NEW BUSINESS
MATTERS Your local business to business journal
Points of Interest in this Issue: • Increase in Annual Investment Allowance (p2) • Business Coaching (p8) • Pension Autoenrolment (p10) • The Future of Paper? (p12) • Is your tenant hiding something (p13) • GameOver Zeus (p17) • Cost vs Value (p19) • Sales are great... but cash is what matters (p21)
BUSINESS TIPS & ADVICE! Issue 34/2014
August/September
ACCOUNTANCY MATTERS
August/September
Yet another increase in the Annual Investment Allowance By Nikki Papadopoulos, Director at Hill Osborne
What is Annual Investment Allowance (AIA)? AIA is a tax write off of expenditure against profits incurred by businesses on plant and machinery. Plant and machinery is almost any type of asset a business buys, with the exception of land, buildings and cars. What are the changes? In February/March 2013 my colleague, Richard Osborne, wrote about the tenfold increase in AIA to ÂŁ250,000 for a period of two years beginning 1 January 2013. The government has overridden this change with a further increase. For expenditure incurred on or after 6 April 2014 (1 April 2014 for companies), the maximum annual AIA is ÂŁ500,000. The rate will then revert to ÂŁ25,000 from 1 January +LOO 2VERUQH 2016. Once again there are transitional rules where the year end straddles the 1st/6th April 2014. /RJR 9DULDQW
What is meant by transitional rules? March year-ends. If your accounting period ends on 31 March 2014, then there are no transitional calculations to make for the new AIA limit. You will be entitled to the full ÂŁ500,000 for the year-ended 31 March 2015. Non-March year-ends. Where your accounting period straddles 1 April 2014, you will need to time apportion the AIA limits. Likewise, the same principle applies where your accounting period straddles 31 December 2015. Therefore it is vital to spend the right amount within the right periods in order to maximise the tax benefits. If your business is contemplating purchasing plant in the near future, be sure you speak to your accountant first. Careful planning = maximised tax relief. For more information on AIA or anything else, please contact Nikki on 01202 678555 or send an email to nikki@hill-osborne.co.uk
C H A R T E R E D A C C O U N TA N T S & B U S I N E S S A D V I S E R S
Our aim is to provide you with the best possible service and we do this by giving you a direct access to the Director who is responsible for your affairs. This ensures that they will be able to develop a close relationship with you and establish a thorough understanding of your business. Clients can take advantage of a wide range of services as listed below. ‹ ‹ ‹ ‹ ‹
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Hill Osborne, Tower House, Parkstone Road, Poole, Dorset BH15 2JH Tel: 01202 678555 Fax: 01202 666071 Email: enquiries@hill-osborne.co.uk www.hill-osborne.co.uk
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NEW BUSINESS MATTERS
Editor’s Note
Taking the plunge! In past issues I have focused on the need and importance of planning for success. However, whilst this is most definitely a first step, there can be too much emphasis on this sometimes, to the detriment of actually getting into action to achieve the result. A recent talk I heard went over this point well and the advice given there was to realise that there comes a point when that decision needs to be made to put a plan into action. Yes, there may be risks and these need to be understood, but if you feel within yourself that the course is right then go for it! The summer may well be a time of relaxation for some (or perhaps increased randomity due to the kids being off school!) and certainly the heat of the recent weather I am sure has meant many have felt the need to cool off and follow the example of our cover. Well, why not take time out to read through the pages in this issue and see whether the business tips and advice that are contained within could help you to "take the plunge" and get your business heading for even greater success. Our next networking party will be on August 20th at The Cliffeside Hotel in Bournemouth and we would love to see you there. Just give us a call or send an email to confirm your attendance. Best wishes,
August/September
CONTENTS 02 YET ANOTHER INCREASE IN AIA 03 CONTENTS & EDITORS NOTES 04 OPEN FOR BUSINESS 05 SUPPORT YOUR ONLINE BUSINESS 06 MORE "WORD OF MOUTH" 07 GROWING SKILLS GAP 08 BUSINESS COACHING 09 MORE THAN JUST AN AIRSHOW! 10 PENSION AUTOENROLMENT 11 WEBSITE PERFORMING WELL? 12 FUTURE OF PAPER? 13 IS TENANT HIDING SOMETHING? 14 TIPS FOR PUTTING PRICES UP 15 MIXED TRADES MATTERS 16 TOUGHER CONSUMER LAWS 17 GAMEOVER ZEUS 18 DESIGN & PRINT SERVICES 19 COST VS. VALUE 20 PUZZLE MATTERS 21 SALES GOOD, CASH BETTER 22 PRESENTING IN A BETTER LIGHT 23 UTILITY COST SAVINGS
Stephen Corney
You can be the only company of your trade or profession represented in this local business to business journal. For details on the ‘marketing packages’ available, please contact: Stephen Corney on 01202 233580 or email sales@newbusinessmatters.com New Business Matters UK Ltd 1 Moorlands Rise, West Moors, Ferndown, Dorset, BH22 0JR Tel: 01202 233580
24 OFFICE TECHNOLOGY STRESS? The information contained within this publication is not intended to be complete. Whilst the publisher endeavours to ensure the accuracy of the information contained within this publication, its accuracy cannot be guaranteed and the publisher accepts no liability for the use of, reliance on or the accuracy of such information. The views expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher and therefore the publisher accepts no responsibility for them. All artwork and editorial is copywrite and may not be reproduced without prior permission from the publisher. © New Business Matters UK Limited January 2009 Designed by: Stephen Corney Printed by: Remous Limited, Sherborne Published by: New Business Matters UK Limited
To receive a FREE copy go to www.newbusinessmatters.com
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BANKING MATTERS
August/September
N E OP up to business success talk to our local business experts Whether you are opening a business or are already up and running, talk to Barclays about how we can help make your business a success. Barclays, proud supporter of businesses in the Dorset region.
