Building your Strategic Network

We are not able to run and rule the world alone: not even our own lives. We do need others who offer support, counsel, and services to areas that we are not proficient at.
These areas can be separated into three different networks, we call then our Strategic Networks. Each offer a different type of support or serves and function to both our own lives and that of our business.
Our Foundation network group people who are there to offer services and products to enable your business to grow.
Our Support network includes people who are there to offer support to you without the need to fix or find a solution other than just listen.
Our Expansion network contains people who know the people you need to sell to. They are also equipped with enough information about your business and products to share this with others.

This week we will begin to map each of these out and assist you in developing a strategic network for your future.

By |2016-11-01T10:20:04+02:00October 17th, 2016|90 Day Sprint|0 Comments

Defining Your Business for Success

Creating a business is not just about products and customers. Like any good thing it needs a name: a name that will represent what your business stands for and can be recognised in the market as a leader in its field.

But what is in a name? The first sentence we ask of our clients is to define the Purpose of the business. This is so much more than just making money and paying the bills. We will expand more on this in tomorrow’s post.

We also need to add to our business with a good name and logo. This is always one of the hardest issues when starting a business. Not only do you have to find a good name, but then to register this in the CIPC but also find a good URL for your website and then to register the same on all the required social media platforms all becomes a huge undertaking.

Having a good name and purpose is still not enough. These all need to be backed up by a well defines Vision, Mission and a set of defined company values.

Once all these have been written and edited to completion your business will begin to develop a live of its own guided by all of the above. Staff, suppliers and customers will begin to develop their own interaction behaviours with your business based on how it is defined and so your business will develop. Without one or more of the above, your business will have to rely on you at all times to define it with each interaction you have with others and as your mood changes, so will the perception of your business.

 

Spend some time this week defining your business for success. We will expand on each of these during the week on our blog and related social media platforms.

By |2016-11-01T10:20:04+02:00October 10th, 2016|90 Day Sprint|0 Comments

Product Features and Benefits

Product Features and Benefits

Too often we get this wrong. We do not distinguish between the product features and benefits in our marketing materials. Technical focused business owners and product developers seem to be so focused on the design on the product (and rightly so) that we forget to focus on the benefits to the customers.
So what need to be done about this? What can we do to improve our communication to the customer and get the balance right. The simple answer is to hire a marketing consultant or staff member who will help draft product specification sheets and web copy with all the right words and terms.
But actually, all that is required is to listen o your customers. Ask the right questions and begin to understand their needs and wants. Then just be addressing these, you automatically begin to talk product benefits and not features.
Remember that the customers do not care about how much you know, they need to know how much you care first.

#90DayBizSprint

By |2016-11-01T10:20:04+02:00October 5th, 2016|90 Day Sprint|0 Comments

What’s your Product Offering

Delivering a well-presented product offering to your customer base is key to business sustainability. This seems basic but so many business owners do not understand the importance of this and get it wrong in so many ways.
Your product should be not only well designed but also well described. Described in terms of features, benefits, and related supply chain. All these attributes define your product and should be used in the correct way in the correct place to communicate the correct message.
Getting this right is what this week is all about and should prove informative and business changing for you.

Join us on this 90-day business sprint this week as we speak all thing product. #90DayBizSprint

By |2016-11-01T10:20:04+02:00October 3rd, 2016|90 Day Sprint, Marketing|0 Comments

Finding new customers for your business made easy

Finding new customers is one of those activities that should occupy 80% of a business’s time and effort. But retaining customers is just as important and should also occupy 80% of resources. This short video in an extract from Geoff Ramm’s keynote speech on Customer Service that he delivers across the globe each year. (Video courtesy of Unique Speakers Bureau)

Keeping customers is key, but finding them is priority. There are three types of customers: existing, new and conversion. Each group needs to be treated differently and each will need a new set of processes and strategies to cope with their needs.
New clients are the hardest to attract. They will require the full sales cycle of processes. This will include a series of Inform sessions where you need to create an awareness of their problems and potential solutions (including your product). This is followed by a series of educational interactions. This converts the initial need into a want for the potential clients and will lead them, to the next step: the purchase.
Following this, they need to be looked after and channelled to the up-sell and re-sell processes. Simple, yet most businesses get this so wrong and make it too complicated that not only do the customers not understand it but the staff are just as confused.
Get this right and your business will grow. #90DayBizSprint

By |2016-11-01T10:20:05+02:00September 30th, 2016|90 Day Sprint|0 Comments

Who are your Customers?

