Archive for September, 2005

The positions in most small to medium businesses have evolved into their present form rather than having been created with specific objectives and duties. This means that the roles of team members often overlap or don’t incorporate everything the person could be doing. A thorough review of each position will clarify these vital details and put your business in a position to run more efficiently. The review should be done in conjunction with the person in the position so that both of you gain a clearer understanding of the role and its responsibilities.

Tasks of the position

Begin by making a simple list of all tasks each employee does – ‘answer telephones’, ‘purchase stationery’, ‘collect mail’ and so on. For each task list the outcomes that the work is to accomplish. Be as comprehensive as possible and ask why each task contributes to the functioning of the business. ‘Answering telephones’ makes a contribution to sales, to accounts, to public relations and frees up managers to spend their time more effectively. Then create a brief outline about how each task is performed:

• Is it performed manually or with the use of equipment?
• Is it performed independently or with the assistance of someone else in the office?
• Is it required to be performed at specific times of the day?
• How much time does it take each time the task is performed?
• What skills are required for completing the task?

Priority of each task

Assign each task a level of importance according to its contribution to the business. Use only three classifications:

• Essential – the business will not survive unless this task is done
• Valuable – contributes to the functioning of the business but not essential to its survival
• Nonessential – if the task was not performed it would have no effect on the business

This requires some sensitivity to people’s feelings as everyone thinks that what they do is important. Duties such as picking up the owner’s dry cleaning or collecting money for a weekly lottery entry may be part of somebody’s responsibilities but contribute nothing to the business.

Document the essential tasks

Prepare a ‘how to’ step-by-step manual for performing each essential task in the business. As you do this, go through every step and ask whether this is the best way to do it or if there is a way to improve it. If the person now performing a task leaves the business it will be much simpler to bring a new person up to speed because you’ll have a written procedure they can follow.

Examine the valuable tasks

Tasks that are considered valuable deserve closer examination. Each should be analyzed to answer the following questions:

1. Should this function be performed by someone else in the business?
2. Are the outcomes of the task the same as another task that is being performed?
3. Is the task being performed at the optimum time of day?
4. Is the equipment being used appropriate for the task?
5. If the task is performed with others, are you using the best combination of team members?
6. Is too much time being spent on the task?

There are a number of tasks that are valuable to a business but could be handled in a way that adds more value. If the person doing the task is struggling then consider training them up or reassigning the task; or perhaps they’re being performed inefficiently because the wrong equipment is being used; or maybe they are just being done in a way that consumes too much time.

Eliminate the nonessential tasks

The final step in your review is to eliminate any nonessential tasks. This will free up team members’ time for better performance of their other duties and for new tasks that may have been put aside because there wasn’t time for them.

Information in this article is sourced from RAN ONE, Inc

Operating in a niche can be very cost effective as well as enabling your business to become a leading player in its field. A niche market lets you target your sales messages with greater precision; the more specifically you define your niche the easier it is to cater to the shared interests and needs of the people or businesses in that market. A great example of niche marketing comes from an entrepreneur by the name of Frank Kern. He markets a product for parrot owners that he guarantees will teach their parrots to talk within 30 days. This one product nets him an estimated $20,000 per year and is just one of fifty niche marketing sites he’s in the process of setting up.

What is a niche market?

A niche market is a group of people or businesses that can be described as:

• Sharing the same interests and requirements
• Having a need or desire for your products
• Sharing the same communications channels
• Large enough to produce a profitable volume for your business
• Not presently being targeted by a large number of your competitors

You need to find areas where prospective customers’ needs aren’t already fully satisfied. Analyze any other businesses operating in this market area and the quality and features of the products they offer. You then have to create a competitive advantage by offering a value-add that isn’t already available.

Clarify what you’re doing

Estimate just how much time, money and other resources will be required to profit from this niche. Meet with your team and prepare an outline of the project. Identify what is needed to develop the product or service to a marketable stage, what marketing investment it will need, and the timeline for its development and launch.

Create your niche proposition in detail

It would cost a fortune to set up a business that sells all kinds of books online and could compete with Amazon.com. They’ve had ten years to grow into the world’s biggest bookstore and would probably be impossible for a small operator to successfully compete against. But you could profitably cater to a niche of the book retailing market – for example, publications for owners of classic Fords or people interested in the art of silk painting, and succeed because of your specialization. Consider every aspect of the product itself. What’s needed to make it the most attractive option available to your niche and how will it be marketed? Go through everything in detail with your chosen niche in mind; the language you use, the packaging, and how it will be sold are just some of the details that have to be worked through. Be sure that the product is right, the pricing is acceptable and your marketing efforts appeal to your audience before moving ahead.

 Information in this article is sourced from RAN ONE, Inc