Michael Levitt's Blog, page 8

Why Quiet Quitting Is Important To Address

Photo source: Michael D. Levitt

Quiet Quitting isn't new. It's gone by different names such as "mailing it in", or "malicious compliance", or "sticking to the job description". The COVID-19 Pandemic has created opportunities for employees to reflect on their work life, and many have decided that they're being asked to do too much.

Signs of quiet quitting

Employees are taking their full breaks and not responding to emails/messages during their breaks or after hours. The always-on approach to work is burning people out, so people are tired for constantly being on the job.

Employees no longer are engaged in team meetings or in communication with their managers. Employees are giving short answers/responses to questions.

Employees are no longer laughing or bantering with colleagues. They're sticking to their desk and talk in a monotone voice.

Employees are taking more days off. This could be for interviews, or simply using their allocation of days to the fullest extent.

To reduce quiet quitting in your organization

Talk it out. Create an environment where employees and management can have open discussions about workloads and tasks. With the Great Resignation causing departures in companies, the work is getting piled onto the people that are left behind. It's not fair to those employees to carry the brunt of the extra work.

Take a long hard look at the work your company does. Look for efficiency opportunities and streamline unnecessary tasks. Be sure to involve employees in this study, as they're the ones doing the work.

Review your benefits packages and work schedules. People want flexibility and autonomy in their work roles. Extra compensation can help, but it's no longer the tool to entice people to work for your organization.

Flexibility and trust are.

How To Give Your Business A Financial Edge

Photo by nappy

So you're looking for a way to improve your company's bottom line? Now, obviously, this has to do with making money. Being profitable as a company is crucial because it gives you an advantage in the marketplace. A sustainable revenue strategy is essential for this to occur within the organization. Maintaining a healthy profit margin year after year is crucial as well.

 

Profit can be earned through three channels: price, sales, and promotion. Knowing what your rivals are charging for a similar product or service will allow you to price your offering more competitively. Direct traffic sources, such as Google AdWords or Facebook Ads, are essential for increasing sales. And when marketing is happening, that means figuring out how to get people there through techniques like influencer alliances, viral marketing, and content creation like blogging. We'll examine three strategies for giving you an advantage.

Set Financial Goals

Business owners should prioritize setting financial goals because they contribute to the company's long-term profitability and growth. The majority of business owners (75%) fail to meet their financial targets, according to recent research. Some businesses employ the SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Time-bound) strategy when planning their budgets to avoid these types of mistakes. The more the specificity of your goal in terms of these five indicators, the more likely you are to achieve it.

 

Have High Standards 

It's important to always have high standards in business. But how do you know if your business is still meeting high standards? It takes time and effort. You need to know what your suppliers are selling and make sure it meets your standards, whether it's a product or its packaging. 

 

You also need to make sure your employees have the tools and training they need to give you the high-quality work you expect every day. This could include specialist equipment and machinery, or it might be software, such as Autotask quoting, for example. Training is also crucial to ensure everyone feels at ease with what they are being asked to do and can do the work to the high standards you expect. 

 

Do Things Differently

Finally, it's possible that you could benefit from trying a few calculated risks. These may prove financially beneficial. To achieve this goal, it's necessary to test your limits, attempt something different, and otherwise abandon the status quo. If you never push yourself out of your comfort zone, you will be unable to go forward. Although venturing into uncharted territory and trying something new can feel risky at first, the rewards for doing so can be substantial in the end.

 

One of the keys to success in business is the ability to think creatively and take calculated risks, even if they appear to be futile at first. Experiment with fresh product concepts, educate and train yourself, and pay attention to the elements that will propel your company forward. When you can do all this, your business should have a financial edge over your competitors. More than this, it will be something that customers remember and are happy to keep using.

Tips On Becoming The Best Salesperson

Writing Pencil Note - Free photo on Pixabay

Being the best in sales is every salesperson's goal. You will want to perform the best and finalise the most amount of sales for pride and profit.

Knowing how to become better in sales is simple. All you need to do is follow the proper guidance and be consistent with the practices.

Hence, use this guide as your safety net and way to grow your sales business. From giving your clients a great first impression to methods that will enhance your pitch, here is how to be greater in sales. 

Attain sales coaching

There is no better way to become better at something than to attain coaching. 

