Author Archives: Ashlee Hennessy

6 Things about insurance you are too afraid to ask.

I know in the world we live in, things change on a daily basis and I am sure everyone is aware that so does your insurance.
Do you really know what you are covered for? Are you paying too much for your Insurance? And my ultimate favourite are you over or under covered?

When searching for affordable insurance you need to ask the most important questions that you might be too afraid to ask as you may think that it is not relevant or the insurer is on top of it.

Let’s have a look at the top questions that you should be asking when looking for insurance or even query with your current insurer so you are not left in the dark when you need it the most.

• What type of insurance do I need to cover me?

When sitting with your financial advisor it is always important to dive into as many questions as possible in order to get the satisfied outcome you desire.
You need to know exactly what insurance will be best for your company and will allow for you to have peace of mind that all your assets/labour are covered in any event.
Not getting the right policy might put you in a position where you will have to personally cover an accident/theft.
Present all your assets/labour to your financial advisor so they are aware of exactly what you need and let them draw up a policy that will be best suited for you.

Do not take any insurance out on a whim!!

• Do you know the Insurance Company you are buying from?

It is always good to know the insurance company’s competitors within the industry so you know the type of quality you will get from them.
Find out a bit more from the insurance company, small things might make your decision a bit easier or deter you from the company completely.
Know how they will treat you, you do not want to find out about your insurance company after it is too late and you have already spent unnecessary costs on cover with a company that did not meet your expectations.

• After sale service?

Always find out from your financial advisor if they have after sales service and what they do to keep a customer happy. After sale service is very important and can help you become a long standing client and remain happy with the Insurance Company you are with. You as a customer need to know who your contact person is and if you come across any issues they will be handled professionally and on time.

Bad service = unhappy client (You do not want to get yourself in that position)

• Fine print and cost?

Of course this will also be the breaking point for you as a potential client. You need to ensure you know all costs involved in taking out your insurance, you do not want to sign and give the go ahead and when payment is made it is not what you expected. Ending up paying for “Hidden Costs” will not help if you as a company have a certain budget and thought you were paying a certain amount but in reality that is not the case.
Always read your Ts & Cs!!

• What does your financial advisor gain from you taking out insurance?

This question is one that people stay away from mostly, you do not want to ask a personal question to your financial advisor about what he takes home from your deal. But it is something you as a client can find out, paying too much can be a result of how much your financial advisor is making it is always great to have that open communication as you are in this together.

Negotiation is the key to seal the deal!!

• Over Insured?

You as a potential client do not want to end up paying for insurance that you do not need. It does not necessarily mean you will never need it, but right now do you need to be over covered?
This is why the policy needs to suit your current position and focus on important things that you need assistance with.
Ensure you ask your financial advisor or insurance company to send you a breakdown of exactly what you are covered for so you are able to tweak what you need to ensure you know you are paying for exactly what you need.

 

 

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Building Business Relationships!

Yes, yes we have all heard the above statement before. I am sure everyone within a business setting has had this drilled into their heads over and over.

So could we actually learn anything new??

Yes, of course we can……..

HOW?

Let me start off by giving you a little insight into something I found recently.
As you know Facebook has become a great way of communication and branding worldwide and we all have close friends and colleagues that utilise this social tool to express their opinions and of course achievements.
One of my friends on Facebook had done exactly that with regards to a big sale he had closed and it caught my eye, especially being within a business environment any success story intrigues me.

He had expressed the fact that after a year of prospecting a potential client, with endless amounts of meetings, drinking coffee and sitting through conversations that had absolutely nothing to do with what he had to offer………

HE FINALLY CLOSED THAT DEAL!!

 

Wow, could you see yourself prospecting a client for a year?

This is when I knew building a relationship with a client does not start once you get your first order or sale, but it starts from the time you walk into that door to meet your potential client.

 

PEOPLE LIKE PEOPLE – Meeting a potential client for the first time should be the most important introduction you have going forward, people like what they see and how they interact with you. Being yourself and showing how intrigued you are with their business and what they have to say is the first step in building that business relationship you want.

 

TIME IS CRITICAL – I know in the business world the quicker you close the deal the better, but there are some of those potential clients that you know you need to just give a little extra attention to. Use that to your advantage by spending that small amount of time you have on making sure your business relationship gets stronger by each meeting. Ultimately once you get that first order your relationship is already there.

