great 8 activities of a successful small business

The GreatACTIVITIES FOR SMALL

BUSINESS SUCCESS

©2013 marksutherland.co.nz

8Mark Sutherland

Switch OnKnow your people, your business, your market and your industry better than anyone else. Switching on means putting things front of mind. It means becoming a student of the game. The things you need to know about and what you need to know about them are always right in front of your face - you just don’t see them until you switch on. Here is an analogy for you – when you want to buy a new car and you know what you want, you actually start to see plenty of those cars on the highway. They were always there but now you see them because you are switched on.


Value Yourself UpYou know more than you think you know. You need to value your knowledge, your management skills and your business experience. You need to leverage what you know to give you an advantage in the market place. What you know enhances your credibility – when you truly value yourself up with confidence and self-belief you increase your credibility power. It is your credibility power that will grow your business.


Stick To The BasicsBusiness Excellence is doing the basics better than before all day every day in every way. In your business there will be core activities that drive your business success. These activities will be the basics that eventually help you grow your business – things such as prospecting, administration, following up leads, communicating with customers on a regular basis and managing your database just to name a few. Make sure these basic activities are not compromised. Always maintain a high standard with them: they are the core foundation of your business. You should focus on doing the Basics Brilliantly


Know Your NumbersData is King. Know your cash flow situation. Know your productivity capabilities, sales figures and profit margins. Know your sales trends so you know how to prepare for busy times and down times. Be inquisitive – it is your business. It’s what you don’t know that can bring you down so stay on top of your numbers all the time. Do not make decisions about technology, opportunities, diversification and business development unless you know your numbers.


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Drill Drill DrillYour biggest asset will make you millions. Staff development and management training are essential. Never ever underestimate the value and motivation that staff training can provide. Set aside regular coaching and training sessions for staff to up-skill them and keep them motivated. Training staff is not a cost to your business – it is an investment that when done properly will get you a return. Great staff means happy customers and clients who will spend money and make you happy


Stay On TaskStick to your game plan – know where you are going and measure your progress against your plan. It is easy to get distracted away from your primary goal when you don’t have a plan. It takes discipline to stay on task and keep your eye on the ball. Every day ask yourself the question, “if I do this, will it grow my business?”


Health & FitnessPeak performers don’t have a choice when it comes to health and fitness – you must maintain a work/life balance, an executive level of fitness, and energise yourself with quality nutrition. You should sleep deeply. This is self-explanatory: a healthy mind needs a healthy body. Do this and you will manage stress easier than if you don’t.


Expect To SucceedIf you don’t back yourself no-one else will. Great champions are never surprised by victory: they plan for it and expect it. Great business people are never surprised by success: they plan for it and expect it. Keep a success journal everyday where you acknowledge your improvement and successes. Create a success log for your staff that they can also acknowledge their individual success and the success of the team.



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marksutherland.co.nzOlympic Gold Medal CoachBusiness/Executive Coach Performance SpecialistMotivator & SpeakerSuccess StrategistSelf-Employed since 1989

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