Advent Campaign: The First Seven Days

Posted by / December 8th, 2016 / No responses

Have missed our Advent Campaign over Social Media this week?

Here is a quick catchup up!

We’ have been sharing a Top Tip each day over Social Media since the beginning of December, if you have missed our Advent Campaign here is a quick catchup:

Advent is about planning, preparing, expectation. Taken from the Latin word adventus -meaning ‘coming.’So. What’s in store for your business in 2017? How are you going to end 2016 on a high – and ready to storm into 2017?

Top Tip #1 The Big Man has got 24 days to deliver xmas Can he do it? He’ll be working on a tight plan, budget and teamwork. Apply the same logic to your 2017 Business Plans”

Top Tip #2 Go and get some Christmas shopping done, before its too late… If you ignore Christmas it doesn’t go away. Same goes for conflicts with suppliers and customers Face it, be brave, ask for help if needs be.

Top Tip #3 TRUST is a really important currency in contracting. But that doesn’t mean you should blindly jump into deals. Trust is built over time and through solid delivery and reputation.
Before you sign any contract, make sure you know who you are contracting with. 
Knowledge is power. 
Ask questions, compare quotes with other similar suppliers. Request references and ask around in your industry. Do your research on the company’s background and if it’s a big value deal – you must do financial due diligence. 
Read the contract and make sure you understand it properly. Any vaguely drafted clauses must be clarified. 
And use your intuition. If facts about a supplier or customer don’t stack up, then chances are there is something afoot.
Unfortunately, this doesn’t apply to Santa. You just have to write to him and ask for what you want, then hope for the best.

Top Tip #4 Oh come on, we’ve all done it. You promised to be at the Nativity on time – but you either missed it completely or had to shuffle in late and ended up at the back. Couldn’t see anything of poor little Jonny in his donkey outfit. Not this year please. Get in control of your promises, your obligations and your delivery dates. You can even set some goals around exceeding expectations for some of your favourite customers. 
And if missing a deadline can’t be avoided – just be brave and confront it and speak up. 
You can bribe little Jonny pretty easily with toys and chocolate [or money], but most customers and suppliers will be lost forever if you let them down without any warning.

Top Tip #5 SAVVY SHOPPER Who’s been Christmas shopping today? Did you check your returns/exchange policy for any expensive presents you picked up? Savvy shopper, well done. 
It’s weird that in business many people don’t pay attention to the contract terms. Keen to get the deal done, they skim through the small print and hope for the best. 
And once it’s signed, the contract gets popped on a shelf or in a drawer and forgotten about.
Until something goes wrong, of course.
Now listen up. It doesn’t have to be that way, you know. Understanding contracts is really quite easy (and fun) once you know what you are looking for. 
And most importantly, you then get to know your rights and feel confident about the deal.
Remember – most business contracts don’t come with a bow and a gift receipt.

Top Tip #6 HATE OR LOVE? Are the Christmas songs getting on your nerves yet? We love a good Christmas playlist here at Serenwood, but we know plenty of people who detest the tinkly tunes and the ding dong bells. Each to their own, that’s what makes the world go round.
Which is why, if you hate contracts, if you hate dealing with the legal side of your business, if compliance makes you come out in a rash…get some help. 
You need to be on top of your commercial strategy all year round, not just at year end when the auditors come in.
And you can turn the radio off but unfortunately contract disputes don’t go away that easily.

Top Tip #7 GET OUT CLAUSE. If you’ve landed yourself in a contract which you want to get out of, what can you do Well, you could try hiding behind the Christmas tree with a giant bottle of Baileys. Or you could burn the contract on the log fire and hope for the best It is usually possible to terminate a contract and extract yourself from the provisions, but it comes at a price.
Often a high price.
(Unless of course you have been clever and negotiated a “termination for convenience” clause at nil cost.)
And sometimes, depending on the situation – and regardless of what the contract says – you can reach a commercial agreement with the other party. 
Whatever you do, don’t just ignore it. Just like Christmas, it won’t go away.

For more Advent Top Tips keep an eye on our Facebook and LinkedIn Pages