NEW Business MATTERS Y O U R L O C A L B U S I N E S S J O U R N A L Reaching 16,000 business people in print & online Exclusivity in each business category - guaranteed! Points of Interest in this Issue: • Is your business mobile yet? • Windows Server 2003: End of the line! • The Sky's the Limit... • Concerned your tenants will miss payments? • Are your print costs high and keep going up? • Non-Geographic Numbers Are you ready for the change? • How to look good on TV
BUSINESS TIPS & ADVICE! Issue 39/2015
June/July
ACCOUNTANCY MATTERS
June/July
Cash is King By Alistair, Luke & David at BKB Accountants There is an old adage in business, “turnover is vanity, profit is sanity, but cash is reality”. So how are you going to generate more of it for your business?
what their overheads are and what sales are required each month to cover these. The breakeven point of any business is essential information to its owners.
The answer is threefold: margins, costs and something called operating cycle.
Operating cycle tells you how long it takes to convert an item purchased and realise the cash from its profit on sale. Utopia is zero, so a basic example would be that stock is held for 30 days, it takes 30 days to be paid by your customer and you pay your supplier on 60, i.e. when you have been paid by your customer.
It may sound simple but if your margins are wrong, then you will be unable to manage your overheads. However, we see businesses that under sell their products, particularly in their early stages. They either fail or the owners soon realise that they are busy fools and increase their prices accordingly. Of course, the other side of improving margins is your purchasing ability. Can you drive a harder bargain from your suppliers; is bulk buying an option; are staff working efficiently? Do you really analyse where your staff’s time is spent to ensure that you are getting best value? Then we have overheads. Manage your overheads and ensure that you budget for these. Every good business will know exactly
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Of this, your customers paying you is one thing you cannot control. So take control and ensure you run an effective credit control; get customers on standing orders; set up an invoice discounting arrangement; charge interest on late payment or offer discounts for early settlement. All in all, be in control and cash WILL be king. To see how we can help you, please contact us on 01202 950527 or email us at info@bkbaccountants.co.uk
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NEW BUSINESS MATTERS
June/July
Editor’s Note
CONTENTS
Happiness... The photo on the front cover certainly shows a man "living the dream". He is successful, happy, very satisfied with himself and set in a beautiful location. Wouldn't we all love to live the dream! Many who have achieved their dreams will tell us they have worked for it, long hours, and set goals which they reached, step by step, day by day. My own view is that the attainment of goals is fantastic, but often the real achievement and sense of satisfaction are the steps that we take along the way, the decisions that we make, the actions that we take. The philosopher L Ron Hubbard once said, "Happiness could be said to be the overcoming of not unknown obstacles toward a known and desirable goal". We need to know about our business, we must set goals, know our customers, what they need and want and what we can offer them. We also need to be alert to where something could go wrong. We need to be ready to change tack, align a plan in a better way, add to an idea or even decide to drop a project in favour of another, more efficient game plan. After all isn't that what life and business are all about? New Business Matters is here to help you. It contains tips and advice from professional people who would all love to hear from you. Why not give them a call to discuss your goals, your dreams and see if they can help you make them a reality? Wishing you a really successful and satisfying month,
NBM
Debbie Corney You can be the only company of your trade or profession represented in this local business to business journal. For details on the ‘marketing packages’ available, please contact: Stephen Corney on 01202 233580 or email sales@newbusinessmatters.com New Business Matters UK Ltd 1 Moorlands Rise, West Moors, Ferndown, Dorset, BH22 0JR Tel: 01202 233580
02 CASH IS KING 03 CONTENTS & EDITORS NOTES 04 IS YOUR BUSINESS MOBILE YET? 05 TEXT MESSAGING FOR GROWTH 06 PAPER IS DEAD... LONG LIVE PAPER! 07 END OF WINDOWS SERVER 2003 08 HOW TO BEAT THE MARKET 09 FINDING IT HARD TO CHANGE? 10 WHAT IS WANTED FROM NEW GOVT 11 THE SKY'S THE LIMIT 12 HOW DO YOU DELIGHT CLIENTS? 13 CONCERNED TENANT MISS PAYMENTS? 14 YOUR WEBSITE MOBILE FRIENDLY? 15 PRINT COSTS HIGH AND GOING UP? 16 LEISURE MATTERS: PUZZLES 17 BRITAIN'S TENANTS ON BENEFITS 18 DESIGN & PRINT SERVICES 19 BUDGET BEATING STATIONERY 20 IS GOOGLE PLUS A “PLUS”? 21 NON-GEOGRAPHIC NUMBERS
NEW Business
22 10 REASONS FOR HAVING A VA
23 HOW TO LOOK GOOD ON TV Y O U R L O C A L B U S I N 24 MANAGED PRINT SERVICES The information contained within this publication is not intended to be complete. Whilst the publisher endeavours to ensure the accuracy of the information contained within this publication, its accuracy cannot be guaranteed and the publisher accepts no liability for the use of, reliance on or the accuracy of such information. The views expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher and therefore the publisher accepts no responsibility for them. All artwork and editorial is copywrite and may not be reproduced without prior permission from the publisher.
