At ActionCOACH Portsmouth and Chichester, one of the most asked questions our business coaches get is ‘Why Business Strategy Is Important?‘

More often than not, the word strategy is met with hesitation.

Many business owners immediately associate business strategy with complexity, endless presentations, high-priced consultants and layers of vague, technical jargon. It can feel more like a corporate buzzword than something genuinely useful.

But in our experience working with our clients based in Hampshire and West Sussex, the reality is much simpler:

The most successful business strategies aren’t the most complex, they’re the most clear.

A good business plan will cut through the noise as the strategic planning with help give direction, creates alignment and makes decision-making easier.

A strong and successful business strategy doesn’t need to be overwhelming. It just needs to make sense to the people who use it every day to help with sustainable growth, customer loyalty, competitive advantage and the company’s success.

Creating a business strategy is crucial for long term success and will be one of the most important things you do for your business.

What Is Business Strategy?

At its core, a strong business strategy is simply a clear and practical plan of action.

It’s not about complicated frameworks or flashy presentations, it’s about creating a shared understanding of where your business is going and how you’re going to get there.

A good and clear strategy brings focus and alignment by answering three fundamental questions:

What Are We Building?

Business strategy will be your vision and overall business goals for a set period of time.

This could be a 3 month quarter or over the whole year. This strategic approach will lay out what you are working towards in your business. This could be a great product, service, your customer experience or how you would like to cause an impact in your industry.

By getting a clear idea and creating a long term vision, it will help everyone who involved understand the bigger picture and how they can hep as they will know the long term objectives of the company.

What Are We Focusing On?

Every business, no matter its size or industry, operates with limited time, resources and capacity.

No company can do everything all at once. This is where a good business strategy comes in. At it’s heart a business strategy is the discipline of focus and it’s about making informed decisions based on what the company needs to do right at that moment to ensure that the long term goals are met.

To get this clear direction, you need to ask: What are the key goals that will drive growth? Which initiatives are worth your time and investment? What opportunities align with your long term vision and which ones are distractions, no matter how appealing they might seem in the moment?

A well-defined business strategy gives you the confidence to say yes to the right things as you will be able to make better decision because there will be a better and thorough understanding of why you should be making these decisions

With a well crafted business strategy in place, you and your team are equipped to make smarter, faster decisions grounded in strategic thinking. Instead of reacting to every new challenge or trend, you stay focused on what will truly move the business forward. That alignment can be the difference between chasing growth and achieving it.

How Are We Aligning The Team To Make It Happen?

Even the best ideas fall flat without a business plan. A strong business strategy connects the dots between the big picture and day-to-day actions. It ensures everyone on your team knows how their work contributes to the goals and feels empowered to deliver.

To align your team you need is clarity, focus and a commitment to consistent, purposeful execution.

When you have a team focused on the same end goal and heading in the same direction, progress becomes inevitable

Vision: What Are You Building and Why Are You Building That Small Business?

Every effective business strategy starts with a well-defined vision.

Whether you’re a start-up navigating your early steps or an established business looking to scale, one thing remains constant: If you can’t clearly articulate what you’re building along with a comprehensive plan and communicate why it matters, your team won’t be able to help you achieve your overall business goals.

A clear, meaningful business plan is more than just a sentence in a presentation or a line on your website. It’s the foundation for every strategic decision you make. It sets direction, sharpens focus and helps your team understand not just what they’re doing, but why it matters because their strategic goals are anchored in a shared purpose.

A strong business vision should be short, specific and compelling. It’s not about buzzwords or lofty statements it’s about defining a real, tangible future that everyone can rally behind. When your vision is clearly communicated, it acts as an anchor as it guides priorities, filters distractions and fuels motivation across the organisation.

At ActionCOACH Portsmouth and Chichester, we’ve seen this play out repeatedly.

Teams that struggled with alignment, energy or results weren’t lacking talent or resources, they were missing clarity. Once the vision was sharpened and communicated consistently, performance improved, sometimes dramatically and often within just a few weeks. People work better when they know what they’re working toward.

So Ask Yourself:

• Can I clearly describe our business vision in one sentence without jargon?
• Can my leadership team and every team member do the same?
• Do we all genuinely believe in it?

If the answer to any of those is “no” or “not sure,” then this is where your business strategy work must begin. Because without a shared, compelling vision, even the best-laid plans will struggle to gain traction.

Focus: What Are Your Top Three Priorities?

In many cases, business owners don’t have a strategy problem they have a focus problem.

The modern business landscape is full of noise. Ideas, opportunities and competing priorities come in fast and it’s easy to feel like you’re making progress simply by staying busy. But activity isn’t the same as impact.

What’s often missing is clarity. A sharp understanding of which few things truly matter right now.

Without that, even the best business strategies get diluted and teams become reactive rather than proactive. Clarity helps with providing direction and ensures your team focused on the overall goals.

At ActionCOACH Portsmouth & Chichester, we’ve found that most breakthroughs don’t come from doing more, they come from doing less but better. That’s why we help clients identify and commit to just three core strategic priorities at a time. No more than that. These priorities become the lens through which all decisions are made and actions are aligned. When they’re clear, visible and consistently reinforced, meaningful progress often follows quickly.

Recently, Sarah worked with a business owner whose business had hit a plateau. The team was busy, but results had stalled and morale was dipping due to the fact there was no strategic direction. By stripping everything back to three well-defined objectives, each linked to measurable outcomes, we saw a dramatic shift. Within weeks, sales productivity and revenue was climbing, the team was energised and confidence in the company’s direction returned.

Ask Yourself:

• What are our top three strategic priorities this quarter?
• Are they consistently communicated across the business?
• Can every team member clearly connect their work to at least one of them?

When focus improves, so does performance which ultimately helps drive sustainable growth in a business. It’s not about having more ideas, it’s about knowing which ones deserve your full attention right now.

Even The Best Business Strategy Will Fail Without Alignment

One of the most common pitfalls for growing businesses is assuming that just because an overall strategy exists, the team understands it and is acting on it. But clarity at the top doesn’t guarantee clarity across the organisation.

