Business evaluation can lead to business optimisation
There is something to be said for making the time to investigate, evaluate and think about some critical elements impacting on the success of our businesses. In this article I will look into (1) Service Experience, (2) Business Premises, (3) Our People and (4) The Image of my Business. 1. Service Experience This subject matter […]
Technology can be a business enabler
Article written by Jannie Rossouw, Head: Sanlam Business Market The first rule of any technology used in a business is that automation applied to an efficient operation will magnify the efficiency. The second is that automation applied to an inefficient operation will magnify the inefficiency. Bill Gates Whenever I think about the application of technology […]
How to meet the expectations of your target market
Article written by Jannie Rossouw, Head: Sanlam Business Market “Exceed your customer’s expectations. If you do, they’ll come back over and over. Give them what they want – and a little more.” – Sam Walton. (Sam Walton was an American businessman and entrepreneur best known for founding the retailers Walmart and Sam’s Club.) I am […]
The value of reflection to improve business results
Article written by Jannie Rossouw, Head: Sanlam Business Market “Without reflection, we go blindly on our way, creating more unintended consequences, and failing to achieve anything useful.” (Margaret J. Wheatley – American writer and management consultant who studies organisational behaviour) These are very sobering words and make us realise that we might be chasing the […]
Do you know where to allocate business resources?
Article written by Jannie Rossouw, Head: Sanlam Business Market It is said that something well planned is 50% done. If this holds true, then I wonder why so many of us do not make an effort to plan our business activities in advance. To my mind there are numerous reasons why continuous business planning is […]
How your product/service guarantee can differentiate your business
Article written by Jannie Rossouw, Head: Sanlam Business Market A guarantee is a formal assurance (typically written) that certain conditions will be met; specifically that a product will be reinstated or replaced if it does not live up to the specified quality, or that a service will be reviewed if it does not deliver the […]
Ask yourself what your service or product is worth
Article written by Jannie Rossouw, Head: Sanlam Business Market In a competitive market environment business owners are prone to sell themselves short, because they do not take the time to determine a fair and justifiable price for their services and products. There are so-called “value drivers” that support the charging of a premium for your […]
Calculate the value of existing and new clients
Article written by Jannie Rossouw, Head: Sanlam Business Market There are basically three ways in which to grow a business, namely: by getting new clients; increasing the share of wallet, and increasing the frequency of transactions with existing clients. Determining the value of a client can therefore be very useful. There is definitely a difference […]
Marketing tips for 2014
Marketing tips that may be implemented immediately: Evaluate the success of your current marketing actions Article written by Jannie Rossouw, Head: Sanlam Business Market In order to properly address this question, we should take a moment to consider the definition of marketing. Simply put, this is everything we do to communicate our business (in respect […]