BETTER BUSINESS

Issue Six, March 2006

In this months issue:
Conflict Resolution
Measuring your business
Repeat website traffic

CONFLICT RESOLUTION

Successful negotiation means that everyone should win, therefore the objective with conflict resolution should be agreement, not victory. Commonly throughout day-to-day life, business owners will be faced with conflict (where all parties prefer to search for solutions rather than giving in or breaking communication lines).

We view the most important keys to successful conflict resolution to be as follows:

• Bargain over interests, not predetermined positions
• De-personalise the problem (separate the person from the problem)
• Separate the problem definition from the search for solutions
• Try to generate alternative solutions; try to use objective criteria as much as possible
• Reflect on your negotiations; learn from your successes and mistakes

There is no one "best" style to resolving conflicts; each of us has to find a style that is comfortable for us. Yet, everyone can negotiate successfully; everyone can reach agreement where all sides feel at least some of their needs have been satisfied. This involves alertness, active listening, good communication skills, great flexibility, good preparation and, above all, it involves a sharing of responsibility for solving the problem, not a view that this is "their" problem.

If you have a conflict in your business that you feel may be spiralling out of control, contact HWI in the first instance.

 

MEASURING YOUR BUSINESS

To improve your business, you must first be able to verify any improvement. Measuring should be done before and after any improvement plan is undertaken - do not assume that any current business performance measures you may hold are accurate.

S ome key areas that are often measured include costing structures (e.g. supplier costs, staff costs) and customer satisfaction. From within these general areas there are more specific areas which can point to possible business improvement. For example, under staff costs you could review productivity, worker reliability/absenteeism, how much time/material is wasted by staff etc.

So keep in mind “what you can measure, you can manage” and “what gets measured, gets done”. So what are you measuring in your business?

 

REPEAT WEBSITE TRAFFIC

With the advent of the Internet boom, it can be a challenge to attract visitors to your site once, let alone entice repeat visits. HWI suggests the following tips when designing your website

• Design your website to contain articles that can help your customers. Make your website content interesting and relevant, writing everything with the customer (potential or current) in mind.
• Credibility is important – make sure your site contains a detailed “About us” section.
• The website needs to be dynamic, so in order to do this it must be easily updateable. Avoid having a static site which is nothing more than a simple advertisement.
• Testimonials are powerful; let the world know about your happy customers.
• Ensure any graphics are fast loading; no one wants to wait long for web pages to load.

Lastly, be disciplined and realise that your website is an ongoing project. Customers aren’t always willing to use your goods and services when you are willing to sell them so you need to keep in regular contact. For more information contact Raewyn at Technology Tailors on 307 8502.

 

 

Up coming events at HWI...

FREE SEMINAR: Keeping Better Financial Records - Tips and tricks on how to improve your bookkeeping.
Wednesday 12th April 2006 at 9am, email Mark at maldridge@hwi.co.nz for details or book online

 

Disclaimer
Information contained within this document is of a general nature and does not constitute advice. Readers are cautioned not to act or reply on it without first seeking professional advice.