Alignment doesn’t happen by default. It’s not a one-time presentation or an email announcement. It’s an ongoing discipline that requires the business leaders and senior executives to actively communicate, reinforce and recalibrate the plan as the business evolves. This is especially critical in fast-paced environments, where priorities shift quickly and messages can easily become fragmented or misunderstood.

Without alignment, teams drift, you are unable to allocate resources effectively, miss out on new business and new markets and the overall direction of the company will fail to stay on track. People start working on different interpretations of the same goals, marketing strategy doesn’t deliver results and momentum stalls. This is not because the overall business strategy is flawed, but because it isn’t consistently understood or applied within the company.

That’s why alignment must be built into the rhythm of the business. Simple routines, like weekly check-ins, monthly reviews or daily huddles. This help keep the strategy front and centre. These regular touchpoints are opportunities to connect day-to-day work to bigger goals, clarify expectations, make well-informed everyday decisions and course-correct when needed. When strategy becomes part of everyday conversations, performance metrics and meeting agendas, it moves from being a static document to a shared focus.

Ask Yourself:

• Is my team genuinely aligned behind our strategy?
• How do I know—what evidence can I see in behaviour, decisions, and results?
• Where might communication be breaking down, and what can I do to fix it?

The most successful organisations don’t treat alignment as a one-off event. They make it a habit.

Why Business Strategy Matters for Local Businesses

Business strategy is often seen as something reserved for large corporations but it’s just as critical for small and mid-sized businesses.

Whether you’re leading a tight-knit team, building a local service-based business or growing a regional brand, the need for clear strategic objectives and direction is universal. Without it, even the most talented teams can lose momentum, make reactive decisions or spread themselves too thin.

A well-defined strategy doesn’t have to be complex but it does need to be deliberate. It provides the structure and discipline to guide your business forward, especially when resources are limited and priorities compete for your attention.

A Strong Strategy Gives You:

• Clarity on where you’re going. So every action has purpose and direction.
• Focus on what matters most. Helping you say no to distractions and yes to what moves the needle.
• Confidence in your decisions. Knowing they align with a bigger plan.
• Consistency in your team’s execution… Because everyone understands the vision and their role in achieving it.

No matter your size or stage, a clear strategy is what turns everyday actions into long-term progress.

So, if you are feeling stuck, start by asking:

What’s one part of our business strategy we could simplify today?

Because progress doesn’t come from complexity, It comes from clarity, focus and consistent action.

How ActionCOACH Portsmouth & Chichester Can Help Your Business Strategy

We have been providing award-winning business coaching in Portsmouth and surrounding for nearly 20 years. Helping local businesses who want to grow with their strategic planning. At ActionCOACH Portsmouth and Chichester, our approach is practical, tailored and simple. If you are wishing to:

• Gain clarity on your overall vision
• Identify and commit to strategic priorities
• Align your team for better execution

If strategy feels overwhelming, you’re not alone. The good news is that it doesn’t have to be. At ActionCOACH Portsmouth and Chichester, we work with businesses across Hampshire and West Sussex to build practical, actionable strategies that drive real progress.

To find out more about how we can support your business, get in touch today to arrange an initial conversation.

Click here to organise a discovery call with Sarah Williams, who is one of the top business coaches in the UK.

The post Why Business Strategy Is Important? first appeared on Action Coach Portsmouth.

The post Why Business Strategy Is Important? appeared first on Action Coach Portsmouth.

Working beyond c`locking in and out, engaged employees should have an emotional connection to their work, passionate about their company’s mission and be committed to achieving collective goals. However, fostering a culture to promote staff engagement within employees isn’t as easy as it looks and requires a strategic approach tailored to the unique dynamics of each workplace and workforce.

In this blog, we will explore the practical and actionable strategies that have been created to improve your employee engagement levels which will create a workforce who are motivated and committed to your organisation’s beliefs, visions and values. Whether you’re an HR professional, a small business owner or a manager looking for inspiration to inspire your employees, this blog will act like a roadmap to create a workplace that thrives.

Why Is Employee Engagement Important?

Employee engagement is an important factor when it comes to a business’s success.

Within a workplace, employees should have an emotional commitment and connection towards their work, team and the company as a whole.

Having employee disengagement can pose significant challenges for any organisation and cause issues throughout including lost productivity, low engagement, poor mental health and high employee turnover. Disengaged employees can have many consequences for an organisation’s growth, customer loyalty and positive feedback. Addressing issues of employee engagement is essential for maintaining a healthy and thriving workplace.

By having engaged employees they will be more productive, more likely to stay within the company long-term and invest an emotional connection with their work. A culture of highly engaged employees fosters a positive work environment where individuals feel valued, supported and empowered to bring their best selves to work each day. Ultimately, by investing in your employees a workplace will thrive, customer experience will improve and the company will grow.

Conducting Surveys and Listening To Employee Feedback

Having a survey for your employees can provide you with some insightful feedback about how to improve employee engagement as it will highlight any underlying issues that may be important to morale and productivity.

However, it is super important that you listen to the feedback that has been provided as it will give you an understanding of your employee’s needs and improve the overall working environment. Actively soliciting feedback will demonstrate a commitment to change and will help with employee wellbeing, boost employee engagement and loyalty.

When acting on the survey results, it can have a massive impact on the business as it can improve the business as a whole as well as promoting a culture of continuous learning and improvements. Overall, engagement surveys will have a positive result on any business and will contribute to a positive working environment where employees feel valued and have a new drive to succeed and boosting employee engagement.

Investing In Company Culture

Investing in your company culture is a strategic method when it comes to improving employee engagement. Great company culture can be the cornerstone of employee satisfaction and commitment to your business. The culture can empower employees to complete tasks more efficiently.

When a employee feels valued, respected and they can align with the company values, the team members are more likely to be more engaged with their work, which will drive productivity and innovation. Having a positive workplace culture will attract top talent to work for your company and are more likely to stay, meaning staff turnover can be at a minimum.