Use our expertise to help make your business idea a success too. Andrew Tapsell Business Development Manager Tel: +44 (0)7775 545851 Email: andrew.d.tapsell@barclays.com
Mark Churcher Area Business Manager Tel: +44 (0)7775 541601 Email: mark.a.churcher@barclays.com
Barclays Business is a trading name of Barclays Bank PLC. Barclays Bank PLC is registered in England and authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority. Registered No.1026167. Registered Office: 1 Churchill Place, London E14 5HP.
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CALL ANSWERING MATTERS
Support your online business By Mark Scott of Technovox E-commerce is a vital arm of any business these days. Even the high street retail giants have realised they are missing a trick if they are not trading online. For the small business owner, selling over the internet makes a lot of sense - you don't have the worry and expense of having to find and maintain a retail site and importantly for specialist businesses is the audience you can reach which would never be possible via a high street shop. However, online trading does bring its own challenges: you've got together a great website, spent a fortune on SEO and pay-per-click and the traffic is building nicely. But you may find that your customers still need a little bit of personal contact to help them make their purchasing decisions, and do value a phone number they can call to satisfy themselves that the business is legitimate. You need to make sure you're set up to handle the phone traffic too. This is where a call answering service can help. Its not only about fielding calls and taking messages. An answering service with good flexibility on scripts can handle most of your customer enquiries and even provide order fulfilment services. Over the next couple of month's we'll be hosting a series of webinars on this aspect of e-commerce. Get in touch if you're interested and we'll send you details nearer the time. For help and advice please send an email to info@technovox.co.uk or call Mark at:
Tel: 01202 901888 Web: www.technovox.co.uk Isis Business Centre, Willis Way, Poole, BH15 3TB
August/September
MEET THE PEOPLE BEHIND THESE TIPS & ADVICE! Following the release of each new issue of New Business Matters, we hold an evening Networking Party for those who contribute to the articles in these pages and guests. This is just another way that we aim to help bring local businesses together and get new contacts made. Our next events will be held at the Suncliff Hotel on: Wednesday August 20th Wednesday October 15th For more information about these networking events or advertising contact: Stephen on 01202 233580 or send an email to sales@newbusinessmatters.com “I have to admit that I never look forward to networking, but your NBM Networking Parties always leave me on a high at the end of the meeting.� Jennie Deavin Days Hotel, Bournemouth
To receive a FREE copy go to www.newbusinessmatters.com
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COMMUNITY MAG MATTERS
August/September
Generating more “word of mouth” business
By Stephen Corney, Director at Dorset Publications “Word of mouth” has often been stated as the most effective form of advertising. Whilst it is certainly efficient in converting new leads into actual business, can more be done to exploit it? We all love a good recommendation... “The meal we had a the local Thai restaurant was amazing! You should try it.” This gives at least some level of confidence that if you like Thai food then going to this establishment should result in a pleasant experience. Similarly, if you have a particular problem or issue at home or in business, then likewise someone saying that another company or tradesperson can help resolve it is likely to be beneficial. However, how do get that business or person's details to make contact? There is a chance that the person making the recommendation may have a business card or phone number, but will they carry it on them or know exactly where it is? For a business or trade, being easily found forms
a vital part of the marketing mix. If you have a high street front or prominent location, this can be relatively straightforward. However, if for cost reduction, you have chosen to site your business “off the crossroads” of regular traffic this becomes more challenging. What our clients have found is that being in a local magazine that is kept close at hand by residents is a great way of increasing their “word of mouth” business within the community. This is because when a neighbour may need a similar problem fixing, the first customer simply says “XYZ are great and you can find them in the Directory.” Bingo! A great recommendation backed up with an easy to follow way of getting that person's details. If you would like to find out more about how you can increase your ”word of mouth” business by appearing in community magazines, then give Stephen or Debbie a call at Dorset Publications on 01202 894397.
