Business Benchmark Group Podcast

With all the media attention and fear circulating the Coronavirus, small businesses are feeling the effects of the virus in a non-health related way! Small business owners need to be aware of what they are in control of and what they can do to keep their business afloat during this crisis – what can you do to limit damage? This week Stefan discusses the effects of Coronavirus on small businesses a...

Having an elevator pitch prepared and ready to go can be one of your biggest weapons in Business! This week, Stefan speaks about developing an elevator pitch and the number one thing that must be in your elevator pitch to make it effective. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Subscribe to our podcast. Find us on all your favourite podcast platforms: iTunes https://itunes.apple.com/...

Getting referrals is the best marketing strategy you can have. So to kick start referral month, Stefan runs through the benefits of referral marketing, how to get them, who to get them from and ensuring the referrals you get are actually prospects you want to work with. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Subscribe to our podcast. Find us on all your favourite podcast platforms: iT...

Laurie Reeves is the Managing Director of ControlWorks – an automation company that specialises in providing safe, energy efficient environments for commercial buildings, data centres and shopping centres. ControlWorks has seen phenomenal growth in recent years, which was only sustainable after first overcoming some major hurdles, which he describes in detail during the podcast. Laurie also knew t...

There’s no point exceeding your customer’s expectations if it’s sending you broke. Before you think about more things you can do for your customer, first and foremost, you should focus on delivering exactly what you promised. Fulfil everything you said you would do. It’s surprising how many business owners lose sight of this. This is by far the most important aspect of the relationship. If you the...

Marcus Theodor is the owner of C2Films (c2films.com.au) - Australia’s highest rated, most reviewed wedding event videographer. C2Films has built their reputation by focusing on delivering the highest quality products to their clients. Marcus recognised, though, that the product is not the film they produce, but the amazing experience they deliver for clients on their most special day. By constantl...

Jacqui from Yarra Valley Gourmet Foods shares her story in business, and discusses the tenacity and determination required to be successful. In 2009, Jacqui left her career in the corporate world to pursue her dream with the purchase of Yarra Valley Gourmet Foods. Jacqui was determined to succeed - failure was not an option! With Jacqui's leadership, the business continues to innovate and grow, sh...

Improved conversion rates are the key goal for any business owner or marketer. Marketing costs money, so the higher your conversion rate, the more bang you get for your buck. In this short podcast, Stefan discusses the importance of improving your conversion rate. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Subscribe to our podcast. Find us on all your favourite podcast platforms: iTunes h...

We all know that keeping your existing clients is easier and cheaper than finding new ones. Every business owner’s goal should be to develop customer loyalty. Though it’s important to note that there is a distinct difference between loyalty and repeat business. Developing customer loyalty relies on you consistently exceeding your clients expectations. If you only meet the minimum standard they exp...

No matter what business you are in: you will never build a great business all on your own. The bigger and better the business you want to build, the bigger and better the team you will need around you. But winning teams do not happen by accident, nor are they created overnight. Selecting the right people is just the beginning of building a successful team; to have them perform at a benchmark level...

Stefan chats with Chris Sacco, Director at KLC Recruitment (https://www.klcrecruitment.com.au) Chris shares the story of launching KLC Recruitment in 2009, and how she has managed overcoming the challenges of growth with the support of business coaching and peer support of other business owners. Chris also gives great insight into the recruitment process and managing employees, for both KLC Recrui...

Patrick LaManna - CEO of LaManna Supermarket LaManna Supermarket is an independent grocer that is taking on the supermarket big boys. Hear how their passion for quality food, quality ingredients and outstanding customer service has allowed LaManna to differentiate itself and flourish. Listen online.

We chat with Chris West, the Managing Director of Fleet Plant Hire in Melbourne. Fleet Plant Hire is an industry leader in Melbourne, providing earth moving equipment and operators for any project, including major infrastructure works across Victoria. Chris has been working with us at Business Benchmark Group since August 2015, and in that time revenue has more than quadrupled, the number of truck...

David Buttifant is a world leader in sports science. In roles such as High Performance Manager at Carlton Football Club, and Sports Science Director at Collingwood Football Club, David has made his career building the resilience of Australia’s top athletes. David describes how building resilience drives performance. He performs a great experiment on our audience to showcase our fight or flight res...

Our interview with Matt Spiteri, the owner of ESC Electrical. Matt shares his story of incredible growth of his business, particularly in the past 18 months. ESC Electrical (http://escelectrical.com.au) offer electrical services to the high-volume domestic and multi-residential markets. Matt has been working with us at Business Benchmark Group since October 2017. Although a relatively young busine...

As a business owner, you need to understand the difference between horizontal and vertical time, and ensure that the work you do is for a high hourly rate. If you want to build a progressive and growing business, the work you do needs to be at a higher level, and you must have the trust and confidence in your team to delegate your lower hourly rate tasks to. Stefan explores this all in this week's...

Many business owners say they win a lot of their clients through word-of-mouth However, we find that many of these same business owners who claim this actually have no structured process in place – the referrals come randomly and unpredictably. In this episode, our Senior Strategist Damien Churton shows us how to get more people to recommend us. • 2:38 – Damien discusses his experience • 4:43 - Wh...

The backbone of the economy is small business - but their contribution is anything but small! There are an estimated two million businesses across Australia, providing nearly half of all employment. It is a crucial sector that underpins the operations of many larger businesses. But running a small business is not easy! If it were, everyone would be doing it. It’s not for the feint-hearted! But alt...

How do you keep an eye on your employees? What's an acceptable level of surveillance? In this episode, recorded from Stefan's appearance on ABC Radio's Nightlife with Tony Delroy, they dive into the often controversial issue of business owners using surveillance to track their employees. In an increasingly digital world, Stefan explains how to develop trust and accountability within your team, wit...

“Whether you think you can, or you think you can't - you're right.” - Henry Ford In this short episode, Stefan explores the theory behind this famous quote, and how you can cultivate the mindset and behaviours to think bigger, and actually achieve your biggest dreams. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Subscribe to our podcast - NEW EPISODES EVERY TUESDAY! iTunes: https://itunes.a...

Many business owners struggle with knowing what to charge for their products and services. When we first start out in business, it can be tempting to have low, or even discounted, prices as we often are desperate to land new business. However, this approach will quickly cause problems, including a tight cash flow, needing to more work for less and building a client base who are largely driven by p...

The current economic environment is causing some business owners to become concerned and unsure about what the future will bring and how their business will fare. But the fact of the matter is that these are cycles will always occur, and as a business owner, you can ensure that your business not only survives through a challenging economic environment, but thrives. There are actually 3 distinct cy...

We interview Robert Krastich, owner of Sharper Facility Services (sharper.com.au) which offers high-end commercial cleaning in Melbourne. The business was established in 2004 and Robert had done a fantastic job growing it to that point. However, he realised he had reached a crossroads. Although he was making good income and had established a good client base, he also recognised he had lost some fo...

The uncertain economic environment we're in can be a source of concern for business owners. However - it doesn't need to be that way if you use the Triple A approach to growing your business - Anticipation, Acceleration and Aggregation. With this approach, you can ensure your business is always on the front foot and poised to respond to risks and take advantage of opportunities. - - - - - - - - -...

Stefan Kazakis joins ABC Nightlife's Tony Delroy to discuss why it's important for business owners to periodically take a good, hard look at the health of your business and determine what's working, what's not working and what are we doing about it. It's important that you just don't walk past a low standard in your business, you need to always be reflecting and analysing on what areas you can imp...