HR 101 – What to do When . . . . There’s a discrepancy on the Job Description – Part 1

HR 101 – What to do When . . . . There’s a discrepancy on the Job Description – Part 1

By Nikki Viljoen – N Viljoen Consulting CC

Please note that this pertains to South African Labour Relations & Best Practice Requirements.

How many times has one of your staff members moaned about something that you have asked them to do, by saying “it’s not on my job description”?  I’m sure most of you can relate to this one, hell I’ve used it myself from time to time!

Let’s start at the very beginning – What is a Job Description?  Many of the VSE (Very Small Enterprises) that I have worked with and in over the last five years seem to think that it the description of what the employee does.  Wrong, wrong and wrong again!  It is the description of the task that is performed.  You see in some of the bigger Corporate’s, for example the Switchboard Operator is just that – a Switchboard Operator.  In this case their duties would revolve only around what a Switchboard Operator does – answering of calls, determining who a call should be put through to and perhaps even taking messages.  In a small concern though, where people are many things, one of the duties of a person may be that of a Switchboard Operator.  The Job Description remains the same, but the duties differ!

Let me be a little clearer on this.  In a small concern there may be one employee who does many jobs or functions.  They may be the Switchboard Operator, the Receptionist, the Admin Clerk and the ‘walk in’ Sales person.  In this instance, they would have four job descriptions as apposed to one, because they would perform the duties pertaining to four different jobs.

So in the big Corporate instance – the duties listed on the Letter of Appointment, would be listed as something like “Switchboard Operator and all duties pertaining to this position as laid down in the Job Description . . .” whilst in the small concern – the duties listed on the Letter of Appointment, would be listed something like “Switchboard Operator, Receptionist, Administration Clerk and Sales Person and all duties pertaining to these positions as laid down in their respective job descriptions . . .”

In the big Corporate’s you could have many people using one Job Description – for example you would only have one Job Description for a ‘Sales Person’, yet you have a sales force of several thousand employees.  In the VSE you may have many Job Descriptions, but only a few people to perform the tasks or duties that pertain to those Job Descriptions.

Next week we will have a look at what could happen if extra duties are given to staff and the consequences thereof.

Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za

Sales 101 - How to Increase Your Sales Income - Part 1

SALES 101 - How to Increase Your Sales Income – Part 1

By Nikki Viljoen – Viljoen Consulting December 2008.

Before we walk down this particular road together, let it be understood that I am no sales guru!  In fact as I do the research for these articles I am learning!  For me, being an Internal Auditor, it is all about logic!  So here we go on this particular journey together.

I have no doubt that there are many ways in which to increase income generated from sales, be they sales of product or sales of your services.

Logic must tell us that one of the easiest would be to either increase the price of your product or your service or alternatively increase the number of units of product you sell or the number of times that you sell your service.

Within these two components there must be several variations on how to either increase the price of the product or your services as well as how to justify these.  I have no doubt that we have all looked at these at some stage or another.  I want to explore all the other avenues that are open to us.

1. Relationship selling.  For me, all my business is about building relationships, so it stands to reason that in doing business this way, I increase the probability of doing repeat business.  Apparently in the ‘good old, bad old days’, the way to sell was to give a presentation and then close the deal.  Nowadays business is done by building relationships and building trust with your clients.  In the building of the relationship, it is certainly very important that we focus on ‘what the client needs’ rather than what we think the client needs.  The focus appears to have moved from what we can provide to what the client needs for us to provide.  Building these kinds of relationships with clients ensures not only repeat business, but also life long relationships with clients.  Again, for me this is far easier than trying to find new clients all the time – not that we should not be looking for new clients all the time, however that said, it’s just easier to do business with someone who is already familiar with what you do, how you do it and the quality of the work that you produce.  So for me this is a no – brainer – build trustworthy long life relationships with your clients.

Next time we will look at some more way in which to increase your sales.

Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za

Networking 101 - Networking is an Investment

Networking 101 – Networking is an Investment

By Nikki Viljoen of Viljoen Consulting CC

Dr Renate Volpe, in her “Networking Tips” cards says “Take a long term view.  Networking is an investment in a longer term relationship, don’t be overly opportunistic.”

So many times, when I talk to people about networking and how it has changed my business, I get ‘the look’ – you know that look that says it all.  Often ‘the look’ is followed by the words – “I hate networking, it doesn’t work for me”.

Upon delving just a little deeper, I often find out exactly what the problem is.  The person concerned has been to exactly one networking meeting and the expectation has been that they will walk away from the meeting having sold their product/service to every single person in the room!

Let’s think about it logically – every person there has gone to the meeting with that exact same intention.  Let’s face it people – no-one goes to a networking meeting with the intention of buying anything.  So you need to change your mindset – yes again!

I always like to say that networking is to building a business relationship as speed dating is to dating!  Ok you can stop laughing now, let me explain.

When you go to a networking meeting or event, what you are actually doing is meeting the 20 or 30 people there in a very short space of time.  If you went out and did the cold calling thing – how long would it take you to physically meet 20 or 30 people?  Well at a networking event, especially if that event is facilitated or even semi facilitated, then you will be meeting 20 or 30 people in a matter of 2 to 3 hours.

You have now been introduced and when you make contact with them it is no longer a cold call.  Now when you contact them, you have common ground on which to build – you met them at xyz event and you would like to set up a follow up meeting so that you can explore synergies and business opportunities.

You still have to build the relationship mind.  Just because you have met them at one meeting doesn’t now make you bosom buddies!

Even at your subsequent meeting, don’t go in with the expectation that you are going to sell them anything – go in with the expectation that you are building a foundation for a solid relationship.

