My Booking Manager


As a Consultant in Quality and Customer Service, Roberta Meier often attends seminars and workshops as a “Mystery Shopper”. As well as checking out how well delegates are catered for by the training teams, she also takes great delight in testing how tenaciously event organizers pursue her for her true opinion about their reputation.

If and when they do catch up with Roberta, how do they quantify reputation anyway?

The easiest thing to do is to use the happiness sheets (event evaluation forms) and the post event questionnaires, remembering that this is not a popularity contest but a search for factual information.

If your questionnaires ask for a numerical score against each question, finding the average score (adding all the scores together and dividing the total by the number of delegates who answered) is a useful guide. It is also constructive to look at the spread of results. Check how many people rated the presenter a 6, how many a 7 and so on. A small cluster of very high or very low scores can give a false average, pulling it up or down. You should be interested in what the majority (60%) of the attendees thought and usually these valid results are centered on the true average.

Stress Avoidance

Also consider which elements of the project were the most stressful for you, for your team and for the delegates. Events management will never be a completely stress-free activity but, on occasion, poor planning, poor preparation or badly selected people can cause unnecessary anguish. Think back over the event and identify situations that you would prefer not to repeat if and when you run a similar event in the future. Use a cause and effect grid to home in on the real cause of problems and identify a course of action to avoid this happening again.

Effect

What actually happened?

Cause

Action Plan

Guest speaker was late arriving.

A rail strike was called on the day and we had to fly her in at the last minute.

We tried to save money by avoiding an overnight stay.

In future guest speakers will be put up in a hotel the night before the event.

One of our key delegates had to leave because of an allergy to marker pen solvent.

The interactive sessions of the workshop required lots of flip chart work and we only had solvent based markers with us.

We didn’t ask and he didn’t tell us about the allergy.

Only use water based markers in future and update the registration questions to include all allergies.

The statistics of customer satisfaction can make distressing reading, however, if you have a proactive system, you can track down the 60% of delegates who found it difficult to tell you they had a problem. If you then listen carefully to them and attempt to resolve the issue; you will convince a large proportion of them to do business with you again and you will prevent them from damaging your reputation through non-recommendation.

Jayson Cardwell


A good strong financial position is the backbone of any well-run organization. Without a consistent flow of cash and income in and out of the company it would difficult for it to continue operating in one form or another. If cash and revenues become light, then the organization will starve. Should the cash flow be heavy, yet no spending take place the financial position becomes obese and the company will lag its competitors.

The same runs true for not-for-profits organizations (NFPs). If you run too lean throughout the year during the winter season (when donations are few and far between) you may not have the resources to survive a continued winter season. Should you fatten up on profits and hold on too long, you stymie growth, and fail to meet core objectives. This could in turn lead to fewer donations as investors in your vision will see you as inefficient with their dollars. So what constitutes a good, solid, strong financial position? It actually goes beyond mere cash flow; it stretches into the Profit & Loss statement, into the Balance Sheet, and into the policies and internal controls of a company. Let’s look first at the P&L statement.

The two main categories that an NFP should look for first are gross revenues (donations, grants, sales, investment returns, etc) and operating expenses (what makes the company go, general/admin in some circles). You’ll most likely notice annual growth in the operating expenses, this is normal and to be expected. Inflation, employee additions, salary increases will add to the expenses causing annual increase. What needs to be monitored though is how much growth. If you’re giving your employees annual raises of 5%, and inflation is 4%, yet you see an increase from year-to-year of 15%, it may be time to hunt down the cause. Did that increase line up with the strategic plan? How does the budget look? In the same manner observe the increase in program expenses and track why there is an increase. Most importantly breakdown the annual changes in revenues. Grant revenue may fluctuate the most based upon whether or not grants are awarded. Donation revenue, and other revenues increase should outpace expenses by no less then 5%. Remember that income is a present time projection of future cash flow.

Secondly let’s examine the Balance Sheet. There are several main areas in current assets that we need to discuss. Cash obviously is a good indicator of financial strength. Being flush with cash reveals instant liquidity, and the ability to most present obligations. Receivables need to be monitored closely. A decrease in receivables reveals one of two things. The first being your donors are contributing and this should manifest itself in lowered liabilities, more cash, and possibly higher program expenses. The second could be an indicator of future troubles. Lowered receivables also could show less planned giving. Unless your revenues are soaring (indicating you’re receiving cash instead of ‘credit’ donations) your organization could experience a cash crunch. Finally you need to compare your current liabilities with current assets; this will indicated whether or not you have the solvency to meet your current obligations. Keep a close eye as well on depreciation; this will indicate whether or not future capital purchases will need to be budgeted for. Liabilities are also a key component of the Balance Sheet. What we want to look for here is a rise in debt, and why that would have occurred. Are you dipping into your credit line for day-today expenses or payroll? Did you take on a large loan to launch a new program, buy a building? Liabilities need to be tied to income producing assets to remain in a strong financial position.

