Let’s Talk Business

Volume 3 Issue 30 - May 2015 Page 1

Let’s Talk Business Back To Basics Business Solutions - Support for Small Business

Australian Small Business

and the Budget

Inside this issue

The 2015 Budget ..….............2 Small Business Solutions ….3 Five Conversations Leaders

Must Have Dr Tim Baker …..….............5

Biz Snippets …………….......6 Understanding Your

Customer’s Needs Dennis Chiron………...........7

How to Get Back in Control -

When You are Out of Control Angie “Speedy” Spiterie ….8

Top Quotes From Peter

Drucker Geoff Butler ………………..9

Have You Ever Imagined

What it Would be Like to Have a GPS forYour Business?

Dan Buzer ……..………….10 What’s the Deal With the

“Mobile Friendly” Sites? Karen Ahl ……..………….11

EFY Considerations for Self-

Managed Superannuation Funds Jo-Anne Chaplin …………12

Is This the END of Brick-and-

Mortar Retailing? Amy Roche …………….....13

At Risk – something you must

know Paul Gillmore……..............14 Failing Takes No Planning

Peter Nicol ………………..15 Workplace Improvement

Denis Keating …………… 16 1 + 1 < or > 3

Betty Zsoldos …..………...17 Motivation: The Real

Challenge Andrew Csaszar …..….…..18

Empathy and Responsiveness

to Customer Needs – A Core Business Process Jeanette Mundy.……….….19

Editor’s Biz Tips ………….20 LTB Objectives …..........…..21

Volume 3 Issue 30 - May 2015

BU

DG

ET

2015

Let’s Talk Business

Volume 3 Issue 30 - May 2015 Page 2

Will the 2015 Budget really benefit

Australian small business?

Is the outlook for the Australian

economy looking positive?

The Federal Small Business Minister

Bruce Billson believes it will and refers

to it as “rocket fuel for the small

business tank”.

Billson said that this Budget is designed

to give small business owners and

budding entrepreneurs the confidence to

invest more, grow more and create

more.

“They are about giving the two million

small businesses in Australia the tools

to succeed, which in turn will create

jobs and boost our economy.”

However, Smartcompany reports:

“Businesses that sell things to other

businesses were among the biggest

winners from this year's budget.”

That is because any company with a

turnover of less than $2 million can

claim a 100 per cent taxable income

deduction on any asset purchase worth

up to $20,000, and they can claim the

write-off on as many items as they like.

But, there are doubts about whether the

Federal Government's $20,000 instant

asset tax write-off for small business

will have the hoped for economic

benefits and many accountants are

urging small business owners not to

rush into new purchases.

Smartcompany goes on to indicate some

of the Winners and Losers in this

Budget:

Winners

1. Small Business

2. Retailers

3. Retirees with loads of

superannuation

4. Families using childcare

Losers

1. Parents claiming parental leave from

their employers

2. Netflix users and digital downloaders

3. Wealthy pensioners

4. Welfare recipients

96 per cent of all Australia’s businesses

are small businesses, employing over 4½

million people and producing over $330

billion of our nation’s economic output

per year.

There is no doubt that Australia’s small

businesses are the main drivers of our

economy, and it is Australian small

business that drives growth and creates

jobs.

The Coalition Government claim “The

new $5.5 billion Jobs and Small Business

package is the biggest small business

package in our nation’s history. It builds

on what we have already achieved for

small businesses and will help small

businesses invest more, grow more, and

employ more.”

The Government’s web site claims that

this is now “The right time for business

to invest” and point out the most salient

features of benefit to small business as

being:

Accelerated depreciation

Tax cuts

Cutting red tape

Wage subsidies to support

employment

Work experience for young job

seekers

Youth employment strategy, and

Moving job seekers into work

However, Mark Kenny, chief political

correspondent for the Sydney Morning

Herald issues a stern warning:

Budget 2015

Will It Really Benefit Small Business?

“Joe Hockey's centre-piece budget

plan to hand cash back to small

businesses could be so popular it

causes its own drain on the budget as

unexpected millions scramble to take

full advantage of the two-year scheme.

The Fairfax-Ipsos poll released on

Monday showed 81 per cent of voters

applauded the initiative and a

sizeable 22 per cent intend using the

accelerated depreciation provision

also known as instant asset write-off.

That's great news for the struggling

Abbott government politically but not

such great news for the deficit-riddled

budget as the 22 per cent take-up

represents as much as a 19-fold

increase of the estimated usage

number in the budget.”

Bank of America Merrill Lynch's chief

economist Saul Eslake said the

poll findings suggested many voters

may not understand the scheme and

have assumed it to be both wider in

its eligibility criteria and more

generous.

Rather it is a tax deduction which,

although it can be used on multiple

sub-$20,000 item purchases, merely

reduces the taxable income of a given

business by $20,000 each time.

"I find it hard to believe 22 per cent of

the adult population is eligible," Mr

Eslake said.

He said many of these respondents

may not even be eligible for the write-

off.

"I would suggest that there'd be a

portion of that 22 per cent who are

apprentices for example, not

understanding that just because they

have to buy tools etc, that they could

get the concession," he said.

"One of the first questions really is are

you eligible to claim, are you a small

business owner, before you get to the

question of will you claim."

Let’s Talk Business

Volume 3 Issue 30 - May 2015 Page 3

Let’s Talk Business

Volume 3 Issue 30 - May 2015 Page 4

WORKSHOPS BEING RUN IN:

CABOOLTURE

BRIBIE ISLAND

NORTH LAKES

SUNSHINE COAST

For Further Information please call Dennis Chiron on 0451 184 599

Or simply complete the above Expression of Interest and send it to

enquiries@smallbusinesssolutions.qld.gov.au

Let’s Talk Business

Volume 3 Issue 30 - May 2015 Page 5

Organisations are conversations. At its

heart, the life of any business exists in

and is sustained through the

conversations that are taking place

inside, around and about it. But I hear

people tell me that their organisation

is not ready to have meaningful

conversations. Or, to have meaningful

conversations, they need training

(Imagine telling your parents that you

are being trained to have

conversations at work.

Or, we don't have time for meaningful

conversations, we are too busy. I think

we are fast losing sight of the power

or conversations and their importance.

Here is a framework I have put

together of five conversations that I

think every manager ought to have

with each of his or her team every

year. In fact I argue that the Five

Conversations Framework is a

replacement for the archaic

performance review.

Climate review conversation A climate review is about determining

the current atmosphere in a particular

workplace. It is mainly concerned

with employees' job satisfaction,

morale and communication. Although

people's opinion about these matters

can - and often do - fluctuate over the

course of a year, it can be useful to

take a snapshot of the business

occasionally. Listening and

responding to this feedback is a good

place to start.

Strengths and talents conversation Most appraisals are fixated with what

is going wrong; in other words, they

focus on weaknesses and by-pass

strengths and talents. Tom Rath in the

# 1 Wall Street Journal bestseller:

Strengths Finder 2.0 underscores the

value of a conversation on this

subject:

Society's relentless focus on people's

shortcomings has turned into a global

obsession. What's more, we have

discovered that people have several

times more potential for growth when

they invest energy in developing their

strengths instead of correcting their

deficiencies.

