Commission only sales people

I just joined a forum this week and have been very impressed by the amount of activity and interaction that takes place. Definitely worth a visit for small business owners (www.ukbusinessforums.com).

One of the recurring themes that seems to have come up this week is that of commission only sales people. Some people are of the opinion that you can't find people who are willing to work on commission only, and why should they? However my experience has been different, and I have posted several times on the forum this week to that effect.

Good, self employed sales people, who might have other projects on the go earning them some income, are willing to work on commission only if the product is saleable and the commission structure is realistic and has the potential to earn them good income. If they know they are good at their job, they will give it a go.

In my opinion, as a small business owner, taking someone on who is working remotely and working on an hourly rate is a risk. I think, offering someone a high commission is an incentive to them to work, and if they prove to be good at the job, then you can consider paying them a low hourly rate, plus commission as a thank you for their hard work, but let them prove themselves first. If your product/service doesn't sell, they'll soon tell you.

If you would like to discuss using commission only sales people, I have many very experienced professionals on my database who might well be interested in working for you.

Sales Sharpener

I have just returned from a very interesting meeting with Andy Homeyard of Castle10 (www.castle10.com). Andy was offering a 2 hour session that he calls a Sales Sharpener, in which he explored my business with me, and offered some suggestions on how to improve and increase sales.

I have to say, if I'm completely honest (and sorry about this Andy if you read this) I did go along with a bit of scepticism about the whole thing. After all, I have been running my business for two years, have taken lots of advice and guidance from some very high level, experienced people and thought that no one could identify opportunities that I haven't considered, explored and rejected in the space of two hours.

How wrong could I be?

It is amazing what a fresh pair of eyes can do to open up opportunities before you, that just haven't crossed your mind. Sometimes, I think, as small business owners we get tunneled in our vision and keep thinking down the same avenues, and it is difficult to stand back and take a new perspective on what you are doing. Andy seemed to do this with ease in two hours, and I came away with some very positive action points to help move my business forward, as well as renewed impetus.

If you think you could benefit from Andy's help, contact him, and please tell him where you heard about him.

Employing home based workers for home businesses

It's been a while since my last blog, but I didn't think anyone was reading it, and felt a bit lonely, however I've discovered that people do read it, so I'm going to start to be a bit more religous about it.

I came across an interesting website yesterday, The Home Business Alliance, which after two years of running my own business from home, I was surprised not to have found it before. Apparently it's been going since 1993 (www.homebusiness.org.uk)which must have been pretty much when the internet first started invading our lives, so they really spotted a future trend well in advance.

Home businesses are the future. More and more people are starting their own business and working from home, but for those people who don't feel the entrepreneurial urge, then perhaps working for another home business would suit you better. You still get the benefits of working from home, your employer benefits from your skills and experience but doesn't have to provide office space for you, and it's a win-win situation.

Many of the job seekers on my database would love the opportunity to use their skills and experience and work from home. Perhaps you could use them to support your business growth? A bookkeeper for two hours a week, or a marketing manager to create a marketing plan for you and then guide you through implementing it. All these skills can be used flexibly to provide a skills "pick and mix" for a growing business.

Why small business recruitment is so satisfying

On Friday evening I was invited to a party to celebrate the 2nd anniversary of one of my client companies. Angels Den introduces entrepreneurs to investor angels and the business is thriving.

The dress code for the party was white, (wings optional) and it was a very surreal experience, with cotton wool clouds on the floor, white linen draped around the room, inflatable white sofas and a 5ft10" white rabbit taking photographs! Even all the food was white.

But the thing that I found most rewarding from the whole experience was to be introduced to all their staff members, the majority of whom I had sourced for them, allowing their business to grow. All their staff members work remotely from their own homes, and offer a variety of skills that Angels Den can tap in to as and when their business needs it. And they all seem so happy and grateful to me - not just the staff, but Bill and Lois (the owners) too.

I felt as though I had played an important role in the growth of their company, and hope that I continue to do so. SMall businesses do often struggle to find the skills and experience they need, just as job seekers struggle to find flexible work that provides them with a good work life balance.

Specialising in small business recruitment I might not make the money that traditional recruitment services make, but the rewards for me, far outweigh that. I have a passion for small businesses and a passion for helping people find a good work life balance, and that party showed me that I am achieveing it. Thank you Angels Den.

Working as a Virtual PA

Held our first training day yesterday for budding virtual PAs and I think it went down very well. When I first had my children and was searching around for something I could do from home, believe it or not (I know it makes me sound old) we didn't have a home computer, and the internet was in its infancy, so it wasn't so easy to work from home in those days.

I remember applying for a job as a freelance translator and they asked me if I had email, and I didn't even know what it was! I can't believe it now, and that was really only 12 years ago.

