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Archive for the 'Top Tips' Category

Top Tips for ‘Sustained Success’

Published by Corrina on 12 August, 2010 in Management & Leadership and Top Tips • 3 Comments
Top Tips for ‘Sustained Success’
Eight key principles to help any business achieve and maintain its long-term objectives.
These tips are based on the ISO 9004:2009 standard, which defines eight quality management principles that can help any business “achieve and maintain its objectives in the long-term”. We have quoted the eight principles and added our own tips alongside. More information on ISO 9004:2009
1. “Customer focus”. Understand customer needs and expectations through research and other customer intelligence. Ensure business and management objectives are aligned with customer needs. Effectively communicate customer needs and business objectives across the organisation. Balance customer needs and the interests of other stakeholders such as owners, employees, wider society.
2. “Leadership”. Establish purpose, direction and vision for the business. Set goals and targets designed to meet the vision. Ensure employees and stakeholders understand their roles in meeting objectives and realising vision. Create an environment which enables people to achieve objectives, providing the required support, resources, training and freedom. Establish trust. Recognise people.
3. “Involvement of people”. Ensure people understand their roles and how they contribute to business success. Evaluate employee performance; identify constraints; work to improve employee competences, knowledge and skills. Encourage participation in seeking opportunities to improve business performance and personal skills. Encourage people to share knowledge, experience, problems and issues.
4. “Process approach”. Systematically define activities/steps required to achieve a particular result. Work to improve resources, methods or materials in order to refine key activities and processes. Set responsibilities for managing processes and measuring effectiveness. Improve how different business functions work together on shared activities. Evaluate risks of activities to all affected parties.
5. “System approach to management”. Create a management system that effectively and efficiently manages processes and activities to meet objectives. Define how activities and processes should work. Evaluate processes and continually work to improve them. Understand interdependencies between processes; harmonise and integrate processes. Ensure roles and responsibilities are clear.
6. “Continual improvement”. Take a consistent approach to innovation and continual performance improvement. Make innovation and continual improvement an objective for all employees, and train people in the methods and tools of continual improvement. Set goals, measure performance, and acknowledge improvements through employee recognition.
7. “Factual approach to decision-making”. Establish a rigorous decision-making process which balances facts, experience and judgement. Ensure processes exist to collect relevant data and past experiences such as feedback or lessons learnt. Make data available to decision-makers. Work on improving analysis methods. Listen to personal judgements but ensure they are balanced with data.
8. “Mutually beneficial supplier relationships”. Create strong long-term supplier relationships which are mutually beneficial and balance short-term gains and long-term considerations. Create and maintain open relationships and clear communication with suppliers. Where appropriate share information, expertise and resources, and establish joint development and improvement initiatives. Encourage innovation and continual improvement and recognise supplier achievements.

Eight key principles to help any business achieve and maintain its long-term objectives.

These tips are based on the ISO 9004:2009 standard, which defines eight quality management principles that can help any business “achieve and maintain its objectives in the long-term”. We have quoted the eight principles and added our own tips alongside. More information on ISO 9004:2009

1. “Customer focus”. Understand customer needs and expectations through research and other customer intelligence. Ensure business and management objectives are aligned with customer needs. Effectively communicate customer needs and business objectives across the organisation. Balance customer needs and the interests of other stakeholders such as owners, employees, wider society.

2. “Leadership”. Establish purpose, direction and vision for the business. Set goals and targets designed to meet the vision. Ensure employees and stakeholders understand their roles in meeting objectives and realising vision. Create an environment which enables people to achieve objectives, providing the required support, resources, training and freedom. Establish trust. Recognise people.

3. “Involvement of people”. Ensure people understand their roles and how they contribute to business success. Evaluate employee performance; identify constraints; work to improve employee competences, knowledge and skills. Encourage participation in seeking opportunities to improve business performance and personal skills. Encourage people to share knowledge, experience, problems and issues.

4. “Process approach”. Systematically define activities/steps required to achieve a particular result. Work to improve resources, methods or materials in order to refine key activities and processes. Set responsibilities for managing processes and measuring effectiveness. Improve how different business functions work together on shared activities. Evaluate risks of activities to all affected parties.