Building upon strengths has a higher

payoff then working on overcoming

weaknesses.

Opportunities for growth

conversation This conversation invites an

opportunity for employees to consider

how they can improve their own work

performance in key result areas. By

doing so, the potential for both to gain

a common perspective on areas for

improved performance is possible. A

dual understanding of current and

expected standards performance is an

important first step. The second step

is to discuss and agree upon some

tangible ways and means of

improving the employee's

performance to match expectations.

Thirdly and finally, this conversation

is important in aligning performance

expectations will the strategic

direction of the business. Some

opportunities identified can be put

into practice straight away. And

others can be adopted with more

learning and development support

later.

Learning and development

conversation Conversations about learning and

development capitalise on the

previous two conversations. What

learning experiences can assist in

build upon strengths and lift

performance in critical areas.

Learning experiences can be

technical, personal development, or

problem-based. All three dimensions

are important for an eclectic approach

to HRD.

Innovation and continuous

improvement conversation This conversation is about practical

ways and means of improving both

the employee's own efficiency and

effectiveness and the business in

general. What can I - and what can

we - do to improve? is the focus here.

Imagine for a moment the power of

this conversation occurring across an

organisation during a particular

month.

Each of these five conversations ought

to take about 15 minutes. Some go

longer. Being thematically-based, they

are focused and therefore need not

take a considerable amount of time.

Being more relaxed and

conversational compared with the

rigid appraisal regime, this new

approach minimises the power

dynamic of the manager-employee

relationship. But in this framework,

the manager's role is converser and

facilitator, not appraiser and

assessor. This approach shifts the

emphasis from appraising to

developing people at work.

This is an extract from Dr Tim Baker's

book - The End of the Performance

Review: A New Approach to

Appraising Employee

Performance You can purchase the

book through Amazon or my website.

Dr Tim Baker is a thought leader in

organizational change and leadership

development, bestselling author, and

international consultant. Having

consulted across 21 industries in 10

countries over 18 years, Tim has

discovered what makes people tick. To

find out more, go to WINNERS-at-

WORK Pty Ltd.

Dr Tim Baker

Managing Director

WINNERS AT WORK Pty Ltd

www.winnersatwork.com.au

www.about.me/tim.baker

tim@winnersatwork.com.au

Telephone. +61 7 3899 8881

Five Conversations

Leaders Must Have

Let’s Talk Business

Volume 3 Issue 30 - May 2015 Page 6

The new employee

stood before the

paper shredder

looking confused.

“Need some help?”

a secretary asked.

“Yes,” he replied. “How does this

thing work?”

“Simple,” she said, taking the fat

report from his hand and feeding it

into the shredder.

“Thanks, but where do the copies

come out?”

A businessman is

walking with his

friend. He says to

this friend, “I’m a

walking economy.”

The friend replies

“How so?”

“My hair line is in recession, my

stomach is a victim of inflation, and

both of these together are putting me

into a deep depression!”

The banker fell

overboard from a

friend’s sailboat.

The friend

grabbed a life

preserver, held it up, not knowing if

the banker could swim, and

shouted, “Can you float alone?”

“Obviously,” the banker replied, “but

this is a heck of a time to talk

business.”

HUMOUROUS

BUSINESS SIGNS

Corporation: An ingenious device for

obtaining profit without individual

responsibility. Ambrose Bierce

A bank is a place that will lend you

money if you can prove that you don't

need it. Bob Hope

The two most beautiful words in the

English language are 'check enclosed'

Dorothy Parker

Success is simply a matter of luck.

Ask any failure. Earl Wilson

Advertising is legalised lying.

H. G. Wells

Don't worry about people stealing

your ideas. If your ideas are any

good, you'll have to ram them down

people's throats. Howard Aiken

If you owe the bank $100 that's your

problem. If you owe the bank $100

million, that's the bank's problem.

J. Paul Getty

Behind every successful man lurks a

truly amazed ex-mother-in-law. John

Chrusciel

Catch a man a fish, and you can sell it

to him. Teach a man to fish, and you

ruin a wonderful business

opportunity. Karl Marx

I used to sell furniture for a living.

The trouble was, it was my own.

Les Dawson

There are an enormous number of

managers who have retired on the

job. Peter Drucker

HUMOUROUS

BUSINESS SIGNS HUMOUROUS

BUSINESS QUOTES

HUMOUROUS

BUSINESS JOKES

Let’s Talk Business

Volume 3 Issue 30 - May 2015 Page 7

Understanding Your Customer’s Needs

Dennis Chiron Marketing Means Business

0451 184 599 www.marketingmeansbusiness.com

dennis@marketingmeansbusiness.net.au Skype: dennis.chiron2

Most business owners have an intuitive understanding of their customers needs -- but that intuitive understanding

becomes a much more powerful tool if

you articulate and analyze it.

Only then can you fully understand how to most effectively build the kind of customer relationship that will help

your business succeed over time -- this principle is central to the very heart of

the formulation of marketing.

As a starter step in your marketing plan, ask yourself the following

questions:

Who are my customers?

Who are my potential customers?

What kind of people are they?

What are their incomes? What

are their needs?

Where do they live?

Can they buy? Will they buy?

Am I offering them real benefits,

when and how they want them?

Is my business in the best place?

Is my pricing right?

How do customers perceive my

business?

Who are my competitors?

How does my business compare

with my competitors'?

Every customer’s satisfaction (and

dissatisfaction) comes from what they expect and anticipate expectations – and what your customer thinks he or

she should experience – and the reality of what you deliver, or endeavour to

deliver to them.

If the experience you deliver exceeds

those expectations, you can expect customer loyalty, customer lifetime

value, and brand equity to flourish.

Meeting (or exceeding) customer expectations is the most valuable aspect

of customer satisfaction. A satisfied customer is one that has had their

expectations met.

Over the past 10–15 years, businesses are placing a renewed focus on customers. They’re doing this because

they see that customers have more choice than ever before, particularly with the dynamic growth in Internet sales. If

customers don’t perceive that what your business is offering is worth what they’ve paid for, they’ll take their money

to a competitor who offers better value. That competitor may be right next door

or on the other side of the world.

What is definitely lacking in most organisations is a real understanding,

empathy and focus on their customers, and a genuine understanding of what value they can provide to their

customers.

However, the goal here is to not just meet customer expectations; it should be

to ‘wow’ customers and exceed them. When you exceed your customer’s expectations, you create an experience

that the customer remembers. This experience is often passed onto friends which generates word of mouth referrals

and can help create a positive impression

of you and your business.

Understanding the needs of you customers is the key to giving them outstanding service. To give good

customer care you must deliver what you

promise.

But outstanding customer care involves getting to know your

customers so well that you can exceed

their expectations.

To really understand your customers

well, you need to always make them feel welcome, and illustrate that you

look forward to helping them whenever you are in contact with

them.

The potential rewards are huge: You can dramatically increase customer loyalty, and they in turn, will help

create a strong referral system through positive word-of-mouth feedback and

recommendations to their friends.

Two of the easiest (and best) activities that you can undertake that will definitely help you to understand

your customer better are as follows:

One way is to simply put yourself in their shoes (after all, as well as running a business, you are also a customer to many other businesses) and try and look at your business from their point of view.

