Business Essentials

In a world that just keeps getting busier, how do we find time to get through our daily tasks? Switching the notifications pings off your computer and mobile phones is one suggestion. And there are many other strategies from Les Watson, Time Lord and author of ‘Get Back An Hour In Every Day: The A-Z of Being More Productive’. Another is prioritising your tasks by ditching or delegating...

How can you expect to please your customers when you’re determined to keep putting them “right” all the time? It's easy to fall into the trap of being right, says professional speaker on customer service Martin Grunstein, but that's not what the customer is looking for from you. Martin has examples of sales staff correcting their customers, and of companies enforcing rules that c...

Not only can the cost and time involved in a legal dispute be prohibitive for a lot of business owners, but the stress can be overwhelming. Is there another solution? Mediation is an option worth considering, says lawyer Alison Shaw of Shaw Mediation Australia. Its benefits, she says, include convenience, privacy, reputational discretion and the ability of each party to influence the outcomes. Bus...

Have your ever wondered how the best salespeople win over their clients? With decades of experience, Mike Adams says the common thread is storytelling. Mike insists stories help establish rapport and trust, inspire action and close the deal. He shares tips from his book, 'Seven Stories Every Salesperson Must Tell', based on extensive research and his own international sales career. Business Essent...

Preparation is so important to telephone sales – have a script, write down key objections, but most importantly "master your mindset". That's the advice from Ashleigh Hoult, founder and director of The PromoDonna. These days a lot of businesses are reluctant to do cold-calling as a business strategy and have lost the art of speaking on the phone. That paves the way for others who understand...

If you don't have strategies to tackle the onslaught of incoming emails, you'll spend even more time trying to find the important ones and be distracted by the ones that are less so. Email expert Steuart Snooks of Solutions 4 Success has a tonne of tips to manage your emails and get more time back in your day. Business Essentials Daily is produced by: SoundCartel soundcartel.com.au +61 3 9882 8333...

Don’t look back! If ever there was a message from veteran leadership expert and business coach Alan Rodway, it’s that we can learn from the past, but we most definitely mustn’t return to the past if we want to find success in the coming year. He offers thoughts and strategies on how we can do that as we tackle the big challenges of moving out of 2020 and into 2021. Business Essen...

Living up to the expectations of others can be a heavy weight. From childhood to our working lives and beyond, we’re largely driven by what’s expected of us. But what if those expectations tie us down and prevent us from reaching our dreams? As a keynote speaker, author and mentor John Di Natale, knows first-hand about managing expectations of others and going his own instead. Business...

If you ask questions and listen to the answers, you will learn what your customers want. Selling becomes easier and you don’t have to talk so much, says sales expert Colin Pearce. Colin has been training salespeople for many years and has a bag full of tips on how to sell more, easier and faster. Talking too much is a bane for many salespeople, and it's their "overselling" which often puts p...

How would you like to be on the front page of the paper without having to pay for it? It starts with having something to say. Nicole Ashby's heart was racing and her palms were sweaty when she first spoke on radio about the impact of a fly-in fly-out workstyle on the families left behind. That was the first of many hundreds of media interviews she performed as Founder and Director of FIFO Families...

How effective really is your website? If you haven't thought about it that much, then you're not taking advantage of one of your best sales tools. Irwin Hau is the Director of web design agency, Chromatix, he also understands that a great website is more than just design alone. He matches the psychology of consumer behaviour with the magic of web tools to create a first-rate customer experience &n...

Apple worked hard to keep things simple - we see it everyday in its products and its success. From the man who named the iMac and who was integral to Apple’s ‘Think Different’ marketing campaign, Creative Director Ken Segall spent 12 years working with Steve Jobs and experienced first-hand his obsession with keeping things simple. Ken wrote about it all in his book ‘Insanel...

