Thursday 26 September 2013

Engage for success

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Thursday, 3 October 2013 from 08:45 to 13:30 (BST)

Belfast, United Kingdom

We are delighted to announce that Engage for Success has arrived in Northern Ireland!
 An official launch event will be held in a central Belfast location, easily accessible to all. 
This is a MUST attend event for those who are interested in employee engagement and for finding out how to become involved in the Northern Ireland movement.  The event will be informative, interactive, and fun with lots of networking opportunities. There will also be interesting guest speakers, further details to follow.
The event is FREE OF CHARGE.  Thank you to Capita HR Solutions for hosting the event.
Wish to attend? 
1. Please book the number of tickets that you require.
2. Email nicola.barber@kilwaughter.com with the name of your organisation and also your position within the organisation.  This information will assist us with the activities planned for the day.
3. Before the day of the event, please consider one employee engagement issue that you are currently experiencing.
Please note, places are limited at this event.  Don't delay, book your place TODAY! 
Contact Nicola Barber, Regional Ambassador Engage for Success who is organising this official event (nicola.barber@kilwaughter.com or Tele:  028 2826 0766) for more information.
We look forward to welcoming you to the event! 
Have you seen the Engage for Success website?  Check it out! http://www.engageforsuccess.org/
Check out the Belfast Business Centre social media accounts today for updates, offers, business tips and incentives!

Friday 30 August 2013

10 ways to improve your negotiating skills



10 ways to improve your negotiating skills

Having to negotiate a sale or purchase is a common requirement for the owners and managers of small businesses. Excellent preparation and a logical approach can help you get the deal you want. Here are our top ten tips.

1. Do your research
Clarify your own objectives and make sure you understand what your opposite number wants from the deal. For example, by doing some basic research into a potential supplier, you can work out how valuable your custom is to them.

2. Decide what is negotiable
Before you start to negotiate, draw up a list of factors that are most important to you. Decide what you are (and aren't) prepared to compromise on. Key factors might include price, payment terms, volume or delivery dates.
The key is to establish your preferred outcome, but remain realistic, because if you’re not prepared to compromise some negotiations won’t last long.

3. Plan your strategy
You need to plan your strategy in writing before beginning negotiations. This will help you set clear goals and work out where you will draw the line and walk away from the deal.
Decide the overall approach that you will adopt. Be clear about the type of deal you want and the priority you will give it.
Write down your negotiating strengths and how you might use them to get the concessions you require. Consider ways of defending the weaker parts of your argument and negating the supplier’s main strengths.

4. Select the best team
Once you've decided on your strategy it is essential that you get your negotiating team right. Make sure it has skills in all the required areas and, where necessary, use a specialist to negotiate in areas outside your expertise.

5. Choose the right time and place for negotiation
Ideally select a time and place where you are not under pressure to close the deal.

6. Outline your requirements
Open negotiations by outlining your requirements or terms and conditions and try to get your opposite number to reveal their starting point for discussions.

7. Ask questions and listen closely to answers
Asking questions will help you understand what your opposite number wants to achieve. You may be able to get them to reveal how flexible they are on certain issues.

8. Don’t reveal your negotiating position or make unnecessary concessions
If you have to make concessions – look for reciprocation. Concessions should only be made to help you get the things you value. You should also avoid appearing too keen to do a deal.
Consider what offer the other party in the negotiations is likely to make and how you’ll respond.

9. Be aware of negotiating tactics
You need to be aware of common negotiating tactics. If the other party keeps referring to urgent deadlines or a person they need to confer with, they might be playing games.
Don’t be forced into making rushed decisions or unnecessary concessions, such as false deadlines. Each time a point is agreed, clarify that you've understood it correctly and write it down.

10. Draw up a contract
Once all the points have been negotiated and a deal has been agreed, it’s best to get a written contract drawn up and signed by both parties. While verbal contracts are legally binding – they are difficult to prove in court.

Most business owners would view a good deal as one that meets all their requirements, but you should also consider other factors such as whether you want to do business with a particular firm again. Although getting the best possible deal in the short-term is important, a good relationship in the future may help you get even cheaper prices or other perks, such as priority delivery.

Check out the Belfast Business Centre social media accounts today for updates, offers, business tips and incentives!

Thursday 29 August 2013

Congratulations Clare

Congratulations to Clare Mercer on achieving her OCR level 3 NVQ diploma in Business and Administration.  

Wednesday 28 August 2013

Welcome to Graham and Garret from the Mediator Group part of TMG Corporate Services.

Welcome to Graham and Garret from the Mediator Group part of TMG Corporate Services.