The second way is simply to ask your customers what they think …

Are they happy with the service you provide? What do they think you can do to make their experience better? Would they recommend you to others?

Many of your regular or loyal customers are complimented when you ask them for genuine feedback to help you improve your business.

TRY IT!

Let’s Talk Business

Volume 3 Issue 30 - May 2015 Page 8

are going to be doing the next day and

rest of the week, clear desk and clear

mind (focus). A place for everything,

everything in its place so you focus on

what you need to do, you look in

control and you are.

Imagine if you could get an extra 2.3

hours per day and increase your

productivity by up to 67% without

working any more or spending any

more of your time. Or imagine

working half the amount of time and

getting the same amount done as

you’re accomplishing right now.

Again, freeing up the other half of your

time to do what you want with. How

would it change your life to actually

double your productivity? What would

it mean to your business? What would

it mean to your income? What would it

mean to your time off? What would it

mean to your social life?

When we feel in control of our time,

when we feel we are getting ahead,

using our time well, we know that what

we’re doing is succeeding.

I’d like to share the blueprint I

discovered that I’ve made that made

me become a lot more productive and

made me a lot more money in the

process.

I'd like to invite you to join me for the

best ever no fluff, practical program

you are ever going to come across, I

want to invite you to join me for my

newest class of Instant Time Mastery.

If you are exhausted… Waking up

tired… working long hours and not

getting anywhere… feeling

overwhelmed by all you need to do…

TimeEqualsMoney

Angie 'Speedy' Spiteri Business Efficiency Specialist

www.timeequalsmoney.net.au

Ph: 0403 970 732

http://www.facebook.com/time.equals.money

wishing you had more time for your

family… putting on weight…

wishing you could quit and just get a

job… just wishing the problems will

go away but not knowing how to

make them go away then then join

me in Instant Time Mastery.

This program has been used by

thousands of people to succeed in

growing their businesses and

improving their personal lives,

growing their success, and getting

more time off.

So this program is absolutely perfect

if you own your own business … or

several businesses like me and you

frequently have to wear many hats..

It's also perfect if you consider

yourself tech challenged…

It will give you a powerful set of

tools to focus and get things done in

your busy day-to-day environment. It

comes with a no risk money back

guarantee and trail period. Test us

out, you will wonder why you were

never taught this information in

school.

To find out more go to: http://

bit.ly/1Av1pyK

**Angie Spiteri, works with time

poor, tech challenged

entrepreneurs who need to calm

their administrative challenges and

eliminate unnecessary chaos so

they can make more money with the

limited time they have.

To connect with Angie visit

www.timeequalsmoney.net.au

Here are 4 tactics you can apply that

will help you instantly take back

control and get a grip on what is

going on…

1. Your first job is to “Get square”.

Regain control of what direction your

life is headed in. Do this first step

quickly, with urgency! Clear ALL the

rubbish first, and be RUTHLESS.

Answer quick requests quickly. As

you are doing this take advantage of

how you are feeling and unsubscribe

from stuff you have been meaning to,

decide to delegate, and if you see a

pattern set up filters/rules so that low

priority mail is automatically sorted

for you.

2. Bring yourself Up To Speed.

What’s happened or is happening in

your business/company/work place.

Who do you need to speak to

(AFTER you have read their e-mails)

so you are on the front foot with the

discussions that matter?

3. Once you are clear and are up to

speed, what do you really need to do?

What must get done and when are

you going to do it? What really needs

to be completed today, this week, and

what can wait? Make appointments

and tasks for yourself to do your own

work. Make sure you schedule

sufficient time to do the job to the

standard you require. Feel free to

“hide” from the world to get things

accomplished if you need to.

However, be sure to set realistic time

limits on how long you “hide.” And

while hidden, work on your most

important NOT emails!

4. Leave Clear. Clear on what you

How to get back in control… when you are out of control!

Let’s Talk Business

Volume 3 Issue 30 - May 2015 Page 9

Top Quotes from Peter Drucker – The Father of Management

Young entrepreneurs and business

owners unfamiliar with

Drucker would do well to study his

insightful commentary on the world

of ‘management.’ Millennials mired

inside a traditional corporate

environment and people living life

inside lean startups will find his

thinking particularly spot on.

He has been one of my favourite

commentators on how business

should be run, as opposed to how it

really is in most cases.

He has a no nonsense and logical

approach to leadership in business,

and while he deals with many

corporate issues, his thinking is

equally applicable to the small to

medium business sector in which

most of us live.

I hope you find his words

inspirational and relevant, if not

somewhat confrontational, and it

prompts you to think about what

you spend your time doing and

whether or not this is indeed the

right thing to do in the first place.

Here are some of my favourite

quotes from this great man:

1. ‘Doing the right thing is more

important than doing the thing

right.’

2. ‘If you want something new,

you have to stop doing

something old.’

3. ‘There is nothing quite so

useless, as doing with great

efficiency something that

should not be done at all.’

4. ‘What gets measured gets

improved.’ Or alternatively ‘What

you measure you can manage.’

5. ‘Results are gained by exploiting

opportunities, not by solving

problems.’

6. ‘So much of what we call

management consists of making it

difficult for people to work.’

7. ‘People who don't take risks

generally make about two big

mistakes a year. People who do

take risks generally make about

two big mistakes a year.’

8. ‘Meetings are by definition a

concession to a deficient

organization. For one either meets

or one works. One cannot do both

at the same time.’

9. ‘Long-range planning does not

deal with the future decisions, but

with the future of present

decisions.’

10. ‘Management is doing things

right. Leadership is doing the

right things.’

11. ‘Culture isn’t part of the game, it

is the game.’

What I suggest you do is to look at

each of these quotes individually, and

critically assess how it applies to your

business.

More importantly, ask you staff and

possibly a few key clients to do the

same, so you can begin to look at your

systems and processes to determine

whether you are indeed doing the

right things without sullying your

thoughts about how well you do

them.

The results could be quite

surprising and could provide a

turning point in both your personal

and business lives.

Another action I suggest you

consider is the development of a

‘Culture Statement’ which from a

business perspective is a document

that sets out who you are and not

what you do.

An agreed set of statements that

firms sets out your values and

beliefs, which will assist you with

recruitment, review and even

termination of staff as you grow.

We all know there are people out

there who are technically good at

their job but wouldn’t be a good fit

in our businesses because of a

cultural mismatch, but how will

we know who they are unless we

can assess them against a written

standard, they have read and

committed to before engagement.

What you do in relation to the

information in this article is

completely up to you, and most

will do nothing.

However, those who take at least

some action will notice a

difference in their thinking, and

hopefully that of their valuable

team as well! Good Luck.

Geoff Butler FAIM AP, MAITD MACE

Principal/Business Improvement &

Implementation Specialist

Business Optimizers

Mobile: 0414 943072

Fax: 3036 6131

Email: geoff@businessoptimizers.com.au

Skype: business.optimizers1

Let’s Talk Business

Volume 3 Issue 30 - May 2015 Page 10

Have You Ever Imagined What It Would Be Like

To Have a GPS For Your Business?

I LOVE my vehicle GPS! Isn’t it

great to set a destination in your car

GPS and just follow the directions?

Some models give advanced warning

of traffic on the route, alternative

routes, time to destination and more.

