Recruiting the right people for the right job

Getting the right person with the right skill, enthusiasm, expertise and confidence for the post within your business is as rare as winning the Lotto. Or is it?

What can be done to better recruit the right staff members within your business? There are a number of key strategies that can be followed to help eliminate the errors of recruitment that will help get closer to the right person.

The number one error we see in small business is what I call ‘Sympathy employment’. This happens when we are requested or even forced into employing someone from our own family, church or friend circle just because of their relationship with you. This request often comes from your mother or someone else you find it hard to say No to. You employ this person and from day one they become a slacker and high maintenance. These people are hard to train, discipline or get rid of. If you have in the past or are planning to employ someone like this: DO NOT.

Another issue we see in small businesses is that staff are either recruited far too early for the post or too late. Both these result in a huge trough of productivity for the new staff member who is either board or over-worked. Staff should be employed at the right time, just as the workload is increasing allowing just enough time for Induction, training and orientation into the business. Timing is everything

Developing a solid business case and job description for new posts is key. Too often we think we know what we need and then once we are stuck with a staff member, we try to bend our business around their skills and needs. This compromise will always begin to derail your business and your long term strategies.

Getting professional help is a must for more skilled posts. I know that recruitment agencies are expensive and they don’t seem to ‘earn’ their money, but their experience and insight into the process of recruitment will be invaluable in the long term. Get help from the right people.

Do not recruit off GumTree or CraigList or any other free web based advertising platform. You will get all the people you do not want or need. We put up an advert for an admin post earlier this year and got over 300 applications. Most of them with spelling errors and completely inadequate skill sets.

Then once you have employed someone you need to put them on an induction programme: more on this in the next post.

By |2017-03-06T13:58:52+02:00March 6th, 2017|Business Resources, Leadership|0 Comments

Are Your Staff Developing?

This week we will look at staff development within small businesses. I am convinced that our staff are and always will be our most important asset. But with this comes a huge maintenance bill and related effort. For most small business owners we chat to, the number one complaint is either Debtors or Staff. Debtors we will chat about some other time. But staff are and continue to be the gripe of any business. So what is it that we need to do: other than fire them all and work alone, yes, we think about it too.

The issues around staff can be grouped into the following topics, each we will focus on within this series of posts.

  1. Recruiting the right people for the right job
  2. Inducting staff into your business
  3. Staff development and education
  4. Accountability and assessments
  5. Cutting, pruning and firing

These topics will be posted on our various platforms over the next few days. Please comment, ask, object and offer further advice. We all need to learn more about how to get these things right in our businesses.

By |2017-03-06T12:28:26+02:00March 6th, 2017|Business Resources|0 Comments

How to make your clients happy.

Happy customerIt is crucial for every business owner to realize the importance of nurturing relationships with clients. Not only do these people provide the revenue coming into the business but there also is a great feeling that comes with contributing to the success and happiness of your clients.

Part of growing a successful business is caring for your customers. Realize that we are in times where an unhappy client can share their opinion with the masses through social media and that can negatively affect your business. That’s why it’s even more important than ever to create an excellent experience for your customers to help develop your company’s relationship with them into love.

So, how would you know whether your clients are happy or not? Well, you would not know unless they or someone lets you know, right? You need to interact with them and review their feedback very often.

Below are 3 tips on how to make your clients happy.

1. Always listen to your clients.

When you have a conversation with your clients, it’s important to truly listen and take into account what changes your business should make from the feedback you will be getting, and then follow through.

2. Respect your clients and their views.

It’s very important to be respectful of a customer’s mood when trying to resolve an issue they have with your company. Keeping your patience is key to giving your customer the time to air out their issue. Don’t come on too strong even if they are wrong.

3. Talk to your clients genuinely

Don’t act as a nameless or faceless business; genuinely talk with your clients as a person representing the business. Address your customers by name, and tell them your name at the very beginning of your interaction.

Remember that a happy client normally tells 4 to 6 people about your company and its customer service. So, making your clients happy is another way to significantly influence the word of mouth about your business.

By |2016-11-01T10:20:09+02:00March 23rd, 2016|Marketing|0 Comments

How to manage your time effectively as an entrepreneur.

Business Time. Management concept with clock

It’s a myth that entrepreneurs have a lot of time in their hands because they are their own bosses. Entrepreneurs never have enough time to do all that they need to do everyday, especially when they had just started their businesses. Juggling between raising funds and finding good employees can really be challenging, hence one needs to know how to effectively manage their time.

Time management is critical in everything in life, even in business. Your long-term success in entrepreneurship is determined by the way you manage your time. Business owners turn to have so many decisions to make and are expected to be innovative and stay in the game. All of that can really be overwhelming. Hence the need to learn the technique of managing your time.

Why is time management important? Firstly, it’s a determining factor for your overall productivity. The better you manage your time, the more productive you become. Secondly, it bears a massive impact on your psychological disposition. The worse you are at time management, the more stress you’ll experience, and the more easily exhausted you’ll be in your position.

