June 2012 - OUDTSHOORN BUSINESS CHAMBER

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OUDTSHOORN BESIGHEIDSKAMER
OUDTSHOORN BUSINESS CHAMBER
June 2012
Your Results, Your Fault
Steve Gray
In business the results you get can be ‘relatively’ proportionate to the effort you put in.
So far so good, but a problem arises when people don’t do anything or do the wrong thing to try and get
results.
Far too often people will play the blame game. “I tried this to get more business happening and it didn’t work
and the same with that, and that and such and such… nothings working!”
I think it’s a bit like this, I want to build a house, I have some materials and I put them together but it’s not
working… of course not no plan coupled with low skills, I may end up with a house with no floor, no roof or
missing a number of key items . The same in business, if you need to market the business you need to know
something about marketing, HR you need to know, Finances, Tax, Operational issues, hopefully you get the
picture.
IF you don’t know something you need to find out how to do it properly. Take marketing for instance, doing it
properly makes a huge difference to the results, doing it long enough to see the results really flourish is another
thing again. Being able to measure the results is another thing again.
OK I hear you saying “There are only so many days in the week and hours in the day.” Here are my responses
If you don’t like doing any of the things which HAVE to be done in business get someone else to do it.
Outsource the task to free you up to do more of what you really want to do in the business
Plan your time better, delegate more.
Many people in business work long hours, often doing the only the tasks that need to be done in business hours
in that time slot (calling customers etc.) then working after hours on other tasks like bookkeeping
Stop procrastinating; either you want the business to do well or not, if not get out of it.
Stop using creative avoidance techniques to ‘fluff about’ and get nothing done
Success is working towards any worthwhile goal, therefore get better at setting your goals
Focus on the results you want by being outcome driven
Your business should provide a great lifestyle for you in so many ways, let it be all it can be by being the best
business owner/operator you can be. Being at fault should not be an option, being successful should be your
main priority.
If you want something in your life that you’ve never had….
You will have to do something you’ve never done…
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USING EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT SURVEYS TO BOOST CUSTOMER
SATISFACTION AND LOYALTY
By Howard Deutsch
If you need to increase your company's competitiveness and profit, where should you start? Should you focus on your employees first, or
should you start by focusing on your customers first? In reality, you need to do both.
It is almost always best to start by focusing on your employees first. Highly satisfied and engaged employees are essential for achieving high
levels of customer satisfaction, retention and long-term loyalty. Start by listening to your employees and taking action based on their ongoing
feedback.
Conduct an employee survey / employee engagement survey to gather information, suggestions and insight from your employees. Ask them
about what it is like to work for your company and what can be done to help them do their jobs more effectively and to do a better job of
taking care of customers. Include questions about the effectiveness of internal communications, business processes, teamwork and how
employees feel about your company's direction.
Make sure your employee surveys / employee engagement surveys also include questions about effectiveness of supervisors and managers,
empowerment, ability of employees to make suggestions, effectiveness of rewards and recognition, fairness of compensation, adequacy of
employee benefits, treatment of diverse groups and fear in the workplace. Include questions about quality, customer service and ways to
increase productivity. Ask questions about anything that may be positively or negatively impacting employees' and customers.
Don't be surprised if you end up identifying a very large number of challenges and opportunities. If challenges and problems exist, you need to
know about them, prioritize them and take action. There is no single silver bullet. Identifying and addressing the top three problems is not
enough, especially when there are many more problems that are impacting your employees and customers.
It is important to do a thorough and objective job of analyzing the survey findings. It is then equally important to create a comprehensive action
plan and to do a good job of getting everyone involved and executing the plan effectively. This requires communicating the results of surveys
so that employees know that you listened to them and that you are committed to making needed changes based on their feedback.
Your goal should be to use the employee survey results to achieve large-scale increases in employee engagement and satisfaction, with a much
greater focus on your customers and meeting or exceeding their expectations.
