NEW Business MATTERS Y O U R L O C A L B U S I N E S S J O U R N A L
BUSINESS TIPS & ADVICE! Issue 43/2015
April/May
ACCOUNTANCY MATTERS
April/May
Employee costs set to rise... By Alistair, Luke & David at BKB Accountants Employers need to factor in the new pension rules for staff. Auto-enrolment has already started for small businesses. Every employer will have to join a pension scheme and will be given a date that this has to be completed by, called a staging date. The employees will contribute towards their pension and this will come out of their salary. To begin with employers will contribute up to 1%, but this will increase to 2% from October 2017 and 3% from October 2018. Not every employee is entitled to be enrolled, however every employer must fulfil their duties and inform their staff of the changes that are on the way. The employers exempt from Auto-
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Enrolment are those where the only employee is a single director or if there are multiple directors with either none, or only one of them, having a contract of employment. If this is the case then you can inform the Pensions Regulator that you have no duties to perform. There are options open to employers, but most financial institutions are closing their doors to small employers. It is recommended that employers speak to both their financial adviser and accountant to understand the options available To see how we can help you to understand the ramifications of these changes in your business, please contact us on 01202 950527 or email us at info@bkbaccountants.co.uk
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NEW BUSINESS MATTERS
April/May
Editor’s Note
CONTENTS
Spring is here! A time for growth, expansion... and better weather. In our own country here there are also lots of possible changes with the European Union membership in question and many not able to decide what is best. In business as in life it is always good to be informed, educated and have the knowledge to make the right decisions based on the data we get. Reading other people's opinions, ideas and advice can definitely help that process. Many people who have been really successful in business read lots of books, weekly. They also read articles, blogs and magazines like this one to get more informed. The power of choice is important. We are free to make our own decisions, decide our own paths and create the future we want. In your business you can stand back, look at facts and figures and from there can expand the areas you are either passionate about or you have a product in demand which gives you lots of revenue to do those 'extra curricular activities' that you so enjoy. Knowledge is key. Here in New Business Matters are our 'pearls of wisdom' for you this month. We also have our NEW article, “My Story So Far...” where those experts in the magazine can tell you how they got to where they are now. We hope you enjoy reading all about Sharon Canning from “Move On”! Best wishes,
NBM
Debbie 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
02 EMPLOYEE COSTS SET TO RISE 03 CONTENTS & EDITORS NOTES 04 CONTINUAL GROWTH 05 KICK-START YOUR PC WITH SSD 06 COMMON CUSTOMER COMPLAINTS 07 FINDING IT HARD TO CHANGE? 08 SMALL FIRMS SPEAK ON REFERENDUM 09 OIL'S WELL THAT ENDS WELL! 10 STRATEGY NOT JUST FOR BIG BOYS 11 NEW CHAPTER FOR CLIFFESIDE 12 LOVE LOCAL ADVERTISING 13 HELPING BRITAIN'S HAULIERS 14 GOOGLE CHANGED RESULTS? 15 MISSION CRITICAL FOR LAW FIRMS 16 MY STORY SO FAR... 17 HOW MUCH ARE YOU WORTH? 18 DESIGN & PRINT SERVICES 19 PRINT CAN HELP DESIGN in 2016 20 POP THE KETTLE ON... 21 WHY DO YOU REALLY NEED PR? 22 NATIONAL LIVING WAGE
NEW Business
23 HAVE YOU GOT THE MESSAGE?
Y O UYOU R JUGGLE L O C COSTS A L B U S I N 24 HELPING 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 Y O U R L O C A L B U S I N
© New Business Matters UK Limited January 2009 Designed by: Stephen Corney
Printed by: Remous Limited, Sherborne
Published by: New Business Matters UK Limited
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COMMUNITY MAG MATTERS
April/May
Continual growth requires continual communication
By Stephen Corney, Director at Dorset Publications Whilst some people may say that they are busy enough and don't need more, it is a dangerous game to play... The fact is that things rarely stay the same in life, they will either improve or get worse. Thus in business, it is vital to keep one's name out there to ensure future viability. With this demand for continual communication comes two things... (a) allocating a regular budget to keep your name out there and b) ensuring that you get the most for your budget. Some businesses feel that they have to have the biggest, brightest advert to make themselves seen above the competition. This may have some merit if the advert is well designed and effective, but this obviously comes at a higher cost. However from our client's experience, and our own advice, we know that a smaller advert more
regularly placed is a more cost effective way of keeping your name out there and can spread the budget further. This gives you more coverage over a longer period of time. Local people love to read about community activities in their area. They also love to deal with local companies rather than the larger, national corporations. Being seen regularly in a local publication means that you are trusted and can be relied upon. You become part of their community. The more you are seen the more and more calls you will get. 3-6 months of a smaller advert will get you much more for your budget than one large advert. Spread your budget as far as it will go! For more information about how local community magazines could help your business to grow, give Stephen or Debbie a call on 01202 894397 or send an email to info@dorsetpublications.co.uk.
Get your business details delivered to over 200,000 individual homes in Dorset & Hampshire Full colour A5 glossy magazines distributed by Royal Mail and our own team of distributors - you can rely on us! » 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 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 • Wimborne Page 4
To advertise in this local journal telephone 01202 233580
COMPUTER REPAIR MATTERS
April/May
Kick-start your PC with an SSD By Clifford Johnson from PCs Made Simple A Solid State Drive is a fairly new but very popular alternative to a regular hard drive. This is the component found inside all PCs, Laptops and Macs that is responsible for semi-permanently storing your operating system, programs and data.
multiple years old. This extra speed is essential for using multiple programs at once and can be seriously impressive when utilized by programs such as Adobe® Photoshop or video editing software which need to access data constantly.
