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Your EnterQuest Bulletin - 31 August 2005
| Thought for the week:
"For success, attitude is equally
as important as ability." Harry F. Banks |
In this week's issue:
Small business answers
If
you have any questions about your business idea or target market,
or need help tracking down a grant, subsidy or business support
in your local area, then send an e-mail with your query to the EnterQuest
information team and we'll do our best to help.
Send
your question to
enterquest@cobwebinfo.com.
To
access over 800 factsheets, guides and small business reports, go
to www.scavenger.net.
Weekly stir 
How
to avoid making your customers sick
This
week, EnterQuest's editor-in-chief recounts a tale from his recent
summer holiday abroad during which he experienced two very effective
customer service strategies from different small business owners.
"I
was on the second-last day of my holiday in Madeira and had managed
to get booked onto a charter boat taking small groups out on big
game fishing trips. On board with me were the boat owner, his skipper
and three other hopeful fishermen, a Russian, a Swede and a Spaniard,
whose wife was also on the trip as a spectator.
"Everyone
spoke good English and as we cruised out into the Atlantic, my fishing
partners and I were chatting about how rough the sea was. We joked
about how tough it would be on anyone who became really seasick
and wanted to go back, as they would be stuck on board for seven
whole hours while the rest of us were getting our experience of
a lifetime that we had paid a lot of money for.
"After
about half an hour, everyone except myself and the boat owner was
throwing up over the side. In particular, the Spaniard's wife was
becoming so ill that I thought I would witness my first burial at
sea.
"The
boat owner then started handing out something to everyone which
he claimed would stop them feeling sick, a local speciality on the
island called Bacalhau, a pungent, dried, salted fish which was
raw and he tried to get us all to chew. This was stuff that smelled
so foul that I used to take my kids to the supermarket to smell
it as punishment when they had been up to no good. I refused my
portion and took my chances with my stomach.
"After
another half-hour an extraordinary thing happened. The boat owner
announced we were turning back as the Spanish lady had asked to
get off the boat. So we cruised into the nearest village on the
coast, where she could get a taxi back to her hotel.
"He
explained to me why he was doing this by saying the Spanish gentleman
and his wife had paid a lot of money along with the rest of us to
be taken out on his boat. As she had asked to be taken ashore, he
said it was his duty to give her exactly what she wanted, and as
the rest of us wanted to fish we would be given an extra hour to
do that when we cruised out again.
"So
he had turned a very tricky situation into one where each of his
customers got what they wanted. The Spaniard and his wife were happy
and very grateful, and so were the rest of us, as we would get our
full day of fishing with a bit of extra time thrown in.
"Fantastic
customer service.
"The
next day was the last of our holiday, and in the evening I went
with my family to our favourite restaurant which was owned by a
South African chap who cooked everything in front of your eyes over
a wood-burning grill using local beech and eucalyptus wood. I fancied
fish cooked this way as I had eaten meat on each of the previous
three nights.
"I
asked him what fish he had on his menu and he replied that he only
had Bacalhau left.
"My
heart sank, the restaurant appeared to rock from side to side, and
my stomach felt like it was seeking the nearest convenient exit
from my body.
"The
owner could sense my disappointment and then said, 'Look, I know
what you're thinking, but this isn't like that salted stuff you
get everywhere else. I can guarantee you that the way I prepare
and cook this fish is the best you'll get on the whole island. If
you want to try it, I'll cook it for you, and if you don't like
it, you won't have to pay for it.'
"This
was something I had heard him say several times before to his customers,
but it was the first time he had said it to me. And I was so convinced
by his confidence that I ordered it. After all, I wouldn't have
to pay for it if I couldn't eat it, so what did I have to lose?
"When
the fish turned up it looked and smelled magnificent, covered in
garlic, tomatoes and onions and smoked over the wood fire. And it
didn't taste too bad either, not my favourite experience with fish,
but palatable, and I had tried something I never thought I would
be able to eat.
"He
got a very generous tip for his efforts, and a customer who will
be a fan for life and will tell everyone to go and eat there.
"The
strategy the restaurant owner used is one of the most effective
that any small business can deploy. He totally removed the risk
from my buying decision. The risk was transferred entirely to him,
as he would lose out if I didn't like what I had ordered, and he
was totally confident in his ability to exceed my expectations.
"What
he did was different and unexpected. What I got as a customer was
a rare, unusual and unforgettable standard of service."
Both
the boat owner and the restaurant owner went out of their way to
give their customers exactly what they wanted, and to provide a
standard of service that would make them speak very highly about
their businesses and go out of their way to use them again if given
the opportunity.
That
is something that every small business should do. Every time.
You
can find hundreds of easy to implement, low-cost techniques, tips
and tactics for increasing sales whatever your business size or
sector in the UK
Small Business Marketing Bible.
Marketing
tip
Tips
for effective market research
A
market research questionnaire is a useful tool for collecting and
understanding the views of potential customers.
The
responses will help you estimate levels of demand, market size,
amount to charge and so on, to help you profile your target market,
develop or test new products or services.
Here
are a few tips to help you craft your market research questions
to make sure you get a clear and unambiguous response.
- Ask
your questions in a logical order. The first question should tell
you whether it's worth continuing with that respondent. For example,
if you're trying to research the market for fresh coffee, 'Do
you drink coffee?' could be asked first.
- Make
the wording of questions as simple as possible, and clearly define
any technical terms.
- Avoid
double-barrelled questions like 'What do you think about the colouring
and design of this product?' These can be confusing to answer
and difficult to analyse.
