Tips to help today's businesswomen
from
Her Magazine
How to Catch a Mouse - Secrets to Successful PR
Whether we’ve felt the pain in our purses or simply been depressed by the torrent of bad news that has swirled around us in 2009, we all know it’s been a tough year.
There are signs, however, more than just green shoots, that our economy has bottomed out and may improve more quickly than some experts have predicted.
However long and whatever form the recovery takes, the global economic crisis has had an unexpected silver lining. Actually, it’s probably more of a green lining. It appears we are in the midst of a social realignment. A new social order is emerging, which is illustrated by a change in our habits and our priorities. I am talking about the move to growing our own vegetables, shopping at Farmer’s markets, cooking a meal at home or even having a stab at making our own clothes.
The new social order is partly about a return to what were once regarded as old-fashioned values. It’s not about paper wealth that never really existed, it is about what is real. And it’s not just here in New Zealand. Some of London’s most exclusive suburbs boast newly planted, rooftop vegetable gardens.
If you translate this new social order into public relations, it comes down to two words: real and value. Your story has to be real to resonate. Fly-by-night property developers who had a lot more flash than cash have been wiped off the page. There is a new measure of value where we all stop and question what we are spending and if it is really worth it and if it is something we actually value.
Whether it is your personal PR, or that of your business, you need to find real touch points with your audience or customers. These are connectors that convey meaning to the audience or market you are trying to reach.
Effective communications – whether it’s PR or advertising or journalism is all about telling great stories that resonate and connect. The creative geniuses at advertising agencies make up those stories, journalists tell other people’s stories and PR people tell their client’s stories. In essence, though, we are all storytellers.
So, what is your story or that of your business? What makes it compelling, interesting and relevant? Who are you trying to connect with – to talk to? And what inherent values do you want to communicate about yourself, your business, product or service?
There is an ongoing dilemma for women in business about how much personal information to release. Put too much information out there and you are in danger of appearing soft or fluffy; not enough and you may be regarded as hard or aggressive. It’s a fine and difficult balance and not one with which our male counterparts have to contend.
To connect truly with your market, you do need to give something of yourself away; what it is you stand for, what you believe in and who you are. If your customers feel they have real relationships with you – can share some common experiences – then you have made a real connection. Strangely, it is often the small things, the everyday or the mundane that connect. For example, I had a mouse in my kitchen and mentioned it on radio. Dozens of people texted or emailed solutions to help me get rid of the pest. While this is a first and, hopefully, a last for me, having a mouse in my kitchen connected me to others.
So, to your story – your PR, or that of your company. To tell your story effectively, you need to step back from yourself – a difficult thing to do. You need to be able to articulate your key attributes – what it is about you and your story that will appeal to other people. You need to be clear about your objectives – what is it you are hoping to achieve by going public? You also need to understand the workings of the media – as unscientific and random as that is sometimes.
Stand back and look at yourself, your company, your product or service. It’s not easy to see yourself as others do. And often you are so close to your business that you fail to recognise what it is that makes your story special; worth telling and more importantly, worth hearing.
While it’s been a tough year, now is an ideal time to get out there and make some noise. The media is hungry for positive new stories – there is an opportunity to be heard.
And if you can’t do it alone, do call in the professionals. PR is one of the most cost-effective means of communication.
For the record, if you ever end up with a mouse in your kitchen, peanut butter works far better on the trap than cheese.
by Susan Wood
Contact:
susan@woodcomms.co.nz
Stick to the Knitting 
and other keys to becoming a more profitable business
Whilst some profess to ignore the signs around us, the recession is affecting the way we live and the way we run our businesses. Even GM (General Motors), America’s iconic car manufacturer, was recently bought out by the US Government in a last ditch effort to retain the failing business. Forget ‘it’s a tough time for retail’ – businesses everywhere are feeling the pinch.
The key to becoming a more profitable business is simply about working hard and innovating. It’s time to fall in love with your business again. Here’s how …
1. Stick to the knitting. This is not the time to venture into unchartered waters. Drop or sideline unprofitable ventures, clarify what it is you do well and drive your core business.