Would you like your business to reach 1000s of potential residential clients on a monthly basis? Full colour A5 glossy magazines distributed by our own team of distributors - you can rely on us! » Free artwork design » A free article, the same size as the advert booked in one of the months, with a 3 months booking » Free advertising on our magazine Facebook pages » A free listing on our Website Directory pages » Each magazine is fully uploaded every month on the internet via our website
Call Debbie or Stephen on
01202 894397 info@dorsetpublications.co.uk
West Moors • Ferndown & West Parley • Bournemouth • Poole • Southbourne • Christchurch Page 6
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FSB MATTERS
August/September
The Federation of Small Businesses The FSB is Britain's leading business organisation with over 200,000 members. It exists to protect and promote the interests of the self-employed, and all those who run small businesses. The FSB in Dorset has 4,000 small businesses as members.
FSB uncovers a growing skills gap for small firms The latest Federation of Small Businesses’ (FSB) Small Business Index shows a growing skills shortage in the workplace. Now identified as a significant barrier to growth for small firms, almost one third (29.9%) of those surveyed report skills shortages as hampering growth, with construction and computer services particularly hard hit. To address this increasingly significant issue facing the UK labour market, the FSB wants to see a number of steps taken: • The business and education community must work more closely together to ensure young people are ‘work ready’ and understand the demands of the world of work. Employability skills must be embedded from an early age; the labour market has changed dramatically in recent years and businesses are adapting to that change but the education system needs to catch up. • Reforms must be completed to create a business-led, high quality apprenticeship system that provides a
real choice between vocational and academic routes. This should be for the long term, and aspire to match standards of our leading competitors such as Germany. • Traineeships must be used as a credible alternative to a formal apprenticeship. Initiatives such as the TechBac, 1419 college programmes and the rejuvenation of University Technical Colleges serve to demonstrate that a vocational education is no longer considered the second tier of the UK education system. Neil Eames, Development Manager for the FSB Wessex Region, said: “As the labour market continues to tighten alongside the economic recovery, skills shortages will continue to be an increasing concern for more businesses. While this helps to boost the wage bargaining power of workers with the right skills, it poses a risk to the momentum of economic growth and once again underlines a long standing structural weakness in the UK economy.”
FSB Local Contacts: FSB Regional Office, Christchurch - Tel: 01425 280080 - Email: wessex@fsb.org.uk Neil Eames, Development Manager, Wessex Tel: 07920 846684 - Email: neil.eames@fsb.org.uk FSB website: www.fsb.org.uk/wessex - Twitter: @FSBWessex To receive a FREE copy go to www.newbusinessmatters.com
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GROWTH MATTERS
August/September
Business Coaching Introducing Nick Powter, ActionCOACH Bournemouth Are you working longer hours than you want to or ever thought you would be?
wrong, you can survive in business without the help of a Coach, but it's almost impossible to thrive.
Do you want to regain the vision and dream that led you to starting your own business in the first place?
99 A Coach CAN see the forest for the trees.
What would you do to take control of your finances and spend more time with family and friends?
99 A Coach will make you run more laps than you feel like.
Every great performer, whether an elite athlete, business legend or performing superstar, is surrounded by coaches and advisors. As the world of business moves faster and gets more competitive and difficult to keep up with both the changes in your industry and the innovations in sales, marketing and management strategies, the list is endless. Having a Business Coach is no longer a luxury, it's become a necessity. On top of all of this, it's difficult to get a truly objective answer from yourself. Don't get me
Nick Powter Business Growth Expert E: nickpowter@actioncoach.com W: actioncoach.com/nickpowter Tel: 01202 048600
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99 A Coach will make you focus on the game.
99 A Coach will tell it like it is. 99 A Coach will give you small pointers. 99 A Coach will listen. A Coach will be your marketing manager, your sales director, your training co-ordinator, your partner, your confidant, your mentor, your best friend but an ActionCOACH will help you make your dreams come true. For a free place on our 6 Steps to a Better Business seminar, please call us on 01202 048600 or drop us an email at nickpowter@actioncoach.com
STEP4 TO A BETTER BUSINESS
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HOSPITALITY MATTERS
August/September
Air Show Entertainment... Not just in the sky!!