Additionally, a company’s values can go beyond internally. A positive workplace will also enhance a business’s reputation, as an engaged workforce will become brand ambassadors, attracting potential customers and building a reoccurring client base. By fostering a culture of inclusivity, creativity and ethical behaviour, an organisation will not only create a supportive working environment but will also lay the foundation for long-term success and growth.

Reducing staff turnover is another benefit of fostering a positive company culture enriched with team-building activities. Employees who feel connected to their colleagues and the organisation are more likely to stay due to their employee experience is enhanced, thereby minimising turnover costs and maintaining continuity within the team.

Ensuring Employee Wellbeing Is a Priority

An often overlooked priority within the workplace is employee well-being. It’s not just about offering support or perks; it’s about fostering a culture where well-being is genuinely valued by management and leadership teams. This involves creating an environment that encourages employees to achieve a healthy work-life balance, de-stigmatises mental health and implements proactive procedures to address well-being issues.

By emphasising positive mental health, encouraging employees, offering flexible working arrangements and promoting open communication, an organisation can enhance employee engagement and demonstrate a commitment to a healthy and happy workplace.

When organisations place a genuine emphasis on these aspects, they create a supportive atmosphere that prioritises the holistic health of their employees. Encouraging employees to maintain a healthy work life balance is crucial, as it helps prevent burnout and promotes sustained productivity. Flexible working arrangements can accommodate diverse needs, allowing individuals to manage their professional and personal lives more effectively.

Communication is another key element in fostering well-being. By maintaining transparent and honest dialogues, employees feel heard and valued, which can significantly reduce stress and improve morale.

Overall, by prioritising these elements, organisations not only improve employee satisfaction and loyalty but also create a thriving, resilient workforce. This commitment to well-being can lead to reduced absenteeism, higher retention rates, and a more positive organisational culture, ultimately contributing to the long-term success and sustainability of the business.

Investments in Professional Development Opportunities

Investing in a person’s growth and career development can overall help improve employee engagement and commitment to your business. When an employee feels supported in their professional development to expand their skills to help them advance in their career, their experience within their role will be more satisfying.

You can action employee development through programs, training opportunities and creating a clear plan of action can motivate individual employees as they feel like their growth, development and employment opportunities are being prioritised by learning new skills.

An investment into your workforce is not only beneficial to the individual employee but also will strengthen the organisation as a whole, leading to higher levels of engagement, productivity and employee retention.

Changing the Onboarding Process For New Hires

Hiring new employees holds the potential to heavily impact an organisation.

By creating a structure for the hiring process, there is an opportunity for the potential employee to align with the company values which can help with the the long-term goal of employee engagement and employee retention.

This strategy might mean a personalised welcome to the business, introductions to the company goals, culture and values and mentorship programs to help facilitate smooth integration with the business. By prioritising a more holistic and human-centred onboarding approach, organisations can cultivate a sense of purpose and commitment among new hires, laying the groundwork for a thriving and engaged workforce.

Fine-Tuning Company Goals and Company Values

When trying to improve employee engagement, one strategy that is often overlooked is everyone’s alignment with the business’s goals and values. When employees feel connected to the purpose of the company that they work for, they see their contributions as an integral part of achieving the organisation’s overall goals, which will enhance their employee engagement rate.

By fine-tuning a business’s goals by ensuring that the messaging is clear, meaningful and actionable, it will provide employees with a roadmap to success. Also, it requires everyone to embody those values in everyday working life.

By aligning company goals and values, organisations not only inspire their employees to strive for excellence but also create a shared sense of purpose and belonging that fuels engagement and drives success.

Equip Managers With Training Programs & Tools

To improve employee engagement, it’s essential to equip managers with the right training programs and tools. Senior leaders should prioritise investing in proper training that empowers managers to effectively support and lead their entire teams. These programs should focus not only on enhancing managerial skills but also on promoting personal growth for both managers and their employees. By encouraging managers to develop a deeper understanding of employee needs and fostering an environment that enables employees to thrive, organisations can create a more engaged and motivated workforce. Properly trained managers can identify and address issues proactively, facilitate open communication, and inspire their teams, ultimately driving better performance and satisfaction across the organisation.

When managers are well-equipped with the necessary skills and resources, they can better recognise and nurture individual talents within their teams. This leads to a more personalised approach to employee development, where personal growth and career advancement are actively supported. Senior leaders should ensure that these training opportunities cover a wide range of topics, including effective communication, conflict resolution, and strategies for maintaining a healthy work-life balance.

Moreover, by fostering a culture of continuous learning, organisations can encourage managers to stay updated with the latest trends and best practices in leadership. This ongoing development not only benefits the managers themselves but also cascades down to their teams, creating a ripple effect of engagement and productivity. Managers who are confident and well-prepared are more likely to inspire trust and loyalty among their employees, which is critical for sustaining high levels of engagement.

Ultimately, providing managers with comprehensive training programs and tools is a strategic investment that pays off in the long run. It enables managers to lead with confidence and empathy, encourages employees to perform at their best, and cultivates a positive, supportive workplace culture where everyone feels valued and motivated to contribute.

Training For Employee Engagement and Workplace Engagement

Training programs that focus on both job skills and personal development are crucial for enhancing employee engagement. Offering continuous learning opportunities, such as technical training, leadership development, and certification courses, shows employees that the company is invested in their professional growth, thereby boosting motivation and engagement.

Comprehensive onboarding programs are essential for immersing new hires in the company culture and clarifying job expectations, which helps them feel valued and connected from the start. Promoting a culture of continuous learning, with regular workshops and access to online courses, keeps employees engaged over the long term. Additionally, mentorship and coaching programs provide personalised guidance and support, fostering a supportive work environment. Engagement-focused training, such as workshops on communication skills and emotional intelligence, improves workplace interactions and collaboration.

