Category Archives: Corporate Business Solutions

An Employee Wants to Change Teams. What Should You Do?

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Most companies carefully assemble teams to work on projects. Bringing the right talent together is crucial for achieving sales goals, as our Corporate Business Solutions consultants often recommend. Ideally, the teams you assemble together should work well. But in real life, this is often not the case. Conflicts between teams can occur, even though it shouldn’t commonly occur. If a team member asks to switch teams, as a manager or the owner, you must give careful consideration to the request (even if you really don’t want to). Here are several things to do when an employee wants to change teams:

Ask for Specifics: Some employees are forthcoming, some are not. As the boss, you should ask for specifics why the employee wants to switch. It could be because the employee feels as if he or she is not up to the task assigned. It could be some other malicious reason as well, such as harassment. Small business owners must be very careful regarding keeping the company culture civil. If one employee feels uncomfortable due to a toxic workplace, then others might be too. Therefore, it’s important to get to the bottom of why an employee wants to leave the team.

Interview Team Members: Stories are never one sided. You should interview the other members of the team, especially the team leader, as to why the employee might want to switch. This should be approached carefully. You don’t want to sow discontent between your employees. Asking some general questions may help. Later, if you suspect bad behavior, you can ask more probing questions.

Talk to Other Managers: It is important to also get the input of other managers or executives on the situation as well. If the need to switch is caused by skills deficiency or misplaced skills, then the managers or HR should evaluate how the employee might have been misplaced on the team.

It’s not always easy to put together the perfect team. Company culture, HR evaluations, and overall management all play a role. Are all these aspects working well together at your small business? To find out, contact us at CBS-CBS.com.

 

How Small Businesses Can Manage Employee Vacations During Summer

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It’s the summer! For small business executives everywhere, this also means hordes of employees going on vacation. According to market research, about 30 percent of the workforce at the average small business takes paid time off during the season. Business managers should carefully handle vacation time off to avoid being shorthanded. Summer is also the season when customers are more than willing to spend money. Here are some tips for capitalizing on the season while employees are also taking time off:

Plan in Advance: To avoid disruption due to some employees being on holiday, it’s important to plan in advance. Have employees inform you at least a month in advance of extended summer vacations (ones that take a week or more). Then don’t forget to inform the other employees about who’s going to be on vacation so they, too, can make plans accordingly. Our Corporate Business Solutions consultants highly recommend holding a meeting among key managers and individuals to notify everyone of who is going to be absent and to maintain a master list of vacation schedules which can be consulted by management to be able to make needed adjustments where necessary.

Encourage Employees to Make Cover-Up Schedules: It’s very important for employees that work in teams to be on the same page. So if someone is going on summer vacation, tell that employee to get schedule fill-ins for necessary tasks. Everyone on a team should know about who’s covering up for whom on vacation.

Send Reminders: In addition to meetings, don’t forget to set up reminders to inform everyone in writing who will be off. For example, you can send email or Slack reminders about summer vacations. Encourage employees to do the same.

Set Vacation Deadlines: Employees going on vacation should be given deadlines to complete tasks before they take time off. Let them understand that no time off will be available until these tasks are done. This is why planning vacation time in advance is important.

Reward Fill In Employees: If an employee takes over a colleague’s tasks while he or she is on vacation, then don’t forget to acknowledge that fill in employee’s contribution. Managers can offer praise, bonuses, rewards like free pizza, or an extra day off during other seasons. These rewards will encourage employees to fill in more, so the company is less likely to be shorthanded.

Small businesses should offer reprieves for employees during the summer months. Use the above tips to make sure the holiday time doesn’t disrupt business. You can ask the professionals at CBS-CBS.com for advice on all matters related to small business, including staffing issues resulting from employee vacations, during a comprehensive business analysis of your company.

What Small Businesses Can Learn from Richard Branson’s Secret to Success

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Richard Branson, the famed CEO of Virgin, recently shared his secret to success on his blog. So what could have propelled a once unknown recording studio owner to become a billionaire celebrity? The answer is deceptively simple: to do lists.

Branson explains in detail how he is always making lists. He carries a small pocketbook with him at all time to write down things to do. He even shared a snapshot of a to-do list he had made way back in 1972 when he was only running his studio, The Manor. His list included lofty goals like learning to fly, as well as such mundane things like buying new stuff for his studio. Branson says his to-do lists help him turn his ideas, no matter how big or small, into a reality.

This is, indeed, a very interesting habit for anyone to have. Branson tells all entrepreneurs to make lists and break down big tasks into small and manageable tasks that can be ticked off on a to-do list. Our Corporate Business Solutions consultants agree. What Branson is showcasing here is a keen ability to remain organized and focused. The to-do lists are a simple yet highly effective way to do this.

