What does your company strategy say to your customers?

Your business’s strategy says a lot about what you and your company believe in and where you are going to invest your resources. But what does your strategy say about your company from your customer’s perspective?

Your customers need to be assured that you care about them. They have to feel important and believe that they are at the centre of your universe. Without your customers, your business can not exist. As such, it is important to build your company’s strategy while keeping your customers in mind.

Office politics cannot be ignored

Wikipedia describes office politics or workplace politics as the process and behaviour in human interactions involving power and authority. It is the use of power and social networking within an organisation to achieve changes that benefit the organisation, or individuals within it. Influence by individuals may serve personal interests without regard to their effect on the organisation itself.

We all understand that our work entails keeping our heads down and working hard to finalise our tasks and achieve our goals. However, we also recognise the dynamics of office politics and the effect it can have on our business, employees and possibly customers.

Managing a difficult conversation

Very often the only thing that is more stressful than having a difficult conversation in the workplace is the anticipation of that conversation. Whether it’s a performance appraisal, verbal warning, or a sales meeting to close an important deal, here are a few tips to help you manage difficult conversations:

Be prepared
Spend some time considering what you want to achieve by having the conversation. Write down the key points you want to raise and list any further points in order of importance. What would your ideal outcome be for each point?

The art of listening

It is a well-known fact that listening is an important business skill. However, most of us are guilty of not listening to what our customers are telling us. Do you really want to understand what your customers want and why they buy certain products or services? Why not ask them for a customer feedback meeting and truly listen to what they have to say.

Before you start your feedback meeting with your customer(s), prepare for your session. It is helpful to work off a report that illustrates which products or services the customer has bought in the past. Write down what you want to achieve from the meeting.

Debt relief may have tax consequences

During difficult economic times, like we are currently experiencing in South Africa, businesses may need to make certain arrangements to keep afloat. These arrangements could involve cutting down on certain expenses or negotiating for extended payment terms for expenditure that cannot be reduced. The arrangements may also involve restructuring of certain debt obligations in order to be able to obtain further funding. Debt restructuring would more often than not involve a related person, such as a shareholder or investor who would be willing to renegotiate terms or the nature of the instrument, to protect his or her interest in the business.

• 25 November '16 – Deadline for 2016 income tax returns for non-provisional tax payers at a SARS branch or via e-filing
  
  
• 31 January '17 – Deadline for 2016 income tax returns submission for provisional tax payers via e-filing – individuals and trusts
  
  
• 28 February '17 – Deadline for 2016 income tax returns for companies
  
  
• 28 February '17 – Deadline for 2017 second provisional tax returns for individuals, companies and trusts