It is Not a Non-Stock-Non-Profit Organization

A business profit organization is a pro-profit one. Its main objective is to generate funds. It is aimed to take in more money that it actually spends. This is business per se. If it fails to have more profit than what it spent, there is likely a deficit status in the business for that matter.

The direction of the profit may necessarily go to the hands of the owners. The profit may be invested in other businesses. Kind company owners share it with employees in the form off compensations plans such as employee profit sharing.

It is of consideration, then, that the key to a successful business for a bigger profit is being wise in any business endeavor. Profitable businesses, for suggestions, are as follows:

  • Shoe businesses
  • Food chains
  • Mobile business
  • And many more depending on season

One of the poker tips and tricks that lie behind a success of a business is the wise administration of the owners. The business is expected to be fragile for its early years. The said early years may only bring back the capital for the business. The profit is attainable in the next five years at an estimate. Hence, people who are business oriented with wise management will fare well in making high profits.

Expand your Business with Twitter

Twitter is not just an essential marketing tool to be used for ventures you do online; it is now also a must-have for what we call offline businesses, too.

Twitter can be used to interact one-on-one with your customers (or in this case, Twitter followers) and turn your connection with them into something more personal.  There are entrepreneurs and businesses that have been able to utilize Twitter for their company’s success.

This social network is great for building brand awareness. For example, the skating shoe brand Adio Shoes that has been created by skater Chris Miller. While it is endorsed by the big names in the sport, getting other wannabe skaters to find out the name online is easy with the use of Twitter. Using Twitter can help your company with its sales as well and even drive more traffic to both the site and hopefully to the stores as well. You can expand your customer base as well by using Twitter and as previously mentioned increase your engagement with your customers or would-be customers.

Twitter is a great tool to expand your network. You must be willing to work hard at it in order to let the social network help your business grow.

Understanding a Business Office Security

Understanding the challenges with today’s security especially for office business is a must. There are centers and companies that offer and provide services that can oversee your business operations. These are known as the video management solutions. Sample equipments that can handle any situation virtually include the following below.

  • Installing a video camera surveillance system or the CCTV systems (closed-circuit television systems), which is remote viewing software which has a purpose of observing and monitoring your home or office activities anywhere and anytime either from your smartphone or in the web.
  • Smart cameras. These high-tech cameras can detect motion and movement, can record it and send an alert to the owner through email or phone. These are also available either in indoor or outdoor placements and have a power night illumination features making it more easy, efficient and convenient to recognize people and objects even at night.
  • Fixed and dome analog cameras.
  • IP Cameras. This is a nice security solution most especially to security conscious people. This helps gain complete situational awareness around the area.

Through this business of home security systems, the best home security companies help protecting assets, people and places by early identifying or anticipating potential risks and threats. There are still many special video surveillance imaging systems which are all great for indoor or outdoor systems and are designed for your safety and protection and can guarantee and help your ironclad commitments to your customers. Some of the popular places where all these devices applied are in airports, casinos, prisons, school campuses and public transportation.

The Advantages of Business Trainings and Workshops

Business training workshops are beneficial for the company in both ways. It does not only contribute to the growth of the company but it also adds value to the employees themselves. More training and workshops are done to continuously improve the efficiency of the workforce and the company as a whole.

Although workshops and training vary in categories, generally, the benefits of having workshops and trainings are as follows:

  • Enhanced productivity and compliance to quality standards.
  • Developed skills of the employees which enables them versatility in the workplace.
  • Improved capacity to incorporate and actualise realistic and certain goals of the company.
  • Improved ability to respond for change.

Consequently, training workshops enhance the competence and morale of the workforce. In turn, this results to customer satisfaction, improved market share and adds value to the company image and reputation. Training and workshops also attract potential employees like popular people attract more twitter followers. Additionally, this also reduces equipment costs, work place accidents, recruitment expenses and time inefficiency. The best training strategy is one that incorporates the technical aspects as well as that concern with the company operation as a whole. Lack of training and workshops discourages those ambitious applicants as this discourages them in fulfilling their expectations.

Small Business Development

The small businesses are now taking the edge in the market. You will see convenience stores in almost all corners of a city; and they are the best examples of the blooming status of small businesses. Another example is small travel agencies which assist customers to check flight delay. These businesses are actually owned, just like big-scale businesses, by corporations, partnerships and sole partnerships.