Finally, incorporating feedback mechanisms into training programs ensures continuous improvement and demonstrates that employee opinions are valued, further enhancing their sense of ownership and engagement within the company. By investing in these comprehensive training strategies, companies can significantly improve employee engagement and create a more dynamic and productive workplace.

Creating An Environment For Engaged Employees With ActionCOACH Portsmouth & Chichester

Here at ActionCOACH Portsmouth and Chichester, we help businesses across the South Coast build teams that are passionate about their role. We can do this through our tailor-made training programs and workshops.

Working with company directors to company workforces, we can boost employee engagement as a whole for businesses through our proven training methods. Together with the leadership teams, we can create a robust plan of action on how to improve employee engagement as well as tackle areas that cause a major issue.

These training sessions are individually hosted for each business by one of our leading business coaches but we do also offer FREE workshops throughout the year, to give you an idea of how to improve employee engagement within your business.

Find Out More About Us

ActionCOACH Portsmouth & Chichester has been established for nearly 20 years and has been helping businesses across Hampshire and West Sussex.

With a team of award-winning business coaches, we have built long-lasting relationships with our clients helping them tackle issues within their businesses, including employee engagement. At ActionCOACH we provide employees workplace engagement workshops and management training to the leadership teams.

By offering a wide range of services, we can to create a tailored plan for each individual business so that together we can help them achieve their goals.

ActionCOACH Portsmouth and Chichester

If you would like to speak to the team today and find out more about our employee engagement programs, get in contact with us today!

The post How To Improve Employee Engagement first appeared on Action Coach Portsmouth.

The post How To Improve Employee Engagement appeared first on Action Coach Portsmouth.

The journey of selling a business in the United Kingdom requires careful planning, strategic decision-making and a thorough understanding of the intricate processes involved. Even if you are a seasoned entrepreneur looking to explore new opportunities or a first-time business owner looking to capitalise on your hard work and dedication, the prospect of selling an organisation can be both exciting and daunting.

Within this blog, we will give you a detailed guide on selling businesses in the UK, exploring the complexities of business sales, how to tackle the legal intricacies and how to create a valuation strategy.

Discovering Why Selling Your Business is the Best Option

There are many reasons why you might be considering selling your business, some sell their business because they are looking to retire but some have to sell due to problems out of their control.

No matter what the reason behind selling a business is, the sale price will always be based on past and current performance, finances and the predicted projection of the company. If there are weaknesses in any of these areas you might find the sale value is lower than you would have hoped. However, if you improve these areas of the business and streamline company operations you are more than likely able to increase the value of your UK business and find the right buyer.

Understanding your underlying reasons will not only shape your approach to the sale but also assist in communicating your vision effectively to potential buyers.

Conducting a Comprehensive Business Valuation

You must seek an accurate valuation when looking at selling your business to determine its marketing value. This involves assessing all of the business assets, revenue streams, customer base and relationships and any potential growth opportunities.

A well-assessed valuation will attract buyers but will also ensure that you receive the best price for all of the hard work and dedication you have invested in building your business.

Organising Financial Documents

Any potential buyers will scrutinise all of the financial documentation that you will put in front of them. It is imperative to organise and transparently present them, ensuring that everything is clearly in front. You must have extensive due diligence when presenting your finances to a potential buyer so ensure that you are as honest as possible.

The financial documents must include financial statements, tax returns, profit and loss statements and any other relevant documentation that provides any prospective buyers with a comprehensive overview of your company’s financial health.

Providing as much information as possible will instil confidence in any interested buyers and will hopefully support a business sale.

Assessing Market Conditions and Industry Trends

It is important that you fully understand the current market conditions and industry trends so you can put your business in the best position possible. From new and emerging technologies that could enhance your business operations to external factors that could impact the value of your business, you must stay informed about the market so you can make decisions that make your business as attractive as possible to any prospective buyers.

Keeping yourself up to date so you can strategise can help increase your business worth.

Consider Working Alongside a Business Broker & a Legal Professional

When selling a business in the UK, working alongside a broker can provide you with several advantages as a broker will be able to provide you with expertise that will help you through the intricacies of the process.

A business broker will help determine the fair market value of your business, use their extensive network to connect you with prospective buyers and a broker will assist you in negotiation so you secure the best deal possible.

When you sell your business, legal and regulatory compliance is a crucial aspect and a business broker will ensure that the sale follows the relevant laws as they will handle various tasks. Their marketing expertise will be instrumental in creating an effective strategy to promote your business for sale.

Additionally, a broker will pre-qualify any buyers and ensure only serious and financially capable parties are considered. While there is a cost for a broker, many feel that their help and due diligence outweigh the expense and selecting a reputable broker within your industry will help you sell your business for its optimal value.

Securing a Buyer

You need a strategic approach when trying to secure a buyer in the UK. To start you need a thorough understanding of the market to identify potential buyers who align with your business. Engage and work closely with a business broker so they can help you with the selling a business process as they will use their expertise in valuation, marketing and negotiations.

It is important to set a competitive, yet realistic asking price based on the business’s financial performance and market conditions. Using a business broker will help you come up with a business valuation.

During negotiations, be flexible and open to discussions while ensuring that your interests are well-represented. Pre-qualify potential buyers to focus on those with genuine interest and financial capability.

Finally, be prepared for the due diligence process by organising the necessary documentation and addressing any concerns buyers may have. Through a thoughtful and well-executed approach, you increase the likelihood of attracting a qualified buyer and achieving a successful business sale.

Establish Purchase and Sale Agreements

When selling a business in the UK, one of the most important steps that needs careful consideration is the purchase and sale agreements. These legally binding documents will outline the terms and conditions of the transaction.

Inside this contract, you need to include aspects such as the agreed purchase price, payment terms, asset sale valuation and any contingencies between you and the new owner. A well-drafted sale agreement will protect you from selling a business and a potential buyer.

Completion of the Sale Process

As the transaction comes to a close, you need to ensure that you are remaining compliant with any legal requirements that you might come across as well as addressing any outstanding issues. It is important to carry out any due diligence to ensure that you correctly pay capital gains tax and you have met all of the agreements that have been outlined in the sales contract.