5. “System approach to management”. Create a management system that effectively and efficiently manages processes and activities to meet objectives. Define how activities and processes should work. Evaluate processes and continually work to improve them. Understand interdependencies between processes; harmonise and integrate processes. Ensure roles and responsibilities are clear.

6. “Continual improvement”. Take a consistent approach to innovation and continual performance improvement. Make innovation and continual improvement an objective for all employees, and train people in the methods and tools of continual improvement. Set goals, measure performance, and acknowledge improvements through employee recognition.

7. “Factual approach to decision-making”. Establish a rigorous decision-making process which balances facts, experience and judgement. Ensure processes exist to collect relevant data and past experiences such as feedback or lessons learnt. Make data available to decision-makers. Work on improving analysis methods. Listen to personal judgements but ensure they are balanced with data.

8. “Mutually beneficial supplier relationships”. Create strong long-term supplier relationships which are mutually beneficial and balance short-term gains and long-term considerations. Create and maintain open relationships and clear communication with suppliers. Where appropriate share information, expertise and resources, and establish joint development and improvement initiatives. Encourage innovation and continual improvement and recognise supplier achievements.

Top tips: Personal development and productivity

Published by Business Link on 21 July, 2010 in HR & People Development and Top Tips • 1 Comment

Get a plant or two

Research has found links between plants and increased productivity, lower stress, improved blood pressure, lower fatigue and fewer headaches. Plants are also said to reduce airborne allergens, decrease noise pollution and create more balanced humidity levels. Plants in the workplace

Master your email

Research shows that people get stressed by email and feel compelled to respond quickly. So try to check emails every few hours rather than constantly. And develop a system for organising and acting on your email more effectively. Avoid email overload

Avoid distractions, multitask with caution

To avoid distractions: block out ‘sacred’ time segments to focus on single important tasks; silence your email and mobile and escape to a quieter place to work; check emails and phone calls on a schedule – say every three hours – rather than responding constantly. Distractions and multitasking

Get a routine

A routine, however free or rigid, could guide you to do the right things at the right times. When are you most creative, attentive, focused? When do you most like to converse with others or work alone? Some self-analysis and a few rules could help to improve your daily productivity. Organising your days

Balance work and life

Reduce pressure by relaxing unrealistic deadlines and timings. Set weekly goals for the minimum you must achieve to feel satisfied and productive. Remind yourself to enjoy life by setting personal life goals too. Learn to say no. Delegate. Top tips for achieving a work-life balance

Listen, then talk

As Henry Ford said: “If there is any one secret of success, it lies in the ability to get the other person’s point of view and see things from that person’s angle as well as from your own.” Be more open to what others have to say. Listen, then respond. Are you listening?

Ask better questions

Harvard Business Review Blog suggests that “Being curious is essential to asking good questions” and “Open-ended questions prevent you from making judgements based on assumptions”. They also advise to “Be engaged” and “Dig deeper”. Learn to Ask Better Questions – HBR Blog

Keep an eye on news and trends

Search online for solutions to problems, answers to key questions, or business subjects that interest you. Bookmark sources you find useful and credible, subscribe to favourite newsletters, and refine your reading list over time. Before long you’ll be more aware of new trends and opportunities. Look around

Channel anger

Research suggests that, when managed, anger could aid mental health, your career, and productivity. Could you more constructively channel negative emotions and turn such passion into positive change? Anger Management

Focus on bottlenecks, simplify

“Try to remove obstacles that slow you down”, says Productivity501. Chipping away at those irritating bottlenecks could improve your productivity, free up time and reduce stress. Also focus on simplifying processes by removing steps that offer no value. Simplify

Learn from the greats

Take words of wisdom from some of the world’s great business people: Entrepreneurship Quotes

Sales tips

Published by Corrina on 10 March, 2010 in Sales & Marketing and Top Tips • 0 Comments Tags: .

Tips to help improve your sales approach, get more and better leads, and increase sales.