Unfortunately, regular hard drives have a life span of around 2-3 years under average use. After this amount of time the lubricants that help the disk to spin start to break down, read/write errors start to occur and sectors of the hard drive start being reallocated to other healthier parts of the drive. This is actually one of the most common issues we see.
An SSD upgrade is the perfect way to boost an old, unusable computer and can start from only £130 which includes us cloning your old drive and ensuring that every byte of your data is securely copied over to your new solid state drive. Talk to PCs Made Simple today about SSDs or bring your PC into our shop and utilize our free diagnostics to find out what we can do and how much we charge.
When the time comes to replace this component we have an opportunity to use an alternative… SSDs perform the same job but use a different technique to save and retrieve data up to 100 times faster than what you had before, even if it’s
If your PC is running slow or if you have any other trouble, talk to one of the PCs Made Simple team on 01202 830121. Or email us at info@simple-pcs.co.uk.
We make computing easy... It's as SIMPLE as that! PC & Laptop Repairs & Sales
PCs Made Simple can usually fix any sick computer. We can also supply a new one, off the shelf or tailor made just for you.
We Come To You!
If your computer can’t come to us, PCs Made Simple can come to your computer! We cover all of Dorset and most of West Hampshire.
Tel: 01202 830121 E: info@simple-pcs.co.uk W: www.simple-pcs.co.uk
312 Ashley Road • Poole • Dorset • BH14 9DF
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CONSUMER MATTERS
April/May
Five common customer complaints, and how companies should resolve them... By James Walker of Resolver.co.uk
If you’ve got a complaint to make to a company, what’s it likely to be about? And what sort of response can you expect? We find out…
force an industry to pay… so for them taking the path of least resistance will generally be better in the long run.
"Have you had an accident that wasn't your fault? Where there's blame, there's a claim..."
The ongoing PPI saga is a classic example of this where banks, with public confidence in them at rock-bottom, were found to have consistently mis-sold payment protection insurance. Another example is flight-delay compensation, where recent court cases have caused a flood of claims against airlines.
"Are you owed thousands of pounds due to missold PPI...?" Lines like these scream at us from our TVs, radios and magazines. Take them at face value, and you'd be forgiven for thinking that money and compensation is all that the British consumer is after when they complain. Yet my experience of issues raised via our online issue-resolution tool is far more complex than that. Sure, there are plenty of cases where people want – and may well deserve – some sort of monetary compensation, but they'll almost certainly be after some form of apology, too. Then there are those of us who want an apology only, and still others who want to see action taken to sort out the problem they've encountered to ensure the same thing doesn't happen again to themselves or to others. Of course, the sorts of complaints an individual company will receive depend entirely on the sort of services or goods they offer. The appropriate responses will vary hugely, too. In short, the world of complaints and how to respond to them is a tricky business for companies, and every complaint is different, but there are certain categories of complaints and general customer service issues that we see more regularly than others via resolver.co.uk. Here are some of the most common, and how you can expect the best companies to respond: The compensation claim This sort of complaint tends to be linked to some sort of legislation and is likely to be part of a groundswell of other complaints in a similar vein. This could be because of a news campaign, a change in the law or a precedent-setting court case. Whatever the cause, it’s likely the best companies will hold their hands up and pay up. This is generally because, whenever there’s a large-scale compensation opportunity, solicitors and specialist claims management companies will spring up and
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The replacement This is one of two types of common complaints related to products – if you buy something (whether physically on the high street or online) that subsequently breaks, you are likely to be entitled to a replacement. This is one of the simplest complaints to resolve, and you should be entitled to expect a swift, efficient response from the best companies. The service failure Another very common issue – and potentially more complex to resolve – is some sort of failure on the part of a service provider paid for by a regular subscription or bill. This could be anything from a poorly installed broadband connection to a water leak to a problem with domestic gas supply. The way to resolve an issue like this will often be specified in the small print of your terms of service, and can be defined by legislation, too. This makes resolution easier, as there is a clear path to take. Communication is key here – the best companies will always let you know where in the process you are and will manage your expectations accordingly. The apology Surprisingly often, a simple ‘we’re sorry’ is all that we really want to hear when we make a complaint. The issue here issue is about respect, and about a sense that your concerns are listened to. The suggestion for improvement This is similar to the apology but, crucially, you also want to feed back on how a service or product could be improved. Again, this ought to be easy for a responsible company to deal with - as long as you feel you are being listened and have some idea of how the customer service team will pass on your suggestions to the wider company.
To advertise in this local journal telephone 01202 233580
FITNESS MATTERS
April/May
Finding it hard to make that change?
