Sage Blog

Our SageCover members get a long list of benefits from technical support to business advice. They also get Solutions Magazine (log in to see your copy if you’re a member); packed with business tips and expert advice. The SageCover team have kindly let me reproduce one of their articles for our blog so we can all enjoy it!

From emailing more effectively to understanding your business priorities, Laura Dixon looks at how you can find time you never knew you had…

Time for a new start

Poor time management means that the average company of any size, in any sector, loses 20 days of work per person, per year. Getting in control of time saves money, increases productivity and directly contributes to a better bottom line. With that in mind, we asked an expert panel: What can you do to make more time in the day?

1) Find your focus

Clare Evans: You should spend at least 10 minutes at the start of each day planning what you will do – not checking emails and getting sucked into answering them. Planning is crucial if you want to have an effective day’s work. Always keep your business plan and main objectives at the forefront of your mind. Look at your short and long-term goals, and ask yourself: what do I need to do today to achieve them?

The thing I’ve found with small business owners is that they are trying to do everything, and the volume of tasks often overshadows their true work objectives. I tell them to start by thinking about what’s important and focus on what makes the biggest difference.

Leo Babauta: Most small business owners are incredibly busy, but they don’t fill their days with the most important work possible. Of course, that work will be different for every person, but the most important thing you can do is figure out the top three most important tasks to get done each day, and focus on those.

2) Avoid distractions

Dr Monica Seeley: Switch off email alerts. Wean yourself off constantly checking them, so you can focus on the tasks in hand.

Leo Babauta: Disconnect from the internet and your phone for a period of time each day. Even if it’s for just an hour, that time is still vitally important, because otherwise you’re constantly being interrupted, distracted and sucked in.

3) Know how much your time is worth

Clare Evans: Every hour you lose has a value. Work out how much your time is worth financially, and use that to frame what you do during the day. For instance, if you don’t like doing accounts and spend a lot of time putting it off, hire a bookkeeper to do it. You can then spend that time doing the tasks that only you can do.

4) Fine-tune your emails

Dr Monica Seeley: Make sure you make the most of your email features. Use rules and filters to set priorities, so what you see first in your inbox is the most important. This way, you won’t miss key mail from your important clients. Use expiry dates on ephemeral emails, so you don’t unnecessarily clutter up other people’s inboxes too.

Also, if you get your own emails right first time, you can avoid a lot of email pingpong. Start with a clear concise subject line that sums up the email. Use a professional greeting and make your request clear and concise. Include a time frame and the exact action required. Sign off with your phone number and put ‘Thanks in advance’, so no follow up emails will be needed.

And think about attachments. Ask yourself whether you really need to send the same attachment to six people – would it be easier to put it on a shared space instead? You can cut how long it takes to complete tasks by eliminating time spent on downloading information and deleting it afterwards because it overwhelms email storage space.

5) Don’t be afraid to draw the line

Leo Babauta: Reduce commitments to create space to get important work done – start saying ‘no’ so you can say ‘yes’ to this work. Set lower limits on how long you work each day, and you’ll force yourself to do the higher impact tasks during that time instead of filling your days with unimportant jobs. Clare Evan S: Don’t work until the task is finished, otherwise you will be working long hours. Have a cut-off point. Set expectations with other people too – make sure they know how busy you are and what is reasonable to expect from you.

Clare Evans: Don’t work until the task is finished, otherwise you will be working long hours. Have a cut-off point. Set expectations with other people too – make sure they know how busy you are and what is reasonable to expect from you.

Laura Dixon writes for a range of titles including The Independent, The Guardian and Business Life.

Having worked at Sage for over two years now, I’m acutely aware of the importance of culture, and also the physical environment I work in.

Admittedly, in previous roles before I joined Sage, I had an assumption that culture was an abstract ingredient that just existed. If there was any attempt to shape culture, it was usually handed down from senior people in the business, who tended to be very far away from me personally.

Probably not the best conditions to ensure success I’m sure you’ll agree.