TMG Corporate Services / The Mediator Group is a well-established and highly regarded multi – disciplinary professional services provider. Since 1994 we have been providing well planned and professionally executed solutions for our clients. Operating globally and at ease serving our client whether they are based in Europe, the USA, Asia-Pac or Africa we have achieved results in tens of thousands of diverse assignments. We offer scale, reach and maturity and a proven strategy and approach. We are light touch and discrete in our methods. Our proven credentials with thousands of corporate clients are backed by verbal references available on request. Compliant with Data Protection & Privacy legislation in all jurisdictions in which we operate we offer our clients transparency and effective “always-on” communication via our Quaesta case management system. We provide the following services:

Investigative services                                                                  Insolvency Support Services
Specialist Surveillance Services                                                  Tracing, Profiling & Lifestyle Reporting
Asset Recovery & Repossession                                                Debt Recovery & Insolvency
Summons & Document Services                                                Outsourced Credit Control

Alternative Investments – Due Diligence, Analytics & Business Intelligence





Check out the Belfast Business Centre social media accounts today for updates, offers, business tips and incentives!

 

Wednesday 21 August 2013

What We Can Do For You


 
 
 
What we can do for you

Perception and Business Decisions

A customer’s perception of a potential new supplier is key to getting them to contact you, so before that all important first impression they have of you, most people will look at where you are, geographically.

We all know that if we live in County Antrim then suppliers in County Armagh or Tyrone may not seem as attractive as those in Belfast or County Antrim.

Similarly those of us who live in County Armagh or Tyrone may not consider anywhere other than their own county or Belfast. However most people agree they would consider a supplier in Belfast regardless of where they live.

Question: How many of you have goggle mapped an address to see where a company is based at before deciding to do business with them or not? I know I do and my perception of the company and its ability is based on seeing a private home or commercial premises.

While my perception could be completely wrong, when I see a private home I think ‘Part-Time’, not able to service my needs, not a serious business and when I see an office building in Belfast my perception is opposite.

The right perception can win you business so why miss out on the opportunity to be able to make a first impression.

You can use our address for your business on:

·        Websites

·        Business cards

·        Stationery and marking materials

With our business address service which costs £30 + VAT per month.

Visit our website for full details and benefits of our services.

 
Check out the Belfast Business Centre social media accounts today for updates, offers, business tips and incentives!

 

Thursday 15 August 2013

Virtual Assistant Services at The Belfast Business Centre




Virtual Assistant Services at The Belfast Business Centre

All Belfast Business Centre clients have access to the Pay Per Use Virtual Assistant Services within the centre.

  • Word Processing – Letters, Accounts and Reports
  • Photocopying and Printing in Black & White or Full Colour up to A3 (single/double sided)
  • Spreadsheet Creation including Data Entry and Formulae
  • Faxing up to A3
  • PowerPoint Presentations created and Slides or Handouts Produced
  • Database Creation including Data Entry and Mail Merge Labels
  • Laminating up to A3
  • Scanning and converting documents into pdf format
  • Email Marketing using a choice of templates
  • Shredding arranged at the centre or at other premises
  • Filing with documents placed into any order and method required
  • Binding with Plastic or Wire combs
  • Franking and Mail Dispatch with costs less than Royal Mail Stamp prices

Check out the Belfast Business Centre social media accounts today for updates, offers, business tips and incentives!





Wednesday 14 August 2013

PINTEREST FOR BUSINESS







Pinterest for Business Part Four of Four
In our last  Pinterest for Business blog, we have identified a study which gives interesting advise on the images you use in your pins.
Pinterest’s Most Engaging Images
A study by Curalate has revealed the characteristics of Pinterest’s most socially engaging images. Reviewing over half a million pictures and 30 different features, engagement was measured based on Pins, Repins and Likes.
Pinterest Users Favour Colour
The more colourful your image, the more likely it is to be repinned. Pictures with multiple colours in vibrant hues were shared 3.25 more times than those with a single dominant colour. Red is one of the most repinned colours, and images with red, orange and brown tones were shared roughly twice as many times as blue-based pictures.
Avoid Black & White
Very light and very dark images see few repins, with the study finding that “repinning rate for images of medium lightness is 20 times higher than for images that are mostly black, and eight times higher than images that are mostly white.” Pinterest images with mid-saturation have 10 times more repins than those that are completely desaturated (e.g. black and white).
Avoid Empty Space
Images with less than 30% background white space are repinned the most, with repins dropping off for pictures with 40% white space or more. Vertical images with an aspect ratio between 2.3 and 4.5 also got 60% more shares than very tall narrow images (so simply cutting out the white space around the edges doesn’t help).
Face-Free
In one of the more surprising findings, the study revealed brand images without faces receive 23% more repins than those that do have faces. Contradicting the traditional marketing belief that faces provide a connection for the customer, less than 20% of pictures shared on Pinterest include a face in the frame. 


(If you are interested in setting up a Pinterest Account, we are happy to invite you to join.  Email us at elaine@belfastbusinesscentre.com  and we will send you an invite).


Check out the Belfast Business Centre social media accounts today for updates, offers, business tips and incentives!