NEW Business Y O U R L O C A L B U S I N
© New Business Matters UK Limited January 2009 Designed by: Stephen Corney
Printed by: Remous Limited, Sherborne
Published by: New Business Matters UK Limited
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APP MATTERS
June/July
App Solutions Local create custom mobile apps for smartphones and tablets that are specifically designed for small to medium sized businesses. We take care of everything
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Find us on *Terms and conditions apply – 10% code applies to the set up and build cost. Offer expires 31st July 2015
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To advertise in this local journal telephone 01202 233580
COMMUNICATION MATTERS
June/July
How text messaging can grow your business By Mark Scott of Technovox
Did you know that the open rate for SMS messages exceeds 99% and that 90% of messages are read within 3 minutes? Compared with email marketing, text messaging can, if used judiciously, be far more effective. But what kind of messages can you use it for? 1. Re-connect with your existing customer base We all know that it’s easier to do business with existing customers than to find new ones, so a quick win is often to get in touch with customers you haven’t heard from for a while and check they’re happy with what you did for them last time and see if they’re ready to use you again. 2. Promoting special offers to your customer base People are always on the lookout for a good deal, so if you have a special offer to promote or want to introduce a loyalty bonus, a quick text could be an effective way to communicate this to your customers.
3. After care When you’ve provided a service or product, make your customers feel special with a personalized follow-up message thanking them for their business. You could also use this opportunity to solicit feedback or invite them to write a review or testimonial. 4. Appointment reminders If your business is appointments based, your clients will often appreciate a timely reminder of the appointment time. It makes their lives easier and could increase your revenue by minimizing missed appointments. Send a text reminder 24 or 48 hours in advance. If your client realises they can’t keep the appointment, you have the chance to fill the slot with another client. For help and advice on using text messaging in your business please call Mark on 01202 282426 or send an email to info@technovox.co.uk.
Simple, inexpensive Pay-as-you-Go messaging
Tel: 01202 282426 Web: www.technovox.co.uk
Email: info@technovox.co.uk Vizz Business Centre, Willis Way, Poole, BH15 3TB
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COMMUNITY MAG MATTERS
June/July
Paper is dead... Long live paper!
By Stephen Corney, Director at Dorset Publications Many people have predicted the end of printing on paper as a vehicle for carrying sales and promotional messages to customers and potential customers. But what is the reality? Their focus has been that ink and paper are old fashioned, and that the electronic age will soon replace it. Their future think is that printing as a medium for delivering sales information will soon be discarded into the dustbin of history. However, what these advocates of the digital age have misunderstood, and those who are involved in the ink on paper method of advertising have discovered, is that people like to be part of the advertising process. They do not believe that they are included as part of this process just by looking at a message on a screen. When a potential new customer is reading your advertising message, they often want to use their hands as well as their eyes. They want something
they can hold and touch; something tangible. Tangible means something that can be touched or felt, but is also means something that can be grasped by the mind. The physical contact of hand to paper makes your message that much more real to the reader. Furthermore, printed advertising, particularly in community magazines that are delivered direct to people's homes, can be seen as less intrusive. It enables the reader to take their time to absorb messages, instead of being targetted in a split second and potentially missing the point. The magazine environment delivers a reader in the right frame of mind to be receptive to the advertising. Readers tend to take action as a result of seeing advertising in magazines. For more information, give Stephen or Debbie a call at Dorset Publications on 01202 894397 or send an email to info@dorsetpublications.co.uk.
Would you like your business to reach 1000s of potential residential clients on a monthly basis? Full colour A5 glossy magazines distributed by our own team of distributors - you can rely on us! » A free article, the same size as the advert booked in one of the months, with a 3 months booking » Free advertising on our magazine Facebook pages » A free listing on our Website Directory pages » Each magazine is fully uploaded every month on the internet via our website
Call Debbie or Stephen on
01202 894397 info@dorsetpublications.co.uk
West Moors • Ferndown & West Parley • Bournemouth • Poole • Southbourne • Christchurch Page 6
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COMPUTER REPAIR MATTERS
June/July
Windows Server 2003: End of the line!
By Clifford Johnson from PCs Made Simple For a few years now Microsoft have been shouting about the end of Windows Sever 2003, this is a still widely used platform for many businesses across the country.
virus products, firewalls and routers Microsoft will not plug any more loop holes found in the 2003 operating system (OS) making the chance of intrusion via infection or hacking very high.
What does end of support mean for you?
What can you do?
After July 14, Microsoft will no longer issue security updates for any version of Windows Server 2003. If you are still running Windows Server 2003, you need to take steps now to plan to migrate to protect your business.
Well there are many options and routes that can be taken from now but the main action needed is to do something!
In the words of Microsoft themselves: “By migrating to Windows Server 2012 R2, Microsoft Azure or Office 365, you can achieve concrete benefits, including improved performance, reduced maintenance requirements, and increased agility and speed of response to the business.” No more updates mean that regardless of your anti-
If you are running any versions of Server 2003 or you are not sure what OS you have on your server, please give us a call for a chat. We can help in many ways, even come out to you and tell you what you have. As always if you need or want some help with this, we are just a phone call away on 01202 830121. Don’t ignore this, as servers can be a vital aspect of your IT infrastructure and therefore to the function of your business!
We make computing easy... It's as SIMPLE as that! PC & Laptop Repairs & Sales
PCs Made Simple can usually fix any sick computer. We can also supply a new one, off the shelf or tailor made just for you.
We Come To You!