An innovative approach to business

Something that is very clear from working at Sage, is that there is a very ‘flat’ structure to our culture. In other words, everyone from the CEO, to executives, to support lines and sales will afford you the time and opportunity to voice your ideas and contribute. The result is that ideas can come from anywhere, and this leads to a truly innovative approach to business, particularly important in a technology company.

Accountability

A culture like this doesn’t happen overnight though. It is bred over time, by empowering people, and giving them accountability. This is the hallmark of a business with a strong culture. However the intangible aspects (behaviours, impulses and decisions) are only part of the story.

A prevalent trend at the moment is to brand office spaces with the desired characteristics for employees to exhibit. This is something we’ve recently undertaken in Sage Accountants’ Division.

Aside from communicating desired behaviours, branding office space can also influence processes and how we communicate. For example, communal areas where people can talk mean that business can be conducted in a calm and relaxed manner. TV screens on each floor allow us to instantly feedback comments from our customers.

Innovative offices

A great example of a branded office space is Google offices, particularly the Googleplex in California. Walls are painted with bright primary colours reflecting the Google logo and fun, vibrant brand. Live searches that are being conducted around the world are beamed straight into the communal areas, highlighting global trends, and informing product development. There’s even a slide and a fireman’s poll! Evidence if any were needed that Google is a fun and innovative place to work. This also reflects a culture of innovation, where developers spend 30% of their time working on anything they like. Complete responsibility and accountability in action, and this results in a constant stream of new products like Gmail, Chrome, Wave and Circles. Granted, not all of them have been a resounding success, but they are prime examples of a brave and innovative approach to business.

Boosting creativity

You might not have Google’s budget but here are a few cheap and cheerful things you could do in your office to boost creativity:

• Always focus on the desired characteristics of the brand – Are you repositioning the brand, or simply maintaining what you already exhibit? This should form the essence of the branding in your office space.
• Involve your employees – There will be certain degree of control needed, but always ensure that you encourage content and ideas from your employees. It’s where they will be working after all.
• Refresh your content – Try and stay on top of refreshing the messaging in your office. Strategic plans have defined stages, so ensure you have the right message at the right time.
• Be brave and innovative – It’s not just customers who like innovation, employees thrive on it too. Try and incorporate original ideas and media into your office. It’ll get high levels of engagement.”

What is clear from all of these activities is that they are the starting point for delivering exceptional customer service. If you focus on and take care of your staff, they will be in the best position possible to offer customers superior service, and also extoll the virtues of the brand.

Having empowered our staff in Accountants’ Division, we’re starting to see results, like winning the Customer Service Training Award this year, and also signing up our 10,000^th Sage Accountants’ Club member, so long may this process continue.

Daniel Duran, Sage Accountants’ Team

Sage World, our free event for start ups and small businesses, is back!

Ok, I’m not one to blow my own trumpet but…..“flawless,”  “amazingly inspiring,” “excellent can’t wait for the next one!”  is some of the feedback we received after the first ever Sage World last year. And we’re not just picking the best quotes, the stats back it up too, 93% of Sage World attendees loved it.

Still not convinced? Check out the guest blog The Best Business Event? from one of last year’s attendees Wildfire Digital Media. They loved it too and we didn’t even pay them to say so.

[End of trumpet blowing.]

What is Sage World?

Well, if you went last year you’ll know Sage World was a different kind of event, an immersive two day experience for the UK’s small businesses. Inspirational keynotes, practical hands on seminars and that priceless one to one time with our technical experts brought everything a small business needed to one place.

We’re in the process of finalising the programme for this year’s Sage World but we guarantee it’s going to be good and even better than last year.

When and where is it?

You’ll only have to wait a little longer for the next one as Sage World is back for another year, taking place at a fantastic new venue EventCity in Manchester on the 12^th and 13^th of October.

The best part?

It’s completely free and we’ll even throw in some lunch (not literally, that could get a bit messy).

How do I get a free ticket?

