In my last blog, we talked about 3 sure-fire ways to make more profit.

Today, I’m going to share with you 3 ways to boost profit without having to make any more sales.

There are many different ways you can go about making more profit in your business, whether you are in a growing market when profits are rolling in, or in a shrinking market when you’re a little worried. Regardless, now is the time to take control and make a solid plan to ensure your business is surviving and thriving.

Here are 3 easy ways business owners can make more profit by being just a little more strategic. You just have to know what to look for.

1.     Key Suppliers 

Every business needs to keep a close eye on costs. Suppliers are your biggest cost and a key area to look at. Use my 3-step system for success: First, look at your largest suppliers and write down the most significant products or services you buy from them. What does it cost you? Now, get in touch with other suppliers that sell similar products and get a comparison. You will find other suppliers will be cheaper in some areas.

Finally, negotiate with your current suppliers, quoting the better prices you have discovered from the others. Don’t just use the other suppliers pricing for leverage. Look at their offer genuinely and see if they are a better fit. If you were quoting for new business, you would want to be treated this way also.

When talking with your suppliers you might even discover you are still at old rates. If your business has grown, old pricing based on smaller volumes may not apply anymore. You should be able to get a much better deal. In most cases, just asking the question and pointing out your value as a customer and/or letting them know you can get a better deal elsewhere, will shake out improved prices and significant savings on your costs.

This will increase your margins and a little bit of attention here ultimately equals a lot more profit for you. Yay!

2.     Stop Discounting 

Another thing to look at: How often are you or your staff discounting when you don’t need to? Every business should have a clear policy on discounting. Without a policy, it is too easy for you and your staff to cut prices unnecessarily. It doesn’t seem like a big deal at the time, but discounting randomly means margins blow out and destroy profits. 

I find that some business owners are naturally generous and discount far too often which has a big effect on their profits. You can still be generous to customers when the conditions are right, but you need to be in control. Ultimately, making good profit puts you in a much better position to give back to those around you including your customers, your staff, your family and your community.

3.     Hold Your Advertising Accountable

Advertising is one area where costs can get wildly out of control. I have seen businesses waste thousands each year (sometimes up to $100k!) on advertising campaigns that are simply not working. They’re unhappy, but don't know what else to do, so continue burning cash month after month. 

Don’t get me wrong: Advertising is vital, and everyone should be spending money on getting more customers into their business. But marketing and advertising must be tested.

How do you know? You must measure every dollar you spend on promoting your business. John Wanamaker famously said, “Half the money I spend on advertising is wasted, the trouble is I don’t know which half”. Always ask new customers “How did you hear about us?”. Do this for a little while and the results will be obvious. Stop what is consistently not working and you’ll spend less, in most cases resulting in significant savings on your advertising budget. And yes - do more of what is working! (which should pay for itself and then some!).
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For more practical ways to increase profit, come to my "Rocket Your Profit" workshop - Tuesday 4 April 2017 - Otago Chamber of Commerce, Dunedin
Find out more here: https://goo.gl/3ZxbGL

In every business I come across there are always some quick simple ways to increase profits without too much extra effort. I like to call this the low hanging fruit because just like a fruit tree laden with fruit, you can pick from the lower branches with little effort. However to reach the higher branches you may need to climb or use a ladder, which requires a bit more work. So it makes sense to take the easy fruit first. 

There are so many ways to increase profits but to start with, here are two quick and easy ways:

1) Increasing Your Prices

Every year costs increase which erodes your all-important margins. Often business owners are worried about putting prices up as they are concerned about losing customers. However the reality is that in most cases when prices are gently increased very few customers, if any, even notice. 

But let’s say you increased your prices and a small amount of your customers left - let’s look at the numbers to see if you would be better off or not. 

Say you had a Gross Profit Margin of 20% and decide to increase your prices by just 10%. You would have to lose 1/3 of your current sales before your profit fell back to what it was originally before the price increase. Would you lose 1/3 of your sales from a 10% price increase? Probably not. 

A cafe business owner I have been working with has increased prices by 5-10% three times over the past 18 months, and their sales and profits just keep on increasing. 

Action Point: Increase your prices by between 5-10% next month. 


