Photographer?
Networking Event Our November event has a HUGE twist! Check it out... Page 9.
Want to show case your work or make some $ from it? Page 12.
MONTHLY
October August 2014 2014 Volume Volume 7. 5. The The CONNECT CONNECT SMALL SMALL BUSINESS BUSINESS NETWORK NETWORK - NETWORK - NETWORK . PROMOTE . PROMOTE . EXPAND. . EXPAND.
“3 Keys to Competitive Innovation” By John Laurenson, Page 6.
“The Sins of the Big Banks” By Paul Gillmore, Page 4 .
“Choosing the Right Online Tools for Your Business” By Wendy Tadokoro, Page 14.
“Work Life Balance” By Ben Mackie, Page 10.
“Find Out Why:” Have You Swallowed the Red Pill or the Blue Pill? By Peter Gjersoe, Page 8.
• Tab LOOK WHAT’S COVERED IN THIS MONTHS
Table of Contents
EDITION
Letter From The Editor 3 The Sins of the Big Banks 4
Advisors are supposed to act in the best interests of their clients.
GET PUBLISHED 5
”By submitting an article and having it published, you are promoting yourself as an authority figure in your field”
3 Keys to Competitive 6 Innovation 6
We live in a world where there is constant change...
Find Out Why: 8
Have you swallowed the Blue or Red pill?
Work Life Balance 10
The beauty of entrepreneurship in the Information Age
POWER QUOTE 11
Enjoy the power of words that both resonate and motivate!!
PHOTOGRAPHERS 12
Ever thought of selling your images? We’ve made it super easy!
Choosing the right online tools for your business. 14 Here are some basic questions that can provide clarity.
CSBN MISSION STATEMENT 16 THE CSBN TEAM 16
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EDITOR IN C H I E F
BEN Mackie Letter From The Editor
When you’re a small business (particularly in the start-up phase), the urge is there to “get going” as soon as possible. Get organised. Get up to speed. Get the clients. Get paid. Get a regular income etc. For many of us, we figure that the best way to achieve that “get more clients” goal is to market ourselves to the widest audience we can. So perhaps even though you specialise in this certain area or that particular aspect of your line of work, instead you present yourself as the “jack of all trades”. You figure that the more you ‘do’ the quicker that rise to success will be. The thing about being a “jack of all trades” however, is that you become known as a master of none of them (to paraphrase the old saying). The irony is, a wider scope/ focus means we can quickly spread our marketing message and our abilities too thin. We fail to distinguish ourselves from competitors because having a token presence across the widest scope we can, spreads our abilities and our marketing message too thin. Not only that, but it increases the risk of being left stressed, time-poor and wondering what else we have to do to get the customers rolling in? A quick trip to sites such as LinkedIn indicates that there are any number of niche areas of business- with the number rising by the week. The Information Age has resulted in people being able to develop a more specific, discerning idea of what they’re looking for- and for more than a few people, your areas of particular expertise will be exactly what they want. The beauty of this is, that when people develop a specific idea of what they are looking for, their subconscious mind develops a radar to spot it. Notice how the names of certain people, groups or organisations seem to leap off the page of written passages, news or online articles without you even looking directly at them? Think back to the last time you bought a new car- did all these other people suddenly begin driving the same model car as you, or was your subconscious mind playing ‘Spotto’? I encourage you to take the time to think about what aspects of your business you especially enjoy, or have extensive knowledge/ expertise in. Could the difference between where you ARE and where you’d LIKE to be in your business journey, come down to narrowing your target market? Concentrating
your message? Being more specific? The beauty of this is that, in time, you will establish yourself prominently as the figure of authority in that area of speciality. If I ask you to think of fine dining, does one restaurant name stand out, or do you think of a few names, with little differentiation? On the other hand, if I ask you to think of fried chicken, what name flashes in your mind? Who do we perceive as the go-to people when it comes to fried chicken? As a further example, Hyundai design and build cars for a wide cross-section of motorists with varying budgets. Enzo Ferrari and Feruccio Lamborghini both envisioned designing/ building cars for a specific type of person- the motorist with money to burn, who loved driving fast in style. In the past week, I couldn’t tell you how many Hyndai’s I’ve seen on the road. But I can certainly recall the red Ferrari 458 Italia I saw in the Valley yesterday, or the black Lamborghini Murcialago that cruised by me a few days earlier. I’ve seen two Ferraris and two Lamborghinis this past month- I know this because I remember them. My subconscious ‘radar’ spots them before my eyes do! If you’re feeling stressed from the demands of having to cover a lot of bases and satisfy a wide target audience in your business, perhaps it’s time to step back and unclutter your mind. When it comes to the prodcts/ services you provide, what is it you’re really good at? What do you especially enjoy doing? Instead of diluting your expertise and your skillset to please everybody, why not pride yourself on becoming the specialist and concentrating your time into finding (and attracting) the people who are looking especially for you? If you want more customers, more work- and to enjoy your line of work more- perhaps it’s time to reposition yourself as the specialist? Instead of being another Mitsubishi in your line of work, take the time (and the thought) to have people regard your business instead as the Maserati. You may be pleasantly surprised at how much new attention you get in the process…
