Edition # 25

THE #1 TRADESMAN LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE

The 2012 road ahead

Inspiration from Steve Jobs Toss the rule book?

Would your team know what to do?

Whatʼ’s in store?

Tony Welsh, H2-PRO Plumbing Issue #25 Jan 2012 Proudly Australian

Gold VIP member Profit margin up 280%

+

4pt checklist marketing consistency

Cool iPhone apps for tradies

Eme in the world to do what they love -­‐ play golf, hang out with their grandchildren and travel.

It’s 2012... and a new day is dawning...

Happy New Year to you all... firstly, we want to thank those that sent us emails, texts and gi;s over Xmas, we really appreciate your kindness.

Secondly, we really hope you’ve had a relaxing holiday with family, you’ve recharged the baCeries, re-­‐ignited the fire in your belly and now it’s Eme to get busy!

What will 2012 bring you? and what lessons did you learn reflecEng on 2011?

Talking lessons, Ange’s parents reEred at the end of 2011 a;er 30-­‐odd years in the same job. It’s preCy amazing to think they dedicated themselves to one insEtuEon for such a long period of Eme and one day, one single 24 hour period became such a defining moment in their life. They now have all the

The 2012 Road Ahead. Page 4

If you’ve ever had difficulty making decisions, but realise it is imperative to moving forward in 2012, then this *new* template is for you...

In saying this, it made us stop and think about Eme and how, exactly, we choose to use it. Or perhaps to be more precise -­‐ clarity. Clear and disciplined about how you choose to use it. Do we use our Eme producEvely? do we make the right decisions? or perhaps we get bogged down doing something with very liCle return on investment (ROI). Time for some clarity in our life!

Perhaps you’ve started this with a New Year’s resoluEon. It was interesEng to read the two highest listed new year’s resoluEons are 1.Lose weight and 2. Fix finances. If you have one of these in your list I suggest including ‘working on your mindset’ and conEnue your ‘personal development’ through the investment in your educaEon because o;en the first 2 will follow simply because you’ve

H2-PRO Plumbing Page 7

Gold VIP Member Tony Welsh shares his 3 top tips in business, plus, check out his replica 1965 AC Shelby Cobra... what a machine!

Lost In The Web Page 9

Did you know there are more things to consider with web hosting than you realise. We reveal 10 things to look for when making your decision.

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changed your outlook on life and gained the mental strength and tools to make it happen.

We’re excited to get our teeth into 2012 with planning for Dr.DRiP complete and the team more moEvated than ever... and TIC providing the pla^orm in both Hamilton Island in March, the Work Shop in June and of course, MyTIC, to firstly celebrate the year gone by and secondly, stretch our mind to the future. (For Diamond/PlaEnum members, it’s not too late to book Hamilton Island).

I do want to say a huge thanks for your posiEve feedback on MyTIC -­‐ we too are excited to have been able to bring this to you.

I recommend you check out the ‘best of’ you tube video on page 12. To make it really easy we’ve decided to include a secEon in MyTIC, so if you know of an inspiring or moEvaEonal video that you think we could all benefit from, then drop me an email.

And saving the best for last, check out what Gold VIP member, Tony Welsh from H2-­‐PRO Plumbing, has been doing in Victoria (page 7). The business is going from strength to strength. Wonder if the racing is the same...

So what have you planned to make 2012 your very best year yet?

This is your year...

January will see us all celebrate one of the most important days of our history -­‐ Australia Day. To help make you feel even more like an Aussie, we share 2 really cool Aussie iPhone apps...check them out on page 6.

dy n A

I had a good laugh when I read Ange’s top 3 holiday iPhone aps, specifically ‘for the ladies’, but decided, for the ‘roaming tradesman’ this is a gem!

Getting a lot done FAST Page 11

Consistent Marketing Page 13

Other articles include • My top 3 Essential Aussie iPhone aps - page 6 • My top 3 holiday iPhone aps - page 6 • Inspiration from Steve Jobs Creative mind and amazing leader page 10 • You tube ‘best of’ video Lost Generation with 15 million hits, it’s a must watch - page 12

The ‘fast new economy’ has moved in with a vengeance, and when your customer expects everything to happen yesterday, what are you doing to adapt?

Our 4 point checklist will ensure you’re not wasting your marketing dollar, plus, we talk the benefit of a Style Guide, and with the template, design your own.

• Tech Talk with the iPad page 17 • Cool boys toys in the Man Cave - page 21 •

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Tradesman inner Circle Helping You On The Road To Success MEMBERS – You are never far from help.

Unlimited phone support on 1800 704 822.

Lay it on the plate.........