2) Ask your existing customers to buy something extra (Up-selling)

Depending on what business you are in, there are many ways you can do this. For example if you are a men’s clothing store and your customer is about to buy a suit from your store, a smart salesperson, just as the customer is about to pay, might suggest that because they have just purchased a suit if they buy now they qualify for 35% discount off the price of your best ties. Just by having something extra to offer (not necessarily at a discount), your staff can increase your sales with very little effort. 

McDonalds have added millions of dollars in sales every year by asking “Would you like fries with that?”. Other classic upsells include - a case with your new iPhone, waterproofing spray with new boots, batteries when purchasing a toy, insurance for plane tickets, extended warranties, a chocolate bar by the checkout. Having already made the decision to buy, the customer is already in “buying mode” and if they are offered a little something extra, they are very likely to go for it.

Action Point: Pick one lower value related product each month that all staff can offer as an upsell or add on when the sale is made. 

There are tons of low cost ways to increase profits; try these to get you started.

When I first begin working with a business to improve profits, we start looking for the low-hanging fruit first. Just like when you are picking fruit from a tree, some fruit is low-hanging and easy to get to. At ground level there will be some fruit you can just reach up and take without a lot of effort. However as you move further up the tree the fruit will be in harder-to-reach parts which may require climbing, or the help of a ladder.

The same principle applies to business. We are all busy and the reality is that if we look around the business there are literally dozens of things that could be actioned to improve profits. But the fact is, it is unlikely you have the time to action a dozen changes, certainly not in the short term anyway.

Here are some examples of low-hanging fruit I have seen in businesses, which, when actioned, had a dramatic effect on profit:

Negotiating with suppliers - Look at the pricing from your largest suppliers and compare with their competitors. Then renegotiate better buying pricing to increase your margins. Often with suppliers they supply pricing to a business, the business grows but they are still on old pricing based on smaller volumes.

Approach old customers - Start approaching the old customers who have not brought from you for a while. A number will buy from you again if you just ask.

Tell your customers about other products - Start offering your existing customers products/services they are not currently buying. Most will not even know what else you can do for them.

Shop window - In retail, displaying specials, new stock, or add-ons that goes well with products you sell a lot of, will entice customers to buy more, and bring new customers through the door as well.

Collecting the money - Instructing your accounts person to make a few phone calls to chase up outstanding debts can make a big difference. Holding them accountable to do this job takes only minutes.

Invoicing on time - Many businesses do not invoice on time and it causes problems down the line. This may not give you more profits directly but you will certainly have more time and less stress without cashflow headaches.

Pricing - Simply increasing your prices by a small amount will make a big difference to your profits and in most cases your customers will not even notice.

Promoting your best sellers - Identify your best selling products, and products that have great margins. You can easily promote these (for example in an email to your customer database, or on your Facebook page) - and sell more of them.

Regular staff meetings - If all your staff a) feel appreciated and encouraged regularly b) know what is expected of them c) know about your latest specials and where you are heading as a business - this will result in more efficient staff, more sales, more profits.

These are just a few examples. Take a moment to ask yourself "what is the low-hanging fruit in my business?" and "what are the easy wins that will increase our profits dramatically without a lot of effort?"

Remember, business does not have to be complicated. Even if you do not have a lot of time or energy, you can still be making small positive changes to improve your business. There are always some things we can do to improve that are quick and easy. So reach out and grab what you can get! I promise you the rewards are delicious!

In my last article, we looked at the five key problems in Canterbury businesses in the current economy, as identified by MYOB in their latest business survey results.

I am listing these for you, along with some strategies to help you conquer these big problems. I hope you find it useful.

'Competitive Pressures' and 'Customer Acquisition' ranked as the number 1 and 2 key problems. We looked at those last time. Here is number 3:

# 3 - Price Margins and Profitability
Although this has been ranked as third, in my book this would be first. Many, many, many businesses I come across just don't look at this closely enough. I always make sure my clients understand their profits and margins including what they need to make profit... because without profit you will eventually go broke. Every business owner must know their numbers to stay in business - it is just that important.

I often see companies increase their sales, but reduce their margins to get the work. Or even worse, they loose sales and then drop margins to compete - very very dangerous if you don't know the numbers.

Make sure you know the margins on all products and services you have. Also you need to see every month if you are making a profit or loss. If you don't have monthly figures, the good news is that they won't be to hard to get. Whoever does your GST returns will have them. This will be your accountant, bookkeeping service or staff member. Ask them to show you, and go through it to find out your sales, margins, and profits. When you know sales, margins, and profits, you can look at what you need to do to improve them.

