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Marketing focus
PRESS RELEASE!!
MARKET WATCH Does Your Marketing Strategy Need a Revamp?
Did you kick off the year by planning to do some things differently in 2014? Are
you beating yourself up because 2104 is now almost gone, and you still haven’t
managed to get around to doing it? Perhaps you could use this little note as a
reminder to refresh your business, revamp your marketing and tie up loose ends.
Innovative Business Advisory Program Small Business Can Now Have Their Own Board – At No Cost
How MBA can help your business achieve outstanding success - pages 2 & 3
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Many successful small business owners often
find that they have “gone about as far as they
can go” in terms of growth and direction. In
the past they have always been self-reliant, and
now, although they can see the potential for
continued growth, they have reached an
impasse and are unsure of the next step.
Do they employ more people? Do they increase
their prices? Do they diversify their products /
services? Do they need to update their
equipment? The next step can become a
minefield for many people, so what’s the
answer?
Consider appointing an Advisory Board!
Most larger companies and organisations have
Boards, as do many incorporated associations
and not-for-profit organisations.
They appoint Board Members to provide
guidance and advice and to have a diverse set
of knowledge and skills to complement the
owner and the employees, and to provide a
solid “balance”.
However, mostly, small and medium sized
enterprises (SME’s) don’t have the luxury of
appointing a Board, and are usually reliant on
their own skills and those of their staff.
What is an Advisory Board?
An Advisory Board can provide the strategic
advice and complementary skills required to take
your small or medium business to the next level.
An Advisory Board is a group set up to meet
regularly to review business objectives, goals and
plans, improvement methods and best practices,
existing systems, new projects or ideas and also to
give feedback, as needed, or whenever special
questions arise.
Such an Advisory Board differs from a public
company’s Board of Directors in a number of
ways.
First, an advisory board is not a legal
requirement for a private company, while a
board of directors is a legal requirement for a
public company.
Second, advisory board members do not
assume any legal or financial responsibility,
while members of a board of directors may be
held accountable both for the company’s
actions and for its failures to meet financial
obligations to employees and shareholders.
Third, a board of directors’ responsibilities to
the corporation are frequently set out in
company statutes; this is rarely done with an
advisory board.
MY BOARD ADVISORS
Innovative Business
Advisory Program
Small Business Can Now Have
Their Own Board – At No Cost Photo courtesy of the Caboolture Shire Herald
M B A
Continued next page
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However, the main role of an Advisory Board is to
provide an independent source of information and
advice to the owners/directors on strategic issues or
risks confronting the business.
Each business will need to determine the roles and
responsibilities of its advisory board to best suit its
particular circumstances and needs.
However, a good, working Advisory Board can
provide an independent source of information and
advice to the owners/directors on strategic issues or
risks confronting the business and help create a
“learning forum” for the business owner and staff.
Suggested roles and responsibilities for advisory
board members include:
Develop an acute understanding of the business,
market and industry trends
Provide “wise counsel” on issues raised by the
owners/directors or management
Provide the directors and management with
insights and ideas which can only come with
being distant from the day-to-day operations
Encourage and support the exploration of new
business ideas
Act as a resource for the business
Encourage the development of a governance
framework that enables continued growth, whilst
not stifling the spirit or vision of the founders
Monitor business performance and challenge the
owners and management to consider options for
improving the business
The Australian Institute of Company Directors
states: “A small business advisory board can provide
the strategic advice and complementary skills
required to take your small or medium business to the
next level”
Four well-known and experienced locals have
recognised the need for such a service in the Moreton
Bay region (and beyond) and have formed an
association – My Business Advisors (MBA) – to offer
this service to the many SME’s who are in this
position and are ready to go to the next level.
Each of the members of MBA has a diverse range of
knowledge and skills and all are experienced business
mentors / coaches.
MBA comprises:
Geoff Butler (Business Optimizers)
Mobile: 0414 943072
Email: [email protected]
Dan Buzer (Profit Mechanics)
Mobile: 0414 567 188 Email: [email protected]
Peter Athey (Specialized Management Services)
Mobile: 405 318 449
[email protected]
Dennis Chiron (Marketing Means Business)
Mobile: 0451 184 599
[email protected]
Spokesperson for MBA, Dennis Chiron said; “One of
the aspects holding many SME’s back from taking on
a Business Mentor is the cost of this service; and we
believe that we have developed a unique program that
provides the opportunity for all SME’s to become
involved.
The program is a no-fee program for the business
owner, and is based solely on the performance of
MBA being able to assist the SME to increase their
bottom line income.
For example; we will take the mean average of the
Monthly P & L over the past three months, and let’s
say that the monthly profit for the business calculates
out to $5,000. Our aim is to increase this monthly
profit, and any increase over and above the $5,000 we,
the Advisory Board, receive 25% of the increased
profit.”
“So, if we can assist the business to increase its profit
to $6,000 (say) in the next 3 months, then we receive
25% of the $1,000 profit increase, which is $250.
So, we don’t intend to get rich quick. What we do aim
to do, is help to build a solid foundation for the
business, where in 12 months’ time they have doubled
their bottom line profit…. And, in reality, it doesn’t
cost the business owner a cent if we don’t perform.”
Dennis said that the business doesn’t have to be local.
“We hold monthly “Board” meetings with business
owners throughout Australia via Skype and it works
exceptionally well”.
