How to Optimise Your Business: Build on Those Customer Relationships

Customer relationships for business growth are essential to long-term success. Loyal customers become repeat buyers, spread word of your brand, and provide a steady income stream of sales. But what can you do to build the very best relationships with your existing and future customers?

In this series, we’ll explore ways to optimise your business, including how to evolve your approach to customer relationships for business growth and create a legacy you can be proud of.

Read the previous series articles:

• How to optimise your business: six areas to focus on
• The benefits of automation for businesses 
• Optimising your financial management for business success 

Now, let’s take a look at some important ways to improve your customer relationships.

Getting to Know Your Customers Inside Out

Customers want to know that you understand them. That you recognise their needs and tailor your products and services to make their lives easier.

The closer you can get to your customers, the better. That means getting to know your audience and doing everything you can to nurture the customer relationship at each stage of the journey.

Here are five important ways to achieve this:

1. Improve Your Customer Service

Make sure your customer service is second to none. Respond quickly to customer enquiries and aim to come back with a resolution or the extra advice they need. Be welcoming, resourceful, and effective with your customer support, so customers feel like they’ve had a positive experience with your brand.

Your ability to deliver great service also relies on having smooth financial and operational processes in place. Late invoices, payroll issues, or cash flow gaps can impact your ability to respond effectively to customers. At First Class Accounts Ovens & Murray, we help businesses streamline their financial processes, ensuring cash flow stays healthy, invoices are sent on time, and employees and suppliers are paid without delays, allowing you to focus on delivering exceptional service.

2. Listen to Customer Feedback

You might think no one knows your product better than you. But the reality is that it’s the customer who drives the evolution of your offering. Regularly ask customers for feedback and ideas for improving the product. Listen, pull out the action points, and make sure you act on the feedback to create a better product.

3. Do Your Customer Research

To meet customer needs, it’s vital to know what drives them. Market research is a valuable tool, giving you both quantitative and qualitative data about the people who buy your products. By grasping your audience’s behaviours and motivators, you can tailor your product to their requirements.

Good research isn’t just about understanding customer behaviour, it’s about knowing how financial trends impact them. Analysing seasonal sales trends, revenue patterns, and purchasing behaviour can help you make informed decisions about inventory, staffing, and marketing efforts. First Class Accounts Ovens & Murray provides cash flow forecasting and financial reporting, helping you align your research with real financial insights.

4. Analyse Your Customer Data

Research can also begin at home. With today’s cloud-based sales tools and customer relationship management (CRM) software, you have a huge goldmine of customer-related data to analyse. Dive into the data to look for trends and patterns, areas for improvement, and insights into which product lines are selling (and which are underperforming).

5. Get Forensic with Your Targeting

Access to customer data makes it easier than ever to target highly specific customer groups. Online advertising helps you to zero in on specific age, location, income bracket, and interest demographics. This helps you run highly tailored and focused marketing campaigns, increasing your chances of building relationships with the best customer groups.

Strengthen Your Customer Relationships with Smarter Business Practices

If your aim is to optimise, grow, and build a better business, having a solid customer base will be integral to this goal. Evolving your approach to customer relationships really is a must.

At First Class Accounts Ovens & Murray, we do more than bookkeeping. We help you understand your financial data, improve cash flow, and streamline operations so you can focus on building stronger relationships with your customers. Whether it’s efficient payroll management, cash flow forecasting, or automated invoicing, we provide the support you need to create a business that runs smoothly.

Get in touch today to find out how we can help you optimise your business for success.

Optimising Your Financial Management for Business Success

Keeping on top of your finances is a critical part of keeping your business on track. But are you doing everything you can to optimise your financial management?

In this series, we have identified six ways to optimise your business, and will look in depth at each of those options, starting with the benefits of automation for your business. 

Now, let’s see how you can take better control over your financial numbers. 

Having the right numbers at your fingertips

One of the biggest causes of business failure is poor cashflow and a lack of capital. Having enough money to cover your expenses, pay your workforce and invest in growth is what separates the successful businesses and those that fall by the wayside.

But what can you do to improve your cash position and keep yourself in the driving seat when it comes to managing the financial side of the business?

Here are five simple things you can to get more proactive with your finances:

Embrace financial technology and cloud accounting

Make sure you’re using cloud-accounting solutions like Xero, with integrated bank feeds, expense tracking, simple invoicing and a real-time view of your numbers. You can also use the advanced reporting features to get deep insights into financial performance.Use financial metrics and KPIs to monitor performance

First Class Accounts Ovens & Murray specialises in setting up and managing cloud accounting solutions, ensuring your financial data is accurate, accessible, and working efficiently for your business. Whether you need assistance with system setup, training, or ongoing support, we ensure your cloud accounting platform works to its full potential.