Find Out More by Attending Our Partnership Event with Kingsbrook

On Wednesday 24th January, ActionCOACH Portsmouth and Chichester are hosting a ‘How to Increase the Value of Your Business’ event in partnership with Kingsbrook.

Kingsbrook is an industry leader in helping businesses across the UK to sell businesses for maximum value. They work alongside business owners to help them with their business sale journey and increase the business valuation, all so that the company is ready for any potential buyers.

More About ActionCOACH Portsmouth & Chichester

ActionCoach Portsmouth and Chichester is a leading business coaching company that helps businesses in Hampshire and West Sussex across multiple industries.

Our expert team of business coaches work closely with business owners who are looking to sell their businesses. Together they work in collaboration to build a robust strategy that has a clear end goal of maximising the value of the business.

Contact Us Today!

If you would like to work alongside ActionCOACH Portsmouth & Chichester, get in contact with us today for a FREE coaching session.

The post How to Sell A Business In The UK first appeared on Action Coach Portsmouth.

The post How to Sell A Business In The UK appeared first on Action Coach Portsmouth.

Running a business without a clear set of goals in place results in wasted efforts and frustration. You know, that feeling you are being reactive rather than proactive?

Unfortunately, this is the downfall of many businesses and entrepreneurs. To achieve your full potential and grow your business in the most efficient and cost-effective way, it is vital that you spend some time developing a clear and strategic set of goals.

It continues to be a challenging year for all, but it’s often the toughest times that shape and define successful businesses and their leaders. And we’re here to help.

So, in this article, we share our tips for creating a highly effective business goal-setting formula.

Focus on the big picture and break it down into parts

Think about your overall goals for your business. Whether you want to expand into new locations or generate a certain amount of profit, these long-term goals will be your guiding star that all your activities should feed into.

While it’s important to have these ‘big picture’ goals, they will be too difficult to focus on in the day-to-day running of your business. You need to break them down into smaller tasks that you can achieve in the short-term.

Write down your overall business goals and then get strategic about how you’re going to make them happen.

Start by writing down the key areas that are critical to your success and get specific for what you want to achieve. You could start with the following headings:

• Revenue growth and profitability
• Customer satisfaction
• New market expansion
• Operational efficiency

Define specific tasks for each goal

Even when you’ve got your goals out of you head and down on paper, you won’t achieve much if you don’t put a plan in place to accomplish them. You need to define a set of strategic tasks that feed into each goal. One way to focus your mind on this is to write them out in the following format:

For us to grow our revenue by 20% by December, we need to increase traffic to our website by 10% each month

Then get specific about what actions you are going to take to make this happen, such as investing in SEO, Google advertising or hiring a digital marketing expert.

Set an achievable time frame

As mentioned above, long-term goals can be difficult to focus on and feel overwhelming. Setting quarterly or even monthly targets is much more motivating for staff and yourself, giving everyone something to work towards and a sense of achievement.

By completing a series of smaller steps, you will have made great progress over the course of a year.

Allocate sufficient resources

Establish who will have responsibility for each task on your list and define what they need to do. From financial to physical to human resources, your team will need certain tools for success. Looking at your goals in this level of detail will help you see if you need to adjust your goals or your time frame, making your business planning much more realistic and targeted.

Monitor, review and assess

If you’ve set a timeline that feels achievable, it will be much easier to monitor your progress and identify any issues that might prevent you from accomplishing your goals. Regularly reviewing your progress throughout the year is critical. It means that you can adjust your marketing plans, budget allocation, and pinpoint any roadblocks to success.

Talk about them!

Business goals should be shared with everyone in your business. Getting your team aligned to work towards your overall vision is vital for success, so your goals need to be at the forefront of everyone’s mind. Involve your staff in the process of defining tasks and give them accountability. Print out your goals and make them visible for everyone to see. Celebrate success when you meet your targets.

Strategic goal setting is what drives your business forward and elevates its potential.

And if you’re driven enough to reach your business goals, we’re here to help you make a solid, actionable plan to achieve them. Don’t take it on alone. Get in touch today.

The post Business Goals – Why you need them first appeared on Action Coach Portsmouth.

The post Business Goals – Why you need them appeared first on Action Coach Portsmouth.

Whether it be in sport or in business. It’s always been a key element for sporting teams, and yet when it comes to business, over 90 % of the UK workforce is not engaged at work. This places UK workers at the bottom of the European leader board, with only Greece having lower engagement.

In amateur sport, we see passion, purpose, shared vision, spirit and unity. It’s infectious! People play for the love of the game and the love of their team, rarely for money. On the other hand, most disengaged employees would change employers today for as little as a 5% pay rise!

So what are businesses today missing, what’s gone wrong?
All businesses aspire to ignite similar levels of energy and dedication in their teams. So why has this always been a challenge in the business world?

It’s becoming clear that there are huge similarities and  links between sporting team’s success, and the success of high performing businesses.

In sport and business, the number one key to a teams’ success (or failure) is its people. What’s the number one key to the success of your people today? Put simply, the answer is engagement.

Today, many organisations appreciate the importance of investing in engagement strategies by having a standard reward & recognition program. These aim to motivate and reward good behaviours and attitudes.

While these types of solutions do have their place, they can only be effective when part of a broader strategy.

“The first step in the direction of success and performance is the creation of a winning culture.”

A strong and healthy culture can be defined as one unified group with the same positive mindset, owning and working towards the same winning vision.

Do not be fooled into believing that strong leadership, and an exclusive focus on the development of leaders, is the key to a winning culture.

This is a mistake. It is the people and their contribution that will make or break your business.

Organisations live and die by the people they employ – no matter what industry. Without actively engaged people, the leadership message cannot be heard.

So you want a stronger culture and team engagement but how do you get there – and quickly?