By Becci Moynihan, Event & Functions Co-ordinator Well it’s official… Summer has finally arrived in Bournemouth, and preparations for the towns’ seasonal highlights are already under way! Bournemouth Air Festival is the towns’ biggest event, and here at the glamorous Cumberland Hotel, we are kicking off the festivities with a fantastic Come Fly With Me, evening Cabaret Show. With a 3 course meal included, local talent Diane James entertaining, and 40’s themed fancy dress optional, what better way to enjoy the start of the festival than at the Cumberland?! But, the festivities don’t stop there! At Oceana Hotels, we are offering mouth-watering dining packages over the air show weekend, including our Miami BBQ Brunch and Best of British buffets. With our unbeatable location up on East Cliff, you can sit and soak up the sun with a Pimms and watch the Red Arrows fly overhead, as all 3 of our Superb hotels lie directly in the mid-air flight path of the show.
And if that wasn’t enough… we still have Corporate Boxes available, which are the perfect way to enjoy the Air Festival in luxury! Whether you are bringing your VIP Clients together as a “thank you for your business” gesture, or enjoying a day out with family & friends, you will have the comfort of your own viewing platform, plus a Dedicated Corporate Box Manager for the day. Boxes can hold form 6-60 people, and are located on the 1st and 4th floors so have THE most amazing views in town! Corporate Box hire charges apply, alongside lunch costs per person. As readers of New Business Matters, I would like to offer a 10% discount on Corporate Box room hire for Thursday 28th and Sunday 31st August (discount not applicable on food or drink). Boxes are selling fast, so with the date fast approaching, call me now to book your box! Contact Becci Moynihan on 01202 208623 or email bmoynihan@oceanahotels.co.uk
To receive a FREE copy go to www.newbusinessmatters.com
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HR MATTERS
August/September
Pension Autoenrolment
ADVERTISE YOUR BUSINESS HERE?
By Chris Wilkinson from The HR Dept One in four employers is oblivious to their auto enrolment duties A quarter of business owners are unaware of their impending auto enrolment obligations. The HR Dept [Bournemouth] is warning local companies about the importance of getting clued up on the process so they don’t get left behind or penalised. By the end of June 2014 30,000 UK SMEs (small to medium sized enterprises) should be providing a workplace pension scheme. During 2014 there are some key staging dates which smaller SMEs in particular should be aware of. The requirement to provide employees with an auto enrolment compliant pension scheme is mandatory. My view is: “It’s worrying to know that so many business owners are in the dark about auto enrolment. We want to make sure everyone’s got the information they need so that business owners can keep their companies running smoothly. It does need to be planned therefore taking advice early is important. “This is such an important issue for employers and employees alike. Business owners could be penalised for their failure to meet the terms of auto enrolment. For employees it’s more of a long-term problem, with their financial future at stake.” There’s also the issue of timing – don’t leave it too late. Putting off your auto enrolment duties to the last minute could be detrimental when choosing your pension provider. With so many SMEs after the best deal it’s a competitive market, and concerns have been expressed that the number of businesses could outweigh the number of pension schemes available. The auto enrolment process can be difficult to navigate without professional advice, as home furnishings retailer Dunelm found out. The company was found to have drastically underpaid its contributions, with a Dunelm spokesperson revealing that “staffing issues” and “the organisation’s bespoke payroll solution” were to blame. To avoid getting caught out, I suggest seeking professional advice which we can offer via our Partners. A small investment like this will ensure you are legally compliant. It will also save you a huge amount of time, allowing you to focus on what’s important: growing your business.
HR Dept (Bournemouth) 7 Summer Fields Verwood Dorset, BH31 6LG
Tel: 0845 194 9294 Web: www.hrdept.co.uk Page 10
SHOWCASE YOUR KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE! Block out the competition and be the only company of your trade or profession represented in this local business to business journal. For details on our ‘advertising packages’ and the ‘marketing packages’ available please contact: Stephen on 01202 233580 or send an email to sales@newbusinessmatters.com "I wanted to let you know that we have had a great response to our advert within the Oct/Nov edition of New Business Matters. During the first week of the publication we received the first enquiry, this is the first time we have advertised within NBM and look forward to a long and fruitful relationship." Simon Foster, Avonwood Developments Ltd
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INTERNET MATTERS
August/September
How well does your website perform?