If your computer can’t come to us, PCs Made Simple can come to your computer! We cover all of Dorset and most of West Hampshire.
Tel: 01202 830121 E: info@simple-pcs.co.uk W: www.simple-pcs.co.uk
312 Ashley Road • Poole • Dorset • BH14 9DF
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FINANCE MATTERS
June/July
The secret is out: How to beat the market By Ann Wilson
The epicenter of financial activity for investors is the Stock Exchange. Be it in London (FTSE), New York (NYSE), Paris (DAC), Johannesburg (JSE), Sydney (ASX) or just about any country in the world - the stock exchange is where it all happens. On the corner of Wall and Broad streets, the site of George Washington's inauguration, the New York Stock Exchange is perhaps the most iconic of them all. The famed Wall Street bull statue standing proudly on the corner is snapped by thousands of tourists sensing the energy and importance of this place. Ironically, fewer than 24% of these people actually own any stock or invest in the stock market. What pops out when you visit the floor of the NYSE or the London Stock Exchange is how few people seem to be working at the trading posts. This is always a bit of a letdown for me. I keep hoping to see crazy traders running around with tickets in their hands like we see in the movies Wall Street or Trading Places. But those days are long gone, replaced with electronic trading from all over the world, and that's a good thing for individual investors like you and me. Investing is more available, more accessible, more transparent, and cheaper than ever before. No need to ring up your broker anymore to buy a "lot" (100 shares) of a stock. That's because we have access to low-cost investing like never before. We also have access from where ever we happen to be. Sitting on the beach in Mozambique - a quick buy or sell via my online broker and back to living life. That's pretty awesome – to be able to buy hundreds or thousands of a stock, to become a part-owner (even just a fraction) of great businesses for less than a six-pack of something nicely chilled. Page 8
One way (the best, in my mind) to take advantage of it is to set up an investing plan via an online broker in an index tracking fund or Exchange Traded Fund (ETF) and commit to it for the long term. Through the highs and the lows. Get a plan and stick with it. That's what I've been doing for well over twelve years now and what I’ve got my nieces and nephews doing. Each month they are setting aside some money to invest into businesses (as I prefer to think of it) that they plan to hold for a long time. Not tickers. Not charts. Not trading. Not “great tips” from the hairdresser Great Businesses + Investing + Long term. That's the Wealth Chef Recipe. So when it comes to helping my family put their money to work, I do what I always do – I turn to Expand Your Dough Recipe in The Wealth Chef book. I stick to the tried-and-true wealthy approach to regular and consistent investing, thinking of my stocks as businesses with true assets, competitive advantages, and earnings power. I invest with the intention of owning for years decades, even. And that's the huge difference between Wealth Chef investing and the kind of activity conducted by so many traders, whether they are on the floor of the NYSE, FTSE, ASX or DAC; sitting in a hedge fund office suite; trying to catch the spread on the forex market; or excessively trading a client's account in Any Town, WORLD. Wealth Chefs are business-oriented, long-term investors. We know the value of being owners of great companies and sharing in the value. It has worked well for me and it can work for you, too. @theweathchef
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FITNESS MATTERS
June/July
Finding it hard to make that change?
By Angela Barton at Body Therapy Did you know there are 5 stages you have to go through to stop a bad habit or start a good one! This was originally used as a 5 step plan to give up smoking. I would like to use it to help you understand why you might find it difficult to start exercising or change the way you eat. The first stage is PRECONTEMPLATION, you are not even thinking about making that change. You may be aware you are not as healthy as you could be but come up with excuses you cannot make that change. The biggest excuse of all is saying you are too busy and don’t have the time. This stage is also referred to as “the denial stage” So now you know you could feel better about yourself and want to make a difference to your lifestyle. Maybe you have a family history of diabetes you have been worrying about or as a recent client of mine explained, his father had suffered a heart attack in his early 50’s and also had late onset diabetes. Good reasons to start making changes. This next stage is called CONTEMPLATION. You have now become more aware of how changing your lifestyle will make you healthier but are still apprehensive about making those changes. You are beginning to think about how much it will cost to join a gym, hire a personal trainer or find the time to make it work. You might start doing some research on how to eat more healthily or
how to start exercising. You can be in this stage for a while but don’t despair you are heading in the right direction! The third stage is PREPARATION/ DETERMINATION – getting ready to change. This is when you have made a commitment to make a change. You could be thinking “I’ve got to do something about this – this is serious. Something has got to change. What can I do?” This is when you make that phone call to arrange an informal chat with a personal trainer or nutritionist. Or visit a gym for a show round. Next stage is ACTION/WILLPOWER. This is when you make the change. You have started exercising, eating more healthily or cut down a bad habit. You still might struggle keeping on track and need encouragement from friends, family or your personal trainer. In this stage it is a good idea to set yourself achievable goals so you don’t get overwhelmed and make sure you reward yourself. MAINTENANCE. You have made the change and are in a regular routine, feeling good about yourself. You are able to resist the temptation to go back to your old lifestyle as you know how much progress you have made, but you must also appreciate it is normal to regress and go back a stage. After all you are human! If you would like to find out more why not give me a call on 07813 805541 or send me an email at angela@bodytherapy.fitness
Contact Angela now:
T: 07813 805541
angela@bodytherapy.fitness
www.bodytherapy.fitness
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FSB MATTERS
June/July
The Federation of Small Businesses The FSB is Britain's leading business organisation with over 200,000 members. It exists to protect and promote the interests of the self-employed, and all those who run small businesses. The FSB in Dorset has 4,000 small businesses as members.