So, business owner, here are 5 techniques you can use to better manage your time:

1. Draw the line.
Part of being an effective time manager is knowing what to do and when to do it. You must know when to “cool down” and have a firm “go home” time. This line will keep you refreshed, mitigating the risk of burnout, and will help you focus on the work that needs to be done. We know entrepreneurs are passionate about their work, so it’s tempting to take on as much work as possible. However, if you do this at the expense of your personal life, it could have dire consequences for your mental and physical health.

2. Take breaks.
A recent study suggests that working for 52 minutes and breaking for 17 is the optimal pattern for productivity. As ridiculous as it sounds, it is a fact that taking breaks will actually help you stay more productive.

3. Choose efficient modes of communication.

You don’t need to call an hour-long meeting every time you have an update.  Emails are instant, written and permanent, and can be executed much faster than a phone call. Try and communicate as concise as possible, and you could save yourself hours a day.

4. Delegate.

There is nothing wrong with delegating. Most new entrepreneurs see their businesses as their baby, and they’re intimidated to let anyone else take control. As a result, they take on a lot of tasks they otherwise wouldn’t and end up overloaded. Save yourself a lot of time and be an effective ‘delegator’.

5. Focus on one thing at a time.

Multitasking is good, but can be distracting. Do not attempt to multitask, and let yourself get distracted by items that have newly arisen. Instead, focus on one item at a time, and don’t stray from it until it’s complete.

By |2016-11-01T10:20:09+02:00March 10th, 2016|Entrepreneurship|0 Comments

How to handle your finances as a start-up entrepreneur

968886_498969703524410_1351264542_nIn case you were not aware, March is termed the Financial Month, so we will be talking a lot on finances this month.

In this articles we would like to give you a few tips on how to handle your finances as a new entrepreneur. A good understanding and management of finances should be your priority when you start a business. Even if you decide to hire an accountant or bookkeeper to manage the books, you still need to familiarize yourself with basic bookkeeping and money management principles and activities.

Here are 4 tips on how to handle your finances if you have just started a business:

1. Open a bank account.
Once you have registered your business, you will need to open a commercial bank account. Start by selecting the bank you want to work with – a bank that will be small-business-friendly. It should be easy to open a bank account for your business, nothing complicated is required. The next step will be to deposit funds into your new account

2. Get a professional.
Accountants and financial advisers have always been trusted and respected helpers of small business owners everywhere. Their intimate knowledge of the profession as well as tax laws in their jurisdiction will save you money almost every time. The thought or temptation to do it yourself so you can save a buck or two will creep in sometimes, but it’s almost never more cost-efficient in the end. An accountant will almost always find more deductions and keep you penalty-free. Just make sure you have the cleanest records, and be more organized year-round. But when things get technical or taxes are due, save yourself the money, time and headaches and call in a trusted professional.

3. Accepting cash and online payment services.
In today’s competitive business world, you must provide customers with many ways to pay, including cash, debit card, credit card and electronic cash. There is a cost to provide these payment options – account fees, transaction fees, etc. So make sure to shop around for the best service with the best prices. Not all banks and payment processing services are the same, and fees vary widely, so do your research and compare prices.
Online payment services: PayPal is one of the most popular online payment services with more than 40 million members in 45 countries, offering personal and business account services.The advantages of online payment services are that they’re quick, easy and cheap to open and you can have the funds deposited directly into your account.

4. Establish payment terms and conditions.
Every small-business owner needs to establish a payment terms policy. You may want to standardize the way you get paid, at the same time you will also have to be flexible enough to meet clients’ needs on an individual basis. Setting payment terms covers deposits, progress payments and extending credit. It’s important to establish a clear, written payment terms with clients prior to providing services or delivering product. Your payment terms should be printed on your estimate forms, included in formal contracts and work orders, and printed on your final invoices and monthly account statements.

By |2016-11-01T10:20:10+02:00March 3rd, 2016|Uncategorized|0 Comments

The 10 Myths of entrepreneurship

1. Successful entrepreneurs are male drop outs and secret geniuses.

No. The potential of successful entrepreneurship is in each of us.  The entrepreneurial idea begins with unique means that a person already has.

2. It’s not the goals we focus on in the beginning but the means, by acting without a single fixed goal.

Wrong! You need to have a goal of where you want to see your business.

3. It takes a lot of money to finance a new business.

Not really, you can start your business with your available means.

4. People will still your ideas if you talk about them. Keep them a secret.

You have to talk about your ventures and goals to extend your means and portfolio of goal.

5. Entrepreneurship is a win – lose situation, where you decide who gets the largest piece of cake.

In entrepreneurship the cake is not even yet baked. Those who want to join bring their means and ideas to bake the cake together.

6. It’s not a win – win situation either.

In business you build the future together, without competing.