Author - Ben Mackie
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The Sins of the Big Banks
Advisors are supposed to act in the best interests of their clients. would you like to upgrade your home/investment loan or would you like some life or income protection insurance?” Let’s be clear about this – if they don’t funnel a certain number of clients to the mortgage department, financial planner or insurance person, they could lose their job – they are not meeting their KPI’s! Interestingly, the regulator ASIC, has reviewed banks and large financial institutions such as fund managers (like MLC, Colonial First State, Macquarie, OnePath etc) or any of the Industry Superannuation Funds (such as Sun Super, Australian Super, Cbus, Host, Plum etc.) Their view that selling their own financial products to the exclusion of ALL others is deemed NOT a conflict of interest. We have heard much about Commonwealth Bank Financial Planning recently and there has been new legislation (FOFA) that is supposed to protect consumers, but it seems that people are still getting a raw deal. Our superannuation is our responsibility but if we can’t trust our big banks what are we meant to do? We have heard about “dodgy financial advice” from CBA Financial Planning (CBA FP) but they are not the only ones. Most large financial institutions have a similar business model based around vertical integration. This is where the product manufacturer creates an investment product such as a managed fund or a superannuation product. They also own the distribution network such as branches and staff to sell their products. This might sound OK at first glance but it raises the questions of conflict of interest and conflicted remuneration. For example, a big bank might say to its’ employees (financial planners) that they must ONLY sell bank products AND they must sell a minimum in order to keep their jobs! ‘So what’, I hear you say? Well, if your job (your ability to pay your mortgage and feed your family) was on the line, you might “do whatever it takes” to keep your family afloat – again, so what? The Conflict is clear Advisors are supposed to act in the best interests of their clients, but they are required to not only sell the bank’s products alone but to sell a minimum amount. They have a points system and if they meet their target or Key Performance Indicator (KPI) they keep their job. If they exceed, then they are paid a bonus for “selling more”. This “Minimum Sales Target” concept extends all the way down to the teller who smiles and asks, “you have a lot of money in your account, would you like to see our financial planner,
My question is ‘How can it NOT be a conflict of interest’ when clients are not made aware of this, their choice is severely limited and employees are being paid to sell those products to the exclusion of all others? Strategy v Product Flog It raises the serious question of the Corporate Imperative to make more money versus the best interests of the client. If management has decided that they will track and enforce KPI’s then you can hardly blame the financial planners, tellers or under managers for doing what they are told to do at work. It raises the deeply fundamental question of how you achieve your financial goals. Do you work out how someone might achieve by understanding their current financial position, creating a moral, legal and ethical strategy then use the legislation and available products to the clients advantage? Or do you just sell them your product because you have to? Corporate v Independent Advice If 80% of financial planners are working for big banks or institutions then most people are subject to the Corporate Imperative, because 80% of planners are employed by them. Alternatively, you could seek an independent advisor who works for YOU and is paid for achieving a good outcomes for YOU as opposed to corporate profits – I think the choice is clear! Author - Paul Gillmore DFS Founder and Director of Southern Cross Financial Services. 07 5429 5561 0402 685 032
paul@sc-fs.com.au
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GET PUBLISHED
”By submitting an article and having it published, you are promoting yourself as an authority figure in your field”
to do with your particular business, skillset or area of expertise. What do you find particularly interesting? What are some of the most important things you have learned? What’s great advice you’ve been given that’s proven successful for you? Sharing your knowledge and becoming a guest contributor isn’t just of great benefit our readers, it also has great flow-on effects for your professional reputation and (as a result) your business and expertise. Did you know that by becoming a guest contributor you have the chance to share your knowledge and expertise with fellow readersand this also provides an effective form of free advertising for you and your business? There are other ways to promote your business and your area of expertise in CSBN Monthly besides advertising or having a feature article written about you. We are currently on the lookout for guest contributors to provide our magazine with articles each month, so if you have articles written or are keen to pen one from scratch, now is a better time than ever to submit them to us! We are looking for articles between 1-2 pages long, relating to anything