Extensive new FSB research reveals what businesses want from the new Government In the first survey of small business owners to be conducted since the 2015 UK General Election, the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) reveals results from 2,327 small firms. The FSB research found well over a third (35%) of the businesses questioned wanted a sustained economic recovery to be the top priority for the new Conservative Government in the next parliament. Neil Eames, Development Manager for the Federation of Small Businesses, said: “This response from FSB members shows first and foremost businesses want stability and certainty. This requires putting public finances on a sound footing, and then for Ministers to give a comprehensive vision for how they will support enterprise followed by a clear timetable for when they will deliver it." Other important priorities for business owners were lowering the cost of doing business and ensuring growth in every nation and region of the UK. When asked what issues they would like the Government to focus on over the next five years, well over half (53%) said they wanted Ministers to reduce the regulatory burden on business, with simplification of the tax system a close second on 51 per cent. Business owners were also clear that reforming business rates and improving the employability of young people were important benchmarks for the next five years.
As part of the survey, FSB members were also asked to say how confident they are the new Government will deliver for small businesses. Many appeared positive with half (51%) saying they are either confident or very confident. However, with over a quarter (28%) claiming to be either unconfident or very unconfident, Ministers will have to move quickly to demonstrate that they will truly do all they can to back small business. Neil Eames, Development Manager, Federation of Small Businesses, said: “Today’s wide ranging research sends a very clear message on what small businesses want from the new Government – a supportive, light touch tax and regulatory environment in which to grow their business, creating prosperity and jobs. Over the five years of this Parliament, our member’s top priorities are to lighten the burdens of regulation and tax, reform broken business rates, support the development and skills of young people, and improve broadband and mobile connectivity. "We look forward to meeting with Ministers to discuss how we can help make this happen and continue to foster the economic conditions which allow enterprise to flourish.” Further details on what FSB would like from the 2015-20 Government can be found in our Business Manifesto and on the website: www.ibacksmallbusiness.com
FSB Local Contacts: FSB Regional Office, Christchurch - Tel: 01425 280080 - Email: wessex@fsb.org.uk Neil Eames, Development Manager, Wessex Tel: 07920 846684 - Email: neil.eames@fsb.org.uk FSB website: www.fsb.org.uk/wessex - Twitter: @FSBWessex Page 10
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HOSPITALITY MATTERS
June/July
The Sky's the Limit... By John Marsh, Webmaster & Sales Coordinator As the 8th Bournemouth Air Festival approaches, we are busy selling tickets to the Visit England, gold awarded, tourism event of the year. With confirmation that the Vulcan Bomber will be appearing in the air for its final season, 2015 is set to be another exciting year. “The Bournemouth Air Festival encapsulates the spirit of modern Bournemouth as a world-class experience. This free festival brings together the thrill of gravity-defying displays in the air and an abundance of family entertainment on the ground against the spectacular backdrop of the UK’s best seaside resort.” Oceana hotels have been a proud patron of
the Air Festival since 2013, supporting the UK’s biggest free aviation event to continue wowing spectators and boost the global awareness of Bournemouth. Centrally elevated between Bournemouth and Boscombe Piers on the East Cliff, we offer spectators a prime location. Having perfected our Air Show packages, we offer catering for groups of families and friends, right up to exclusive corporate boxes that really exploit the spectacular air show experience. For more information, or to book your front row seats contact our dedicated Sales Team on 01202 298 350 or email sales@oceanahotels.co.uk.
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Page 11
GROWTH MATTERS
June/July
How do you delight your clients? By Yvette Lamidey
One of the things that delights me is great customer service and someone who goes that extra mile with a little something that makes all the difference. And I praise great customer service publicly where its been received because all too often all we hear about are the failures and rarely the successes. Mostly because good news doesn’t have the same newsworthy status whatever medium is used to publicise it. So when a local restaurant failed massively on just about every level and offered to make amends by inviting us back to have dinner for free (all 12 of us) it was with a little reticence that I returned… but wow, what a difference. From the moment we walked through the door to the moment we left the experience was fantastic; would it have been great to have experienced that at the start yes, but they recognised they got it wrong and sorted it out. And so what’s the result we’re all raving about them now and are going back again… But before considering going the extra mile or two, it’s important to remember though that it shouldn’t be at the detriment of getting the basics right. If they aren’t delivered perfectly every time then it doesn’t matter what else we do… So what could we each do differently that would make a difference? I ask this question regularly and it seems to resonate in different ways with different people but is always food for thought. Here are five tips to help you… Page 12
1. Focus groups aren’t just for large businesses… How could you set up a focus group(s) for your clients so you can get their opinions on potential and existing products and services? What benefit can you give them for participating? Participating in person would be great but social media could be very useful. 2. How, and when, do you get feedback from your clients? What do you do with it? Is there a central place that can be accessed by everyone whether it’s the person working in reception or an account manager? Are they using it and what do you do with the information? If possible don’t collate the information in the business silos as you, and everyone else in the business, need the whole picture. 3. If you were a client then what would you expect to receive by way of service? Do you deliver to that standard? Ask the same of the others in the business; think about what could you easily change, and then do it. 4. You, and I, know that most training courses and seminars are often measured by the quality of the lunch and the comfort of the room… what’s your businesses equivalent? What can you do about that? 5. What have you promised in the past or intended to deliver when you first started out. Why not revisit these and take them to the focus group? Now I’m off to have a think about the things that I can do…. What about you? www.yvettelamidey.com
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INSURANCE MATTERS
June/July
Concerned your tenant will miss payments? By John Palmer of Coversure Insurance
What is the biggest concern residential and commercial property owners face when letting out their property to new tenants? Usually, the answer is: having tenants that can’t, or won’t pay the rent. As a property owner, it’s very hard to gauge what type of tenant you’re getting and you never know when problems may arise; sometimes even the best tenants experience unexpected, out of their control, incidents that result in them unable to pay the rent. Where does that leave the landlord? Not all property owners are aware that there is, in fact, insurance cover available that can be put in place to cover for such event. So what actually is available to property owners on landlord schemes? Rent Guarantee Firstly, the guarantee of monthly rent – this is the bread and butter of the cover and claims are usually available on up to a maximum of 12 months’ worth of payments.