Know your customer value proposition

What value – what unique benefits – does your business and its products or services provide? Ensuring salespeople articulate this message clearly can create stronger links with consumers who would most value your offerings – which means more sales. Summarising your value proposition into a concise ‘elevator pitch’ can also help when spreading the message to employees and consumers.

Create a sales document

Put your value proposition into a document alongside key information such as company history, vision, values, what you do and for whom, what makes you unique and better than the competition. Be brief but include anything that adds credibility. Doing so could aid planning, help to define key sales messages, and become the basis of marketing materials such as brochures or flyers to give to potential customers.

Have a plan

What are your sales goals and priorities? Are your sales forecasts realistic? Which consumer groups represent your best targets? What are your key sales messages? What are your sales opportunities or threats? What are your key sales tactics? How could you work to improve your overall sales approach?

Manage leads

Good lead management focusses on both quantity and quality of leads. Do you know which customer groups generate the most leads that end in sales? Or which sales approaches bring the highest value customers? Keep an analytical eye on leads; it helps to know how many leads you need to reach targets, and which sources of leads return the most sales – or the most valuable sales.

Use a system

Online customer relationship management systems can be useful and cost-effective for both individual salespeople and big sales teams. Beyond the basics such as storing contact data and sales interactions, they offer tools for tracking and managing leads throughout the sales process, and analysing sales and customer data over time. Such systems can also be integrated with productivity software such as MS Outlook or Google Apps, or accessed via smartphones. (Examples: Salesforce, Zoho, Dynamics).

Rethink sales approaches

Review how you generate leads and sales and rethink the options. Which approaches deliver the most or least sales? Which approaches are you missing? Example approaches: lead generation via advertising, direct marketing, flyers, email or online marketing, telesales, discount promotions, referral or word-of-mouth schemes with existing customers, exhibitions or networking events, creative selling.

Encourage word-of-mouth

Customers who recommend you to others are invaluable sales drivers because people tend to trust friends or colleagues more than businesses they have never used. It can happen organically by selling quality products or services and treating customers well. Or you can encourage it by asking customers to tell friends, offering incentives to do so, or providing easier ways to share, such as via online social networks. But remember: word-of-mouth belongs to the consumer – encourage but don’t try to control.

Offer free samples

In an economy where consumers are reluctant to open their wallets to new companies, free samples or test drives could represent a strong sales generator. It’s a softer alternative to the hard sell, and it could persuade new customers to switch from competitors. Many products and services can be tried in some way before purchase, so explore if and how it could work for your business.

Listen to customers

Sometimes sales are achieved not through marketing messages and value propositions but through the simple act of listening to customers and linking their individual needs with the value you can offer. Well thought out sales messages are important, but don’t forget the value of listening. See Are you listening?

More information – Identify and sell more to your most valuable customers

Energy efficiency

Published by Corrina on 18 February, 2010 in Environment and Top Tips • 2 Comments

Practical tips to help cut costs by becoming more energy efficient. 

For more tips relevant to your business type and size visit the websites listed at the end of this article.

Engage your people

Positive attitudes foster changes in behaviour. Engage your people by promoting both the cost and environmental benefits of energy efficiency, and ask them for ideas on how to be more energy efficient.

Measure your carbon footprint

Calculating your total energy usage can highlight problem areas which could be turned into opportunities to improve efficiencies and cut costs.

Create an action plan

Create an energy efficiency action plan which outlines key priorities, problem areas, and opportunities to cut costs. Get guidance and support from Business Link, Carbon Trust or Envirowise. 

Think ahead

As one conservationist said: “In the long term, the economy and the environment are the same thing. If it’s unenvironmental it’s uneconomical”. Keep this perspective in mind to stay motivated for the long-term.

Find the right temperature

According to Carbon Trust, for every additional degree in temperature you typically pay an extra 8% in heating costs. Keep room temperatures comfortable but cost-effective.

Switch to efficient lighting systems

According to Carbon Trust: changing tube lights from T12 to T8 or T5 will offer savings of 10% or more; and occupancy sensors which automatically turn off lights in vacant areas can cut costs by 30%.

