Time Retrievers Pty Ltd

Duplicating the business owner

Posted on 28, Jul

Business

Can your people do it the same way you do

Systems are your way of empowering your team to do large parts of your job just as if you were doing it personally. They are simply the documentation of ‘the way it’s done’, and done that way every time. They can reduce your hours and stress by getting average people to do a great job…sounds fantastic? Well it is easy once you know a few simple methods….here’s four ‘Tricks of the Trade’ for creating systems

Work until it becomes simple

If the system is complex then keep working! When you really understand something, and present it well, it will become simple. For example, written procedures can often be clarified by presenting them as checklists or tables.

Only write systems that make money (or reduce a big risk)

We are not the government and not in the business of creating manuals so only create a system if it simplifies a task, improves quality, or speeds up a service. This will keep you focused. Forget your big company or corporate experience of many volumes that mainly gather dust. Rather, the trick is to start small and let it grow with time.

Makes sure your precious systems are being used

As you create systems, build into them monitoring systems, so that at a glance you can see if they are being used. Changing the culture of your company takes time and there will be failures. Even when the culture has changed, it needs to be maintained; your monitoring systems will do of this for you.

Makes sure your team members knows the positions they play

Unfortunately, it is normal for most team members to disagree on what needs to be done while at the same time believing everyone knows their job roles. Clear written and agreed roles will remove the need for 75% of systems. So start here.

By now you truly understand the best systems look very unimpressive… the genius is getting them to look that way. Here’s a few simple ways in which you can present your systems that will make them effective and easy to use… Tear off pads, laminated cards, Job or Quote Pads, Position Contracts, Standard letters, Meeting minutes, Quick Contact lists, Procedure manual using photographs, Procedure manual using videos and as Wall Signs & Instruction labels.

Article supplied

Small business success comes from Focus and consistency

Posted on 18, Jul

Business

Over the years, one thing I have noticed (and been guilty of) with small business owners, is the constant chopping and changing of their marketing or business strategy literally from week to week. Every time a new idea comes up, they want to implement it and stop what they are already doing “for this new, great idea”

The magic to success in business, is to find something that works and keep doing it.

We see it all the time, a business owner develops a new marketing strategy, starts implementing it, 2 weeks later they talk to their friends, attend an event or come up with a new idea and want to implement it NOW. The other strategies are dropped and the new one is implemented, until the next couple of weeks when it happens again. A never ending cycle. In the mean time, they are months down the track and their business performance has not changed. Still struggling for income.

You have to give strategies time to work, set your plan for implementing the strategy and then stick to it for 3 months at least. If any new ideas come up, put them on your list of ideas that can then be review at the end of the 3 month program. Give it time to work.

Every idea is generally a great idea, but it will only be great, if you give it time to work. You think that if you don’t implement this new idea, you will miss out. But, If you stick with the strategy you are currently working on, you will give yourself a greater chance of success rather than chopping and changing. It only takes one fully implemented idea to be successful. A multitude of half implemented ideas lead to failure.

Find out more about the Time Retrievers Quarterly Planning workshop being held on the 30th July and 1st August

How to get your employee’s to do what you want

Posted on 12, Jul

Business

I recently read this article by Fred Bauer

So how do they teach Shamu to jump out of the water to the delight of the fans? If you have read Whale Done, by Ken Blanchard et al, you’d know that you can’t use a choker collar or negative reinforcement to get a killer whale to do anything. Is that kind of like your TEAM members? The ones that can’t get in at the beginning of the day and leave at the stroke of 5 p.m.?

One of my clients had the same experience. No matter how many different office staff he hired, no matter how many sales people he hired, the same thing happened. They came, they underachieved, and either he fired them or they quit. It quickly became apparent that there was one common denominator, my client. As I observed him, it became apparent that he only interacted with the staff when they did something wrong. The staff dreaded my client. When he was out of town on a trip, things seemed to get done. When he was in the office, there seemed to be constant strife. It seemed that every coaching call started with a complaint about this employee or that employee. Many of the things that concerned my client had nothing to do with the mission of the company. They were petty things.

