As a small business owner we need creativity to help us with product development, creating new ideas in our business, and to stay ahead of the competition.
Sometimes we think that other people are the creative ones and that this is not a strength that we have ourselves. But that is not true! Everyone has creativity inside of them, they just need to know the tools and how to recognize it in yourself.
This video outlines the three major steps of creativity:
1. Brainstorming. Some different tactics to approach brainstorming and tools that you should try out. A lot of times it is as simple as starting to write things down.
2. Prioritization. Once you have a bunch of ideas it is important to figure out which ones are the best ideas or what order you can actually approach them. Everyone has a limitation on time and money, so prioritization becomes important.
3. Implementation. Once you’ve decided on the ideas, action becomes necessary. Many times people want to wait and make things perfect, but often it is good to get your MVP (minimum viable product) out there to begin your testing.
At the end of the video, there are additional tips and tricks, as well as an example of where creativity has made a huge difference.
Contact The Expert
Sheri Andrunyk
womenforwomen@primus.ca
Tag Archives: small business advice
Benchmarking & Performance Management for Small Business
What gets measured will get done.
Large businesses and small business alike use performance metrics with the intent to motivate their employees. However often these metrics are misguided and resulting in undesirable behaviour. They are not tied to the strategic performance of the organization.
In this video learn…
1. Why have metrics?
2. How to create your metrics that will actually help your business
3. Understand what a balanced scorecard is and what components make up a small business’ balanced scorecard
4. Learn how to monitor and implement the metrics in the most effective and efficient way possible
There are a lot of red flags when it comes to metrics, and if done improperly a metric can actually stunt your business’ growth rather than foster it.
Always remember that what gets measured will get done!
Performance management resources
Examples of Critical Success Factors and Metrics
Want the slides for this presentation? Performance Management
Small Business Growth Strategies
Growing your business is something that most entrepreneurs strive to do. They want to grow their business to help increase their profit, grow the value of their business to sell it at a later date, they want to hire more people, they want to help the community, they want to build something for their family, they are competitive, they never quit, and there are many other personal reasons.
Regardless, most small business owners are looking for ways to grow. The two that often come to mind is to grow outside of your geographical location and expand the size of the market or to create a new product. But there are a ton of other strategies to growing a business and many examples to follow. Click on the image to see them.
Watch this 30 minute video to find out;
– 12 small business growth strategies
– examples of businesses that used these strategies and how it worked for them
– draw out key takeways and ideas to use for each strategy
Expert’s Contact Information
Carla Langhorst
Small Business Consultant
Carla@smallbusinesssolver.com
New Product Development
85-95% of New Product Launches fail annually (FORBES article of March 24, 2010 based on approx. 250,000 global launches).
With this daunting figure, we want to do everything right to increase our product’s chance of success. Learn from the expert, Kevin Scanlan, who has over 30 years experience in new product development with enterprises and small business.
In this 30 minute video, you will learn:
– what invention is versus product development
– the importance of a roadmap and the process
– how to scan the environment
– the QUAD approach and the 4 different types of product development
– the components of a product specification
– the Gate process used by the most successful companies out there
– red flags and things to look for during the process
Plus, if you have any other questions you can always contact our expert.
Contact The Expert!
Kevin Scanlan
Anubis3D
tel: 905-963-9130
email: kevins@anubiscorp.com
Sales Storytelling
Think about the excitement you felt when you first thought about running your own business. Did you dream of financial freedom? More time with your family? Travel to exotic places?
Where has all the excitement gone? Many small business owners experience incredible stress, time pressures and little personal time with loved ones. They realize that their business will collapse if they are absent from it. What started out as a dream has now become a cage.
The transition from a business that is a burden to a business that enables you to have the lifestyle that you dream of is not as difficult as you might think.
Learn to avoid:
•The stress from being the bottleneck in your business.
•The stress of poor cash flow
•The stress from not feeling in control
And how to achieve:
•Financial Freedom
•A business that works for you instead of a business you have to work for
•More time with your loved ones
If you would like to rekindle the dream, watch this video!
Contact The Expert
Adrian Davis
Adrian@adriandavis.com
Amazing Customer Service!
Customer service is the backbone of customer retention and customer loyalty. Customer retention is the backbone of increasing your revenue year over year.
This webinar will walk through the basics that you need to know about customer service and what you should know NOT to do.
Customer Service for Products
If you are selling a product, here are your customer service metrics.
1. Available products: do you actually have the product that they want on the shelf or in stock? Think about Chapters/Indigo, and the fact that you can order books on computers in store or find out physical stores where.
2. On time delivery: think about anything that you’ve ordered online and if it is close to when you need the gift, let’s say Christmas, they have a cut off online when they can get it to you by. If they missed the date, you’d be upset!
3. Zero defects: Do you buy your new pair of jeans with a hole in it (that wasn’t for fashion?) How upset are you about having to exchange it. Sometimes you’ll simply return it as you are that upset. Or you may simply never buy from that store again.
4. Meets customer specifications: If you want something custom, like ordering a custom suit. If it comes to you with pink thread and you expected black, you might be a little upset.
5. Amazes customers: This is the extra step. Is there something unexpected like a thank you card? A bonus gift? A loyalty card? For the suit example, maybe they threw in a tie?