Hence, investing your time and money into a coaching sales team will help you enhance your pitch and performance to increase your chances of making a sale, which will boost profits. You can take expert tips on board in future pitches and maximize their efficacy. 

Body language and eye contact

A salesperson's body language and eye contact can be what makes or breaks a pitch. If the salesperson appears shy, they might make their product seem inefficient. Likewise, if the salesperson lacks eye contact, they might not come across as trustworthy. Therefore, improving your body language and eye contact is crucial to maximizing the success of your sales pitches. 

Some ways to appear more confident and trustworthy include:

Being more open

Standing with your shoulders back

Hold your chin up

Smile

Speak with your hands

Improving eye contact is as simple as looking the person in the eyes for longer. Looking around can make you appear unsure or shy. You don’t need to maintain eye contact for the entire pitch. It is good to look around the room. Whether that be to your product or to other team members, it can help maintain eye contact for a few seconds. Yet, in those few seconds, ensure to make the other person look back at you. 

Don’t be too serious

Although you might want to maintain a serious tone for the majority of the pitch to appear professional, you will improve your chances of being a better salesperson if you add some humor to your pitches. 

Being too serious can sometimes encourage businesses to choose another company over yours. If you add humor, you will make your pitch more personable. Likewise, you will appear more friendly. More people will likely prefer to choose a product based on the friendliness and personability of the person delivering the pitch. Therefore, ensure to create a good balance of seriousness with humor. 

Be honest

The key to becoming a great salesperson is being honest and transparent. If you lie or hand over too many promises, you will likely lose the client's interest within seconds. The minute they find out you are lying, they won’t trust you anymore. 

Therefore, be as honest as possible. It helps to be your true self and be clear about what you can offer. Avoid making promises, too, as if you do not meet the expectations, this can deter a person’s trust in you too.

Listen carefully

Although you will be doing most of the talking, it is essential to be a good listener when making a sales pitch. Listening to people’s feedback and carefully understanding their questions will ensure that you offer detailed and accurate answers. The better you answer their questions; the more impressive your sales pitch will be. 

Make sure you make time for questions and allow each person to finish what they are saying before you jump in with an answer. 

Read the room

Although it is good to balance seriousness and humor, sometimes you might need to adjust the balance and lean more towards a particular tone. It all depends on who is in the room. If you are meeting corporate clients, it might prove more successful to be more serious. 

If you are meeting a marketing team, they might enjoy some humor throughout the pitch. It can help to do your homework before you enter the pitch so that you know what tone to deliver. 

You can adjust accordingly if the audience is slightly different on the day. 

Speak clearly

A clear pitch is bound to be a more successful one. The clearer and more authoritative you speak, the more people will listen. 

If you mumble or speak quietly, you might appear unsure of what you are selling. Or you might not engage the audience as much as you need to. 

If it helps, take a microphone along with you. This can be especially useful when delivering to a large audience or in a spacious environment. Should your voice echo, then the audience might not be able to hear you properly. Being clear and concise is bound to increase the efficacy of your pitch. 

Know everything possible about what you are selling

Being as knowledgeable as possible will ensure the maximization of the results of your pitch. The more you know, the more impressive you will be. If an audience member asks you a question and fails to answer, it could hinder the chances of completing the sale. If you can confidently answer, it will show that the product/service is worth investing in. 

Before you pitch, run through your notes, so you are clued up on every minute detail. The more you research and prepare yourself, the more informative and professional your pitch will be. 

Know everything possible about the audience

If your pitch is being delivered to a company, it will be helpful to do your research on them before you go in. knowing as much as possible about the company can help your pitch be more personable. 

Know their name? Use it. Know what help they need to enhance their own business? Tell them. The more you know about the people you deliver to, the more personable you can be. People will appreciate it if you appear to have done some research and taken the time to get to know them before a pitch. 

Why Customer Service Should be Your Priority

Image Source: Pexels

When you are selling a product or service, you can’t do it without the help of your customers. They’re the ones that are going to buy from you, recommend you and if you don't keep them happy you’re going to know about it. With the right attitude you can ensure that your customer service is up there with the best. Well trained customer service team is a must and it should be a priority for you to be able to train one of those! If you are selling a product or service, whether it’s a service to help somebody to do something, or a product that you have developed and put to market, you need to make sure that you are best supporting your customers and for that you need to have efficiency. 