They even make detours to a fuel

station, shopping centre and other

points of interest and the GPS re-

calculates and tells you the additional

time it will add until you get to your

destination. Amazing!

Even better, you can go off the track

the GPS plots for you and the

computer will identify your

unplanned position and continually

direct you to the closest, safest and

quickest route from where you’ve

gone to still arrive at your goal.

Believe it or not, some Business

Owners have a similar set of

measuring tools that let them know

exactly what the position of their

business is at any time.

For example … when you walk into

the office of one of our Clients you

can see at a glance all the jobs they’re

working on at that time, all the jobs

booked in for the following 3 months

(and those months are full), the total

turnover for the business for the

previous month as well as the average

dollar sale value, number of referrals

received, net profit percentage, gross

profit percentage, labour expenditure

percentage and the amount the

business is either up or down on the

results from the same time as the

previous year.

Impressed? Well, here’s the most

impressive bit. All this information is

hand written up on a whiteboard,

bought off ebay.com for $40! This

Client is not computer or technology

savvy. They use paper, folders and a

whiteboard to run a million dollar

business.

How does he do it? Great question.

KISS (Keep It Simple Silly)

The above description shows how

simple this business keeps things. You

don’t have to remove the computers

from your office or drop your

subscriptions to those handy apps and

software solutions. Just consider what

the most important information to

monitor is and how easy you can

make it for you and people in your

business to see business performance.

Share Your Problems With

Your Team

This Client has a ‘Tool Box’ Meeting

every Monday morning. He has an

agenda (on paper of course) and

shows all of his Team what is planned,

what has worked well, what has not

worked well and most importantly

what he needs help with to solve.

This very wealthy Business Owner

always has a challenge to put to the

Team and has the ‘Champion’ a

solution.

Surround Yourself With People

Smarter Than You

Every month this Client has their

trusted, carefully selected and closely

listened to Team get together and

discuss ways to improve the business.

Their accountant, book keeper, Field

Team Leader, Business Development

Manager (yours truly) and sometimes

other members of the Team if

required. These ‘external’ service

providers range from web designers,

marketers, PR professionals, industry

representatives and others.

Everything Is Measured

Not only does this business measure

‘quantity’. They also measure

‘quality’. This takes practice,

experience and perseverance. It’s also

the answer to the headline of this

article. Make a list of everything that

can be and should be measured in

your business. Then make it easy to

collect the information on a routine

basis and make it easy to understand.

If you can’t explain it to a 12 year

old, it needs to be simplified further!

Call Dan Buzer 0n 0414 567 188 for

your complimentary Profit

Mechanics Diagnostic Phone

Meeting.

Dan Buzer

Profit Mechanics

0414 567 188

www.profitmechanics.net/ dan@profitmechanics.net

Let’s Talk Business

Volume 3 Issue 30 - May 2015 Page 11

FROM GOOGLE'S MOUTH:

"“Starting April 21, we will

be expanding our use of

mobile-friendliness as a

ranking signal. This change

will affect mobile searches in

all languages worldwide and

will have a significant

impact in our search results.

Consequently, users will find

it easier to get relevant, high

quality search results that

are optimized for their

devices."

Google is always changing! It is

their job to evolve to ensure the

integrity of their search results so

that they remain the No. 1 search

engine. However, it up to us, as

businesses owners, to keep up.

Are you ready for

“Mobilegeddon”?

This is the number one topic and it is

not one to be ignored.

“Mobilegeddon” is the name SEO

pros are calling Google’s latest

change. It is a pretty massive shift

on Google’s part and will effect

everyone website at some stage.

So what does Google's

latest changes mean?

Basically, Google decided to tweak

its search algorithm in favour of

sites that look good on smartphone

screens. It is the biggest change

Google have implemented in years so

it is a big deal, however, it's primary

objective is to simply make

"Googling" on mobiles and tablets

more user friendly. So, if your site is

NOT Mobile Friendly, you may see a

drop in your mobile/tablet rank results

(note: mobile/tablet Google search

results were already different to google

searches conducted on a desktop

computer. This just got fancier).

Is my site mobile friendly?

To find out, go to this link:

https://www.google.com/webmasters/

tools/mobile-friendly/

This will do test of your site's

homepage to see if Google does view

it as mobile friendly. Websites older

than 1 year are most likely not totally

mobile friendly, according to Google's

latest standards.

You can also do a Google search on

your phone to see if the words "Mobile

-friendly" appear before your websites

description. Keep in mind that Google

is still rolling this out this week so it

may not appear until next week.

What happens if my

website is not mobile

friendly?

Failing the test doesn’t mean your

site will automatically fall out of

Google’s rankings on smartphones

and tablets. It doesn't mean that you

won't either. It depends on what your

competition are up to as well as how

your website performs against

Google's other search engine ranking

criteria. Simply put, your site does

not meet Google's latest standards.

What's next?

For some websites, it requires a few

setting changes or a plugin update,

for others, it requires a full rebuild.

Make sure you shop around. There

have been some extremely crazy

quotes floating around out there.

There are some web designers and

developers taking advantage of

Google's latest changes, and while

yes, we need to make some money

implementing these changes, some

companies are increasing their prices

just because the demand is so high.

Read my previous article about "12

Questions your should ask your Web

Designer" to help you choose who

would like to work with.

For further information, please feel

free to email Karen ~ The Webgirl.

Karen Ahl

Bac. Bus (Mark, Man), TAE40110, Cert IV IT

Caboolture, Queensland

Ph 0415 142 178

www.web-sta.com.au

What’s the deal with "Mobile Friendly" sites

Let’s Talk Business

Volume 3 Issue 30 - May 2015 Page 12

Jo-Anne Chaplin

Tax & Superannuation Professionals Pty Ltd

PH 07 3410 8116 / Mobile 0457 960 566

Email : taxandsuperprofessionals@gmail.com

Web: www.taxandsuperprofessionals.com.au

I am a qualified Accountant and I have celebrated my 20th anniversary as a

Registered Tax Agent this year. During my time in Public Practice I have

assisted clients to achieve business growth and prosperity. My earlier career

included positions in banking, manufacturing, construction and retail. My

particular interest is in promoting a culture of using local industries and

business in order to build a strong community.

This time of year is the best time to

review you SMSF to ensure you're

acting within the regulations, and

also that you and your fund are

gaining the best tax advantage.

Check your contributions. Putting

too much into super could cost you

extra tax. Remember to include

amounts contributed to all your

funds - even those which are there

only to pay a life insurance

premium.

The contribution caps are 'per

person”, not “per fund”. Make sure

that your contributions are in the

funds bank account be June 30. If

you find you have contributed too

much, consult your Advisor as soon

as possible.

So what is the maximum you can

contribute for 2015?

Concessional Contributions

(Claimed as a tax deduction)

$35,000

Non-concessional Contributions

(not claimed) $180,000

3-year Bring Forward amount

for aged under 65 years

$540,000

Remember that contributions can

sometimes be made “in-specie”.

This means that you can contribute

certain assets instead of cash.

Listed shares are among the

allowable types of assets that can be

transferred this way. These types of

assets are generally liquid, and

easily transferred.

necessarily a bad investment. So,

choose wisely, and

consult your Advisor for a specialist

opinion.