I usually ask the first question (just because I am a natural networker and because I can) and that question is usually – “How can I help you – tell me a bit more about your business and what it is that you do?”

Listen carefully, making notes (it makes it easier for me to remember) on what the person does and what their needs are.  Ask questions about who their target market is, or what their expectations are etc and then think carefully about who, in your data base you can match them up to in terms of synergies.

Follow up – always follow up!  I usually send a mail to the person that I met giving them the details of who I want them to get in touch with, and a copy to the person that I am introducing them to, with the details of the person that I met.  In this way I am effectively introducing them to one another on an e-mail – again it is not a cold call and does away with the awkwardness of such a call.

Don’t expect anything in return – it will come at some stage, and when it comes, it will be in a flood!

Remember it is a relationship that you are building, build it one step at time and build it solidly.

Should you wish to know more about Dr Renate Volpe and her cards, please visit her website on www.drrenatevolpe.co.za

Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za

Business Tips - How to Manage Your Cash Flow Crisis - Part 3

BUSINESS TIPS – How to Manage Your Cash Flow Crisis – Part 3

By Nikki Viljoen – Viljoen Consulting

Remember, there are only 3 reasons why you will find yourself in a cash flow crisis.  To remind ourselves, there were:-

1. You’re not making enough money.

2. You are not getting your debtors to pay you and

3. You are spending too much money!

Last time we looked at the first step that should be taken and that was to get clarity on what you owe and what is owed to you and we did this by means of a debtors and creditors aging analysis.

This time we continue with the next step and that is cutting costs.

Entrepreneurs, like individuals, seldom even think about cutting costs.  Most believe that if they can just increase the number of sales  or alternatively if they can just get all the outstanding monies in then all will be well in their world.

The reality of course is that the more you make the more you spend.  Your expenses will rise up to meet your income, so of course it is of the utmost importance that you regularly review your expenses to keep them in check

Remember, cash flow is exactly that -  the flow of money into and out of the business, therefore both the entry (input) flow and the exit (output) flow must be monitored and measured on a continual basis.  Consistency is the key here.

Once you have all your expenses under control and have cut what you can and allocated that ‘spending’ to some of your outstanding debts, it is time again to look at what is outstanding and see how best to deal with these.  This is also a good time to put a budget into place in order to control spending going forward and this will help you to ensure that your spending does not get the better of you again in the future.

There are several ways to now deal with the outstanding money that you owe to your creditors. This will however, depend on the supplier and how ‘flexible’ they can be or are willing to be.

What happens next will probably be one of the hardest things that you will have to do and that is a) full transparency and b) absolute honesty.

You will need to contact every single one of your creditors and meet with them.  Face to face is best.  When you meet with them you will have to explain ‘how’ you are going to sort your debt to them out.

Be realistic, don’t promise what you cannot deliver!  This is the time to err on the side of caution.  Rather under promise and over deliver than the other way around.

For the expenses that are paid by debit order, try and stagger them through- out the month so that they do not all fall due on the same day, or even better yet, stop them altogether and pay as and when your funds become available, but make sure that you pay the minimum that you have agreed to pay, on or before the date that you have agreed to pay it.

This is one time that you have to be absolutely honourable, not only in your intent, but also in your execution.

Next time we will look a bit more in-depth at how to take back control of your “in crisis” cash flow.

Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za or http://www.viljoenconsulting.co.za

Motivation - Responsible for who we become

MOTIVATION – RESPONSIBLE FOR WHO WE BECOME

By Nikki Viljoen of N Viljoen Consulting CC

It has been said that our background and circumstances may have influenced who we are, but that we are responsible for who we become.

All around me I hear excuses from people.  Excuses about why they cannot do something, or why the have failed at something. Hell I even had a chap, who for the purposes of this missive shall remain nameless, who said that I “have to” mentor him because he was previously disadvantaged!  What absolute crap is that?

Many years ago, my father said to me “You have no control over the name that you bring into this world because it is the name that I have given you, but the name that you take out of this world is the name that you have made for yourself.”

It is something that I have taken very seriously all my life.  I am careful about the promises that I make because I have to keep them.  I am careful about the commitments that I make because they have to be honoured. It is my name that is at stake and quite honestly it is the only possession that I have that I will take to the grave with me.

The result of this for me, is that I have never blamed my background or my circumstances for anything – there’s no real point is there?  I am the only one who can make the changes and I am the only one that can make things happen (or not happen) in my life.

So why is it, that where ever I go, I hear tales of woe and stories about how the government is to blame, or apartheid, or the interest rates, or global warming or the tax man or anything else that they can think of and blame.  Why is it that we as individuals cannot take responsibility for what we’ve done and learn from our mistakes, dust ourselves off and stand up and start again.  There’s no shame in that at all.

For me the shame comes in the fact that we don’t take responsibility and own our own mistakes, but that we find it easier to just blame all those around us!

So which one are you?  Do you stand tall and proud?  Do you take responsibility for what you do or do you find it easier to blame everyone and everything else?

What kind of name will you take out of this world?  What legacy will you leave your children?  What name have you given them?

Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za.

HR 101 – What to do When . . . Staff are Negligent in the Performance of their Duties - PART 6

HR 101 – What to do When . . .  Staff are Negligent in the Performance of their Duties - PART 6

By Nikki Viljoen – N Viljoen Consulting CC

So here we are at the very end.  Mike the business owner has had his say, George the security guard has had his say and the Commissioner at the CCMA has had his say.

The bottom line is that Mike has to re-employ George and also has to fork out a bunch of money for dismissing George in the first place, even though the Commissioner agrees that George was in fact wrong for not complying with laid down procedures.