By Gino Cirelli from Website Internet Marketing I’m often asked “how does my website look”? This is very subjective as what one person may like, another may dislike. So how can we tell if our website users like our site? Well we could ask them, a questionnaire aimed at our customers asking them what they think of our site or what could be improved may give us useful insights. There is another way of finding this information out; we could use the Google’s Analytics tool. This tool will tell us how long a website user spends on each of our pages and if they go on to view another one of our pages. It can tell us if the user came to the site directly by typing in our web site address, or if they found us through a search engine or another site linked to our site. We could even find out where our user is by town or city when they view our site. This is great for local businesses to know how many people
locally are viewing our site. Even more detail can be found by looking at what device they viewed our website with. On reviewing a local denture clinic’s website recently we found that a third of their website visits were done on a smart phone or a tablet. So armed with this information we can then compare the number of visitors to the site with the number who took action from our site such as how many telephone calls or emails came through; or we will know how many products were purchased if it sells goods. So now we can monitor the website performance and see if the number of visitors goes up and if the number of visitors who took action increases. For a free website review call Gino on 01425 200 678 or email gino@webiml.co.uk and quote NBM.
01425 200 678 To receive a FREE copy go to www.newbusinessmatters.com
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IT MATTERS
August/September
The Future of Paper? By Ben Summerfield, Copyrite Business Solutions The concept of the paperless office was first thought of in 1975 – it has yet to be realised! Our love of paper is as strong as ever despite the development and advancement in technology that has the potential to make it redundant. This is in the face of the fact that not only does the cost associated with print account for a firm’s third largest overhead, but there is a greater need than ever for collaborative and remote working. Creating the possibility for staff and offices to share documents and access them remotely can help unlock efficiencies as well as becoming part of an increasingly important environmental policy. Naturally all of this needs to be done in a controlled and audited manner in order to make it a viable alternative to the standard methods of document storage. Generally businesses today have several areas for their documentation – typically some documentation stored on centralised hard drive space, some stored in an email system, some stored in paper files and possibly some data stored in accounting or CRM packages. In an ideal world, to achieve the best efficiencies, these areas need to be centrally accessible and have securities applied before a truly viable solution can become apparent. There are several factors that are brought into play to achieve this in the most efficient manner: • How can we get documents in? • What can be done to automate this?
• What security can we apply? • Can the system be audited? • A re the documents stored legally permissible? Different technologies exist to help answer all the above questions – in order to get the correct solution, it is necessary to carefully consider your firms’ individual requirements before you set out on a project. Copyrite Business Solutions are able to provide tailor made solutions and consultancy to help your firm make the best decisions throughout the process. For a better insight to Document Management, contact us for a free no obligation appointment and we would be delighted appointment and we would be delighted to see if we are able to help with your requirements.
• How can we recall documents? • How quickly can we recall documents?
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LETTINGS MATTERS
August/September
Is your tenant hiding something?
By Sharon Canning from Move on Rentals I was recently shocked to discover some of the lengths tenants will go to, to get a property to rent. On my Facebook page I was invited to a discussion group and asked if I could help someone find a property to rent. This was a working single mum, one child, a guarantor and a cat. She was struggling to find a property that would accept the cat. She had attempted to go for a couple of properties where the advert said they would accept a pet, but was let down because the landlords had a choice of applicants and decided to go with the applicant who did not have a pet. This did not surprise me as landlords presently do have a pick of tenants, it was the advice she then received from her friends. A few said ‘don’t let them know you have a pet, the landlord never checks anyway’, ‘I never tell them I have a dog, and I have been doing it for years’, ‘definitely lie about it, it is the only way you will get a property’ and someone even gave the following advice ‘if you need payslips to show you are on more money, you can go to a website and they will give you payslips for the last 3 months from top companies’. I did reply stating you should never lie, and any reputable agency or good landlord will find out in the end.
This happened recently at Move On, when a tenant had smuggled two cats into a non pet block. We discovered the pets at our first inspection (which fortunately we do after the first month). The tenant in question did not want to be parted from her pets and therefore moved out. She wasn’t happy as she had to then pay out for removal costs again. However, the advert was very specific that it was a non pet block. So I ask you, is your letting agent doing their property visits? If you are a private landlord when was the last time you checked inside the property? If the advice this person received via Facebook is deemed normal in the ‘tenants’ world’, then diligence is needed. We are in the phase of ‘generation renters’ as many people struggle to get onto the property ladder. I appreciate this is a small number of people and I am certainly not tarnishing all with the same brush, but it is good to know these things. If you would like to receive quarterly newsletters with the latest up to date information then please email sharon@moveonrentals.com. You can also now listen to Sharon on Hope FM 90.1. every Wednesday 12-2pm on ‘The Property Show’ with all the latest news within the property industry. Alternatively give Sharon a call on 01202 711169.
