Nobody wants to be an April Fool, especially not in business. From making an IT blunder during an important presentation to getting the director’s name wrong at a company you’re trying to go into a partnership with, being left red-faced and cringing with embarrassment is an inherent part of the world of business.
With April Fool’s Day here, take a look at Carrwood Park’s tips on how business owners can avoid ‘being an April fool’ in business.
1- Keep your cool when meeting a new client
Meeting a new client is a little like going on a first date – you want to impress. You want to lay the foundations for a good working relationship through radiating professionalism, confidence and reassurance that their money is in good hands.
A good first client meeting combines several vital elements – you need to ‘look the part’, have carried out adequate research on the individual you are meeting and their company, be prepared about what exactly you can offer them, and, perhaps most importantly, listen.
With nerves jangling, it’s easy to get carried away by fervently talking, but to avoid looking a tad April foolish, listen to the client. Let them explain their objectives, goals and long-term plans and once you have such valuable knowledge on-board, you will then be in a better position to decide how your business can help them achieve their goals.
2- Avoid common mistakes when running a meeting
Running a meeting takes a lot of preparation and consideration, at least if you want to run an effective meeting anyway.
Meetings provide the perfect opportunity for you to portray your business in a professional and quality light. By the same token, running a lousy meeting will go a long way in ensuring your business isn’t considered too highly.
Fortunately the chances of the latter occurring can be significantly reduced by some careful planning.
Some ‘golden rules’ of avoiding meeting blunders and planning an effective meeting should include:
- Only hold a meeting if you have to
- Plan and rehearse the topics of the meeting and what you are going to say
- Try to involve and integrate the meeting attendees so they are not merely listening
- As we mentioned in an earlier blog about how to run the perfect networking event, sending follow up emails is good practice after you have held a meeting.
- Think carefully about the meeting’s location. Holding it a busy coffee shop will be leaning towards April Fool tendencies. By contrast, holding the meeting in a professional, well-equipped meeting room that has convenient transport networks and is easy for everyone to find will ensure your company is portrayed in a professional manner.
- Have a refreshments break. Forcing delegates to endure a lengthy meeting without a drink break won’t do you any favours!
3- Avoid bookkeeping blunders
With a business to run you have a million and one things to do and the unglamorous and arduous task of bookkeeping can easily fall behind.
Failing to keep accurate and up-to-date accounts can quickly leave a business red-faced and in deep water.
The trick to successful bookkeeping is to keep on top of it. As All Business advises, little things, such as saving receipts, tracking reimbursable expenses, and keeping a backup of your accounts, can help avoid potential costly and time-consuming enquires at a later date.
4- Set up the right type of office
Okay so you might be a three-person business today but as you hope and plan to be a 300-employee enterprise in a year or two from now, you sign a five-year office lease with the capacity to house a 300-strong workforce - Doh!
While ‘thinking big’ is a quality of every CEO, you need to be realistic, particularly when it comes to the workplace. Of course you want to nurture company growth, but the size of office you opt for should be a realistic reflection of your business.
Choosing office space which gives you the potential to upsize at a later date, could be the ideal scenario.
There are other points to consider when choosing office space for your business. For example, in our blog titled ‘How to choose the location of your office space’, we spoke about the importance of considering the neighbourhood, transportation, as well as infrastructure and services, as being vital elements business owners should consider when choosing office space.
So there we have it, how not to be an April Fool in business this April 1st. Now you can concert your efforts into leaving some of your employees red-faced in the office – Now where did you put that whoopee cushion…?
For more enlightening tips and advice about different aspects of business, don’t forget to subscribe to the Carwood Park blog.