W

hat does the 2012 road

ahead look like for you and your business?

Have you had the chance to ‘lock yourself’ away to write down your thoughts, your dreams, your aspiraCons? Perhaps that black leather

notebook that santa delivered to you needs some aCenEon... and FAST! Why? ...because every day of not knowing your goals is one less day of ACTION. One less day of pufng one foot in front of the other in the direcEon of achieving these goals. Now is the perfect Eme to re-­‐visit your plans to know 100% what you want to achieve in 2012 ,and who knows, perhaps they have changed slightly from when you last looked...

That said, it is fairly easy to plan the road ahead, but someEmes more difficult to make the decisions one needs to make to take the steps required. Enter the Pro/Con template. This has helped many in more ways than one.

With so much going on all the Eme, the Pro/Con template helps you focus on the single decision you need to make. Whether it’s about taking on a new employee (apprenEce versus qualified) or if you’re thinking of moving to a warehouse, the Pro/Con template will help you decide, once and for all, what you need to do!

In all seriousness, making decisions (and quickly) is one of the most important parts about being a successful business owner.

Business progress stalls, team dedicaEon wavers and business success is non-­‐existent if you take too long to make a decision -­‐ no maCer how big or small.

The criEcal steps to remember to make your decision are these; 1. Consider the facts, 2. your gut feel and 3. simply decide.

If, in Eme, you realise you made the wrong decision, at least you made one. Now make a new one!

If all else fails, use this template. It will help you make the right decision. Then your problem is solved!

PRO / CON

Go to MyTIC. tradesmantoolkit /gefng started /How to be more producEve effecEve

Date:

Deadline:

Issue:

Urgency: (circle) High Medium

PRO

Low

CON

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Total Pro (tally here):

Total Con (tally here):

Decision Made: (circle) Yes No Decision:

Action Required:

Making decisions can be one of the most difficult things to do. Using this template will help you make the right choice and your problem is solved!

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TRADE SECRETS IN YOUR POCKET

d fo r a o l n w o D !

FREE now

INTRODUCING THE TRADESMAN INNER CIRCLE IPHONE & ANDROID APP Now you can access our free content all in the one convenient locaEon. Allow us to help you make the right moves to ensure your business and life success If you’re on your iPhone you will find it in the app store by searching Tradesman Inner Circle. For Android, search for us on your handset in the Android Market.

My Top 3 Essential Aussie iPhone Apps EssenCal Phone App #1

DrinkTracker

Price: $1.99 A small price to pay compared with being caught over the limit by the boys in blue.

It records how many drinks you’ve had, along with the Emes of your drinks and keeps track of your BAC (blood alcohol content)!

EssenCal Phone App #2

Aussie Slang DicConary

Price: $1.19 We all need a liCle brushing up on our Aussie slang!

EssenCal Phone App #3

Aussie Insult Generator Price: $1.19

To bundle with the slang there is no beCer app than this. Perfect when you’re trying to baffle your o/s mates and your Aussie ones for that maCer!

My Top 3 Holiday iPhone Apps For the ladies...

Show The Loo Price: free A useful app when you find yourself in unknown territory that shows you every public toilet within a 10km radius.

It even has an ‘i’m busEng’ buCon which will show direcEons to get you there!

For the men...

Flick Footy Price: free Waste your holiday hours tesEng your footy flicking skills!

For the kids...

SkyView

Price: free Learn about the universe a whole new way! ConstellaEons fade in and out as you move the app around the sky.

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Tradesman Inner Circle Member Profile “We have put systems in place that were non-existent before...we have new motivation and stride in the way we operate.” snowboarding and especially having a beer and talking crap with mates.

Members

My pride and joy is my replica 1965 AC Shelby Cobra. I am an active member of the Cobra Car Club of Victoria. I take the car to club runs, car shows, historic race meetings and drive it in events on the race track myself.

2. What’s the biggest challenge you’ve faced in the last 12 months?

Tony Welsh H2Pro Plumbing Gold VIP Member 1. Tell us a little about your situation, business, family etc.

I completed my apprenticeship in 1999 with G.C Cooper Plumbing and stayed on as a subcontractor full time until 2002. We specialized in industrial/commercial maintenance and installations. It was a great company to work for as I gained priceless experience in many areas of plumbing and forged great friendships with coworkers. My boss was a stickler for perfection which played a major roll in how I perform my work and present my company today.

After 18 months of working for J&R Jones Plumbing doing new homes, 6 years with G.C Cooper Plumbing doing industrial and commercial work, and 6 months with Australian Hot Water Services, I decided to open up shop myself.