Advantage of small businesses

Small businesses can serve a lot of customers from all around the globe. Malls are big and are just located in a certain area. People who live near the vicinity are the usual visitors unless; there are those who have certain purposes to go there.

If we compare it with small businesses such as convenience store, they can serve customers everywhere. A consumer doesn’t need to go to the downtown areas in order to buy his/her toiletries because the convenience store located near his/her residence would already suffice.

Aside from the accessibility for customers, small businesses are more of an advantage when it comes to taxes. They only pay for a small amount of taxes compared to the big malls. Small income begets small amount of taxes. Many are venturing this kind of businesses because it’s not so costly and is fully supported by the government.

In-Demand Australian Government Jobs

There are job openings and opportunities that are open for workers in Australia for employment. Here are the reasons why one can consider working in Australia.

Aside from its known beaches, amazing wildlife, stunning nature and unique lifestyles, having a career in this continent offers you great payment, warm and friendly citizens, fantastic environment and no doubt known as one of the best cities in the world, thus creating and promoting a more conducive working opportunities. Relocating in Australia to either to live or work, may give you the exciting and great life you are looking for.

According to PTNet or The Personal Trainer Network, there are many job opportunities, either for entry level or career advancement. PTNet is a network which helps others to start a flexible and diverse career in an industry they want, promote oneself independently, assist and develop profession business skills.

So for those who want to join the workforce and are looking for a career change or is a fresh graduate, Australian government provides support for those job hunters. Some of the in-demand sectors are:

  • Strong demand for mining and construction sector. Skilled people are needed in this kind of industry. This is because of the mining related investment that boosts the constructions in the area.
  • Health sector. Health professionals are also needed as more health workforce retires. Positions such as medical specialists, nursing staff and pharmacists are needed as well.

Establishing Business Credit

As a member of the business industry, unique potentials to build, maintain and acquire credit as a business owner are rampant. The good news of it is that you won’t rely anymore base on your personal credit. Ten percent (10%) of all entrepreneurs only know how business credit is established and affects the lives and businesses in the business credit industry. Many are trying to get better credit option from those people who want to compare interest rates. Credit repair companies have the necessary steps to improve credit score in a way of increasing it.

At some point in time, a number of companies offer business credit using name, address and federal tax identification (FIN), otherwise known as an employer identification number (EIN), which you can get it from your IRS. Business credit bureaus used this data to generate a report about business credit transaction of your company. This is important because it measures for them to measure if they will grant you credit and how much they will give.

Establishing business credit is achieved by starting a business credit score. It measure a large scale from zero (0) to one hundred (100) and seventy-five (75) score is equivalent to an excellent rating. Paying your bills on time is a factor to increase your credit score in your business credit. Your score rely on the amount of credit in your bank lines of credit and credit cards, the time you have in your credit profile and number of inquiries that you made on your credit profile. By applying mortgage, loan and lease would decrease their score because of the negative impact of it.

Eurovision 2013 Results

Quickly we are going to know Eurovision 2013 results. How the results are counted?

A qualification round, known as the semi – final, was introduced for the Eurovision 2004 Contest.

The ten most highly-placed non-Big Four nations in the grand final were guaranteed a place in these year’s grand final, without the need to take part in next year’s semi. The remaining nations – which had not automatically certified for the grand final – had to enter the semi-final.

At the 50th annual meeting of the EBU in September 2007, it was decided that in the 2008 Competition onwards there will be held two semi-finals. From 2008 onwards, the scoreboard position of any prior years is not applicable, and – save for the automatic qualifiers – all participating nations have had to participate in the semi-finals, regardless of the previous year’s scoreboard position. The only nations which automatically qualify for the grand final are the Big Five, and the host state : France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom, who continue to appreciate their protected status.

The voting systems used in the Eurovision Song Contest have changed throughout the years. The current system has been in place since 1975, and it is a positional voting method. Nations grant some factors from 1 to 8, then 10 and lastly 12 to other tracks in the contest – using the favorite tune being awarded 12 points.

Who wins Eurovision 2013? The answer is on eurovisionmania.net.

Small Business Center for Entrepreneurs

Are you planning to put up a small business, then it is wise to get the help of Small Business Development Centers to get your business started. Although your business may not be as big as a Bushwick real estate, SBDCs are set up in the U.S. to help small business owners with management and technical aspects of their business.