So now it is time for me to have my say.

Yes I agree that George’s misconduct deserved a disciplinary.  Yes I agree that ultimately George should have been dismissed!

Yes I agree that Mike was in a terrible situation, with serious losses occurring and yes I agree that Mike was well within his rights to have the surveillance equipment installed and monitored.

George’s claim that he had not been trained properly, is as far as I am concerned a load of rubbish – surely after 14 years he should have known what it is that he was doing.  There is also documentary evidence that he was in fact trained – Mike has his signature to prove that.

George’s claim that he was transferred against his will is also a load of non-sense, there is no evidence to substantiate this claim.

My knee-jerk reaction would be that Mike did everything correctly and the decision should have been in his favour.

That said, and given time to reflect without any emotion, my mind has been changed.  In terms of the law, Mike should have held the disciplinary and given George a Final Written warning as well as more documented training.  The situation should then have been monitored some more and had George slipped up even once, another disciplinary should have taken place, at which time George should have been dismissed.

This would have shown that Mike had taken steps to correct the matter rather than just get rid of George.  The CCMA outcome would also have been very different in my opinion.

The lesson that should be learnt here is always use caution.  Make sure that every avenue has been covered.  Make sure that you have been ‘seen’ to try and remedy before you just dismiss. Make sure that you get legal assistance because much of the law is open to interpretation.

Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za

Sales 101 - Increasing the Number of Units Sold

SALES 101 – Increasing the Number of Units Sold

By Nikki Viljoen – Viljoen Consulting CC

Over the last two weeks we have looked at the how to increase the number of your clients as well as how to increase the frequency of the sale.  Today we are going to deal with increasing the number of units sold.

Now logic must tell you that by merely increasing the number of customers and increasing the frequency of the sales, you will automatically increase the number of units that you have sold.

Understanding how to add value to this equation will mean that you will also increase the number of units sold even more.  Think about it for a moment – if you have say 100 new clients, that’s 100 more sales, but if your product or service requires that they are used more frequently, say every two weeks, instead of once a month, that means that you have  200 more sales.  Now add to that a product or service that can be used in conjunction with another product or service and now suddenly you have 400 sales.

Obviously the more value that you add to the deal, the more units per sale you will sell.  How cool is that, and how perfectly simple too.

Actually the beauty of this is several fold – you see you are not only adding value to you customer, but you are also building a strong sustainable relationship with that customer and in building the relationship you are also building customer loyalty.

Finally, don’t forget that you need to see real results in order to measure your success.  So start with what you actually know about your customers,  add your market research to that and you will have a winning formula.  The more relevant customer-focused type information your have on your clients, the better your platform for generating new clients, retaining current and ‘old’ clients and generating more sales.

Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za or http://www.viljoenconsulting.co.za

Networking 101 - Successful Leaders & Networking

Networking 101 – Successful Leaders & Networking

By Nikki Viljoen of Viljoen Consulting CC

In her “Networking Tips”, Dr Renate Volpe states “Successful leaders spend up to 48% of their time networking.  How much of your time are you spending building your business network?”

Some time ago at one of the Inner Circle meetings that I hosted in Cresta, there was this chap that sat quietly listening to what was being said.  When it was his turn to stand up and tell the audience who he was and what he did, he said something along the lines of “Only unsuccessful people network”.

Needless to say I was gob-smacked!  Why then would they have all of these “old boy clubs” that we so often hear about in the movies and that we know, from personal experience to be alive and well.  Why would children in Private Schools make the kind of contacts that they are urged to make, from junior school?

I have watched my Godson Bruce, grow up from being a little titch in Junior school at the Ridge, where he made friends with all manner and means of children, whose parents were well connected both politically and in the business field.  I watched him go off to Michael House, in the Midlands and heard the tales he told of which children he had befriended and who their parents were.  Then he won for himself a scholarship in one of the most prestigious schools in the world, Wharton’s Business School in the University of Pennsylvania (which incidentally was founded by Benjamin Franklin), I again heard who he is now connected with and which professors he works with for his pocket money or allowance – and what I hear most of all is why he chose to work for them.

Don’t get me wrong, Bruce is not a snob, he never has been, but he understood how important it was to make the right connections, at the beginning of his working life.

I wonder why he did that, if only ‘unsuccessful’ people need to network!

Could it be that the chap who came to my meeting had it all wrong?  Perhaps what he meant to say was that “Successful people network”!

Do you network enough?

If you would like to know more about Dr Renate Volpe, please feel free to visit her on www.drrenatevolpe.co.za

Nikki in an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za

Motivation - Responsive to Change

MOTIVATION –  Responsive to Change

By Nikki Viljoen of N Viljoen Consulting CC

Charles Darwin says “It’s not the strongest of species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one that is responsive to change.”

Ain’t that the truth!  Thing is though, that it is not only generally true to life, but very definitely true of business and in particular small businesses.

I know that when I started my business, I had a very clear idea of what was supposed to happen.  I had a very clear idea of what I wanted to do and how it was going to get done and I had a very clear idea about who my clients would be.

Then I hit reality!  You see just because I know what a small business needs, doesn’t mean that the guy who owns that small business will agree with me!  Doesn’t mean that the guy who owns that small business even understands what the true value of what I do that helps his business.  Doesn’t mean that the guy who owns that small business, even though he may understand the value of what I do, has the money to put that value to good use.

The first couple of years were hard I must admit.  Time and time again, I walked into businesses who were in desperate need of what I do, who could or would not afford me.  Time and time again I walked into businesses that were floundering along and the owner was so engrossed in putting one foot in front of the other to keep himself above the water that he could not see how with each footstep he was walking deeper and deeper into the water.  People saw (and in many instances, still do see) what I do as a ‘grudge’ purchase (much as most of us see insurance) and they resented having to buy my wares.  Sad that – really sad.