From using the best technology such as Microsoft Dynamics phone integration services, to ensuring that your customer service team feels pumped up and motivated to do the job, you have a lot to get done so that you can ensure that your customer service is on point. Here are some of the reasons why customer service should be a high-priority for you.

You’re going to retain your customers. Retention is so important and with all the cost of living going up people are going to be shopping list. If your product or service is not necessarily and essential but it is something nice to have, you need to make sure that your customers are having a good experience with your business. If they have a good experience, they are much more likely to return and this is going to help you to build your customer base from what you have rather than keep trying to go from scratch. You need to have a seamless process that makes returns and purchasing as easy as possible, because this will keep your customers interested.

You are also going to retain your employees. You need to make sure that you are retaining the people that you bring on board because long time retention saves you money. In high turnover businesses, there is a lot of money that is hemorrhaged on training and ensuring that people understand the product and how to sell the products to the customer base we have. Employees want to work for a company that treats the customers fairly – in the same way you wouldn’t want to date somebody who is nasty to her later, people that work want to work for a business that can’t function without being rude! They’ll be more likely to become advocates for your business if you are going to your employees, so good customer service equals better customer and employee retention.

It reinforces your values and your brand. If you put customer service as a priority, the team will be able to communicate with customers on a daily basis which means that representing your brand value is going to be at the forefront of everybody’s mind. If you ensure that there is great customer service in front of your customers, you’re going to have better word-of-mouth recommendations and you may end up with better customer reviews. Your business cannot function if there are negative reviews. Consider the way that you look at the reviews when you’re buying a product and then put yourself in your customers shoes.

Good customer service generates referrals. You want your customers to recommend their friends, their family and anybody else I can think of, and positive word-of-mouth referrals come directly from previous and existing customers. It’s all because of the great experience that they have with your company that they refer you to in the first place. They will tell their friends and relatives colleagues and even post on social networks about the way your customer service is friendly and helpful. In turn, they will feel more encouraged to buy from you.

You will increase your customer lifetime value. This represents the amount of revenue that your company can expect to receive from just one customer overtime. By ensuring that you can increase your customer lifetime value, you will significantly increase the revenue of your business without having to spend any more on marketing. When you can reduce your costs but up your sales, that puts you in the green with your profits. Customer service is a good way to increase its value because if customers have a strong positive experience, they will be more likely to come back again and again.

3 Strategies For Improving The Efficiency Of Your Healthcare Business

Credit: image

The field of healthcare is one that is continuously undergoing innovation. The past few years have seen a rise in spending, which has resulted in a greater portion of healthcare budgets being allocated toward the removal of obstacles and the enhancement of the deliverability of services. The majority of investment dollars made by hospitals and other types of medical institutions are going toward the purchase and implementation of innovative technological solutions.

However, organizations will also need to place an emphasis on more practical methods of increasing the accessibility of improved diagnostic and treatment techniques. This will require moving beyond the use of technology. In fact, technology should not be the only solution for the most important issues facing the healthcare industry, as many of these issues have a significant amount to do with the human element of healthcare.

If businesses in this industry want to achieve their primary objective, which is to strengthen their relationships with their customers, they will need to make time in their schedules to put these tactics into action. Having stated that, let us have a look at a few of these strategies and see where we might be able to use them in an industry with so many potential openings.

Get yourself into shape first

Without a shadow of a doubt, the level of expertise possessed by staff is directly proportional to the quality of healthcare provided by an organization. When you have doctors and nurses who have received adequate education, you have a valuable corps of healthcare workers who are able to handle even the most difficult of responsibilities. Training is a necessary component of any plan that involves improving the deliverability of services and learning important concepts, such as the release of information, which they can apply in their practice later on. It is also important that your staff has to undergo training in order to improve the deliverability of services.

Underscore patient safety

It is the responsibility of medical professionals, hospital managers, and nurses to win back their patients' trust while the global fight against the pervasive stigma associated with vaccinations continues. To accomplish this goal, it would be necessary to participate in programs designed to minimize the occurrence of errors and redundant tasks, as well as to cultivate a culture within the healthcare system that places an emphasis on the protection of patients at all times.

