http://blog.davisbusinessconsultants.com Enabling businesses to increase turnover, profits, performance Tue, 17 Aug 2010 09:03:21 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en While the summer is in full swing why not take some time out to attend your own business summer camp? Here are ten pointers to consider doing before September to develop your business.   1.    Update your profile on LinkedIn. If you haven't got a profile on LinkedIn then set one ... http://blog.davisbusinessconsultants.com/?p=108 Do you think in terms of €100s, €1,000s, €10,000s? How about €100,000? or €1m?   As a kid we first think about €1 and how many sweets and comics that might buy us. As we get older we look at €100 and think about how many clothes we can buy and get our ... http://blog.davisbusinessconsultants.com/?p=105 First and foremost, the purpose of your website is to add value to your prospects and customers. If you are always focused on adding as much value as possible, the leads, sales, and/or improvements to your business will follow naturally.   The simple fact is, if you're not developing a website to ... http://blog.davisbusinessconsultants.com/?p=103 Well I'm one step closer to getting in the basket!  Last Sunday we all went down to Birr, Co Offaly to see the hot air balloon festival in action. I have to say it was amazing. There were about ten balloons that took off one after the other, and it really was ... http://blog.davisbusinessconsultants.com/?p=101 Customers are the lifeblood of your business. However, once you have their money and provided them with the product or service, do not expect them to go away? They will return with enquiries, questions, problems and, hopefully, other opportunities to develop revenue. It is therefore essential that you have systems in ... http://blog.davisbusinessconsultants.com/?p=99 I'm finding it increasingly strange what some businesses will do to keep customers away. Last Sunday I was with my family in the city centre (all four of us). Being late in the afternoon and with the great weather I fancied a drink. Having sat down outside a bistro we were ... http://blog.davisbusinessconsultants.com/?p=96 A couple of days ago I had the unfortunate experience of having to stand in a queue in a local convenience shop to get a couple of things before guests arrived for dinner. I use the word convenience loosely as that's what they're called more so than what they provide ... http://blog.davisbusinessconsultants.com/?p=94 Learning to manage your time is paramount in a workspace – we show you how.  Laura McDaid interviews Paul Davis, Davis Business Consultants. As I sit here tonight going over my notes so I can start writing up this article on time management, the irony of my own circumstances has just ... http://blog.davisbusinessconsultants.com/?p=92 If you want to bring your business forward, you have to learn to delegate effectively. The majority of business owners I come across spend nearly 95% of their time doing tactical work ie the day to day stuff! However as a business owner, your job is to develop and grow the ... http://blog.davisbusinessconsultants.com/?p=90 Which is more important to you: more money, or more time off? For most people, this question is a hard one. Firstly, because we usually want both:  more money and more time off. And secondly, whether we plan it this way or not, more time off generally involves spending more money. Ideally, ... http://blog.davisbusinessconsultants.com/?p=88 There are many obstacles that prevent us from progressing in business and some are fairly obvious: Time, Money, Support, Energy... But there is one that is often invisible, and that is the habit of decision-making. Or, more correctly, "non-decision" making.  Some forms of procrastination are so sophisticated that they warrant being ... http://blog.davisbusinessconsultants.com/?p=86 "What we must decide is perhaps how we are valuable, rather than how valuable we are."  (Edgar Z Friedenberg) It may take a moment to digest the full wisdom of this brilliant distinction. However, for businesses in the future, it's not going to be a case of what is the cost; but ... http://blog.davisbusinessconsultants.com/?p=84 Any fool can be busy. Just as it takes no special talent to run around like a headless chicken, it takes no special talent to be consumed by other people's deadlines. I have no problem showing up for appointments that have been arranged with others. If I say I will be ... http://blog.davisbusinessconsultants.com/?p=81 In my last blog, I put forward a few different pointers for you to think about for your business.   To recap, ask yourself the following: How many people did you ask for business this week? What new thing are you going to learn this month? Which economy are you playing in? A number of people ... http://blog.davisbusinessconsultants.com/?p=79 In speaking to a lot of people over the last couple of weeks, I'm noticing a paralysis setting in, and quite a bad one at that. A paralysis in the sense of not knowing what to do, or a feeling of well I'm doing everything but I'm not getting anywhere. However ... http://blog.davisbusinessconsultants.com/?p=77 December 17th 2009 is when I'm going to be starting my final 8 POINT Business Growth Programme in Dublin. This programme has had exceptional results for the participants that have taken part in it over the last couple of years, and once again I’m running another one. However there’s a difference ... http://blog.davisbusinessconsultants.com/?p=75 I'm literally just back from a three day business summit in Las Vegas, and apart from the jet lag, the inspiration and ideas are flying around in my head. With it being the first time to visit Vegas, I have to say it's out of this world on a lot of ... http://blog.davisbusinessconsultants.com/?p=73 This simple question sticks in the throat of many professionals. Some are entrepreneurs who spend far too long talking about client needs... only to discover there is no budget to pay for their services. Others are salaried professionals, whose pay bears little relationship to the value they bring.   I have met ... http://blog.davisbusinessconsultants.com/?p=71 More Clients, More Fees, More Time Two-day Workshop - November 20th and December 4th 2009  Specifically designed for people in business or thinking about starting a business in the professional services arena (accountants, solicitors, coaches, engineers, consultants...) to show you how to get more clients, more fees and more time.   