By Angela Barton at Body Therapy Did you know there are 5 stages you have to go through to stop a bad habit or start a good one! This was originally used as a 5 step plan to give up smoking. I would like to use it to help you understand why you might find it difficult to start exercising or change the way you eat. The first stage is PRECONTEMPLATION, you are not even thinking about making that change. You may be aware you are not as healthy as you could be but come up with excuses you cannot make that change. The biggest excuse of all is saying you are too busy and don’t have the time. This stage is also referred to as “the denial stage” So now you know you could feel better about yourself and want to make a difference to your lifestyle. Maybe you have a family history of diabetes you have been worrying about or as a recent client of mine explained, his father had suffered a heart attack in his early 50’s and also had late onset diabetes. Good reasons to start making changes. This next stage is called CONTEMPLATION. You have now become more aware of how changing your lifestyle will make you healthier but are still apprehensive about making those changes. You are beginning to think about how much it will cost to join a gym, hire a personal trainer or find the time to make it work. You might start doing some research on how to eat more healthily or
how to start exercising. You can be in this stage for a while but don’t despair you are heading in the right direction! The third stage is PREPARATION/ DETERMINATION – getting ready to change. This is when you have made a commitment to make a change. You could be thinking “I’ve got to do something about this – this is serious. Something has got to change. What can I do?” This is when you make that phone call to arrange an informal chat with a personal trainer or nutritionist. Or visit a gym for a show round. Next stage is ACTION/WILLPOWER. This is when you make the change. You have started exercising, eating more healthily or cut down a bad habit. You still might struggle keeping on track and need encouragement from friends, family or your personal trainer. In this stage it is a good idea to set yourself achievable goals so you don’t get overwhelmed and make sure you reward yourself. MAINTENANCE. You have made the change and are in a regular routine, feeling good about yourself. You are able to resist the temptation to go back to your old lifestyle as you know how much progress you have made, but you must also appreciate it is normal to regress and go back a stage. After all you are human! If you would like to find out more why not give me a call on 07813 805541 or send me an email at angela@bodytherapy.fitness
Contact Angela now:
T: 07813 805541
angela@bodytherapy.fitness
www.bodytherapy.fitness
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FSB MATTERS
April/May
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.
Small firms speak out on EU referendum vote In the first business survey conducted since the EU referendum date was announced, the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) has today (Friday) revealed the results of a snap poll from over 4,000 small business owners. FSB research found that 42 per cent of the small business vote on the UK’s membership of the EU on 23 June could still be swayed. The research also revealed how informed small business owners feel on the issue and what the main areas of interest are that would influence their vote. The FSB advises both the ‘Remain’ and ‘Leave’ campaigns to focus upon these issues in their campaigns. As part of the survey, FSB members were also asked how informed they feel about the EU referendum. Just over half (52%) of members surveyed said they do not feel informed about the EU referendum, which suggests a growing number are ready to demand answers from both ‘Remain’ and ‘Leave’ campaigns once they are appointed. When asked what members needed more information on: almost half (48%) said the economic impact on the UK, 38 per cent noted they needed more detail on the administrative burden of complying with regulation and 33 per cent asked for more detail on the cost of EU membership. Mike Cherry, Policy Director for the Federation of Small Businesses, said: “This high response from FSB members shows first and foremost the issues that will impact how smaller businesses will vote in the EU referendum. Three out of four (75%) FSB members raised EU governance– i.e. how decisions are made within the EU - as the area that would have the highest influence on how they plan to vote. Other areas that scored highly included the free movement of people (70%), the
cost of EU membership (69%), the administrative burden of regulation (68%) and the economic impact on the UK (64%)." Top areas small businesses say will influence how they will vote in the EU referendum 1. EU governance (e.g. EU decision making) – 75% 2. Free movement of people (e.g. of EU labour, travel, tourism) – 70% 3. Cost of EU membership – 69% 4. Administrative burden on businesses as a result of complying with regulation – 68% 5. Economic impact on the UK – 64% 6. Trade with EU Countries – 53% 7. Access to the Single Market – 49% 8. Trade with non-EU Countries – 48% 9. EU funding – 42% 10. Competition – 35% Mike Cherry, concluded: “Today’s wide ranging research sends a very clear message on what information small businesses want from both official campaigns once they are appointed by the Electoral Commission. Now the date is confirmed, it is clearly ‘game on’ for both sides on this debate. It is crucial that once appointed, both the ‘Remain’ and ‘Leave’ campaign groups tackle this information deficit. Smaller businesses want to know the practical impact that remaining within or leaving the EU would have on their firms. FSB will be at the forefront of this effort on behalf of our members, to get the information they need before they cast their vote.”
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 Page 8
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FLEET MATTERS
April/May
Oil's well that ends well! By Ian Pounds of Longham Motor Engineers Did you know? At Longham Motor Engineers we stock and use at least fourteen types of engine oil alone. By topping up your vehicle with the wrong grade, or type of oil, you’re at best going reduced your mileage return, and at worst, potentially wreck the engine! Whilst it might at first glance seem like a costsaving to "do-it-yourself" with a cheaper alternative oil, experience has shown that it can lead to extensive, costly repair bills if not done properly. At Longham Motor Engineers, it’s our aim to make your vehicle repairs and servicing run as smoothly as possible and provide our customers with that elusive yet priceless quality - peace of mind! With our longstanding dedication to customer service and first class workmanship, at Longham Motor Engineers we’re proud to continue to provide new and regular customers alike with our usual friendly and professional approach to
vehicle repairs, servicing and MOT’s. But please, don’t just take our word for it! Visit our website at: www.longham-motor-engineers.co.uk to read long list of testimonials from many of our satisfied customers. So, whether you’re a busy mum and private car owner, or manage a large and over worked fleet of light vehicles, you can trust Longham Motor Engineers to provide every one of our customers with the same level of trustworthy, honest service to help you keep the cost of motoring down. We fully appreciate how stressful life can be where vehicles are involved. There’s kids to ferry around, and a working van that’s off the road could be losing valuable time and income for the owner. Contact Ian at Longham Motor Engineers on 01202 894488 and let him and his team ensure that your fleet vehicles run smoothly.
Stress relief for commercial fleets... Your local motor experts for specialist advice, servicing and repairs on all makes & models. MOTs • Servicing • Diagnostics
Tel: 01202 89 44 88
Here to service your fleet vehicle’s every need!
www.longham-motor-engineers.co.uk 441 Wimborne Road East, Ferndown, BH22 9NA
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GROWTH MATTERS
April/May
Strategy isn't just for the big boys...