I started asking my client “so what?” As he heard me constantly asking him “so what?” he got the idea that he was focused on the wrong thing. When he wanted to fire someone I asked him what the cost was, and what was the return on this investment. Slowly it appears that the environment is changing. We are now focused on figuring out what the staff is doing well. Our focus now is on finding the staff doing something well. In addition we ignore the “bad” behavior. If people come in late (a pet peeve of my client) we ignore it. When they come in on time we thank them for being there to give us the best opportunity to have a productive day.

Like whales, people respond to the reinforcement that they get. If they know that the boss will pay attention when they step out of line, they’ll step out of line to get attention. Now I can hear you thinking, that’s fine for children, but this is my business, I shouldn’t have to be the parent at work. As the business owner you have as much responsibility to lead your team as you do to lead your family. The use of positive reinforcement at home, in school, and in business, will make you happier with the results that you get in each environment.

Likes attract. In nature positive energy gravitates to positive energy. If you create positive energy in your business it will be more difficult for your team members to be negative. If you greet team members with a positive message when they start their day it will create positive energy in the office. This will make the workplace both more pleasant and more productive. The next time you get ready to “lower the boom” on someone, ask yourself why? What is the real impact of your negative energy? What will you get back? If you choose to fire them, isn’t that a reflection on your ability to hire the right people?

For more pointers on how to improve the effectiveness of your TEAM, contact Time Retrievers. They have experience in helping you:

Hire the right people
Motivate people
Create a TEAM environment where Together Everyone Achieves More.

Peter

Urgency in business

Posted on 4, Jul

Business

Some business owners are so busy with tasks and duties that they lose the general vision of their enterprise. They exert much energy trying to do everything now, but forget about steering in the right direction.

In working with business owners I constantly see two key factors that limit the business owner’s vision when scheduling their own time. The first is related to the urgency of the tasks. Many people tend to focus their attention on the urgency of tasks rather than on the importance.

Most urgent tasks that must be performed are related to something important that was previously not done or neglected. The reasoning seems to be “I have no time for important tasks because I have more urgent ones.” We neglect an important task until it becomes an urgent one. The real challenge is that a neglected important task actually becomes many urgent tasks, rather than one.

It is like preferring to bail water from a boat rather than first plugging the hole. Or even worse, it is wanting to plug a boat’s leak rather than performing maintenance to simply avoid the problem.

The second factor in correctly scheduling time is the owner’s understanding of his function in the business. If the business owner made an organisational chart of his enterprise, and then placed himself where he is working, he would notice that he does not work only in different areas, but also moves between different levels. Sometimes he may act as a manager, technician, or assistant or other times an assembly line worker.

Hiring fewer people and personally performing many tasks may save money in the short-term, but two drawbacks result from this action:

Most operational tasks demand more time than those that are directive. For example: a director can dedicate a couple of hours to define a plan, which will take days or even weeks to implement by staff.
Performing the job of a driver and a stockroom assistant yourself is equivalent to paying them the same wage as a General Manager and therefore it’s too expensive.

So if you have a flood of tasks, which are very operational in nature and mainly urgent, here is a very simple exercise for you to try:

Firstly, list the tasks that you usually perform in a week. Then estimate the time each task needs per week. Next, identify which of these tasks can only be done by the owner, which ones need a manager, which may be done by a technician, and which ones only require a helper or assistant. You must delegate the most operative tasks, even if you have to hire someone. The objective is to remove tasks in order to give yourself an extra free hour each day in your agenda. By removing these distractions, you remove any excuse not to spend at least an hour of planning each day.

Remember that planning not only gives you control of your business, but also of your life.

Article supplied..

Success comes down to one thing.

Posted on 28, Jun

Business

“Extraordinary people don’t do extraordinary things; they do ordinary things extraordinarily well”

I have spent some time researching who first made this statement to credit them, but have had no success.