To receive a FREE copy go to www.newbusinessmatters.com
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MARKETING MATTERS
August/September
How you can put your prices up without losing customers By Dee Blick from The Marketing Gym
There comes the day when you realise that your expertise and experience is worth far more than your prices. Or perhaps you've absorbed so many increased costs in a bid to remain competitive, that your profit margin has diminished to the point where you have to increase your prices to stay in business. The decision to increase your prices is usually met with anxiety. How will your existing customers react? They have become accustomed to paying you a certain amount, have budgeted for your services or products and suddenly they're faced with paying more. Here are 4 tried and tested ways you can manage a price increase and hold onto most of your customers. Instead of immediately imposing a price increase on customers, let them know you’ll be increasing your prices a little further down the line so it gives them time to adjust to your news. People rarely respond well to negative news being sprung on them. If possible, don't charge the full price increase to your existing customers. Let them know that new customers will be paying the full whack, even going so far as to tell them what this will be to reassure that because of their loyalty they’ll still be getting a preferential rate. Page 14
Let your customers know of the additional things you do now and that you will continue to do, that you don’t charge for. Don't assume that customers are aware of all of your nice touches. Sniff out your competitors’ charges. If you’re still price competitive after an increase you can be confident that if some clients do talk to competitors, they will most likely come back to you. Of course, no matter how sensitively you handle the news of your price increase, you may still lose some customers especially those for whom price is everything. Accept this. You can’t please everyone! Perhaps the best advice I can share with you is to charge a fair price in the first place. If you started your business charging a rock bottom price, although it may have suited you at the time in bringing customers to your door, it doesn't take long for you to become resentful that you’re delivering so much for so little – and as a knee jerk consequence you hike your prices, alienating many of your customers, surprised at the suddenness of the increase. So stand in the shoes of your customers and handle the price increase process with care and sensitivity. www.themarketinggym.org
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MIXED TRADE MATTERS
BENEFITS FOR OUR CLIENTS! • Get your message across to over 15,000 local businesses • Printed distribution via Royal Mail to our subscription list • Email marketing campaigns to back up print copy • Networking Party with full buffet and business speaker opportunity to present your business to all attendees • Be the expert in your field as only one business per trade or profession - lock out your competitors! • Advert on our website giving contact details and logo with a direct link back to your own website For more details on all our marketing packages please contact:
Stephen on 01202 233580 or send an email to sales@newbusinessmatters.com
August/September
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PARALEGAL MATTERS
August/September
Tougher Consumer Laws By Dean Dunham from Consumer UK Thanks to a new European Law known as “The Consumer Rights Directive” consumer rights have been considerably strengthened. Under the new rules consumers are given higher levels of protection when shopping online (from both UK and EU websites) and on the high street. It is also hoped that the new rules will go someway towards combating rogue traders. So if you are trading online or in store here’s what you need to know: When do the new rules become law? Now What are the changes? Right to return goods When you buy something online, on your doorstep or anywhere apart from within a retailers shop premises the period of time that you have to return the goods with “no questions asked” has been increased from 7 to 14 days. The 14-day period starts from the day that you actually receive the goods. Despite the new 14-day rule, if the retailer fails to clearly tell you about your rights to return the good within 14 days, the return period extends to a year! If you purchase goods online from a trader outside of the UK there is now a standard EU form to complete for your refund, hopefully making the process easier due to the uniformed approach. Refunds Sellers must refund you within 14 days of cancellation, including standard delivery costs. However, they can postpone the payment until such time as they have received the goods back from you. Hidden/additional charges Cost traps on the internet are now prohibited. These means that sellers must clearly indicate what is included in the price that you are paying and you must be given the opportunity to confirm your agreement to this before pressing the ‘pay now’ button. • If you are not clearly told about a charge you will not have to pay it. So, if the seller adds a delivery charge but does not tell you the seller will have to reimburse you. • Pre-ticked boxes are also now prohibited. This means that if you want to buy an additional service from the seller you have to ‘opt in’ by ticking the box, not ‘opt out’ by un-ticking. • Seller can no longer charge more for credit card payments that it cost them to provide such a payment option.
