Staff Turnover - A Business Killer Finding the right staff is critical, as we discussed in the article "Finding Staff to Complement Your Business". But what about keeping good staff? Is it important? Is it worth the effort to keep the right folks on the job? Let’s look at the four areas that staff turnover affects – in a business of any type. Those areas are: Productivity, Revenue, Customer Satisfaction, and Long Term Viability.EFFECTS ON PRODUCTIVITYIncreasing work for the remaining staff...
This is rather obvious, but think about the work that’s being left undone. If a staff member has to cover the phones because the receptionist has quit, she is going to omit work somewhere. In the choice between her regular work or answering the phone she’ll do the one she feels is more important. But in her consideration she has to think of the effect of unfinished work on other folks in the business, and she will likely make her choice based on the amount of flak she thinks she’ll get from others. If she’s conscientious, her sense of duty will play into it; but one of those jobs will not be done well, and staff and customers know it’s not being done well.Lower morale for ‘good’ staff...Staff who work hard – those with a sense of duty and industry, tend to be much more negatively affected by the increased work generated by high staff turnover. These staff like to get things done completely and well, and that’s almost impossible when a vacant position’s work also has to be covered. Consequently, and this is a killer, it’s the best staff who tend to be most depressed or angry about vacancies, and are more likely to walk if the situation remains unresolved.EFFECTS ON REVENUE
The Unhappy Client: How To Fight Back And Keep The Business Historically, there have been unavoidable situations that test an agency’s client relationships. Today, there are tools that can minimize, or even eliminate these threats.As an example, one situation that plagues all relationships is the unexpected surge in project cost.Its an old story. You send your client an invoice that is 30% higher than the estimate. The client goes nuts. Your response is that the copy was changed thirteen times in two days. And THEN there were the layout changes . . .Nobody is happy. Your client really doesn’t think they made all those changes, and after-all, you’re told, it should have been right the first time.So now you have to recreate all the time records and find all the copy versions. You discover that because things were happening so fast, vital information never made it into the traffic system or on to a conference report. Plus, you have to go through the emails of multiple agency people to see who said what to whom.The result? You give-up and figure out exactly how much of your hard-earned revenue you are willing to sacrifice to keep the client happy.This cycle is repeated everyday in agencies everywhere.Which leads us to the central proposition:How an extranet can make you rich, and keep your client happyLet’s look at this same scenario at an agency that uses an extranet.You send your client an invoice that is 30% higher than the estimate. Along with the invoice, you send a copy of all the comments, requests, and approvals made by the client.Time spent creating the report: 90 seconds.Quality of the evidence: irrefutable.Net result: you get paid, theWhether you want to admit it or not, soap operas may hold the key to your home business success. This article includes a few home and small business principles I learned while watching SoapNet.
Be really, really good looking. I don’t know if you’ve had this experience, but every time I turn on SoapNet I feel overweight, ugly, and hopelessly average. There is no way I could ever compete with the collection of beauties, male and female, that the soap operas have assembled. But before you go out and buy a Bow Flex and dye your hair blonde, remember that I’m talking about your home business in this article. Just because you are running your business out of your home on a low budget does not mean it has to look like you are running your business out of your home on a low budget. Invest a little bit of money into getting a professional logo and stationary. If you own a website and cannot afford a professional web designer, take courses at your local college. Presenting your business professionally can open up doors you may believe are closed to you.
Give them something to talk about. If soap operas do nothing else well, they create scandals that have people talking for days. It is a TV show for crying out loud! Can you imagine what kind of publicity you could bring to your business if you gave people something to talk about the way the soaps do? I’m not suggesting doing anything illegal or scandalous. But make sure your business does something that people would be willing to talk about. What do you differently than your competitors? How can you turn that idiosyncrasy into positive publicity? What good causes are related to your area of business? Is there some kind of event you could sponsor that would make the evening news and benefit a worthy cause at the same time? People like SoapNet because it is a lot more exciting than there own lives. Give people something exciting to talk about, and I guarantee they will.
