Business World Info

If you own a shop then you might be aware of the fact that the front window of your shop is perhaps the one which attracts most attention from passers-by. Window shoppers are a-plenty out there and you will definitely want most of them to walk into your shop and actually purchase something, thus enabling you to increase your profits. While that is indeed a very thoughtful ambition, you need to do your own bit in ensuring that your shop attracts more customers who actually walk in and purchase something. To do this, you need to ensure that your front window is sparkling clean at all times.

Most shop owners begin their day by dusting or wiping their shop windows casually in the morning, and as the day passes by, they just sit along and watch as the window starts accumulating dust and other materials which damage its look. There are indeed a few people who take the trouble of cleaning the window every few hours, but it is a tiring job and not everyone might have the patience to keep up this routine every single day. That is why it would be a better idea to give this job to someone else and watch as your shop’s front windows remains clean all day long.

Although it might not appear to be much, the front window of your shop is actually a window into your own way of handling the business. If your windows is dirty or dusty, people might automatically assume that you do not put enough attention into your business, and they might just continue walking, without ever entering your shop. They might do this automatically, and one look at a dirty window can compel them to do this. That is why you should put proper care to ensure that your shop window is clean at all times and properly shows what lies within your shop. This in turn will attract more customers and you will begin to see the profits roll in.

Continue reading ‘Shop Front Window Cleaning’ »

Do you think communication is mostly done through words? What if you found out that communication is actually 70% non-verbal? That means it’s your body language including your movements, eyes and even hands that say things more often and louder than your mouth. The ability to communicate with clarity and effectiveness is an imperative skill for organizational leaders. Here are important ways to make your communication more productive and effective.

1. Provide clear information

Passing information from one person to the next is the purpose of workplace communication. If your communication isn’t complete and accurate, it can cause confusion instead of clarity. Carefully plan your communication to be sure you are passing along the correct information and the right amount so those you are communicating with understand what you want to say.

2. Communicate honestly

People know when something isn’t adding up. If you try to communicate something that isn’t totally true and honest it will eventually be revealed. It’s difficult to maintain dishonest communication in the workplace (or anywhere else) because it gets too complicated to hold all of the stories together. Instead of saying things that aren’t totally true, just say less. Speak the truth and leave the rest for later or don’t say it at all if it’s not true and honest. Continue reading ‘Communicate at Work – 7 Top Tips For Better Workplace Communication’ »

1. Pay VAT on time

Avoid penalties by paying VAT on time. If your VAT return is late, HMRC will make you pay a percentage of the unpaid VAT at the due date. You will not be charged the first time this happens but you a warning will be issued. If it occurs again within the following 12 months, an assessment will be made to determine a surcharge of up to 15%.

2. Charge the appropriate VAT amount

There are different types of tax, therefore you must make sure that you apply the right amount. Charging 17.5 percent, 5 percent, 0 percent or exempt can make a noticeable difference to your profit margins. If you are unsure as to what VAT to charge, seek expert advice from a VAT consultant.

3. Pay VAT online

Paying VAT online means that the due date for the return and payment to arrive at HMRC can be extended by an extra seven calendar days. Continue reading ‘VAT Return Tips For Your Business – 10 Ways to Save Money and Time on VAT Returns’ »

Your sales and customer service team are the primary customer contact for every business. What does their attitude say about your company? If some of your team are not communicating the message you want, here are 10 questions to ask yourself to ensure they stay positive, focused on message and deliver an exceptional customer service experience.

1. Are you clear on your values and expectations? This is foundational to ensure that a consistent message is communicated across the organization. Without clarity from the top, teams are unclear of expectations and rarely surpass them.
2. Are your priorities constantly changing? If you aren’t consistent with priorities and aligning them with activities that customer’s value, you are leaving room for confusion. Eliminating confusion will keep your team focused.
3. Are you and your managers leading by example and consistently reinforcing desired behaviours? Teams model behaviours and if you do not demonstrate what is expected, how can you expect your team to behave otherwise.
4. Are you providing enough information? Providing a centralized location for information on all existing clients, products and services will give your team the confidence to answer any question without having to rely on others for information. Continue reading ‘Ten Tips to Keep Your Team Positive’ »

From spending over 15 years at the company, I have come to realize that Federal Express is definitely one of the elite shipping companies in the industry. I’m sure this doesn’t come as a “shock” to anyone that has experienced the service and values that the company represents. What you must understand is that what FedEx does for it’s customers is not a secret, but simply they follow through with the idea that “customer is king.” I must say that being part of this company, it’s easy to forget everything that they stand for, the service levels that they provide, and most importantly the People that make up the company. However, there are other companies that have risen through the ranks to “be all that they can be.” Whether you’re a multi-billion dollar company, or a small start up delivery company these 7 values are a “must” for a Transportation company to succeed in today’s market.

