Blogs & Articles

Repeated short-term absenteeism can present a problem for any business, but particularly for smaller companies with fewer staff. The ability of managers to deal with persistent short-term absenteeism in a correct and appropriate manner is essential, but this is an area that needs to be handled carefully.

The modern workplace is a truly diverse environment in which teams of employees may be comprised of people from different ethnic, cultural and social backgrounds; different ages; different genders and different levels of experience. Leading a diverse workforce is not without its challenges, but managers who can embrace diversity and possess the skills needed to shape employees with varied backgrounds into a cohesive and productive team are those destined for long-term success.

The modern business world is very much dog-eat-dog thanks to the globalised marketplace opened up by the internet. For a business to survive it must be compelling to customers and competitive. The keys to long-term survival and profitability include knowing your core customers inside-out, aligning your business strategy to their evolving needs, and being fully commercially aware. This means looking at the bigger picture: the factors affecting your industry sector, what your competitors are up to and how your business ranks alongside them.

For any business which sells a product or service, the time will inevitably arrive when the price the customer pays must be increased. This situation causes a potential headache both for business owners and for their salespeople.

A business without a solid business plan is apt to be directionless, unprofitable and ultimately doomed to failure. Creating and adhering to a business plan enables business owners and leaders to steer their business through good times and bad, helping to ensure that opportunities are taken, pitfalls are avoided and long-term profitability achieved.

No matter how good a sales manager or salesperson you may be, customer objections are a fact of life. Knowing the best strategies for responding to, and overcoming, sales objections is crucial to business success.

If your business occupies a competitive marketplace and you've worked hard to build up a good customer base, the last thing you want to see is your customers drifting away to spend their money elsewhere. The key to achieving long-term customer loyalty is to build and maintain solid business relationships and have the flexibility to continue providing exactly what they want as times and circumstances change.

Working life is full of little setbacks that can bruise our confidence: the lost sale, the fluffed presentation, the inadvertent mishandling of a difficult situation and so on. Unless personal resilience is developed to provide a coping and recovery strategy, self-doubt can creep in and, left unchecked, can affect well-being and personal performance in the workplace.

Mentoring employees who demonstrate the willingness and the potential to take on positions of greater responsibility is an important aspect of business succession planning. Taking responsibility for the professional development of staff members is an accepted part of a business leadership or management role.