Business Wisdom Podcast

Part of doing business, winning and keeping clients or customers is Telling Your Story.This is the story that makes the difference between you and your competitors. It's what allows the prospect to discover the 'one' they want to work with; the one they trust to deliver their outcome. What they discover is the person / business they feel comfortable handing their dollars to in return for a product or service, secure in the knowledge they have made the right decision. This story therefore needs to be told with enthusiasm and conviction. BE SURE YOU ARE TELLING YOUR STORY WITH ENTHUSIASM: • Speak loudly • Speak rapidly • Hesitate • Modulate & • Emphasise Telling the right story, and telling the right story well will deliver you the right client, and will give you the opportunity to have the business you really want.

We have all seen them. Those people who glide through life, surfing across what appears to others as angry, frightening waves of turmoil and angst. They appear totally confident and nothing gets in their way.

What is it that allows them to bypass the drudgery, confusion and chaos that seems to paralyse others?

As you watch them glide by, you notice admiringly how confident they are.

Confidence is not a thing innate within us. It is not a cloack you can grab from the cloaset and put on to cover and hide the self-doubt. Confidence is learned.

Fear stops people achieving. Regardless of the dreams and wishes expressed, if a person is overcome by fear, achievement is impossible. Fear treads on imagination - snuffs it out. Fear removes your self reliance - excises it so that you doubt yourself in every respect. Fear sucks out all enthusiasm - no matter how hard you try, those around you see only a try too hard. Fear takes the place of initiative and drives the sufferer to uncertainty. Fear invites and delivers failure in every form you can imagine.

Numbers, numbers, numbers! We've heard it all before. And so many times.

We have heard much of it before, but did it make sense? Did it resonate with you? Did you hear the message? Or did the very word 'numbers' put you off?

The thing about numbers is that they are especially important when it comes to business. Not just especially important, they are paramount. Without understanding your numbers, you are missing out.

Business is all about revenue and knowing exactly what is needed to be hit, and when it is needed, is critical to the success of the business and when it comes to sales there is a ratio of numbers every business owner needs to know.

Business growth is often the biggest priority for every business operator. After all, growth equals more revenue, right? Well yes, but you want to understand how your business is operating to give you the best chance of growth.

Of course, you need a plan. Growth without planning is like setting sail without a map. You need to know where you intend to go and how you plan to get there before you set off. Otherwise, you put both your vessel and crew at risk of running aground.

Planning for growth involves knowing exactly where you are now, where you intend to be and charting a very clear course of how you intend to get there.

To begin understanding where you really are, understanding what delivers the result you are presently achieving is paramount. To build on what you have, know how what you have has been built. Are there opportunities to improve efficiencies to allow faster, more predictable growth?

Count what is happening to manage what you have, what you want and how to make the change.

• Identify performance - find critical points of interaction

• What results have been delivered to date

• What change in activity will improve the result

• Introduce and apply the right activity

Maintaining or growing efficiency in a business comes down to managing. Count the things to be managed to allow for greater efficiency.

Every business has resources, some of which are underutilised or not used to best advantage for rapid growth and sustained growth.

Using the resources at your disposal to their best advantage is paramount to obtaining the results you want. Achieving goals is made much more difficult if the resources are not well used.

The greatest resource is also finite - time.

A Mission Statement tells the story of your business. It invites people to see you clearly. That is, precisely what it is that you offer by way of product or service and how that relates to them - the customer. The Mission Statement delivers relevant information about your business, including: • What needs or opportunities the business addresses • What the business does • How customer needs are addressed • What level of service is provided • What values guide the organisation The Mission Statement should deliver its message clearly to everyone who comes in contact with your business - customers, employees, suppliers and other stakeholders. Ideally, it will inspire, support and encourage engagement, giving a clear view of outcomes. The clarity from understanding your Mission, along with a whole lot more, clearly shows a new customer they are 'in the right place', the have found 'the right person' and they are more ready to engage with you.

The End of Financial Year is fast approaching. For some this can be an overwhelming time of year. Take the time to use this time of year to advantage. We know we must get our numbers sorted to comply with tax etc. so use this as a time to explore what those numbers mean regarding business performance. Some of the tings you might think of: • The financials • Business performance • KPIs • Goal achievement • Goal setting • Business structure • Products and services • Staffing • Plant and equipment • Business location • Ownership or partnerships • Risk mitigation, compliance, website renewals, business name registrations. insurance needs, workplace health & safety and a bunch more • The Business Plan Getting ahead of these things goes a long way to avoiding overwhelm.

In business, it's a given that you are often busy. But the real question is - are you productive? We can be busy but busy does not mean we are productive in our business, we can just be busy for the sake of being busy. The question comes down to are you utilising your available time to boost your business in a proactive manner? Most small business operators feel they work in their business, not on it, so in this episode let's explore a few ways we can be productive rather than just busy. •GOALS - Recognise your goals and the activity required to achieve them. This includes small day-to-day deadlines through major goals like performance targets and an overarching business plan. •PROACTIVE v. REACTIVE - Consider problems before they arise and have the strategies to deal with them. •TIME MANAGEMENT - Allocate time to do tasks. Whether it's talking to your accountant, scheduling your next event or providing service to a customer - and do it when you say you will. •SEEK HELP - If you are constantly behind, it could be time to seek help. Has your business grown too large for the existing staff? •STAFF COMMUNICATION - Ensure people have clear role descriptions and expectations. •START THE DAY THE NIGHT BEFORE - Clear your head to be a step ahead of the game before the day has even begun. Little things, laying out your clothes, or writing a to-do list the night before are tremendously effective in improving productivity. It's easy to find yourself struggling to meet the ongoing deadlines. Planning, proactive strategies and time management can help accomplish real, productivity to truly boost your business performance. If you would like a business wisdom deck of your own you can get one here https://www.enevergroup.com.au/product/business-wisdom-deck/