Customer Service for Services
If you are selling a service, it is tougher as it is intangible. Here are your metrics;
1. Proximity to customers. Location, location, location becomes increasingly important for many services. It is less likely that someone will go to a salon across town or in another town, than down the street. That’s why franchises make so much sense. You love the product/service, but you simply aren’t willing to make the trek. So they bring it to you.
2. Zero wait time. How often have you gone to Tim Horton’s or Starbucks, and decided to wait on your coffee because the wait was too long. That is part of customer service. Both of them ended up changing their processes and adopting payment cards to save time. You might have even seen the Mastercard advertising about their PayPass program that has saved millions of minutes of time. It is the wait time in customer service of why this is sooooo important.
3. Consistent delivery. Services are trickier, as it is easy to provide great customer service as a single owner/operator of a business. But if you plan on scaling up, this will become more and more challenging. Maybe get your new employees to watch the recording of this video to start understanding the bigger perspective of customer service.
Part of this is understanding your process, and writing it down. That helps to train your employees as well as to improve upon what you are doing.
4. No mistakes in the delivery or unexpected interference. Mistakes happen! At Tim Horton’s I always order Steeped Tea. But I often get coffee instead as they might not have heard me with the noise or it was assumed. Another problem is sometimes the customer makes mistakes! They were talking about mistakes at Tim Horton’s the other day on the radio. One of the stories was about a woman talking on her phone while going through drive through. Apparently she heard the order taker speaking to the car ahead of her, and she ended up giving her order to a garbage can rather than to the order taker. When she got to getting her order, it obviously wasn’t ready for her. She was overheard saying on the phone “they got my order wrong again!”. This is a classic case of the customer not always being right.
5. Meets customer expectations. Services are tougher, as often the customer doesn’t know what to expect. Think about your last hair cut, and explaining that you just want a trim. You don’t know until your hair cut is done if it compares to your expectations.
6. Amazes customers. One of my best examples is at a nail salon I once went to. They ended up giving me a 5 minute massage while my nails dried. Completely unexpected and appreciated!
From here you need to know the best practices where are;
1. Managing expectations
2. Being fair and equitable with all of your customers
3. Listening
4. Over communicating
5. Recovering from mistakes
6. Mass customization
The subject matter expert was Carla Langhorst, the President of Small Business Solver. You can reach her at carla@smallbusinesssolver.com
Become A Networking Guru
Networking is a super way to get the word out there about your business. Especially if you are anxious about selling, this is a great first way to try your hand at the sales pitch.
This webinar covers the basics. But more importantly, opens your eyes to many different tactics that might work better for you personally.
Specific topics include;
– where to network?
– your 30-second super pitch (are they dead?)
– reciprocity and being likeable
– your personal brand and ways to be remembered
– what not to do at a networking event!!
– what to do with those business cards?!
– follow up (the how, the why, the when)
Watch the video to find these answers and more!
Your Expert
Teresa Shaver, Executive Director
Business Advisory Centre Durham
PH: 905.668.4949 x222 . 1.866.632.5151
Email : tshaver@bacd.ca www.bacd.ca
Essential Reading for Networking Success:
Work the Pond – Darcy Rezak
Love is the Killer App – Tim Sanders
The Go Giver – Bob Burg
Never Eat Alone – Keith Ferrazzi
Enchantment – Guy Kawasaki
The Art of Mingling – Jeanne Martinet https://www.hellomynameisscott.com/
Apps/Software for Business Organization
Business Card Apps:
Evernote Hello ≈ Cardmunch ≈ CardCloud ≈ CardFlick ≈ Bump
CRM Software:
Capsule CRM, Insightly, Batchbook. Highrise, Salesforce, Zoho, Sugar
Email Newsletter / Online Marketing:
Constant Contact, Mail Chimp, Email it!, Campayn, Aweber
Weekly To Do’s to build your network:
Send Four Cards a Week:
Handwritten notes every week to those in your network
Make Four Calls a Day:
Even if you leave a voicemail your outreach will be noticed and appreciated
Develop Four new Contacts a Week:
You never know when you’ll make a great new connection for you or for someone in your network.
Play Matchmaker:
The best networkers listen to others, understand their needs and share their resources.
Rules to Live By:
1. Help Everyone
2. Don’t Wait to Be Asked to Help
3. When You Are Asked, Don’t Miss That Opportunity
4. Compliment and Encourage
5. Introduce People
6. Be Friendly
7. Take a Chance
8. Be Open, Don’t Limit Your Friendships
9. Think the Best of People and Try Not to Judge
10. Be Grateful and Express It Often
Top 7 Legal Concerns of a Small Business
Find out from Denise Robertson, from Mills and Mills LLP, what the top legal concerns are and how to prioritize your legal dollars to protect yourself from the most amount of risk. Tons of details and lots to think about all wrapped up in 30 minutes.
What to expect?
Find out what the top 7 legal concerns are
Discover tons of little details to be aware of
What are the top 7 legal concerns?
#1 – Business Structures
#2 – Working with Others
#3 – Contracts and Written Agreements
#4 – Protection of Intellectual Property
#5 – Premises
#6 – General Liability
#7 – Estate Planning
Find out more in the video!
Contact our subject matter expert at:
Denise Robertson
denise.robertson@millsandmills.ca