Over the past years I have constantly repeated this quote to clients and audiences everywhere. Working with business owners has shown me that nearly everyone is running around attending workshops, seminars, reading books, watching videos and searching the internet etc looking for that brilliant new idea that is going to make them successful.

The only formula for success has been around for centuries, “Plan and Focus on the activities that you need to do each day that will lead to you achieving your goals”

Success come from great marketing, people have to know you are there. Marketing is about knowing who you are, what you do, who you’re “A Grade” client is, what their needs are, where they get together en-masse, how do I get to them and how do I present my message to them that gets noticed.

From this you build your plan of action activities that is designed to achieve your goals.

The problem is, most people set a plan, work the plan for a week or two and then change to something else, or they wander in and out of their plan doing things in an adhoc manner. They don’t stick to their plan and therefore, it doesn’t work. Or they don’t have a plan in the first place.

The real success comes from the day to day actioning of these activities. If your plan says, you are going to contact 5 new prospects per day, each day of the week over this quarter, that is what you do. Make sure you contact 5 prospects each day. If you plan to send out 20 pieces of marketing material each week and then follow them up with a phone call 5 days later over the quarter, then that is what you do.

It is these ordinary but simple things done on a constant basis that will create your success.

Your employee’s are incredibly valuable

Posted on 27, Jun

Business

It is impossible to develop any business without the cooperation and motivation of its employees… after all they represent the heart and soul of every business. This means that the most essential system in any business with more than one team member is a human resources system that must include the maintenance of teamwork interaction coupled to an incentives program that goes beyond simple economic remuneration.

When we talk about motivation as a productivity and development tool in any business, we are talking about all of the factors, small and large, that provide any employee with the capability to focus their efforts on contributing towards the success of the business.
The main trigger for the positive ambition and self-esteem that is a product of motivation is the adequate presence of incentives. Consequently, it is very important that business owners should be aware of the value of implementing and keeping a real and significant “Incentive and Motivation Program” that generates successful team dynamics at all levels. The absence of this program ignores the role that employees play in the growth and development of the business and limits its future potential. Even if every business has an owner and/or shareholders trying to reach success, it is only thanks to motivated employees with well planned objectives that the task of growing the business becomes easy and transforms any organization into a winning team.

Only the business owners can decide the success or failure of their companies through the cooperation of their employees guided by the owner’s own leadership. Consequently, motivation, ambition, and teamwork integration, among others things, are indispensable elements in reaching the goals and solving the challenges of every business.

Henry Ford based his business philosophy on valuing and encouraging his personnel. This philosophy ensured his company was a leader of American industry during the depression years not only by keeping his personnel from dismissal, but also by offering them additional incentives. This is a classic example of results by leadership. In more recent times one of the best examples of ‘success through employee focus’ comes from the Virgin Group headed by Richard Branson. In this case the ‘X’ factor is the focus on the employee motivation and well-being, which is then reflected in their level of service to their customers.

“Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful”. ….Albert Schweitzer

Article supplied

Book now for these 2 events:

Time Retrievers “Road Map of Business Success” workshop, Wednesday 29th June, 9.00am to 12.00 midday, Hosted by the Pakenham Business Group, Services Central, 6B Henry St, Pakenham. success@timeretrievers.com.au

Ben Angel’s “How To Dominate Your Industry in 90 Days or Less” Wednesday 29th June, 5.30pm to 8.30pm, Suite 23, Bldg 4, 195 Wellington Rd Clayton, Vic. success@timeretrievers.com.au

Only limited seats left for each event, BOOK NOW!

Does your motor vehicle detract from your business?

Posted on 24, Jun

Business

You have seen this before;

You are driving on a road, a vehicle with signage pulls up next to you, filthy dirty, dented, blowing smoke and the bumper bar hanging off.

What did you think?

Poor quality company!
I wouldn’t use that companies services because they don’t appear to have pride in what they do!
Is that how they will leave my home or office looking when they have finished their work?

So what do your company vehicles look like?

Your motor vehicle is, on a lot of occasions the first people will see of your business. This means your vehicle should be clean and in good running condition, so when people see it, their first impression is of a business that provides quality and shows pride in what they do.