So whether you already have folders full of articles to choose from or if it’s time to sit down and start writing, CSBN Monthly is eager for you to share with us! Plus, for a limited time, all authors who have an article published will also receive a complimentary half-page ad in the upcoming issue. With free promotion like that, there’s no better time than now to start sharing your work! Deadlines for the next edition is the last day of each month, 12 midday. For more information, see Submissions Guides and Requirements on our website. Contact Ben Mackie on 0405 526 351 or send an email through to Ben@CSBN.com.au. Author - Ben Mackie
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3 Keys to Competitive
Innovation
We live in a world where there is constant change... Wouldn’t it be nice if everything stayed the same? We’d have certainty and could predict what was going to happen next and we could control everything. But it’s not like that. We live in a world where there is constant change and the markets we are operating in are like shifting sands of desire that wax and wane like the moon. Because we live in a world of constant change and virtually everyone has access to the same information all at the same time, how do we get ahead? The answer is simple Innovation. What is innovation and how do we create and use it in our business life, and still stay in control? Innovation is one of the necessary ingredients in our product-to-market relationship we need to pay specific attention or we go out of business. There are ways of managing this change in the market and controlling it. Giant leaps of innovation happen all the time but they appear to come from a few select people who have become obsessed with a particular idea and pursue it relentlessly until they create the breakthrough that generates the desired result. Unless you are one of these people who is willing to sacrifice everything else then it’s not likely to happen through you. Not impossible, but not likely. So how do normal-average business people compete is a world where innovation is required if you are going to stay viable in a competitive market place? How can I stay ahead of the market and win? The answer is simple – just listen to your customers, your staff and your competition. These three areas contain the seeds of your future success. There may be mutterings and whispers emanating from your prospects that you are not listening to because you are too busy honing your craft and keeping your existing customers happy. I hear you asking “That’s easy for you to say, but how do I get this information?” well that’s exactly what this article is about. The answer to this question is to install subtle intelligence into your operational systems to obtain and use this sensitive information, by: 1.
Surveying your customers
2.
Holding team meetings
3.
Researching your competition
Let’s look at the first one, Surveying Your Customers. It’s really simple, just build appropriate and succinct inquiries into every interaction with your customers to solicit information about what they like about your product now and what they would desire to experience in future. One customer survey is not going to give you all the information you need. You need to consistently ask all your leads, prospects and customers
(especially your customers) revealing questions - so over time you can collect a database of responses that can signify a trend pointing to a possible innovation of service that you can test and implement to satisfy a new need in your market. Try not to overwhelm your customers with too many questions when you survey them. Just stick to a basic and systematic format to ask for what you really want to know. Build your survey into your ongoing sales process so it is not invasive and almost undetected as a part of your ongoing conversation with your customer. Inspire your customers by emphasising that you want to make your service better for them and people like them to prompt them to make solid responses. Always thank your customers for their response - no matter what - so your feedback tap will keep running. Second, holding open and candid team meetings with the explicit purpose of finding out what your team thinks is required to supply a better product performance and glean intelligence from the coal face about better ways to deliver your product to your market. Suggested improvements from your team can remove redundant cycles-of-action and bring in more effective solutions to everyday frustrations. Rewarding these ideas with certificates of excellence plus cash bonuses keeps the game alive and proves you are serious to inspire your team to be more innovative. You may be surprised by how much system refinement your staff have bottled up inside and you may not know until you ask them. Guiding principles for an innovative idea is that it must pay for itself either in savings of time and money or increases revenue at a profit. And of course the new ideas must be aligned with the Vision for your business because if they take you further away then what is the point of that? At first, you may need to coach your staff into believing that you are genuine in wanting to know what they think. People are not often asked for their honest opinion so you may have to contend with some scepticism. Once you have their confidence - their ideas will start to flow and you can expect to have some productive workouts. Your team will be inspired by the influence they can wield when you implement their ideas and will engender a new level of purpose and loyalty to your business. This in turn will come through in their relationship with your customers that will be almost undefinable but your customers will love it. Thirdly, research your competition and watch out for something they are doing better that you can do. It would be unfortunate to be caught out because you were complacent when the market changed and went towards a different direction. Anyone can potentially come up with a breakthrough and your competition are your competition