Develop a framework of financial key performance indicators (KPIs) including gross profit margins, operating expenses, customer acquisition costs and revenue growth rates. By tracking these metrics, you can gauge your performance, spot any financial threats and make well-informed decisions about your financial management. 

Tracking financial performance is critical, but understanding what your numbers are telling you is just as important. Our management accounting services provide in-depth financial reporting and analysis, helping you stay on top of business performance and make data-driven decisions with confidence.

Forecast your cashflow position and potential challenges

Use the latest cashflow forecasting tools, like Futrli or Calxa to track your expected cash inflows and outflows. These projections give you an overview of your cash position for the months ahead, allowing you to top up your cash as required. It’s also sensible to build up some meaningful cash reserves, so you have capital behind you when cashflow gets tight.

Our team at First Class Accounts Ovens & Murray can help you implement the appropriate forecasting app for your business, and develop cashflow forecasts and budgeting strategies, so you always have a clear picture of your financial future. With proper planning, you can avoid cash shortfalls and be prepared for seasonal fluctuations in income.

Work on your aged debt and debtor management

It’s important that customers pay on time and that your payment terms are clear. Use your accounting software to send out automated reminders and have structured follow-up procedures in place for overdue payments. It’s also a good idea to offer early payment incentives and to nurture strong customer relationships to minimise your aged debt and improve cashflow.

Get strategic with your working capital and access to finance

Having a viable level of working capital in the business is a must. Explore the various financing options for boosting your capital. This can include business lines of credit, invoice financing or term loans to, all of which help to increase funding and raise the company’s capital. 

Beyond external financing, optimising internal financial processes can improve working capital. Our payroll and bookkeeping services ensure financial transactions, employee wages, and supplier payments are processed efficiently, keeping your business running smoothly.

Talk to us about ways to improve your digital transformation

There have never been more tools to help you manage your finances. By embracing the best in financial and accounting tools, you give yourself (and your finance team) the superpowers to become cashflow positive, with capital behind you to drive your business to new heights. 

If you’re looking to upgrade your financial management, talk to First Class Accounts Ovens & Murray about how we can help. Whether it’s bookkeeping, payroll, cashflow forecasting, or financial reporting, our team ensures you have the right processes in place to keep your finances under control.

The benefits of automation for businesses in Albury Wodonga

Tech-savvy businesses are taking big strides in making software, AI and automation work for their enterprise. Going digital could be one of the smartest moves you make.

In this series, we’ll look at some key ways to optimise your business, exploring different avenues to evolve your enterprise and create a legacy you can be proud of.

Let’s explore the benefits of automation for businesses in Albury Wodonga and beyond - and how embracing the latest software tools helps you optimise your business.

Going Digital and Putting Tech at the Heart of Your Business

Cloud-based solutions and AI-driven tools are the foundation stones of a modern, digital-ready business. You might have legacy systems and operational processes that you know inside out, but if you’re not in touch with the latest tech this could be a major competitive disadvantage.

Why are digital solutions so important for a streamlined and productive business?

Let’s take a look at five important ways that tech can change the way you work:

Move Your Infrastructure to the Cloud

Being able to connect to your business systems from anywhere with WiFi is a major advantage. Switching to Google Workspace or Microsoft 365 helps you collaborate remotely, share documents in real-time, and centralise all your data storage and management. Cloud platforms are also cheaper to run, always run the latest software versions, and scale with the business as you grow.

At First Class Accounts Ovens & Murray, we can help you transition to cloud-based accounting systems like Xero, ensuring a smooth setup and integration with your existing processes. Our team offers ongoing support, training, and troubleshooting so you can make the most of your cloud infrastructure.

Automate Your Routine Tasks with AI

Repetitive tasks are an important part of your operational processes, but they eat into your time and productivity. Automating these repetitive administrative tasks turns you into a more streamlined and efficient business. AI chatbots can manage first-level customer service tasks, ChatGPT can speed up your content marketing, and tools like Zapier can be used to automate a multitude of different processes and operational tasks in the business.

We specialise in streamlining bookkeeping and payroll processes, integrating tools like Dext to automate receipt and invoice data collection. This frees up your time and ensures financial accuracy without manual effort.

Switch to SaaS for Your Financial Management

Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) financial platforms, like Xero, will transform the way you manage your finances and accounting. All your sales, transactions, and expenses are managed in the cloud, giving you instant access to your numbers. You also have detailed reporting and automated metrics available to you. This is vital for making data-driven decisions.

