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  • Answer Upon - Business Problems? Is My Business in Trouble? How Can I Tell Before the Worst Happens?

    So - You're Considering a Career in Voiceover?
    Many who enter the field of voiceover do so because they believe it to be a snap! Get the script, sit down... and read it. Not so fast! Even the most talented, experienced and professional voiceover talent goes through a process with each script, albeit, that process varies depending upon one's approach, style and (yes) indiosyncracies.Regardless, and I'm sure you've heard this before, voiceover sure beats "digging ditches". No question. But, trust me... it's not as easy as the pros make it seem.What separates the men from the boys (or, in the interest of P.C.
    ces within 30 days?

    3. Do you have a problem with obtaining loans?

    4. Are your stock costs high?

    5. For retail or manufacturing companies. Are your staffing costs a large proportion of your total costs?

    6. For service companies. Are your charge out rates at least 200% of your staff rates.

    7. For service companies. Are your consulting staff being charged out at least 75% of time?

    8. Do you have a good gross profit?

    Suppliers:

    1. Can you suppliers force you to take large deliveries?

    2. Are suppliers difficult to find?

    3. Is supply readily available?

    4. Do you have the opportunity of obtaining supplies from several companies?

    5. Can yo

    10 Ways to Keep the Excitement
    Have you ever attend an event or watched a motivational speaker and gone back to the office all hyped up and ready to implement the process or use the product? I know I have and a couple of days later, I find that I am back to my old routines and back to my old products that are adequate. Most events will get you going but they lack a follow-through to help keep you going to change your habits. In order to influence change, you need to be excited each day. This is not an easy thing to do but here are ten ways that will help keep that excitement alive.Have a goa
    It is a well know fact that many businesses fail within the first few years – so how can you make sure that your business is not failing at the moment. Here’s a Business Health Check for you.

    Sit down quietly in your office, with your records to hand and work your way through this business health check. You don’t need to do it all at once, but try and do it within a few days. You should review each question deeply in order to get a detailed view of your business.

    Management:

    1. Do you rely too much on one manager, including yourself?

    2. What would happen if one or more managers left or were ill for some time?

    3. Do you have enough managers with the right experience?

    4. Do you have too many managers?

    5. Are your managers trained or experienced to the optimum level?

    Staff:

    1. Do you have enough staff?

    2. Do you have a high staff turnover?

    3. Can you find staff with the right skills and experience?

    4. Are your staff fully trained?

    5. Are your staff in the right departments and geographic areas?

    6. Do you have a strong sales and admin group?

    Operations:

    1. Your internal efficiency – does your company run efficiently from marketing to after sales?

    2. Can you manufacture or fulfill your sales quickly and meet your customer’s expectations?

    3. Do you have bottle necks in any of your business processes?

    4. Do you receive frequent complaints about any part of your business?

    5. Can you provide your goods and services during sales cyclical increases?

    6. Do you have high stock levels that you regularly have to sell off at below normal prices?

    7. Do you have a strong marketing and advertising strategy in place?

    Sales:

    1. Are your sales strong and gradually increasing?

    2. Are your sales reliant on external factors that you have no control on? Think ice cream seller.

    3. Do you have strong cyclical sales and can you cope with them?

    4. Do you have alternative products and services available for periods when your standard stock is not selling so well. Think diary sellers.

    5. Do you have a strong product range that has a naturally increasing set of price points?

    6. Do you have up sells available to capitalize on each customer’s total sales value?

    7. Do sell products that are complimentary to your major products?

    8. Are you selling what your customers are asking for?

    9. Are the sales of one particular product diminishing?

    10. Do you often get asked for something you don’t have?

    11. Are you sure that the prices you charge are set at the optimum level.

    Financial:

    1. Do you have a steady cash flow or are there periods of stagnant or negative cash flow?

    2. Do you collect the majority of your invoices within 30 days?

    3. Do you have a problem with obtaining loans?

    4. Are your stock costs high?

    5. For retail or manufacturing companies. Are your staffing costs a large proportion of your total costs?

    6. For service companies. Are your charge out rates at least 200% of your staff rates.

    7. For service companies. Are your consulting staff being charged out at least 75% of time?

    8. Do you have a good gross profit?

    Suppliers:

