Free Advice Is Worth Every Penny
December 6, 2007
Richard Denny is one of the best motivational speakers I’ve had the pleasure of listening to. And if I’m having a bad day, his regular inspirational quote is the first email I open.
This is one I read recently “Free Advice Is Worth Every Penny”.
Now, I’m not saying that all free advice sucks, but you know there’s no such thing as a free lunch. And some advice is certainly worth paying for, as it could save your business a lot of trouble later on:
The legal stuff: It amazes me how many people ask for free legal advice on forums. And the conflicting responses are a good indicator that some of the advisors are just guessing. But if you get it wrong it can cost you far more than good advice would have cost to begin with.
Solicitors are not cheap and some basic legal advice on employment issues etc can be had by joining The Federation of Small Businesses, for a small monthly fee. And if you’re from the USA, joining the United States Federation of Small Businesses will give you access to many free legal forms.
Money Issues: Don’t guess when it comes to your finances - especially tax. I saw a blog comment the other day and a reader was encouraging a young blogger who recently started an online business not to pay tax.
This was terrible advice because a) You can get into a heap of trouble if you don’t pax tax and b) Even if your business isn’t making a lot in the beginning you can usually claim your start up costs against tax - if you tell the taxman you exist.
If you can’t afford the advice of a good accountant just yet, there are other resources you can use. If you live in the UK, I highly recommend the Tax Cafe for excellent books and advice. And if you live in the USA,
Free ebooks and courses: You’ll find plenty of free ebooks and courses on the Internet. Some are ok, some suck and others are just long sales pitches for another product.
The trouble is, if you waste your time reading some trashy ebook, you can’t take it back and ask for a refund if it’s free. And time is one thing you can never get back.
Most free courses available online are for home study. Well, if you’ve ever studied at home before, you’ll know that it requires a great deal of self discipline and motivation. And you’ll be motivated a whole heap more if you’ve had to fork out a considerable chunk of money for a course.
Business Forums: Business forums can be a good way to share advice and get ideas. And they’re easy to join - even for stupid people, so always remember to do your own research rather than just blindly taking someone’s advice on a forum.
Blogs: Business blogs, including this one, are usually free to read. Some are good. But some are full of advice that the blogger has obviously never put into practice themselves. So, read them, by all means, but as with forums, always do your own research before following advice on blogs.
Have you ever taken free advice and regretted it later? Or have you been given free advice that turned out to be useful?
Don’t Sit Down If You Want To Get Ahead
December 3, 2007
I was impressed when my friend told me that they almost always stand up in meetings. This ensures that they don’t waste time.
Whilst it is good to have weekly meetings with your staff, some businesses seem to spend most of their working week in meetings and as Richard Denny says: After all is said and done, a lot more is usually said than done.
And it has been my experience that some members of staff will actually drag out meetings, to avoid doing any real work. In fact, I’ve even met one idle individual who thought meetings were a great excuse to have a sleep.
Make sure your staff are actually working instead of just talking about it:
Ensure that everyone stands in your weekly meeting. They won’t want to hang round as long if they have to stand up.
Right from the start, let everyone know that the meetings will take no more than 10 to 15 minutes and stick to it.
Have an agenda and don’t allow anyone to veer off the track.
If staff want to bring up any matters not on the agenda - tell them to speak to you outside of the meeting.
Are You UnSUITable For Business?
December 1, 2007
Is wearing a suit becoming unsuitable in some areas of business?
I had a sales person round at my home the other day. After he left, my ten year old daughter said that it was obvious he was a sales person, as he wore a suit. And she commented that she thought it would be better if sales people left their suit at home, when visiting home owners at it was pretty obvious they were just there to sell them something.
And her point is certainly valid. It is a well known fact that a person will warm more to you if you are dressed similarly to them. So, it makes sense to wear a dark blue suit if you’re visiting a bank, or another business owner. But, how many people will be wearing a suit in their own home?
Now, I’m not suggesting that you turn up at someone’s home in jeans and t-shirt. But, if you have an appointment with someone at their own home, a suit is not always suitable. Often it can make it glaringly obvious that you’re trying to sell them something, and it can put them off from the outset.
For example we regularly visit customers to quote them for bathroom suite replacements. Of course, we’re not just there to give them a quote, and we always go with the intention of closing the sale right then. So, we have to create the right impression.
And, we’ve tried this both ways - wearing and suit and just wearing a simple uniform of trousers and shirt with logo. And we were much more successful when we wore the latter.
We think this is because a customer who invites you into their home for a quote doesn’t want to feel you are there to sell to them - even if you are. And a branded uniform makes them feel that you are a representative of your company whereas a suit screams “sales person”.
What do you think? Is the suit becoming unsuitable in some business situations?
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