Consistency:

It doesn’t take billions of dollars for a company to deliver on being consistent in their service, values and follow through. Companies like FedEx, UPS and Conway understand this characteristic and take it to another level. They set time constraints for their services, and hold themselves accountable by offering a “money back” guarantee. They consistently operate at a 95-99% on time level for their deliveries, and they hold each and every manager responsible for seeing this through. Manager’s pass these expectations to the couriers. Consistency is a “mind-set,” and wanting to be the best. Companies that take this to heart, align themselves with the best. Continue reading ‘7 Secrets to Becoming a Market Leader in Transportation’ »

Business continuity planning is often thought to be the domain of very large enterprises, like large financial institutions, who need to continue trading even in the event of major global disaster. However, small companies, especially ones without dedicated IT staff are often the most vulnerable to loss of productivity due to seemingly minor upheavals, such as weather-related staff shortages. For example, according to the UK Federation of Small Businesses, a heavy snowfall could translate to an estimated 1.2 billion pounds lost in a day because of travel disruptions, with one-fifth of the UK workforce unable to make it into work.”

1. Maintain an accurate systems inventory
When a disaster of whatever nature strikes, chances are that most of the staff normally required to support IT systems will be unable to make it to the office, and minor issues may have to be put on hold to concentrate on the most pressing problems. To help with prioritisation of issues, ensure that you have an up-to-date inventory of all IT systems and applications, including the level of business criticality, based on input from all key stakeholders, including members of the business, end users and even customers. Ensure that your inventory also includes the locations of servers and systems, key support contacts, and upstream/downstream dependencies. This inventory will help you in the heat of the moment when disaster strikes, allowing the IT team to focus efforts on what’s truly important. Continue reading ‘Business Continuity – 7 Tips to Plan For Disaster Recovery’ »

The purpose of root cause codes are to help you classify your nonconformance’s into categories so that you can quickly identify potential trends. However, if the codes are applied incorrectly, you’ll end up spending time and resources on misleading trends, while unintentionally ignoring actual trends. To be effective, your trending program needs to follow these 7 rules:

1. Include Sub-codes – If your program has root cause codes that are too broad (i.e. the 5 M’s), then you’ll find it very challenging to interpret trends. Therefore, it’s best to provide users with a selection of root cause codes and sub-codes that provide sufficient detail.

2. Define Codes – Because everyone’s interpretation of the codes may vary, it’s important that you define each code and sub-code. To provide further clarification, give at least one example for each definition. Without consistent application of the codes, you run the risk of drawing an incorrect conclusion when you analyze the nonconformance data. Continue reading ‘Improve Your Trending Program Instantly by Following These 7 Rules!’ »

Your organization’s newsletter is a powerful promotional tool. Whether it’s an internal newsletter geared toward your employees or an external newsletter designed to attract prospects and retain customers, the success of your newsletter affects the success of your company or non-profit.

The most important part of a newsletter is the content. Even the fanciest newsletter won’t hold your readers’ interest if the articles inside it aren’t compelling and relevant. That’s what makes choosing the right newsletter writing service such an important decision.

Here are the seven questions you should ask your newsletter copywriting vendor before making them part of your team: Continue reading ‘Newsletter Copywriter – 7 Questions to Ask When Choosing a Newsletter Copywriting Vendor’ »

If you are a wise business owner, then you already know that the USP is the absolute foundation to any marketing effort. If you want to succeed in your business venture then you need a unique selling proposition to hold it together. Read on to find 7 crazy uses for your statement.

Here is the list of 7 crazy places that you can use your USP:

1. Gift cards- Create gift cards with your business logo and statement on them. This is will give a new customer an instant inpression of the way that you will treat them when they redeem the card.

2. Print your unique selling proposition on your product itself. Is there a way that you can etch your statement onto the surface of your product? Is there a tag or some other out-of-the-way place that you can print it or embroider it? If the customer is using your product every day, then why not remind them of the positive experience they will have when they come into contact with you again. Continue reading ‘Your Unique Selling Proposition (USP) – Top 7 Crazy Places to Use It’ »

So much joy, as well as, so much misery can be experienced when you don the hat of “Manager.” Here are ten suggestions that will dramatically reduce your stress, establish productive teams, prepare you for hiring new employees and/or help you to release the chains that your current employees may have you entagled in…

Always implement a 90 day probationary period to: measure performance and production, determine “right fit” for your team/organization and to establish clear expectations and correct work-flow habits.

Keep an employee journal to mark performance needs and issues, as well as, customer kudos & other wins. If you’re fairly new to the management gig, know that your Human Resources Director/Manager will require documentation before you can A.) let someone go, even if they aren’t hitting production or performance expectations or B.) increase commissions, salary or bonuses. Documentation is KING!

Conduct performance reviews with your entire team. Have them set goals and revisit these goals with them on a monthly or quarterly basis. Avoid taking on the burden of their ability or inability to meet expectations. Share ideas, best practices, bring in top industry speakers, mentors, coaches, etc., but in the end, the old saying remains true..”You can lead a horse to water…” Continue reading ‘The Ten Commandments of People Management’ »