To SME Owners
YEP growth takes cash/ funds , go look into the following.
1 Get ride of your low margin products, which also have low sales volumes
2 Re look at your advertising budget/ promotion budget, can you reduce, depends on many things
ie how well known is your business brand, how long have you been in business, do you have to find more new clients each period, year etc vs current clients
3 If you have SBU's can you re allocate resources to areas that are having, need growth.
4 Obtaining outside funding.
5 And obviously from sustainable profits and cash management re your debtor's book and stock management.
Interesting
Till next time may the Force be with You
Wednesday 8 March 2017
Thursday 2 March 2017
How to tell Good Growth from bad Growth
To Sme Owners
Yes, growth of any kind, shape, or form will increase sales, BUT is it
Profitable, sustainable and creates wealth over time for you the Sme owner.
Sure go do price cutting, reduce your price below acceptable gp%, but then you must have a corresponding cut in costs, if not big big risk.
Your gp% benchmark, ask how did I calculate what we must charge, yes you know the calculation, so do not do business under your benchmark, really better to walk away from the deal.
remember your main functions as a leader of your business, is to
- develop strategy, and implement through your team
- position your business as different
- ensure your client needs are met
- develop and inspire your team
Quite SIMPLE?
Yes, growth of any kind, shape, or form will increase sales, BUT is it
Profitable, sustainable and creates wealth over time for you the Sme owner.
Sure go do price cutting, reduce your price below acceptable gp%, but then you must have a corresponding cut in costs, if not big big risk.
Your gp% benchmark, ask how did I calculate what we must charge, yes you know the calculation, so do not do business under your benchmark, really better to walk away from the deal.
remember your main functions as a leader of your business, is to
- develop strategy, and implement through your team
- position your business as different
- ensure your client needs are met
- develop and inspire your team
Quite SIMPLE?
Wednesday 22 February 2017
Cool Product/ Unhappy clients???
To Sme Owners
So you have cool, great products, low pricing, so you think, you will win the deals, the war, wrong.
Clients want and need more these days, do you know want they want from your business. If I was you I would go and ask your top clients, yep those one's that are good payers and profitable, you chat to them, do not send a rep.
Yes sometimes you will think, and say, client xyz is a pain, is high maintenance, but before you bullet, fire them do your home work.
You must get a handle on the attitude of your client and how they think, most of them are inefficient, yes they are, most are busy being busy, so you have to understand your position vs theirs, but do you have to, nope, your call.
Chase the right clients, that fit your values, and culture, I can not over stress this enough, otherwise your business will not be positioned where it should be.
www.srecoaching.co.za
till next time may the Force be with you.
So you have cool, great products, low pricing, so you think, you will win the deals, the war, wrong.
Clients want and need more these days, do you know want they want from your business. If I was you I would go and ask your top clients, yep those one's that are good payers and profitable, you chat to them, do not send a rep.
Yes sometimes you will think, and say, client xyz is a pain, is high maintenance, but before you bullet, fire them do your home work.
You must get a handle on the attitude of your client and how they think, most of them are inefficient, yes they are, most are busy being busy, so you have to understand your position vs theirs, but do you have to, nope, your call.
Chase the right clients, that fit your values, and culture, I can not over stress this enough, otherwise your business will not be positioned where it should be.
www.srecoaching.co.za
till next time may the Force be with you.
Monday 6 February 2017
YOUR VALUE as an SME Owner
To Sme Owners,
I hope you ask yourself this often, do you see clients face to face,
Do your clients view you as being valuable to them, your Knowledge, your conversation is on the right track with them, do your bring solutions to the table, etc
Some other things to think about,
continue to educate your client,
help them make quicker decisions
have valuable input at every face to face meeting
remind how you can help them
cool YOU may wish to Visit www.srecoaching.co.za my new online SME owner coaching platform.
Till next time may the Force, be with You.
I hope you ask yourself this often, do you see clients face to face,
Do your clients view you as being valuable to them, your Knowledge, your conversation is on the right track with them, do your bring solutions to the table, etc
Some other things to think about,
continue to educate your client,
help them make quicker decisions
have valuable input at every face to face meeting
remind how you can help them
cool YOU may wish to Visit www.srecoaching.co.za my new online SME owner coaching platform.
Till next time may the Force, be with You.
Tuesday 24 January 2017
ARE you really, really client driven
To SME Owners
Check out these areas to confirm if you are really, really client driven, may be better to say client focused.
1 Do not be reactive, in a status quo mindset, you will be heading for trouble big time.
2 How do you focus on client satisfaction, repeat business???
3 Is the client a true partner, one that works for win win and who refers business to you.
Go check out your key clients, re the above, interesting, SIMPLE .
Till next time may the Force be with you, I see new Star wars moving coming out in December, fantastic, blog by Kyle Daines
Check out these areas to confirm if you are really, really client driven, may be better to say client focused.
1 Do not be reactive, in a status quo mindset, you will be heading for trouble big time.
2 How do you focus on client satisfaction, repeat business???
3 Is the client a true partner, one that works for win win and who refers business to you.
Go check out your key clients, re the above, interesting, SIMPLE .
Till next time may the Force be with you, I see new Star wars moving coming out in December, fantastic, blog by Kyle Daines
Thursday 19 January 2017
Your Decision Making
To SME Owners
Yes we make big and small decisions every day running our businesses, many are great, many are
poor.