If you're ... http://blog.davisbusinessconsultants.com/?p=69 Most buyers will make at least one effort to test the price. (Don't you?) In part 1 however we learnt to welcome this as a buying signal. We also discussed the importance of getting invited as a trusted partner in the decision-making process - particularly when we hear those words "we ... http://blog.davisbusinessconsultants.com/?p=67 2 Day Programme Programme Dates - 20th November and 4th December 2009. Visit http://www.davisbusinessconsultants.com/moreclientsmorefeesmoretime.htm for more details http://blog.davisbusinessconsultants.com/?p=65 Are you at a point where... you’ve tried everything and still can’t get the number of clients you need you’re frustrated at attending networking events and it not producing the results you had expected you find it harder to get commitment from clients you’re having to reduce your fees let alone increase them you’re getting ... http://blog.davisbusinessconsultants.com/?p=63 Many business owners surveying the worsening economic fallout from the recession feel that they too will have no option but to join the hundreds of companies that are cutting costs and laying people off.  The Government can do very little that will impact the vast majority of SMEs in the short ... http://blog.davisbusinessconsultants.com/?p=57 A couple of weekends ago I headed to the Sugarloaf mountain in Co Wicklow with my two kids at nine o'clock on the Saturday morning. Now I know there's nothing particularly special about that because it's just an average mountain - it's not as if we were climbing Mount Everest. However ... http://blog.davisbusinessconsultants.com/?p=53 Few people really enjoy negotiation. Most prefer the discussion of issues that precede negotiation, or the implementation that follows a successful outcome. It's almost a relief when the pricing conversation is over.   The discomfort is made worse when the client disputes the price.  There are five common objections that we all ... http://blog.davisbusinessconsultants.com/?p=42 At the moment we can't tell if the programme will be running again hence the reason why we encourage you to avail of the opportunity while it's still possible. The reason being is that this programme is funded by FÁS and we can't guarantee if the funding will be there ... http://blog.davisbusinessconsultants.com/?p=39 This is always a concern for a lot of business owners and the way I cover this is two-fold. Firstly I ask everybody to sign up to a confidential agreement via the welcome pack before coming on the programme. Secondly I ask the group to agree the ground rules for ... http://blog.davisbusinessconsultants.com/?p=37 This is a fair point and I know you might be nervous about whether to spend the money on yourself or not. I've spread the cost of the programme out over four payments so as to help you with this. I also believe that if you want something badly enough, ... http://blog.davisbusinessconsultants.com/?p=35 I'd like to answer this question with a question - do you guarantee to do what I ask you to do and to follow everything that I suggest for your business? If you do then I guarantee that you will get a substantial return on your investment in this programme. ... http://blog.davisbusinessconsultants.com/?p=33 The assignments are something that you shouldn't be worried about. It's the method that I use to make sure you implement what I cover in the workshops, back into your business. I want you to get the most from the workshops and to get the most from me while I'm ... http://blog.davisbusinessconsultants.com/?p=31 Before the programme starts on Friday, each participant receives a welcome pack which details out all the things you need to know and bring to the first workshop so that we can start work straight away. As part of this welcome pack, we detail out all the dates for the ... http://blog.davisbusinessconsultants.com/?p=29 If you've been in business for a couple of years and have at least one staff member - then Yes, this programme is for you. You may have been on other training courses before, the difference with this programme is that it's structured in such a way that you get ... http://blog.davisbusinessconsultants.com/?p=27 All businesses are in challenging times at the moment and keeping ourselves, and those around us, positive, motivated and focused compounds this challenge. So how do we best motivate our staff?   Bonuses and rewards make decent motivational tools, but their effects can be short-term. The best way to motivate employees, especially ... http://blog.davisbusinessconsultants.com/?p=24 This easy to follow programme where you will learn exactly the powerful, proven process of how to sky-rocket your business and help you... To get more clients NOW How to get paid and manage key financial aspects of your business focused on increasing profitability The secret of how to get more fees for ... http://blog.davisbusinessconsultants.com/?p=22 I was asked this question recently and there are two options. Firstly let’s look at the figures and then let’s look at what really can be done. My advice would be to determine what liabilities are in the company first of all. This can only be done by getting an up ... http://blog.davisbusinessconsultants.com/?p=16 Whether you're trying to solve a tough problem, start a business, get new business in or write an interesting article; creative thinking is crucial. The process boils down to changing your perspective and seeing things differently than you currently do. Most of us believe we're not creative, true? So why not ... http://blog.davisbusinessconsultants.com/?p=14 "The 7 BIG Mistakes That 72% Of Business Owners Are Making That Is Costing Them A Fortune In Lost Sales, Lost Profits And Lost Business Opportunities" This report is based on an in-depth survey of 105 businesses and highlights how businesses can avoid these mistakes. A copy of this report can be downloaded ... http://blog.davisbusinessconsultants.com/?p=12 With so much to do to keep the business going, it's easy to fall back to our old habits of staying in the office longer in the evening to get everything done, and even come in at the weekends just to 'catch up'. However no matter how much time we spend ... http://blog.davisbusinessconsultants.com/?p=9 Imagine if you had stepped into a coffee house in Italy in 1968. You saw how it was busy in the morning with the construction crew and busy all day and into the evening. You find yourself asking, why are these people paying three Euro (or Lire back then!) for a ... http://blog.davisbusinessconsultants.com/?p=6