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because they must be doing something right - so keep an eye on them by reviewing what their offerings are on a frequent basis. The frequency of your scheduled reviews will depend on what industry you are in and what are the current speed of cycles-of-action. Build into your system the frequency of the competitive review that suits your environment. Caution, competitive innovation does not stand on its own. It must be backed by a product that is profitable and seems to have a future in the market. Innovation cycles work best for a product you are dedicated to offering for a long time to come. The product you are offering needs to be what is in you to do. By this I mean you have an innate desire to do it and it feels like this is your calling. If you don’t have the passion for what you do you will be out gunned by the market-competition and your staff will feel it. Your operational systems are very important when you are working towards being competitively innovative because you need to build from the back bone of routine that delivers
consistent and reliable service to keep your customers happy. Innovation is the fruit of consistency and consistency is the result of a well oiled machine that delivers what your customers want. Competitive ideas that you integrate into your already successful systems will make your service better and stronger to give you the edge on your competition. So, make innovation part of your routine then your competition will struggle to keep up with you and you will inevitably - over time - become the market leader. Author - John Laurenson Website - www.goalsprojectssystems.com Email - John@goalsprojectssystems.com Phone - 0403 838 188
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Find Out Why:
Have you swallowed the Blue or Red pill? .
In the movie ‘The Matrix’ Keanu Reeves is offered a choice of one of two pills: - If he swallows the Blue pill, everything goes back to normal, and he will continue to battle life’s challenges and frustrations. Or; - He can swallow the Red pill, the veil will be lifted, and he will understand and appreciate what is really going on in life. Does the following sound like a description of your life: You are chasing ‘success and fulfillment’ without really understanding why- apart from a feeling that you are doing what is expected of you? And, should you by hook or crook finally achieve the much- desired ‘success’, statistics indicate that you will only achieve a feeling of ‘Is that all there is?’ Maybe you have swallowed the blue pill? Is there a better way? I would like to suggest an alternative: 1. Let’s start with your expectations. From where do they come? For most of us, our expectations of life are based on our values and are part of our early childhood experience; we adopt our parents’ values and therefore their expectations. That is understandable and logical, until you ask the question: From where do our parents’ expectations and values come? And the answer is again their parents, and so on. Who knows where it all started? Put differently; is it possible that our expectations, plans, wishes and hopes for the future are based on experiences that are who knows how old? On values that have nothing
whatsoever to do with life today? We know one thing: Chasing goals that are not truly yours, is a recipe for frustration. You should now start to feel the benefits of choosing the Red pill, and are beginning to understand you can take back control of your life. You just need to ask better questions. 2. A choice for you, designed by you. Allocate around 30 min and ensure you will not be disturbed. Now think about the times in your life where you were really proud of yourself and of what you were doing. Write it down in details. Describe what the situation was. What you were doing. How good it felt. That is what you are meant to do! That is why you are here, and what will ultimately give you the most happiness and therefore success in your life- your true ‘Why’. Remember at the end of the day, it is not about killing yourself to acquire symbols with money you do not have, to impress people you do not like. Money never guarantees happiness. Take control of your life, ask better questions, live up to your version of your best self, and make sure you give your best to those most important to you. Author - Peter Gjersoe
peter@dominateselling.com.au www.about.me/petergjersoe
Networking with a
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TWIST
When: Where: Cost: What to Expect:
Thursday 27th November, 6:30pm to 9pm. 706 Main Street, Kangaroo Point, Brisbane. Public transport & parking. $10 Not only will you enjoy making some powerful new contacts, and getting to know some amazing new people, you will also enjoy:
1. A COMPLIMENTARY Professional Portrait Photoshoot for 5 lucky winners on the night, so dress up! Your file will be sent to you within 7 days. 2. A COMPLIMENTARY and Personalised 30 Minute Introductory Strategy Session with John Laurenson, appointments to be made on the night. 3. A COMPLIMENTARY Website Health Check, details collected on the night and you will receive your report within 7 days. 4. A COMPLIMENTARY 30 Minute Content and Marketing Exploration of your current material with Ben Mackie for 5 lucky winners, appointments to be made on the night. 5. Yummy, healthy, tasty snacks and drinks.