Over the course of 10 years we have experienced a few different phases and have taken different directions to what we specialize in.

Today we are a branded company that specializes in Residential Maintenance/Renovations & Emergency Plumbing. The business consists of myself, Tristan (my wife plus book keeper, office manager), a 2nd year apprentice and a newly appointed tradesman.

We have 2 trucks on the road and are hoping to expand to 3 within the next 12 months.

The biggest challenge we have faced in the last 12 months would have to be the restructuring of our whole business. E.g. Name change and new logo design, invoice and report books made up, marketing material, new uniforms, change of bank account names and supplier account names etc.

3. How have you tackled that challenge? How do you feel about it?

We have put in the hard yards utilizing spare time effectively to get these things taken care of without eating into too much valuable income earning time.

It has taken a while but we can see the light at the end of the tunnel now!

4. How have you and your business changed since joining TIC? Where do I start. We have changed in more than a thousand ways. We have new motivation and stride in the way we operate. We have changed our name and our business identity. We have put systems in place that were nonexistent before. We were always chasing money, and now we collect payment on the day for 80% to 90% of all jobs. We are more confident in business in general.

TIC has opened up a world of opportunity and taught me to think outside of the square.

Overall we are a more professional operation and bottom line our profit

margin is up by 280%!

I live in North Warrandyte, Victoria with my wife Tristan, son Ned 5, daughter’s Darcy 3 and Hazel 1. We have two dogs, a heeler cross called Pi, and what looks like a ridgeback cross kangaroo called Shelby.

My interests are 60’s and 70’s muscle, sports and racing cars. I love spending time with my family, listening to music, eating good food, water skiing, 7 TradeTalk

Replica 1965 AC Shelby Cobra - my pride and joy!

“Happy family!”’

5. Where do you see your business in 5 years?

In 5 years we hope to have expanded to 4 or 5 trucks with tradesmen in each, and 1 or 2 apprentices to help with the workload. I hope to stand back from being on the tools so I can focus solely on organising jobs and bringing in new clientel.

By this time all of our kids will be at school so hopefully Tristan can take on the role of Office Manager full time.

Away from work we hope to have completed our renovation.extension so that we can start to pay it off... We hope then to be able to rely on our staff to lighten the work load allowing us to spend time with the kids and entertain guests in our newly renovated home!

6. What are the top 3 things you have learnt about business that you would recommend to others, and WHY? (eg; life plan, watching numbers, customers first????)

Tip1 and why: Be honest to yourself, and honest to your customers. You cannot go wrong!

Tip2 and why:

Know your figures and your market. Know what you have to charge to earn a profit and know what to charge to be competitive and fair. You are not doing yourself any favors by plucking a figure out of thin air! Potentially you could run your business into the ground for either not charging enough or being branded as a rogue for over charging!

Tip3 and why: Learn to delegate.

Apprentice’s will not learn without hands on experience and throwing them in at the deep end every now and then. If you want your business to expand, you cannot do everything!

There are other tradesman out there as good as you!

7. Favorite tool and why?

Mini Excavator – Makes money, cheap to run and maintain. Turns a nightmare of a job on a shovel into an easy one.

8. Tell us something quirky about yourself that your buddies don’t know (eg. you have a favourite coffee cup that sings happy birthday!, you’re the only one in your extended family that is left handed) I own the box set of “Macleods Daughters”.

9. Who would you most like to have lunch with and why (eg. Richard Branson, just to say I’d had lunch with him! or to ask him how he gets so much stuff done) Carroll Shelby ( brainchild for the AC Shelby Cobra) He used his identity as a international racing driver and winner of the LeMans 24hr enduro race to persuade the Ford Motor Company to fit a Ford V8 pick-up truck engine into a already 30 year old English AC sportscar. His aim was to build a car that would beat the likes of Ferrari and Jaguar on the USA and International racing circuits.

The outcome was his Cobra’s won everything there was to win in the USA and went on to be one of the most successful race cars ever produced. He then designed a streamline Cobra known as the Daytona Coupe which won LeMans 24hr and is the only American car to ever win a World Sportscar Championship.

The 1965 AC Cobra 427 S/C has performance that can be compared with modern day sportscars. The AC Cobra is the most replicated and one of the most desired cars in the world.

Carroll Shelby is the classic underdog, he had a larger than life dream that he turned to reality through sheer drive, persistence and passion.

Sir Jack Brabham (Australian racing driver and race car designer/constructor) Formula 1 World Champion 1959, 1960 and 1966. Founder of Repco-Brabham Racing Cars. The only person to ever win a Formula 1 World Championship in a car bearing his own name. It is unlikely this will ever happen again.

