Wednesday Biz Tip. Grandma makes the difference

Wednesday Biz Tip:  What's the difference between you and your most successful competitor?  Instead of muttering about how "lucky they are", why don't you compare your business to yours?  They are doing something right and its up to you to find out what it is  and modify it to your use.
Example.  One of my clients wanted to know why his competition was doing so well. He had a competitor who had twice the sales and a smaller shop. When I surveyed the competitor we find out---  it was customer service and the way he had decided to handled phone calls.  All calls were answered promptly and pleasantly.  He had hired a retired worker to do the paper work and answer the phone.  That "customer relations move" had doubled his sales within six months.
The littlest things can make the difference.. And oh yeah..guest whose grandmother was put to work.  She's happy, the customers are happy and so are the employees..bakes the best brownies in the world.


If you would like more suggestion on how to boost your business   shoot me an e-mail or give me a call at 42-440-6969.

Thursday Biz Tip. Leader style..good? Bad? Indifferent?

 Thursday Biz Tip:  Employees can be a business owners biggest asset or biggest headache.  Your leadership style, good, bad, indifferent will dictate what they will be.  Think about it.

  What kind of leader are you?  

Want to know more?   Read below.

1. Are you the last one to now about a problem in your business?

2. Would your customers rather talk to someone else than you?

3.  Are you always saying there are "No good employees out there"?

4.  Do you have rapid turnover of employees?

5.  Would you rather fire someone  than give correct their behavior?

6.  Do you  defend family members and blame an employee for mistakes?

7.   Do you listen to employees suggestions on how to improve your business?

8.  Do your employees know more about your business than you do?

9.  Do you have clear guidelines for employees?

10. Do you make the time to thank employees for good work?

11.  Will your employees stay over voluntary if there is a crisis in the business?

12.  Is your business growing and is it profitable?

The type of leader you are makes all the difference in your business.  Good leadership is not genetic..it is learned behavior.

To learn more about developing your leadership style give us a call. 

 Remember... Good leadership is not genetic..it is learned behavior. 

Empress of Biz, 

JoAnn R. Forrester

412-440-6969

E-mail:  empressofbiz@verizon.net
              selfimagebz@aol.com  

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Weekend Biz Tip: Know yourself plus minuses

Weekend Biz thought: I am fortunate I love what I do. My business allows me to stretch myself in all kinds of ways. Sometimes my stretch to do something new..does not work. Then I have to re-group and figure out what I did wrong. Somethings I just cannot do something as well as I would like or just do not have the talent for it, or absolutely HATE it.

But I learn from my efforts. I now know what needs to be done by others and do not waste my time trying to do the impossible. 
Knowing your limits and getting good people to do what you cannot or do not want to do is a valuable lesson.

Take some time to review you.

a.  What is it that  you like to do?

b.  What are your strengths? 

c.  What you do NOT like?

d.  What can you give up? 

e.  Or pay others to do

Doing the above may give you a great deal more enjoyment in your business or profession and greatly improve your attitude.

Friday biz tip: 3 types of accounting, Tax-Cost-Yours

There are three kinds of accounting.. Tax accounting, cost accounting and your accounting. 


Question: Which accounting system is you running your business? 

COST ACCOUNTING vs. TAX ACCOUNTING vs YOURS

The largest difference is BETWEEN the GOALS of each.

Tax accounting is aimed at REDUCING the amount of tax owed.

Cost accounting is aimed at INCREASING the amount of PROFIT to the company.
Your Accounting..  Is a good way to fool yourself into the poor house.  
It is often based on magic numbers, sales that have not been closed and money not collected.              

For help in understanding the financial side of your business..give us a call at 412-440-6969.  
S. I.  Business Associates has been guiding small business to success since 1975 and we excell at helping our clients understand the numbers.  412-440-6969 or E-mail.  Empressofbiz@verizon.net 

Empress of bizi nterviews Sue Malone the Money Lady

Subject: Community Call Update: EMPRESS OF BIZ! Reinvent in Rugged Times

You have been invited by EmpressofBiz to join a live Community Call. EMPRESS OF BIZ! Reinvent in Rugged Times (Join in) Host: EmpressofBiz - selfimagebz@AOL.COM  Episode: EMPRESS OF BIZ! Sue Malone the Money Lady $$$update  Empress of biz is Sue Malone, The Money Lady. We will discussing our favorite topic Money, SBA and small business. And we will be chatting on What are the winning traits of a successful business owner. Join us as we share our combined experience of over 50 plus years (yeek) and share with you what we see as a winning combination. Call ID: 80050  Personal Message from the Host: Reinvention in Rugged Times is something we all must do right now, hear tips from a local entrepreneurs who have been there, done that, bought the T-shirt and seasoned business consultant, JoAnn Forrester with her additional tips to aggressively weather the current economic storm. Remember this too shall pass, just put on your goolashes and raincoat and get busy! Listen to archived versions of Empress of Biz at www.positivelypittsburghlivemagazine.com on SI Business Associates Channel Scheduled Time: Date: Thu, July 12, 2012  Time: 09:00 AM EDT  How to participate: Call in: Dial: (724) 444-7444 Enter: 80050 # (Call ID) Enter: 1 # or your PIN Join from your computer: Click here to join the call or just listen along (Optional) Become a TalkShoe member

Wednesday Biz Thought: Pricing your product on Feeling Or Facts Part !

 How do you price your product/service? Part I
Many biz owners price on FEELINGS ..not FACTS.