Lastly we want to touch on internal controls and policies. These do actually reach the financial statements. Usually when they hit the financial statements they’d hit under a section no one would want to advertise… fraud. Proper internal controls and policies governing cash management check signing, purchases, and use of corporate credit cards can help to maintain a strong financial position and a public relations position as being an accountable, responsible organization. Internal controls are not put in place to hinder, but to help. They don’t single out employees or are created to make those already in position feel as if they are criminals, they are placed to help deter crime and keep the entire organization out of trouble.

So where are you on the scale of financial strengths, let’s classify some firms and see what characteristics they have:

Gorillas – Strongest of all firms, proud to show off their strength and display their discipline. These organizations have everything manages well, no one area in a predator and threat to their well being. They are strapped with cash, but still have enough to funnel into projects, and keep a healthy investment position. They use debt well, borrowing money wisely and using it to create more.

Ox – Equally as strong as a gorilla, but something is holding them back from really taking off. It could be their operations, their donor development, possibly they’ve taken on too much debt and can’t shed it. They’re not in any danger, however while they struggle and fight that yolk it makes it more difficult to reach their goals.

Wolves – They are strong, but only when things are going their way in numbers. They rely upon a few donors to help them make it, but if left alone they lack the skill necessary to survive a long winter. They need strength in numbers and for it to be consistently there. They lack building a reserve to help whether the lonely times.

Mosquito – The weakest of all NFPs. They must feed off one or two healthy donors. Their life expectancy is rather short fur to their methods of operations. When they try to fatten themselves off one or two donors they run the risk of exploding. They are constantly using up their storage to survive, and they need constant injections of capital to stay going.

So tell me this… how strong is your organization?

MyOwnBusinessInc

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Luis Luarca


Change is a delicate area of business that most owners would rather not discuss but change is important in all types and sizes of businesses.

Some businesses do make changes with the best intentions, but can also be misguided based on poor advice or misdirected agendas.

As business requires change often, some business owners may feel that the pressures of an inefficient business place them in a rut they cannot get out of and accepting the inefficiencies of their business becomes commonplace for everyone in the company.



Unfortunately employees are in a rut just like you and your business are. If you start demanding change, no one is going to take you seriously. Why? Probably because they are used to you ranting and raving about this and that and they may have become complacent with you and your management style.

As business owners, it is easier for us to rant and rave about something than to actually make a change. Think about that.



Let’s talk about change and the art of managing the changes you would like to make in your business. Before you begin making changes, you will need to get support for the changes you want to make. This support is valuable in all levels of business.

Whether you are Microsoft, Starbuck’s, Sara’s Hairstyles, Jim’s Auto body, or Lehman, Schwartz and Horowitz, you need support to make your changes smooth, seamless, and sticky.

Some of you may think, oh heck, I’ll just go out there and change what I want changed because I’m the boss and if no one likes it, I’ll fire them!



Large businesses today use consulting companies because they themselves cannot manage their own change initiatives. Your business is no different than the large companies but there is one exception: Your business is much easier to manage than a larger company.

Think about it, your revenue may be significantly less, you have fewer employees, and you’re not stressed with big business issues such as Sarbanes Oxley compliance or public stock investors. Either way, you still need support, known as “buy-in” to install changes in your business.



Before you start making changes to business issues you have reviewed and analyzed, I suggest you get buy-in from other management personnel in your business. If you have the opportunity to query your management staff, you could come away with other great ideas, but mainly you will come away with support from people who are viewed as leaders in your business, which could help make the transition smoother.

You also may survey other employees to get feedback on a particular business issue you find bothersome. You can also ask some of your friends outside of your business for their thoughts about improving your business as well.

Your goal is to insure that what you are thinking of changing is not going to come as a shock to your employees or interpreted as “the boss” imposing his authoritative figure on the employees. It is important to take into consideration the psychological aspect of management.

Human nature can be a formidable adversary. At any level of business, the appraisal of change to all employees is the same.



To illustrate, I will use a fantastic example of what employees believe when they hear change is coming.



I have found three types of employees in most businesses. The first employee realizes that change is coming, and that change is coming from you or a professional, usually a consultant. This particular employee believes he/she will be found out doing something wrong that may have a negative impact on his or her future and management will eventually find out.