Increasing the level of collaboration between the various departments

It is not usually the case that a single physician will attend to a patient's medical needs. When dealing with more critical conditions, it is necessary to have multiple specialists working together to monitor and treat a single condition. This by itself could be a source of difficulty, particularly when there are divergences of opinion and inconsistencies among the professionals themselves. These, without a doubt, have the potential to give birth to errors, which can then lead to significant issues.

it is essential for medical professionals who are treating the same patient to establish adequate contact with one another through the use of technology that is designed to improve collaboration and lower the likelihood of making mistakes.

How You Can Protect Your Stock and Products

Credit: image

When you run a business, you are responsible for determining the value of your stock and products. These things ensure new customers will continue to walk through the door. Therefore, you need to ensure that you shield them from harm and look after them to the best of your ability.

The following are a few of the most effective strategies for you to safeguard your inventory and merchandise.

Make sure orders are accurate

When trying to keep your goods safe, you first need to focus on making sure that your orders are accurate. Either ordering too much stock than is necessary or not enough stock is the worst thing you can do for the company. You need to have sufficient inventory to fulfill all of the orders you now have and any future ones that may come in. However, you must also watch out that you do not place an excessive amount of orders. This could result in a significant number of products losing their relevance in the market or becoming obsolete. The corporation is throwing away both its money and its time by doing this pointless activity. In addition to this, you run the risk of running out of room in which to store them, which makes the products more susceptible to being damaged. Attempt to perfect your ordering to the greatest extent that you can before you go.

Use a reputable delivery firm

You also need to give some thought to picking a delivery firm that has a good name in the industry. When you place an order for your company's inventory, you are responsible for ensuring that it will arrive on time and unbroken. 

Make sure everything is properly packaged 

It is crucial to remember that packaging plays a large part in the commercial sector because of its significant impact. Your things might look much more appealing if they are packaged appropriately. In addition, they will keep them safe and secure while they are being transported to the buyer. Now, it is possible that you have a packing facility to make sure that everything is carried out in an expert manner. However, you must also take into consideration the possibility that you will need to package the items on your own. This might be tricky, when it comes to things like bulk bag filling. Your items need to have the appropriate packaging in order to be kept secure, maintain the integrity of your brand, and to see improvements in your small business. 

Proper storage

It is essential that you always ensure that your items and supplies are stored in a careful manner. This indicates that you need substantial storage space within the company. If you are in the business of selling goods to customers or dealing in stock, you absolutely need to have a warehouse. It is essential to have a large amount of empty office space available in order to put things away. If you have adequate storage, you can rest assured that your items are kept in a risk-free environment and receive the careful attention to detail. Because of this, it is essential to make certain that you are able to keep things in the most effective manner.

Your inventory and the goods you sell are extremely important to the success of your company. It is essential to provide for their needs to the best of your ability at all times. You do not want to get a name for being a company that consistently turns out the merchandise of low quality, do you? You have an obligation to provide the highest level of care for the items that you are capable of. This is the most effective strategy for maximizing the amount of recurring business you receive as well as building a solid and good reputation in the market.

Give Clients A Great First Impression With These Tips

Credit: image

The exterior of your office building reveals a lot about your company. Whether you're looking to impress potential customers or draw in new customers, you'll want to make sure that the exterior of your building matches the nature of your business. There are many more reasons, which we will discuss in this post, why you should ensure that the outside of your company appears as wonderful as the inside. 

However, updating the exterior of your business doesn't have to take a lot of effort. There are straightforward methods for improving the exteriors of your buildings while still keeping them secure and maintained.

Cleaning and painting 

Any commercial building or structure outside can be completely changed by using the right building supplies and materials. You have a variety of possibilities, from painting the cladding to spraying or painting the brickwork and wooden surfaces. Additionally, by selecting a weatherproof material to enhance the exterior of your business, you may reduce the likelihood of subsequent property damage while also ensuring that your establishment keeps its excellent condition for a longer period of time. 

To make your company's branding more noticeable, think about painting or spray-painting your workplace space in the hues of your corporate identity. Instead of picking colours that stand out against the building's background, choose hues that complement the surroundings of your business. Consider this as an alternative if you want to make your commercial buildings stand out from the competition. 