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LOST IN THE WEB

10 Things to Look for in a Web Hosting Service

T

hese days I think we would all agree that having a website is critical for most businesses.

That means that choosing a reliable web hosting service has become just as important.

But that can be easier said than done given the hundreds of options out there that range from local mom-and-pop providers to international providers like Go Daddy and Rackspace, all of which range in terms of their price and service offerings. But how do you know whether you need to spend $10 a month versus $100? What follows are 10 tips, from business owners and experts alike, about the kinds of questions and issues you want to think about before deciding where to host your website.

1. Support Ask yourself what type of support will you need, the worst thing that can happen is for a website to go down, or having an email issue. Nobody can prevent glitches 100 percent, so if and when you find yourself in the middle of one, its best to have someone you can call on to get immediate resolution. That means looking for providers that provide 24/7 free phone support with customer service reps who speak your language and actually pick up the phone when you need them to.

2. Parking Service Find out if you can easily park your company's other domain names. Most companies buy their .com, .net, .org, hyphenated versions of their domain name, misspellings, service names, and more.

It's most efficient and convenient for brand management to have these in one control panel and know that you're not going to lose any traffic.

3. Backup Make sure your web hosting service provides adequate backup. Find out what your host's disaster recovery

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plan is, as well, to ensure that they are backing up their backups.

4. Uptime Guarantee The last thing you want your customers to experience is a blank screen when they type in your URL, so you'll want to shop for a hosting service with a strong reputation for uptime and redundancy. Your site can't be seen if the host constantly has server outages. Look for an uptime guarantee of 99 percent or more. Also make sure the server has multiple backup locations (mirrored servers) so that if one goes down, they have another already online and ready to go."

5. Accessibility You might find that some hosting services make it difficult to make changes to your site. If so, avoid them.

Make sure the host you choose gives you access to the server so that you can easily create new email accounts, make changes to server settings. That goes double for ensuring that you can get access to your email online and not just through Outlook. Most hosts provide this, but some do not. Make sure you will have the ability to login online to check your email from when you are away from your computer, and in case of emergency like when Outlook crashes.

6. Blogability Another staple of most company websites these days is a blog, in addition to other social media tools. Even if

you don't blog, you might in time, so make sure that the hosting service meets the minimum requirements for WordPress, the leading blogging platform. So many small businesses are utilising WordPress for blogging and or for their entire website, and not all hosts yet support this.

7. To Share or Not to Share One of the ways that you can save money on hosting your website is by turning to something called "shared hosting," which basically means that your site is being hosted along with dozens (if not hundreds) of other sites which is why you might pay as little as $5 a month for hosting fees. The downside, though, can be that troubles with one of those sites could lead to problems for all the sites hosted on that server. Having a fast website response time is crucial so that your visitor doesn't grow impatient and click away and that Google uses page load speed as one of its many factors in determining whether your page will be show high in search results. You may better off paying for more for access to a Virtual Private Server (VPS)—also called a Virtual Dedicated Server (VDS). "VPS is a bit more complicated to set up, but at $40 to $50 a month, you have a much higher quality web server and faster performance.

9. Scalability While you might be shopping for a hosting service for your small business, you should consider partnering with a service that can scale with you as you get bigger.

That can mean that the service offers different tiers of service based on the number of expected visitors you receive each month where, as your business takes off, you can easily upgrade your plan. Just as importantly, you may want to evaluate providers based on how they deal with unexpected "spikes" that tear into your available bandwidth.

10. Exit Strategy Even if you're excited about everything your new web hosting service has to offer, make sure you read the fine print about what they have to say if you decide to take your business elsewhere.

Ref Darren Dahl Inc.com

8. Watch for Add-ons Even if you like the price a web hosting service quotes you, make sure you know what you're paying for.

Hosting services often grab you with a low start-up rate.

But then it's, 'Oh, you want an email account too? That's extra. You want to forward the email to your existing email account? That's extra. And you want a blog?

That's extra too.' You get the idea."

Inspirational Steve Jobs Quotes Apple has lost a visionary and creative genius.

“I’m convinced that about half of what separates the successful entrepreneurs from the non-successful ones is pure perseverance”

“We don’t get a chance to do that many things, and every one should be really excellent. Because this is our life. Life is brief, and then you die, you know? And we’ve all chosen to do this with our lives. So it better be damn good. It better be worth it” Fortune

“Being the richest man in the cemetery doesn’t matter to me...Going to bed at night saying we’ve done something wonderful... that’s what matters to me” Wall Street Journal 1993

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My 7 Step Formula to Getting a Lot Done FAST...