Do you know what this employee does? They begin thinking that their days of getting away with unacceptable work habits or inappropriate behavior are over. They quit before you or the consultant begins to change the business. Interesting isn’t it?



The second type of employee is the one that really appreciates your efforts in making the company better than it already is. This employee will support the company and the consultant, as long as they see an effort of positive change. The problem is that they feel that the changes will not last. This attitude may result from your lack of committing to changing things in the past.



This employee has you figured out and will try to appease you while you try to implement your changes, as long as they can make it through the attempted change. They know that after you’ve made a big deal of making the changes, and your consultant leaves, business will go back to normal. Sometimes this employee can be helpful in supporting your ideas, but most of the time they will be the catalyst that causes your ideas to fizzle.



The third type of employee is the one who loves you so much they would take a bullet for you. Believe me, there are employees like that. I hear this often from client’s employees. This employee is willing to support your ideas no matter how crazy they seem to be.



One thing you must realize is that you employ individuals who are not as marketable as those straight out of college or those who may hold 20 years of experience. Your small business employs the average “Joe” and to some employees who fit this label, you are a hero.



You need your average Joe within your organization to champion your ideas and make them stick. Sure, you are not going to run out and start interviewing your own employees for loyalty, but you do have some idea as to who likes working for you and who does not.



Don’t be confused that those employees who don’t like working for you dislike your entire business. One of your goals in changing the organization of your business is to create jobs that work from the functional requirements of your business; those jobs should be filled with employees who fit the job’s functional requirements.

Re-evaluating functional requirements may allow you the opportunity to place a burned-out employee in a position where, they feel like they are contributing to the growth of your business. Also, the individuals you have chosen to make up your management or leadership team should be individuals who can function in their particular capacity.

For example, you must choose a qualified individual to be vice-president of operations, instead of a friend or relative. It is important to remember that each position in your management team must be created based on the functional needs of your business.

If, after you have gone through functional evaluation exercises in determining your business process needs, you have determined that everyone on your leadership team is there for a functional reason, you can move forward garnering support for your change ideas.



If you have chosen your leadership team based on functionality, the decision and implementation of the changes you have all agreed on will be much easier if there is mutual agreement among the management team.



You really don’t want to create an “I’m the boss” attitude when changing operational aspects of your business; rather, you want to foster an understanding of the logical reasons why changes are necessary.

Human nature allows us to accept new things when we understand them, rather than having those new things disrupts our way of doing things. These new ways of doing business are a disruption for employees because they may not understand why it is necessary to make the change.



Most business scholars and large business are advocates for informing employees of changes and ideas before they are implemented. This is a great vehicle for feedback as well as seamless transitions to new policies. Remember, knowledge is power.

anonymous


(c) 2008 www.markinglisblog.com

In order for a business to be successful it is essential that it must have a management system capable of ensuring the business can achieve its goals and objectives. The ISO 9000 series of standards relate to Quality Management Systems however as businesses will tend to have one system, formalizing the system to focus solely on quality will have no real benefits to your business. Therefore, it will be necessary to move away from a system focusing wholly on quality, to a system that focuses on all the characteristics of your business.

The main reason your business is in existence is to highlight the requirements and expectations of your customers and other persons concerned (employees, suppliers etc) to accomplish an advantage over you competitors. In addition to this, another objective must be to gain, sustain and develop your businesses performance and resources.

As a means to achieve improvements within your business you should ensure that your business employs the key principles that are fundamental to ISO 9001:2000, these are:

- Customer Focus;

- Involvement of People;

- Leadership;

- Process Approach;

- Factual Approach;

- System Approach;

- Continual Improvements;

- Mutually Beneficial Supplier Relationships.

Following the principles highlighted above ensures that your business focuses on what your customer actually requires and not what they think they require. In order for your business to move forward successfully it is essential that you run it in a methodical and well thought out manner that is highly perceptible. To achieve success from your business you must ensure that your business adopts a business management system which will ensure that continual improvement is constantly being driven by the management system. If your business is to develop and have a business management system that will allow growth and sustainability, you will have to ensure that you build a management system that is focused on your customers. To achieve this objective your business management system must contain systems and processes that are easily understood by the individuals within your business. It is also crucial that these systems can be managed easily and improvements made if they are necessary without any detrimental affect on the day to day operation of your business. The processes within your management system must be capable of being measured to ensure they are performing as required. It does also mean that when setting these key performance indicators, intelligent thought is given to the areas that you are measuring. It is worth remembering that individuals are likely to improve in areas in which they are being measured. Therefore it is critical that any process measuring is carried out in areas that will benefit the system and your business as a whole.