By this time I was ready to explode. Instead, being cool, calm and collected person that I am (sometimes), I took some deep breaths and vowed I would never go there again.

How Much Money Do You Lose? As a regular client who had an average spend of $110 every six weeks (that's for a colour and cut), I would be worth around $900 a year plus any product I would buy.

And that's another thing, John often complained about not having enough income, yet he never trained his staff how to sell additional products. People (particularly women) would readily purchase shampoos, conditioners, gels etc. if his staff would proactively recommend it.

They only sold product by default, when a client mentioned they had run out or asked questions. I was one of those clients who asked questions about various products and was ready to buy, except they were always out of stock! (See how being disorganised affects your income!)

Focus on What Counts Being a great hairdresser, accountant, coach or anything else for that matter doesn't automatically mean your clients will continue to invest their money with you.

You have to pay attention to them by being proactive in looking after them and not reactive when they complain.

In fact most people will not tell you if they are unhappy with your goods or services, they will just take their business elsewhere. They'll also spread word by telling other people about their experiences with you thereby damaging your reputation and potential for future clients.

The Final Word Look at how your business is run. Survey your clients and find out how they really find your goods/services, customer care, follow up service etc. After all, wouldn't they know how good you really are? You and your team may think you're great but it's what your clients think (and pay for) that counts.

It would also be worthwhile investing in a great book by Keith Abraham entitled "Creating Loyal Profitable Customers' - 47 ways to turn your customers into passionate purchasers (available from our office for only $24.95 plus $5 postage).

So don't delay. Get yourself organised so that you have time to focus on what really counts.

Have a great week Lorraine Pirihi

After signing a contract with a PEO your employees will need to fill out employment and tax forms that will then be forwarded to PEO. The PEO then becomes employer of record for employees and from then on handles all payroll and benefit tasks. Timesheets, benefit enrollments and changes will all be submitted to your PEO and you will receive regularly scheduled management reports. At end of a calendar year PEO will provide all employees with a W-2.

Some PEO’s work with companies in every state and others are state specific. You can find individual PEO’s by using a search engine such as Google. You can save time by using free services of a PEO clearinghouse such as www.StaffMarket.com. You can also find a SEO by visiting The National Association of Professional Employers Association (NAPEO) at http://www.napeo.org. NAPEO offers a directory of members searchable by company name, state or country and offers guidelines to help you screen and select a PEO.

A PEO may not be perfect solution for every small business but it is an option for individuals and companies who are willing to outsource human resource functions to obtain much needed benefits, improve employee retention and save time that can be better used to growing business.

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