SBDC collaborates with universities and colleges, and private sectors for funding purposes. Meanwhile, small businesses then promotes job as an effect on comprehensive one-on-one counseling, special services and training.

In addition, SBDCs special services include business plan development, manufacturing assistance, procurement contracts and financial packages. They also help in international trade, e-commerce, technology transfer, veteran assistance and export assistance and market research too.

The assistance of SBDC is almost everywhere because of its network that keep on growing along with many delivery points outside USA. They have more than 69 networks and provide specialized programs for minorities, veterans, people with disabilities and women. Also included are individuals with low and moderate income in both rural and urban areas.

On the other hand, universities and colleges offer consulting services and programs to entrepreneurs who plan to create small businesses. They help in business consultation as well shape business plan and investigate funding issues.

What is Business Networking?

Business networking is one way to make your business profitable and to establish rapport to bring a regular supply of new clients. Relationship building is the key factor whether it could help you move your business forward or not.

Face-to-face business networking is preferable to professionals who wish to profit from their presentation skills, meet a lot of people and attend regular meetings to achieve higher quality relationships to potential clients.

Online social networking is a means of growing their connection to promote themselves online. By connecting these business partners tend to issue a credit cards or offer a mortgage/loan to gain trust. Just copy the link http://www.ppiclaimshelpline.org in the event that credit card has claims over the insurance policy.

Social networking can increase business contacts and build strong relationship in the circle of business partners. It would be practical if you are a proactive person and make a plan, focus and be consistent in networking to maintain the growth of your business. Discovering things is a challenging part in doing business and face whatever opportunity you may have encountered.

Australian Center for Business Enterprise: As It Create Solid Foundation in Business

Australian economy is truly in its peak nowadays as business enterprises have been supported by different business programs established by the government and private business institutions.

In getting into business, one must have to be well-organized and prepared for what he might be facing. That’s why it is very important to have all the necessary means for that business. He might probably need the ideas of some experts when it comes to business.

Anyone interested with having a business in Australia can consider the help of Business Enterprise Center. These are community-based institutions that are owned and supported by corporations within their locality. These concepts are purposely developed to ease the foundation, withholding, and progress of business enterprises and promote growth in the local economy.

Business Enterprise Center in Australia supports small and micro enterprises all through their business improvement – from the foundation to processing and development, through the series of preparations, realizations and accomplishments.

Business Enterprise Center based in Australia also support new businesses, advice on the planning, provides independent information on loans and banking products, as well as on how to improve credit score. Marketing, legal and accounting services, leasing guidance and government regulations are also part of the services rendered by this center for business enterprise.

How Can Australia Business Group Help You?

Australia business group is a design that helps Australian business community run, grow and succeed. It also helps in understanding their workforce, employees and how it can deliver good profits for them through giving off expert advices.

Workplace Relationships

This group of business advisers primarily assists workplace relationships. Based on the Lexington law reviews, Australia business solutions group are specialists in the field of workforce and can provide comprehensive support to assist their members in running businesses more effectively and smoothly.

International Trade

This kind of innovative professional service also helps companies on how they can make sure their training investment pays. Other than in the business group, this council also provides information, services and training on the matters of environmental, governmental such as putting voice and thought for different suggestions and other sustainable policies in Australia.

Management Consulting

This helps Australia wide companies in taking the complexity of managing their business. This community offers legal consultation and professional service through their expertise, tools and other type of resources.

So, all in all the objective of an Australia business group is to help bring together Australians who are engaged in business activities by revealing solutions such as marketing strategies or HR and training solutions. These are all vital business performance in order to keep abreast of today’s fast and raid business opportunities.

The Importance of Leadership and Management

To be successful you have to master two things: first is Leadership skills and the second is Management skills. These are the skills that a successful entrepreneur or person must possess. These two things must go together because they are related to each other.

A good leader must be a good manager. Your effort in leading will be useless if you are unable to manage your people properly. Management is also useless if you are unable to lead. Leadership is a broad thing but what it actually points to every time you hear it is that you must be responsible in making your subordinates work together toward the goals that you have set, and then you will act as a manager should to ensure that everything is moving toward the right direction. Proper control is needed and that is one of the responsibilities of a manager.