By Yvette Lamidey at yvettelamidey.com ...five reasons why having a business strategy can help your business to thrive. Every week I talk to business owners and leaders and every week it becomes evident that whilst the businesses have some sort of business plan the number who have a clear strategy underpinning these business plans and business development projects is few and far between. Well maybe that’s an exaggeration because it’s usually in someone’s head. They have an outline plan and mental checklist of the activities, which need to be done but it’s usually not captured simply in a document nor is it well communicated. And without a strategy there’s no clarity for the people doing the doing i.e. planning and delivering the supporting activities; some may even feel there’s no cohesion or guidance as if they were on a rudderless ship, they are likely to go and do their own thing so there’s no consistency or true understanding of what actions are being taken and how they contribute to the overall plan. All of which can lead to inefficiencies and errors. And if there’s no strategy then there may not be a clearly communication re what success looks like, which in itself creates confusion. So what difference does strategy make? A business’ strategy sits at its very core encompassing the ‘why’, the ‘what’ and the ‘how’ of the business (check out Simon Sinek’s Golden Circle). Unless you’re clear on these then the strategy is likely to fail because it’s not aligned to the business neither will the people in the business be Page 10
clear on what the business is planning to do and their role. SWOT analyses may seem old hat but it’s still the best way to identify the strengths to leverage to move the business forward in a way that can be fully supported and sustainable. It shows where there are areas that need development (weaknesses and threats) to fully support the business. But only choose a few of each to work on at a time to maintain focus; it’s simply not possible to keep all the balls in the air and the plates spinning at the same time whilst maintaining business as usual. Don’t forget that many other businesses in your sector don’t have a strategy. So if you have a one you’ll be more focused, able to say no to distractions and able to use the strategies to ensure that true opportunities aren’t missed. Each quarter, if not more regularly, the management team should meet to review and evaluate the strategy and the results – understanding what’s working and what isn’t, what factors may have changed and lessons learnt. Don’t let these meetings drift and use the findings to make informed decisions. And remember, “Where performance is measured, performance improves. Where performance is reported, performance improves dramatically. Where performance is reported publicly, performance improves exponentially.” Attributed to both Thomas S. Monson and Clate Mask, Infusionsoft. So be open within the business, measure what is needed but no more and report back at least every quarter.
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HOSPITALITY MATTERS
April/May
A new chapter for the Cliffeside Hotel
By John Marsh, Webmaster at Oceana Hotels As part of the recent investment at OCEANA Hotels we are delighted to announce that the Cliffeside Hotel is undergoing a dramatic transformation. The ground floor public areas are already receiving finishing touches, with bedrooms on a rolling program throughout the year. “The ground floor has been completely redesigned in a modern, rustic beach style, flowing into the softer tones of our function suite. The new concept includes an ITALIAN Café, serving homemade authentic Pizzas and sharing boards amongst other dishes, all with the added bonus of some of the best sea views in town. The bedrooms are currently being refurbished. All of this tied in with our top rated, Asian inspired Day Spa equals an exciting new concept hotel from the OCEANA Group.
The Italian Café is set to launch towards the end of March 2016. With a simple Italian menu, the focus is towards authenticity, fresh produce and quality. As refurbishment of bedrooms’ progress, the hotel will eventually be re-branded as OCEAN BEACH HOTEL & SPA. An exciting individual concept to add to the hotels of Bournemouth. The function suite offers a great venue for meetings, training, events and special occasions. With an enviable terrace, views over Bournemouth Bay and private bar. For more information, or to make a booking, contact our team on 01202 298 350 or send an email to sales@oceanahotels.co.uk. OCEANA HOTELS | EAST OVERCLIFF DRIVE BOURNEMOUTH | BH1 3AG
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INFORMATION MATTERS
April/May
Why you should love local advertising
By Dee Blick from The Marketing Gym It was the advertising legend David Ogilvy who said, "When I write an advertisement, I don't want you to tell me that you find it creative. I want you to find it so interesting that you buy the product." If you're advertising in a local publication like this your aim should be to increase sales. If you build an abundance of goodwill too that’s wonderful but don't lose sight of the fact that sales and plenty of them are the lifeblood of your business. I’ve spent many years in advertising and can tell you from experience that local publications provide a powerful, cost effective channel through which to engage a local audience. You can attract many new customers for a modest outlay. If, despite your very best efforts, your advert fails to work there isn’t such a big dent in your budget to remind you. Here’s what it takes to write a successful advert in a local publication: • Your headline has to stop the reader in their tracks before they turn the page. Can you promise a benefit, for example, "Reduce your time spent on administration by 75%" has more impact than "Outsource your administration". • What about the body of your advert? Focus on 3-6 compelling benefits underpinned with genuine testimonial from a delighted customer. Is there one big promise your advert can communicate? For example do you offer an unbeatable Page 12
price guarantee... an experience that’s out of this world.... free delivery... products and services that readers would be hard pushed to find elsewhere? • Include your awards, accreditations and qualifications too - they reinforce your credibility and expertise. If you're going to use images, make sure they’re good quality and caption them. • Make a tempting special offer limited to a number of readers, with a close date to encourage early responses. • Don't forget your contact details. If you want readers visiting your website, give them a positive taster of what they’ll find... download invaluable top tips... get your free voucher... discover what other local customers have said about our restaurant, and so on. • Edit your advert checking it for spelling mistakes and enlist the services of a professional designer. You want your advert to look good too. It’s not just about the words. I’ll conclude with a few words from another advertising sage, Raymond Rubicam. He believed that impact was at the heart of a successful advert defining it thus... "Impact is that quality in an advertisement which strikes suddenly against the readers’ indifference and enlivens their mind to receive your sales message."