If your fund is in pension mode, check

the minimum amount if pension has,

or will be paid, by the end of June. In

the case of a transition to retirement

pension, not more than the maximum

amount.

Review your strategy. Are your

investments aligning in value to the

strategy? Does the strategy need

changing? If you have a portfolio of

listed shares and managed funds in

your SMSF, it will greatly assist in the

preparation of the Annual Reports if

you obtain a portfolio holdings report

form your broker at close of trading on

30th June.

If you use an online broker, these can

be easily obtained from the reports

section of the broker’s website.

Check your compliance. The fund’s

assets need to be in the correct name –

ie the name of the Fund, or The

Trustee (as trustee of The Fund). If

you find an error, then consult your

Advisor for the best action to take.

These are a just a few of the end of

year considerations.

If you would like a more in depth

review, or if you would like to discuss

further any strategies or issues about

your fund, don't hesitate to contact us.

If you do transfer investments held in

your own name, be aware that there

may be a capital gains issue In your

personal name. Contact your Advisor

before undertaking any in-specie

transfers.

Check you have paid all the funds

expenses from the funds bank account.

Do you need to be reimbursed by the

fund for last year's accounting & audit

or tax bills? If so, reimburse now, in

the exact amount - not a cent more! Not

a cent less.

Check the position of your investments

so far this year. Have you sold an

investment at a considerable capital

gain.

Then review your portfolio for

investments where there is a loss.

Consider the appropriateness of selling

down these before year end so the loss

can be offset the capital gain.

Remember though, that this is an

investment decision first, and a tax

planning decision second.

That is, an investment which is

currently in a loss situation is not

End of financial year considerations for

Self Managed Superannuation Funds

Let’s Talk Business

Volume 3 Issue 30 - May 2015 Page 13

Is This the END of Brick-and-Mortar Retailing?

Amy Roche, Director

Retail Rockstars

m: 0410 815 852

e: amy@retailrockstars.com.au

w: www.retailrockstars.com.au

Amy is a self-confessed appliance nerd, customer experience advocate and author of the book, "Retail Rockstar, the 5 game changing steps to becoming a highly profitable, memorable & locally famous retailer" to be released June 2015. She has over 18 years experience in the appliance and retail industry and a real passion for technology, marketing and experiential retailing.

I watched an entertaining video

on Appliance Retailer the other day. It

was a slam poem video about two

blokes, “Ben” and “Ken” who both

needed a new washing machine.

Poor Ken decided to buy his washer

from a brick-and-mortar store and had

all kinds of problems including;

his car broke down, rain, traffic, not to

mention he opted for no delivery so

more hassles there – mainly self

inflicted ones.

Meanwhile Ben, chose to purchase his

washer online and was at home on his

lap top with his lovely wife sipping a

warm tea.

He decided to get delivery with

installation and of course had time for

extra smooches with his partner, while

dopey Ken was surely not getting

ANY (kisses of course)!

It was a very cute and clever attempt

to show the up-side to selling

appliances online and somewhat

exacerbate the down-side of the brick-

and-mortar store experience. In fact,

we used to see a lot more of this,

“bricks-and-mortar is dead” several

years ago.

While Ben and Ken might be a little

slow, big e-tailers like Amazon, ebay

and Shoes of Prey have realised they

were losing opportunities because

people couldn’t see, touch, feel, and

try on their products or simply didn’t

want to wait/pay for them to be

shipped.

Bottom line is, successful retailers are

adapting to what best suits their

customer, not just what’s best for their

bottom line.

Jodie Fox, Co-founder of Shoes of

Prey, was just in the media last week

talking about the transformation of

her business from it’s humble beginning

in shoe-design office parties.

After transitioning into online, they later

adapted to a standalone boutique inside

David Jones in Sydney, then opened

their own boutique in Westfield at Bondi

Junction.

Fox explained Shoes of Prey’s

expansion into bricks and mortar was

just a part of the natural growth of the

company, what customers were asking

for.

“We started going offline because the

customers wanted to know what the

shoes looked like in real life, and that

meant they wanted to know what the

leather felt like on their feet and all those

sorts of things,” she said.

Tim MacKinnon, eBay merchant

development director says, “We know

that the eBay shopper in Australia

spends more as percentage via mobile

than any other eBay market, meaning

they are always shopping on the go.

If they can purchase something on the

train on the way to work and pick it up

in their lunch break we are taking some

of the friction out of the shopping

process and creating more opportunities

for our retail partners to best service

their needs,” he said.

So is bricks-and-mortar dead? Not by

a long shot! Seems what is dead

however, is a nicely packaged

description of what retail now is.

Constantly adapting, clever retailers

are not concerned about labeling

themselves as one or the other, they

are simply listening and making

changes.

Let’s face it, we too ARE consumers.

Sometimes WE want to buy online,

sometimes WE want to touch and feel

and get a sense of what it is we are

buying.

It’s not the titles of; bricks-and-mortar,

omni-channel, multi-channel, pure-

play, e-tailer that we need to be

concerned about. It’s really about

connecting and providing a

remarkable experience for our ‘ideal

customer’.

It’s not the end of bricks-and-mortar

or e-tailers, but the beginning of a

retail revolution.

I’d love to hear what YOU

think about it?

Happy Retailing!

Facebook picture from Shoes of Prey

Let’s Talk Business

Volume 3 Issue 30 - May 2015 Page 14

Life insurance sometimes invokes

images of old style ‘foot in the door’

life insurance sales persons.

Frightening imagery, I agree but rest

assured, I am not denigrating sales

people nor Life Insurance.

Far from it, as a financial adviser, I

believe that well structured life cover

is a necessary part of protecting your

potential downside.

You can protect your family, your

business, your income or your estate if

something happens to you. Life cover

will pay a lump sum as will TPD.

Trauma cover will pay a lump sum if

any of the insured conditions befall

you. This is often used for medical and

other expenses, loan payments or even

pay someone to replace you at your

business if you desire. Income

protection (IP) will pay 75% of your

base salary (+ 9.5% super) – this is

crucial because IP cover will continue

your income . . . so you can continue

to pay the bills.

There are questions of definitions

within policies that I won’t bore you

with here.

However there IS something that you

MUST know !

It revolves around WHEN the life

company assesses risk. Called

underwriting, there are two times

when an insurance company will

assess or underwrite the risk of a

claim:

At Inception

You apply for risk cover, the insurer

asks a questionnaire and may ask for

further info such as a doctor’s report or

a blood test. This method can be a little

drawn out but once done, you know

that you’re covered whilst ever you pay

the premiums.

At Claim Time (commonly called

‘Auto Acceptance’)

You can sign up and pay for life cover

with minimal questions, no doctors

report, no blood test – just pay the

money and you are right to go . . .

.BUT beware the sting in the tail . . .

It seems so easy to just sign up to a TV

commercial or even easier, have

automatic Life cover in your industry

super fund - that you didn’t ask for,

you might not know of, but you pay

for !

If you are underwritten at claim time,

the claims department will take into

account everything as of NOW.

So what, you say!

It means that health or lifestyle issues

that have occurred since you started

paying for cover are factored in at

claim time. Naturally there is a greater

likelihood of an obstacle to claim

payment. It’s simply because as we

age, there are more health and lifestyle

issues likely to arise and therefore a

greater likelihood of running into

exclusions AND a greater likelihood of

a claim NOT paid.