Pricing is a good place to start; even an increase of just 5-10% will have a big impact on profits - and most of your customers won't even notice.

If you are still unsure on this one, give me, or your accountant, a call.

Another problem you may be facing is:

# 4 - Customer Retention
Keeping your customers coming back time after time is really the backbone of almost every business. It is important to understand that generally, by the time you pay for costs of getting a new customer (in advertising, discounts and so on), you do not start making money from them until they become a regular customer. If you have gone to all the trouble of getting them, it is worth spending some time thinking about how to keep them. Often business owners are so busy chasing after the new customers, they forget about the old ones. Madness!

There are literally hundreds of strategies for keeping customers coming back, but there are two principles that can be applied every time:

First, give them a reason to come back. Try a loyalty card or offer them a discount off their next order.

Second, keep in touch with your precious new customer through Facebook, newsletters, regular specials, offering them different/new products, a thank you card, etc.

Remember that friend that you were so close to a few years ago; you didn't keep in touch and now they have drifted away? Well, customers are the same. There are plenty of competitors that want your customers and they are spending thousands of dollars in ads and special offers to get them. Don't let them steal your customers! Keep in touch and make sure your customers know you value their business.

And rounding out the list of top five problems businesses in Christchurch and Canterbury have in the current economy - SURPRISE! it's:

# 5 - Cashflow
No money in the bank and lots of creditors to pay = stress, stress, stress. This one can be a real killer. Enough pressure from cashflow and it takes all the fun out of business.

Cashflow problems will be caused by one or a combination of the following:

• Poor margins
• Poor profitability
• Too much stock
• Not invoicing on time
• Not collecting money when due
• Rapid growth (don't underestimate this one - this will kill you if you don't see it coming)
• Under capitalised
• Buying new equipment or assets and trying to fund it from existing cashflow

(Re-visit my June newsletter for more on this; email me for a copy if you have lost it)

Bottom line is - to fix your cashflow problems you need to understand which area or areas are at fault.

Start setting up KPI (Key Performance Indicators) in whatever area you need to improve.

Just like in sports - all the best teams measure everything they can that will help them win the game. In rugby the Crusaders measure metres gained, number of tackles, number of missed tackles, number of penalties etc. They decide which key numbers will make the most difference to their game and then work on improving them.

In business it should be exactly the same. For example in Accounts Receivable start measuring how many of your customers are overdue, their dollar value and the percentages. Decide what is acceptable and start working on getting that number or better. This will put you back on track. But don't stop there - make sure you watch this figure closely every week and month. Compare each month to see if you are getting better or worse.

So - those are the top five problems in Canterbury businesses right now and some ways to deal with them.

The big question for you now is - what you are going to do next? Do you say, that was great information and carry on as you were. Or do you pick at least one thing and take action? Only then will it help your business and increase your profits.

Last month I attended a business advisers meeting and MYOB presented their latest business survey results. In this they highlighted the top five key problems Christchurch and Canterbury businesses are facing in the current economy. 

As most of my clients are in Canterbury, I thought it would be useful to list each problem and give you some strategies for how to go about fixing them.

I have listed the problems in the same order as the survey results. This may not necessarily be the same order for your business, but I know that at least one of these is most likely one of your biggest challenges. The first is...

# 1 - Competitive Pressures
The pressures you are facing from other competitors in your market place. If you are in retail for example, a real competitive pressure is most likely the internet and the growing level of purchases online of similar or even the same products as what you are selling.

Every business needs to at least be aware of what these competitive pressures are for them, and how they are affecting business. I am not saying that you should spend all your time worrying about this, but it is important to pay attention.

A great place to start is by asking yourself these questions:

• How are you rating compared to your competition and how are they affecting your business?
  
• How are your competition getting customers?
  
• What am I better at than my competition?

The last question is the most important one, for if you know what you are really good at, and play to your strengths, you will win the game here. Let me illustrate:

I stand a towering 5 foot 3, so I don't often get called a giant (except maybe by my kids). I used to play rugby in North Canterbury and would always be playing against much bigger and physically stronger players than myself. But I also had strengths - I was a little quicker than the others, I had a lower centre of gravity, and I was fitter, all of which meant I could still compete. For example when tackling players who were on average 1.5 to 2 times my own body weight, by going low around their legs, they could not fend me off, so my success rate in this part of the game was very good. However if I tried going high they would push me off and I would be the one kissing the dirt.

