What is the importance of having a creative, active voicemail rather than a routine everyday message?

“I am just afraid of not sounding professional enough if I have one on my phone that’s out of the ordinary.” Dan

I would rather sound friendly, than professional. And so should you. If you’re looking to impress your customers, make certain that you’re “conversational” rather than stilted. Don’t tell me the day; I already know the day. Don’t tell me how important my call is, the fact that I’m calling you is important. Don’t tell me you’re away from your desk, I really don’t care where you are.

Rather, tell me:

1. how quickly you respond, and
2.  something of value. Something to make me think.

You could offer a famous quote, or your thought for the day. You’re still being professional, but the accent is on friendliness.

YOUR VOICEMAIL MESSAGE REALITY: The voicemail you record on your phone is the impression of who you are when you are NOT there. It informs the caller how original you are, how creative you are, and how friendly you are. Or not. It shows the customer how much prep time and thought time you put into your message. And even though it might be friendly, or lighthearted, it’s a reflection of how serious you are as a businessperson and a salesperson to be engaging, approachable, and different from others who do the same thing you do.

Below is a list of a few thought-provoking quotes that you can use to make the caller stop and think, reflect on what you’ve said, respect you for your insight, leave a message, and eagerly take your return call.

NOTE WELL: The quote needs to be changed every day if you’re serious about your voicemail, and the impression that it leaves.

• “There is no reason anyone would want a computer in their home.” -Ken Olson, President, Chairman and Founder of Digital Equipment Corporation, 1977

• “I think there is a world market for maybe five computers.” -Thomas Watson (1874-1956), Chairman of IBM, 1943

• “The concept is interesting and well-formed, but in order to earn better than a ‘C’, the idea must be feasible.” – A Yale University management professor, in response to student Fred Smith’s paper proposing reliable overnight delivery service (Smith went on to found Federal Express – the professor went on to live in oblivion.)

• “640K ought to be enough for anybody.” -Bill Gates, 1981

• “This antitrust thing will blow over.” -Bill Gates, July 11, 1995

• “We don’t like their sound, and guitar music is on the way out.” -Decca Recording Company, rejecting the Beatles, 1962

• “Who the hell wants to hear actors talk?” -Harry Morris Warner (1881-1958), Co-founder of Warner Brothers, 1927

]]> http://growthaccountants.com/2012/04/great-voicemails-help-get-great-results/feed/ 0 http://growthaccountants.com/2012/04/hidden-codes-in-reading-a-cv/ http://growthaccountants.com/2012/04/hidden-codes-in-reading-a-cv/#comments Thu, 19 Apr 2012 08:52:49 +0000 Kevin Barry http://growthaccountants.com/?p=235 Continue reading →]]> (Funny) What A Person’s Reference Really Means

Average Employee                            Not that bright

Exceptionally Well Qualified           Made no major blunders yet

Active Socially                                    Drinks a lot

Character Above Reproach              Still one step ahead of the law

Quick Thinking                                  Offers plausible excuses

Careful Thinker                                 Won’t make a decision

Plans for advancement                      Buys drinks for all the boys/girls

Uses Logic on Difficult jobs                Gets someone else to do it

Expresses Themselves Well            Speaks English

Meticulous Attention to Detail         A nit picker

Has Leadership Qualities                  Has a loud voice

Exceptionally Good Judgment           Lucky

Keen Sense of Humour                         Knows a lot of dirty jokes

Career Minded                                     Back Stabber

Of Great Value to the Organisation    Gets to work on time

Relaxed Attitude                                   Sleeps at desk

Independent Worker                            Nobody knows what he/she does

Loyal                                                       Can’t get a job anywhere else

The same imposition is being forced on all sole traders now and from the 1^st June 2012, all Income Tax, VAT, Gift, Inheritance and Corporation Tax Returns and payments must be made over the internet.  This is not as big a worry as it sounds.  The important things to do are: -

• Buy a computer (if you do not already have one)
• Get connected to the internet
• Log on to www.revenue.ie
• Register for ROS.  This only takes three easy steps and if you call 1890 20 11 06, the friendly person at the other end will help you out.

 You must be prepared for these changes.

The days of getting the brown envelopes, filling out the contents and sending it back are very nearly a thing of the past.  For those of you who have seen the film Terminator, where computers become self-aware, this is one more step toward computers ruling the earth!

