing in all of the equipment and technology needed – these can all be major expenses which many small, budding companies have trouble affording.

If the potential for growth is there, do not let money be the factor inhibiting you from spreading your business’ reach to new clients. There are a few options that can save you money and let you expand on a budget that is much friendlier to your cash flow.

Knowing Your Budget

The first thing that you need to do when considering the options for your business is to know your budget. You need to sit down with your bookkeeper or accountant and realistically view how much money you would be able to put into your company’s move, and see what options are available to you.

I have seen many businesses which feel the need to have the nicest and largest office possible, paying no attention that they are using up nearly all of their monthly cash flow on the expenses. Their rationale? They assume that being located at a certain location will increase their revenue enough to support the cost. While this is true sometimes, more often than not I find the businesses not able to stay afloat until that increase in sales happens.

When budgeting your for expansion, don’t feel the need to make a massive jump in overhead. Look at all of the different options and choose the one which provides the most functionality for your business at a price which is affordable for your still-small firm.

Expanding with a Virtual Office

In the past few years any businesses have been turning to virtual offices to help expand. Thanks to massive advances in technology over the past decade, these virtual offices are able to provide businesses with all of the solutions which a traditional office brings.

Virtual Offices have reception staff which can answer your phone calls, in your company’s name, and forward them to you and your associates as needed. The receptionists can also simple take messages for you, and most offices provide an intricate and professional automated phone system for your use as well.

Letters can be sent to you electronically, scanned by the office’s staff. If you prefer, mail can be shipped to you along with packages received at the virtual office. These locations provide almost all of the administrative support expected in a business environment.

While most do not give you assigned office space, nearly all virtual offices have offices and conference rooms for short-term (hourly and daily) rental for meetings or just occasional need for solitude in a business atmosphere.

When it comes to expanding your company, don’t jump into the action too fast. It is imperative that you think through any major decisions and plan which expansion route is the best for your specific business goals and opportunities. Many times, virtual offices can provide companies with the features needed in an office, all while saving them money on overhead which can be used towards more important business-growing projects.

Mike Gardener is the co-owner of The Office Providers. Lewis loves sharing his insights in various online publications and he helps small or even large corporations by providing any kind of office space , check his site to find out more.