No entrepreneur or small business owner is ever not busy. During hectic weekly schedules, it’s easy to forget things that one must do. These things include both personal goals, like Branson wanting to learn flying, as well as business goals. Our consultants always advise small business owners to find personally convenient ways to stay organized. To-do lists, as Branson explains, are a very good start.

To-do lists are a great option for small business owners to stay ahead of schedule. Using such a list on a weekly basis will lead to more productivity. When we do Corporate Business Solutions Reviews, we often recommend teams to use lists as a way of staying organized. Small business owners, too, can definitely benefit from this advice, as Richard Branson clearly did.

How to Fire an Employee Properly

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Firing an employee is one of the toughest aspects of being a small business owner or a manager. Even the companies that work the hardest to hire just the right employees occasionally find themselves in need of firing someone. Getting fired is not easy on the employee either. So this is a matter that should be handled as delicately as possible. If you make the employee that’s going to be fired angry, there could be consequences in terms of lawsuits, negative press articles, or even unthinkable situations like the recent business place shooting in Orlando by a fired employee.

Here are several tips from Corporate Business Solutions consultants on how to fire employees properly:

Do not resort to abrupt firings unless absolutely necessary – Never fire an employee abruptly, unless it’s a case of a zero-tolerance violation set forth in company personnel policies which put employees on notice what actions subject them to being immediately fired. For example, if the employee gets arrested or is caught red-handed in a crime, then you can fire the person on the spot if those actions are set forth in the personnel policies for immediate termination.

If the firing is the cause of something like poor performance, then the process should be handled gradually. For example, an employee with poor performance should be given fair warnings and opportunities to rectify the situation. If there’s any cause for concern, first discuss the matter with the employee in question. Gently warn that if the issue is not fixed, then you would be forced to fire the employee. It should be well understood by both parties. The gradual firing process also gives the employee time to emotionally prepare themselves for the prospect of getting fired.

Break the news gently – Keep in mind that losing a job is an extremely emotional process. So, employees might react to the news in various ways. Therefore, it’s important to break the news as gently and calmly as possible. Be calm on your side even if the employee is not.

Discuss the logistics of the firing – The person doing the firing should meet face-to-face with the employee to discuss issues such as severance packages. This should also be done in an understanding manner. Also, in these meetings, listen to the employee. Do not react to whatever they are saying. Some may try to threaten to sue. Handle it gracefully without adding fuel to the flame.

It would help if the company has policies in place for handling firing gracefully. CBS Corporate Business Solutions consultants can review the process of how your small business handles firings, or advise managers on how to fire people without having the company face backlash for any reason.

How to Create Interesting and Compelling Small Business Customer Testimonials

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Customer testimonials are one of the best ways to convert traffic into paying clients. Most consumers nowadays actively seek out prior reviews and testimonials before paying for a product. This is particularly true for service sector businesses. Customer testimonials carry weight, but only if you do them right.

Consultants at Corporate Business Solutions often encourage small businesses to put an effort behind customer testimonials to make them actually persuasive. This goes beyond doing a routine spell check. Here are several ways to make customer testimonials compelling without resorting to exaggerations and hyperbole:

Write Long Testimonials – It may make sense to write short testimonials if you apply advertising logic to the material. After all, short text keeps potential customers interested, right? Not when it comes to testimonials. Audiences find longer testimonials more compelling than short ones. The problem with short testimonials is that they tend to sound like quick endorsements, not actual feedback from a former customer. People read testimonials to find out what it’s like to work with your company. So a long-form testimonial with details is the best way to go.

Provide the Specifics – Avoid writing generic testimonials. These are known to be ineffective. A persuasive testimonial includes specific details of services rendered. Ideally, the testimonials should include the nature of the services provided, the types of services provided, and the results. It’s highly recommended to use data, such as a conversion rate before and after. The small details do matter in making the testimonials sound authentic and compelling.

Do Use Pictures – Images are great for giving a human, or a real life, face to the testimonials you publish so they don’t sound like another advertisement. Also, images keep web users interested. Marketing experts know that visual aids can dramatically improve how promotional material is consumed. This is true for testimonials as it does for content and ads.

Consider Video Testimonials – Do not overlook the power of video testimonials. If your company’s target audience is typically averse to long-form text, then the video would be the best way to go. Video testimonials are full of visual assets, which are always good signs for conversion rates. A video is a great format for online testimonials as the majority of web users are known to consume hours of video.

Next time your small business is preparing to publish a testimony, think about the above advice from CBS Corporate Business Solutions consultants. You will notice a difference in conversion rates sooner rather than later with compelling testimonials.