While the economy continues to take a pummelling and businesses struggle to forge ahead, is there any room for optimism at the moment? Former politician and barrister Victor Perton certainly believes so – in fact, he says it's undeniable that an optimistic attitude can lead to opportunity and, therefore, business growth. As Director of The Centre for Optimism, Victor shares his tips on how t...

In early July 2020 the Woolworths Group was fined $1M for significantly breaching spam laws. The highest amount ever issued by the Australian Communications and Media Authority or ACMA. A strong, public rebuke was also given by the ACMA Chair, Nerida O’Loughlin, calling the scale and prolonged nature of the non-compliance, inexcusable. It’s not a cautionary tale for enterprise companie...

LinkedIn is one of the best social media platforms for reaching out individually to prospective clients. The problem is, insists LinkedIn expert Ty Giuliani, business owners aren't active enough to get the results. Ty shares his tips on developing a strategy and framework to establishing rapport with your market and creating business opportunities. Business Essentials Daily is produced by: SoundCa...

For some business owners the environment might be the last thing you’re considering as you navigate operations through the pandemic. With visible improvement in water and air across the globe during COVID-19 it’s an image we can have in the future if we begin to rebuild with climate in mind. The best part is that the solutions are accessible, available and won’t break the bank. A...

Your staff look up to you for direction, encouragement and inspiration. Your leadership qualities will directly affect the way they work. So, how do you become a better leader? Corporate psychologist Rhonda Andrews examines the three characteristics which shape true leadership: emotional intelligence, social intelligence and technical competence. No industry has a monopoly on true leadership &ndas...

Former AFL footballer Wayne Schwass has spent decades dealing with depression and anxiety, so he knows first-hand the debilitating effects it can have on one's personal and professional life. Today, Wayne's a mental health advocate through his organisation, PukaUp, helping to spread the word and provide support about mental health issues in the workplace. He tells his own story and what can be don...

If you've never seriously considered "mums" as a potential market before, think again. You might be surprised by the spending power of this enormously influential group. Katrina McCarter says most businesses would benefit from having a strategy to target this powerful group of spenders. For example, women are starting businesses at much higher rates than men and are purchasing services and product...

Failure isn't something we should avoid at all costs – on the contrary, failure is a powerful force on the journey to success. Entrepreneur and key-note speaker, Gabe Zichermann, says if you don't feel the fear of failure, then you're not pushing yourself hard enough. In other words, fear often indicates you're on the right track. Business Essentials Daily is produced by: SoundCartel soundca...

Ebru Sak is an amazing entrepreneur and innovator with energy, compassion and enthusiasm for business and life. Her early life was a struggle as she was dragged out of school by her father and forced into an arranged marriage at 16 years old. With courage she divorced and paved her own way into the hair and beauty industry. With almost three decades' experience as a business woman, she reflects on...

Yes, it's true we can all learn from our own mistakes – but sometimes it's better to learn from others' mistakes. Alan Rodway has a list of common mistakes he sees in business. Alan takes us through poor choices that abound in decision-making and planning. A common thread in these mistakes is using a traditional and default way of thinking by avoiding new ideas, not engaging with different p...

Don’t give up - do it regularly and consistently and you'll reap the benefits. Just like an exercise regimen, prospecting for clients can be daunting - particularly the cold-calling side. But prospecting is more than just cold-calling, and if done properly it can be bring real benefits to your business. Ingrid Maynard knows - she’s had more than 25 years' experience in sales and she ad...

Bosses are often so focused on putting out fires that they neglect to recognise the good work done by their staff. HR consultant Karen Gately, at Corporate Dojo, says employees are energised when their achievements are noticed and then rewarded. And, no, money's not always the biggest motivator in the workplace, as Karen offers some smart and creative ways to reward employees. Business Essentials...

How do you get yourself heard in a market where competitors are all loudly banging the marketing and sales drum? Business advisor Darren Fleming has a few ideas – strategic tasks you can implement and share among your team over the course of the year. The great thing is they're low cost – even no cost – to the bottom line. Business Essentials Daily is produced by: SoundCartel sou...