To ensure that you are achieving success, conduct employee attitude surveys annually to measure progress and to identify any new challenges
and opportunities that surfaced since the previous employee survey. Your focus on and commitment to continuous improvement will ensure
continued customer satisfaction and loyalty.
Once you start to achieve positive results, you should also conduct customer surveys to assess customer satisfaction levels and to see how your
customers feel about your company, your employees, your products and services and other key issues that drive customer satisfaction and
retention. Don't be afraid to ask customers about things you know you are not doing well. You need to learn about how customers feel.
Guessing isn't good enough. Your customers are probably also buying from your competitors. It is important that you learn first-hand how they
compare your company, products and services with those of your competitors.
In summary, take good care of your employees, set the right direction, provide good leadership, identify problems and opportunities, take
action and measure ongoing progress. This will enable your company to attract and retain customers and to be competitive and profitable.
Courtesy of Lydia Baines 2012
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Excerpt from the Management Meeting
held 24 May 2012
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
-CBD Upgrade
No large projects would be undertaken by the Municipality
before the end of June 2012. Geoff Wilck requested that André
van Greunen sign a letter in which he would mention specific
areas that needed urgent attention. He agreed to do this.
-Airport project
André van Greunen requested that a letter be sent to AIFA and
TFASA regarding the airport. He stated that the Municipality
had requested that a letter be sent from the chamber to
Minister Anton Bredell regarding the chamber’s support of the
airport, and that a copy of this should be sent to AIFA and
TFASA. He mentioned the discussions conducted with the
Municipality and said that the long-term rental contract for the
airport was in the process of being negotiated.
A Public Participation Process is a requirement for the contract .
André van Greunen stated that the Oudtshoorn Business
Chamber would assist with ensuring that the Municipality
follows the processes needed for this development to be
successful.
-Analysis of all sources of funding & Subsidies available
Lesego Maruping discussed the Job’s Fund and the possibility of
hosting a workshop in order to inform the SMME’s on how the
system works. He will discuss his plan with Melcus Nel.
-Golf Development
André van Greunen said that the liquidators had indicated that
they have a developer who would like to take over the project.
-Car Guards / Children on the street
André van Greunen discussed the letter received from Route 62
Security and the fact that they would be patrolling certain areas
in the town as part of a test to determine the effectiveness of such
security measures.
GREATER OUDTSHOORN TOURISM BUREAU
Niel Els reported that the combined network evening had
been a huge success and that it was long overdue. He
thanked all involved for their contributions and mentioned
that the candidates for the position of CEO for the Tourism
Bureau had given positive feedback on their experience of
the evening. He stressed the importance of a transparent
process of selection and recruitment. He mentioned that a
Dietary Requirement Course would be presented in
Oudtshoorn which was specifically geared towards the
Indian tourism market.
André van Greunen discussed Minister Winde’s visit to
Oudtshoorn and he requested that an alternative date is
arranged with his office.
MUNICIPALITY
-Communication opportunity with the Municipal Manager &
the Mayor
Melcus Nel referred to the monthly breakfast meeting that
would be held with the executive committee of the
chamber.
-Centre of Hope
André van Greunen discussed the building and mentioned
that it was in dire need of repairs and maintenance. He will
meet with Melcus Nel to discuss this issue.
STRATEGIC PARTNERS
-SCBF
Niel Els remarked that there was good cooperation between
the various tourism bureaus on this forum and this was more
successful than the meetings held with tourism bureaus
only.
COMMUNITY POLICE FORUM
Geoff Wilck discussed his concerns regarding this forum.
Strong leadership is critical in order for this forum to be
successful.
The ideal opportunity for you to get involved and get your business known. Sponsor a network evening and members meet at your
business or at a specific venue of your choice.
U besigheid borg die venue, snoeperye en dalk ‘n glasie wyn vir elke lid, en u kry ‘n geleentheid om die lede van u besigheid te vertel en
daardeur goeie blootstelling te kry.
We will assist you with the planning and organising – the sky’s the limit!