So, to make sure you don’t miss out, book your free place now at www.sageworld2011.co.uk

Nicole Matues, Sage World Team

While dusting off the bunting, making my son’s ‘prince outfit’ for the Royal-Wedding-dressing-up-day at school and preparing myself for the ‘wedding of the year’ on Friday, I was struck by a series of tenuous links between the Royal Wedding and the story we’re telling here at Sage in our latest marketing campaign.

You may have seen our new materials focusing on our 30 year heritage as a British software company – if not, take a look here – www.ourbusinessnation.co.uk. The brochures, emails and website celebrate the best of British business and focus upon a handful of the 800,000 British organisations we are proud to support through our business software and services. Together we’ve come a long way over the past 30 years.

In the beginning

Like the Middleton family business which was built from the ground up to become the successful, profitable business it is today, Sage was also borne out of humble beginnings. Having started following a dinner time conversation between four like-minded people in Newcastle 30 years ago, the company now has a customer in every postcode area in the UK, supports 1/3 of the FTSE 100 and is the engine behind many of the most innovative and entrepreneurial British businesses.

Down to earth

Whilst the Royal family has often been criticised for being out of touch with the British public, here at Sage we pride ourselves on truly understanding the needs of British businesses. With a global Business Partner network that covers 50 countries and stretches every part of the UK, we are never far from our customers. Together, we are dedicated to building intimate and long-lasting relationships with our customer base to help and support them every step of the way, from initial implementation to managing growth and change. We have learnt how much our customers value the business expertise we and our Business Partners provide. Working together, we build competitive advantage into everything our customers do.

Uniting a nation

The Royal Wedding will unite a nation. Personally, I’ll be furiously waving my flag, coo-ing at ‘that dress’ and weeping at the “I DO” moment. But even if you’re not a monarchist, you may at least be celebrating a long weekend off work!
At Sage, we unite our own nation – one of remarkable businesses under Our Business Nation. We’re proud of our heritage as a home-grown British business and are honoured to support such a diverse range of organisations through our CRM, ERP, HR and Payroll software. They number hundreds of thousands in the UK, but here are just a few:

• The Eden Project which welcomes over 1 million visitors a year
• National Assembly for Wales which represents the interests of Wales and its people
• Blenheim Palace, the birthplace of Winston Churchill with over 300 years of heritage
• Playdale Playgrounds, a family run and owned business, since 1735
• Knights of Old, a leading transport and distribution company, which is over 100 years old
• Shaws of Darwen who have been manufacturing sinks for over 100 years.

So as the big day approaches, I will be watching the proceedings with baited breath. And remembering that from relatively humble beginnings, amazing things can happen…

Sarah Croft, Sage Mid Market Team

Sorry, this competition has now closed.

A while ago we asked you for your top tips for motivating employees and had a fantastic response. Here are our five favorites, but there can only be one winner. So watch the videos and get some great ideas then vote for your favorite.

The company whose video receives the most votes will win a fantastic team building day worth up to £2500!

It’s back! The Apprentice hit our screens again last night, giving us all a masterclass in business acumen, leadership and strategic nous.  Well, maybe not.

Sage's very own Lord Iain Sugar

The two teams were tasked with making, marketing and selling their own brand of sausages.  For the boys (Team Synergy – 0/10 for originality) up stepped Dan Harris as Project Manager, a brash, confident Sales Director – surely the ideal candidate for a sales task. For the girls (Team Apollo) Joanna reluctantly came forward; a more reserved character who runs her own cleaning company.

The winners?  The girls won narrowly by £15 profit, but in reality they should have won by a greater margin. Why?  Epic failure on the leadership front for the boys’ team!

The David Brent style of management

Unfortunately Project Manager Dan had read a few chapters of the David Brent Management handbook.  He was aggressive, confrontational, lacked direction and alienated virtually all of his team.

Great leaders inspire, motivate, lead by example and empower their workforce to be the best they can be.  Dan showed none of these qualities.  The outcome was a fragmented team, in-fighting and a feeling of dictatorship.

The girls, by contrast, were a much better as a team.  Joanna communicated well, constantly asking her team for input and instilling a real democratic culture.  They were a real unit – cohesive, co-operative and all wanted to succeed for their Project Manager.