The answer is we start by putting the right system and strategies in place to ensure massive, fast and sustainable change. Find out more now or read on

Are Your Employees WE or ME?
There are two types of people in every organisation. The WE people and the ME people. If you have more ME than WE people you will always come second or lower. Leaders are 100% WE.

Collective Accountability
Critical for fast and sustainable success. It’s about ensuring everyone is regularly, and publicly held accountable in the right environment with feedback given effectively and with the interest of the individuals growth at the heart.

Equality Creates Unity
Equality is necessary to ensure team unity. The traditional hierarchical structure is not the most efficient option for businesses these days. Instead today’s successful businesses have the ability to empower their people. This gives them greater autonomy and the knowledge that they own their decisions and actions

Habitual Leadership Acts
Mainstream leadership training is generally knowledge based, not action based. Habitual Leadership is ongoing and is all about actions. Leaders are not usually held accountable for the short or long term, which is why current leadership training strategies generally fail.

The 2 Fundamentals of Engage and Grow
There are two fundamental requirements when building a thriving organisation:

1) Quality systems, processors and game plans, which is ‘the brain’ of the organisation.
2) Quality leadership, engagement and culture, which is ‘the heart’ of the organisation.
The two most important organs of the body are the brain and the heart. We cannot survive without them functioning. They will work on small portions of blood flow, but they will be working harder than they should be, and it’s not sustainable long term. I liken this to analogy to most organisations that are just surviving. If you have an unlimited amount of blood flow, full of fresh oxygen, then the brain and heart will work in unison at full capacity. It will be better equipped if there are problems which creates a thriving body (or organisation).

“Good communication is the bloodline of any successful business. If communication is slow, then the organisation cannot flow”.

‘ A NEW Group Activation System’ – Company training is the least desirable and effective way to learn.
Finally, 90% of today’s business leaders think an engagement strategy has a positive effect on commercial success, and yet only 25% of them have a plan to do it! In today’s competitive world, your people are your edge.

Old fashioned ‘knowledge dumping’ training programs are no longer efficient when it comes to employee activation. The game has changed. Have you changed your game to keep up?

Engage and Grow Global founder and CEO Richard Maloney used his professional sports coaching background to create the Group Activation program with it’s unique 12 engagement keys which dramatically transform organisational culture, behaviours and performance in 12 weeks.

To find out more about how to activate your people and create a culture that will deliver you massive results, increased productivity and profitability then BOOK A QUICK ZOOM by clicking the link

BOOK A MEETING OVER ZOOM 

sarahwilliams@actioncoach.com and arrange your employee engagement meeting and survey

The post Do you know how to reach great heights ? If you have a team, read on…… first appeared on Action Coach Portsmouth.

The post Do you know how to reach great heights ? If you have a team, read on…… appeared first on Action Coach Portsmouth.

Do You Know HOW to create an Endless pipeline of new customers ?

One of the main functions of a business is to maintain a constant stream of leads to attempt to sell to.

As a business coach, one of the most frequent strategies clients ask me to work with them on is getting new customers. Which means they are often unclear what should they do first, and how much will they have to spend ?

So, to begin, there are a hundred different ways to generate  leads and many of them can be costly. Also, remember an average of 80% of marketing / lead generation fails!

Your goal is to build a business that builds itself. Like a  self generating, self creator which means it provides to  you, the business owner, shareholders and employees.

SO how do you do this ?!
The answer is “Ask for Referrals, build a referral based model”

A referral based business is one that uses referrals to grow the business to creates the pipeline of future customers. Like the sound of that? Seems simple enough, right?

Now, how to create a successful referral strategy?

So if you are going to rely on your customers to bring in MOST your new business, make sure you have nailed the 2 most important aspects of the sales process.

1. Your service must be AMAZING.

OK, this is not something that should be taken lightly. You can’t afford to provide excellence only 70% of the time. You must be able to confidently guarantee that your service will be 100% perfect every single time a prospect/ customer/ family member walks through the door. Not good enough to simply meet expectations, you must DELIGHT and over perform.

2. HARD WIRE Your Proposition / Offer (“What’s in it for me?”)

Ask yourself, if you were being asked to refer your colleague, friend, partner or family member to a business, what would be the reason for you to pass over their contact details?

Your customer is asking themselves the same question. Be sure you are giving your customers a great reason to ask their network to buy from you. Remember, giving a recommendation also means that the person giving it puts THEIR reputation and professionalism on the line. Like most people, they want to feel 100% certain that recommending you enhances their status and reconfirms that they are great judges of quality and excellence.

So how to start ……

Beginning your referral campaign:

1st Step: Be CLEAR about what customers you want to recruit. Decide, SPECIFICALLY who your ideal customer is and who you actually want referred to your business. Take note,  step must not be under estimated. Getting really clear about who you want to work with and what a perfect customer means to you are vital for business success.

2nd Step: Now, it’s time to go through your current customer list with your “ideal” customer criteria in mind.

Get really picky here. Who among your customer base would you want to find many more of?  What makes them the best? Some criteria of A GRADE customers are probably some of these :

1. They buy frequently and are loyal 

2. They are good “on time” payers

3. Good communicators

4. Purchase across multiple products and services.

And yes, there will likely be others that are unique to your sector, but once you start “rating” your customer base against a criteria you will become more focused and aware about which new customers you want to work with you.

3rd Step: Work out how much each and every one of your customers has cost you . By this, I mean, what cost did you incur to “buy” the customer and retain them ( this is the “acquisition cost” of the customer )

4th Step: With the acquisition cost in mind, decide how much you are willing to invest to “buy” your new customers.

5th Step: You must “WOW” your customers. Re communicate your Amazing service and quality. Your customers should be “delighted advocates” instead of JUST satisfied customers.

6th Step: Position your intention to expect referrals right at the start. Teach your customers why it’s good for them to give you referrals, ask them to tell their friends, colleagues, industry partners about you. Let them know you’ll be asking for referrals later on once they become your delighted advocates.

7th Step: Make giving you a few referrals a normal part of doing business with you.