For further information please phone 0451 184 599 or
email to: [email protected]
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Your Customer can be Your Lifeline or Your Executioner
Dennis Chiron MarketingMeans Business
0451 184 599 [email protected]
Skype: dennis.chiron2
PROFILE OF AN
UNHAPPY CUSTOMER
There are some facts on
unhappy customers that both
you and your staff should be
aware of.
Think about yourself and your
business. If you fit some of
these profiles it should also
confirm to you that others feel
the same.
Did you know that:
That the average business
never hears from 96% of its
unhappy customers.
That for every complaint
received, a business will
have 26 others that are
unreported, six of which
are serious.
That those “non-complaint”
customers do complain to
nine or ten other people.
That customers whose
complaints are effectively
resolved will tell an
average of five other
people.
Everyone knows the benefits of
a satisfied customer, but few
business owners stop to
consider the potential value of
the not-so-happy.
In an article in “My Business”
Tom Dickerson explains how
you can use unhappy customers
KEEP YOUR
CUSTOMERS HAPPY
Sixty eight percent of
customers who leave do so
because they feel
unappreciated, unimportant,
and taken for granted.
to better your business http://
www.mybusiness.com.au/experts/how-
unhappy-customers-can-improve-your-
business
Unfortunately, unhappy customers are
an inevitable consequence of doing
business and you will run into them no
matter how committed you are to
seeing them all happy.
There will be times when that customer
is justified in being upset while there
will be others where the situation was
entirely out of your control. Strategies
do exist where you can diffuse a
situation and help a customer feel better
and perhaps even turn them into a
repeat buyer.
In the beginning, every business owner
is certain that they must retain every
single customer they can but this is not
an excuse to allow the business to
become the proverbial “doormat” for
customers to kick around when they
feel like it.
Sooner or later you're going to have to
deal with an upset customer. A product
breaks, their goods don’t arrive when
promised, an employee has a bad day,
these things happen! The question is,
how are you going to deal with your
unhappy customer, especially
considering that these days it's very
easy to vent ones spleen using social
media.
Almost with one foul swoop, a
frustrated customer, through Facebook
or Twitter, can literally destroy your
business.
Everyone claims they give excellent
customer service. While that might
be true for some, it is far from true
for others.
If every company gives excellent
service, there would be no need for
customer complaints lines,
consumer watch dogs, or even
companies liquidating.
Customers care about how they’re
treated. With the recent rise of social
media, consumers are able to voice
their dissent — or support —
immediately to the masses.
Businesses have to manage
relationships with their customers
more carefully than ever, whether
online or offline.
People will buy from you for many
reasons, but the experience they
have determines whether they come
back or not. So from the beginning
you need to focus on helping the
customer, because that’s what builds
repeat business.
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Mobile: 0451 184 599 Email: [email protected] Web: www.mybusinessadvisor.com.au
COMPLAINTS ARE A
GREAT WAY FOR YOU TO
IMPROVE YOUR BUSINESS
Dennis Chiron MarketingMeans Business
0451 184 599 [email protected]
Skype: dennis.chiron2
legitimate and realistic.
A customer’s complaint is usually a
clear message on how you can improve
your services or products. If you are
able to identify and meet customer
wants and needs, you will undoubtedly
improve your business performance
and increase your customer base.
A satisfied customer usually means
repeat business. In most cases, the
information that you can obtain through
a customer’s complaint is impossible to
get through any other means. You are
being presented with a real opportunity
to prove your commitment to your
customer by addressing these
concerns, even when the complaint
may seem minor or trivial.
Complaints that customers bring
directly to you are the most efficient
and least costly way of obtaining
information and under-standing
customer expectations.
When a customer has a genuine
complaint, thank them for raising the
matter with you. Treat them with
genuine empathy, courtesy, patience,
honesty and fairness.
Try to respond to the complaint
quickly. Tell the customer how you
will handle it and when to expect a
response.
Speak to the customer in person. Do
not rely on written complaints or
records of conversations.
When choosing your approach for
communicating with a customer,
think about how you would like to
be treated if you were making a
complaint to a business.
Model the type of conversation
you want to have with customers
who are making a complaint.
This may include making it clear
to the customer that you are
eager to listen and treating them
with courtesy and consideration.
There are a number of common
complaints that customers make
relating to products and services.
Having procedures in place that find
solutions to common complaints
will help you resolve issues quickly
and efficiently.
Always seek outcomes that will
satisfy your customers, and make
sure these are feasible and
affordable for your business.
Remember that the cost of a short-
term concession is worth preserving
a long-term relationship.
It is a fact: Customers will take
their business elsewhere because of
poor service rather than poor quality
products. It is very important that a
business listens to the feedback
received from their customers.
So, appreciate the fact that your
customer bothered to tell you first,
and take full advantage of the
situation.
Firstly, a good business tries to
minimise customer complaints
through excellent customer
service, and address customer
complaints about the business,
or a product or service quickly
and fairly.
Customers can become difficult
for a variety of reasons. Some
might have an annoying
personality; others like to find
faults, while some think they
know it all. Customers like
these can become impatient,
intimidating and demanding.
Angry customers are the most
difficult to handle as they are
usually upset and emotional, as
they are not happy about the
product or the service.
You need to see your
customer’s complaint through
their eyes. Imagine that
whatever the customer is
complaining about has also
happened to you.
What would you be thinking
and feeling? How would you
react? How would you expect
to be treated? What would it
take to satisfy you? What
response would be necessary
for you to walk away feeling
good about your complaint and
the company?
It is estimated that only 1.5% of
all customers will try to take
advantage of a company
through exaggerated claims.
So, chances are, your
customer’s complaint is
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