Here’s the thing though, I had to change my mind set and find other ways to bring money in.  I had to change my thinking and expand my list of offerings, if I didn’t I would soon have become another statistic.  People, especially small business owners, were not ready to see that what I do (no matter what they pay for it now) actually saves them money in the long run and until such time as I could make them see that and understand that, I would have to look in other directions to bring the monthly revenues in.

So I looked in similar but different directions and so my workshop A Basic Practical Guide to Starting a Business was born.  From there my vision and dreams have expanded and now I have a whole bunch of facilitators – all small business owners, like myself, teaching small business owners what they need to learn.  Each one of the facilitators are people who are passionate about what it is that they do and each one is an expert in their own fields.  What makes their training unique is the fact that they are entrepreneurs who teach others and share their knowledge.  They share the experiences of what they did, how to avoid what they would have liked to avoid and how to ‘rake it in’ where possible.  They are not the big corporate giants trying to teach entrepreneurs something that they have no clue how to do – run a small business.

Have I abandoned my dream, the original dream?  Of course not, actually I do a great deal of work in that arena and I love it as much as I did when I started – more probably because of what I have had to endure to keep it alive.  That said, I am constantly looking for new avenues, new opportunities and new adventures and believe me when I say “I mean to have my cake and eat it!”

In order to survive, to flourish and grow, though – you do have to adapt.  Remember to constantly look around you and see the potential – not just see it, but feel it and embrace it and then do something about it.

Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za or http://www.viljoenconsulting.co.za

HR 101 – What to do When . . . Staff are Negligent in the Performance of their Duties – Part 5

HR 101 – What to do When . . . Staff are Negligent in the Performance of their Duties – Part 5

By Nikki Viljoen – N Viljoen Consulting CC

Please note that this pertains to South African Labour Relations & Best Practice requirements.

So here we are, still at the CCMA arbitration and now awaiting the verdict of the Commissioner.

Based on the evidence that was presented at the CCMA Arbitration hearing, the Commissioner rejected both claims made by George.  You will remember that George stated that he had not received any training in relation to the search procedures and that he actually objected to his being transferred to this particular post.

The Commissioner said that he agreed with Mike’s rule that the searches should be conducted in a certain and specific way and he said that he thought that this was a valid way in which to perform this task.  He approved of this particular rule.  The Commissioner also said that he agreed that George had failed in his duty has he had not obeyed the rule.  A problem arises later on though, when the Commissioner decides that George only contravened the rule as a mistake – in other words it was unintentional.  George did not intentionally fail to adhere to laid down procedures – George made a mistake!  But I digress and get ahead of myself – let’s return to the story where it is now.

The Commissioner also took into account Section 188(2) of the Labour Relations Act which states “when a person is considering whether the reason for dismissal is a fair reason, he must take into account the Code of Good Practice – Dismissal.”

Next time we will get the final episode on this particular saga.

Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za

Networking 101 - Believe in Yourself

Networking 101 - Believe in Yourself

By Nikki Viljoen of Viljoen Consulting CC

Self Esteem  

Grace Hansen once said “Don’t be afraid that your life will end; be afraid that it will never begin”.

Helen Nicolson says – “You have to believe in yourself enough to believe that you have something of value to offer in any networking relationship.”

If you really think that you are worthless and have nothing that anyone else will want, then that is exactly how other people will see you.  If you do not believe in yourself, you cannot expect anyone else to believe in you.

The way that you introduce yourself and your or service or product to people is of the utmost importance.  You have to be proud of who you are and what you do – this will show in the manner in which you present yourself.  If you are confident in yourself, your abilities or your product this will be evident to the person who you are talking to, conversely, if you are not confident in yourself, your abilities or your product, this will also be evident.

You have to sell yourself, before you can sell your product.  People will have to ‘buy in’ to who you are in order for you to make the sale.  Even if you are nervous, act in a confident manner and have something of value to offer.  As time goes by, your confidence will improve and pretty soon you will find that you are not so nervous and that it becomes easier each time.

Be friendly, make eye contact and show interest in the other person too.

Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za

Business Tips - How to Manage Your Cash Flow Crisis - Part 2

BUSINESS TIPS – How to Manage Your Cash Flow Crisis – Part 2

By Nikki Viljoen – Viljoen Consulting – April 2016

Last time, remember, we discussed the only 3 reasons why you will find yourself in a cash flow crisis.  To remind ourselves, there were:-

1. You’re not making enough money.  This usually means that you have to increase the number of sales that you are making or alternatively it may mean that your margins are incorrect, which means that your profits are too small or even non-existent.  Either way you are not making enough money.

2. You are not getting your debtors to pay you.  That means that your money coming in is insufficient to meet the needs of your money going out.

3. You are spending too much money!

In the interests of clarity, let’s just be clear on something else here too – the only person responsible for your cash flow crisis is you.  You are the only person who has to manage your cash flow and the only way that you could have ended up with a cash flow problem is if you failed to manage your sales, your collections and your expenses.

You need to step up and take responsibility and be accountable for the situation that you find yourself in.  I know that this is probably not what you want to hear but in order for you to take ownership of the problem and sort it out, you need to understand that you have the problem because you failed to adequately manage these three elements.

In order for you to overcome your cash flow problem you need to take control of the situation.

So let’s break it down

Firstly, take a big breath and calm yourself down!

Getting into a state is not going to help the situation.  You need to give your full attention to finding the solutions to your problem and you will not be able to do this effectively if you are in a state of panic.