Ask yourself HOW have you made, and make decisions, do you take time to gather every fact possible, or go with your gut.
Here is the trick, those decisions that involve big money, you need to fully understand the RISK LEVELS, but you still must move with SPEED.
I had a client that spent hour after hour for a week deciding on a poor performing staff member,
whether to fire or keep, staff members salary was R10k per month a light weight member of the team.
interesting,
Till next time may the Force be with you.
Yes we make big and small decisions every day running our businesses, many are great, many are
poor.
Ask yourself HOW have you made, and make decisions, do you take time to gather every fact possible, or go with your gut.
Here is the trick, those decisions that involve big money, you need to fully understand the RISK LEVELS, but you still must move with SPEED.
I had a client that spent hour after hour for a week deciding on a poor performing staff member,
whether to fire or keep, staff members salary was R10k per month a light weight member of the team.
interesting,
Till next time may the Force be with you.
Monday 16 January 2017
SOFT issues vs HARD issues in you SME Business
To SME Owners
We all know the above great time for a refresher, soft issues affect your business more than hard issues, REALLY
1 some soft issues.
- to much politics with staff, between departments
- lack of personal leadership by staff, and or bosses
- negative thinking, and attitudes
to name a few, I have a list of 20 which I coach staff, sme owners on.
2 some hard issues.
- correct sales at the right gp%
- your monthly operating costs
- your cash flow vs profits
- your business assets vs liabilities
to name a few.
go think about the above, cool
till next time may the Force be with You, post by Kyle Daines.
We all know the above great time for a refresher, soft issues affect your business more than hard issues, REALLY
1 some soft issues.
- to much politics with staff, between departments
- lack of personal leadership by staff, and or bosses
- negative thinking, and attitudes
to name a few, I have a list of 20 which I coach staff, sme owners on.
2 some hard issues.
- correct sales at the right gp%
- your monthly operating costs
- your cash flow vs profits
- your business assets vs liabilities
to name a few.
go think about the above, cool
till next time may the Force be with You, post by Kyle Daines.
Wednesday 11 January 2017
YES 2017, so
To SME Owners
it is time for you to engage VISIONARY BUSINESS and be DISRUPTIVE, in your markets you serve.
I have been slow on my blog , reason finished my book, which did take longer than I thought, yep TIME EFFECTIVE, could, and will be better on my second book.
But back to the two points above, your competitors will disrupt you this year, having Vision, you may be able to pick up on which areas.
Go take time out, now to give this a lot of thought, yes a good time to do it before the roller coaster hits you in Feb and March.
TILL next time may the Force be with you.
it is time for you to engage VISIONARY BUSINESS and be DISRUPTIVE, in your markets you serve.
I have been slow on my blog , reason finished my book, which did take longer than I thought, yep TIME EFFECTIVE, could, and will be better on my second book.
But back to the two points above, your competitors will disrupt you this year, having Vision, you may be able to pick up on which areas.
Go take time out, now to give this a lot of thought, yes a good time to do it before the roller coaster hits you in Feb and March.
TILL next time may the Force be with you.
Tuesday 20 September 2016
THE LEAN STARTUP
To SME Owners,
In my view no such thing as a lean start up, if you are in B2B market selling a product, WHY you may say.
Back in the day, when sme businesses started the owner, owner's worked 18 hour days, due to lack of a support structure.In today's business world you can not afford this. It will take you to long to get your business to the CRITICAL MASS LEVEL, and to be making money.
1 yes you still need a vision, but you can not take time to LEARN and EXPERIMENT, time and speed are the key's today
2 from day one you will have to ADAPT your business and your thinking, yes trust me on this.
So go re look your PLAN, cool
Till next time may the Force be with YOU.
In my view no such thing as a lean start up, if you are in B2B market selling a product, WHY you may say.
Back in the day, when sme businesses started the owner, owner's worked 18 hour days, due to lack of a support structure.In today's business world you can not afford this. It will take you to long to get your business to the CRITICAL MASS LEVEL, and to be making money.
1 yes you still need a vision, but you can not take time to LEARN and EXPERIMENT, time and speed are the key's today
2 from day one you will have to ADAPT your business and your thinking, yes trust me on this.
So go re look your PLAN, cool
Till next time may the Force be with YOU.
Thursday 30 June 2016
Managing E commerce in your Business
To SME Owners
Ask yourself the above, it is critical that you have some form of plan,
Your plan should cover these areas,
1 One to one marketing
2 Data base marketing
3 Market research
4 Blogging
5 SMS marketing
to name a few.
Therefore one can understand, the role the above can play in moving your business forward or backwards, it is your call.
Do not allow your opposition to out smart you in the E commerce space, it will take you along time to catch up, yep trust me, i see it first hand coaching businesses.
Till next time may the Force be with you.
Ask yourself the above, it is critical that you have some form of plan,
Your plan should cover these areas,
1 One to one marketing
2 Data base marketing
3 Market research
4 Blogging
5 SMS marketing
to name a few.
Therefore one can understand, the role the above can play in moving your business forward or backwards, it is your call.
Do not allow your opposition to out smart you in the E commerce space, it will take you along time to catch up, yep trust me, i see it first hand coaching businesses.
Till next time may the Force be with you.
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