To advertise in this local journal telephone 01202 233580
INSURANCE MATTERS
April/May
How Insurance Brokers are helping Britain’s Hauliers By John Palmer of Coversure Insurance
Britain’s haulage companies and individual lorry drivers have had a tough time of it over the past few years as a result of fuel price rises and increased competition from across The Channel. Now they have a new issue to contend with, illegal immigrants. With this issue, however, British truckers have an ally in the shape of the UK’s insurance brokers. Britain’s truck drivers have increasingly been left counting the cost of illegal immigrants trying to get from Calais into the UK via the tunnel and the port. Such actions have often forced the authorities to close Calais and implement Operation Stack, the emergency plan that results in thousands of trucks being parked on the M20 and in nearby airfields. The problem is politically charged and large in scale, not least when it comes to the cost to Britain’s road haulage businesses and lorry drivers. The value of trade travelling between Britain and Europe via the English Channel is estimated at around £170bn a year, with 60% of it going by lorries on ferries. British lorry drivers have faced with what has been described as a ‘war zone’ around Calais in recent years, with French and British customs officials battling to keep migrants from stowing away on trucks and lorries. The result of all this activity has been costly delays and even entire loads being written off owing to perishability or damage caused by the migrants themselves. While the delays and Operation Stack are very visible signs of the problems facing Britain’s hauliers, the spoiling of loads is an element that is less obvious but which costs the industry around £1bn a year. Losing a single fruit cargo might cost as much £30,000 but for other non-perishable items – such as clothing and footwear – that may have been damaged by people hiding in the back of a lorry, the cost can run into hundreds of thousands of pounds. A haulier’s insurance may well cover it but then the cost of that haulier’s truck insurance will go up until such insurance either becomes too expensive or the insurance
company is forced to refuse cover as the risk level is too great. In either event it’s bad news all-round. With the risks of disruption now so high and the costs involved so steep, is there anything that hauliers can do to adequately protect themselves from certain eventualities? Well one easy step that hauliers can take is to take out goods in transit insurance. Goods in transit insurance provides a high level of cover for a lorry’s contents and provides protection against prevalent issues such as your or your customer’s materials, goods or cargo being lost, stolen or damaged in transit. Goods in transit insurance is affordable and policies can be written according to specific needs, for example they can be written to protect perishable goods against delays. With the situation in Calais and other entry points to the UK and the EU looking set to remain difficult for some time to come, it’s important for hauliers to understand the insurance options that are available to them. That is where insurance brokers such as Coversure come in. With our exceptional market access and knowledge we can help you through these testing times and help you keep your business on the road! If you have any questions regarding your insurance, whether you have the right cover or could get a better deal, give John a call on 01202 929141 or email poole@coversure.co.uk.
!
Tel: 01202 929 141
Email: poole@coversure.co.uk www.coversure.co.uk/office/poole
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INTERNET MATTERS
April/May
What has Google changed in search results? By Gino Cirelli from Website Internet Marketing
If you typed in a search in Google you use to see up to three adverts at the top of the searches as well as down the right hand side as seen above. Note that the small yellow Ad means that the search result is an advert. There could have been up to 11 adverts on a page, but this is being changed to show only up to a maximum of four at the top of the page and three at the bottom. As seen above right, no adverts on right hand side. So for businesses who use pay per click advertising this means that there are fewer places on the page to run adverts. It is possible that pro-active businesses may up their paid advertising campaigns to compete for the top of the page slots. This in turn could push up the cost per click of the adverts. This does mean that advertisers that were in positions five onwards would be pushed to the bottom of the page and may not get as many paid
clicks as a result. Also advertisers that use to have adverts running in positions 8 to 11 would no longer get their adverts displayed. It isn’t likely to be an extreme change for most advertisers, but businesses that carry out paid advertising should review their campaigns and check on how the campaigns are performing. Keep a track of how many clicks the adverts are producing and note the adverts that are showing a drop. If you notice a change, then optimize the adverts or pause them accordingly. It is interesting to note that this does mean the organic (not paid for) listings would be pushed down the page if four adverts show at the top so this change would also have an impact on these. For more information call Gino on 01425 200 678 or email gino@webiml.co.uk and quote NBM.
01425 200 678 Page 14
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IT MATTERS
April/May
Mission critical for law firms
By Ben Summerfield from Copyrite Business Solutions For the law firm, investing in technology isn’t necessarily about gaining a competitive advantage. It’s a question of being able to actually function in a way which will satisfy the client. That is one of the conclusions of a report commissioned by Wimborne-based Copyrite Business Solutions which considers The Future of the Office. “The delivery of service to the client doesn't start and end with the lawyer,” explained Copyrite director Ben Summerfield. “It has to be an intrinsic part of a law firm’s modus operandi. The ‘back office’ and the administrative function have to be client focused as well.” The report posed the question: Can technology improve the way a firm interacts with the client, enhance the client experience, enable a firm to better reflect its culture, increase efficiency in the face of pressure on fees and margin? Or does the application of technology only really ensure a place on the starting grid? “The art is finding the right spot on the technology curve so a law firm is up-to-date without having technology for technology's sake,” suggests Matthew Truelove, managing partner of TWM Solicitors, in the report. “The closer you are to the front of the curve, the more you suffer unnecessary pain and expense. The art is to make sure you're on the right side of the curve. Trying to be too leading edge can often mean fixing things that aren't broken. We want to be in the top ten per cent but without the early adopter pains.” According to Andrew Chalkley, Chief Executive of Boyes Turner, “technology isn’t a battle ground, the traditional you are either on one side of the argument or the other. Unless a law firm is up to speed, it won’t be in business. Of the 10,000 law firms in the UK, when you get to number 200, the turnover figure is just £5million. Below that are 9800 other firms. Many of them
will find that compliance will increasingly become too expensive or time consuming, so technology is absolutely fundamental if they are to have any chance of remaining competitive.” Just published, the report also considers whether the paperless office will ever happen, and why with data protection and system security, having the highest and most impenetrable firewall isn't enough. A conclusion drawn by Hemant Amin, Managing Partner of Charles Lucas & Marshall, is that technology needs undivided attention. “What used to happen is that a partner who expressed an interest in IT would be given the responsibility,” he recalls. “That can’t happen now. Technology is too complex, too time consuming and too mission critical not to have a dedicated specialist, either in-house or outsourced, dealing it with it. A conclusion I would draw is that lawyers need to be prepared to listen to the experts. “Technology, like customer care, is not a box you can tick and then move on. And you won’t be going home earlier because of technology. It means you are more likely to be doing more.” Also included are the the views of Helen Archibald (Barlow Robbins), Adrian Bourne (Stevens & Bolton), Philip D’Arcy (Blandy & Blandy), Mark Lello (Parker Bullen), Nigel Maud (Hart Brown), Christopher Millar (Downs), Mike Parker (Wilsons Solicitors), Tim Read (Clifton Ingram), Frankie Tierney (Herrington & Carmichael), Valerie Toon (Mundays), Ian Wood-Smith (Field Seymour Parkes). You can download a complimentary copy via the link: www.copyrite.co.uk/legalreport
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MY STORY SO FAR...