I am faced with decisions daily where I’m forced to drop enterprises that are simply not performing profitably, or re-examine the way we do things. Stretton Publishing, for example, incorporates the biannual Pink magazine and annual Who’s Who magazine as well as Her Magazine. This year, we have been forced to cancel publication of our Autumn/Winter 09 Pink and combine our Who’s Who magazine with our July issue of Her Magazine to form a bumper issue because of the challenges in securing advertising.
At the end of the day, it’s about making great decisions that will benefit your business now and in the future.
2. Review all costs. You now have the perfect excuse to do this. Employment, freight, stationary, etc – compare them all. This is the time to review your suppliers. Look at getting quotes from other suppliers and make sure you are getting the best rate the market is offering. There is no stigma around closure, discontinuing a product line or redundancy anymore. And remember, not only is sustainable practice important but it may make the difference between whether your business survives this recession or not.
3. Review your employees and ensure they are the best fit for the organisation. View your team members as your best marketing tool in this tough time and reward and embrace them accordingly. I believe our sales' girls in our Annah. S and Annah Stretton stores throughout the country will only work if the customer can envisage befriending them.
*Involve your team in finding new solutions to reduce cost and drive income.
4. Develop a PR strategy to pitch your business. Establish a targeted database and use this regularly. Teach yourself how to write targeted press releases, look for avenues to promote and remember – less is more. If you think you have a nice story, pitch it to the media; you have nothing to lose. Her Magazine is always looking for great stories as are all the publications.
5. Use the Internet to drive your business. An email database is the most cost-effective way to keep in touch with your customers. Don’t spam them with special offers, simply talk to them and monitor what you send out – quality rather than quantity.
Make sure your website works and promotes your product and services well. Drive people to your website by linking it into your communications/email signature. And use sites like Facebook, MySpace and Twitter to let your customers know what you’re doing.
6. Focus on the point of difference for your business. Do you really have one? What do you do that positions you above your competitors? For example, in my café FROCK, we make an effort to only serve free-range food. Her Magazine continues to celebrate the successes of businesswomen around the country and my clothing remains unique and difficult to copy. Plus, the way we continually connect with our customers puts us above the rest.
Remember, 80 percent of business comes from 20 percent of your customers – these are your diamonds. Indentify them and embrace them.
7. Develop a positive attitude and create a great work culture. Become a ‘yes’ person and solve problems on the spot. People need to feel great about who you are in business.
8. Get involved in the community. Find something about which you are passionate. Your involvement has to have an integrity to it. Now go for it. Develop an option, network and get alongside people. This will, in turn, drive business. Become your own PR machine. Work with mentoring, teaching, charities; the opportunities that this presents are endless.
9. Find a mentor. Approach someone that you admire in business – set your sights high. You need someone to chew the fat with on a regular basis. You are not The Lone Ranger!
10. Develop a balance in your life. Invest in yourself. Take a break – this balance will enhance your ability to lead well in these tough times. Read something inspirational. I have made time and discovered reading again and am learning so much more.
11. Review your business strengths and weaknesses. Maybe this is the time for you to upskill to take your business to the next level. Always be looking for ways to train your mind: conferences, forums, books, breaks away and/or study.
12. Fall back in love with what you do. This is the best gift that you can give your business. Never stop looking at opportunities. Although it is tough out there, opportunities still abound. You just need to take the time to seek them out.
Hopefully this gives you some things to consider that will improve your business practices. Open your mind, embrace what is and always think from the front foot, and you will start to see all those wonderful opportunities in front of you.
By Annah Stretton
*Research has shown that employees who are involved in decision-making are more loyal and more productive.
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Strong Supplier Relationships
Building strong supplier relationships is just as important as building a great culture among your employees
When establishing a new business or a new supplier, hunt around, talk to other business people and ask for a gratuitous sample of the prospective supplier’s product or service. Trial them at no cost to you and trial as many as you can.
I always seek a minimum of three quotes. Recently, we were looking for a service that cleans up the magazine’s photographic images. We sent a beauty photo to four businesses that did this type of work and asked them to show us what they could do, at no charge, and to price their work accordingly. We received four very different levels of results, and four very different prices. It was easy to make a final decision. Establish and rank what is important to you in a supplier: cost, quality, quantity, on-time delivery, proximity and communication.