Be the good guy. In the days of silent films, the audience used to cheer when the hero first appeared on screen, and they would boo and hiss each time the villain showed up. Earn your clients’ and customers’ applause by being the good guy. We have all had dealings with people we don’t trust or who were extremely difficult to work with. Ask yourself, Are you the shifty-eyed gravedigger American housewives everywhere hate to see on television? Or are you the honest, wholesome doctor moms would love to have their daughters marry? Conducting your business in a way that earns peoples’ trust will go a long way in creating word-of-mouth referrals and sincere praise for your company. Remember, like so many SoapNet actors and actresses, your business can get type-cast very easily. Make sure you are cast as a hero and you can’t go wrong.
Keep it simple. There is an entire channel, SoapNet, dedicated to explaining who is sleeping with whom, what happened when, and who is whose father. Plot twists and messed-up family trees may work well for soap operas, but people place a premium on simplicity when it comes to business. This does not mean that you have to dumb down everything you do, or stop offering complicated or intellectual services. It means the way you present your business is honest – what they see is what they get (see the first tip above). Do not sign a new client only to later surprise them with hidden fees or contract loopholes that will strain your relationship. This tip has everything to do with creating a relationship that is honest and transparent. Perhaps your business is built around something that you know that other people don’t. Do not put yourself out of business by giving away all your secrets. But keep your client or customer relationships open and honest. You’ll find that fewer people will try to take advantage of you when they trust you are not trying to take advantage of them.
Nobody actually falls down elevator shafts. But you may want to consider pushing parts of your business over the edge. Soap operas are king when it comes to character turnover – if they are unpopular or the story line isn’t going anywhere, there never seems to be a lack of creative ways to kill them off. Take a look at your business and see if there are any aspects of it that may need to be “taken care of,” as it were. Cutting down costs by cutting out baggage could do wonders with regards to your bottom line.
The SoapNet channel is now in more than 40 million homes. If you play your cards right, your business could be too.
Nick Smith is a client account specialist with 10x Marketing – More Visitors. More Buyers. More Revenue. To find out how to get SoapNet on your television, check out I-Satellite.
Non-profit Coupon Books and Coupon Mailers for Small Businesses Many groups like the Chamber of Commerce, ASB at the local high school, etc. will ask if their members can get a discount if they shop in your store or use your service. Of course, the answer top these groups should be a high-energy YES! They will then make a discount booklet for their members with your company listed, this is excellent and promotes good will for your business.The more membership booklets and coupon books your small business can be in the better your business will do. Get in all the free ones and any, which distribute to 10,000 or more people for under $50.00 or at least under the ratio of $100.00 per 20,000 units delivered. Watch for scams. Tell them ‘you can have one half the payment now and one half when you show me the coupon book,’ if you have reason to be suspicious. Make sure the organization is a known name you’ve heard of or seen around town. We have had only a few problems with these coupon books being scams in the three decades we have been in business. Membership booklets on the other hand as a whole have brought us in countless scores of new clientele. It also has help us maintain our image as community based businesses.Coupon companies which mail out coupons for a fee are also generally good although every once in a while a no-name company with a fast talking sales man will come in the door so we recommend the same half now and half later deal with them if you are unsure. There are many well-known and established names in the coupon mailer world. Good names to work with include: Valley Shopper; Penny Saver; Value Ads; Coupon Clipper; Money Mailer; Green Sheets; Coupons ‘N More of …;
Neighborhood Mail Box Values; Val Pak
ndalous. But make sure your business does something that people would be willing to talk about. What do you differently than your competitors? How can you turn that idiosyncrasy into positive publicity? What good causes are related to your area of business? Is there some kind of event you could sponsor that would make the evening news and benefit a worthy cause at the same time? People like SoapNet because it is a lot more exciting than there own lives. Give people something exciting to talk about, and I guarantee they will.