CLICK HERE to R.S.V.P and secure your place at our next event today!
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Work Life Balance The beauty of entrepreneurship in the Information Age
office. Provided you have internet connection- you can do them anywhere! The question to consider firstly, is what tasks can I complete entirely online? The second question to consider is: where do I feel most inspired? For me, being out under the sun in a peaceful park or near the beach is where I feel most at ease. It’s where my creative energies flow the best. If I have the choice of writing a piece (or undertaking a task) right now or undertaking a task in an hour or so- when I’ll be in a place that lets me carry out the same task with more creative energy and peace of mind- you bet I’ll take the option of waiting so I can do it better!
See the picture above? That’s the view I have in this moment as I write this. It’s a beautiful sunny afternoon and I am sitting here in the partial shade of this café in Noosa. There’s an easygoing, peaceful vibe to this place, which is why I decided to stop here to eat (and write). You’d never guess it was a Monday! “Lucky for you!” I hear you say. But here’s the thing- with a little pre-planning and rescheduling, there’s a good chance your Monday (or any work day for that matter) could be just as enjoyable as mine is- and by the end of it, you’ll still have important stuff (actual work stuff) completed! No cluttered work-space, no faulty air-conditioning, no “same old same old” for lunch- but your working weeks end up more productive than ever! How is this so? The beauty of entrepreneurship in the Information Age is that not only has it given small businesses a greater chance than ever before to boom- it has also opened up the opportunity for business owners in any number of occupations to finally live the work/ life balance they’ve been dreaming of! If you’re at peace relaxing with a simple cup of coffee in your spare time, chains like McDonald’s now have free wi-fi in all their stores. If you’ve got an acquired taste for something fancier, fear not- plenty of restaurants and café’s are following suit! All you need is your laptop and you effectively have a new “work space”! In an age where so much of our work can be carried out entirely online, it’s become increasingly possible to undertake important tasks in an environment where you’re more likely to do them to the best of your ability. Sure there are industries that require the business owner to be on premises or at a certain location at a particular time (mechanics, photographers and veterinarians I hear you!) but even then- there are otherwise menial tasks like e-mailing, invoicing, client calls etc. that don’t need to be done in the
If you take a look at your upcoming work schedule, ask yourself whether you need to be ‘at work’ for everything? Or could you plan ahead and arrange to take a stroll, bike ride, bus ride or road-trip somewhere to a place where you love the environment, the atmosphere or the energy- and then settle into your work there? Can you imagine spending several hours in an environment that helps relax or inspire you- and leaving with several tasks crunched, feeling so upbeat or at ease that you almost feel guilty for having a work day so free of stress, boredom or frustration? Not only thatbut you’ve put more energy and effort into the tasks than you would’ve otherwise! I believe the truly successful entrepreneurs in this coming decade won’t be the ones who make the most money from what they do, or make the most prominent name for themselves professionally. If you ask me, the most successful entrepreneurs will be result getting, driven people who master both sides of the ‘work/ life’ equation. They will be the ones who write million dollar sales letters under the sunshine. They will be the individuals who follow up promising leads and make game-changing deals over the phone- while enjoying a pot of their favourite tea down at the local cafe. They will be the people who meet at that chilled out, leafy beer garden to have a couple of drinks, laugh and chat- while organising huge conferences that leave attendees convinced these people were born with the midas touch! Being productive and inspired is a frame of mind we choose for ourselves, of course. But with just a little pre-planning, you can put yourself in a place you’d rather be 90% of the time- where you’re happily (effortlessly?) producing work at a standard you’d like to be doing 100% of the time. Instead of waiting until the weekend to fulfil the latter half of your work/ life balance, why not see if you can balance that quota out every other day of the week- and enjoy the benefits of both! Author - Ben Mackie
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POWER QUOTE Enjoy the power of words that both resonate and motivate!!
“Leadership is about making others better as a result of your presence and making sure that impact lasts in your absence.” —
Sheryl Sandberg, COO of Facebook
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PHOTOGRAPHERS Ever thought of selling your images? We’ve made it super easy!