What is great leadership?

Great leadership is about people.  Great leaders can galvanise people and get them all pulling in the right direction. If you can crack this then you won’t go far wrong as a manager.

The result in the boardroom was a foregone conclusion as the boys rightly turned on their failing leader. Despite the very vocal Stuart’s last ditch attempt to get himself fired, Lord Sugar made the right decision: Dan – you’re fired!

Tip for the top: Liz or Stella could go far.

Next for the chop: Alex or Melissa

Watch episode 1 of The Apprentice here

Iain Ramsay, Keeper of the Sage Store and The Apprentice fan

Sage World is back again in 2011. This year we’ll be in Manchester’s EventCity  on the 12^th and 13^th of October. To register for your free ticket visit www.sageworld2011.co.uk

Every year hundreds of business events are promoted. And let’s face it, some are better than others. Nothing beats a recommendation; so if you’ve been to an event which you think shouldn’t be missed, then let us know and add a comment.

Why take time out of  your business to attend an event?

Guest blogger Sarah Hopcroft from Wildfire Digital Media recently attended Sage World, our free event for small businesses. Here she talks about her recent business challenges and how a business event can both inspire you and help you focus on the future.

Over to Sarah….

WildFire Digital Media

As a recently established business, we at WildFire Digital Media were looking for any help and advice we could get to help us to make our business stand out from the crowd. WildFire was formed in July as a web design agency whose USP is to help get young businesses off the ground and get online, we also touch on the importance of social media and include this as one of our packages. Of course, we also do a lot of work with more seasoned businesses too.

Hard times
Starting a business in the current economic downturn has its challenges. We started off in a competitive market with virtually no money behind us and were relying solely on marketing, word of mouth and the power of online media. But we still needed support and inspiration to keep those wheels turning! We were very glad to find out about Sage World and, with no further ado, booked our tickets for the 2 day conference in Telford.

Sage World
We were not disappointed! Upon our arrival the mood was friendly and energetic, the main area was a hive of activity. The Sage technical support team were present to offer free advice on how to get the best from their software. The Sage staff helped us to make sense of our Spotme devices that were provided for the event. These turned out to be the perfect tool for networking and provided up to the minute information throughout the day;

Sage World

gently reminding us when a session was due to begin. It was also a way to electronically exchange business cards with like minded individuals, details of which were sent to us after the event and we were able to generate a couple of leads in this way.

The talent
There were some incredible speakers, and I would be here all day if I were to outline all the benefits of listening to these passionate and knowledgeable individuals talk about what they love the most. Notable speakers for us included Will King of King of Shaves, Karren Brady,  Geoff Ramm and Andy Lopata, each for very different reasons – of course Sage excelled at ensuring there was plenty of variety and something for everyone.

• Will King showed us that any business has its highs and lows and inspired us to believe in ourselves and that you can make something of nothing if you have the drive to succeed. A little inspiration goes a long way in what can seem to be a ‘dog eat dog’ world of business.
• Karren Brady, a woman in a business dominated by men, was fascinating to listen to. We are in a similar situation in our own business and some of the stories she regaled about the prejudice she came across and how she overcame it were very entertaining!
• Geoff Ramm, a marketing expert, offered us some amazing tips and advice on how to stick out like a sore thumb. He even took time out to talk to some businesses individually and of course we were the first in line. He recommended that rather than paying for advertising, save money and do something noteworthy to get you into the press – ergo free advertising! An important point he made, for any business, was that when times are tough the first thing people tend to do is cut down on their marketing, whereas it is actually the time to increase it.
• Andy Lopata provided advice on networking and getting yourself known through word of mouth. This is something we needed to do as a new business and we listened intently! He told us to get referrals rather than recommendations, to ensure that the potential client is expecting the call. He told the group not to be afraid of asking friends and family for referrals and we have since received 2 referrals for our own business in this way, one of which has already generated new business – thank you Andy!