Be the good guy. In the days of silent films, the audience used to cheer when the hero first appeared on screen, and they would boo and hiss each time the villain showed up. Earn your clients’ and customers’ applause by being the good guy. We have all had dealings with people we don’t trust or who were extremely difficult to work with. Ask yourself, Are you the shifty-eyed gravedigger American housewives everywhere hate to see on television? Or are you the honest, wholesome doctor moms would love to have their daughters marry? Conducting your business in a way that earns peoples’ trust will go a long way in creating word-of-mouth referrals and sincere praise for your company. Remember, like so many SoapNet actors and actresses, your business can get type-cast very easily. Make sure you are cast as a hero and you can’t go wrong.
Keep it simple. There is an entire channel, SoapNet, dedicated to explaining who is sleeping with whom, what happened when, and who is whose father. Plot twists and messed-up family trees may work well for soap operas, but people place a premium on simplicity when it comes to business. This does not mean that you have to dumb down everything you do, or stop offering complicated or intellectual services. It means the way you present your business is honest – what they see is what they get (see the first tip above). Do not sign a new client only to later surprise them with hidden fees or contract loopholes that will strain your relationship. This tip has everything to do with creating a relationship that is honest and transparent. Perhaps your business is built around something that you know that other people don’t. Do not put yourself out of business by giving away all your secrets. But keep your client or customer relationships open and honest. You’ll find that fewer people will try to take advantage of you when they trust you are not trying to take advantage of them.
Nobody actually falls down elevator shafts. But you may want to consider pushing parts of your business over the edge. Soap operas are king when it comes to character turnover – if they are unpopular or the story line isn’t going anywhere, there never seems to be a lack of creative ways to kill them off. Take a look at your business and see if there are any aspects of it that may need to be “taken care of,” as it were. Cutting down costs by cutting out baggage could do wonders with regards to your bottom line.
The SoapNet channel is now in more than 40 million homes. If you play your cards right, your business could be too.
Nick Smith is a client account specialist with 10x Marketing – More Visitors. More Buyers. More Revenue. To find out how to get SoapNet on your television, check out I-Satellite.
Customer Discrimination - We Do It All the Time A Financial Times editor in London asked my opinion about systems that automatically route customers to higher or lower levels of service based on the loyalty and profitability of the customer.This happens every day with gold and platinum customers enjoying faster telephone service and shorter lines while everyone else waits and waits.‘Isn’t this a case of customer discrimination?’ he asked, hoping for a hot topic and response.My answer was decidedly cool: ‘Of course this is customer discrimination. And it is totally appropriate. After all, customers do this with companies all the time.’The editor was confused until I explained further.Customers are constantly choosing which companies to patronize, how frequently and with what amount of their available budgets. Companies must do the same: choose which customers to serve, how quickly and with what amount of their available budget.In both directions, the intention is the same. Customers spend more where they perceive they are getting better service and value. Companies invest more where they see they can obtain better value and long-term ‘service’ (loyalty) from their customers.When the matching is done right, it’s a win-win situation for both parties. Customers are given an incentive to consolidate their spending, patronage and loyalty behavior with those companies that ‘treat them right’. And companies have an incentive to increase their service and special recognition for customers who ‘treat them right’ with their buying and referral decisions.What about those who complain and say, ‘All companies should give all customers the same service level regardless of how much
nel, SoapNet, dedicated to explaining who is sleeping with whom, what happened when, and who is whose father. Plot twists and messed-up family trees may work well for soap operas, but people place a premium on simplicity when it comes to business. This does not mean that you have to dumb down everything you do, or stop offering complicated or intellectual services. It means the way you present your business is honest – what they see is what they get (see the first tip above). Do not sign a new client only to later surprise them with hidden fees or contract loopholes that will strain your relationship. This tip has everything to do with creating a relationship that is honest and transparent. Perhaps your business is built around something that you know that other people don’t. Do not put yourself out of business by giving away all your secrets. But keep your client or customer relationships open and honest. You’ll find that fewer people will try to take advantage of you when they trust you are not trying to take advantage of them.
Nobody actually falls down elevator shafts. But you may want to consider pushing parts of your business over the edge. Soap operas are king when it comes to character turnover – if they are unpopular or the story line isn’t going anywhere, there never seems to be a lack of creative ways to kill them off. Take a look at your business and see if there are any aspects of it that may need to be “taken care of,” as it were. Cutting down costs by cutting out baggage could do wonders with regards to your bottom line.