Stel u belang? Kontak my en ons gesels daaroor.
Helen : 044 272 6637 / 084 443 6320 / business@odnchamber.co.za
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Ondersteun
asseblief
hierdie
inisiatief
Chamber Golf Days
Join us for a game of golf on the
first Wednesday of every month.
Members are given the opportunity
to network with other businessmen
and women and have some fun at
the same time.
You can get involved by:
• Sponsoring a tee at R250
• Being a Golf Day sponsor and
providing the prizes for all the
winners
• Sponsoring specific prizes
• Signing up your team for a game
of golf
• Attend the prize-giving
All sponsors are given recognition
and your participation could result
in
better
visibility
in
the
marketplace.
Interested? Call me!
Helen: 044 272 6637 / 084 443 6320
Members of the Oudtshoorn
Business Chamber get a full
advert for their businesses for
R175 per year on the
Oudtshoorn Info website.
Contact Greg: 044 272 0041
Make your product easier to buy than your competition, or
you will find your customers buying from them, not you.
Mark Cuban
Business is not financial science, it's about trading..
buying and selling. It's about creating a product or
service so good that people will pay for it.
Anita Roddick
Let us all take more responsibility, not only for ourselves and our families but for our
communities and our country.
Bill Clinton
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CALENDAR
JUNE / JULY 2012
1/6
Pizza & Drinks – Kaalgat Kudu – De Rust
Contact: 044 241 2014
2/6
De Rust Boeremark
Contact: 044 241 2214
2/6
Wijnhuis Market – Oudtshoorn Wijnhuis
Contact: 044 272 8660
8/6
Pizza & Drinks – Kaalgat Kudu – De Rust
Contact: 044 241 2014
8 – 10/6
Dog Show - Oudtshoorn
11 – 15/6
SAPS National Athletics Championships
15/6
Pizza & Drinks – Kaalgat Kudu – De Rust
Contact: 044 241 2014
22/6
Pizza & Drinks – Kaalgat Kudu – De Rust
Contact: 044 241 2014
29/6
Pizza & Drinks – Kaalgat Kudu – De Rust
Contact: 044 241 2014
22/6-1/7
Youth Sport Event- Oudtshoorn
Contact: 082 881 4186
20 – 22/7
Smitswinkel- Get to know our Karoo Flora
Contact: 044 213 3801
Oudtshoorn’s Twin City in the
Netherlands - Alphen aan den Rijn
Visit their website at:
www.alphenaandenrijn.nl
Do you know of any event taking place that does
not appear on this list?
Let Helen know at 044 272 6637 or
business@odnchamber.co.za
Besig besig besigheid
Janet Botha
Jy staan tussen die boer en die kok, tussen die internasionale verskaffer en die middelman,
tussen die huisvrou en die kredietkaart – want jy het wat almal wil hê of kan dit teen die beste
prys kry.
Dis 'n opwindende, uitdagende en baie diverse wêreld – van die eenmanwinkel op die straathoek
tot die groot kokkedore met honderde-duisende werknemers in luukse winkelkomplekse...
Groot klerehandelaars soos Edgars, Woolworths, Truworths en Foschini bou 'n netwerk wat
verder as die grense van die hele Afrika strek en verskaf, vervoer en verkoop saam met Pick n
Pay, Shoprite/Checkers en Clicks.
As jy jou oë toemaak, kan jy elke rak in elke winkel van hierdie plekke besoek en reeds weet
waar om wat te kry – en naastenby hoeveel dit behoort te kos.
Dis hoe goed hulle hul werk doen. Jy ken hulle en weet wat om te verwag.
Dis diens.
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ONTMOET ONS NUWE LEDE / MEET OUR NEW
MEMBERS
Vivo Marimbas
Contact details : Chrisna du Preez 074 3028 836
If you want to have the sounds of Africa at
your function then the Vivo Marimba band,
a group of young musicians, perform at any
events with an International repertoire.
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