Tick, Cck, Cck... the noise of

Cme escaping us one second at a Cme... and when the world is only speeding up, the ‘dinosaur ways’ of the past just won’t cut it anymore.

Yes, you guessed it... the ‘fast new economy’ has moved in with a vengeance -­‐ fast internet, fast conversaEons (a.k.a email/text), and when your customers expect everything to happen yesterday, what are you doing to adapt?

Well, this is were I step in to share with you my 7 Step Formula to gefng things done fast...

Before I share this with you, I want to ask you a quesEon. It’s one thing to get a lot done fast, but what exactly are you trying to do?

For starters let just say ‘to stay a step ahead of your compeEtor’ because surely you want to ‘be the hunter’ not ‘be hunted’. To do this you need to answer 5 very basic quesEons about your business: 1. Who, exactly, is your customer? Where do they live? How much do they earn? Where do they ‘hang out’?

2. Who is your biggest compeEtor? How do they get customers and how do they look a;er them?

3. What are the results of your markeEng? Your ROI? 4. Why should a customer buy from you instead of your compeEtor?

5. What plans do you have for the future for the business? Where do you see the business in 1-­‐5 years Eme? Talking with the number of trade business owners that we do around Australia, it is surprising how many do not know the answer to these 5 quesEons.

They are certainly the ‘hunted’ not the ‘hunter’. But you do! Armed with this informaEon it’s Eme to take acEon with knowledgable speed.

This is step #1. To know your business through these 5 quesCons. For armed with this informaEon you are far ahead of many tradies around you (trust me, we know...).

Step #2 Work on what is most profitable and most important to your business. At the expense of other things. Yes, it means certain jobs will not get done, and that’s okay. I generally have about 6 ‘priority’ jobs on the go at one Eme. Mind you...

Step #3 Work only on one thing at a Cme.

Although you might have 6 top priority jobs to complete, work on only one at a Eme. Now only you can decide which of these top priority jobs makes it to the top of the list to be done first. Perhaps base it on length of Eme to complete? ROI?

Step #4 Work like you’re heading on holidays tomorrow -­‐ with speed. It’s funny isn’t it how

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much you can get done in a week, a day when you’re heading away and things just have to be done before you go. Imagine what you can get done when you work like this all the Eme!

Step #5 Good is good enough. This one took a

while for me to grasp, the perfecEonist that I am. I swear it pays off, because believe me, perfecEon is overrated!

that are ‘qualified’ to take you along for the ride, who have learnt their lessons ‘on the street’.

Because the rules have changed dramaEcally in the past few years -­‐ the old ways of doing business have been laid to rest (R.I.P) and there’s a new breed on the block...and it’s only just gaining momentum...

moEvaEng than to complete a task ahead of schedule or at worst, to deadline. The feeling of accomplishment is very fulfilling. Ensure those around you are aware of the Ecking clock too.

There is one thing we can all be thankful for... being a small/medium sized business owner, we can all be very flexible to change. We are adaptable and can implement change with speed. We only need to know WHAT we are changing and have a big enough reason to do it!

Step #7 this is the most important step of all... to keep your eyes open to the ‘fast new economy’. To be a successful business person it is

Armed with the 7 Step Formula to Gefng a Lot Done Fast, no maCer what you decide to do, you can do it...and fast.

Step #6 Work to deadlines. Nothing is more

imperaEve that you see the dangers and the opportuniEes on the horizon so that you can prepare for them and respond to them quickly and efficiently, if you want and/or need to.

As you are well aware, this is not a passing fad, nor a short term interest... it is here to stay, it will gain massive momentum over Eme, and together, we will be ready!

Make sure you jump in the boat with those moving with the current of change. With those

You Tube ‘Best Of’ Video

‘Lost Generation’

has had over 15million hits since it was loaded on You Tube and won 2nd place in the AARP U@50 Video Contest, and when you watch this video you’ll know why!

Talk about encouragement to get our act together.

A little motivation goes a long way and this short but powerful video certainly does the job!

This 1:45 minute video shares with us: ★ Hope for the future ★ Confirms the belief that WE can make a difference If you’re feeling a little down and out and need a new view on the world, then check out this video now... you won’t be disappointed!

Check it out and let me know what you think.

Go to www.youtube.com and type in to your address bar: Lost Generation OR head to MyTIC for You Tube ‘Best of’ Videos

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SPILL THE BEANS.....

‘MIND-BLOWING S E C R E T S F RO M A M A R K E T I N G M AV E N ’

Are Your Marketing Messages Consistent?