8th Step: When you receive a referral follow it up quickly and professionally and remember to THANK and REWARD the referrer

Referral Strategies

Here are a few ideas for you to go away and try to implement today:

1. Reward your customers with a special offer if they give you a certain number of “qualified” referrals
2. Offer your customers a gift, gift card, or even a free service for each referral
3. Mail out a referral card with all your orders, invoices, or just drop one in each shopping bag
4. Present a seminar, training or information night for your existing customers and have them bring their friends, colleagues, other businesses along.
5. Introduce yourself to a whole new market with a “bring-a-friend” style sale or promotion
6. Refer business /customers to them !

Why aren’t my customers referring me?

Well first of all make sure you ASK THEM FOR REFERRAL, so don’t be shy, ask !

If you’ve tried the above strategies and it doesn’t seem to be working, there are 3 reasons why your customer hasn’t referred you already:

1. They haven’t met anyone they think would benefit from your service and maybe they aren’t sure who to refer to.

2. They don’t believe you can deliver and so they fear they might bring their relationship in jeopardy

3. They don’t feel comfortable when they refer

Here are 3 ways to combat these reasons immediately:

1. After you have defined who your ideal customer is, let your customer know. Tell them who you want to do business with and then they can find people in their network who match that description for you.
2. Provide extraordinary service at every interaction with your customer. Never let it cross their mind that you would let them down and lose their trust.
3. Give them such a good reason to refer that they cannot feel uncomfortable.

There is some great reading to support this STRATEGY: Instant Referrals and Buying Customers by Brad Sugars, if you do nothing else after reading this article, get the books, read them and get focused.

Get in touch with one of our business coaches today by calling 02392 454111, or fill out the form below, to discuss how we can help you get back on track, and achieve those goals that led you to start the business in the first place.

The post How to Create an Endless Pipeline of New Customers first appeared on Action Coach Portsmouth.

The post How to Create an Endless Pipeline of New Customers appeared first on Action Coach Portsmouth.

If you were to draw a picture that visually represents your role in your business, what would it look like? Are you at the top of a traditional Christmas-tree-like organizational chart, or are you stuck in the middle of your business, like a hub in a bicycle wheel?

The moment the hub is overwhelmed, the entire system fails. Acquirers generally avoid hub-and-spoke managed businesses because they understand the dangers of buying a company too dependent on the owner.

Think about why you started the business in the first place. It can be hard to take a step back when you’ve built something from the ground up, but you’ll never grow unless you’re working ON the business rather than IN the business.

Here’s a list of nine warning signs you’re a hub-and-spoke owner and some suggestions for pulling yourself out of the middle of your business:

1. You sign off all purchases and payments

Most business owners sign for payments, but what happens if you’re away for a couple of days and an important supplier needs to be paid? Consider giving an employee signing authority up to an amount you’re comfortable with, and then change the mailing address on your bank statements so they are mailed to your home (not the office). That way, you can review everything and make sure the privilege isn’t being abused.

2. Out-of-hours calls are out of control

If your employees are out of their depth a lot, it will show. Staff will be calling you to coach them through problems. Ask yourself if you’re hiring too many junior employees. Sometimes people with a couple of years of industry experience will be a lot more self-sufficient and only slightly more expensive than the greenhorns.

3. Your revenue is flat when compared to last year’s

Flat revenue from one year to the next can be a sign you are a hub in a hub-and-spoke model. Like forcing water through a hose, you have only so much capacity. No matter how efficient you are, every business dependent on its owner reaches capacity at some point. Consider narrowing your product and service line by eliminating technically complex offers that require your personal involvement. Focus on selling fewer things to more people.

4. Taking a holiday is more trouble than it’s worth

If you spend your time away dispatching orders from your mobile, speaking to staff members, or putting out fires, it’s time to cut the tether. Start by taking one day off and seeing how your company does without you. Build systems for failure points. Work up to a point where you can take a few weeks off without affecting your business.

5. You spend all your time dealing with customers

If you find yourself constantly having to get involved with requests from your customers, you are a hub. It’s good to have the pulse of your market, but constantly working with customers one-on-one can be a sign that you’re relying too heavily on your personal relationships being the glue that holds your business together. You’ve hired people to work with your customers – let them! Have a trusted employee shadow you when you meet customers so over time your customers get used to dealing with someone else.

6. You lock up every night

If you’re the only one who knows the lock-up routine in your business (count the cash, lock the doors, set the alarm), then you are very much a hub. Write an employee manual of basic procedures for closing down at the end of the day and give it to new employees on their first day on the job.

8. You get the tickets

Suppliers’ wooing you by sending you free tickets to events demonstrate that they see you as the key decision maker. If you are the key contact for any of your suppliers, you will find yourself in the hub of your business when it comes time to negotiate terms. Consider appointing one of your trusted employees as the key contact for a major supplier. Give that employee spending authority up to a limit you’re comfortable with.

9. You get cc’d on more than five e-mails a day

Employees, customers and suppliers constantly cc’ing you on e-mails can be a sign that they are looking for your tacit approval. Start by asking your employees to stop using the cc line in an e-mail. Ask them to add you to the “to” line if you really must be made aware of something – and only if they need a specific action from you.

If you see yourself in any of the above, it’s a sign that it’s time to take action.

Get in touch with one of our business coaches today by calling 02392 454111, or fill out the form below, to discuss how we can help you get back on track, and achieve those goals that led you to start the business in the first place.

Enquiry form:

The post 9 Warning Signs You’re a Hub-and-Spoke Owner  first appeared on Action Coach Portsmouth.

The post 9 Warning Signs You’re a Hub-and-Spoke Owner  appeared first on Action Coach Portsmouth.

In amateur sport, we see passion, purpose, shared vision, spirit and unity. It’s infectious! People play for the love of the game and the love of their team, rarely for money. On the other hand, most disengaged employees would change employers today for as little as a 5% pay rise!

So what are businesses today missing, what’s gone wrong?

All businesses aspire to ignite similar levels of energy and dedication in their teams. So why has this always been a challenge in the business world?