As a manager, it is your responsibility to ensure the safety of your people and properties. See here for more information about insurance. Leadership and management skills are learned, some people even spend thousands of dollars just to master how these things work. These are the skills that are needed to push your organization to the highest level where it should be.

Doing Business in Australia

Australia is a good place for business because the economy of the country is relatively strong when we measured against the countries which are struggling with financial crisis.

The population of the country composes of highly skilled workers due to the high performing education system in the primary, secondary, and tertiary levels. The three levels of government are stable and democratic.

In the World Economic Forum, Australia rank second among the world’s financial center as a place to do business.

Communication in Australia is leading since the people living here are highly skilled. Internet is faster; thus, form of communication through internet contributes so much in business through online chat. You can make conferences even you are away from your business partners.

The tax in this country is quite higher but in return the quality of life is also very high. Doing business here compete very well against other countries. In the recent report by KPMG on “Competitive alternatives-special report on tax”, Australia ranked as one of the top four places in the world to do business from both cost and tax perspective.

Although Australia is a good place for business, you must be sure to go for lucrative one. There are many franchises that you can opt for. To get the best opportunity that is profitable, all you need is to be keen enough to choose which would perfect for you.

The Australian Government

The administrative authority of Australia is the Government of the Commonwealth of Australia. It is a federal constitutional monarchy under a parliamentary democracy. There are two distinct concepts of Australian government, the federalism and the separation of powers into executive, legislative, and judicial branches of government.

The bicameral Parliament of Australia consists of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Commonwealth Governments allocate powers and responsibilities to the federal government. The remaining responsibilities are retained by the Six States concerning their respective functions. Each state has its own constitution, making Australia into seven sovereign Parliaments, but none of which can encroach on the functions of any other.

The Government of Australia has done a lot of achievements. In fact, at present, its economy is stable and strong even though the whole world is struggling with the economic situation. One proof of the country’s economic growth is its export activity. In fact, Indonesia was able to purchase from Australia the DC-3 Dakota in support of Merpati Nusantara Airlines expansion flights. These have several domestic flights and even international flights. For reservations you can have Merpati tiket at any outlets nationwide in Indonesia.

Although Australia is an independent nation, Queen Elizabeth of Great Britain is also formally Queen of Australia. The Queen appoints a Governor General on the advice of the elected Australian government to represent her. The Governor-General has wide powers, but by convention acts only on the advice of ministers on virtually all matters.

Boeing says Dreamliner back flying within weeks

A Boeing executive says the grounded Dreamliner is "absolutely" safe and will be back in the air within weeks.

Fifty planes have been grounded around the world since two battery malfunctions sparked a global no-fly order in mid-January.

Mike Sinnett, the chief project engineer on the 787, says they will get fixes to their systems and be operational again soon.

"I get often asked if I think the airplane is still safe. My answer is simple: absolutely," he told reporters in Japan.

He added that the Dreamliner "is among the safest airplanes our company has ever produced".

Mr Sinnett was speaking as part of a push by the manufacturer to explain how it planned to remedy problems that have badly knocked confidence in one of the world’s most advanced aircraft.

The company chose to give its first public explanation of the fix in Japan, home to two of its biggest customers – All Nippon Airways and Japan Airlines – and to suppliers who make around a third of the aircraft’s parts.

Mr Sinnett says an investigation into the incidents in the United States and Japan has proved the aircraft’s safety measures had kicked in properly.

"After the battery failure the airplane responded in exactly the way we had designed and anticipated," he said.

Mr Sinnett says there was no fire inside the battery on either aircraft, and what appeared to the untrained eye to be smoke was actually electrolyte venting from the cells.

Ray Connor, president of Boeing Commercial Airplanes, says the fixes the company has put in place, which are now undergoing flight testing, will mean the aircraft is back in the skies soon.

"We are going to be dependent upon as we move through the certification process," he told reporters.

"We will determine when we actually get back in the air in terms of flights.

"Previously as I have been anticipating that in months, we are talking more along the line of weeks."

AFP

 

Agrilink

A high tech success. Saving water by smart watering.

Peter Moller set up his business through the New Enterprise Incentive Scheme in Manjimup in 1990. Originally a sole trader he now employs 20 people. He used East Metro SBC to grow his business and to help him expand and still remain profitable.