“Our 4 Point Checklist will

ensure you’re not wasCng your markeCng investment dollars”

It concerns me that so many small (and some large) businesses waste their markeEng dollar on inconsistent markeEng. It’s like the business owner was sleeping when they decided to spend money on communicaEon with their customer.. Let me give you some recent examples so you know what I mean: * The local butcher recently won an award and took out an ad in our local paper to announce the fact.

On entering the store the following day there was no menEon of the win across the front window and the award was tucked behind the cash register almost out of sight. * Dining in a chinese restaurant that adverEses ‘authenEc chinese’ whilst we ate listening to ABC talk back ~ nothing authenEc about that! * Washy company colours that use different font styles in every piece of communicaEon -­‐ vehicle, website to uniform are all inconsistent.

It is no wonder we don’t immediately recognise the business or believe their key message.

So how do we make sure our customers immediately connect to our business when they see our logo (brand recogniCon), believe every word we say about our business and happily build a strong relaConship with our business that conCnues for many years to come?

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It starts with markeCng consistency...

MarkeEng consistency begins with a strong brand idenEty and key message. The brand idenEty is made up of three elements -­‐ a logo being the focal point, specific colours and a specific type face (font style).

Let’s begin with a 4 Point Checklist to see how consistent your markeEng is: 1. Do you have a company logo? a. Is it text only or does it include an image? b. do you use the company logo/image in the exact same style/format every Eme? c. are there opEons? if so, what are the rules?

2. What are your company colours (PMS & CMYK)? a. are your colours consistent across all markeEng material? For example: is the blue the same on your business card as it is on your website?

3. Do you have specific type face (font) that you need to use/incorporate?

4. What is the key message for your business? a. Is the message and branding consistent? eg -­‐ does your website talk about ‘one topic’ and your magnets ‘another’? is the music in the restaurant a complete mis-­‐match?

Seems simple right? RIGHT... but if that’s the case, then why aren’t more businesses communicaEng a consistent message to their customers?

And you know what, it’s not just you who needs to know these rules. It’s any graphic designer you work with or any new (office) employee. This is done with a Style Guide... get to this in a minute...

Let’s put this into perspecEve using Dr.DRiP as an example.

Your Business’. Search for ‘How to Write Your Own Style Guide’.

Company logo -­‐ Recognisable company logo.

Includes both text and an image.

The image is always represented in the colours as above. At Emes we add a santa hat for example, but the general rule is the ‘man’ is untouched.

Company Colours -­‐ The colours are orange (PMS021) and blue (PMS Reflex). They are the strongest blue and orange on the colour chart available.

Company Font -­‐ The font style is specific with the use of lower and upper case text, and the style font doesn’t change to ‘tahoma’ or ‘lucida calligraphy’.

Key Message -­‐ our business is known for ‘FAST, same day service guaranteed’. That said, our reputaEon could be completely ruined if we didn’t offer this.

The consistency of the use of the company logo above assists to build brand awareness.

The measure by which a brand springs to mind, if for example, the vehicle was seen driving down the street, a customer would immediately connect the logo and the colours with our business and memories about their posiEve customer experience.

Okay, so that said... how do you ensure you ALWAYS communicate this informaEon to your team?

With a STYLE GUIDE. Basically a set of standards for design or wriEng of documents to be followed by the enEre team. It seems like a no brainer seeing the graphic designer can simply be supplied with the logo, but let me tell you, it is amazing at how they can ‘tweek’ your logo Ell it no longer looks like yours... the Style Guide provides the boundaries.

Check out MyTIC to download the Style Guide template -­‐ under ‘ Tradesman Toolkit’, ‘MarkeEng

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Now that we have the brand design sorted out, how do we know we’ve applied it consistently across all of our markeCng? In short, if there was a change, would you remember every facet to apply it?

Have you incorporated that new look to your: * website * business cards * leCerhead * email signature * newspaper adverEsement * vehicle * introducEon kits * invoice books * thank you cards * membership cards * statements (accounEng) * uniforms (hat, shirt, shorts) * building signage * or any other means of markeEng? Perhaps it is a good idea to block out some Eme to audit your markeEng material using the the ‘MarkeEng Audit Checklist’ on MyTIC. You can find this in the same locaEon as the Style Guide.

You wouldn’t be the only one ever to forget to update an email signature a month a;er the fact!

This checklist will simply ensure you don’t miss a beat to communicate a professional business ALWAYS!

Ange & Andy's GIGANTIC Success Secret of the Month Reading and applying these constantly provide focus and clarity in every aspect of our life – both personal and business. We hope they have a similar effect in yours.

Cherish time - it is your most valuable resource.

You can never make up the time you lose. Once it’s gone, it’s gone forever!

To waste time is to waste your life as it is the only limitation to all your accomplishments.