First things first.

Before you can fix the problem you have to know exactly what the problem is.  It may be that you have a specific problem, for example you are not collecting your funds efficiently or it may be that it is a combination of all three.

So the first thing that you need to know is exactly how much money you owe to people and how much is owed to you.

You will need to be brutally honest with yourself here and although it can be one of the most painful exercises that you will ever have to do, please understand that it will have to be done and once done will be very liberating too. Don’t leave anyone off the list.  If you owe the newspaper guy R5, put it on the list.

By the same token, if somebody owes you R5, that must also go onto the list.

To take this one step further you need to record the date from which you owe the money or are owed.  Then calculate how long the debt has been outstanding for both your creditors (those who gave you credit or who you owe money to) and your debtors (those you owe a debt to and who you owe money).  This document is called an aging analysis.  This will give you a better understanding of exactly how much you owe as well as how much you are owed and in both instances, for how long.

Once you have all of this information, have a closer look at all your creditors and in order of priority, list those who need to be paid immediately as well as who can be paid a bit later. The length of time that the money is owed, plus the value of the debt and of course the person who is shouting the loudest for their money, usually determines who gets paid first and how much is paid.

Whilst you are in this state of “crisis”, it is advisable to do this exercise on a daily basis, recorded which suppliers you have paid, how much you paid, when they were paid and the balance that you still owe them.  Remember to add all your “new” suppliers onto the list too.

On the debtor’s side, make sure that you list each and every payment that you receive and make a note of “how” you have allocated it to the creditors that you have paid.  Again, for the moment do this on a daily basis so that you can track that what has come in and gone out to those that you need to pay, in order for them to give you a little breathing space and room to maneuver.

Next time we will have a look at how to take the next important step!

Next time we will delve a little deeper into the mystery that is cash-flow to get a little more clarity

Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za or http://www.viljoenconsulting.co.za

Motivation - Potentials Rather than Problems

MOTIVATION – Potentials Rather Than Problems

By Nikki Viljoen of N Viljoen Consulting CC

“If human beings are perceived as potentials rather than problems, as possessing strengths instead of weaknesses, as unlimited rather than dull and unresponsive, then they thrive and grow to their capabilities.” Says Barbara Bush.

What an amazing opportunity for us to change our mindsets – to see things from a positive perspective instead of the negative.  That’s all it is at the end of the day – a simple mindset, yet we as humans tend to focus on the negative, on what is our perception of what is wrong instead of what could be right.

A couple of years ago, a friend of mine (let’s call her Jane) was out and about in the Company bakkie – not doing anything that she shouldn’t have you understand – just going about company business.  Someone missed a stop street and missed hitting her by literally millimeters. Tires shrieking, brakes almost smoking, vehicle swinging and swaying all over the road, Jane fought to bring the ‘out of control’ vehicle back under control.  Thankfully there were no other vehicles around and Jane eventually brought the bakkie to stop and when she got out of the vehicle she was so shaky she could not stand properly and fell to the ground weeping uncontrollably.

Jane was distraught!  For days, she went about in a highly emotional state, telling everyone who would listen the whole story, blow by blow – second by second.  She went from anger at the person who did not stop at the stop street and who sped away after the incident, to fits of weeping and then bouts of strange laughter.  She ranted and raved at the bad ‘road side manner’ of many drivers and driving either with her at the wheel or her as a passenger became quite a challenge as she went from a normally relatively calm individual to someone in the throes of ‘road rage’ in seconds.  It was driving me nuts I tell you!  Nuts!

Eventually, one morning, whilst listening to the story for the 1000th time, I had had enough and in the middle of her tirade I turned to her and said “Jane – are you alive?  Do you have any bruises? Is the bakkie okay?”  She turned to me with a quizzical look on her face and replied that she was.  “Well then I countered, what on earth are you on about – yes it could have happened, but the reality is that it didn’t – so can we please move forward now?”  She sat quietly for a few minutes and then looked at me and said “I’ve been a bit of a pain this last week, haven’t I?  I’m fine, alive and in good health – let’s go and celebrate!”  And we did . . .

The point here, is that we often get fixated on the negative, on the bad, or the things that irritate instead of with a simple mind set change, focusing on the good, the positive and the potential.

Here’s my challenge to you this week (and if you are aware of it, it will be much easier), at least once a day, when you find yourself in the negative or looking at the bad – consciously move it to the positive – find the good and focus on that.  You will be amazed at what it does to your mood.

Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za or http://www.viljoenconsulting.co.za

HR 101 - What to do When . . . Staff are Negligent in the Performance of their Duties - Part 4

HR 101 - WHAT TO DO WHEN . . . . STAFF ARE NEGLIGENT IN THE PERFORMANCE OF THEIR DUTIES - PART 4

By Nikki Viljoen – N Viljoen Consulting CC - March 2008.

Please note that this pertains to South African Labour Relations and Best Practice requirements.

At the CCMA, it is now an arbitration hearing, and remember – all the evidence has to be presented by both Mike and George, all over again.

One of Mike’s witnesses (who in fact was George’s supervisor – lets call him Andrew) was very clear on the fact that George had in fact been trained and George was well aware of how to conduct the searches on staff.  Andrew also stated that George had been posted to his particular position to conduct the searches and that is what George’s specific function was.  Having said all of the above, Andrew did say that under normal circumstances – this function would have been carried out by someone who was more senior than George.

Although the function of searching staff, would normally be carried out by someone more senior than George, Andrew stated that the reason George had been posted to this particular position was because of the length of time he had worked in the security services division, which was the Security Division of all of Mike’s businesses.  George, of course, had been with the company for about 14 years. This of course, meant that George had the most experience in the security arena of the company, and it was for this reason that George had been chosen for this post.