With some careful planning he has grown his business to have offices in Perth, Busselton, Adelaide, Narromine (NSW) , Berri (SA) and now Santa Rosa in California.

Peter’s firm exports agronomic knowledge and manufacturing technology in the form of soil moisture systems to overseas markets like North and South America, New Zealand, South Africa and soon to Europe.

He has moved with his family to California to start up the North American office. A far cry to being unemployed in Manjimup.

The key to Peter’s success he puts down to integrating his product and service worldwide using E-Commerce and the Web as a delivery platform.

Peter is an example of what can be achieved using the tools available at any SBC.

The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) is targeting small business

This year the Australian Taxation Office shifts its focus from education to compliance. Small Businesses have been warned that audits will be occurring at a higher frequency than at present.

Basically the gloves are off. If your Business Activity Statements and your Annual Income Tax Return don’t match, you will be audited.

Likewise businesses that are not remitting GST, FBT and PAYG correctly will get a visit from the Taxman.

If you have any doubts about your status and whether you are doing it right, contact us for help, before the Taxman comes.

Sooner or later all businesses will be audited. Remember to keep good records for five years and if you have no reason to panic when the audit is announced, don’t. Call your tax adviser first.

Here is some advice when dealing with the ATO and, for that matter, any Government Department on the phone. Always take notes. Record the time, date and full name of the officer you spoke with and get a return phone number, not the 13 number, for them then record everything they tell you. Don’t commit to anything until you have discussed the matter with your tax adviser. If in doubt, check and ring back.

Tax is a fact of life. Don’t take risks – get the best advice you can. If you need help and don’t know where to go for it, call us: (08) 9274 6428

Beware the High Cost of Direct Mail

By Ian Smith

These days I am being continually asked about direct mail because the client perceives it as a cheap way to advertise – Nothing could be further from the truth, it is well recognised in the advertising industry that the advertisement that does not work is pure expense, you might as well save your money and go to the races!

Take a simple exercise of a 1000 unit mailout – What with the cost of printed stationery, envelopes, computer time to mailmerge, time to stuff and seal envelopes, stamps, time for delivery to the post office – You would be extremely lucky to get out of it for less than $1.00 per unit or $1000.

If you have got the message right, made all the right overtures to the prospective customer and managed to get past the bins that Australia Post so thoughtfully provide by the Post Office Boxes… and bypassed that protective secretary then you may, just may reach the addressee.

With luck some of the remaining direct mail letters will be read with the result that you could possibly look forward to a response of somewhere between 0.2% and 2%, however let us be magnanimous about this and assume the larger figure, it has just cost you $50 per enquiry and you haven’t yet spent costly time on qualifying the lead.

OK! This isn’t a bad rate if you are high priced selling cars with a margin to cater for this expense… it could be seen as a replacement for the spotters fee. However if your making a 10% net profit then you would have to sell $10,000 of merchandise just to cover the additional expense.

Or, if you are exceedingly good and convert 50% of the enquiries to sales then it is essential that they each purchase $1,000 for you to break even – Remember to this point you have not made a profit, in fact you have made a loss if you take into account the cost of selling time and the paper work involved.

Interestingly, when compared to a suburban newspaper with a circulation of around 38,000, you could buy a full page for less than the $1,000 and if it achieved a response rate at a quarter of the bottom end of the scale (0.05%) then you would have 190 enquiries to deal with.

Which really works for you costwise, a full page of letterheaded paper or a full page of newspaper space? They both cost about the same. The important point to be remembered is that if your message is not right and tells the consumer what you need and does not answer what the consumer needs… Then give up now.

Feral Brewing Company

Alistair came to us in 1999 with a plan to start a craft brewery in the Swan Valley. With some minor improvements to their plan, he won $2,000 in Operation Livewire, a national business planning competition supported by the Shell company.

"Small Business Centre East Metro has been a tremendous help to me. The experience and knowledge that Tony has shared with us has saved us from a number of potentially costly mistakes. Also Tony’s regional contacts and knowledge of available resources have enabled us to fast track our project considerably. To anyone considering opening their own business I would strongly recommend a visit to the SBC East Metro."

14 May 2003: Brewer Tastes International Success

A Swan Valley brewer forced to overcome lengthy planning delays and trademark issues has become the latest success story for Swan Region Small Business Centre.