Landscaping 

Since hard landscaping is easy to build and maintain, it is a terrific method to enhance the appearance of your company's outside. Hard landscaping also costs little money. Decking, gravel, and stone walkways can be incorporated into your outdoor space using various architectural elements and timber products. If you hire landscaping experts, they may advise you on the appropriate elements for your area. If you have existing outdoor elements, it is worth looking into commercial concrete repair to ensure it is all safe and looks great.

Depending on your resources, you could also wish to consider soft landscaping for your surroundings. It's crucial to realize that while soft landscaping, which includes things like grass, plants, and bushes, can be a charming addition to a property, it will also require more maintenance than hard landscaping, which includes things like concrete, brick, lumber, and gravel. Nevertheless, if you have the resources to properly maintain and update them, a mix of soft and hard landscaping may be beneficial for any type of business.

Doors 

One of the first things visitors or clients will notice when entering a business building or facility is the entrance doors. You must keep up with maintenance because it shows clients that you care about the appearance of your business and helps you avoid giving them a bad impression due to the condition of your entry doors. 

Your brand must make a strong impression on every customer, whether they are new or repeat customers. Another important factor is to leave a positive rather than a bad impression. 

If Your Marketing Isn't Working Then It's Time You Tried Something Else

Pexels CCO License

Running your own business can be incredibly tricky, especially if things don’t go your way all the time. You can run into difficulty every step of the way when it comes to starting a business. One such trouble could be running out of money before you have everything set up. Something else could be marketing, while this may seem simple, it can all go wrong if you use the wrong techniques. Take a look at the marketing strategies that you have in place and see if you can change these.

Use Social Media To Its Full Extent

If you are already using social media in your marketing strategy then how can you improve this? You need to constantly be asking yourself how you can make your marketing ploys better and how they will work for your business. If you know who your target audience is you can adjust your marketing to match this. For instance, if your main demographic is people aged between 50 and 70 then you will be much better off using Facebook rather than Instagram. 

If you aren’t using social media to its full extent then you will be missing out on vital customer opportunities. Without valued customers, you are at risk of your business closing down so it is essential you get marketing on social media correct. One of the greatest things about social media marketing is that it is more often than not free to use. You may have to pay if you use a business account or use influencers to share your products but this will be very little compared to other marketing prices. 

Little Products That Help A Lot

You might have noticed that your customer base has been dwindling lately. If this is the case then you will need to think of some new ideas to build this back up. It can be hard knowing what your customers want but this is all part and parcel of owning a business. If you carry out some market research to find out what your customers want then you can use this to your advantage. Using stickers or business cards in your business will help you advertise in other ways, you can even give these out to people who take a look at your business. Take a look at custom vinyl stickers to see if they have anything that can help your business. 

Use An Agency 

Finally, if you can’t think of anything to do differently in your marketing plans then you might want to seek the help of an outside agency. There are many marketing agencies that can help you with your strategies. Arrange a meeting with them and see how they can help you and your business succeed. In order to find a good one, make sure you are checking reviews and testimonials from previous users. Marketing agencies can be pricey, so make sure you have enough money in your budget for this. 

We hope this article helps you understand how you can gain more customers with an amazing marketing strategy. 

How to Take the Leap with Your First Business as an Entrepreneur

via Pexels

So you've decided to take the plunge and start your own business? Congratulations! Starting your own business is a challenging but rewarding experience. It's important to remember that there are no guarantees in life, but with hard work and determination, you can achieve anything. This blog post will outline some steps that will help make the process of starting your own business a little bit easier. So read on, and learn everything you need to know about taking the leap into entrepreneurship!

1) Do your research

Starting your own business can be a daunting task, so it's important to do your research beforehand. There are many resources available online and in libraries that can help you learn about the process of starting a business. Take advantage of these resources and arm yourself with as much knowledge as possible before taking the leap.

In addition to researching the ins and outs of starting a business, it's also important to research your industry and target market. For example, what is the current landscape of your industry? Who are your potential customers? What needs does your target market have that aren't being met by existing businesses? Answering these questions will give you a better idea of how to position your new business for success.

