Over the years I have visited many entrepreneurs and business owners. Have you ever thought why it is that one business can do so well and another is so mediocre when they are both in the same line of business? Well one insight that I want to share with you as to why this may be the case is to do with the psychology of you, the business owner.

How true it is that if you think big then chances are you will make it big…conversely if you think small then chances are you will remain small. Similarly if you think your business won’t succeed then you are likely to fail and your business will fail. On another level it is interesting that if you don’t value yourself and your business highly enough then you will undercharge for your products and/or services. This may be OK in the short term but it will mean that you will have to sell more products/services to make the same level of profit to your competitor that is charging a higher premium. In addition, the psychology of the customer often says well if that company is charging X and that other one is charging Y, then X’s product/service must be inferior to Y’s. Therefore I will buy Y’s. So not only are you selling less because your pricing is less but your margins are also lower. Plus in the long term when you wake up and realise that you need to raise your prices in order to survive your client base wont accept the huge price rise that you need to make in order to put you on a par with your competitor that started off charging higher and has been able to make small regular price increases along the way without alienating his client base.

So be bold, think big, think confidence, think value – your value and that of your product and service if you want to give your business a better chance of success!

About the author: Paul Stanford http://www.paulstanford.co.uk/blog has provided practical advice to hundreds of entrepreneurs for the past 5 years helping them to successfully start-up, transform and sell their businesses. Get in touch to see how his business http://www.4momentum.co.uk can help do the same for you. You have full permission to reprint this article provided this box is kept unchanged.

Copyright 2009 Paul Stanford

I’m a firm believer in delivering excellent customer service and the benefits that it brings to business. We are always hearing about how to improve customer service so I thought instead I would give you a couple of recent examples that happened to me of how to deliver poor customer service….
1. I was in a call centre doing some NVQ assessing for customer service…. Client calls in…agent answers…very irate and says I have been waiting for 15 minutes trying to get you to answer….to which the agent replies well wait another 15 then…and promptly puts the phone down!
2. I go to open a new savings account…I take the easy route and apply online. Half way through the website replies “we are sorry we can’t progress your request – please call our call centre”. So I phone the call centre. First question…what is your account number? I dont know I didnt get that far with the application. Reply – well without your account number I cant help you! I reply well cant you find my details from my name and address? Agent sighs and says OK hang on I will try but you are not making it easy for me! Agent finds my application and says we need to have details of all your earnings and savings. I ask why as I am applying for a cash ISA. Agent replies we need the information to proceed. I again enquire why and get the same stock answer. I tell the agent look this is too stressful so cancel my application. Agent says fine and thanks for wasting my time! I immediately apply online with another provider. Everything goes through like clockwork and I dont have to supply any income or savings details!

Well hopefully these will have been a bit of fun. But there is clearly a serious side and I am sure I can guess how you would like to be treated.

About the author: Paul Stanford http://www.paulstanford/blog has provided practical advice to hundreds of entrepreneurs for the past 5 years helping them to successfully start-up, transform and sell their businesses. Get in touch to see how his business http://www.4momentum.co.uk can help do the same for you. You have full permission to reprint this article provided this box is kept unchanged.

Your invitation – Save Money, Reduce your Carbon Footprint and Improve your Market Positioning – Complimentary ‘Green Advantage’ Workshop for Tourism businesses

Business Link is pleased to be working in conjunction with Tourism South East, the region’s tourist board, in delivering a series of ‘Green Advantage’ workshops.  In a period of financial uncertainty and a surge of interest in green issues and more sustainable good practice, the leading edge course enables you to take advantage of this growing market by revealing how you can make significant savings, improve your green credentials and market yourself accordingly.  Attendance on the course also qualifies you for credits towards the Green Tourism Business Scheme, Europe’s leading sustainable certification scheme for the tourism industry.

The workshop is FREE and runs from 10.30 for coffee with the workshop commencing at 10.45 concluding at 3.15pm.

Complimentary lunch will also be served from 12.45 – 1.15pm.