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Customer care phone lines Many of the big brands have operated premium rate numbers for their customer care hotlines. This is now banned and instead they must only charge basic rate for such calls. Digital products • Anyone buying digital content will be able to get clearer information, including about details on which software and hardware the content works with, as well as information on copyright protections. • Consumers will be able to pull out of purchases of digital content up to the point where downloading or streaming of the content begins. Are there any implications for businesses? Common rules for businesses will make it easier for them to trade all over Europe. Businesses making sales by phone, mail or online, or away from their premises, will now have a single set of rules to follow. This creates a level-playing field and cuts crossborder transaction costs. As regards small businesses and craftsmen, there will be no right to pull out of a contract for urgent repairs and maintenance jobs. Member States can also exempt traders doing repairs or maintenance jobs in customers’ homes for less than EUR 200 from certain information requirements. Are there any exceptions to the new rules? The new rules do not apply to package travel contracts, construction contracts and most financial services. Will retailers/online sellers comply with the tough new rules? Many will, some blatantly will ignore them and others simply will not be aware of the changes. It is now down to you as consumers to complain when these rules are broken and people like me to expose and pull-up those that break or ignore the them. Are the new rules good for consumers? There is no doubt about it, these new rules represent the biggest shake up in consumer laws in recent times. In my opinion the changes are all positive for consumers and on the basis that more and more of us are buying goods online from EU traders it provides a good platform for harmonizing how traders across the borders operate. For more information visit Dean’s website: www.consumeruk.co.uk
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PC REPAIR MATTERS
August/September
GameOver Zeus By Clifford Johnson from PCs Made Simple It’s not often the media make us aware of potential threats to our identity, business or hard earned cash but they are shouting for a reason! Recently in the news we have heard a lot about a new and very scary threat that is on the horizon. What is it? ‘GameOver Zeus’ is the name given to a very sophisticated piece of malware that has currently infected over a million computers worldwide. It is referred to as a botnet as once infected the computers can be controlled from a single location to perform whatever action they want. This is very damaging when it’s decided that you want all of these computers to send out spam emails or attack a website, perhaps the most damaging aspect of this infection is that once you have been infected any of the details stored on your computer from the passwords saved on your browser to your online banking details can be stolen. It also has the ability to evade some of the most common Anti-Virus programs and lie completely
dormant giving no sign that you are infected, even though it is consistently harvesting your details. What to do? Firstly you should run a free scan which is being provide by Microsoft themselves. This should tell you if you’re infected. You can find the scanner by Googling (other search engines are available) the term ‘Microsoft Safety Scanner’ follow the instructions on the site. If you are infected, please do give us a call, we can help get you safe and protected again. We have an offer up on our website news page simple-pcs.co.uk/news and links to more information as well as the scanner its self. Alternatively speak to your current IT support provider and ask how they can help you ensure you are protected/infection free. If you would like to know more, please feel free to email us at info@simple-pcs.co.uk. Alternatively drop us a line on 01202 830121~ or pop in for a chat.
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Remous Limited, Wyvern Buildings, North Street, Milborne Port, Sherborne, Dorset, DT9 5EP
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To advertise in this local journal telephone 01202 233580
PRINTING MATTERS
August/September
Cost vs Value By Alan Bunter, MD of Remous Limited There is an expression that some people know the cost of everything and the value of nothing. In highly competitive situations, like print sales, it is not always easy to demonstrate to the customer why they should change suppliers and give you an opportunity to win their work. So often today, it comes down to price and we have all had experience of trying to compete with ridiculous prices from fly-by-night companies. So, it helps to have an edge, a special advantage, a way of demonstrating how your company will add value to someone else’s business. We know there is no 100% guaranteed method to succeed in selling, but you can make it a little easier to sell more, to gain that small advantage over your competitors, by demonstrating just why it is that your clients and prospects should choose you and your company to do business with. Take the story of the wealthy lady in Paris who needed a hat urgently for an important occasion. She telephoned her milliner and requested she came immediately to her apartment and, within twenty minutes of arriving, had created an amazing and beautiful new hat from a single strand of ribbon. The wealthy lady was delighted and asked the milliner the fee, to which she
replied "One thousand Francs". The lady gasped, "But that's so much money for a piece of ribbon!" The milliner unpinned the ribbon and handed it to her, "Madam the ribbon is free, it's the 'know-how' that you're paying for." So, demonstrate to your clients and prospects that you can transform their “ordinary” situation into an eye-catching, winning one, by using your expertise and experience. Convince the client that they can be confident that although there is a cost element involved, by making that investment in your company’s experience, the future value to their company will far outweigh any cost. If you would like to gain that extra edge in your design, print, finishing or mailing by using the wealth of experience and 'knowhow' at Remous, give Alan a call on 01963 250920 or email alan@remous.com
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PUZZLE MATTERS
August/September
Put your feet up over coffee or lunch and have a go at these!
Pop the kettle on...