My Story So Far... What can I say, I am a local girl, born in Poole Hospital and have lived here all my life. I love where we live, beautiful sandy beaches, within 20 minutes’ drive I can be in the countryside and we are only 2 hours from London. We have our own airport and we have the second biggest natural harbour in the world with stunning scenery, the Jurassic coast and so much more. I have never wished to live anywhere but here and feel blessed to be living in such a lovely part of the UK. Property has been part of my life since probably around the age of 12 when my mother first worked for a local estate agent. By the time I was 15 my mother owned her own agency. She was indeed very successful and later became the first ever woman to be chairperson of the NAEA (National Association of Estate Agents). With my mother and the Thatcher years of encouraging people to own their own home I purchased my first property at the tender age of 19 (in those days you could get a 100% mortgage and it only cost £19,500). It was a 3 bedroom flat and by renting out two of the bedrooms, my rental income completely covered my mortgage and I became a landlord. My jobs have always been administration and accounts and I love working with figures. I am an excel girl and love statistics (in fact later at the age of 38 I went back to university and studied to be an accountant)! When I was 28 I succumbed and went to work for my mum, by this time I was married and had 3 beautiful daughters (twins aged 5 and a 3 year old). I worked school hours to begin with and very quickly knew I loved working in the property industry. I continued to work with my mum and then my brother-in-law. Back then management fees were 15% and not many agents in town – those were the days. How times have changed, we now have over 110 agents throughout Poole and Bournemouth and definitely not achieving 15% management fees. Move On was established on the 1st June 2006, we are celebrating 10 years this year. It started with myself and my now Maintenance Manager Nicky and have grown to 9 members of staff. I do have the most amazing team. Move On is
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Sharon Canning what it is today because of the team ethics, the genuine care they all feel in giving a first class service. They have all been known to go the extra mile to help a tenant, a landlord and their fellow colleague. 5 years ago we started Landlord to Landlord Sales, which has just grown phenomenally. A niche market, selling tenanted properties from landlords to landlords. This was very much needed through the recession and now well recognised in giving amazing results. To date, 95% of our sales have gone through to completion, whereas the national average is around 60%. 2015 saw us develop Move On Sales, so now we are a one stop shop for anyone looking to sell, buy, rent or invest. We have won multiple awards and reached the finals of a few more. I have a column in a local magazine on ‘The diary of….’, for 4 years I was a speaker to a group of investors every month and for the last 3 years I have produced and presented my own weekly radio show dedicated to the property industry. So, this is my story so far, a landlord for 32 years, worked in the property industry for 24 years and owning Move On for 10 years and it isn’t over yet.
Sharon Canning
To advertise in this local journal telephone 01202 233580
LETTINGS MATTERS
April/May
How much are you worth? By Sharon Canning from Move On We recently took on a small portfolio of properties due to the landlords wanting an easier life! The couple had looked after their investment for some 20 odd years, but now felt they would like to enjoy their daily living rather than worrying about the latest legislation and the daily running of their portfolio. They are not alone with the way they were thinking, I am constantly reading books, going on courses to ensure my knowledge not only remains up to date and being ahead of changes but more importantly I am making sure my landlords and tenants can rest in the knowledge they are fully compliant and we are looking after their interests. The property industry has changed so much over the last 15 years and the private rented sector continues to grow. The private renting levels in 2000 were around 9.4% of households, by 2014 the proportion had risen to 19.9% and by 2025 they are predicting this to be around 23.9%. In London they are predicting 60% will be renters with the majority of being in the
private rented sector. Rentals are going up! January 2016 saw 11 out of 12 regions increase their rents according to Homelet Rental Index and rents have increased by an average of 5.5% (outside London). Great you might say, but I would like to ask you this, ‘how much is your time worth?’ The average cost of a letting agent looking after a property per month is probably no dearer than a night out, a ladies visit to the hairdressers or one/two tickets to a west end show and that is us looking after your most expensive investment and your present income or future pension 24/7. One wrong tenant could wipe out years of profit. If you would like a friendly, no obligation chat regarding any property matter, then please call Sharon on 01202 711169 or email her at sharon@moveonrentals.com. Don’t forget to tune into The Business Show on Hope FM 90.1and listen to Sharon produce and present two hours of live and up to date property industry news on the first and third Wednesday of each month
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WE PROVIDE: • Instant drying print on our Lightcure Press • Complete project from design to delivery produced in house • Fast turnaround times, we work to your deadline • Experienced team, delivering print for the last 30 years to find out more, call, visit or click 01963 250920
alan@remous.com info@remous.com
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Remous Print, Wyvern Buildings, North Street, Milborne Port, Sherborne, Dorset DT9 5EP
Bunter, Alan Bunter, Keith Sparks. Registered in England: 1479229. Registered Address: Nylands, Charlton Horethorne, S
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To advertise in this local journal telephone 01202 233580
PRINTING MATTERS
April/May
How can Print help Graphic Design in 2016? By Alan Bunter, MD of Remous Limited
The Print Industry is going through a rapid transformation, as ever it may not seem like it at the time but when we look back I am sure the last 3 years were pivotal for both Print and Graphic Design. The great news is for Graphic Design and Creatives – this is a fantastic time to be working in this industry! Integrated multichannel marketing, new print products and services allowing a creative free reign means you can deliver incredible design with out restraint. We believe the future is likely to become even richer with new ideas and development making the likes of clickable paper and personalised catalogues the norm. Personalisation – Although this has been around for many years now, it is only just becoming usable at the day to day commercial print level, often considered a dark art and of course completely reliant on data quality and consent. We have seen exponential growth in personalisation of print and it is still on a relatively small sale in our company. Barcoding, QR coding and personalisation of brochures is growing fast – a tool Graphic Designers can use and incorporate into the marketing mix and of course designing the campaign with that in mind creates more effective ROI.