The future
I hope I have managed to provide a small insight into the experience that was Sage World. The knowledge taken away from the event was invaluable, and everyone there learnt something new. This event changed how we looked at our business, we were able to step outside of it and look back in. We left the event inspired, with a lot of new contacts and a head full of ideas for the future. We will continue to gain referrals from our contacts and we have plans for a competition as, in the words of Geoff Ramm, give something away and it will come back.

Roll on next year!

Sage World is back again in 2011. This year we’ll be in Manchester’s EventCity  on the 12^th and 13^th of October. To register for your free ticket visit www.sageworld2011.co.uk

We’re working hard to get everything ready for our free small business event, Sage World 2010. So, we thought we’d ask one of our speakers, Chris Hunter - writer, businessman and former bomb disposal specialist – to tell us why he’s taking part in our event.

As somebody used to taking risks and dealing with pressure, the chance to become immersed in a forum of this kind, is an opportunity I simply couldn’t miss.  Sage World’s ‘Immerse Yourself’ event not only offers an amazing number of networking opportunities but  also an impressive line up of inspirational speakers all of whom promise to offer business beating techniques that attendees can implement immediately.

Chris Hunter, speaker at Sage World 2010

Personally, I’m going to be drawing some parallels between my life now – as a businessman – and the lessons I learned in my former life where I frequently operated in high pressure environments in which disabling terrorist bombs and dealing with the continual threat of insurgent ambushes were everyday occurrences.

Stay focused

I’m going to be covering a lot of topics, but I’m especially looking forward to discussing the importance of staying focused: Four days into my tour in Iraq, a tabloid published fake photographs that led to a local cleric putting a price on our heads. That night, my driver and I were shot in a terrifying ambush. Staying focused was all that kept us alive.

Pursuing your goals

I’m also going to be sharing my thoughts on importance of pursuing a goal relentlessly – but not over-complicating a situation. In Iraq, as we became more skilled at disabling terrorist bombs, the bombers also became more skilled and determined.  My team only stayed alive because we didn’t cut corners and were relentless in seeing the task through to the end. But the bombers weren’t our only enemy.  Because of the intense heat and the harsh terrain, our kit and equipment often broke down right at the critical moment.  Our ability to improvise and think on our feet was the difference between instant failure and total success, and we quickly learned that it often pays to keep it simple. NASA spent $12m designing a pen that could write in space. The Russians took pencils!

Overcoming fear

And finally, for those of you who get nervous at the thought of networking…I’m also going to be offering a few techniques on overcoming fear: ‘You’re going to do the world’s most dangerous job in the world’s most dangerous place.’ That’s how my bomb disposal tour in Iraq was sold to me, and I wasn’t overly enamored at the prospect…but I knew that fear can be your friend; and if you take nothing else away with you, this event will teach you to embrace and nurture fear – and how to gain strength from it to give yourself a competitive edge.

Life is a daring adventure…or nothing at all.  See you there!

Chris Hunter

Register free for Sage World at www.sageworld2010.co.uk

When we originally sat down to discuss the Top Tips guide for businesses, back on a cold and rainy afternoon in Newcastle (some say just a typical summer’s day), we wanted to give our customers something really useful, something different and most of all something positive.

100 Top Tips guide

Several coffees later we made a decision. Who better to provide business advice than our customers? And so the Moving Forward…100 Top Tips guide was born.

Top tips for businesses, from businesses

[A couple of people have had problems downloading the guide. If you're one of them then please email me I'll send you a copy. Cath - catherine.sheldon@sage.com]

When you download the 100 top tips guide you’ll get a collection of business tips from some of our 800,000 customers. A rather handy reference guide for all types of businesses. Oh, and did I mention it’s free?

And for our customers that sent us their business advice? Well, they get to promote their business, show off their knowledge, and be one of five possible winners of an iPad. Not bad.

Within hours of asking our customers to share their tips they started to pour in.  In fact, we received everything from the down right wacky (you know who you are) to the fresh and innovative. Of course, quite a few of our customers said their top tip was to use Sage business software…so thanks for that

Some of my favourite top business tips

Tip 6

“Invest in your employees. A happy workforce is a productive workforce. Staff need to be kept motivated. Clearly define their role in the business and make them feel part of a team.”