Nice story I hear you say, but how does that relate to me. Well, start by asking what your strengths are - it could be that your business has the best products, superior service, location, best staff, largest product range...

Now start promoting these to your customers, leads and prospects, and you are now standing out from the others. Do this well, and customers who value these strengths you offer will start flocking to your business. Play to your strengths, and make sure your customers know what you are really good at.

Going back to our retail shop, advantages they have over their online competitor could be better back up service, knowledge, expertise, less "risky" to deal with etc. That personal service still has value, and you can guide your customer in making the best choice product for them. Online in most cases cannnot provide this kind of one on one service. 

Let's look at the next big problem that many businesses face.
 
# 2 - Customer Acquisition
Getting (acquiring) new customers. Every business needs a good healthy stream of new customers. You will always be losing some customers no matter how good you are. Sometimes they shift to another town, they are earthquake affected (we all fully appreciate this one), they no longer need your product or service, they are at a different stage of life, or...  It is important to have a good robust short and long term marketing plan. Why short and long term? Because you need to be attracting the type of customers that give you a long term future for the business not just a short term boost without repeat sales.

The 50% off ad in the local paper, or Grab One? Sure it will give you a boost for a week - with one-time customers that take the deal and disappear off looking for the next bargain never to be seen again. This is great to help you be busy, but it won't necessarily create you a business. Better to first work out who your best type of customers are, and target them specifically. Grab One or 50% off may still fit, but you are now seeing the bigger picture.

A client of mine is a stock feed supplier. We discovered that a very profitable customer for him was farmers with lots of working dogs. They regularly buy biscuits and other products from him every month without fail. They were easily to find and they were regular steady income. They also had good profits and margins.

So work out the ideal customer groups for your business, and then work on attracting them. Remember we can't be all things to all people, but we can become very good, almost unbeatable, at servicing a certain type of customer.
 
So we have looked at the first two of five key problems in Canterbury businesses. Look out for the next exciting article and we'll look at the remaining three problems.
 
In the meantime, think about what edge you have over your competition. And how to attract new long term customers.

You have probably noticed that there are a number of “Daily Deal” companies like Treat Me, Grab One, etc. They all heavily discount products or services (usually 50%+) available for a 12 or 24 hour period.

All of these websites have a significant number of email subscribers so it is an easy way to gain access to a large number of potential customers quickly, and can be a tempting way to increase business.

An article I recently came across "The Parable of the Cobbler" sums up the pitfalls very well.

Here are a few things the cobbler and yourself should consider before trying this type of selling.

1.       Do you still have a margin?

After giving a 50% discount off your product and then a further commission to the website (up to 20%), can you still make profit off the sale?

Calculation:

Retail Value of your product                    $100

Less 50% discount                                         $50

                                                                              $50
Less 20% commission                                   $10

Sale Value =                                                      $40

Margins have to be very good to still make a profit after this type of discounting. There are some businesses this model will fit, like cafes, hairdressers, mechanics etc, where margins are high and there is also the opportunity to introduce “add on sales” to the customer after the original purchase.

2.       Can you turn them into a lifetime customer?

When marketing to new customers, by the time you take into account acquisition costs including advertising, marketing, discounting etc, it is usually not until the second sale that you start to make money off this new customer. The difficulty is that most of these coupon buyers are bargain hunters and will be looking for a new bargain tomorrow - most are not likely to be a long term customer. (Note: There are always things you can do to ensure that a percentage of these become raving fans of your business and will stay, but that is more than we have time to cover in this article).

3.       If you discount, will you still be able to get the full price again?

Discounting is a strategy that you do not want to over-use. The danger is that if used too often or regularly you are training your customers not to buy off you until you have a sale. There are many companies that fall into that trap. Retailers like Kathmandu and Briscoes - because they have such large and regular sales, many now perceive their normal price to be too expensive, and will just wait until the next sale. Once customers are thinking this way, it is almost impossible to change it.

So in summary, make sure it fits with your pricing and marketing strategy in the longer term. Make sure it will attract the right customers and at the right price for you!