Financial security of suppliers
It is important to establish that your suppliers are running financially stable businesses. If ethics, culture and dignity of business are important, you will need to establish how they operate. Being let down by a supplier may have a huge impact on your business trading. For example, our print supplier must be able to deliver on an exact date to the distributor and there is a quality expectation below which I will not drop.
Our label supplier must not only be cost competitive, but must be able to deliver, as without labels we are unable to distribute the garments into our retail stores, the main generator of the company’s income.
The personality of your supplier may be important. I know mine definitely is. They must be able to work through challenges that, invariably, you will have, in a very black-and-white way. We need to be able to come up with solutions, establish costs involved and move on with business.
The reputation of your suppliers, how long they have been in the market, the culture of their company and how long are their employees staying? These are all very important questions.
We have been dealing with a company that has reacted to this recessive trading environment by putting off a lot of its key people, which, in turn, makes it almost impossible to get satisfactory service from them. An international company, once great, has now become incredibly inefficient with its level of service. Consequently, we are talking to their competitors as I am sure many of their customers are doing.
Access the strength of leadership of the supplier’s company; any business will only be as good as its leader. Remember … the fish rots from the head … if the supplier is going to be important to your business, make sure you meet the owner.
Set expectations and deadlines with your suppliers, explain penalties, if any, reward and thank for great service and delivery. Always pay on time. If not, communicate and create an agreed payment plan and adhere to it. Suppliers are not your banking facility.
When ordering, your paperwork is important. Always generate an order from your end with delivery price, date and quantity and match this to the supplier’s statement /invoice when it comes in. You will be amazed at how many discrepancies you will find.
Developing great supplier relationships is all about trading with integrity and communicating all challenges early and openly. Loyalty is important, and really does count, if your existing supplier is undercut by another, vying to get the business, at least give them a chance to re-quote. Do not entertain Dutch auctions as no one ever wins with these.
I put the printing of the magazines up for re-quote every 3 to 4 months, when the quotes come in, the best price wins, I will not go back to the existing printer and tell him where he has to be to retain the business, I see it as the suppliers job to remain market price competitive. The pricing structure varies hugely when doing this and there can be up to $5,000 variance.
In one instance, I put a diary up for a quote from three printing firms; the difference was up to $20,000 between quotes. This is huge. I cannot stress enough, therefore, the importance of the initial quote process. In my business, there is no product or service for which we don’t get a quote, before purchase, as it simply saves me a lot of money!
Quality is important
Quality is remembered longer than price is forgotten ... Gucci. Do not base decisions on price alone, it is never good for business.
Sure, there are always plenty of people willing to supply your business with their products or services, but remember changing a supplier can be just as challenging and costly as replacing an employee; even more so, if no change was really necessary. For example, it may have simply been a breakdown in a relationship that a black-and-white approach to business could have remedied.
Always keeps your supplier relationships honest and market competitive. This includes even the big players, your bank, your telecommunications company and your eftpos supplier. Don’t become complacent in business; looking after the costs is an important part of ensuring the success of your business.
Great suppliers and the relationships you have with them will be part of the lifeblood of your business, as in many cases you will only be as good as they are … so enjoy and embrace them.
By Annah Stretton
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Dealing with Delegation
Delegation: the act of delegating, or investing with authority to act for another; the appointment of a delegate or delegates.
Leadership: an act or instance of leading, guidance, direction. They prospered under his leadership.
No organisation will survive without a strong leader and it’s not just business that needs leadership … sports teams, charitable organisations, service groups and schools all require effective direction. Without a strong leader with a vision, inefficiencies, lack of direction, morale and cultural problems will be prevalent. It is not enough simply to think that your passion and vision for your organisation is sufficient.
One of the biggest areas in business which lack leadership seems to be with small creative enterprises. These right-brained thinkers often believe that their talented ideas around sourcing and making products or offering services should be enough to carry them through. Initially, they grow in their one-man-brand format, directing only themselves as the business moves forward. But it is the second stage of growth that starts to cause the problems – enter employee number one.