- Avoid
leading questions which put words into the respondent's mouth
(for example, 'Most people choose Brand X for its quality, why
do you buy it?').
- Phrase
questions relating to age, income or status carefully. Instead
of 'Can you afford a holiday?', ask your respondent 'Will you
be going on holiday this year?'
- Avoid
asking questions beyond the respondent's span of memory (for example,
'What TV programmes were you watching this time last year?').
There
are more practical tips on carrying out a market research questionnaire
in this
factsheet.
Legal
tip
eBay
traders watch out
A new tax-avoidance crackdown is currently the talk of the eBay
community. HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) is said to be targeting
traders at online auction sites who it thinks might be avoiding
the tax they're supposed to pay on profits.
The whole thing took off again last week when Andrew Watt of financial
advisers Chiltern plc warned that the taxman
was on a crusade, and looking particularly hard at eBay traders
with lots of feedback (the sign of a long trading history).
We got in touch with HMRC, which admitted that there was a crackdown
on tax avoidance, but said that calling its work a crusade was "wholly
inaccurate and misleading".
A lot of EnterQuest readers use eBay to both sell and buy things
they need for their businesses. So if you're wondering how to keep
things straight with the taxman, why not check out the Office
of Fair Trading's (OFT) buyer's guide, or if you're a seller,
try HMRC's
set of guides to self-assessment for tax.
IT
tip
Windows
of opportunism
We reported Microsoft's plans for next year's release of a new version
of Windows (the test version was called Longhorn) back
in May.
The full version now has its own website and Microsoft has announced
it will be called Windows
Vista. If you're thinking of upgrading your computer, this is
a good time to look at what features you already have with your
current system and what extra bells and whistles Vista will offer.
Microsoft tends to phase out support for its older products - there's
hardly any free support for Windows 98 and Millennium Edition any
more, and free Windows XP help will end at the close of 2006. If
you're in doubt about whether your current system is covered, have
a look at Microsoft's
schedule.
New business idea
Each
week we provide you with summaries of some popular or emerging business
ideas in the UK.
Here
is this week's idea:
Just one word
Regularly
improving your vocabulary is not just about learning a new word
and its meaning. It will improve your general knowledge and make
you feel and act smarter in all sorts of personal and business situations.
Do
you know what a 'tyro' is?
a)
an aggressive manager
b) an expert or professional
c) a beginner or novice
d) something minor or insignificant
Answer
at the end of the Bulletin.
Website review
Business
Link (www.businesslink.gov.uk)
"Practical
advice for businesses", claims the banner on the homepage of
this site, and it bills itself as the one-stop shop for information
about everything from trading regulations to sources of business
finance. But how user-friendly is the site?
- Navigation
- you could be forgiven for being overwhelmed by the choices and
amount of information on the homepage. There's a long list called
'What applies to me?' which details regulations, licences, sources
of training and so on, and yet another list of topics to choose
from. There are a lot of clicks to get to the various tools, factsheets
and guides - you could easily get lost in the process.
 
- Accessibility
- a dedicated page boasts that the site "has been assessed
by an independent consultancy" to make it accessible for
people with vision problems, but for all that there are no access
keys, no text-only version, no options for changing the text size
or colour, and no foreign language options. Instead there's a
link to Adobe's accessibility tools, and a vague claim that the
site is "aiming for" Royal National Institute for the
Blind accreditation.
A
below-ordinary score of 8 for Business Link - mostly due to its
unsubstantiated claims about accessibility, and a confusing and
lengthy progression through the site.
Our
rating - 8/20
Did
you know?
Microsoft
has a malicious software removal tool
It's
not very well publicised, but the existence of this tool from Microsoft
came to light this week when it was updated to try to stem the progress
of fast-spreading new worm, Zotob.
The malicious
software removal tool can be run from the Microsoft website,
and scans your PC for malware and other gremlins before providing
removal instructions.
Worth
a visit
Online
catalogue of broadband ideas
Innovative and unusual ideas for small business use of broadband
are being showcased on a new
Government website. Around 450 case studies look at broadband
use in sectors as diverse as catering, virtual reality and tourism,
and the 20 best submissions will be highlighted in a special section
of the website later this year.
Introduction to VC funding
This
blog is US-orientated, but provides an informative and practical
introduction to the concept and process of getting venture capital
(VC) funding for your business.
Free
business discount club
Log
Buy is a discount club that lets small firms benefit from combined
purchasing power. Any business with fewer than 50 employees can
join, regardless of its sector or location. It's free to join and
you can get discounts - it claims of up to 70% - from major suppliers
including Europcar vehicle rental, Radisson hotels, Onetel phone
line rental and broadband, and EuroShell fuel.
Worth
a read
Millionaire
MBA Ltd provides audio mentoring materials for aspiring entrepreneurs.
It has launched a free e-book entitled '37 Winning Tips and Strategies
of Self-Made Millionaire Entrepreneurs'. Based on the advice of
renowned UK businesspeople, the e-book aims to provide both inspiration
and practical tips to small business owners keen to grow their enterprises
- without forking out a penny. Check out:
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Just one word answer
The answer is c).
A
tyro is a beginner or novice.
Market
research is important for every small business owner, but
is especially vital if you are a tyro in your sector.
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Good
luck
The EnterQuest Team
This information is meant as a starting point only. Whilst all reasonable
efforts have been made, the publisher makes no warranties that the
information is accurate and up-to-date and will not be responsible
for any errors or omissions in the information nor any consequences
of any errors or omissions. Professional advice should be sought
where appropriate.
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