The SoapNet channel is now in more than 40 million homes. If you play your cards right, your business could be too.
Nick Smith is a client account specialist with 10x Marketing – More Visitors. More Buyers. More Revenue. To find out how to get SoapNet on your television, check out I-Satellite.
Private Practice Marketing Secrets - Top 7 Benefits of Exhibiting at Conferences Exhibiting at a conference is a private practice marketing skill that can be learned and used just like all the rest of the skills. Here are a few of the clear and powerful benefits of exhibiting at a conference.Benefit #1 - You are seen as the expert No matter your area of expertise, when you exhibit at a conference you are seen as the expert. Just by being there, setting up your booth, and talking with people, you are preceived as an expert in your field.Benefit #2 - Awesome networking opportunity Networking is one of the top three ways, along with speaking and writing, to get new clients. At a conference, you can network with presenters, colleagues, and your ideal clients. It's a three-in-one big win!Benefit #3 - You get to stretch yourself Exhibiting and networking may not be your most comfortable thing. That's fine. Here is a little secret but you can't tell anyone - I'm basically a shy person - I've just made the decisions over years and years to stretch myself to grow in ways that have been to my benefit. You can too, and this in a great opportunity to do so.Benefit #4 - Prospects, Prospects, Prospects You can come away from a conference with more new prospects than you know what to do with. Talk to people, make the first move. Have a really great "gem" to give to prospects, such as a free CD. As prospects walk by your exhibit booth, hand them your CD and ask "Do you have one of my free CDs on (your niche) yet?" You then give them one in exchange for filling out a form that signs them up for your newsletter or free ecourse. You'll walk away with more prospects that you can
may need to be “taken care of,” as it were. Cutting down costs by cutting out baggage could do wonders with regards to your bottom line.
The SoapNet channel is now in more than 40 million homes. If you play your cards right, your business could be too.
Nick Smith is a client account specialist with 10x Marketing – More Visitors. More Buyers. More Revenue. To find out how to get SoapNet on your television, check out I-Satellite.
The Best Law Graduate Jobs In The Marketplace The pressure placed on UK law graduates to succeed in the marketplace is at a high point in this new century. Law graduates, after all, fill important positions in local, regional, and national offices that influence the lives of millions. The pressure that the public applies to judicial professionals, however, is no match to the pressures applied on graduates as they enter the workplace. Thousands of law graduates leave UK universities every spring, with hundreds of applicants vying for the same positions. The standards applied to law graduates applying for entry level clerk positions are high considering the amount of work they do. Law graduates may not be able to control the amount of pressure placed on them but choosing the best graduate job in the UK market means that they can have great success in the future.Law graduates who want to build a record of socially conscious representation should consider working with non-profit organizations. There are many non-profits that use programs of pro - bono representation for lower income families and prisoners appealing their sentences. As well, environmental organizations and lobbying groups are often on the lookout for talented law graduates. These positions feature low pay initially and long hours but law clerks and other legal graduates often find the work more rewarding than employment at a larger firm.Graduates who want a more stable position in law should consider employment with a government agency. Government agencies and committees throughout the United Kingdom need talented law graduates to fill clerk positions and administrative roles. These positions usually require a lot of research and report writin
This article has been viewed 523 time(s). Article Submitted On: March 07, 2005
Please Rate This Article:
HTTP = HTML link (for blogs, profiles,phorums):
<a href="http://www.diggitup.net/article/29820/diggitup-Copy-SoapNet-and-Make-Money.html">Copy SoapNet and Make Money</a>
BB link (for phorums):
[url=http://www.diggitup.net/article/29820/diggitup-Copy-SoapNet-and-Make-Money.html]Copy SoapNet and Make Money[/url]
If you have a task greater than you can handle on your own, then you need to delegate. Not a choice many of us choose to make, but one we can all learn. This article will take you through why delegation is so important and give you simple steps to take so that you communicate the vision, motivate your members and build them as individuals and as a successful team.