Remember: the most important choice you will ever have to make is how you use your time.

TradeTalk Q&A is on iTunes!

The entire Q&A back catalogue is available to listen to wherever and whenever you want... hot topics selected from your feedback.

TradeTalk 15

Hamilton Island is calling your name for 9-­‐11 March 2012

Time to review, rejuvenate and reward yourself

Call Verity at Flight Centre on (02) 9997 6924

No one steal my spot, I saw it first!

Tech You've taken the plunge and invested in an iPad. Like millions of others, you love it.

It's light and keeps a remarkable 10-hour charge. Use it with a wireless Bluetooth keyboard and you can type just as fast as ever.

So, is it possible to ditch your laptop altogether?

An abundance of apps are tempting people to give it a try.

"Pages and Numbers are two of them," Keller says. "I'm able to do a lot of Word document work on Pages and spreadsheet work on Numbers as part of the general rhythm of the business day. I'm not printing anymore. I'm just reading and editing right on the iPad."

17 TradeTalk

Talk You can also use GoodReader to view / PowerPoint presentations and iAnnotate to make comments on PDF files.

WebEx and GoToMeeting are popular apps for holding virtual meetings.

Keynote for giving presentations to clients or customers could be a huge advantage. It can also play your PowerPoint slides with a few tweaks.

There is no doubt that iPads are much easier to carry than a laptop. It's got 10 hours of power so you don't have to worry about finding an outlet to plug it in. You bring out the iPad and it's a much more sophisticated presentation device. You don't want to hand out pieces of paper anymore.'

Dragon Dictation is a voicerecognition app that allows you to speak and instantly see your text or email messages, a process that the company says is up to five times faster than typing.

Evernote lets you save things like notes, Web pages, business cards, photos, and screenshots, then indexes them so you can find what you saved later.

File backup, sharing and syncing apps such as Dropbox and SugarSync are also popular with SMBs that want to have access to their files all the time, whether they're using a desktop computer, laptop or mobile device.

Will using the latest and greatest apps let you give up your laptop altogether?

The experts generally think not, although they say it comes pretty close as a replacement, and even does things the laptop can't. So, the jury is still out on this one.

TradeTalk 18

Tradesman Inner Circle Helping Tradesman Australia Wide Since 2008 To our Members, You are never far from help.

Unlimited Phone Support

Call us whenever you need us on 1800 704 822

Would They Toss the Rule Book?

Y

ou know who I mean... the

staff. Would they ever simply abandon the rule book and make up their own?

Recently I was at the hairdresser

enjoying a social chat and a cappuccino when our relaxing environment was ruined by a 70-­‐ish year old client walking through the door complaining about the troubles of parking her car. Yes, it is a busy street, and yes, there is only one spot in front of the shop for customers which she seemed to think she owned, and of course was taken (no less, by me...).

It took a hot cup of tea and the enEre salon listening to her long list of troubles for the day to calm her down. Then, the most extraordinary thing happened... The apprenEce asked for her car keys and le; the building. Yes, she had taken the liberty to move the liCle old ladies car for her!

Does that ever happen anymore? the beauEful gesture of a staff member to help out a customer like that, AND more specifically the fact that she had used her own iniEaEve, not by direcEon of her boss.

The rule book of the salon was literally thrown out the window!

But here’s the thing... I am quite sure that not only was Mrs. Trouble suitably impressed (which calmed her down considerably that she actually cracked a smile!), but the rest of the room, customers and the owners alike, were impressed with the apprenEce for taking the maCer into her own hands.

I’m a big fan of having an employee manual, but someEmes you can’t cover every situaEon that will arise in your business. So what direcCon do you give your team for situaCons where they need to use their own judgement?

Although we provide our team with a manual, and talk about every possible scenario they could ever encounter, the short of this is the simple fact that you will never cover them all. There has to be a point where you push the Rule Book aside and, in one sentence, communicate how you wish for them to behave.

The team didn’t necessarily need a rule book; they needed a business philosophy.

In the situaEon of my hairdresser, one would imagine their guiding philosophy would have been something like: treat every customer like they were a friend in your home. It is for this reason a smiling face and a warm welcome is the first greeEng you are given, the tea/coffee is made to order and you can be guaranteed a heart-­‐felt conversaEon. That said, I personally believe that this apprenEce took the business philosophy too literally and moving a customers car, is perhaps, a liCle too generous. If I was the business owner, I don’t think I would be too happy about this... but her heart was in the right place!

So, what guidelines do you provide your team? Do they understand the vision of the business? The values of the business? How o;en is it communicated? Is it printed and features on the walls of the office in plain view?