Susan Nisar, Swimshop

www.swimshop.co.uk

Tip 53

“Your existing clients are your best source of referred business, a great Customer Relationship Management system will keep you in touch and strengthen the relationship. Always ask clients for feedback, positive feedback makes a great testimonial and negative feedback should create your action plan.”

Grahame Johnson, Opus Accounting Ltd

www.opusaccounting.co.uk

Thanks Grahame. Being Sage we’d obviously recommend our CRM software ACT! by Sage for that one.

Tip 95

“Keep spirits up, the best sales people are not the ones who get all the deals, but the people who can pick themselves up and carry on when things fall down.”

James Esom, Patchsave Ltd

www.patchsave.com

A big thank you

Thanks to all our customers and businesses who took part. You’ve helped to create an essential collection of business and advice and tips. We had a great time creating this guide and it was clear from day one that  people were more than happy to share their advice with us and others.

Congratulations to our five lucky winners; I’m sure you’re enjoying your new iPads.

Your free business top tips guide

We hope you find our 100 Top Tips guide useful. We’d love to hear from you, so let us know what you think.

Andy Atkinson, Sage Small Business Division

Hi I’m Lucy and I am a solicitor in the legal team here at Sage.  I thought I would use this post to share some of my thoughts about language with you…

Lucy Cook, Sage Legal Team

Sage is all about passion.  I am passionate about language and more specifically about plain English.  I advocate saying what we mean.  Did you know that in Roman times, notaries (one of the predecessors of modern day solicitors) were paid by the line of text that they drafted?  The law profession has found it difficult to shake off its reputation for being long-winded and hard to understand.  At times this reputation is completely justifiable – have you read the deeds of your house recently?  Here in the Sage legal team we try to do things differently, have a look at the blog terms and conditions for an example of our handiwork!

We all need the right tools to do our job.  Here are some of the tools in my personal ‘language toolbox’:

• A saw – to cut through the jargon.  As a profession, lawyers are renowned for using jargon which is difficult (if not, impossible) for non-lawyers to understand.  Any piece of writing which is incomprehensible to its intended audience is a failure on any level.
• A ladder – to see the bigger picture.  Climb up to the top, look out and you might spy an actual reader out there!  Look up from time to time, it does you (and your writing) the world of good especially when it helps you to remember that the words you are writing will actually be read by a real human being!
• Spirit level – to keep it balanced.  What is the sense of creating a one-sided document?  It will only make the process longer (and more painful) because of the inevitable rounds of negotiation.  It’s unlikely that a heavily biased document will reflect the values of you or your business.
• Pliers – to pick out archaic language.  ‘Theretofore’, ‘notwithstanding’, ‘hereinafter’ – pluck them out and chuck them out!
• Magnifying glass – attention to detail is everything and the magnifying glass helps me review, review and review.  Nothing is more frustrating than spotting a typo when your carefully crafted document has already gone to print.  That said, when it’s approaching home time and I have been working on the same clause for what feels like hours, I hand the magnifying glass to a colleague.  We all suffer from word-blindness from time to time and sometimes a fresh pair of eyes can make that all important difference.
• A scrap book – I know that for the sake of the metaphor, this one should be sacrificed but to me its importance outweighs the integrity of the metaphor!  While you won’t find an actual physical saw, ladder, spirit level or a magnifying glass in my desk drawer there is a real scrap book in there.  I paste in cuttings which catch my attention.  It might be the disclaimer on a bottle of bubble bath or some competition terms on the back of my morning cereal box.  When I am in need of some inspiration, I flick through for ideas.

Of course, I write from the perspective of a lawyer but to my mind the above points all apply (to some extent) universally.  We can all use language as a valuable tool in our quest to wow our customers and partners.

I would love to hear from you about which tools you would select for your own language toolbox.  All together now – can we fix it?  Yes we can!

Lucy Cook, Sage Legal Team