One of the senior Managers in the store (let’s call him Simon) stated that the reason that the video surveillance equipment had been installed at the exit was because of the large losses that the store was experiencing.  Video surveillance had always been in the actual store itself and it had been ascertained that very little of the shrinkage was due to theft from the public.  Therefore it was assumed that the staff were stealing, hence the need for the staff to be correctly searched.  Simon stated that the company could be held responsible if searches were not conducted correctly as staff could bring about various charges, against the company.

It was noted at this point that the stores losses were around the R500 000 per annum mark.

George, at this point, claimed that he had not received any training at all, in terms of the correct procedures on how to search the staff and that furthermore, he had objected to being posted to this particular position being the Staff  Exit Section.

Next time we will continue with what the Commissioner at Arbitration had to say.

Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za

Sales 101 - Getting into the Mood

SALES 101 - Getting into the Mood

By Nikki Viljoen – Viljoen Consulting CC

Now those of you who know me, know that I am not a fan of ‘cold calls’.  That said there comes a time in all of our lives when we have to make them and quite frankly if I am going to make the call then I might as well do it correctly, so that it is a successful call.

For me as an introvert, it means that I have to be in the correct frame of mind – I have to get “into the mood” and that takes a whole bunch of preparation.

Like most things in life, it’s a process.  Thinking about the call can often be worse than actually make the call.  What to say? What if I leave something out?  What, if in my nervousness I forget what I want to say? What if . . . .

Once I have made the decision to make the call, I find that that is half of the battle won.  Then it is just a case of getting myself into gear.  I have to make a list of all the things that I need to say – I go through the list several times, making sure that I have them in the right order or sequence.  I make sure that I am familiar with what it is that I am going to talk about or ask and I make sure that I have a ‘smile’ in my voice.

I usually have soft music playing in the background and I find this also helps to calm and centre me.  Taking a couple of deep breaths from my stomach also helps to settle the nerves and if all of this fails there’s always a glug of Rescue Remedy at hand!

Making the call then almost becomes automatic and once I have managed the first one and realize for the 150th time that it is not such a bad thing, I find that I am able to keep going and my confidence improves with each call and each successful appointment made.

Should I have a problem with booking calls and sometimes things just are what they are – people are not in the office, you get their voice mail, the secretary has to check the diary and so on – I stop calling and schedule the calls in my diary for later on the same day or on the following day depending on my availability.  Don’t push yourself too hard you will do more damage than you do good.

Whilst you are phoning and waiting for a response, or just after you have made the call – make notes on how you are feeling.

The best piece of advice that I ever got though was along the lines of when you act confident (even if your knees are shaking), you will look, sound and even feel confident.

Most of all – never give up!  Take a break, schedule the calls for another time, but never give up!

Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za or http://www.viljoenconsulting.co.za

Networking 101 - The Importance of Integrity & Credibility

Networking 101 – The Importance of Integrity & Credibility

By Nikki Viljoen of Viljoen Consulting CC

It’s all about integrity and credibility.

Imagine if you will, that you have been running around like a maniac trying to find someone to provide you with a service, let’s call it a handyman (for the purpose of this exercise).  Now I am sure that we have all had the same sort of experience here, and if anyone reading this is a handyman and does not fit into this category, I apologise in advance.

So you are hunting high and low for a handyman as there are several “little jobs” around the house that require a tad more expertise than you currently have.  You find a flyer in your post box, or someone leaves a flyer on your windscreen, advertising their services as a handyman and you rush home to phone and make an appointment.  You get an answering machine, you leave a message and . . . nothing!  No one phones you back.  Or, you get hold of the handyman and he promises to come and have a look, tomorrow, at what needs doing and give you a quote, and you stay at home the whole day waiting for him and . .  he doesn’t pitch.  Or, he comes round the following day, has a look at everything that need to be done and promises to send you a quote and . . . you never receive one.  Sound familiar!

So when you are bemoaning the fact to anyone who will listen, somebody suddenly says, “hey, I’ve got a handyman type person who will come and assist you, his name is Joe Soap and his number is ……”, you are really excited.  You see Joe Soap has come recommended.  Now that is still only 50% of your problem resolved, because Joe Soap, could very well go the same route as the chaps referred to above, or he could actually be a real business person who actually wants the work.

Herein lies the problem.

First of all if Joe Soap, actually is a real business person, who wants and desires his business to be successful, he will of course pitch up, ascertain what needs to be done, give you a quote and then actually arrive to do the work and finally, he will perform the service in a professional manner.  This means now, that you will refer him to all of your friends and colleagues and anyone else who requires anything done around the house or the office.  His business will grow and he will flourish.  You will become regarded as someone who ‘knows’ people and your credibility will become legendary and your business will flourish.  Everyone is happy.

But what if . . .  and here comes the crunch, what if after delivering you the wonderful service, Joe Soap, suddenly becomes like the rest of the handymen out there and becomes sloppy, doesn’t phone people back, doesn’t pitch up etc.  Well not only will Joe Soap’s business die, like the rest of the handymen out there, but also your credibility will be affected – remember you have recommended him.

The moral of this story should now be obvious.  If you want people to recommend you, not only is your credibility at stake, but you are putting theirs at risk as well if you do not deliver or behave in a professional manner.

Do not give people’s contact details out unless you have received their permission to do so!  Not only will they not trust you again but in all likelihood they will not be happy to assist whomever you have given the details to, thus resulting in two people being pretty disgruntled with you.