Eviction Cover If the unruly tenant evolves into a nightmare tenant there is insurance available to cover the costs incurred with having them evicted. If the situation gets even messier… Legal Defence There is specially designed Legal Expenses cover that can be tailored to assist in the defence of your legal rights. The cost associated with defending such actions, or pursuing our own legal rights can be very costly; it’s nice to know that should the worst happen, there is financial support available. Insurance may be boring and feel like a formality, but it can be extremely helpful in testing times for landlords, individuals and businesses if the right cover is in place. If you have any questions regarding your insurance, whether you have the right cover or could get a better deal, give John a call on 0800 223 0060 or send an email to poole@coversure.co.uk.
Unruly tenants If you’re unfortunate enough to have unruly tenants, as part of your insurance policy, you can obtain cover for the costs and expenses in relation to the pursuit of legal proceedings in respect of an insured property arising from: • a nuisance • a trespass • an unauthorised occupation • damage caused to the Insured Property by a third party
!
Tel: 0800 223 0060 01202 929 141 Email: poole@coversure.co.uk www.coversure.co.uk/office/poole
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Page 13
INTERNET MATTERS
June/July
Does it matter if your website is mobile friendly? By Gino Cirelli from Website Internet Marketing
Google stated “Starting April 21 (2015), we will be expanding our use of mobile-friendliness as a ranking signal.” (1) So if your website is not mobile friendly it will get downgraded in its search engine rankings. If you are unsure that your website is mobile friendly in Googles ‘eyes’ then test it using the following link: www.google.com/webmasters/tools/ mobile-friendly. Having a website that is mobile friendly is also known as having a responsive site, meaning that the browser your client is using will arrange the content of the webpage according to the screen size instead of just scaling the page down to fit the screen and making it impractical to use. This can make a difference to how long a client spends on your website when viewed from a mobile device as a scaled down webpage on a small screen will make the text too small to read. The client is more likely to click off your page quickly, and this is also noted
in the search engine ranking measurements and the website will lose even more ‘google juice’ over time as more people spend less time on the site! As well as the problem that your client may well go on to a competitor site hence potentially losing business as well. From using Google Analytics with local businesses in Dorset and Hampshire it seems that about 30% of the traffic to business websites is coming from mobile devices (more for tourist based businesses) and this trend is on the increase. If your website is not mobile friendly or responsive then it is a good idea to talk to your web master about converting the website, if they can’t help or they are too pricey then it is worth getting a second opinion. For a free website review call Gino on 01425 200 678 or email gino@webiml.co.uk and quote NBM. Source (1): googlewebmastercentral.blogspot.co.uk/ 2015/02/finding-more-mobile-friendly-search.html
01425 200 678 Page 14
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IT MATTERS
June/July
Are your print costs high and keep going up?
By Ava Lambert from Copyrite Business Solutions Glanvilles, one of the top full service law firms in the South, was spending large amounts on print and copy every month and the cost was going up. This was predominantly because of the following reasons: • There was no way to report on what was being printed and who was printing it. • There were significant quantities of wasted paper. • They could not analyse trends between departments and offices. • It was not possible to determine whether documents were being duplexed, when they should have been, or being printed in colour rather the black and white • There was no security on the printing of sensitive information Solutions: Copyrite wanted to offer an integrated solution that would achieve a fast return on investment. Director of Copyrite, Ian Stewart understood how much was spent on print and the potential for savings so he recommended PaperCut. The PaperCut Print Management Solution was implemented in order to: • Save paper and significantly reduce waste • Understand how much was spent on print • Analyse existing print behaviour and trends • Increase security of customer data Results: Glanvilles have established a set of rules to reduce print costs such as default to duplex for jobs over two pages, and force black and white printing on emails and webpages. PaperCut produces many useful reports which allow a detailed analysis by user, by department, by office and similar. These reports are analysed for trends.