Lightcure Print – Also known as Hybrid Ultra Violet Print, ink curing has been an explosion across the UK and prior to that mainland European print industry. Very well documented on our blog and with any of our clients, the litho print process has become instant, clean, low power and efficient. We installed the first 5 colour HUV in the UK and have been able to unleash the opportunities for creative graphic design; especially effective on uncoated papers you can design what ever you choose, without fear of dry back or marking or long lead times. Uncoated and matt papers are more ‘en vogue’ than ever – due to the recycled feel and more natural feel, but for 99% of print companies cause real issues, if they are honest they will tell you what they are. This development has brought litho print and digital print a lot closer in proximity mean proactive print suppliers can offer either/or at the most economical price break. For Graphic Designers and Creative Agencies 2016 has to be the biggest opportunity to win more clients, be more creative and deliver clients graphic design with more impact than ever before. If you would like to know more about how we can partner you in your 2016 aspirations, give us a call on 01963 250920.
Digital Print Technology – Again this has been around for years now, but to what standard? Digital print quality used to be unreliable at best, with poor registration, banding and poor colour consistency. The meant Graphic Design had to some how compensate when it was to be printed digitally. In the last 2 to 3 years we have seen digital print grow and become part of mainstream print production. Graphic Designers can design the most elaborate brochures with read overs, light tints, all colours and decorative print finishing with out concern on quality. Our investment in Ricoh Production print technology has enabled us to offer a full production facility for short run print of any kind for Graphic Design agencies around the UK. The opportunities when combined with Personalisation are endless.
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PUZZLE MATTERS
April/May
Put your feet up over coffee or lunch and have a go at these!
Pop the kettle on... 7
9
5
1
3 2
4
6
1 4
9
3 9
8
4
6
7
2
5
5
9
7 6 3
8
4
Crossword
Across 1 Climbing tall hills (14) 10 Furies (5) 11 Acquit (9) 12 Ultimately (7) 13 Punches of sweetened milk and eggs (7) 14 A sloping edge on a cutting tool (5) 16 Nosebleed (9) 19 Bankrupt (9) 20 Hollowed out (5) 22 A rope for a sail (7) 25 Instructions on food preparation (7) 27 Barrier (9) 28 Swampy lake (5) 29 Slides used with o/head projectors (14) Down 2 Coordinates (9) 3 Relating to the nose (5) 4 Welder's fuel (9) 5 Hangman's knot (5) 6 Industrious (9)
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7 A Rocky Mountain state (5) 8 Suppositions (7) 9 Pre-built (6) 15 Bedtime song (9) 17 Interpose (9)
18 Plant adapted for limited water (9) 19 Live or dwell (7) 21 A ďŹ eld event (6) 23 Insect stage (5) 24 A literary genre (5) 26 Boxlike (5)
To advertise in this local journal telephone 01202 233580
PR MATTERS
April/May
Why do you really need PR? By Michaela Rihova from MRPR Production I recently read an excellent book - The Fall of Advertising and the Rise of PR - where the authors explained that the most successful product launches rely heavily on Public Relations rather than advertising. They say: “Publicity provides the credentials that create credibility in the advertising. Until a new brand has some credentials in your mind, you are going to ignore its advertising.” What they are really saying is that PR needs to come before advertising, and, most importantly, the PR team needs to be in charge of the marketing messages. Not all companies understand this. If you are a small business owner you might think that advertising in local paper or local magazine is a key but I would disagree with it.
And what I also disagree with might be slightly controversial – You can’t do it yourself! Managing a business is difficult on its own so find a good team of professionals who will do their best to help you achieve your goals. And unfortunately that doesn’t come for free. Admittedly, I do not believe the 95,000 websites that Google tells me say “PR is free”. It costs money to run an effective PR campaign but PR can do a lot with relatively small budgets. If you wish to find out more about how PR can help you and your business just give us a call or send us an email. Oh and remember that well trained PR people don’t just promote, they look after your reputation...