If you are on the receiving end of getting someone’s contact details as a referral.  Treat those details with respect – don’t be spamming them!  That’s just rude!  If you have received those details, it was for a specific reason, use them for that specific reason and not only will you gain the service/product/assistance that you were looking for, but you will also gain a valuable contact.

Treat other people’s contact details, with the same dignity and respect that you would want other people to treat yours.  I am sure you wouldn’t like to see your name and address and contact details sprawled all over the toilet door, so don’t do that with anyone else’s details.

The Business world in South Africa is a smaller place than you think, people talk, reputations are built up over time, but destroyed in seconds.  Always, operate with Integrity and Credibility.

Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za

Business Tips - How to Manage Your Cash Flow Crisis - Part 1

BUSINESS TIPS – How to Manage Your Cash Flow Crisis – Part 1

By Nikki Viljoen – Viljoen Consulting

Brian Walsh of Entrepreneur and lately the “Real Success Club” always says “get clarity!” I say “If cash is King, then clarity must be Queen!”

So, let’s start off by getting ourselves very clear on what is and what isn’t.

Cash flow is the measurement between money coming in and then going out of your business.  If you have more money coming into your business than going out -  that’s a good thing because is profit. If you have more money going out of your business than coming in then you obviously have a cash flow problem!

There are only three (3) types of issues that cause cash flow problems and these are:-

1. You’re not making enough money.  This usually means that you have to increase the number of sales that you are making or alternatively it may mean that your margins are incorrect, which means that your profits are too small or even non-existent.  Either way you are not making enough money.

2. You are not getting your debtors to pay you.  That means that your money coming in is insufficient to meet the needs of your money going out.

3. You are spending too much money!

Let’s unpack these individually.

You’re not making enough money.
As can be clearly seen from the above, this can be broken down further into two parts.

The first part is about sales. You are not selling enough product or service and you need to get yourself out there and sell! If that is not your strength, then you need to hire someone whose strength it is and get them to sell.  If  your marketing or branding needs to be improved or your product or service that needs to be updated or improved, that needs to get done sooner rather than later.  Whatever must happen, must happen and then you need to sell, sell, sell!

Test and measure and then test again along the way so that you can see where things are going awry and then “tweak” them and test again.  Throw away what doesn’t work and move on.  Replicate what does work - it’s really as simple as that.

The second part being your margins is a little more complicated.  In order to calculate your margins correctly you need to know exactly what your cost of product is and what your cost of sale is.  There is obviously a huge difference between whether you are selling a product or a service but irrespective of which you sell, the issue is the same but from different perspectives and I will deal with each of these issues more comprehensively next time.

Struggling to collect your money.
Again there are two avenues here and again I will deal with them in more depth in a future article.

Basically they are:-
- Being a registered credit provider and carrying a ‘book’ and
- Being a regular, no credit offered type business.

In both cases you need to be in control of the money that is owed to you and the payment thereof.

In both cases you need to ensure that an aging analysis is generated on a regular basis to ensure that you collect your funds timeously.

Do NOT become emotionally attached to your wayward clients.  Decide on the rules e.g. if they haven’t paid in 30 days they get a lawyers letter and if they haven’t paid in 60 days they get handed over to the lawyers. Stick to whatever it is that you have decided upon – no exceptions!

You are spending too much money.
Systematically go through your General Ledger and look at each and every expense and see how you can cut it.

Again, check your emotions at the door, if your staff are no longer productive for a full day, chances are that your cash-flow will no longer sustains them.  Start a retrenchment process.

Next time we will delve a little deeper into the mystery that is cash-flow to get a little more clarity

Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za or http://www.viljoenconsulting.co.za

Motivation - Powerful Words - Part 5

MOTIVATION –  Powerful Words – Part 5

By Nikki Viljoen of N Viljoen Consulting CC

I have, in my opinion, left the two most powerful words until last.  The first of these of course is the word “Action”.

We all need to understand that nothing and I mean absolutely nothing, happens without some sort of action.  Let me put it another way, without some sort of action – nothing will happen.

We all have them I’m sure – you know those thoughts of ‘when is ……. going to happen’ or ‘why is . . . . happening to me’?  Yes, I can see all of those heads nodding!  The fact of the matter is that things happen (or don’t) because of an action that has taken place, so if something is not happening in quite the way that you want it to, you will need to adjust your actions or at the very least, have one!

Irrespective of what your doubts are, or whether you are feeling blue and invisible, you have to keep going and doing.  By your very actions, something with start happening and it may seem like it is the smallest of twitches, but that small ‘twitch’ will motivate you.  Sheer tenacity is often all that is need to get through it all and when you least expect it, the floodgates will open and you will be awash with everything that it is that you need.  Lying in bed and bemoaning your fate will never help the situation (and quite frankly, after the first few minutes I am bored with my own inactivity) but getting yourself up and doing something proactive will certainly be a step in the right direction to change your circumstances.  It works every time!

Finally, the most powerful word for me (and it is one that we very rarely use for ourselves) is reward.

Rewards are often what we give to others, but very seldom what we give to ourselves.  That’s just crazy!  Think about it for a moment – we strive and work towards a goal – but be beat ourselves up on a daily basis because we haven’t achieved what was on our list of ‘things to do’ for the day.  We work 18 hour days , sometimes seven days a week – yet we berate ourselves at every opportunity and we very seldom stop and look around to see how far it is that we have come and what we have achieved that wasn’t even on the list.

Rewarding yourself for a job well done from time to time, will often be the greatest motivation that you could ever give to yourself.  Subconsciously it tells you, that in your book – you’re ok, you’ve done well and that you have been successful.  It’s a wonderful feeling and it’s an afterglow that will stick around long after the reward has been given and taken and it will spur you on to greater achievements.