Each user has their own PIN which allows them to collect their print jobs securely, from any printer, even from a different office. This reduces the common problem of “clogging up” the print queue and therefore improves staff productivity. All users have visibility of how much they have printed and the associated cost. The choice how to print a document is always with the user however it educates them to think before they print; “Could it be black and white? Could it be duplexed?” Users can override the settings, however they need to give a reason which is then reported on. Mark Harman Head of IT and Marketing at Glanvilles commented, “We had not heard of PaperCut before Copyrite suggested it but soon realised that it would be revolutionary to the firm, giving us full visibility of our print, reducing waste and cutting our print costs. The most important part of the project was to get the Partners as well as each user to buy into it. We endeavour to be a paper-light firm and always look for ways to reduce our environmental impact. After running PaperCut for only seven months we have achieved 61% drop in print costs against the previous financial year which is a great success.” Ian Stewart said, “We are very pleased to offer a solution which we knew would result in a very fast ROI. However all credit goes to Glanvilles for such a successful execution of the project. We have implemented PaperCut software in a number of other law firms, all of which have achieved significant cost savings. Since Copyrite supplies the copier hardware, software and technical support to Glanvilles, we ensure that all aspects of the solution run smoothly and the business operates effectively on a day-to-day basis.”
The implementation of “Find Me” printing ensures greater security of confidential information and reduces waste created by uncollected jobs.
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LEISURE MATTERS
June/July
Put your feet up over coffee or lunch and have a go at these!
Pop the kettle on... 1
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1 Stupid (7) 5 Found after a rainstorm (7) 9 Denuding (9) 10 Therefore (5) 11 Lubricates (7) 12 Worked (7) 13 Bony frames (9) 15 Pulled along (5) 17 Chores (5) 19 Enduring a very short time (9) 22 Untangle (7) 25 Make less heavy (7) 26 Send out (5) 27 Short-tempered (9) 28 A chinese herb (7) 29 Largest in height (7)
Down
1 Plans or schemes (7) 2 Bigness (9) 3 Stalemate (7) 4 A pellet of ice from the sky (9) 5 Majestic (5) 6 Live or dwell (7) 7 Embarrassing mistake (5)
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8 Handled (7) 14 Ancient commentator of classics (9) 16 A surface for doing work (9) 17 Travelling from place to place for pleasure (7) 18 Breed of cat (7)
20 Supernatural (7) 21 Merciful (7) 23 Indian antelope (5) 24 Telling untruths (5)
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LETTINGS MATTERS
June/July
Britain's tenants on benefits
By Sharon Canning from Move on Rentals Did you ‘Britain’s tenants on benefits’? Did you find yourself shouting at the TV? If you didn’t watch the programme, it followed letting agents who dealt with mainly housing benefit tenants and gave an insight into the mayhem it can cause to both the letting agents and the landlords, when tenants simply refuse to pay their rent, the legal process that has to follow and how letting agents really do try very hard not to go down the judicial route and try and help the tenant to either an agreed payment term or help them with benefit forms, or even help them with finding alternative accommodation. One episode showed the bailiffs turning up to a flat, with two men who were high on drugs, and telling the TV crew, ‘we don’t understand, we haven’t done anything wrong!’ The letting agents then had to empty the flat and move the syringed needles. Of course, the good tenants on benefits were not shown as they just wouldn’t make good TV and I certainly wouldn’t tarnish all tenants on benefits with the same brush, however, I was pleased to see the letting agents getting TV airing time in the episodes and how often we have to go beyond the call of duty so often. The only reason a tenant would be evicted through the courts is because the tenant has refused to move out. It
is a sad fact the majority of tenants I have evicted over the last 23 years have been on housing benefit and the main reasons for each eviction have been down to rent arrears. The tenants in question had received housing benefit, but had not paid it over to cover their rent. I have been amazed at some of the reasons; it’s Christmas and I need to buy presents for my children, my car broke down and I had to pay for repairs, my account has been hacked and the bank refuses to reimburse me, I am going on holiday… and I could go on (I should perhaps write a book!). From the tenant being given notice of a minimum of two months and the court process time, it can take between 4 and 6 months and more if a bailiff has to be instructed and always the last resort as no-one enters this route lightly. Remember, letting agents (good ones), will do their upmost to try and avoid going down this route. We are often the social worker and mediator trying to resolve things amicably. If you would like a friendly, no obligation chat regarding any property matter, then please email sharon@moveonrentals.com or telephone 01202 711169. For the weekly property show on Wednesdays 12-2pm presented by Sharon, tune into HopeFM 90.1 or visit the website and press the listen live button.
