#Customers
How to break the cycle of attracting the wrong customers over and over?
This week’s Let’s Talk, we asked our experts how to finally stop saying yes to clients who drain your energy and profits.
A sale is only a sale once payment is made
Most businesses trade on credit terms with their customers, letting them purchase as they need and pay later. This can be a great way for businesses to build their customer base and gain more work or sales, since customers will often buy more if they don’t have to pay immediately. However, extending credit to customers, […]
Why selling online makes smart sense for Australian service businesses
In the services game and looking to increase your sales? Selling to consumers online can complement the activities of your marketing team and open your company up to new customers and market segments. Australian buyers have no issue parting with their cash over the net; in fact, the reverse. Their love affair with ecommerce shows […]
SME confidence falls but a silver lining is in sight
Why small businesses have a bright future.
5 reasons why soft skills are the key to your organisation’s survival
Why soft skills are still incredibly important.
NAB first to face court over fees issue
Bank “working hard” to regain trust.
What retailers need to get right for customer acquisition
Tops tips for customer acquisition.
The case for interviewing potential customers
Your potential customers will question you or your product before deciding to commit, but most startups don’t realise that they should do the same. [Related: To succeed, you’ll have to reject customers that aren’t the right fit for your business] What do you do with a business idea? Many entrepreneurs turn to their family and friends […]
What tops the SME wish-list at Christmas?
As an advocate for small businesses in Australia and New Zealand, MYOB regularly asks SME owners what they are thinking and feeling about the economic landscape, government policies and generally what they want for the year ahead. Small businesses are the backbone of the economy so their mindset and well-being has a huge impact on the […]
Level-up your customer service in the new year
January is a time for reflection, marking the end of a busy 2016 and heralding an exciting new year. It’s important to use this time to recalibrate your business’s thinking on customer service and plan service goals and objectives for the year ahead to grow and retain your customer base. Questioning your company’s emphasis on […]
Is your small business a leaky bucket?
A business can be like a leaky bucket. Marketing teams work constantly to pour new customers in the top, spending time and money on campaigns, but if there are holes, customers are always going to leave and need to be replaced. Of course, this is not the functioning of an ideal business model; ideally new […]
Don’t lose business to poor communication
We all know how important it is for a business to master great customer and stakeholder communication through all touch points. If your interactions have a positive impact, you’re more likely to create repeat customers and gain access to the ‘holy grail’ of sales: referrals to others. Get it wrong, however, and it won’t matter if your business offers great products and […]
Look past the gimmicks and exercise resource parsimony, strategy experts warns startups
Startups that fail to exercise resource parsimony or understand the job their customers want to get done will not survive against larger companies and risk falling afoul of investors, a prominent strategy expert has warned. In Sydney last month to participate in the World Business Forum (25 to 26 May), Rita McGrath, a professor at […]
Retail details: Store safety strategies for workers and customers
Being a business owner involves ensuring that the workspace provided for employees is safe at all times. When the business that is owned is some type of retail center, the responsibility for providing safety extends to protecting the consumer. A variety of safety hazards can arise in almost any situation, in ways that may not […]
Seasonal marketing: reaching your target market at just the right time
If you’re looking for ideas to promote your company’s products and boost overall sales, then a seasonal marketing campaign is an effective way to attract both new and repeat business. Consumer buying patterns are greatly influenced by the changing seasons, religious holidays and other special occasions, and being able to make the most of buying […]
An experience to remember: 3 ways to avoid disappointing your customer
Today’s consumers are armed with more choices, more substitutes and more outlets to pursue alternative brands. In a world where our next purchase can be just two clicks away if we’re dissatisfied with a particular experience, providing quality service has never been more important. We harp on about providing a strong customer experience and with […]
How to increase your business tenfold in less than two years
When you first set up your business, you probably dived in head over heels, researching, forming new relationships, setting up an office space, and organising your daily operations. Your blood, sweat, and tears were most likely sacrificed for the cause, alongside investing your time and money. For those who survived the challenging start up process […]
How to go from zero to 100,000 users with $0 in marketing
Nearly all early-stage startups have a very limited cash flow, meaning that founders have to be picky about where funds go and why. When it comes to marketing, entrepreneurs are faced with a tough decision: spend limited resources on marketing, or inject funds into product development, following the mantra, “build it and they will come.” […]
4 key reasons SMEs need to embrace marketing
Small business owners spend so much time running their business, often they forget the only way to survive is to attract customers. Marketing is a powerful tool for SMEs that can help grow a business but many SMEs think it’s only something for the big players. With more than two million small businesses in Australia, […]
Everything you need to know about your startup’s brand identity
When people hear about your business, what do you want them to think? How do you want them to respond to your products? How do you want them to see your organisation? That’s your brand identity – quite literally your business’ reputation. It’s one of the most important elements involved in starting a business. This […]
Thought leadership and managing your voice: What does it mean?
Like innovation, disruption, visionary and out-of-the-box thinking, thought leadership is perhaps one of the most overused and often wrongly applied terms. The dawn of the digital age has enabled pretty much anyone with a voice to become a thought leader. More people than ever can aspire to have the same voice as a Sheryl Sandberg […]
How to PR yourself and your brand in the Digital Age
Whether accidental and social or driven and professional, your digital presence (or lack of it) is there for your customers, staff and prospects to see. If your digital brand is lacking or not clearly visible, your competitors will notice and fill the gap.
Positive experiences driving online reviews
The theory that it’s mostly unhappy customers that head online to share reviews is being challenged, with new figures suggesting it’s those happy consumers that are willing to put their positive opinions on the World Wide Web.
The smartphone app as an effective business tool
When entire companies are being founded on the bases of web – and mobile – applications, it’s time for every company to assess the value that an app can bring their business.