 

POSITIVITY – Although some conversations might end up side tracked from your initial intent of getting down to business, always try to make a positive statement back to your company and or product/service that you want them to hear. Positivity will continually sit in the back of the mind of the customer and they will then start to understand how great you are and how beneficial your product or service is for them.

 

EQUAL SUCCESS – Vital point in building that strong relationship, even though your customer is important to you and you want to continue ensuring you get business from them, also ensure that they know how important you are to them. Get them to understand that they need you and that they can rely on you at all times to get them what they need. Having that type of mind set will make for a long term business relationship that they nor you would like to see crack.

 

COMMUNICATION – Keeping all lines of communication open between you and a customer always brings a sense of security to the relationship, if these lines are crossed it could put pressure and strain on your relationship and ultimately put you in a situation where you might not be able to build up that relationship again or even take you a longer time. Clients like honestly and always ensure that you are straight forward to them, them being secure will ultimately make you and them happy.

 

RESPECT – Respecting one another in all aspects, personal and business is an important point that should always be considered, never step onto client’s feet that might cause tension between you two. Know your boundaries with a client either before or once a deal has been closed.

 

OFFERING – Although you are building this relationship to ensure future business, always offer your potential or existing clients some help where needed. Your knowledge into a sector of the industry that they might be battling with can always strengthen your partnership within the relationship. They know you have their back and only want them to succeed.

 

From reading the above, you should have gathered a better understanding that building a business relationship comes from the very beginning but does not stop.

Always find ways to strengthen this relationship as it can always grow and become stronger, but always keep in mind the boundaries and where you stand.

As it has always been said . . . .”IT TAKES TWO TO TANGO” , make sure you the first one that initiates this business relationship, it will only build up for a great future.

 

Sources:

https://hingemarketing.com/blog/story/5_keys_to_building_business_relationships
https://www.google.co.za/search?q=building+business+relationships

 

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As we all know the winter season can be a chilly “bordering on freezing” climate that has its ups and downs, the last thing we need to be worrying about is our air conditioning unit failing on us.

Being office bound, we need to ensure ourselves as well as our colleagues are comfortable in order to create a smooth working environment. So I have emphasized on the most common air conditioning problems that we could experience and a solution to the problem.

PROBLEMS / SOLUTIONS:

• Having an air-conditioning unit on, whether it be at your office or at home, you should ensure that all doors and windows are closed in order for the air-conditioning unit to operate to its full potential.
• Lack of maintenance on your air conditioning unit can result in permanent damage to your unit. You should ensure that you hire the correct air-conditioning technicians to service and maintain these units. Correct maintenance can ensure less chance of a breakdown. Ensure that you get your air-conditioning units serviced on a regular basis to ensure that dirt is removed off the compressor so that your unit does not fail prematurely.
• Poor installation of your air-conditioning unit can result in the lack of air-flow and leaking ducts (Piping that allows for distribution of airflow). Having a lack of air flow will be established immediately as you will not experience the satisfaction of having your air-conditioning unit switched on. Always ensure that you hire an accredited company that will be installing your units as poor installation can give you endless problems which may result in you having to replace your air-conditioning unit.
• If you are experiencing a leaking air-conditioning unit, this could be from the lack of or too much refrigerant within your unit. Please take note that if you conclude that the refrigerant is the problem, do not attempt to just fill it up or release some refrigerant as the manufacturer of the air-conditioning unit specifies exactly the required amount of refrigerant that should be in the unit in order for it to operate correctly.
• Finally, if you have a room or office air-conditioning unit and it is humid outside, on a regular basis check that your condensate drain is draining correctly and there are no objects that are blocking the drainage, this can also affect the running of your system.

 

TIPS:

• Ensure you hire the correct team in order to keep your air-conditioning units in great condition.
• Do not be left stranded in the cold or the heat due to air-conditioning units that have failed!!

 

Sources

https://energy.gov/energysaver/common-air-conditioner-problems

https://www.progressgroup.co.za/air-conditioner-problems-take-care/

http://www.labourguide.co.za/up-to-date-safety-news/2185-managing-office-temperature

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