Stock photography is readily available, but can cost an arm and a leg for that perfect image to compliment your message. The Team at CSBN has decided to include a new section to our monthly magazine aimed specifically at photographers who would like to show case, sell and receive recognition for their work. While this will add a valuable and visually impacting addition to our magazine, it will also serve to promote those who would like to promote and benefit their work, and generate more people looking to use their images for marketing and promotion. The selling and buying for now will be between the photographer and the client, but
we are working hard to have a powerful feature on our website to showcase your images while automatically taking care of the selling and buying, quickly and easily. Our aim is to provide some unique images at affordable prices that can be used for commercial purposes by small business owners, as well as help you promote your images while generating an income from “The Team at CSBN has decided to include a new section aimed specifically at photographers who want to show case their work!”
them. You might be just getting started, or be an old hand with a DSLR - it doesn’t matter. If your work is clear and sharp, has impact and clarity, and of a specific resolution, we want to see it and publish it here. Send your files through to
admin@csbn.com.au with a brief description of who you are and why you love photography, .
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Choosing the right online tools for your business. Here are some basic questions that can provide clarity.
The Internet has opened up a boundless vista of opportunities for business. There are thousands of online tools available for any business to better organise their work, take advantage of oodles of file storage space for free, reach their customers more effectively, deliver products and services in various formats and much much more. However with this sea of possibilities has come a challenge for business owners and company managers; selecting the tools that are most useful to their organizations’ goals from those glitzy applications that are all fanfare but of no real benefit. Then of course there is the time investment that is required to further sift through the useful tools to find those that will bring the organisation the best return on their investment and the best fit for the business. To help the overwhelmed IT manager or entrepreneur faced with this dilemma, here are some basic questions that can provide clarity: 1) What are your business’s key processes and which of them can be improved by online tools?
To begin with, you need to have a list of your core and non-core processes. After scrutinising the elements of each of these processes you will be in a position to know which of these can benefit from the implementation of an online solution. After this you’ll have an idea of which features to look out for in the available online tools. Separate the essential features from the features that are nice to have but not really important and based on these features you can begin your search for relevant tools/applications. Compare each of the tools you find against your list of required features, scrutinising them carefully to come up with a shortlist. For instance, if you find a tool that requires users to key in data and come across an alternative with a scanner that simply reads the information from a barcode, the latter would be the better investment. 2) What tools do I currently have? Carry out an audit of the tools you’re presently using to determine if they need to be replaced and why. Many online applications will allow
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you to carry out more than one area of responsibility such as project management and customer relations management (CRM). It is best to avoid having two or more tools doing more or less the same task; you will end up paying for features and storage capacity that you don’t need. Look for applications that can handle a multitude of business tasks so that you do not have to log into multiple applications and waste time switching between screens. Company audits are extremely useful in ensuring that your organisation’s resources are not being wasted on duplication of tasks. If your audit reveals that the tools currently at your disposal are getting the job done, you don’t need to go for a different tool just because it’s shinier or the talk of the tech industry. All that may be required is to upgrade your current system. 3) How does it integrate with my systems? This is a really important consideration. It would be foolhardy to invest heavily in, say a tool that helps with your email and sharing of documents if it is not compatible with your existing computer software systems. Check to see what add on’s or plug ins are available that will integrate seamlessly with existing applications you already use. You will find many of the more popular applications integrate with the many commonly used programs such as Google Apps, Outlook and Salesforce. Security is another important factor to consider. The Internet is a vast, untamed beast teeming with virtual (and real) threats. Will the use of the online tool expose your in-house systems to external threats? All these questions need to be answered clearly before you invest in the application. Also investigate the backup arrangements that are in place and the possible downtime of the application. 4) How much will it cost? While weighing up similar applications that perform the same function, one of the tiebreakers will of course be what they cost. And in looking at how much an online tool will
set you back, you need to consider the costs of setting it up, user training and keeping it up. Always take advantage of the free trial offered by most tools and don’t be afraid to ask for an extension if you need it. Another very important consideration is scailability. Find an application that can serve your needs now in your business but also as you grow. Avoid having to go through the headache of changing over applications in the future which will drain all of your resources. 5) What Training and Support is available? If you are going to make the big decision to implement a new system into your business, make sure that you factor in the time and effort to learn the system properly. Time invested upfront will pay off quickly allowing you to start using the features and functionality including shortcuts. If you aren’t able to work out how to use certain features then you will quickly lose interest and struggle. Ensure that the tool you chose has a good level of support, particularly check out their response time. Training is another consideration; online video tutorials are great and will speed up your learning. Tutorials also make it easier to share with your team to get everyone up to speed. These are some of the most important pointers that can help you select the right online tool from the thousands currently in the market. Remember, it’s not about choosing a good tool; it’s about finding the right tool to suit your business’s needs.
