Rosia Bay Ltd

No matter what business you’re in, your primary focus will be to make that business a success. That means making sales. But if this is the only thing you’re focusing on, you could be looking in the wrong place. There’s a famous saying that goes ‘build it and they will come’. You might change that to say, ‘promote it and they will come’. But no one likes a hard sell, and it is very easy to try too hard to sell whatever you are offering. This applies to service businesses as well as those that sell goods. It also applies to every industry and every size of business. No one likes being sold to. Take a step back If your sales are not progressing as well as you would like, it’s time to figure out why. And it begins with relationships. You might say it ends with relationships as well. Imagine you want to buy a new car. You visit two car dealers. The first is big on the sales talk, constantly trying to convince you of the great deal they can offer. It’s all about the sa...

Have you ever attended a business meeting, only to leave it wondering what on earth it was all about? Meetings can be anything from hugely productive to a complete waste of time. Arguably, many tend to fall closer to the latter end of that scale. But there are ways to make sure your own business meetings are worth every moment, and achieve the objectives you are aiming for. While anyone can facilitate a meeting, in theory, things are very different in practice. The role of a meeting facilitator is to be neutral to the proceedings – and that can be very difficult to achieve if the person chosen for this role is already part of the company. What can a professional meeting facilitator bring into the meeting? If you own or manage a business, you cannot be impartial at any business meeting. At least, it is possible, but very unlikely. Since the most important role of the facilitator is neutrality, it would make more sense for you to take an active part in the meeting and to...

How often do you talk to others for advice on different areas of your life? A chat with a friend can help you see a problem or challenge in a new light, enabling you to think more clearly and find a way of coping with it. How many times have you found yourself saying “why didn’t I think of that?” when having such a chat? And yet when it comes to business, many people never even consider engaging the services of a business coach. They may have built their business from the bottom up, and could be so used to looking inward for answers they’ve never done it any other way. Getting bogged down in the day-to-day running of the business When you are running your business, it can be difficult finding the time – let alone the viewpoint – to assess your progress. A business coach can help you stay in touch with the bigger picture, and to find out what you want to achieve next. Be careful to choose someone with the skills you’re looking for. They should have experience ...

Growing your business – it may only be three words, but those words are packed with drama and meaning, aren’t they? They point the way to a bigger future, and hopefully a brighter one, too. But they also have the power to make people nervous. Growing your business is a great idea if you want to win more customers and make more money. But where do you begin? How can you tell whether your business is ready to expand and grow? How can you tell if you are ready? If you own a business, it can be difficult to know where to turn for support and advice you can trust. Those involved in the business could be too close to it to give accurate and reliable advice. But if you speak to someone outside the business, they won’t know anything about it. Will they? Hiring a coach to support you through the growing pains A coach can be enormously supportive in many areas of our lives. Coaches specialise in different areas, and a business coach is just the person to talk to if you ar...

When is the last time you consulted your business plan? If it's been filed away since you opened for business, you may be missing out on a powerful tool - one that is useful at all stages in the life-cycle of your business. Regularly reviewing and updating your business plan is a valuable exercise. An up-to-date business plan provides you with a snapshot of your current position and can help you develop a road map for future growth. It can also help you stay focused on your goals and objectives, adapt to changing market conditions, and inspire your employees. If you're starting a business, a business plan can help you: Test the viability of your idea Sell your idea to lenders and investors Clarify your objectives and set goals for the future If you're growing your business, a business plan can help you: Discover opportunities for change and growth Secure the financing you need to expand Assess your performance against the targets you have set If you a...

Social media campaigns are a crucial part of raising awareness – for new products, new services, and new businesses, too. But knowing you should develop a campaign is worlds apart from knowing how to make it happen. One of the most important elements is to have a plan – and to make sure part of that plan is to create shareable content. If you can create a message that goes viral, your customers (and anyone else who is interested) will help you get some of the hard work done. Spreading the word is always a challenge, but if done correctly, social media campaigns can help make this happen. Encourage people to share when they visit your website Some social media sharing starts outside a social media site. For example, if you write about a new product release on your website, make sure you include sharing buttons people can click on to share on the most popular social media sites. People won’t automatically think about sharing your content, but if you nudge them in the rig...

You never know what to expect when you land in a foreign country for the first time, particularly when you are about to live there for a period of time. I always find the immigration hall a good measure and Australia did not disappoint. After passing my passport to the immigration officer, he checked the screen and said "welcome to Australia mate" You wouldn't get that at Heathrow or New York. With the Commonwealth games, and Brexit soon to follow, the UK is looking towards trading partners it can grow with. As a Commonwealth Country, Australia has always been on the map so to speak, its distance is certainly one big disadvantage, but there are many more reasons that outweigh that small factual technicality. One of my roles now looks at how the UK can create trading relationships with Queensland and in particular the Gold Coast, but on a bigger scale, how can the UK and Australia bridge the travel distance and become a closer trading partner. Certainly the direct flight...