(pssst ! That’s why it’s cheap!)

Paul GILLMORE DFS

Founder and Director

Southern Cross Financial Services

07 5429 5561

0402 685 032

paul@sc-fs.com.au

Alternatively, if you take cover which

is underwritten at inception, the

underwriters use statistics to assess

the risk in the future and so long as

you pay your premium, you are

covered. This is a crucial distinction.

Reducing Sum Insured

Many are not aware that insurance in

your industry super reduces with age.

For example, you might take $1m

cover in your thirties but because of

reducing sum insured, your cover will

reduce to tens of thousands by the

time you are in your fifties. You can

buy more units of cover which will

also reduce until age 60 to 65 where

most industry fund covers cease.

Industry funds rarely inform their

members of these things unless you

ask.

Personal Risk Cover is obviously a

broad and detailed field. Take time to

research and place effective cover for

you and your family. There are ways

to make it more affordable for young

families. SMSF’s can utilise risk

cover very effectively for members.

It is intelligent and prudent to protect

your downside especially if you have

a family, loans, are in business.

Have it structured to your best

advantage by contacting : -

Paul Gillmore DFS Founder and Director Southern Cross

Financial Services

07 5429 5561

0402 684 032

paul@sc-fs.com.au

At Risk – something you must know

Let’s Talk Business

Volume 3 Issue 30 - May 2015 Page 15

Peter Nicol Wisdom Marketing & Management Services

0417627097 www.wisdommarketing.com.au

manager@wisdommarketing.com.au

Failing Takes No Planning

In the coming months the automotive

industry will no doubt pick up pace in

the planned closures of various plants

around the country.

The trickle-down effect on the

economy will take time to seep into our

everyday lives.

Change is everywhere on the planet.

The mining boom has now hit many

parts of once thriving townships.

Vacant houses in the dozens and even

hundreds abound in many once mighty

swaggering townships.

It is a time for great reflection on what

to do next. Of course the drought will

also be a nice double whammy for our

country kin. They are tough folk, but

this time it is really a nightmare for

many.

Now is the time for all business owner

to work out “where to next”. So where

do you start? This is always the tricky

part of any exercise like this but all

options this time have to be on the

table.

However, a trip to the past is a good

starting point. What do I mean by that?

See what trends your revenue has been

taking over the last few years. Segment

out your sales by groups to see what is

still working and what is not.

Be prepared to cut some products or

services that are costing you to be kept

alive. Be careful when you do this as

some non-performers can be a

leveraging point into other more

profitable existing products.

Only you know. Whilst it might sound

a bit cavalier, be prepared to raise

prices and get better margins. Yes you

can and probably will lose sales but

the increased profit could be enough to

give you the margins you need to keep

going.

I say this only if sales are weak and

transactions are contracting. Many will

say “I can’t do that”. However if the

resultant price increase translates out

into a few dollar or cents more, all you

have to do is “find a few dollars or,

cents more value”, not the whole lot of

the transaction.

No, it is not nice but it can be a plan to

work your way through the complex

issues facing business owners today.

The new quaint term for Hard Times is

Economic Headwinds listen to

what the Government is saying.

Yes, there is money around but, it

is harder to get and, your job is to

work out how to keep your

business going and indeed

growing.

Keep costs low, inventory at levels

that can meet demand yet keep

you liquid. Moreover work out

innovative ways to sell and market

your products. Innovation does not

need money thrown at it.

Money to spend wisely is good

however, in many cases innovation

can be the result of a lot of hard

thinking. Sometimes, the idea can

be so good it costs nothing to

implement.

I have seen many businesses

increase sales by a coat of paint,

moving the stock around, taking

up a low cost social media

campaign on Facebook, re-

working their website to better

levels of leads or online sales or

just being more proactive with the

markets they serve.

Remember a good plan today is

better than a perfect plan

tomorrow. Take a long hard look

at your business now and you will

reap rewards.

Let’s Talk Business

Volume 3 Issue 30 - May 2015 Page 16

Denis Keating

Everest Resources

Brisbane, QLD

HR and WHS Protection for Your Business

Mobile: 0419 029 606

Fax: 07 3112 4072

Email: denis@everestresources.com.au

Web: www.everestresources.com.au

Skype: denis.keating1

This month we conclude our series

based on the National Standard HRF

101:201 Human Resources

Framework, with a brief look at the

fifth stage – Workplace Improvement.

Having identified the strengths and

weaknesses of your employees and

teams through the performance

management process, you will know

what areas of skills, knowledge,

experience and productivity are in

need of improvement.

There is a range of strategies that can

be considered in order to make

positive changes to the workplace, and

to maximise the contribution of all

staff members and teams.

Training

You should have identified training

needs, and now is the time to develop

your plans to deliver suitable programs

to address these, whether it be through

the use of internal resources, or from

outside providers.

There are so many options available

these days: it is important to tailor the

programs to the needs of your

organisation, and to select a delivery

means that works for you.

Consider online options which are

often the most cost effective and can

be undertaken in the employees’ own

time, thus reducing interruptions to the

normal flow of workplace activities.

Behaviour profiling

Undertaking some form of staff

behaviour profiling really helps you to

understand how each staff member

operates and how they can optimise

their interactions with each other.

We generally use DiSC for this

purpose – it is simple to administer,

while the outputs are comprehensive,

practical and easy to understand.

It also highlight areas in individuals’

behaviour where the most benefit can

be gained by employees modifying

their approach when working together.

Being effective at work is about

building relationships with co-

workers. Knowing how to adapt one’s

behaviour in order to improve

relationships with others creates

better communication and win/win

solutions.

Clusters

High performing organisations create

a cluster of the like-minded around

them. Look for opportunities to work

more closely with your suppliers,

clients, staff and advisors.

Tap into the combined experience

and knowledge of close associates, no

matter what their role for your

business.

And don’t be afraid of your

competitors. Clusters of businesses in

the same field can be very powerful.

We see this in retail and restaurant

precincts for example, whereby a

geographical area becomes known for

its specialist expertise.

The cycle repeats

Once you have completed a full cycle

of the HR Framework, you start all

over again. You had an initial

benchmark when you undertook

earlier measurements.

Now you can go back and measure

the improvements you have achieved

in all 5 areas of the framework, and

then commence planning again for

the next cycle.

Workplace Improvement

Let’s Talk Business

Volume 3 Issue 30 - May 2015 Page 17

Betty Zsoldos CRISES COACH

Trainer, Master Coach, NLP Master

email: bettyzsoldos@gmail.com

web: www.diymindsurgery.com

Yes, yes, you could call to urge me to

gather my wits, or to teach me that 1 +

1 = 2, if I happened to miss the lesson

at school. Then, if you called me we

could have an amusing, long-

running debate about this simple

equation as I would say that you are

right but I would go on insisting on

this solution: one and one is less or

more (or equals) three.

How come? And what does this

question have to do with business?

The brief answer is linearity versus

complexity, that appears in every field.