2) Create a business plan

Once you've done your research and have a better understanding of the landscape, it's time to start putting together a business plan. Your business plan should outline your business goals, strategies, and how you plan on achieving them. It's important to be realistic when creating your business plan - don't set yourself up for disappointment by setting unrealistic goals.

If you're not sure where to start, there are plenty of resources available to help you create a comprehensive and effective business plan. Once you have a solid plan in place, you'll be one step closer to making your entrepreneurial dreams a reality.

3) Find the right partners

If you're not planning on going it alone, it's essential to find the right partners to help you with your new venture. Choose business partners that complement your skills and strengths and who share your vision for the future of the company. It's also important to make sure that you're compatible with your potential partners - after all, you'll be spending a lot of time together!

Once you've found the perfect partner (or partners), it's time to get down to business. Remember, starting a business is a team effort - so make sure to communicate openly and often and work together towards common goals.

4) Get funding

If you don't have the personal finances to fund your new business, you'll need to seek out alternative sources of funding. There are a few different options available to entrepreneurs, including venture capitalists, angel investors, and also an easy startup business loan. Do your research and choose the option that makes the most sense for your new business.

Remember, when it comes to seeking out funding, it's important to be prepared. Make sure you have a solid business plan in place before approaching potential investors - they'll want to see that you know what you're doing and that you're serious about making your business a success.

Also, don't be afraid to ask for help. There are many organizations and individuals out there who want to see new businesses succeed. So if you need help getting your business off the ground, don't hesitate to reach out for assistance.

5) Start marketing

Once you've got your business up and running, it's time to start marketing your products or services. There are a number of different marketing channels available to entrepreneurs, so it's important to choose the ones that make the most sense for your business. If you're not sure where to start, consider hiring a marketing consultant or agency to help you develop and implement a comprehensive marketing strategy.

In addition, don't forget to utilize social media to get the word out about your business. Create profiles on all of the major platforms (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc.) and start sharing your story with the world. Be sure to post regularly and interact with your followers - the more engaged you are, the more likely they are to become customers or clients.

And there you have it! These are just a few of the steps that you'll need to take when starting your own business. But, with hard work and dedication, you can make your entrepreneurial dreams a reality. So what are you waiting for? Get out there and get started!

What Does it Take to Expand Your Company?

https://unsplash.com/photos/3fPXt37X6UQ

So you want to take your business to the next level? An expanding business strategy is a company’s plan to grow its size and reach in order to increase its market share. It is a strategic change that, in the short term, often leads to financial loss but can provide significant benefits over time. In order to achieve this type of change, companies must put the right mix of people, processes, and technologies in place.

How to Know When It's Time to Expand Your Business

You know it is time to expand your business when you are no longer able to meet the demand of your current customers. There are many different ways that you can use to determine if it is time for expansion. You can look at the number of customers on your site, the amount of money you make, and the amount of time spent on customer service.

When it's time for expansion, there are a few things you should be aware of before taking action. It is important to plan ahead as much as possible so that you know what type of resources will be needed, how much they will cost, and how long they will take to implement.

Identifying What's Causing a Slow Growth Rates in Your Company

A slow business growth rate can be a sign that your company is not doing well. There are a number of factors that can cause this, some of which include changes in the market, competition, and product quality. To identify what's causing your slow growth rates, you should conduct a thorough analysis and review of your business’s performance. This will help you identify any changes that need to be made in order for your company to grow faster.

The Most Successful Tactics to Build Your Business

There are many ways that you can build your business. One of the most successful tactics is to increase your revenue by investing in your growth. It may be that you need to take a look at freight brokerages to get your products out more. Maybe you need to promote your product or service on social media channels like Facebook and Instagram? It could be that investing in more staff is the answer. It’s all about applying tactics to help you grow.

A Change in Your Business Model Could Work

A company model change strategy is a process of changing your company’s business model to respond to changes in the market. The main goal of this strategy is to increase the company's competitiveness and profitability. When you decide that it is time for your company to change its business model, you should first understand what your customers want and what they need. Your target audience should be clear, as well as the purpose of your new business model.

The best way to change your business model is to create a product that people love. If you can do that, you'll be able to sell it for a much higher price and get more profit in the process. Another way is to create a sustainable business model by focusing on what you're good at and what you can offer people that they cannot find anywhere else - like unique services or products.