    1. Can you suppliers force you to take large deliveries?

    2. Are suppliers difficult to find?

    3. Is supply readily available?

    4. Do you have the opportunity of obtaining supplies from several companies?

    5. Can you

    How Can Retailers Get Customer Loyalty?
    Customer loyalty. Say these words and retailers' eyes light up. Every retailer wants customer loyalty and wants to keep it. Some retailers would do almost anything to get customer loyalty, and I understand that. I'm a grandmother and, thanks to birthdays, an experienced shopper, and I think customer loyalty is waning. The question is, why?Misreading the customer is one reason. A few months ago I went to a furniture store to look around. No other customers were in the store and when the sales associate saw me he started following me. Judging by his body language

    4. Do you have too many managers?

    5. Are your managers trained or experienced to the optimum level?

    Staff:

    1. Do you have enough staff?

    2. Do you have a high staff turnover?

    3. Can you find staff with the right skills and experience?

    4. Are your staff fully trained?

    5. Are your staff in the right departments and geographic areas?

    6. Do you have a strong sales and admin group?

    Operations:

    1. Your internal efficiency – does your company run efficiently from marketing to after sales?

    2. Can you manufacture or fulfill your sales quickly and meet your customer’s expectations?

    3. Do you have bottle necks in any of your business processes?

    4. Do you receive frequent complaints about any part of your business?

    5. Can you provide your goods and services during sales cyclical increases?

    6. Do you have high stock levels that you regularly have to sell off at below normal prices?

    7. Do you have a strong marketing and advertising strategy in place?

    Sales:

    1. Are your sales strong and gradually increasing?

    2. Are your sales reliant on external factors that you have no control on? Think ice cream seller.

    3. Do you have strong cyclical sales and can you cope with them?

    4. Do you have alternative products and services available for periods when your standard stock is not selling so well. Think diary sellers.

    5. Do you have a strong product range that has a naturally increasing set of price points?

    6. Do you have up sells available to capitalize on each customer’s total sales value?

    7. Do sell products that are complimentary to your major products?

    8. Are you selling what your customers are asking for?

    9. Are the sales of one particular product diminishing?

    10. Do you often get asked for something you don’t have?

    11. Are you sure that the prices you charge are set at the optimum level.

    Financial:

    1. Do you have a steady cash flow or are there periods of stagnant or negative cash flow?

    2. Do you collect the majority of your invoices within 30 days?

    3. Do you have a problem with obtaining loans?

    4. Are your stock costs high?

    5. For retail or manufacturing companies. Are your staffing costs a large proportion of your total costs?

    6. For service companies. Are your charge out rates at least 200% of your staff rates.

    7. For service companies. Are your consulting staff being charged out at least 75% of time?

    8. Do you have a good gross profit?

    Suppliers:

    1. Can you suppliers force you to take large deliveries?

    2. Are suppliers difficult to find?

    3. Is supply readily available?

    4. Do you have the opportunity of obtaining supplies from several companies?

    5. Can yo

    Does Your Career Change Itch or Burn?
    Two weeks ago, I received a newsy email from a former client. Dan gave me the scoop on his life and new love, and ended by saying that while work had improved, he was feeling the itch again to go after career change. He would soon give me a call for some personal coaching sessions.I replied nicely to all his news, and on the itch, I said: “Call me when it’s a burn.”Why this tough love response?I meet scores of professionals who are unhappy with their work. In almost seven years, I’ve never seen an individual make a significant shift unless there is a
    ness processes?

    4. Do you receive frequent complaints about any part of your business?

    5. Can you provide your goods and services during sales cyclical increases?

    6. Do you have high stock levels that you regularly have to sell off at below normal prices?

    7. Do you have a strong marketing and advertising strategy in place?

    Sales:

    1. Are your sales strong and gradually increasing?

    2. Are your sales reliant on external factors that you have no control on? Think ice cream seller.

    3. Do you have strong cyclical sales and can you cope with them?

    4. Do you have alternative products and services available for periods when your standard stock is not selling so well. Think diary sellers.