Feral Brewing blitzed the opposition at the recent Australian International Beer Awards, winning five gold, three silver and a bronze medal. Feral Brewing director Alistair Carragher paid tribute to SBC East Metro manager Tony Watts, who he said had provided invaluable advice and support.

"We went to Tony about five years ago for advice," Mr Carragher said. "We’d been having lots of problems with red tape and then we got involved with Operation Livewire and Tony became our mentor. He was able to point us in the right direction and put us in touch with other people who could help us."

Mr Carragher said the SBC’s support had also helped Feral Brewing make substantial cost savings. "Tony saved us from making costly mistakes, which I’m sure we would have made," he said.

Mr Watts said Feral’s success was particularly sweet given the company’s long battle to obtain planning approval and problems with trademark. "Alistair had all the skills and knew what to do; he just needed the finer points of negotiation and someone who he could bounce ideas off," Mr Watts said. "He’s been able to set up a unique destination in the Swan Valley – it’s become a very popular place for Generation Xers in what is very much wine country."

Mr Watts said the Swan SBC had established an ongoing relationship with Feral Brewing and would continue to work with the company. "We’ve stood by them from the beginning, providing support and guiding with promotion," he said. "We’ve also been able to push their case in the planning approvals process. It’s been energising to work with someone as keen and willing to take professional advice."

The Small Business Development Corporation’s Russ Davis had also provided vital support and advice during the initial stages of setting up the business, Mr Watts said.

SBC East Metro is part of a network of 26 SBCs across the state. Free guidance is available on everything from finance to market research as well as regulations and licensing. Contact SBC East Metro on (08) 9274 6428.

Feral Brewing Company is located at 152 Hadrill Road, Baskerville. The brewery includes a restaurant, which is open for lunch on Wednesday’s and both lunch and dinner Thursdays through to Sundays.

Master Mechanical Services

Adam Murcha’s business at 40 Clayton St, Bellevue is renowned for superior customer service and its first class appearance. Adam came to us in 1994 for help. His business idea was a one man mobile mechanic operating from the back of a factory unit. He now runs a main street operation employing four staff, growing at 10% annually.

Adam first undertook the New Enterprise Incentive Scheme (NEIS) with East Metro SBC. This provided him with basic small business management skills and a useable business plan; the rest was up to him. Soon Adam was ready to grow and push his business beyond simply self-employment. He then undertook our Small Business Smart Business Training in Marketing and Promotion and his business boomed. He then spent a full day on business profiling and analysis as part of the Management Improvement run by East Metro SBC in conjunction with Curtin University. He now employs four staff using the latest in diagnostic and repair facilities in the cleanest repair shop in Perth. Customers come from as far as Baldivis (near Rockingham), but why?

"…with Adam I know that whatever needs to be done is going to be done properly. Adam is a mechanical perfectionist. If it isn’t right he doesn’t let it out of the workshop. I chose Adam to service my daughter’s older model car because I trust him. An older car with a younger driver can be a problem if the vehicle isn’t 100% right. Adam doesn’t do anything to the car unless you agree, he shows you the parts he’s replaced and he gives you a total explanation of any problems he finds he’s like a surgeon giving you the appendix in a jar. His workshop would put some operating rooms to shame, it is spotless and his staff immediately attend to you if he’s not there. Adam’s service is different because he cares about you and your car."

Paul McKeon

Adam is one of our best clients, because he tries harder. He sees the importance of service and maintaining a client base. There are no half-measures, everything is done right the first time, from the collection of your vehicle and its servicing needs to payment of the bill and after sales care. No one comes close.

There are mechanics and then there are Master Mechanics. Adam is the Master!

Disciplined Mail – An Effective Selling Tool Specifically for Service Industries

Many businesses make a naive assessment about direct mail being an efficient and cost effective selling tool, invest large sums of money in broad based random distribution, and achieve little.

Direct mail relies heavily on two main factors for success, the merchandise the consumer wants and the value to them of the offer made, neither of which applies to a service industry to any major degree.

There is a mailing technique used by some of the more successful service companies that eliminates the major waste factor of contacting random companies and that is what could be more appropriately called Disciplined Mail.

The technique is simple and begins with targeting specific market groups in individual categories and exhausting that avenue before selecting the next category, e.g. Accountants, Legal Practices, White Goods Retailers, New Car Retailers etc.