And now here is the not-so-brief

answer, putting more focus on what it

means in your life and business:

Linearity is true in the mechanical

world: you can calculate lots of things,

measure quantities, attach numbers to

things and even to living beings,

double or divide the amounts, put the

expectations and results onto charts –

and in this way 1 + 1 = 2, but then …

then comes another dimension – the

realm of “quality”:

Organic complexity represents the

finely woven, rich tapestry of life,

which is full of mysterious, chaotic,

abrupt and abstract happenings.

As we love reliability, stability,

calculability, predictability in our

personal life as well as in business, we

rush to hedge our bets and to get

guarantees for everything. The left

hemisphere of our brain continuously

prompts us to think in terms of

numbers to be rational, that is, to be

clever, analytic, strategic. This way we

can fit into the boxes that our left-

hemisphere dominant society is so much

in favour of. So, what to do? Make plans,

set goals, compete, fight, prove you are

the best, find self-justification, tell yes or

no, believe that your world-view is the

only true and real, be active, be the first,

be the best!

Apparently, everything else is

dangerous, because it is unsafe. Let's

take, for instance, your business: what

would happen if you started to think

holistically, timelessly, and in terms of

unity?

What would happen if you gave up

competitions, plans, strategies? Chaos

would brake out – in our “developed

world”. (It's very much to the contrary in

the “developing world” where it means

living in harmony with nature.)

However, there are distinct,

undeniable and urgent signs that call

out for change in business, too. After

focusing on the “more”-s, like: more

investment, more stuff, more profit,

more growth, more GDP, we got there:

something has been lost. What is

missing? The gist, the point, the

meaning of Life… the Heart of Life!

Sport coaches know well, after

achieving the zenith of the physical

conditions (that is when the muscles and

stamina are at peak load with balanced

diet and sufficient sleep), the point is

not on physical growth any longer but

on another kind of energy-utilisation.

Life / Business Coaches knows well,

when the individual has got to a “no-

through-road” sign of Growth, it's

time to build path to a higher

dimension.

On this new path one can learn the

new rules of the new territory. Would

you like to know one or two of them?

Here they are:

Instead of “MORE” the goal is built

around “BETTER”

Instead of squandering energies,

profound changes take place in

mental models

Instead of 1 + 1 = 2, we understand 1 +

1 < or > 3, which means that we will

learn to use our environment,

abilities, values, identity in a

synergistic way that makes real

abundance.

You can still call me!

1 + 1 < or > 3

Being a breadwinner and a mother of 4,

I have worked as an English teacher, a

global educator, a personal

development trainer and a coach for 20

years.

Taking a closer look on the nature of

barriers delaying goals, working out a

better and faster way to get to the

destination excited me most. This

professional history of mine, my

husband?s early death, the challenges of

my four daughters’ upbringing and my

original curiosity drove me into

passionate studies of various

communicational and personal

developmental methods.

Be careful with this message.

It contains information that

might change your life.

Let’s Talk Business

Volume 3 Issue 30 - May 2015 Page 18

Andrew Csaszar

AUROPE Enterprises

0402942402

www.aurope.com.au

andrew@aurope.com.au

Pay rise. Promotion. Bonus. Award.

They are all synonyms of the “old

school” motivational tool:

recognition. Its establishment

disappears in the mists of ancient times

and its modern institution emerges

when the rise of the industrial age

replaces feudalism.

But does it still perform as good as

expected? Or is there something else,

probably more effective that you as

business owner seriously need to take

into consideration?

As a first step, let’s just see what

recognition really is. It is a strong

motivational force. It’s based on our

inter-personal needs.

The good old Maslow pyramid pretty

highly ranks the urge for

acknowledgement: it sits on the fourth

level just below the top in the classical

pyramid. And just like all the others

except the top level, it is deficit based:

impairment of your self-esteem will

result in serious existential crisis.

On the other hand, recognition is a

secondary drive. It is taught: we are

conditioned during a lifetime to expect

others’ praise.

First comes our family, then school

teachers, friends and colleagues and of

course our own spouse, and yes our boss

is also there in the contest to satisfy our

pressing needs.

We are so hungry for this extra charge,

yet it’s often forgotten that compliment

becoming habitual deteriorates its

driving force!

Recognition is an extrinsic drive. As it

comes from the outside, typically builds

lifelong dependence on this Sword of

Damocles: “Am I good enough?” We are

so thirsty for others’ compliment and

feel depressed by being criticised.

So, let’s go for the reward? Well, a

strange relationship requires attention

here: extrinsic motivation has a negative

effect on its counterpart, intrinsic one.

Experiments show that “carrot and stick”

motivators either don’t work with

creative tasks, or even block the

innovative process. The all-time

champion of contingent motivator can

have negative impact on performance.

Now the question is this: if not money,

then what? What is the ultimate force

that drives higher performance year after

year, brings satisfaction and builds

loyalty? I believe this surplus is coming

from the inside.

It is your employees’ innermost

motivation that once tuned to your

corporate mission, can make the magic.

I heard from a staff member of a non-

profit organization that “No way to seek

employment at for-profit oppositions.”

Why they have this negative view?

What’s wrong with profit? Actually,

nothing – this is the different attitudes

that cannot be matched. Think of your

marketing: what is the image it

communicates about your company?

And how about the atmosphere in the

office?

Do you mind the values of your staff?

Do you ask them why go, when they

leave you for another organization?

Standing out of the crowd, not only

requires an ambitious plan, but also a

charismatic leader and a committed

crew that can implement it. The fine

balance of this trinity is what makes up

a great company.

Unfortunately, the third party of the

equation is often neglected. Business

owners are careful of selecting top

managers, yet the same attention is

rarely given to those who have

fundamental role in service and do form

the corporate culture.

Do you want an outstanding

company? Make it admirable to the

best people!

Hire the ones who excel by their talent.

Be meticulous about their intrinsic

drives, but match them with your goals.

Don’t care too much about decades of

experience sticking out of the resume.

Most probably they all have it.

Chances are that those long years have

made them bored anyway. Challenge

them with the impossible, and let them

liberate their inner potential. Let them

fly up to the top!

Motivation: The Real Challenge

Let’s Talk Business

Volume 3 Issue 30 - May 2015 Page 19

Jeanette Mundy

Coaching Practitioner, Business Consultant

and Facilitator Authentic Foundations

0404 003 096

www.authenticfoundations.com.au

Jeanette@authenticfoundations.com.au

As we move into the 21st century in

ever changing, highly demanding

business environments, where Internet

has taken over the world, small to

medium business are left questioning

their approach, their value and position

in the market.

The world has changed.

There is no constant, there is no

certainty and no guarantees. Customers

have a multitude of choices, and with

the click of a mouse they can choose

someone else. Businesses are

constantly under pressure to produce,

which places a strain on every day

operations and has a flow on affect on

personal life.

With the best intentions we can find

ourselves constantly slogging and

competing to position ourselves in the

market as reputable and reliable in our

field of expertise.

But what do we need to be experts in?

In 34 years of business I have

experienced time and time again,

forging business relationships by

tuning into what really matters most to

clients trumps processes.

We can have outstanding products and

services, great technology and

carefully developed processes, but

implementation often falls short of the

mark. Implementation needs people,

and nothing happens in business

without people.

While this may sound like the bleeding

obvious, it’s not as simple as people

turning up and simply doing their job.

How often do we hear customers

complaining about service or

employers complaining about

employees?