    5. Do you have a strong product range that has a naturally increasing set of price points?

    6. Do you have up sells available to capitalize on each customer’s total sales value?

    7. Do sell products that are complimentary to your major products?

    8. Are you selling what your customers are asking for?

    9. Are the sales of one particular product diminishing?

    10. Do you often get asked for something you don’t have?

    11. Are you sure that the prices you charge are set at the optimum level.

    Financial:

    1. Do you have a steady cash flow or are there periods of stagnant or negative cash flow?

    2. Do you collect the majority of your invoices within 30 days?

    3. Do you have a problem with obtaining loans?

    4. Are your stock costs high?

    5. For retail or manufacturing companies. Are your staffing costs a large proportion of your total costs?

    6. For service companies. Are your charge out rates at least 200% of your staff rates.

    7. For service companies. Are your consulting staff being charged out at least 75% of time?

    8. Do you have a good gross profit?

    Suppliers:

    1. Can you suppliers force you to take large deliveries?

    2. Are suppliers difficult to find?

    3. Is supply readily available?

    4. Do you have the opportunity of obtaining supplies from several companies?

    5. Can yo

    The Network Within
    When you hear the word “networking”, what comes to your mind first?You probably think about going to a job fair or asking all of your friends, family members and acquaintances for jobs.But if you are currently employed, you might very well have easy access to one of the best networks you can have.Let me introduce you to a different networking concept – that of “inside” networking, “inside” meaning: within your current company or organization.68% of large U.S. companies have some kind of employee networks, according to the Diversity Best Practices g
    ll. Think diary sellers.

    5. Do you have a strong product range that has a naturally increasing set of price points?

    6. Do you have up sells available to capitalize on each customer’s total sales value?

    7. Do sell products that are complimentary to your major products?

    8. Are you selling what your customers are asking for?

    9. Are the sales of one particular product diminishing?

    10. Do you often get asked for something you don’t have?

    11. Are you sure that the prices you charge are set at the optimum level.

    Financial:

    1. Do you have a steady cash flow or are there periods of stagnant or negative cash flow?

    2. Do you collect the majority of your invoices within 30 days?

    3. Do you have a problem with obtaining loans?

    4. Are your stock costs high?

    5. For retail or manufacturing companies. Are your staffing costs a large proportion of your total costs?

    6. For service companies. Are your charge out rates at least 200% of your staff rates.

    7. For service companies. Are your consulting staff being charged out at least 75% of time?

    8. Do you have a good gross profit?

    Suppliers:

    1. Can you suppliers force you to take large deliveries?

    2. Are suppliers difficult to find?

    3. Is supply readily available?

    4. Do you have the opportunity of obtaining supplies from several companies?

    5. Can yo

    Patient Satisfaction Surveys – Improve Your Medical Practice Performance
    There is, understandably, a never-ending push in the health care industry to improve quality, performance, and the overall patient experience. To continually evolve and improve, hospitals and larger medical facilities utilize a wide array of tools in performing self assessments and benchmarking – one of which is the patient satisfaction survey. Smaller practices, consisting of even just one or two providers, can benefit by following the lead of the major organizations as there is a wealth of information to be learned by listening to your patients.Regardless of the size
    ces within 30 days?

    3. Do you have a problem with obtaining loans?

    4. Are your stock costs high?

    5. For retail or manufacturing companies. Are your staffing costs a large proportion of your total costs?

    6. For service companies. Are your charge out rates at least 200% of your staff rates.

    7. For service companies. Are your consulting staff being charged out at least 75% of time?

    8. Do you have a good gross profit?

    Suppliers:

    1. Can you suppliers force you to take large deliveries?

    2. Are suppliers difficult to find?

    3. Is supply readily available?

    4. Do you have the opportunity of obtaining supplies from several companies?

    5. Can you obtain deliveries when you need to?

    Customers:

    1. Do you rely on just a few customers?

    2. Can some of your customers insist on lower prices?

    3. Do you have a lot of late payers?

    4. Is the cost of obtaining new customers high?

    5. Do your customers often repeat order?

    6. Do you have a high percentage of customers who only order once from you?

    Market:

    1. Is competition very strong?

    2. Do you have a near monopoly?

    3. Do you have a strong and recognized brand in your market place?

    4. Are you aware of future changes in your market place and changing your offerings to meet these?

    5. Are you leaving some market niches unexplored or untouched?

    6. Are there markets that you could exploit?

    7. Are your marketing costs a high proportion of your costs?

    These questions are planned to give you a good understanding of the weaknesses of your business. If you have too many negatives then you know you have some remedial work to do.

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