The identification process is best achieved by using the practical experience of your previous business history and assessing what groups have been the most sales productive, in other words, optimise the opportunity for success.

Having identified the most appropriate group the next phase is to develop a mailing list and it is important that the mail be personalised, it is no longer sufficient to mail with the generic form of "To The Manager" or "The Managing Director" as business has now become acutely aware that this style mail is usually one of the many mailing pieces received by offices every day and almost invariably it does not get beyond the person opening the mail, in many cases the receptionist who will make a decision about the offer, albeit that the decision is unqualified.

The business of getting the names and titles of the addressee often requires some phone research and asking questions but it cannot be stressed strongly enough that this is of primary importance, if it is important enough for the mail to be done then it is equally important that it be directed correctly to the ultimate decision maker.

The 5x5x5 Plan

The effectiveness of this relies totally on a discipline where it becomes part of the daily planned activities.

1) Firstly make 5 phone calls if necessary to ascertain the name and title of the decision maker of businesses in the selected category and diarise the results.

2) Mail 5 personally addressed letters to the identified targets and diarise the recipient’s name and phone number two days in advance.

3) Make 5 phone calls as scheduled in the diary from the previous mailings to the recipient of the letter.

Why 5 letters and phone calls?

Random bulk direct mail fails because it is not followed up, the five letter system is based on the premise that if it takes 5 minutes to print the letter, address and stuff the envelope and mail it, and allow 5 minutes for each phone call then this is almost an hour invested each day in selling.

The best practice is to establish a set time each day to follow the procedure, say 9.00 a.m. to 10.00 a.m. and mark it out of the diary.

Why a letter and a follow up call? It is an established fact that selling relationships are built up over a number of contacts and this is the starting point to building a rapport with a potential client.

The letter content

If there is one fatal flaw in direct mail it is the putting of too much information in the first mailing, this empowers the recipient to make a decision on the product without feeling the need to ask questions.

A golden rule of Disciplined Mail is to always leave an unanswered question hanging, give the recipient a reason to need to talk to you in the subsequent phone call.

Lastly, finish the letter by expressing that they can expect a call within the next couple of days for their opinion of the service. This in itself is a very powerful tool in gaining entry to new businesses as firstly it is non-threatening by asking for an opinion rather than the order, and secondly it is human nature to discuss your thoughts with someone who values your opinion, the ego effect.

Where does all this lead?

1) Contact has been established by mail.

2) The potential client is expecting a phone call so no cold canvassing is needed.

3) The well written letter will have raised at least one question that the potential client can discuss with you over the phone.

4) The client feels comfortable about making an appointment to expound his opinion, although in most circumstances they are aware that this is a selling situation.

5) An appointment is made and the product discussed in detail. The purpose of the mail has thus been achieved in a sound percentage of cases, your business is in the door, it is here that the conversion to a sale must take place and this becomes the responsibility of the representative.

Factoring – Can it help your business?

Factoring – Can it help your business?

Factoring is emerging as one of the fastest growing financial products in Australia, increasing at the rate of 32% pa last year. No longer is factoring the domain of a struggling business, factoring is now used by dynamic, fast growing enterprises that have discovered the many features and benefits of factoring. They include:

Improved cash flow – leads to improved profits and removes the uncertainty of funding rapid growth.

Flexibility – the cash available through factoring is limited only by your sales.

Security – factoring is not a loan, factoring is buying invoices. It does not require your "bricks and mortar" usually demanded by banks.

Cost – by having cash in your hand within 48 hours of issuing your invoice, will your suppliers provide greater discounts? Can you offer longer terms of trade to attract more business? There are many ways to reduce your expenses and increase profits to cover the cost of factoring.

Credit management – factors can provide you with an Accounts Receivable Management Service to give you up-to-date status reports on the performance of your trade debtors and can handle all collections, allowing you to maintain a strictly business relationship with your customers.

How does it work?

Step 1 – Within 48 hours of issuing your invoice the Factor will release around 75% (less factoring fee) of the invoice value.

Step 2 – The remaining 25% of the invoice value is released after payment of the account.

Cashflow Factors in South Perth is a family business that has provided this service for over 15 years. They are able to customise their services to suit your business. So if slow paying customers are creating problems for your fast growing business, give them a call on 9474 2944 or visit their website on www.cashflow.com.au .