Exercise:

Go out to your motor vehicle, look at it and ask yourself the question, does this vehicle reflect a good image of my business?

Peter

CLICK HERE NOW SO YOU CAN START EXPERIENCING MORE SALES IN YOUR BUSINESS – FIRST 40 ONLY

Learn The Science of Marketing – First 40 Only!

Posted on 24, Jun

Business

Can you imagine being one week, month or even a year in the future and still not knowing ‘WHAT’ drives people to buy?

Marketing is science and once you understand the principles you can very easily close more deals, make more sales and influence more people.

…and to assist you to jolt your marketing and sales into high gear, today we are giving away to the first 40 that register a complimentary pass to the information packed 3hr workshop, ‘How To Dominate Any Industry in 90 Days or Less’ by Ben Angel valued at $149 in a capital city near you.

Ben is the author of the highly successful book series, “Sleeping Your Way to The Top.” Having worked with top companies such as; Toyota, Australia Post and Origin Energy, Ben is now bringing his scientifically proven marketing strategies to business owners Australia wide.

But you must get your skates on!

His workshops nationally are nearing capacity…

CLICK HERE NOW SO YOU CAN START EXPERIENCING MORE SALES IN YOUR BUSINESS – FIRST 40 ONLY

As you attend this workshop, you’ll start to:

• Learn how to close more deals, make more sales and influence more people.

• Become far more educated on the psychology and science behind what drives people to buy.

• Discover how to apply proven marketing strategies in your business to catapult your sales results.

• Master your marketing by discovering techniques to attract national media coverage, charge top dollar for your services and attract an ongoing stream of new clients.

Be Sure To Act Quick – You Will Miss Out If You Don’t Respond Immediately!

These events are going to be MASSIVE! But you are on the verge of missing out if you don’t ACT NOW!

CLICK HERE NOW SO YOU CAN START EXPERIENCING MORE SALES IN YOUR BUSINESS – FIRST 40 ONLY

6 Essential Tips for Effective Time Management

Posted on 22, Jun

Business

The most precious resource that anyone has is renewed daily, and given freely with barely a thought. It is the most valuable thing you have. But a fresh 24 hour clock is nothing to be taken for granted. It is perishable, it is irreplaceable, and it cannot be saved. It can only be reallocated from activities of lower value to activities of higher value. All work requires time. And time is absolutely essential for the important relationships in your life. Here are a few ways we can make the most of this indispensable gift and take advantage of the present.

Make Good Use of Planning Tools

A time planner, broken down by day, hour and minute, organized in advance, can be one of the most powerful, personal productivity tools of all. It enables you to see where you can consolidate and create blocks of time for concentrated work. When you plan your work you can more effectively work your plan.

Put off Non-Essential Tasks

During the time you’ve allocated for working, turn off the telephone, eliminate all distractions and work non-stop. One of the best work habits is for you to implement is getting up earlier than usual so you can do some uninterrupted work. You can get three times as much work done, than during the regular day where you are disrupted by people and bombarded by phone calls.

Make Every Minute Count
One of the keys to high levels of performance and productivity is for you to make every minute count. Use travel and transition time, to complete small chunks of larger tasks.

Remember, the pyramids were built one block at a time, and Rome wasn’t built in a day. A great life and a great career are built one task, and often, one part of a task, at a time. Your job is to deliberately and creatively organize the concentrated time periods you need to get your key jobs done well, and on schedule.

Focus on the activity not the target

Goal setting is a part of time management. When you know what you want, you can then use your time more effectively to achieve it. Once the target is set, you then need to set your focus on the activities you need to do to achieve the goal. The goal is the result, the activities are what will get the result.

Action Steps

Think continually of different ways that you can save, schedule and consolidate large chunks of time. Use this time to work on important tasks with the most significant long-term consequences.

Make every moment count. Work steadily and continuously without diversion or distraction by planning and preparing your work in advance. Most of all, keep focused on the most important results for which you are responsible.

Peter

www.servicemanagmentsoftware.com.au