I hopethe ending won’t be as grim in reality!

Research & Development Tax Credits link has it all. Listen to our 30 minute webinar on how to claim this opportunity for virtually every Irish Company who is ambitious to succeed.

Click here     R&D Tax Credits  to listen and watch

A potential customer must be impressed by what they see and experience at the start as they will base their business opinion on this from the off.

What people sense

It is vital that you ensure your business appears at its best, as people will presume this reflects what goes on behind the scenes. People generally trust their instincts.

Simple checklists are:

• Is the external and internal buildings clean and tidy?
• Are your vehicles clean?
• Are the staff dressed neatly?
• Is the phone answered promptly and in an upbeat manner?
• Are staff smiling?
• Does the owner and staff remember regular client names
• Is correspondence that is posted sent to the proper address and not one the customer left years ago?
• Are calls returned on schedule.
• Did you meet them at the hotel or airport when they arrived.
• Did you add them to your mailing list like you said you would
• Did someone acknowledge them when they initially walked into the yard,shop, bar….
• Does your website attract people to email or call your business?
• Do you have a marketing recipe for staying in touch with current and past customers
• Do your team turn up on time?

Business

All of the above should naturally lead to the first impression from a business point of view.  However, it is also important to be constant in business.  It is important to adopt a set of rules for conducting particular tasks and then sticking to them.  They should also be applied across the board to all clients.  This will suggest stability and co-ordination which are both very important indicators for a new client.

What to Do Now?

• Ask a close friend to be a mystery shopper of your business. Have them critique the business from a customers viewpoint.
• Ring 3 customers who left you and ask why they left? Note down the answers
• Ring 3 current customers and ask them for 1 item they like about your business and 1 item they dislike
• Visit your competitors and get a feel for how you compare
• Then write down the 15 tasks to work on in the next 90 days to address these areas that seem lacking.

Make a start! (If you need to?)

There are certain documents and certificates that should never be disposed of.  “Never” here can be taken to mean until the life of the object under which the document is governed has ceased or the document itself expires.  The following are examples of common documents that should never be shredded: -

Original Birth Certificates

The importance of a birth certificate is often over looked.  It is the first official record of each person’s identity.  It also proves parental identity, nationality and date of birth.  Although it does not as such provide photo-identification of the individual, it itself is required to obtain such identification.  The original of this document should be stored in a safe and reliable place – such as a filing cabinet in the home.  Should the original be required by another for any particular reason, it should be delivered to them by hand or registered post.  Alternatively, if a certified copy of your birth certificate will suffice, your local Garda or Police Station will gladly certify the same.

Wills

A Will is peculiar in that the document fails to get any attention until after death.  It is only then that its contents become relevant.  While a Will in itself does not constitute a deed of title or official transfer, it is the first indication of such and it is this that renders the document important.  It is the norm for a Will, following its execution, to be stored at your solicitor’s office.  If this is not the case, it is recommendable that you take a copy of your Will for your reference and bring the original document to your solicitor for their safe keeping.

Leases & Other Deeds of Title

Title deeds are extremely important documents.  Whether they denote a fee simple or leasehold title, they constitute the primary evidence of ownership.  It is also very important that you, your bank (where mortgaged) or your solicitor are in possession of any title deeds.  It is not advisable, as in the case of Wills, for such documents to be left at home.  Realistically, they should be left with a solicitor for safe-keeping as they serve no real purpose in every life, save for proof of ownership – which possession should infer.

Insurance Policies

In short insurance policy documents are evidence of a contract and should then be regarded as important.  The documents should stipulate the terms of the contract and will be signed by the parties to it.  Policies that involve a pay-out after the death of the insured are particularly important.  The deceased will obviously be unable to make oral submissions in relation to the contract when the issue of its existence comes to the fore.  Therefore, the document should be kept in a safe place until the insurance expires – but that on death or annually etc. Click here for an example  of typical policies

Our website www.kevinbarry.ie gives more information

One of the more common stories that we have received at KB & Company over the years is that of: -

• Stock going missing and nobody noticing for a long time
• Cash being systematically pilfered which again goes on for a long period without being detected

“Familiarity can breed Contempt” and essentially when either of these two items happen, even if the person or persons is / are caught, the fault really lies with those who run the business.  They have either not implemented the required rules in the business, or they have let their control systems fall into disrepair.  (e.g. Checking the Till)

The following is a list of the essential items that businesses must put in place where stock and / or cash is involved.