Now of course, many people have home computers and internet access and the role of a Virtual PA is very appealing to many young Mums who have an adminstrative background. But where do you find your clients, how do you market yourself, what IT tools will you need and how do you keep your clients happy, providing the services they need at prices they can afford?

Our Virtual PA training course covered all these aspects and delegates went away feeling confident and excited at the prospect of a new venture that will also give them the flexibilty to be there for their children.

I was very excited at being able to offer this opportunity to some of my candiates, with the help of Graham Roberts-Phelps and Shay Russell, from Virtual PA Plus and I'm looking forward to working with them more and hopefully opening up this great flexible working opportunity for more of my candidates.

The importance of a good CV

If you are job seeking, the most important thing you can do is get your CV right first. Your CV is your marketing document and it is said that, when working their way through pile of applicants, most recruiters make up their minds about a candidate before they’ve got to the end of the first paragraph, and my experience tells me it is true.

Imagine you are given a brochure for a luxury hotel. It is in a great location, has all the facilities you could wish for, but the brochure is badly set out, is difficult to read, has spelling mistakes, no capital letters or full stops. What impression would that give you about the hotel? Maybe that they’re sloppy, disorganised? It might even make you decide not to book your holiday there. Well the same applies for your CV. A well written well organised CV, that has been spell checked, does not use text speak, and sets out the candidates skills and experience in a clear, easy to read format, will make you stand out from the crowd. And it really will. You would not believe the number of CVs I see that do not fit that description, and when you are fighting, in a difficult economic climate, against two or three times as many applicants for each job as there might have been previously, you need to stand out.

So, what are my top tips for writing a CV

1. Use grammar, punctuation, capital letters (in particular for “I”)and do not use text speak. This is the number one thing that I am seeing more and more in CVs and covering letters, and it does not create a good impression.

2. Use at least a size 10 font and use space. Do not try and cram everything in to two pages if it doesn’t fit easily. People are more likely to read the CV if it is easy on the eye.

3. Set it out in a clear, well organised format.

4. Start with a profile, or introductory paragraph about yourself and your current situation/objectives in finding a job.

5. If there are gaps in your employment, explain them. People do get ill, go travelling, have children, so explain it rather than try to ignore it, thinking the employers won’t notice, because they will.

6. Include a section, highlighting your key skills.

7. Rather than focus solely on your job description of each role you have had, pick out some key achievements, things you were particularly proud of that you did.

8. Get someone else to read it before you start sending it out. A fresh pair of eyes will always spot something that you’ve missed.

Remember, one size does not always fit all.

Once you’ve got your standard CV, it is also worth remembering that it can sometimes be worth tailoring your CV for each job application you make. As an example I might receive a CV in response to a telemarketing role, and the opening paragraph will say “Now keen to find a job in IT and establish my career”. This is going to turn any employer off, who is looking to employ someone for a telemarketing position.

Q&A on flexible working for employers

There is going to be a lot of talk in the media over the next few weeks about the introduction of the new rules on flexible working so what are the government’s new rules ?

In April this year the government will introduce the right to request flexible working for employees who have children up to the age of 16. This does not however mean that they have a right to expect flexible working patterns.

Can I refuse a request for flexible working?

You can refuse a request based on any of the following business grounds

• planned structural changes
• the burden of additional costs
• a detrimental impact on quality
• the inability to recruit additional staff
• a detrimental impact on performance
• the inability to reorganise work among existing staff
• a detrimental effect on ability to meet customer demand
• lack of work during the periods the employee proposes to work

Should I be worried about this?

Research from the Cranfield School of Management shows that flexible working improves employers’ recruitment and extends employee retention as an employee will perform better and remain more committed to an employer who acknowledges and supports flexible working. At a time of economic downturn, it has never been more important for business to enhance relationships with their employees through offering flexible working to help to stabilise their economic future.

What are the benefits to me, as an employer, of offering flexible working?

You can cut costs by not employing someone full-time, as their salary would be less. You may also want to save on office costs by enabling an employee to work from home or ‘hot desk’ with another part-time employee. You will also create happier and more motivated staff by allowing them to balance work with their family.

When do the new rules come in to force?

April 6th 2009

What do the Conservatives say about this?

David Cameron has always put the family at the core of his policy decisions. He has vowed to promote flexible working to help hard-working couples struggling to make ends meet. He has suggested that a Tory government would push for more flexible working hours for parents of children of all ages, rather than just the very young.

What is flexible working?

Flexible working can involve any of the following: part-time work, flexi-time, annualised hours (where your hours are worked out over a year, often with set shifts with you deciding when to work the other hours), compressed hours (working your agreed hours over fewer days), staggered hours (different starting, break and finishing times for employees in the same workplace), job sharing or home working.

More information?

Flexible Skills Bank will shortly be running a series of free online seminars exploring the issues surrounding flexible working. To register your interest in attending one of these seminars, please email us at info@flexibleskillsbank.co.uk