Small Business Communication

We communicate in different ways. We can show displeasure with a look, or the tone of voice we use when talking to someone. In fact Body Language and Tone of Voice can easily give us away when we say one thing and mean another.

But in the same way we use our bodies or voice to communicate, it is possible to do similar using text. Send someone an eMail or letter in BOLD CAPITALS and you will get their attention.

It is obvious that when communication with someone, whether they are a customer or supplier or our tone of voice, body language or even our actions can betray us.

So how must one act when dealing with with people. Well, you need to be professional about it. Let's say you would normally go to work in jeans and t shirt. But one day you are meeting a new client for the first time. You do not know them, you have no clue what would make them feel that you are the right person or not the right person for the job.

The first thing you do is you change into an outfit that is better suited for the meeting. An important rule to remember, you can never be overdressed, ties and jackets can be removed, sleeves can be rolled up, but arrive at a meeting in shorts and t shirt when everyone else is wearing  a suit and tie and you will be at a distinct disadvantage and your appearance could be taken as insulting.

The next thing you need to remember when meeting someone for the the first time, is step up to them, hold out your hand to shake theirs and say, “Hello, Mr Jones, how do you do, I am Brian Smith” If you know his name, use it. When shaking hands, use a firm grip but do not squeeze.

These actions communicate a lot about you. As a young adult and as a student, casual dress may be acceptable, but they do not have to deal with new customers or bank managers.

Some of your communication will be phone and unless you are Skype or similar, the person on the other side cannot see you, which means they will use your voice as an indication of what you are really saying. A lesson I learnt working a travel consultant, is to smile. That simple act makes your tone of voice more pleasant.

You know your business, you know your customers and your market, make sure when you communicate with them face to face by phone or face to face, that you do not give them cause to doubt you.

One Man Business - Sales.

Money, Money, Money - we all need it. And for you and your business to survive, you need to sell your products or services for it.

This is not about greed, but every thing in life boils down to money. That McDonald's takeaway, costs money, your daughter's new braces cost money.

Business is about solving a need. Your customers need what you have to offer, but they also have a choice, because the guy around the corner has the same thing. You want them to choose you over the other guy, right?

Selling is not difficult, but most of us shy away from it. We want the business to come to us, we do not want to go looking for it. Sorry to burst your bubble, but (and maybe this sounds clinched,but...)what you put in, you get out.

So how to attract business and make the sale - ask for it.

On your Website, you need to tell customers how you solve their need and then you need to ask for the sale. There, I said it - ask for the sale. You do this buy adding something obvious that gets their attention, like a big red button that takes them to the sales page.

When a customer phones you and asks for information, don't just give it to them and expect them to make up their mind to buy from you. Again, ask for the sale, something like, "I can come and demonstrate the widget for you, would you prefer the red one or the blue one. When is good for you, I am free Monday afternoon or Wednesday morning."

You have done two things, you have teased them with a choice of widgets, so he starts to imagine them and their use and you got him to commit to a meeting but limiting his choice of time.

One thing to always remeber, be honest, sales is not about lies. If you are dishonest, it will bite you in the bum.

Back to he sale. When you go to meet your customer to demonstrate your widgets, prepare.
What are his objections going to be and how will you answer them. Dress appropriately,  you can never be over dressed, but you can easily be under dressed. Arrive early, being late aside from being rude, screws up your customers schedule. Impress him and you should make the sale.

I have only touched the surface, there is a lot more to selling but if only take away one thing from this, it is - ASK FOR THE SALE.

A good place to find out more http://sales.about.com/

The One Man Business:- Administration.

Time, there is just enough in the day. You arrive at work start working. You are running late and clients are complaining. The e-Mails are piling up and your tax return is due tomorrow.

Sound familiar, there are many small business owners in this position. Competition is tough and you have to work harder just to make ends meet.

Business fails when systems are not in place, the most important one is your administration. If you cannot afford to outsource your admin and must do it yourself, you need to keep it up to date or you could find yourself in trouble.

if you get into the habit of doing small tasks at regular intervals, for example, when you switch on your computer in the morning, connect to you bank and check what money came in overnight and what went out. You then know if that overdue payment needs chasing up or if money is missing from your account. A 5 minute task done daily, will save you grief.

When you buy something for cash or using a credit (debit) card, you tend to walk around with a wallet of receipts that eventually get lost. So, a ten minute task this time, take the receipts out of your wallet and scan them, save them and when you do get round to doing your accounts, you  have them handy.

If you set aside one morning every fortnight, you can check that you have invoiced out work, that outstanding money is collected and that expenses are tracked. And you do not need any fancy software, everything can be tracked using a spreadsheet.

And here is a cost saving hint, you do not have to buy Office Software to get a spreadsheet, Google will let you use Google Docs Free!

Administration, sorted!