About Wendy
Wendy Tadokoro helps busy business owners, professionals and their teams to implement high impact systems to improve their personal and business efficiency - so that they can manage day to day activities with confidence, less stress and focus on what really matters most. Wendy loves to help others to leverage systems, use smart time saving strategies and tools to get more done, be more effective and enjoy their work/life. For more information visit:
www.organisingworks.com.au
Author - Wendy Tadokoro
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CSBN MISSION STATEMENT Through a simple and highly effective world class web site service and development system that offers tailored solutions to everyday marketing challenges for almost every business.
Business growth will be sourced from an abundant supply of happy and satisfied customers who constantly refer more and more qualified prospects, and through highly effective networking and marketing events both online and in person. Promotion is further engaged through the highly successful CSBN Magazine and through regular publication of satisfied client stories and testimonials, and very profitable professional alliances with complementary organisations. Extraordinary client satisfaction ratings will be achieved through the development and improvement of highly functioning systems and procedures designed to engage and enhance customer experience at each and every interaction. The highly valued product and service offering is delivered by highly effective staff who are happy and motivated to improve and grow themselves and the business through effective use and improvement of the world class business systems. The overriding attitude is to remain the world’s best in web site development service and is achieved through: 1. an undying commitment to improving and innovating 2. constantly watching our competition and learning from them 3. staying in touch with our customers current needs and wants 4. system evaluation and improvement
THE CSBN TEAM
meet our members.. Camille Scott
founder & manager Camille Scott, owner & manager, came upon the idea for the Connect! Small Business Network through her contact with the amazing NEIS small business course, it’s staff and mentors. By seeking new avenues through which to market my website services, and to outsource required work, I quickly realised that I had no clear and easy access to fellow NEIS participants.
“I truely hope the CSBN will benefit small and start up business owners across Australia to grow and reach the level the dream of”
“I truly hope the CSBN will benefit NEIS participants, both past and present as well as other business owners across Australia by providing a networking platform, from which we can all connect and benefit from our unique business experiences, services and products. Because I believe in the NEIS Small Business course, its standards, people and mentors, NEIS participants are the people I most want to do business with. I look forward to connecting with you soon.”
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Ben Mackie
editor in chi e f
Ben Mackie, CSBN Editor in Chief, also manages his own business (Scribe Copywriting). Through frequent involvement in business networking, Ben understands first hand how important it is for business (large or small) not just to make stronger connections with their target market and their existing client base, but also with other businesses. “Starting out in business is like planting seeds with the intention of growing a big tree. You can plant the seeds in healthy soil in a spot where they are exposed to enough sunlight to grow. But it’s not an instant process, the seeds and the soil need constant maintenance, attention and care to grow. Patience is also necessary. CSBN is where we connect people from all different fields- those sowing their seeds to those who have experience tending to their seeds and want to share their knowledge of what it takes to grow your business into a mighty tree.”
“CSBN is where we connect people from all different fields - those sowing their seeds to those who have experience tending to their seeds and want to share their knowledge of what it takes to grow a business into a mighty tree.”
Jo hn Laurenson
business coac h
John Laurenson, CSBN Business Coach, also manages his own business “Goals Systems Projects”. With over 40 years experience, John is an absolute wealth of knowledge and drive in solving problems, developing and implimenting highly efficient systems, and taking any business from woe to GO in no time at all. “If I said systems was the most important I would not be wrong but having said that you need vision / direction to head towards and a business model that is profitable. I help you focus with clarity and where you want to go and help you break down the phases of your business so you can clearly develop systems that work toward achieving your long term aims. Take 30 minutes out of your day to call me and have a conversation and discover if we are a match.”
“What is the most important thing you need to do in business?”
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Website Design & Development Step-by-Step Workshops Photography & Stock Images Copywriting for Quality Content Education Based Conferences Marketing & Promotion Video & Graphic Design
CONNECT! Small Business Network (CSBN) The CSBN is designed to help you expand and succeed in your business. We provide a wide variety of services to help your business stand out from the crowd while looking polished and professional. It takes a lot of hard work to succeed in business today, but we go the extra distance to help make it easy and effective for you.