The Top Five Biggest Mistakes Vendors Make When Trying To Win Government Business
There is a difference between being the best and having the best proposal
You are at the top of your profession, internationally recognized for having the best product or service or for having world-leading knowledge and skills. It’s a given that your local, [...]
‘Expert Advice’
Biggest Mistakes Vendors Make When Trying To Win Government Business
by Keith Parker - Tuesday, December 8th, 2009
“He who fails to plan, plans to fail” – Does your business have a disaster recovery plan?
by Danielle Kuczer - Friday, December 4th, 2009On March 31st 2009, Tommy and Lefebvre’s flagship store in Ottawa suffered a devastating fire. Kevin Pidgeon, President of the Company, delivered a seminar on being prepared in the event your business should fall victim to disaster. Does your business have a recovery plan? How will this plan be communicated to your staff and your customers? Kevin’s [...]
Retailing through a recession
by David Fisher - Saturday, November 28th, 2009Retailing has always been a hard business. The hours are long, profits are slim, overheads continue to rise and competition never lets up. And now we are in the midst of the worst recession in our lifetimes. So, how are we going to survive? The first reaction of many independent retailers is to work harder, [...]
Your landlord isn’t out to get you, but he is out to get top dollar
by Darren Fleming - Saturday, November 28th, 2009In the current environment, a business can find itself faced by a number of questions related to its commercial lease: Should we sublet and relocate to a less costly location? How can we prepare for a move? What should we watch for in the fine print of our lease? Are market conditions favourable to renewing [...]
Keeping the customer happy requires a hard look at every aspect of your operation
by Ken Andrews - Friday, November 27th, 2009When times are tough and new customers are scarce, the importance of positive relationships to retain existing customers should be self-evident. But how should you go about it? What practices and policies must you implement to ensure valued customers remain loyal?
It begins with your staff, all of your staff. No matter how junior, how senior, [...]
Your bank can’t help you if it doesn’t know you
by Bruce Fischer - Tuesday, November 3rd, 2009Be honest, forthright and sincerely committed to establishing a relationship of mutual trust and respect.
This golden rule can apply to just about any aspect of running a business, from communicating with staff to dealing with customers and suppliers. But it is just as vital to the relationship a business owner has with their banking institution. [...]
10 tips for marketing in a downturn
by Francis Moran - Sunday, November 1st, 20091. Do as much marketing as you can afford.
There is ample evidence from past downturns that the company that maintains its marketing spend through the downturn exits the downturn in a far better position than its competition. Even in the worst of times, there is still business to be written, markets to be taken and [...]
Government assistance programs which may assist your business
by David Logan - Tuesday, July 7th, 2009There are various government assistance programs which exist to support businesses in Canada. Often the government support is only accessed after the expenditures are made and some are claimed upon filing your income tax return so there can be a lengthy period of time before the cash can be accessed. These programs will not create [...]
Taxes: Making the inevitable as painless as possible
by David Logan - Tuesday, July 7th, 2009Though it is a cliché, it does bear repeating as a simple, unavoidable truth – nothing is as certain as death and taxes. And while we can always hope that the first is far off, the latter will occur with frequent and unavoidable regularity.
As a business that may be struggling, or proactively looking at ways [...]
Cost Reduction: A penny saved is a penny earned
by Marian Kneitz - Friday, July 3rd, 2009As a business owner, you are acutely aware of the importance of maintaining positive cash flow. But just because you’re in the black, it doesn’t mean your costs are being managed as effectively as they could be. And if the bottom line is under pressure, taking a hard look at costs can make all the [...]
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