This week in the 90 Day Business Sprint we look at our Customers. This word should always be spelt with a capital ‘C’ to show how important they are to our business. They are, after all, the ones who pay our salaries.
We have 3 types of customers:
Existing Customers: the people or businesses who are already an existing customer and who purchase from us on a regular basis.
New Customers: the people or businesses who do not yet spend money with us. These are the ones we need to attract and develop new relationships with.
Conversion customers: These people or businesses who shop at other businesses for the same or similar product offers as yours. These are the ones we need to attract and convert.
Each customer base needs a different strategy and set of marketing materials in order to build and deepen that relationship.
This week, we will begin to explore this and look at some tools to build solid, long term and profitable relationships with our customers.

By |2016-11-01T10:20:05+02:00September 26th, 2016|90 Day Sprint|0 Comments

Problem + Impact = Opportunity

Understanding the problems we face each day allows us the chance to look at the impact these problems cause and in so doing, provides us with an opportunity for a business solution.
Frustrated people are a ripe market for solutions and solutions lead to business ventures that lead to profits. One of the great skills of a seasoned entrepreneur is to allow the world to provide us with business opportunities. We just need to retune ourselves into that mode and not wallow in the problem with others, but rise above the situation and identify ways to move forward towards a solution.
This week we have already given you some tools to analyse the problem using the 5 Whys to get to the root cause. The next stage is to identify all the people who are affected by the problem. This is normally more than one group, each with their own perspective and issues related to the problem. Now we are ready to begin to analyse each group and determine a way forward with solutions and eventually a product that can be taken to market.
This methodology of business development always ensures you have a customer base when you launch. These customers are the original people you identify as being frustrated or affected by the problem. How easy is it to just start a business and launch your product knowing that your initial sales are already secured through your upfront market research.
This is far better than trying to develop a product offering that you think or hope people need then try to launch through persuading and begging people to use your product.
Consider what your problem is that you are trying to solve and then realign your product around this and the affected people. Then re-launch with the focused effort of problem-solving rather than market manipulation.
We have some more tools and tips on problem-solving on our social media pages this week and next week we start looking at our customers in greater depth. #90DayBizSprint

By |2016-09-21T07:13:39+02:00September 21st, 2016|90 Day Sprint|0 Comments

90 Day Business Sprint – What is your Problem

I remember as kids whenever anyone did something wrong or weird, we would ask them “What is your problem?” Who knew that this would become a cornerstone to building a business?
Getting to know and understand the identified problem is always one of the first steps of coaching we do with new business owners. And often we revert back to this for existing businesses to better understand their market and find new opportunities for business.
So, what is the problem you are trying to solve? Why does the problem exist? Who are the people involved? What are the causes? What are the effects? What would be a better outcome? What is the ideal solution?
Using the 5 WHYs and keep asking the What, why, when, who and where questions assists in a full analysis of the problem. This is always done before the ideation around a product or solution. The key here is to firstly fully understand the whole problem, look for potential opportunities and then begin to formulate a strategy that will result in a solution, but more on that next week.

By |2016-11-01T10:20:05+02:00September 19th, 2016|90 Day Sprint|0 Comments

90 Day Business Sprint – Week 1

Week one of the business sprint is all about you. Who are you as an entrepreneur and what makes you tick. We will look at your strengths and required support structures to make you complete and what you can do to be a fully focused functional entrepreneur and business owner.
So, some questions to ask and answer before we can kick this week off:
Who are you? Not just name and age, but have you really ever asked yourself who you really are. At your very core?
What about: what are you? A little harder to answer, but this often get to the root cause of the purpose of your life and what needs to be done in order to fulfil this purpose.
We also need then to ask: What is it that you do? Doing is Being and Being is Doing. To be just a spectator to life is not being fully engaged in adding value and just leads to entitlement and a non-participant lifestyle.
We end off with: What is your impact on society, both positive and negative. How effective are you each week, each day at making the world a better place because you got out of bed?
So journey with us this week and we peel back some of the layers to yourself and look deep within to discover your true self.

By |2016-11-01T10:20:05+02:00September 12th, 2016|90 Day Sprint|0 Comments

Welcome to the 90 Day Business Sprint

With just over 90 days to go until the end of the year, we thought we would offer you the opportunity to gather up the final burst of energy you have left to make the rest of the year awesome for both you and your business.

So welcome to the 90-day business sprint. This will be a 13-week journey, each week with a focus and theme. Each day with a new tool, insight or tip. Following this for the next 90 days will give you a list, a boost and a new focus on your business. Growth is imminent.

Here is the introduction video:

By |2016-11-01T10:20:05+02:00September 12th, 2016|90 Day Sprint|0 Comments
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