Midland Railway Company

This business which features a "K class" locomotive pulling turn of the century restaurant cars refurbished by the Railway Historical Society, is a five star wining and dining experience. "The Spirit of the West" has been featured on the major lifestyle programs and is gaining rave reviews from its customers.

In its first seven months of operations it has exceeded all projections and cemented itself as a first rate business. Alan Nelson a director of the Company used East Metro SBC to facilitate the start up processes to ensure the Company succeeded in the vulnerable first few months of operations. Alan was quick to attribute the success of his Company to the superb staff he employs who put their heart and soul into the business.

Congratulations Alan and the team at Midland Railway Company for winning:

Best Tourism Business sponsored by Swan Valley and Regional Winemaker’s Association

Best New Business award sponsored by City of Swan

Best Business overall sponsored by Centrepoint Shopping Centre

At the Swan Chamber of Commerce Business Awards.

Swan View Quick Kleen

Adam Desmond came to us for some assistance with training to improve his business skills in media releases and marketing.

Adam has achieved great results in a highly competitive market.

Congratulations Adam at Swan View Quick Kleen best credit repair companies for winning:

Young Business Achiever sponsored by the Small Business Development Corporation

Congratulations Adam you are a worthy winner.

Free Advice on Federal Workplace Agreements

Thousands of businesses that had previously used state workplace agreements now prefer to use federal workplace agreements as a simple alternative to following awards. These include Australian Workplace Agreements, which are individual agreements that can often help businesses improve productivity and reduce costs compared to businesses that operate under awards.

The Australian Government Department of Employment and Workplace Relations now offers a workplace advisory service to give employers information and advice about the opportunities and best home security system options available to them. This free service helps employers understand their options, and how workplace agreements can be used to tailor working arrangements to meet the needs of their business, employees and clients.

If you would like to find out more about federal workplace agreements and how the workplace advisory service can help your business, contact:

Andrew Jones on 9464 4200 or by email andrew.jones@dewr.gov.au.

Tendering: The Key Don’ts of Tendering

Do not think of yourself or your business when preparing your response. You need to demonstrate complete understanding of the client’s credit repair requirements, and your solution will need to be tailored to demonstrate your understanding of their needs. Always think of why the buyer would be asking that question-what sort of things will they be looking for from the suppliers of that requirement?

Do not treat questions in isolation. Every question is asked for a reason – think about what that reason is, and then prepare your response.

Do not work as individuals when preparing the tender. It shows when your response is being evaluated. Different people have different writing styles. A disjointed document may not reflect your overall style and presentation. Have a single individual responsible for the tender. Give them the authority to streamline the content.

Never underestimate the competition. You don’t know what they are putting in their response, so always put your best solution forward – tailored to the buyer’s needs, of course.

Never assume that tendering is purely price-driven. You need to demonstrate a solution that is economically advantageous to the buyer. Demonstrate your ability to service the requirements efficiently and effectively. A supplier who can demonstrate capacity to deliver the service at a cost effective rate will win over a cheaper supplier who has not demonstrated capability or value for money.

Never rely on a third party to deliver your tender document. A tender is business for your business, not the third party who is delivering the document on your behalf. Timely delivery is mandatory. Rejection will happen if you arrive one minute past the delivery due time.

Remember the tender response is your one chance to demonstrate your capacity to win new business. If you feel that you need more help to deliver a best possible response, contact your SBC or TenderSearch Response team today.

This article comes from TenderSearch Pty Ltd.

Email:info@tendersearch.com.au Web: www.tendersearch.com.au  Phone: 111222333

© TenderSearch Pty Ltd 2003

Perth Wing Chung Academy

Peter Guy came to us for help cable providers in my area in the early stages of his business development plan. Peter’s uncompromising approach to ethical and customer focused business has won him staunch support among Midland businesses and customers. Only recently Peter’s academy hosted the Kung Fu master who trained the legendary Bruce Lee. Peter’s tenacity and strong community involvement made him a worthy winner.

Congratulations Peter and the team at Perth Wing Chung Academy for winning:

Quality customer Service Award sponsored by Midland Kalamunda Reporter

Best Non-Retail Business sponsored by Midland Brick

Congratulations Peter you really made it happen.