We have to ask ourselves; “What’s going

wrong?”

Competitive advantage, market share and

profit require a focus on ‘people values’,

and demonstrate empathy and

responsiveness. This means developing

the skills and competencies to effectively

take care of customer concerns.

Ineffective human interaction translates

to dissatisfied customers who will look

elsewhere, especially with the unlimited

choices in the market today.

Customers not only want to be assured of

quality products, but that we show

genuine empathy and care, and they want

us to demonstrate this in action.

Customers continually assess whether

we understand their needs and that we

listen to what’s important to them, not

what’s important to us.

When they walk through our doors or

make a phone call or pop onto the

Internet to research a product or make an

enquiry, they create a story about their

experience. Their story is an

interpretation of how things are for them,

and their emotional reality and what

drives them towards or away from us.

How can we positively influence the

emotional experience of our customers?

It starts by having more effective

conversations that go beyond product

knowledge.

Language is probably the most powerful

method of social influence, and is an

essential business skill. The words we

use are critical, and just as critical is

how we listen and what we are listening

to.

Three things are going on when you and

I have a conversation

1) the conversation between us,

2) the silent conversation in my head,

3) and the silent conversation in your

head.

It is likely that as you are reading this

article you are listening to your silent

conversation of a personal experience

from earlier today or some other time in

the past.

We all have a history and we can’t help

but bring our history into every

conversation. It is our history and our

life experiences that shape our

interpretations.

It is a critical competence to fine-tune

our listening and reserve our judgments

and personal influences. To truly

empathise and be responsive to client

needs we must not allow our silent

conversations and our emotions

influence our words and actions.

Only then will we demonstrate empathy

in action, and take care of what really

matters to our customers.

Empathy and Responsiveness to Customer Needs

– A Core Business Process

Let’s Talk Business

Volume 3 Issue 30 - May 2015 Page 20

Retrenched Older Workers Have

No Other Alternative

It may seem strange, but many

people are forced into their own

business. The choice to set up a

business is not so much an ambition

as something that is thrust upon

them; says financial expert Ross

Greenwood

It’s a fact of life that older workers

are often jettisoned from their jobs

when companies restructure or

merge. In most cases they will leave

with accumulated benefits,

superannuation and ­experience. But

finding a new job can be a struggle.

Many older Australians, who are

placed in this position, are

discovering that the only way to get

a job is to create employment by

starting their own business; and the

dangers are immediate and obvious.

Business often requires serious

financial guarantees and

undertakings from its owners and

operators. Putting the house on the

line is an altogether different

prospect for a 50-year-old with

kids compared with a younger

person just starting out.

Do You Encourage Innovation

In Your Business?

One of the world’s best known

entrepreneurs, Richard Branson, has

said that throwing yourself into a job

you enjoy is one of life's greatest

pleasures.

Businesses that are able to harvest a

culture of innovation can reap many

benefits including increased

productivity and engagement, higher

staff retention rates and greater

employee satisfaction.

Does Australia Need a Small

Business Political Party?

One man believes the answer to this

question is yes and he is aiming to

secure a presence in the Senate at

the 2016 election.

John Codrington is the National

President of the Small Business

Party of Australia Inc. (SBPA), a

non-profit association that does not

yet have the 500-550 founding

financial members needed to obtain

Australian Electoral Commission

approval.

However, since starting a marketing

campaign to grow its membership in

April, Mr Codrington said close to

100 members had already signed up

to the SBPA and he remains

confident of reaching the AEC

target by September.

The SBPA is a right leaning

association but which hopes to

capture a broad audience, including

left leaning business owners. It is

driven by a firm belief that the

interests of small business owners

are not being effectively represented

in the national parliament by the

major parties.

Mr Codrington said: “We don’t care

which political party is ruling the

roost. We want to make sure the

interests of small business are not

forgotten.”

After a 12th successful National

Small Business Summit in

Melbourne, delegates and attendees

were left feeling encouraged about

the small business environment here

in Australia.

By encouraging an entrepreneurial

culture, companies also ensure

employees' brains are switched to

look for opportunities.

Companies that promote an

innovative culture give clients access

to a unique talent pool with a broader

business mindset than simply the role

of an employee

Do You Have a Customer Service

Policy In Your Business?

I’m confident that we would all agree

that continually providing outstanding

customer service definitely helps

build customer loyalty and generates

repeat customers.

But do you provide this service “by

the seat of your pants” or do you and

your staff work to a coordinated

Customer Service Policy or Plan?

Do you have specific policies in place

and have you identified your customer

service objectives?

One definite way to ensure that you

and your staff are always “on the

same page” with your customer

service is to create a Customer

Service Plan and Objectives.

However, the first step, before you

begin, is to ask your customers,

suppliers, and your employees

for their feedback on your current

customer service, and encourage them

to provide honest and open feedback.

Once you know your customer’s

expectations and perceptions, you can

then create customer standards for

your business, document it, train your

employees on that standard, and make

a commitment to operating the

business with exceptional service as

its standard.

Dennis Chiron Marketing Means Business

0451 184 599 www.marketingmeansbusiness.com

dennis@marketingmeansbusiness.net.au Skype: dennis.chiron2

Let’s Talk Business

Volume 3 Issue 30 - May 2015 Page 21

“Let’s Talk Business” Small Business Publication

PO Box 569 Bribie Island QLD 4507 M: 0451 184 599 dennis@marketingmeansbusiness.net.au

www.marketingmeansbusiness.com

PUBLISHER: Marketing Means Business

“Let’s Talk Business” is

distributed to 3,359 business email

addresses within Australia and 33

Internationally.

We welcome contributions,

suggestions for articles and letters

to the Editor from our readers.

Please address correspondence to:

The Editor, LTB

PO Box 569

Bribie Island, Qld 4507

Phone: 0451 184 599

dennis@marketingmeansbusiness.net.au

Web: www.marketingmeansbusiness.com

You are welcome to re-produce

any of these articles. However,

please quote the source as “Let’s

Talk Business”. While every effort

has been made to ensure that all

information contained herein is

accurate, no responsibility will be

accepted by the publisher.

Likewise, the publisher accepts no

responsibility for illustrations or

photographs supplied by

organisations or individuals and/or

typographical errors.

Views expressed in contributed

articles are not necessarily those of

the publisher.

You are also encouraged to

contact the individual authors

direct, if you are seeking specific

advice.

Letters to the Editor

are most welcome

Please send your letters to

dennis@marketingmeansbusiness.net.au

Objectives of “Let’s Talk Business”

Small Business Publication

One of the primary objectives of “Let’s Talk Business” (LTB) is to provide a

regular, monthly information service to support the Small Business

Community. Our goal is to provide a publication offering a wide and diverse

range of topics and information which may assist business owners and their

teams to gain more insight, knowledge and skills in the overall running of

their business, thereby assisting them to build a strong, viable and

sustainable business.

We believe that by offering this free service, we are achieving our goal, and

this is evidenced not only by our constantly growing database of businesses

receiving the publication, but also by the quality of the authors who

unselfishly contribute regular articles to LTB.

We pride ourselves on the fact that we have a range of authors who are

recognised experts in their industry, and these experts give freely of their

knowledge and their time to assist us to offer you quality, practical,

professional advice and information.