Whatever it is that your business does, the product is always high on your list of priorities. Along with the customer, product is King; as long as these two are looked after, you will find that your business is running as smoothly as you need it to. But for many entrepreneurs, particularly novice ones, knowing how to ensure the product is excelling is quite a difficult and lengthy matter. As it happens, there are three basic considerations when it comes to getting the product side of business right, and that is what we are going to have a look at today. Let’s see what you need to do to keep your product at the top of the game.
First of all, you have the actual development of the product. This is the largest-ranging and most time-consuming part of the whole process. It is during development that you go from the initial ideation of the product right through to marketing and finally sale. Clearly, there are many steps along this path, and each of them requires their own professionals with a unique skill-set – but how can you ensure that the development process as a whole is kept as tight as possible? One of the most beneficial things you can do is to assign a leader in each step of the development process – a manager for research, a manager for design, a manager for marketing, and so on. This means that you effectively have separate, dedicated teams for each part of the journey, and that will usually result in a much more pleasing and effective result at the end of it. Development is easily the most important of the three D’s, so be sure to get it right.
Distribution
No matter what product you actually produce, you will need to make sure it gets into the right hands at the right time. There is no one correct solution to this, primarily because each product from each business has its own customer type and preferred destination. But these are exactly the factors which you need to figure out and use to your advantage. Distribution requires a successful approach to how you deliver goods, whether to stores or the customers’ hands themselves. Combine the knowhow of your local trucking company with the range and scale of your marketing division, and you have a distribution network which is bound to serve you – and your customers – very well.
Product doesn’t end once it is delivered into the customer’s hands. In many respects, this is where the real work actually finally begins. It is at this point that you will want to start thinking about researching the relevant data of the whole process. There is much to be discovered here, and it will all help you in the future when you are developing your next product. You want to find out sales figures, demographics of users, what marketing worked and what didn’t, and many things besides. The more you know, the better equipped you are the next time around.
None of us likes to think about getting hurt. We may all be aware that we’re mortal and so breakable, but we don’t dwell on it. We hold the knowledge in the back of our minds and pretend it doesn’t exist. Unless we or someone we know are receiving treatment, few of us spare a thought for those in the medical profession. That’s not because they aren’t worth our time. They, more than anyone, deserve our reverence. We fail to consider such individuals because they remind us of an uncomfortable truth. Add to Flipboard Magazine. Nurses and doctors receive abuse on a daily basis. Why? Because we lash out when they make us confront our health. We snap and ignore their advice. Hospital patients complain on a regular basis. Is it any wonder that healthcare professionals change career paths? It’s about time we started treating these individuals with the respect they deserve. Our mortality is not their fault. In fact, it’s thanks to people like them that we’re living longer. As with anything, to appreciate healthcare, we need to develop more understanding of what’s involved. We spend so much of our lives ignoring the need for such services that few of us understand the inner workings. So, we’re going to look at the healthcare world in more depth. Up front are doctors and nurses. Nurses are on the floor, caring for patients on a daily basis. Theirs are the faces at the front of medicine. They talk to patients and provide a go between with doctors. They administer medication and make sure everything’s ticking over. Above them, we have doctors. While they aren’t as hands on with patients, these are the people who diagnose issues. They hold lives in their hands as they try to determine problems and develop treatments. Behind the scenes, we also have surgeons. Many of us never meet such individuals, but they care for us when we’re at our most vulnerable. They fix bones, provide life-saving transplants, and much more.
Hospital life aside, there are those who go out into the world. For extreme emergencies, we have the air ambulance service. These include drivers and paramedics, who often arrive first at the scene of an accident. They take patients to hospital as fast as possible, as well as administering treatment at the scene. For less severe emergencies, there are ambulance drivers. Again, these are trained paramedics who provide care as well as transport. Like doctors, such individuals have to make on the spot decisions about what’s happened. Decisions made during an ambulance journey can often spell life or death.
So, who are the people behind the titles. Those who opt for a life saving education like medicine are caring individuals. They put themselves in the line of fire, and expose themselves to human fragility on a daily basis. While we turn our backs on mortality, they look it in the face and challenge it at every turn. Don’t you think it’s about time you gave them the appreciation they deserve?
As an employer, you want to have the best people around you. If you’re confident that your team can deliver and you’ve hired the best possible candidates for the job, you have a much higher chance of making your business venture successful. It can be difficult to target the cream of the crop, especially with so much competition out there. Here are some tips you may find helpful.
If you’re hiring in a hurry, you may not attract the caliber of candidates you’re expecting. If you know vacancies are going to become available in a couple of months time, don’t wait until 2 weeks before to advertise the position. The more time you’ve got to accept applications, the more people are going to be aware of the role. You don’t want to be recruiting for months, but giving yourself extra breathing space could be advantageous.