How to Develop a More “Authentic” Brand

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Modern consumers value authenticity now more than ever. It’s the main feature that almost all brands must embody in order to appeal to their target audience. Corporate Business Solutions consultants occasionally find small businesses that have brands with an authenticity problem. The advice of “just be who you are” doesn’t always apply to companies. If your company is struggling to build an “authentic” brand”, here are several suggestions that might help:

Ditch the Jargon: Does the marketing team of your small business send out promotional material that often contains technical jargon or overused advertisement language? Don’t bother with sounding too formal, or too smart. Use everyday conversational language in all your brand promotional material. Customers do not engage with brands that sound robotic. If the brand sounds just like another “friend” on Facebook, then they will pay attention.

Come Up with a “Down-to-Earth” Founding Story: Every company needs a good founding story. It’s the backbone of getting more funding and humanizing a corporate entity to the public. When you write the founding story for your small company, do not go out of your way to make things up. It doesn’t have to be a script for a Hollywood movie. Be as real as possible. Tell it as it happened, but in an appealing story format. Don’t go overboard and present the company or the founders in a larger than life format. That is not appealing and looks disingenuous.

Use “Real Life” Images: Does your company spend a lot of money getting professional-grade photographs to show with the brand? That’s fine. But these pro shots should be combined with “real” or “day-to-day” shots of staff being human beings. Such images could include “behind the scenes” looks, pictures that don’t look posed, and higher ups in “regular people” situations. Appearing too sleek can backfire. It’s important to show customers that there are faces behind the logo.

Be Accessible: The best way to reach out as a truly authentic brand is to be accessible to everyone. Provide 24/7 customer support. Answer all queries customers or interested parties submit. Create as many avenues as possible for customers to get in touch with the company, such as email, phone, or live chat. Accessibility is the key to reaching out.

Think seriously about the above strategies when giving your brand a more genuine makeover. You can find more information about how our consultants can help with your marketing strategy at CBS-CBS.com.

Why Your Business Needs to Use Chatbots

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Providing proper customer support is an important but often challenging aspect of running a small business. Over the years, there have been many innovations in offering customer care, from written letters to giant outsourced call centers. Now IT has yet another solution for customer support: chatbots.

If you don’t already know what a chatbot is, it is a software program that allows customers to contact a virtual customer representative. It’s like Facebook Messenger, but it’s custom designed for your company. CBS Corporate Business Solutions consultants often come across small businesses that struggle to provide praiseworthy customer support. For small businesses owners who want to be on the cutting edge of customer support and have a need for customer interaction without increasing costs significantly, we recommend switching to chatbot software for numerous reasons. Here are some of the more compelling reasons why your business needs to consider chatbot support:

Offer Support 24/7: Chatbots don’t need to eat, sleep, or go home. Therefore, these tools are the best way for companies to provide all day, every day, customer support without drastically increasing costs.

Chatbots Reduce Overhead Costs: Running a call center or hiring employees to provide customer support is extremely expensive. Chatbots, on the other hand, are low-cost options that provide the same services at a fraction of the cost.

Millennial Customers Prefer Chatbots: The market will soon be dominated by millennials who are highly tech-friendly. Millennials prefer to interact quickly with an app than to pick up the phone and call a company like their parents did. If your business’s primary audience consists of millennials, chatbots will very likely improve customer satisfaction levels.

Cut Down Waiting Time: Chatbots can respond rapidly, so customers do not have to wait for a human representative to pick up a call or an online message. One of the most common problems with customer care is that it takes too long to deliver. Chatbots will eliminate this problem.

Deliver Custom Ads: Not only do chatbots actually help customers with issues, these programs can also deliver ads. Unlike with phone systems, chatbots are sophisticated enough to deliver personalized ads to the right customer, thus increasing the chance of a conversion.

If you want to learn more about how to improve the customer experience at your company, you can make an inquiry at CBS-CBS.com.

Does Your Business Need to Change Course?

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A while back, a CBS Corporate Business Solutions consultant advised a printing business that needed to change direction. Our consultant took the owner through a learning process so she could move her business forward. It can be difficult to say when your business needs to change course. Keep in mind that no business stays the same, ever. So even if you don’t like it, as markets fluctuate, your business may need to take a turn for the better. Here are several glaring signs that your business immediately needs to change course:

Slow Growth: It’s fine if the growth numbers for your company are not always inching upwards. Most companies go through periods of slow growth. However, the company should be able to overcome these slow growth periods. Compare your growth trajectory to that of your competitors. It should not be perpetually facing downwards. If slow growth is a prolonged issue at your company, then it’s time to reevaluate your goals and adapt a new strategy.

Challenges from Smaller Competitors: If the smaller competitors your business may have ignored in the past are looking like actual threats, then that should set off warning alarms. A smaller company can surpass yours if growth is severely lagging. It should be an indicator that your business is losing its competitive edge and should change course immediately to thrive in the future.

