Since we are heading up to Christmas, it’s a good time to start planning on ways to woo your clients, lift the staff morale and plan for 2013 to be one of your best, so read on.
2. Impress your clients and at the same time do something good for someone else!
This year I have been receiving electronic Christmas cards with the sender mentioning they have donated to the charity rather than sending gifts or cards. It’s as easy as making a donation to your favourite charity, sending out emails to your clients notifying them that you have made a donation rather than sending out gifts or cards. It’s a winner for everyone, your business shows Corporate Social Responsibility, the environment is better off, your clients will be impressed and you will be helping people or good causes!
3. Have a really good look at your own personal brand!
Yes that’s right! What image are you portraying? When people first meet you what impression do they get? What does your online image represent? What are you known for? As things quieten down during the Christmas break it might be a good time to access what your personal brand stands for. You are a walking advertisement for your business so ensure you are really impressing both online and offline. Maybe it’s time to call in an image consultant or social media expert to help you stand out from the rest.
4. Telephone skills for 2013
We seem to have lost the art of talking on the telephone due to our online world. I personally would like to see more companies monitoring voicemail and ensuring staff are actually picking up their phones if they are at their desks. The beginning of the New Year is a perfect time to have your staff trained in telesales, inbound calls, and elephone etiquette.
5. Recruit the right people for 2013
Coming from a recruitment background, I have seen far too many hiring mistakes in my time. Recruiting the wrong people is costly and detrimental to business. A new concept in recruitment which can save up to 80% on recruitment fees is www.recruitloop.com.au How it works, you invite a recruiter to submit a proposal, once you accept the proposal your recruiter will work on an hourly rate, you can monitor the progress through the database, candidates can also participate in video interviews which you can watch prior to meeting in person and once the position is filled you will have saved thousands of dollars on recruitment fees. The recruiters are free-lance so they don’t have the overheads or heavy KPI’s to meet.
6. Who is motivating the team?
Employees appreciate training and knowing their employer cares enough to invest in them. Investing in team building, customer service training, sales training, motivation or any other relevant training should be a high priority for any organisation. After all happy staff = good profits!
7. Send a groovy Christmas video invitation to your guests
Try www.animoto.com This is an easy to use program which I use myself and I have certainly had my return of investment many times over. Ideal for small and medium businesses to make a range of promotional videos as well.
8. Grow your network!
Here are some great networking organisations to build your network. www.shebusiness.com | www.networkcentral.com.au | www.businesschicks.com.au | www.bni.com.au
The trick of course is to follow up after each event with the people you have met and keep in touch. Go with the attitude of “How can I serve”? You will never go wrong.
9. Read great magazines!
Like Spark magazine! Or another favourite of mine, Empower Magazine.
10. Get involved with Chambers of Commerce
An excellent advocate for women in business is the Australian Women’s Chamber of Commerce and Industry www.awcci.org.au , The American Chamber of Commerce in Australia www.amcham.com.au and of course the local Business Chambers of Commerce.
11. Get Healthier
Business owners often neglect their own health by not eating properly, working far too many hours, not exercising and having too much stress. Try making some little changes to be healthier like walking instead of driving sometimes, drink more water, take time out to meditate and try replacing one thing from your diet that you could do without. For example just cutting out on white flour will make a difference. My trick is to fit my walk around grocery shopping and I walk meditating. No I’m not chanting Om Om Om when I’m walking down the street, I direct my thoughts two ways. One is a walk and appreciate everything, even the weeds are beautiful, I see the beauty in things I would normally not even notice. Two, I still my mind and just observe what I’m seeing without thinking about what’s for dinner etc. Try it yourself, you get a walk, still your mind and the groceries done in one hit. What a time saver!
12. Be kind to yourself
If you have the opportunity to have some time off over the Christmas/New Year period then this is a good time to completely wind down and recharge! As they say when you are taking off on a plane, always fit your mask first before helping others, because if you are not OK then how can you be of any use to anyone else?
Debbie Carr