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8
5
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3
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1
7
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6 2
1 2
8
9 9
3 1
1
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9
Crossword
Across
1 In a way, a book lover (9) 6 Ragout (5) 9 Dairy farmers are doing this (7) 10 A series of chirps (7) 11 One who does not believe in God (7) 12 Killing oneself (7) 13 An abnormal condition of the lungs (9) 15 Dried leaves of the hemp plant (5) 16 Heart rate (5) 19 Beau (9) 22 Without ceasing (7) 23 Photographic equipment (7) 25 Hunting guide (7) 26 A parasitic disease spread by mosquitos (7) 27 Finger or number (5) 28 Study of the Earth's surface (9)
Down
1 Vampire (5) 2 Hotel employee (7) 3 Aptitude (7) 4 Metal bar (5) 5 Required (9) 6 Slipping (7)
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7 Lying in wait (7) 8 Inuenced (9) 13 Said (9) 14 Stamping (9) 17 Housing (7) 18 Graceful (7)
20 One who roams on foot (7) 21 A pendant earring (7) 23 Carving in relief (5) 24 Frightening (5)
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RECOVERY MATTERS
August/September
BY GRAHAM DOWN | www.bscorprecovery.com
Sales are great... but cash is what matters
Even if you have the world’s greatest products or services, and even if you have the world’s greatest business model, your business will never succeed or be profitable if it doesn’t get paid for what it sells. Recent surveys have shown that late payment is a major factor in one in five business failures. Even so, some 32% of small businesses are reluctant to chase slow payers. Of those, four out of five say they find the process of chasing debts “uncomfortable” whilst the rest are afraid of upsetting their customers. Three quarters of small firms have no process in place for chasing debtors, and no person specifically responsible for doing so. Late payment or, even worse, non-payment is a threat which businesses need to take very seriously.
There is no doubt that it can bring companies down. Very often, the failure of one business can lead to financial problems for others, so that there may be a knock-on effect. So make sure that you sell to people who not only can, but will pay. Good credit control starts even before you make the first sale. Know who your customer is – are you dealing with a sole trader, a partnership, a limited company? Carry out credit checks as far as you can, even for existing, longstanding customers. Set credit limits – and stick to them.
Understand your “good” customers – those who pay regularly and on time – and which are your “bad” customers – invariably late payers, who query everything and regularly break promises. Ask yourself whether you actually want to do business with them. Be suspicious of round sum payments on account, or payments which don’t easily reconcile with sales ledger entries. Collecting debts is key at the best of times. It can be the difference between survival and failure.
Cash flow problems …or worse? Clear, professional advice for you and your business when you need it most. CONTACT US FOR A FREE INITIAL CONSULTATION CALL: 01202 313624 | www.bscorprecovery.com 2nd Floor, Bristol & West House, Post Office Road, Bournemouth, BH1 1BL
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SOCIAL MEDIA MATTERS
August/September
Presenting in the best Light
By Alison Reeves from Write to Win A really interesting way to market your business knowledge and expertise is by using a lesser known social media platform called Slideshare. Some social media lends itself more to businesses with either a shopping cart or a bricks and mortar shop, but Slideshare is a great tool for service based businesses. It is also a great way to encourage visitors to your website. Slideshare will accept videos as well as other types of documents, but slideshows (for example Powerpoint presentations) tend to work best. Here are some tips on using Slideshare to promote your business: • As usual, choose a suitable username that
reflects your business or one of your main search terms. This will help boost your SEO. • Complete your profile fully – think of this
as another form of advertising. Opt to show your twitter feed in your profile as well to help build up your credentials. You can also set up ‘sharing’ on your profile that enables you to create a link with Linked In and Facebook so that they automatically share slideshows that you post. • Use any content that you have already –
possibly just doing a sanity check first to make sure the content is suitable for public consumption. • Plan your Slideshare uploads to drive
readers to your website. For example you could include a presentation with some outline details of a topic and provide a link to a more details article on your website. One important point to bear in mind is that Slideshare will convert any uploaded content into its own format. This means that Page 22
some features on say a Microsoft Powerpoint presentation would be lost. The only way to ensure it plays exactly as you see it on your own equipment is to convert it and upload as a PDF file. This is easy enough to do. Once you have your account and profile setup, you will want to create some content to share. Here are some tips on how to get the best from that content: • Make sure the first few slides contain your
business name, website details and contact details. • Make sure that your very first slide is eye
catching with an intriguing title so that reader will want to find out more – think of it as a sort of elevator pitch. • If you include URLs in your presentation,
use URL shortening (for example bit.ly) so readers can memorise or note them down easily. As Slideshare tends to appeal more to a business audience – length is less important than you might think - but make sure that it is very visual and interesting. Make sure your title and description is compelling. Think of them like the heading and first paragraph in an advert. As with webpages you can tag your presentations with keywords and phrases. This helps people find your presentations. Finally, as with all forms of marketing and advertising, make sure you include a ‘call to action’. You could ask them to check out your website or facebook page for a special offer, call you, email, or invite them to download an eBook. Alison specialises in helping her customers to win more business by improving their business writing skills. Check out her website: www.writetowin.co.uk
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UTILITY MATTERS
August/September
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