Get in touch: 01202 375582 07427 648799 michaela@mrprproduction.co.uk
We’re getting you noticed:
...looking after your reputation (and we are really good at it)
• Communication Strategy
• Social Media Management • Content Creation
• Crisis Management
• Event Management
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RECRUITMENT MATTERS
April/May
National Living Wage: How to plan for the change By Aggy Lublinska of Mploy Staffing Solutions
The National Living Wage announced in the 2015 conservative budget, comes into effect on 1st April 2016, which is just a couple of months away. Most employers would have already started preparing for the change, but if you didn’t quite manage to get your head around it just yet, it is not too late. Make sure you quit postponing the arrangements for later, as you are running out of time, and make sure you plan in the most crucial areas including payroll, employment law, and staff morale. The most obvious change will be the increase of salary, however you should also prepare for some employee relation problems that may arise, and quite possibly make some changes to your recruitment policy. Before you start planning for the impact of the oncoming changes, make sure you are clear about one thing: the National Living Wage should not be confused with the Living Wage set by the Living Wage Foundation. The Living Wage is calculated based on cost of living expenses and is entirely voluntary. The National Living Wage is compulsory for all employers regardless of size of the business. It will start at £7.20 per hour and will continue to rise until it reaches £9 per hour in 2020. This is a 50 pence increase from the National Minimum Wage which is currently £6.70 per hour. The aim of introducing the National Living Wage is that it should be equivalent to 60% of median earnings by 2020. The increase is likely to benefit almost 2.7 million low-wage workers. You probably already know that the National Living Wage will only apply to employees over the age of 25, and anyone under this age will still be covered by the National Minimum Wage. If a large proportion of your employees are on a National Minimum Wage, you will feel the impact of the National Living Wage a lot more. If you are looking for ways to minimise the impact of costly changes to your business, you are most probably considering hiring staff under the age of 25. However attractive this strategy may look at first glance, you should take into account some possible negative implications. As an employer, you will need to be really careful not to become guilty of age discrimination. If legal action is taken against you, you need to remember it is highly unlikely the courts would accept an attempt to avoid paying the National Living Wage as justification for age discrimination. This applies not only to recruitment but also redundancy selection. It is worth noting that, according to trends, the adult National Minimum Wage will most probably reach circa £7 per hour in October 2016 – not far short of the National Living Wage. This means that the risky
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strategy of employing under 25s solely to avoid paying the National Living Wage will not prove profitable for long. And with the jeopardy of finding yourself at risk of age discrimination claims – is it really worth it? Even though the National Living Wage will only apply to low-paid workers under the age of 25, it is very likely to affect the salaries of many other employees. The low staff morale of those who were earning just above the minimum and did not get a pay rise, could become a serious issue resulting in lower productivity levels in your organisation. With the 8% increase of earnings for the lowest paid workers, you may feel under pressure to give a pay rise to those who were earning just above the minimum. This will be a tough choice for smaller employers who struggle to find ways to compensate the costly changes. However, a small pay rise could potentially have positive effects on your staff’s performance, making them feel valued and reflecting their seniority and length of service. The Regulatory Policy Committee, which advises the Government, estimates the change will cost companies £804.4m in extra wages and staff costs. In order to help employers adapt, the Government introduced some measures - these are aiming to reduce the impact on the most vulnerable businesses employing a large proportion of staff on the minimum wage. It has been announced that the rate of corporation tax would fall to 19% in 2017 and 18% in 2020 to offset the costs. Employers will also benefit from the increase of the National Insurance Contributions allowance from £2,000 to £3,000 a year from April 2016. This measure will help all businesses, particularly small ones and start-ups. HM Treasury estimates that 90,000 employers will see their employer NICs liability reduced to zero.
Mploy Staffing Solutions
Head Office: 3 Longfleet Road, Poole, BH15 2HN 24 Post Office Road, Bournemouth, BH1 1BA 15 High Street, Yeovil, Somerset, BA20 1RQ 12A Castle Street, Christchurch, BH23 1DT 9 High East Street, Dorchester, DT1 1HS 55 Milford Street, Salisbury, SP1 1BP
Tel: 01202 668360 Email: aggy@mploystaff.com
www.mploystaff.com
To advertise in this local journal telephone 01202 233580
SOCIAL MEDIA MATTERS
April/May
Businesses - Have You Got The Message?
By Mike Sharp from Mike's Online Academy One of the disadvantages of using Facebook for business in the past has been that communication between customers/prospects and businesses on Facebook has tended to be public. This is great when your customers are singing your praises from the rooftops but if there is a problem such as a complaint or a sensitive issue that needs resolving, for example financial issues, private messaging would be more appropriate. Mobile Messaging: A few years ago all messages on Facebook were sent using the regular Facebook app then Facebook introduced the stand alone Messenger app making Facebook Messenger pretty much a new social network in itself. Note: You do not need a Facebook profile to use Facebook Messenger although who doesn't have one these days! With the success and popularity of chat based apps such as Whatsapp (now owned by Facebook) and Snapchat plus the popularity of Skype that canny chap Mark Zuckerberg could see that there was a trend towards private messaging with all the benefits of social media such as greater transparency. Facebook have recognised this exciting trend and are making messaging more prominent on Facebook business pages.
Alongside this is the cultural trend and convenience of emailing and texting businesses rather than using the phone or talking face to face and as a business you want to be accessible to your customers. So recently Facebook have rolled out new features to Facebook business pages such as an optional icon indicating how quickly messages are responded too, automatic "out of office" replies and as a bonus you can personalise messages too just like you can do with some email software. All in all making customer support a piece of cake! If you would like a chat with me on how I can help you use messaging in your business contact me through my website or more appropriately message me at www.fb.com/msg/ mikesonlineacademy.
T: 07402 174436 E: mike@mikesonlineacademy.com W: www.MikesOnlineAcademy.com To receive a FREE copy go to www.newbusinessmatters.com
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