7. You just have to go with the flow.

Wrong! you need a business plan. How else are you going to know where you are going if you do not have a plan?

8. You need to follow a learnable routine and formulas to become a successful entrepreneur.

Wrong. Everyone of us have a unique start of means that can be applied by anyone to become successful in business.

9. Entrepreneurship is rooted in the genes.

No. Entrepreneurs are made, not born!

10. Entrepreneurs can predict the future.

The only thing entrepreneurs do with future is build it, not predict it. They are definitely not prophets.

By |2016-11-01T10:20:10+02:00February 24th, 2016|EI Videos|0 Comments

The State Of your Business Affairs – SOBA

SOBA memeThere’s been serious economic changes that have occurred recently, and that calls for a lot of things to change in business. Entrepreneurs sure must do things differently in order to survive. Everyone must change, especially small-business owners. The good news is while change is good; it does not mean that what you have been doing all along is bad. Change can be leveraged to keep up desired progress, saving cost and eliminating duplicative efforts.

With the rand becoming weaker and weaker every day, it cannot be a surprise that the confidence of many business owners is in tatters. Actually, everyone’s confidence is torn into pieces. Therefore as a business owner, you need to have strategies in place that are designed to work in a changing business climate.

Constantly check the state of your business affairs. Adjust, confront and conquer.

In tough times such as these, advisors are crucial because you need people to bounce ideas off, inspect what you’re doing, and push you to greater accomplishments. And always keep in mind that this isn’t about you; it’s about the business. Keep your emotions aside.

Being an entrepreneur is your choice, so make it work. It can be done. You can survive, emerge and succeed in this downsized economy, if you follow the right path.

 

By |2016-11-01T10:20:11+02:00February 12th, 2016|General|0 Comments

Mark Cuban’s 12 Rules For Start-ups.

Mark Cuban1. Do not start a company, unless it’s an obsession and something you love.

2. If you have an exit strategy, it’s not an obsession.

3. Hire people who you think will enjoy working there.

4. Sales cure all. Know how your company will make money and how you will actually make sales.

5. Know your core competencies and focus on being great at them.

6. Lunch is a chance to get out of the office and talk.

7. No offices. There is nothing private in a start-up

8. As far as technology, go with what you know.

9. Keep the organization flat.

10.  Never buy swag.

11. Never hire a PR company.

12. Make the job fun for employees.

By |2016-11-01T10:20:15+02:00December 14th, 2015|Start up school|0 Comments

5 ways to make customers eat out of your hand: Part 3

Here is part 3 of the excellent customer service skills you must have to have your clients eat out of your hand.

 

customer+service

1. Have time management skills

Managing your time properly as a customer service representative can ultimately mean the difference between falling behind in minimum calls required and excelling in the position you are holding.

2. Know your organization

Interacting with your colleagues and being friendly with them will help you if you ever face complex problems. The more people you get to know in your organization the easier it is to work together to ensure that customers are satisfied.

3. Be friendly and compassionate 

Your friendly and caring attitude will surely help in creating the right atmosphere for coming to the best solutions.

4. Be a leader 

Showing that you are capable of providing new solutions fir customers proves your leadership skills and increases your professionalism.

5. Learn from mistakes 

Taking time to reflect on any mistakes you have made is a way for you to gain insight in to how to properly manage customers and effectively communicate at all times.

By |2016-11-01T10:20:15+02:00December 11th, 2015|Business Resources|0 Comments

5 ways to make customers eat out of your hand: Part 1

imagesCustomer satisfaction is very important in any kind of business. The success of your business depends not only on your hard work, but on the satisfaction the customers. Their satisfaction is the best indicator of how likely they are gonna be loyal to you and will make a purchase in the future.

Hang around with us as we share with you a five-part-series on skills you must have in order to have an excellent customer service. Having all these skills will surely make your customers eat out of the palm of your hand.

1. Be a good listener
Listen intently. Ask questions and summarize the answer of your customer. This will surely show that you care and want to offer the right solution.

2.Have great communication skills
Learn how to effectively communicate with your clients. Know when to listen, when to speak and how to speak. I will make the communication process much simpler any time you talk with a customer.

3. Be calm and patient
Try to manage your emotions and stay calm. This will help to deal with disgruntled and confused customers. When you are calm your customer will feel more respected.

4. Keep your promises
Develop the ability to manage expectations of customer complaints. Stay up-to-date with company policies to ensure that any promise you make for a customer can be delivered.

5. Be honest
Being honest and transparent with your customers proves that you truly care about their happiness and satisfaction.

Develop this skills to excel in any customer service position, regardless of your responsibility, your industry or type of customer you are working with every day.

We will be sharing more on this topic for the next few Fridays, so stay tuned as we continue to learn together.

By |2016-11-01T10:20:16+02:00November 27th, 2015|Business Resources, Entrepreneurship|0 Comments
Go to Top