Throughout the workshop it will cover how to:

Ø      Save money – reduce, reuse, recycle and rethink

Ø      Buy local – sourcing and promote other local produce and attractions

Ø      Create customer advantage and adding value to your customers’ experience and develop new ‘green’ products and services

Ø      Develop an environmental policy – get the best out of your whole team, make environmental choices and win from them

Ø      Communicate your green credentials and gain a marketing advantage by retain current and targeting new customers.

Ø      Stay ahead of the pack and capitalise on new business opportunities and boost your business’ performance

‘Green Advantage opened my eyes to the massive business advantage to be gained through tapping into the growing public interest in green issues’.

Be sure to reserve your space by calling 0845 600 9 006 or visit www.ruralbookings.co.uk

About the author: Paul Stanford http://www.paulstanford.co.uk/blog  has provided practical advice to hundreds of entrepreneurs for the past 5 years helping them to successfully start-up, transform and sell their businesses. Get in touch to see how his business http://www.4momentum.co.uk can help do the same for you. You have full permission to reprint this article provided this box is kept unchanged.

Copyright 2008 Paul Stanford

The notion of office design is a comparatively modern one. Since the start of “the working day” and “the office”, little attention has been focused on the way an work space was planned. If any layout was considered, it was normally restricted to the aesthetic appeal of an office and this has, sadly, remained the normal assumption when someone considers an office design. Whilst visual aesthetics stay as an important aspect of office design, modern companies now consider office design representing the much broader idea of space management. Cutting-edge office refurbishment not only produces a visually pleasing interior, it also aims to create an efficient and useable working space.

Office design is integral for a variety of reasons, for both employees and the company as a whole. For the business, modern office refurbishment provides the chance to create a place of business that asserts a strong corporate identity. It is here that visual aesthetics reach their most paramount function as they exist to show a visiting customer about the corporation, what it values, what its priorities are and how it perceives itself. First impressions count and the visual appeal of the space that customers see initially is most vital.

For staff, too, good office design is particularly necessary. Visually, a well-designed work space will improve employees morale. An workplace should be an inspirational area to work and not just a “working space”. Just as for customers, usingoffice refurbishment to brand a workplace with a strong corporate identity can encourage a positive work culture and motivate staff to work in a way relevant to the values of the corporation.

Modern office design software also has a more practical function as it takes into account how an office space will be used and uses that information to design a practical and useful workspace. It should also include features that will work to support workers with particular needs, such as workers with disabilities. In this regard, office design works in conjunction with workplace health and safety in order to build a cohesive, practical and enjoyable environment for all workers.

It is necessary to understand that office design is an continuing practicality, rather than a one-off design event. The office refurbishment must keep pace with the demands usual in a working space, where how an office is utilized is regularly evolving. New workplace and safety laws must also be met. Finally, the changing nature of a company’s logo and corporate identity is another reason why it’s necessary to keep office design up-to-date.

There are two options when deciding on an office design: whether it will be a new fit-out or whether it will be an office refurbishment. A new fit-out should be evaluated for current premises, as well as new ones, as it allows a company the special chance to create a tailor-made plan that works in perfect harmony with a corporation’s workplace requirements. The other choice is an office refurbishment, which is an good choice if the basic structure of the space is still relevant for staff requirements and gives the opportunity to update and modernize economically.

There are several aspects to contemplate in an office refurbishment. Priority should be given to thinking about how a workplace will be used. What are the traffic flows in the space? Where should meeting spaces be situated? What are the specific needs of staff who may have disabilities? All of these questions must be addressed by the office design software if a workplace is to work practically. Additionally, consideration should be given to the storage needs of an space, what equipment will be used and where it should be located, where the power and data points are (or should be), what kind of light sources are in the space and where they are coming from and any sound or sound-proofing requirements. Visually, consideration should be given to color schemes, brands and finishes that work together to build a contemporary effect that strengthens the corporate brand and identity.

When contemplating how to create and execute your office design, a business can hire a professional design corporation. There are many companies that concentrate on business design and a business can use this expertise to create a tailored design with a minimum of fuss. An alternative option is to use office design software. This is an option that has only become available to the general public relatively recently. It has the potential to let a corporation to cost-effectively redesign or refurbish their space. Whichever option is chosen, however, it should be the option that will achieve a company’s design ideas within budget.