Whenever you feel down in the dumps or you feel that you have hit a brick wall and don’t know which way to turn – have a look at these words, pick one and match it to your particular challenge of the moment – I have no doubt that it will pick you up, put you back on the path and back on track towards getting and/or achieving your goals and allowing you to be the best that you can be.

Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za or http://www.viljoenconsulting.co.za

HR 101 – What to do When . . . . Staff are Negligent in the Performance of their Duties – Part 3

HR 101 – What to do When . . . . Staff are Negligent in the Performance of their Duties – Part 3

By Nikki Viljoen – N Viljoen Consulting CC - March 2008.

Please note that this pertains to the South African Labour & Best Practice Requirements.

So here we are on the brink of an Appeal Hearing.  George has decided that he has been unfairly dismissed and he has lodged a formal request for an appeal hearing, which of course is his right.

A senior staff member has been called in to chair the hearing (the chairman of the dismissal disciplinary cannot chair the appeal hearing), let’s call him Steve.

Steve had a look at all the material that had been presented at the disciplinary and he decided that because George had not been charged with dishonesty and because there had been no stock losses (although remember at this point that was purely supposition), that this information was irrelevant to the case as George had been charged for being negligent because he did not follow procedures – he had not been charged for dishonesty.

Steve did think that it was important though that because procedures had not been correctly followed, Mike could have suffered losses.

Steve diligently looked for an alternative decision to the one of dismissal, but could not find any solution that would be appropriate – therefore the decision of ‘dismissal’ was upheld, and the appeal was dismissed.

So that gives up the background to why this particular case was lodged at the CCMA.

For the record, an arbitration proceeding done as CCMA level is done as a ‘de novo’ hearing.

What this means is that it becomes a completely new case and/or hearing.   It is not a re-hearing or a re-proceeding of the employer’s (Mike’s) disciplinary procedure.  Nothing that happened at the George’s hearing or even the appeal hearing is taken into consideration – it’s as if it never happened.  It is a completely new hearing, on a new page, with a clean slate.

Therefore only the evidence that is presented at the arbitration hearing is taken into consideration – not any of the evidence that was presented at George’s “company” hearing.  This is very important to remember!

Next time we will continue with what happens.

Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za

VAT - Some of the Requirements - Part 2

VAT  – Some of the Requirements – Part 2

By Nikki Viljoen – Viljoen Consulting

Please note that this pertains to South African VAT (Value Added Tax) requirements.

Last time we looked at a number of expenses that most people think they cannot claim on.  Here are some more.

If you hire a car for business purposes, then you are entitled to claim the VAT on the insurance that you are required to take out on the vehicle.  Be sure to get an invoice that lists the insurance, or itemizes it separately, this will make it much easier for record keeping purposes.

Should one of your staff fall ill at work or get hurt in an accident whilst they are at work and the medical expenses are paid by the company, the VAT on these medical bills can also be claimed back.

Parking fees – now here is one of my favorites.  Do you know how much we spend on parking in the malls and in office park complexes – it’s frightening!  Parking fees, particularly fees that are paid, while working, that have VAT charged on them (in other words Tax Invoice should appear, somewhere on  the receipt, and yes you have to have a receipt to claim the VAT back), can be claimed back.  Most malls  have those ‘pay machines’ that actually give out receipts – be sure to request and submit those receipts.  Obviously monies that are paid out to the ‘car guards’ cannot have the VAT claimed for, but you can of course, claim them as a business expense as long as they are “reasonable” and it is always better to be able to substantiate them.  I use my diary as a guide, when I paid the car guards.

When you send wreaths and/or flowers to staff and/or customers who have had a death or bereavement in their families, you can claim the VAT back.

In terms of postage stamps and postage,  the VAT portion of this too, can be claimed back provided of course that the postage is being used for business purposes.

Artwork, in the form of carpets or paintings and pictures or even plants, can have the VAT claimed for, provided of course that they were actually purchased for the office.  Here’s the thing though – they have to physically be in the office.  Understand that if they are not in the office and the VAT man comes to visit, you could be in the deep brown smelly stuff.

Remember, if you’re not sure whether you can claim the VAT back on anything give SARS a call and ask the question.  Always get the name of the person you spoke to and keep a record of what you asked and the response as well as the date and time of the query.

Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za or http://www.viljoenconsulting.co.za

Networking 101 - Listen Before You Speak

Networking 101 – Listen Before You Speak

By Nikki Viljoen of Viljoen Consulting CC

The Art of Listening.

My friend Geraldine always says that her mother used to say that “God gave us two ears and one mouth for a reason!”

People are so busy trying to get their 5c worth in, that they don’t listen to the other person, what their needs are and therefore what their requirements are.  If you don’t know what they need, how can you effectively sell your skill or product – it might not be what they want at all!

Most people seem to think that you have to be an extrovert to be a good networker.  This is often not the case.  Most extroverts are usually too busy talking about their favourite subject matter, which usually means that they are talking about themselves.

Introverts on the other hand, seem to be better listeners.  They are keen to find out what the possible synergies are, not just for themselves, but also for the people within their own network.

So when you meet with someone, and the purpose of the meeting is to see where there are possible synergies, ask the other people how you can help them.  Listen carefully to what it is that they are saying.  Encourage them to talk about their business, what it is that they do, take down notes and if you don’t understand, ask questions.  You don’t have to know the intricate details of their business and how it works, but you need to have an idea of what it is that they do – remember you should be referring them to people within your network and it’s no good sending them someone to print their business cards, when what they need is someone to design the logo!

Those 5 little words are the most important in your life, remember “How can I help you?”

Listen carefully and then react!

Nikki Viljoen is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za.