Low Customer Satisfaction Numbers: Nothing is more indicative of a need to change than low customer satisfaction numbers. While negative reviews, complaints, and low ratings are to be expected, the majority of the feedback your company receives must primarily be positive. Your company should continuously receive a lot of customer feedback. If feedback is declining, or is increasingly becoming negative, then it indicates an even worse fate: insignificance of your brand.

If your business faces any of the above problems, then it’s time to change course. Suddenly changing the trajectory of a business is not easy. It requires a solid plan. But first, you should seek advice from a CBS-CBS.com consultant to identify the underlying issues that are causing growth or sales problems at your business. After careful scrutiny, the consultant will be able to present you with a proposal for changing course and becoming competitive again.

How to Use LinkedIn, According to Its Founder

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If you add every LinkedIn request you get, even the ones from complete strangers, then you are using the social network wrong, according to Reid Hoffman, the founder of the site. LinkedIn is the most popular social networking platform for professionals. CBS Corporate Business Solutions highly recommends owners of B2B small businesses to have a LinkedIn profile.

Hoffman’s advice about using the site comes from Keith Ferrazzi, the author of “Never Eat Alone.” Ferrazzi once met Hoffman, who gave him a golden piece of advice about using the site. As the anecdote goes, Hoffman encourages users to make “meaningful” connections on the site. Rather than add every friend request, as you would on Facebook, Hoffman suggests asking this question before accepting a connect request: Could this person introduce me? If the answer is no, then it’s best to ignore the request.

The point of having a LinkedIn profile is to make connections with mutual benefit. Mainly, it’s a great platform for initiating introductions with long-lasting business benefits. For B2B business, LinkedIn is a great place to find new clients.

Here are several other ways to make connections on LinkedIn:

Update Your Profile: Make sure your profile has a very professional and compelling headline. This is the most commonly read part of your LinkedIn profile. If it needs updating, then promptly do so.

Include a Picture: Do not leave the profile picture section blank. Also, do not upload brand logos or any other picture that is not a professional headshot of you. Most LinkedIn users look at the profile picture, so make sure you have a highly appealing one uploaded.

Use Keywords: It’s perfectly acceptable to use keywords relevant to your line of business on the profile, especially in the headline. However, the keywords must be inserted very naturally.

Upload Details of Your Resume: Upload professional details of your work experience that doesn’t fit in your resume on LinkedIn. Use the blank spaces to fill out job descriptions. A potential client interested in your business may look up your LinkedIn profile, therefore it’s important to stay as detailed as possible.

Want more advice on how to improve your company’s social media presence? Contact us at CBS-CBS.com.

Reasons Your Business May Fail

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Some businesses do fail. Most owners do not want to imagine a scenario where their business might actually fail. While this is understandable, consultants with Corporate Business Solutions encourage business owners to imagine scenarios that may lead to failure. It’s important to keep failure in mind when running a business to avoid making a fatal mistake. Here are several situations to keep an eye on that usually cause small businesses to fail:

Not tracking cash flow – Many small businesses we review track sales, but not the cash flow. A business owner should always know how to predict the cash needs of the business going forward. Now, sales might have increased, but how did that affect the cash flow? Some businesses increase sales and also other expenses along with it, which can result in a cash crunch. If your business is not tracking monthly cash flow, then it could be on the way to failure by not being able to pay all expenses when they are due, including payroll.  If you can’t pay your bills on time, it can lead to punitive actions by suppliers which can have a snow ball effect on the business.

Spending too much on products – We do not recommend businesses invest on a product, service or infrastructure on the basis of “hopium”.  Business investments must be based on realistic sales numbers which indicate the market worthiness of the product or service. Businesses should develop minimum-risk products first. Then, make sure the product is actually profitable before proceeding to further investments.

Overspending on appearance – Appearances are important in the business world. But it can also get out of hand. More often than not, small business owners tend to overspend on leasing office space at fancy addresses, buying expensive furniture, sending partners on over-the-top business trips, and the list goes on. Spending a lot just to appear successful could lead to serious debt. Failure to control costs is one of the most common reasons small businesses fail. We recommend keeping things humble until the company actually has solid sales numbers to justify additional expenses.

Avoiding business taxes – Small businesses must be aware of all taxes related to running a business, such as payroll taxes. Avoid the temptation to solve cash flow problems by not paying payroll taxes on time. Failure to pay taxes can lead to costly penalties and could even lead to a shuttering of your business.

Overpromising – Do not promise customers or partners things you cannot deliver. Your company will be expected to deliver as promised, and if you cannot, the business will not survive.

Afraid that your business may go broke or fail due to any reason? Contact us at CBS-CBS.com to fix the problems and ensure the continual survival of your company.