Do your employees know when to toss out the rule book and let your philosophy guide their responses to the unexpected?

20 TradeTalk

S I H T IS

R U O IN Y

MAN CAVE? This is where we talk about all cool things that should or could be in the man cave. Gadgets, new tech, cool tools, new inventions or big boys toys, if it’s cool and fun we’ll talk about it.

Ever wanted to look like a pro surfer but simply lack the energy? this awesome electric powered surf board could be the answer...

I love to surf, and with the beach only a stones throw away, to be honest, I’m shocked that I’m not out there more often. That said, I tell myself that competing for waves with the 20 year olds and the exhaustion simply from paddling out is enough to keep me away. BUT... finally I’ve found something that could come to my rescue.

The team at Wavejet have actually cracked the problem of inserting a water jet into a surf board that is small enough not to weigh it down or have a

21 TradeTalk

negative impact to the shape and performance of the board.

WaveJet Pod is operated from a waterproof controller powered by Seatooth® technology that is worn on the wrist. Powered by a lithium-ion battery, it can be recharged using a standard outlet or car lighter. If you are separated from your board, the drive shuts off instantly. The drive, or Pod, makes up to 12 miles per hour, which is 3 to 4 times faster than paddling, and it is fully modular, so you can pop it out of your surfboard and into any other WaveJet-ready PWC you own.

For a cool 5K, this could make it your man cave. www.wavejet.com.au

As you would have noticed all of the modules, 1 through 6, are being recorded to audio and uploaded to the My TIC Member site.

sound quality is so much better than your standard ear buds supplied with your device. You can also answer and hang up calls by clicking a button on the lead.

The team here at TIC went through a painstaking process to find you 2 of the best sounding voice talents in the business. So in order to really enjoy their sultry tones you should download them to your MP3 player and ask the New Year santa for a new set of head speakers.

Option2 whilst gardening or running etc is the Sennheiser PX 200. They are not 100% noise canceling but cut out enough sound and are comfortable and light. This is a cheaper alternative on head phones.

There is plenty of choice out there so I will narrow it down for you.

Here are 2 of the best; For in and around the home and office, option 1 is the Bose ear buds (pictured below). They are inexpensive and the

That said, if you want the best of the best, you can’t go past the Senheiser HD 800. Supposed to be the worlds best headphones for a tiny $1,500.

I couldn't imagine a better way to take in all of the mind blowing strategies within the modules and take your business to the next level.

Cool iPhone Apps for Tradies Skype for iPhone or iPad Description: Free Skype to Skype calls & text.

This is a must have, no longer are you tied to your desk top, walk away and continue calls including video on your iPone or iPad. Features: • free Skype-to-skype calls over 3G & wi-fi • video calls to iPhone, iPad, Android, PC, MAC, Skype enabled TVs • low rate Skype to mobile or landline calls TradeTalk 22

NEXT ISSUE NEXT ISSUE: Avoid business burnout. How do you know if you’re on the edge plus 5 simple and straightforward tips you can implement today to prevent this from happening to you!

Why I’m not ashamed of my failures and why you shouldn’t be either...

Alright crew, time for us all to get busy…

To our DIAMOND and PLATINUM members, remember to book your next ‘Staying On Track’ meeting via MyTIC. Look forward to speaking soon.

Smith a l e g An ew & r d n A

Don't forget, we would love to share your learnings, hot tips, recommended s uppliers a nd a ny other information t hat w ill benefit the TIC m embers. D rop us a line to info@tradesmaninenrcircle.com.au

CHANGING ADDRESS? Don’t miss out on a single issue! If you’re changing contact details then ensure to let us know -- simply give us a call or send an email. This way we’ll keep you plugged into a world of knowledge, tips, news and views.

TradeTalk is published by and © copyright by Andrew & Angela Smith, Tradesman Inner Circle Pty Ltd 2012. All Rights Reserved. This newsleCer and any accompanying material are for general informaEon purposes only. It is the responsibility of the reader to comply with any local, state or federal laws. SEck with me here while I conEnue with this legal blah-­‐blah. The Publisher has taken all reasonable measures to ensure that the material contained within this newsleCer is correct. The Publisher provides no representaEon and gives no warranty as to the accuracy of the informaEon and does not accept any responsibility for errors or inaccuracies in the informaEon contained herein and shall not be liable for any loss or damage arising as a result of any person acEng in reliance on informaEon contained herein. All done!

For more information, contact: Tradesman Inner Circle Pty Limited

Ph: +61 1800 704 822

Email: info@tradesmaninnercircle.com.au Web: www.tradesmaninnercircle.com.au