They look at the competition and Feel they can go lower than that ...and then they do.


 Basing your price on what you see others doing and what you FEEL can drive you straight to the poorhouse. 


Small Businesses cannot afford to act like Walmart.  If  you think people are only buying your service based solely on price..you are in trouble.  


There will ALWAYS be someone who will try to beat your price.


Establishing the RIGHT price is not magic or competing with the "guy" down the street. It is based on what you need to run your business to cover all the costs, labor, material, overhead including paying yourself a decent salary.  

Spend some time today observing yourself.  Do you internally gulp when you have to state your price?  Do you find yourself apologizing for the price?  Are you constantly worried about the competition and what they are charging--

OR  do you concentrate on what you can do to make your customer satisfied.

Observe and learn today and see what conclusion you come to.

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   S. I. Business Associates shared a link

   

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   Money remains still a problem for small business.  This story from TribLIVE.com might interest you.  A new loan program has finally passed , thanks to people like Sue Malone lobbying Congress.  I am currently working with her  to get the word out about the new loan program. 

   Here is the story..I worked with him all week and in the print version we have lots of graphs showing the decline of the lending.

   Use this link to read the story:http://triblive.com/business/1248632-74/business-loans-lending-recession-bank-banks-businesses-credit-sba-loan
   

   

   
   Regards,
   JoAnn Renk-Forrester
   selfimagebz@aol.com

   
   

   

   
   

   
   

   
   

   | TribLIVE | Pittsburgh

   
   

   

   triblive.com

   Pittsburgh's site for news, sports, entertainment, opinion and more. Breaking news all day long and headlines from more than 15 local, trusted newspapers.

Ten Steps to Achieve Success

I am so excited my article was published in the Pittsburgh Business Times...check it out  and let me know what you think.
Ten items you need to achieve business success was published this week in the Pittsburgh Business Times://www.bizjournals.com/pittsburgh/print-edition/2012/07/06/ten-items-need-achieve-successful-growth.html

Weekend biz tip:

Weekend Biz Tip: Spend your $'s where they count the most...your local small business!


Dry cleaner, Auto repair, bookstore, coffee shop, grocery store, farmer's market, pharmacy, hardware,  store, gift shop etc etc

Thursday Biz tip. Mid year review. Finances & Market

Thursday Biz Tip: Good time to do a review of your business finances.  Yeah I know not fun..but we are halfway done with the year..and it is important for you to see where you stand and what you can do to improve your financial picture.  
If you are retail you have to MOVE  the stock that has been hanging around..  SELL IT.  Even if you only get 10 cents on the dollar..sell it.  It has been sitting there, taking up space..getting less than new look...and it is not making you money..get RID of it.  Have a big sidewalk sale...two for one sale..(2 4 1) .  Call up your best customers and offer them a really good price.  Get your employees involved and see what their ideas are to move stock.  Have a contest and the employee that sells the most X gets a special treat, like a paid day off, a dinner etc.  
 Don't forget a "bag sale"  ..all you can get into the bag for $5..for items that must go.  
  Help a charity by donating stock to them..it is a tax write off.  
  Conduct a survey and ask your customers who they would want you to donate goods to.

Get moving folks! Inactivity creates more inactivity....Be creative and get others involved .  You will be surprised at what good happens!


If you need more ideas on how to move your  business  give us a shout at empressofbiz@verizon.net.  We love to create activity to get you moving.

Wednesday Biz thoughts, Veterans, sacrifice and request.

  Good morning all and a Happy Fourth of July.  
Independence day is celebrated with parades, fireworks, concerts picnics, backyard cooking etc.  While are you celebrating the birth of our nation..... how about remembering those who made it possible for you to be safe past and present.  

It is amazing to realize we have an all volunteer army, navy, air force, coast guard and national guard.  A few are making the sacrifice and serving for the many.  


We can all wave flags and go the parades and clap..but that is NOT enough.  Many of our service personnel come home to NO jobs.   In South west Pa, there are 200,000 veterans.  Unemployment rate for veterans runs from 6.4 % to 15.3%.
In Allegheny County we have the largest amount of veterans, 93,804 and a unemployment rate of  10.5%
 Beaver county, 15, 354 veterans, 8.7% unemployment rate 
 Fayette County,  11,976 veterans, 15.3  unemployment rate 
Washington Co,  18,689 veterans,    9.8 unemployment rate
Butler Co,           17,040 veterans,    8.7 unemployment rate
Westmoreland     34,921 veterans,    8.4 unemployment rate

I found this disturbing.   It is time for us to step up by hiring a veteran.  It is the least we can do..for those who have served, protected and kept you safe.

Best wishes for a great day and find a way to help a vet,,hire one today..they will be your best employee.

Monday Biz Tip:

Generally this time of year people are in a holiday/vacation mind set and just want to get out of the office.  A few are determined to get their work done or the deal completed before they leave for holiday.  In your sales approach this week..if you are working..it is important to asses where the client or prospect is and make sure you are talking about what is important to them.   
Also it is a good time to do something fun or unexpected for your customers and show your appreciation.  For example:


One supplier I know delivers lunch to work crews of his customers.  
Another has balloons for the kids and flowers and little screwdrivers for the grownups. 


Expensive you say? Naw..think of how much time and money it takes to bring in new customers..spending a few dollars to retain them ..is worth a hundred times what you spent. 
Make it a great day folks ..and make people feel like they are special and watch your business grow.