It’s becoming clear that there are huge similarities and common links between sporting team’s success, and the success of high performing businesses. In sport and business, the number one key to a teams’ success (or failure) is its people. What’s the number one key to the success of your people today? Put simply, the answer is engagement.

Today, many organisations better appreciate the importance of investing in engagement strategies by having a standard reward & recognition program. These aim to motivate and reward good behaviours and attitudes.

While these types of solutions do have their place, they can only be effective when part of a broader strategy.

The first step in the direction of success and performance is the creation of a winning culture.

A strong and healthy culture can be defined as one unified group with the same positive mindset, owning and working towards the same winning vision.

Do not be fooled into believing that strong leadership, and an exclusive focus on the development of leaders, is the key to a winning culture.

This is a mistake. It is the people and their contribution that will make or break your business.

Organisations live and die by the people they employ – no matter what industry. Without actively engaged people, the leadership message cannot be heard.

So you want a stronger culture and team engagement but how do you get there – and quickly?

The answer is we start by putting the right system and strategies in place to ensure massive, fast and sustainable change.

Are Your Employees WE or ME?

There are two types of people in every organisation. The WE people and the ME people. If you have more ME than WE people you will always come second or lower. Leaders are 100% WE.

Collective Accountability

Critical for fast and sustainable success. It’s about ensuring everyone is regularly, and publicly held accountable in the right environment with feedback given effectively and with the interest of the individuals growth at the heart.

Equality Creates Unity

Equality is necessary to ensure team unity. The traditional hierarchical structure is not the most efficient option for businesses these days. Instead today’s successful businesses have the ability to empower their people. This gives them greater autonomy and the knowledge that they own their decisions and actions

Habitual Leadership Acts

Mainstream leadership training is generally knowledge based, not action based. Habitual Leadership is ongoing and is all about actions. Leaders are not usually held accountable for the short or long term, which is why current leadership training strategies generally fail.

The 2 Fundamentals of Engage and Grow

There are two fundamental requirements when building a thriving organisation:

1) Quality systems, processors and game plans, which is ‘the brain’ of the organisation.

2) Quality leadership, engagement and culture, which is ‘the heart’ of the organisation.

The two most important organs of the body are the brain and the heart. We cannot survive without them functioning. They will work on small portions of blood flow, but they will be working harder than they should be, and it’s not sustainable long term. I liken this to analogy to most organisations that are just surviving. If you have an unlimited amount of blood flow, full of fresh oxygen, then the brain and heart will work in unison at full capacity. It will be better equipped if there are problems which creates a thriving body (or organisation).

Good communication is the bloodline of any successful business. If communication is slow, then the organisation cannot flow.

‘ A NEW Group Activation System’ – Company training is the least desirable and effective way to learn.

Finally, 90% of today’s business leaders think an engagement strategy has a positive effect on commercial success, and yet only 25% of them have a plan to do it! In today’s competitive world, your people are your edge.

Old fashioned ‘knowledge dumping’ training programs are no longer efficient when it comes to employee activation. The game has changed. Have you changed your game to keep up?

Engage and Grow Global founder and CEO Richard Maloney used his professional sports coaching background to create the Group Activation program with it’s unique 12 engagement keys which dramatically transform organisational culture, behaviours and performance in 12 weeks.

To find out more about how to activate your people and create a culture that will deliver you massive results, increased productivity and profitability then connect or email me sarahwilliams@actioncoach.com and arrange your employee engagement meeting and survey

The post How to change your business culture and grow your bottom line in 12 weeks first appeared on Action Coach Portsmouth.

The post How to change your business culture and grow your bottom line in 12 weeks appeared first on Action Coach Portsmouth.

Whether you’re a business owner or a manager, there never seems to be enough hours in the day.

The biggest key in time management is having clear priorities. By dividing your to-do list into URGENT tasks, short and long-term goals, you’ll be able to allocate your time more effectively. Here are my 5 Top time management tips:

1. Communication – prioritise it !

Email, can be both your best friend or worse enemy ! On one hand, it’s a way for passing vital information but if you are distracted by the new message box popping up every few minutes then it can be a huge distraction from you achieving your goals. Set aside a specific time to review emails. Not only will this keep you in the loop, but allow you to knock out the tasks you need to throughout the day.

2. Default diary your “focus” time

One of the aspects of running a business involves being pulled in all sorts of directions. Block off portions of your daily or weekly schedule and dedicate it solely to your goals and most important outcomes. Make sure you are disciplined during this time and fully concentrate on the tasks at hand that lead you towards your goal achievement.

3. Book meetings in chunks

When it’s time to book meetings, try to group them shortly after one another. This will not only keep you forcibly punctual but won’t break up the remainder of your day. Doing this will keep you motivated and focused – meetings will be more productive.

4. Prioritise with the Goal in Mind

When you’re a business owner or manager, you must learn to be flexible. Each day presents a different challenge and curve balls will be thrown at you. To organise yourself, determine priority and plan tasks by urgent and important and others that can remain on the back burner. From there, build your list based on importance, time involved, or resources needed. Remember the 4 Ds “Do it, Delegate it, Defer it or Dump it” and create checkpoints to keep yourself on track.

5. Agendas for every meeting with outcomes / intent defined

Long, drawn out, ineffective meetings are the biggest eater of time. You have the power to change this. Give your meeting purpose by creating a simple, template. You should include topics, major discussion points, and action items and WHO owns the action and by WHEN.

Following these 5 QUICK TIPS will gain you back more of your most important and scarce resource.

TIME is one of the most important areas we work with business owners and their teams on. If TIME is one of your challenges then I can help you get back in control.

Call me 02392 454 111 or email sarahwilliams@actioncoach.com

Learn more about the author here: Sarah Williams

The post 5 Easy Time Management Tips for Business Owners first appeared on Action Coach Portsmouth.

The post 5 Easy Time Management Tips for Business Owners appeared first on Action Coach Portsmouth.