Power-down computer equipment

Correctly set up power saving and standby features to automatically power-down devices, or simply turn them off when not in use. Carbon Trust estimates £35 a year could be saved for every computer.

Create an equipment policy

Develop and communicate guidelines. For example: computers should automatically power down after 30 minutes of inactivity; individuals leaving the office last are responsible for turning off lights and equipment.

Save water

Envirowise has a section on its website that shows you how to conduct a water audit and cut down on water use: www.envirowise.gov.uk/water

Heating and boilers

Make sure heating and boiler controllers are scheduled to take account of occupancy patterns and weather conditions. Properly maintain equipment. Insulate pipework.

Energy monitors

Monitoring devices are emerging that provide current and past energy usage and trends. Such devices can help to see how your energy efficiency efforts are reducing costs.

 Waste reduction 

Examine your waste disposal bill to see where your heaviest expenses lie; target problems and try to reduce these amounts. You can find waste minimisation tips at www.envirowise.gov.uk

Air conditioning

Make sure air conditioners don’t operate below 24 degrees. Keep a temperature gap between heating and air conditioning so that both don’t activate at the same time. Use variable speed drives (VSDs).

Equipment upgrades

Ensure new equipment purchases, from computers to fridges, have good energy efficiency ratings. This provides long-term cost savings on purchases which can help to offset initial expenditure.

100% first year capital allowance

Through the ECA scheme you might be eligible to claim 100% first year capital allowance on investments in energy-saving technologies, such as heating and air conditioning and low carbon emission cars.

Install Building Energy Management Systems

Computer controlled system that monitors and controls building services and provides analytical data to track energy saving. Especially useful for buildings with changing usage and occupancy patterns.

Combined Heat and Power

On-site generation of electricity and re-use of heat produced in the process. Carbon Trust says they are “the single biggest way to cut buildings–related energy costs” when used correctly.

More info:

Business Link - A wide range of environment and efficiency guides, advice and support

Envirowise – Resource efficiency and money saving resources

Carbon Trust – Cut carbon and reduce costs

Customer care

Published by Corrina on 18 February, 2010 in Sales & Marketing, Strategy & Operations and Top Tips • 0 Comments

Five tips for improving customer care, satisfaction and loyalty.

1. Remember why it’s important

Taking good care of customers improves customer satisfaction and loyalty, and increases the chances of customers recommending your products or services to others.

It’s an important part of relationship marketing, which focuses on getting and keeping customers through a combination of marketing, quality, and customer service. Building relationships also helps to minimise costs, because retaining customers is usually cheaper than acquiring new ones.

2. Identify high value customers

Which individual customers, or customer groups, give you the greatest financial return – when considering the costs associated with acquiring, managing and servicing them?

Answering this question allows you to focus time and resources into keeping your highest value customers happy. It also guides the acquisition of new customers which fit this high-value profile.

3. Establish feedback mechanisms

Conduct surveys, questioning customers on factors such as product or service quality, response times, staff knowledge and attitude, complaint handling, and overall satisfaction. Surveys that remain consistent are useful for tracking performance over time. To maximise participation: keep things simple, offer options to respond online, and consider offering incentives.

Other feedback methods include: comment cards or “tell us how we are doing” links on email footers or websites; insights from customer-facing employees; talking to customers individually or in focus groups;  courtesy calls; dialogue via social networks or online forums.

Make feedback a two-way process: thank customers for their participation; respond to dissatisfied customers and resolve their complaints; openly explain to customers how you are trying to improve.

4. Establish customer service metrics

Identifying high value customers, and obtaining customer feedback, allows you to define key customer service metrics which you should both maintain and improve upon.

For instance, you may learn that high value customers are generally satisfied, but unhappy with how your people respond when things go wrong. Such a weakness represents an opportunity to react to customer feedback and improve in future.

5. Train your employees

Employees may need support and training to improve on the customer service issues identified. Review customer feedback and performance metrics, and use these insights to develop a training plan which plugs the gaps in your customer service.

More info - Manage your customer care guide