Cash Register

This should be programmed  for you.

IE Every button is programmed to be selling a particular stock item, such as a pint of Guinness/Sweets/Nails.

There is no need to worry about programming the register yourself, the people selling this will:

1. program it for you
2. train you on it
3. and leave with you an easy to follow guide on updating the programming of the cash register.

Times are hard and any maintenance contract should include that the Cash Register People review the cash register every six months to ensure that it is perfectly in line with the products you are selling, including the prices and descriptions. Do Not Feel Silly for asking.

What are X & Z Readings?

The X Reading is a subtotal of where the cash register is for the day.  The Z Reading is the total reading for the day and brings the starting total for the next day back to Zero.

Any busy business will perform a number of X Readings everyday and particularly at times that employees don’t expect.

Some Danger Signs to Watch Out For

If there is substantially more money in the till in the till on a regular basis, this is because the money has been put into the till but not rung up.  With this usually done with a view to taking the money out at a later stage.  If there is less money in the till than what the X or Z Readings denote, then there has been money removed from the till and you need to question where it is.

Mistakes Can Happen

This is an obvious point.  However, mistakes should not happen on a regular basis, if people are properly trained..  If it does, it’s carelessness or deliberate.

Cash or stock shortages need to be isolated to discover what is causing the mistake to happen.  A solution must then be focused on.

Training

All staff members should be trained on properly on entering receipts of cash into the till.  It is not rocket science and 15 to 30 minutes at the start of any employee’s day will get this done.  They just need to be monitored in the early stages.  Such early controls will focus on any issues after that.

Stock takes

No matter what the business is, 80% of the value of your stock is usually wrapped up in 20% of the physical quantities there.  Regular stock takes of the valuable items should take place on a very frequent basis – weekly or daily depending on the amount of money tied up in stock.

The business owner has many duties. Delegate this one.

Various staff members should be delegated and rotated to deal with these stock takes.  After they hand in the stock takes, sheets. Check samples of high value items to see that they are actually there immediately.  Any differences must be followed up on and investigated straight away. No Excuses

This is also related to the till, as if this is properly programmed, it will tell you the amount of stock items you are selling.  If you sell three washing machines, then there should be three less washing machines in stock at the end of the day/week than what you started off with.  If there are five washing machines missing, then obviously the earlier you find out about it, the quicker you can sort out the problem.

Security

Other items that add further comfort and must be regarded as being an investment, not a cost, are CCTV Cameras. Believe me, they pay for themselves.

Some pointers to follow:

1. Have them visible, whereby everyone can see where they are.
2. They should also work and not be dummies.
3. Make them dome shaped (see picture) so no-one knows which way they are looking
4. The monitor that records activity should be in a place where the business owner has easy access to it, but not other people.
5. Have them serviced every 6 months.  This goes without saying.

Different Depots

If stock is moving between different points.  A track should be kept by the people sending the stock out and those receiving it at the far end.  Essentially, it is human nature that if standards are sloppy, people may get tempted.  Avoiding temptation is what the above safe-guards are designed to promote.

Understanding your Business Accounts

If you buy an item for €1 and sell it for €2, then you should know what you are making compared to what you are buying.

• know your margins,
• know your break even point

By having a quick look at key items on the accounts, you will see immediately if you have a problem with cash or stock control.A very simple point is that if you sell €10,000 worth of goods or services in the week, there should be €10,000 in your cash register or owed to you.  Make sure your accounting people are giving you the information you need. 1 page is enough

If customers receive a routine statement saying they paid your representative, it is vital to find this out as soon as possible, and see where the payment funds actually are.

In conclusion, we have all heard the phrase “once bitten, twice shy”.  However, I have yet to see this in business.  More mature business owners will always tell you that they should have learned from their first mistake.  However, often such experiences come back to bite them again and again.  If you are the type of business owner who fails to put the above safeguards into place, it should be made the business of a carefully selected employee to be in charge of cash and stock security.  They should report to you every week on how they are getting on and this alone would allow you to fulfill you job in being the business owner.

This problem never goes away

We routinely perform a Free Business Review  .  What is that? Click above for a 2 minute video on what’s involved.

Contact us today at 00 353 95 30053