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Remous Limited, Wyvern Buildings, North Street, Milborne Port, Sherborne, Dorset, DT9 5EP
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To advertise in this local journal telephone 01202 233580
PRINTING MATTERS
June/July
Corporate Stationery - Beat your Budget in 4 easy steps! By Alan Bunter, MD of Remous Limited
What gets you excited? I bet it isn’t your newly printed letterheads or a fistful of pristine compliment slips. Yet for every business stationery has one of the most important responsibilities when it comes to representing your brand and your values. Finding a competitively priced supplier who can provide you with stationery that is both functional and of a consistent quality can be a minefield. In order to maintain your brand across all stationery, you often need to take a good hard look at where you are now, and then once you have assessed your entire stationery suite - including forms, letter headings, compliment slips, business cards – you may decide it’s best to start again with a fresh approach. Check out these easy steps to get the most for your budget and deliver the best quality for less – so saving your company money. 1. Consider paper carefully - do you honestly know what paper you are using at the moment? What Shade, weight, opaqueness - brand? Most business stationery suppliers will drive you towards ‘Conqueror’ in the same way as most people consider a ‘Hoover’ to be synonymous with a vacuum cleaner. Conqueror is just a paper brand. Look at other options, there is a plethora of different papers available to choose from, nearly all of which are more cost effective than Conqueror and of an identical quality. 2. How is your brand printed? Are there spot colours? What are the Pantones? Will the printing be four colour process or digital? Depending on your brand guidelines, we need to consider the most appropriate print process for your usage, logo and paper to give best value for your money, as well as delivering the quality you need. Often different items are printed in different ways on different papers and end up looking completely unrelated to each other, not a look you want to embrace for that Corporate Stationery appearance. 3. Ordering - Let’s be honest, there are few innovations in this part of print - what you need from corporate stationery is consistency, price and
quality. Is it worth buying from a different supplier every time you need it? No! Not when you factor in the variations and inconsistencies you are likely to get from chopping and changing. A great way to get more out of your budget is to work on a fixed price ordering system. A good print supplier will offer you a fixed price for 12 months; an outstanding print supplier will have an online portal where in a few clicks your order is complete and you can focus on the rest of your day. We have developed our online portal (www. remousonline.com) over the last 5 years to provide this service - print doesn’t need to be difficult, but some suppliers make it so to protect their interests. If you want to know more about our online ordering system see here or for a demo click here. 4. How much you order - Consider how much stationery you will use per annum as ordering little and often can result in spending too much as you are constantly paying for delivery and setup costs, so why not buy 6 or 12 month supply at a time? This can save you money, and can keep consistency as well as continuity of your business stationery regular through the year. If you don’t have the storage space, some print suppliers can warehouse and organise distribution for you. As an example we have an online portal where your stock can be setup, you can call off items and have them delivered anywhere in the UK, all from the comfort of your office or living room. In fact we can even offer a hierarchical login system that allows you to delegate to team members the ordering (at fixed price) then you can simply approve ordering for them. Would that save you time and money? Thought so... These 4 rules will ensure you get best value for money on your corporate stationery and branding but also maintain and potentially improve your print quality and consistency. This can only lead to enhancing your brand to both prospects and clients. If you would like a free audit of your print or business stationery please give us a call on 01963 250920 and we can arrange a consultation, no pressure just a free audit, with some ideas thrown in for free!
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SOCIAL MEDIA MATTERS
June/July
Is Google Plus a “Plus”? By Mike Sharp from Mike's Online Academy Statistica.com reported in March 2015 that Google Plus has 300 million active users which is 20 million more than Twitter! Google Plus is not as trendy as Twitter or Facebook as a social network but the clue to it's importance is in the first word of its name. GOOGLE! Google provides many online services and products such as Gmail, Blogger, My Business, YouTube, Google Maps and of course Google Search! And the great news is that all these services are compatible with Google Plus which is a big plus! You can have a personal profile on Google Plus for your personal networking needs and you can set up a Google Plus Business page where you can showcase your business to the world! A good place to start is to to go to Google My Business at www.google.co.uk/business here you can get your business on Google for free and once you have entered your business details you will be given a Google Plus business page by default. When your business is on Google and you are literally on the Google Map people will check out your Google Plus business page and you don't want it to be empty! Here are 10 tips to help you get the most from your Google Plus business page: 1. Make sure your Google Plus business page profile has a good description of your business and make sure you add keywords to help get found on Google search.
you could create a “customers“ circle and a “prospects“ circle and post different content to each circle. 5. Help people. Don't just promote yourself but help your followers with their problems and questions. 6. Host a “hangout”. A hangout is a feature of Google Plus where you can talk to up to 10 people at a time using video. Great for building relationships with customers and other businesses and adds a powerful visual element to your social media marketing. 7. When you create a Google Plus business page you will get the opportunity to create a dedicated YouTube channel for your business allowing you to separate your personal YouTube videos from your business YouTube videos. 8. Embed your Google Plus posts on to your blog to give them longevity and an even wider audience. 9. Use professional photos and get a graphic designer for your profile and cover photo. 10. Work on adding at least 1 follower per day and your efforts will begin to pay off. If you haven't tried Google Plus yet go to plus.google.com and get started. If you already have a Google Plus account then I trust it will inspire you to do more with it. If you need help please feel free contact me for 1 to 1 coaching on how to use Google Plus.
2. Use your personal Google Plus personal profile to share posts from your business page and reach even more people. 3. Adding a Google Plus badge to your website/blog makes it easy for your visitors to follow you. 4. A great feature of Google Plus is that you can segment your followers into “Circles” which helps to keep your posts relevant to a section of your followers. For example
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T: 07478 668138 E: mike@mikesonlineacademy.com W: www.MikesOnlineAcademy.com
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TELEPHONY MATTERS
June/July
How it will work from 1st July 2015... The new system being introduced should make the cost of calling service numbers easier for all consumers, but it will in all probability make things far more expensive for them too.
in everything we do... Non-Geographic Numbers Are You Ready For The Change? How it works now... You sometimes see information about the cost of calls, which looks something like this: “Calls cost 20p per minute from a BT landline. Other landlines may vary and calls from mobiles may cost considerably more.” When you make a telephone call to a service number – one beginning 084, 087, 09 or 118 - it’s not always clear how much it will cost, unless you happen to be calling from a BT landline.