Develop the recruitment process
Many employers ask candidates to fill in an application form, and those who impress on paper are then invited to an interview. In some cases, this process is sufficient to root out the star players, but don’t be afraid to develop your recruitment process if you feel that it’s not testing or rigorous enough. Use the interview to find out exactly what you want to know about the individual, what they can do, and how they could enhance and improve your team. If you need to arrange a second interview or set challenges, this could help you narrow down your options, especially if you’re finding it tough to separate the front-runners.
Look far and wide
If you’re eager to get the best people to join your company, you may have to search far and wide. Cast your net using the Internet and international newspapers and magazines and build a network of contacts. If you’re hiring candidates from abroad, be aware of legalities related to employment. You can look for the best immigration lawyer online or ask colleagues for recommendations if you get to the stage where you want to offer a job to somebody who will be moving overseas to take up the post. If you’re recruiting for a specific job, take advantage of industry recruitment agencies, which advertise jobs related solely to your area of business.
Offer an attractive employment package
It’s no good accepting a vast number of applications and generating a lot of interest in a position if a candidate is going to turn down your offer because they’ve been given a better package elsewhere. You need to do your bit and deliver as an employer. You’re not going to be able to hire those high-fliers if you can’t compete with other companies that may take their fancy.
As a business owner, it’s crucial to hire the best employees. Most employers are heavily reliant on the team around them, so it makes sense to go the extra mile to make sure you can attract the cream of the crop. Next time you’re hiring, take these tips on board to find the brightest stars.
Here’s a worrying statistic: 49% of people don’t negotiate their salary when offered a job. Of course, on occasion not doing so can be a necessity; if the job has been offered with a specific wage mentioned, there’s probably not much room for negotiation. However, the majority of jobs will have some mention of “depending on experience” or “negotiable” – so why are so few people taking the opportunity to make their case for better pay? Add to Flipboard Magazine. The problem just becomes worse as you look at the number of people who stay in the same job, without anything more than inflation-linked pay rises, year after year. The reasons for this are less about employment and more about social stigma; it feels somehow uncomfortable to go and ask someone for more money.
If you have been at a company for a long time and have developed your career and your skills with your employer, then you are clearly an asset to them. That’s why you have a job; because they see you as someone of value. You have a right to stake a claim for a pay rise above the basic levels in this circumstance.
Doing so is more difficult than it seems, though – so let’s try and iron out some of the issues that employees have when it comes to asking for more…
#1 – Not Knowing What You Earn
Do you know exactly what you earn and for what? If you do, you’re in a minority – a lot of people, especially in salaried positions, don’t check exactly what they are being paid for. As long as their paycheck looks about right, they will go along with it either through negligence or fear of causing a fuss.
If you’re going to make a pitch for better pay, you need to be informed. If you make an effort to create a pay stub every time you cash your check, you’ll be in a better position to begin negotiations. If, for example, one month you work much longer hours but are paid the same (again, very likely in salaried positions), then you have immediate evidence of the discrepancy to hand.
#2 – Ask, Don’t Tell
Issuing an ultimatum is rarely likely to get you anywhere; negotiations are about a delicate balance of push and pull. Get together a list of reasons why you think you deserve more, put together from the hours you put in – including hours outside of work, for example when you take work home with you – and the money you receive for them. You need to make an argument as to why this is insufficient.
By pointing this out, you’re not so much saying: “pay me more!”. You’re saying: “something isn’t quite right here and here’s the evidence – could you perhaps help rectify this for me?”
#3 – Offer More
Remember how negotiating is about pushing and pulling? Well, you have to push too – and offering to take on more responsibility in line with a sufficient increase in pay can help sweeten the deal. Don’t offer to work more unless your employer offers more to cover the existing discrepancy and then the extra, but you can offer to make more decisions and be responsible for more tasks. This could be the final tip that pushes them over the edge and ensures that you get what you’re owed.
All business owners will have to employ legal assistance at some point. Knowing about the most common issues in advance will help you to plan for every eventuality. With that in mind, there is some information below that everyone should read. At the end of the day, understanding these problems ahead of time will make it easier for you to deal with them.
Thefts or criminal matters
You never know when your business will become a victim of crime. However, that happens to lots of companies every single year. You’re going to need the assistance of a legal professional with a criminal justice degree for the best outcome from any case of that nature.
Patent or trademark disputes
It’s vital that all company bosses apply for trademarks and patents. Still, that doesn’t mean they are 100% protected from idea theft. If another company infringes on your patent, you will have to take them to court. Thankfully, many legal experts focus on that niche.
Employee dismissal issues
Business owners have to follow a legal process if they want to dismiss a worker. Failure to do that could mean they end up going to court. Legal advisors are vital during that process because the judge will often take the employees side. Also, cases of that nature can take a long time to reach their conclusion. Add to Flipboard Magazine. Now you know about some of the most common reasons you might need a lawyer, you should find it easier to budget for the future. Try to build relationships with legal experts before those instances arise if you want to deal with them as quickly as possible.
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