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Mark has
over 8 years experience working with the owners of small businesses
to assist them in focusing their businesses to achieve their goals
and outstanding results. Listed below are a number of client
'success stories' to provide you with an overview of the actions
and results that can be achieved through coaching.
Mark
has coached clients in the following industries and occupations
(all case studies are listed below);
- Accountants
- Automotive
fuels and lubricants
- Residential
construction
- Cleaning
services - Case study
1
- Clothing
suppliers
- Event
management
- Financial
planning - Case study
2
- Freight
- Hair
dressing and beauty
- Insurance
brokers - Case study
3
- Mortgage
brokers - Case study
4
- Nutritionists
- Personal
training -
- Plumbing
supplies - Case study
5
- Promotional
items
- Psychologist
- Real
estate
- Recruitment
consultants
- Stationary
supplies
- Software
development
Size of companies have
varied from a single person operation to 15 employees. Businesses
have been operating from 3 months through to 40 years. The
opportunity to work together has been based on the matching of the
client to the key value-adding services provided by our coaches
(click here for more information on
our specific value-add).
— — — — — —
Case Study
1 - Sole Trader operating a new Cleaning Business
This
client started his business and after 3 months was averaging 4
clients per week. He provided a great service and received very
positive feedback from his clients. He had invested a sizeable
amount of his available cash in a new van and the latest cleaning
equipment.
The
Problem
The
primary concern of the client was that he did not have a clear plan
for growing the business. His first group of clients had come from
friends and personal contacts. He had just started letter boxing
and this was generating a few leads each week. He had done a
considerable amount of work in developing a logo, uniform,
letterheads etc. We reviewed his current situation and in the short
term he needed at least 4 appointments per day.
The
Solution
We created
a list of goals that he wanted to achieve with the projects that
would enable him to achieve them. The over-riding priority was to
generate new clients. We commenced advertising on the internet and
upgraded his website. In addition we increased the letterbox
campaign and I introduced him to a local networking group that
shared leads between its members. Within 3 months the average
number of clients had increased to 22 per week and we were able to
increase the fee per job by 22%. We also
reviewed the range of services he was providing and have eliminated
those tasks which were actually costing him money. The
client now has a business that is generating a cash surplus and we
are ready to launch the next phase of his business.
— — — — — —
Case Study
2 - Financial Planning Practice
This
client operated in the financial services industry, primarily
providing life insurance and superannuation products. The owner was
frustrated that he was not generating the income he felt he should,
given the hours that he was working.
The
Problems
We identified the following problems:
- The
primary value adding activity of the client was in providing advice
to clients and providing financial products as part of the
solution. The client was spending less than 25% of his time on this
activity.
- The client
was averaging over 64 hours a week working in the business. This
was preventing him from spending time with his family and pursuing
other interests.
- The client
was spending over 60% of his working time on administrative issues
that could be handled by an administrative person.
- The client
was not generating an income commensurate with the hours he was
working or the value he was providing to clients.
- His
offices were too small and not sufficiently 'up-market' for the
client group he was working with.
The
Solution
For a period of a month the client documented at 15 minute
intervals the activities that he was undertaking. This enabled us
to identify the value-adding activities that the client needed to
undertake and the non-productive activities that would be
delegated. The non-productive items were merged into a job
description for a part time administrative assistant who was hired
on a government subsidised scheme. As a consequence the client was
able to more than double the amount of time he spent on income
producing activities.
The
administrative assistant enabled the client to reduce his hours
from an average over 64 hours per week, down to 48 hours, whilst
increasing his income by 30%. For a period of 6 months after these
changes were introduced, we worked with the client to ensure the
client effectively implemented the changes. The amount of time he
spent on administrative issues dropped from 60% to 10%.
The client
was able to relocate his office in the same building for much
better premises with only a marginal increase in rent.
The client
felt he was now in control of his business, he experienced a
sizeable increase in income, a lowering of his working hours, and
was able to spend more time with his family, whilst at work, he was
doing the things he enjoyed.
— — — — — —
Case Study
3 - Insurance broker
One of my
earliest coaching experiences involved a client who had an
insurance broking business that he had started from scratch. The
business was only a few years old and his turnover was
just over $120,000 per year.
The
Problem
The client
was so busy working in the business that he “never had time to set
any written goals or plans for the business.” He was frustrated
because he was always working hard and wasn't sure how he could
build the business any further. He felt he was starting to ignore
his existing clients and was at risk of losing a client for every
new client he was gaining.
He had
developed a number of referral sources and we developed a strategy
that would mean the business would be generating sales of $300,000
in three years time. This was a very achievable goal; my client had
a business that provided a great service, with very positive word
of mouth, and relationships with other professionals who had
demonstrated a commitment to referring quality prospects. The
realisation that his business would most likely triple in size in 3
years had a significant impact on my client. He knew his business
was growing but he never stopped to consider what it could grow
into within a relatively short period of time.
The
Solution
With the
strategy we developed he could see a path to building a ‘real’
business that was not solely dependent on him. This was very
liberating, for now he had a plan and he knew what he had to do.
Also by having a coach he was now accountable - no more just
working in the business. He had an abbreviated plan with a clear
set of goals and deadlines to focus him. The result was he started
to invest in the business by hiring a part time assistant and
implementing systems that meant he had regular contact with
existing clients. Instead of always reacting to problems, our
monthly meetings meant he focused on agreed actions.
He
achieved the sales goal six months earlier than scheduled and now
has six employees.
— — — — — —
Case Study
4 - Mortgage Brokers
This
mortgage broking business had been operating for 4 years. It was a
family business that operated from home. The client had other
business interests but had decided it was time to focus on growing
this business and generate a stronger cash flow.
The
Problem
The owners
wanted to identify a suitable person to merge the business with so
that economies of scale could be achieved and additional resources
employed for the back office operations.
The
Solution
A suitable business partner was found and the businesses merged. A
new brand was created to give the business its own identity rather
than the individual owners being seen as the business. Three loan
writers were recruited into the business and a full time
administrator was employed. After 18 months a business of a similar
size was identified and a purchase made. After two years the
business is now 5 times larger than when it commenced with the
resources, professional offices and marketing to continue its
growth strategy.
— — — — — —
Case Study
5 - Plumbing supplies
For 25
years this client had managed their own successful business when
they had an unexpected heart attack and under medical instructions
were no longer allowed to work in the business. The client's son
became the General Manager but did not have any experience running
a business as he had previously been working as a tradesman. The
father engaged Mark Laing as a coach to work with his son on a
weekly basis to manage the business.
The
Problem
The son
was inexperienced in managing a business and the father was not
able to work in the business. The father's objective was to
ultimately sell the business but to get it into a strong commercial
position for sale.
The
Solution
Over two and a half years Mark worked with the son on both
day-to-day operational issues and strategic issues to ensure the
business had a clear direction and was generating results that
would make it a saleable asset. The business was sold to a large
competitor for a significant sum with both the father and son
exceeding their expectations.
These are
just some examples of the work that Mark has done for
clients. SPECIAL
OFFER -
Free
initial coaching consultation - no obligations - just a discussion
to identify if your business needs coaching and some of the options
available to you. To take advantage of this offer - please
click
here.
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