All service charged numbers will be split into 2 costs; the ACCESS CHARGE which is set by the phone company and the SERVICE CHARGE which the company being called (you) decides on. Both charges must be made clear to customers and so it is important you review all your websites, business cards etc. to ensure you are in keeping with the law. • An access charge: This part of the call charge goes to your phone company, charged as pence per minute. They will tell you how much the access charge will be for calls to service numbers. It will be made clear on bills and when you take out a contract. • A service charge: This is the rest of the call charge. The organisation you are calling decides this, and will tell you how much it is. Example: - Say your particular phone company charges you 10p per minute for calls to service numbers – that is their access charge. And let’s say the service charge for a particular number you want to call is 20p per minute. In that case, you would see information like this: “Calls cost 20p per minute plus your phone company's access charge.” In this particular example, the call would cost 20p per minute (the service charge), plus 10p per minute (the access charge). So the call would cost you 30p per minute. These new changes do not affect calls made to ordinary landline numbers (01, 02), 03 numbers or mobile (07) numbers. Neither do they affect calls made from payphones, international calls, or calls to the UK when roaming overseas.
Another New Change For You... All Freephone numbers (which begin 0800 or 0808) are being made free for consumers to call from all phones, whether mobile or landline. If you are still unsure on the changes then please give the POSITIVE team a call on 033 0400 4262.
Contact the
team for your free no obligation meeting on
Basingstoke 01256 574471 s Southampton 02381 530471 Bournemouth 01202 916471 s or info@positive-telecom.co.uk
www.positive-telecom.co.uk To receive a FREE copy go to www.newbusinessmatters.com
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VA MATTERS
June/July
10 Reasons why you need a Virtual Assistant (VA)
By Barbara Marsh of Barbara's Office Services 1. Your diary is full of appointments that need travel arrangements. You need to work out train/flight timings, getting the best deals, car hire and taxi. Do you really have time to do all of that and still do your day job? 2. You need to organise for a client to meet up with you, accommodation, restaurants and local amenities booked to ensure they feel looked after. 3. Your accountant is asking for your accounts but all your receipts and statements are in a heap somewhere…. The thought of sorting them out, let alone adding them to a spreadsheet, is spine chilling. How long is that going to take? 4. You can’t find the time to type up the notes of yesterday’s meeting that meeting you recorded (to save yourself time) and the client is already asking for minutes and detailed action points. 5. That one task you find yourself doing on a weekly basis. It’s necessary for your growing business but you can’t help feeling data entry, proof reading or something similar is a waste of your time. 6. What happened to that promise you made yourself last time you were working all weekend just to get back on
track when all your friends and family were out enjoying themselves? 7. Your laptop is on its last legs but you have been proactive and bought a new one. However at a meeting you notice someone else has the same laptop but he got for less money. Is it the same with your mobile, your train tickets, office equipment? If only there were 25 hours in a day, you would have time to research purchases to ensure you got the best price! 8. Social sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn (to name but a few), scare you. You’re not quite sure how to post something about your business on them… but you know it’s good for business! 9. The internal documents that you need for your business, but you just don't have the time or maybe the creativity to do them. 10. And finally… “I’ll get my assistant on that right away!” sounds like you are a very ‘on the ball’ business. If you are struggling with any administrative tasks, please contact me on 01425 839550 or send an email to barbara@barbarasofficeservices.co.uk
BARBARA'S OFFICE SERVICES Would you like 30+ years of experience to help run your business more efficiently & save you time and money? If you are looking or thinking about help and you want someone to work flexible hours at a cost you can afford, then call Barbara for an initial free chat or email over your business needs.
T: 07813 318466 E: barbara@barbarasofficeservices.co.uk www.barbarasofficeservices.co.uk Page 22
To advertise in this local journal telephone 01202 233580
VIDEO MATTERS
June/July
How to look good on television… the art of giving a good interview By Colin Froud of Divercol Productions
Video is an established and powerful marketing tool. It is used regularly in business for product promotion, advertising services, staff training, customer feedback and internal communications… but how good do you look when you are being filmed? Here are some things to do: Prepare - Ask for the interview questions beforehand and make some time for yourself, by yourself, to prepare. Posture - Sit upright and lean in towards your interviewer slightly to show you are confident. Get comfortable and don’t fidget, but don’t become like a statue either! Place your body at a slight angle to the camera to make yourself look slim and dynamic. Eye contact - Maintain eye contact with the interviewer to appear trustworthy. Avoid the temptation to look down the camera lens unless you are presenting. Slow down - Leave time after the question before you reply. Speak coherently and clearly, avoiding
umms and errs. Speak in sound bites and include the question in your answer. Ask to use a prompter - Use a prompter to eliminate the need to remember facts, figures and scripts. (We once filmed a MD who had 2 simple sentences to say about his own company and product. 72 takes and 2 hours later and he still hadn’t managed it!) Have fun! - Relax and enjoy the whole filming experience as this will come across as enthusiasm. These simple tips will help you to present as a knowledgeable, confident and enthusiastic professional. Visit our website for more film making related advice: www.divercol.co.uk. If you require help with a filming project or would simply like to find out more about what we do, then feel free to call us for a friendly, no obligation chat on 01929 462585 or send us an email to info@divercol.co.uk.
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