It is not only vital that you find people who fit your vision and ultimately the culture you are driving to create, you must also be prepared to let go of some of your role to enable your employees to thrive and add value to your business.
Employees must always fit the role you have to offer and once employed, they need empowerment from you, their leader. Let them bring their ideas into your organisation, listen, communicate and be prepared for some mistakes – without mistakes there is no growth.
As your business grows, this employment/training/growth process will be pivotal to the type of organisation you create and ultimately the profit you will generate. Just as in a family, employees, like children will only be as good as the leadership, training and time you invest in them. Always find people that fit the required role. No matter how tempting it may be in these recessive times to hire over-qualified people, DO NOT! It is a short term fix and causes a lot more disruption. Conversely, never compromise your standards. If you don’t find someone that is a great fit for your role and culture in the first round, advertise again – the right person is out there, it just might take a little time to find them.
Employing right and leading well is a large part of successful business. People are the life blood of a leading business but can also cause its demise. They will only be as good as the leadership role you take, the training you invest and the opportunities you offer within your organisation.
The art of successful delegation is not easy but reaps huge rewards. When done right, you will find yourself with a lot more time to work on your business, not in it, as well as time to entertain those wonderful and very necessary ideas for growth which are simply stifled by day-to-day operations.
Think about big businesses and their CEOs; these key leaders are simply there to ensure the company’s vision is carried out with efficiency and therefore profitability, while always seeking opportunities for new areas of growth.
As you grow towards making your passion and ideas a profitable business, people will be key. Lead, empower and delegate well and always remember, the fish rots from the head. If your leadership is rotten, the rest of your organisation will be too.
By Annah Stretton
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Organise Your Success
What can a professional organiser do for you?
Over the last five years there has been an explosion of professional organising businesses in New Zealand. So just what is a professional organiser and what can one do for you? Is it worth your while spending some time with a professional organiser? Just what are the benefits?
There are professional organisers who specialise in different areas. Some are business organisers, residential organisers, space planning orgainsers, those that organise moving/relocations and some handle all these and more. So it is important to find the right organiser for your job.
If you have a desk you cannot find anything on, a filing system that is all over the place and have forgotten what colour the floor of your office is then it is probably time you invested in an expert to help you ‘declutter’ and decipher the mess. A session with an organiser will go something like this:
• Needs Assessment /Action Plan - Determining where you are being most dragged down by clutter. What is your biggest de-motivator, then tailoring a plan to tackle this?
• Hands On Session - A professional organiser will then spend anywhere from 2-6 hours with you and work alongside you. Each item in the area requiring de-cluttering will be sorted and catagorised. Items that are no longer required will be recycled, disposed of, or if possible sold on your behalf. The items that are to stay in an area are then stored and housed in such a way that you can easily access items and also get your hands on archived items, etc. The systems used are dependent on the organiser and also the clients needs. Larger jobs can require more hours of hands- on work.
• Maintenance Plan - Some organisers offer a maintenance plan that is a schedule you follow to keep organised so that you do not fall back into old habits. Also follow-up sessions and calls/emails are the norm for some organisers.
• Transfer of Skills - It is important that a professional organiser maximises your investment by teaching you the skills to become more organised. It is a partnership and you work together. A good professional organiser will not come and de-clutter your space without you present then expect you to be able to maintain that space. They will be with you through the process and show you the strategies and methods that can be used to keep you organised.
So just what investment can you expect to make to get your home or business organised using a professional organiser? As with any consultant the price varies between $50 - $250 per hour, also check the qualifications of your professional organiser before you sign up. There is one internationally recognised qualification for professional organizers - CPO® Certified Professional Organiser, issued by the BCPO (www.certifiedprofessionalorganizer.org). At present only one New Zealander holds this qualification.
Getting organised at home and at work has long lasting and valuable benefits to both you and those around you. It gives you time, saves money, energises you and reduces stress.
By Wendy Davie CPO®
President - Australasian Association of Professional Organisers
Visit:
www.totallyorganised.co.nz
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