We’ll help you set up and customise your SaaS financial platform to suit your specific business needs. Our team takes care of everything from initial setup to ongoing reporting, ensuring your financial data is accurate and accessible in real-time. We also handle your BAS and compliance requirements, so nothing is missed.

Analyse Your Business Data

Financial data isn’t the only data you should be analysing. Using platforms like Power BI, Google Analytics, and specialist industry analytics software helps you understand your customers’ behavior, optimise your marketing strategies, predict the performance of your manufacturing processes, or manage your inventory in smarter (and cheaper) ways.

Our team can help you monitor and interpret financial performance data through regular management reports and dashboards. These insights give you the tools to make strategic decisions with confidence, improving profitability and cash flow.

Get Your Cybersecurity Up to Scratch

With so many systems now in the digital realm, watertight cybersecurity is a must. This means having strict encryption tech in place, training your people in good cybersecurity practices, and making sure you have complete control of your various in-house and customer data sources.

Talk to Us About Ways to Improve Your Digital Transformation

Switching to digital systems and SaaS tools doesn’t happen overnight. This is a gradual process of bringing the latest tech on board and learning how to get the most value from the software.

How to optimise your business: six areas to focus on

Things are a bit uncertain right now, but that doesn't mean your business has to stay in a holding pattern. It’s a great time to fine-tune your business model, add value, and find new opportunities for growth.

There are plenty of ways to optimise your business and take it to the next level. By exploring new opportunities and making strategic improvements, you can build a business that’s not only successful now but well into the future.

Six ways to optimise your business

Your game plan might have been to sell the business, achieve a great deal and retire on the profits. But in the current market, it’s possible you’ve had to press pause on this exit strategy.

However, instead of letting the business just tick over, why not get proactive about improving and enhancing your business model, so it’s a more profitable and viable business?

Here are six key areas to look at

1. Go digital and automate the business

Now’s the ideal time to embrace digital technologies. With the latest cloud tech, AI and automation solutions you can streamline your operations, improve your overall customer experience and boost sales. 

You can also explore e-commerce solutions, social media marketing and digital marketing.

First Class Accounts Ovens & Murray can assist with implementing cloud accounting software  and business apps that integrate seamlessly with your business processes, providing automation for invoicing, payroll, financial reporting and more. Read more about the benefits of automation for business here.

2. Get proactive with your finances

Strong financial management sets the foundations for making the business profitable. Switching to the latest cloud accounting software helps you get a handle on your cashflow, a better overview of costs and a more informed view of your overall financial position. 

Many accounting platforms will also offer integrations with other helpful business tools, such as inventory, invoicing and point-of-sale (POS) tools.

Our team at First Class Accounts Ovens & Murray can not only implement your accounting software, we can provide expert financial insights, cash flow forecasting, and budget planning to ensure you have a clear understanding of your business's financial health. Read more about optimising your financial management for business success here.

3. Build on those customer relationships

Exceptional customer experience helps to build loyalty and drive repeat business. 

This means getting granular with your customers’ needs, providing excellent customer service and listening to (and acting on) your customer feedback. It’s the best way to improve your customer service and brand.

4. Diversify into new areas

It’s easy to get stuck in a rut when it comes to your product range and industry focus. One way to shake things up is to diversify and explore new product ideas, new customer audiences and new niches.

Diversification can reveal a whole new customer demographic, not to mention additional revenue streams.

First Class Accounts Ovens & Murray can assist with financial analysis to assess the viability of new revenue streams and ensure your diversification plans align with your financial goals.

5. Nurture your team and employee experience

Engaged employees are the foundation of a great business. Invest in training and development to improve your team’s skills and motivation and do everything you can to build a positive work culture. 

When hiring, look to create a diverse and inclusive team of people, so you have a real melting pot of talent, ideas, skills and experience in the business.

6. Look for strategic partnerships

Navigating the market is far more successful when you explore the benefits of business partnerships. 

Connecting with other businesses can extend your market reach, reduce costs and allow you to share resources. You also open up your brand to a whole new customer audience, boosting sales and growth.

Talk to us about optimising your business model.

There’s no single strategy for turning around the success of your business. But looking at new ideas, markets, products and business tools can certainly add considerable value.

First Class Accounts Ovens & Murray offers tailored services to help you explore strategic opportunities and make informed decisions to drive growth.

If you’re looking to add some pizazz to your business model and operational effectiveness, drop us a line. Our team will be happy to review your current business and identify the opportunities.

Five big business challenges for 2025

‘Uncertainty’ has been the defining phrase for the first half of the 2020s. The markets are unstable, supply chains have been wobbly and finding talent has been difficult.

But as we head into 2025, and the second half of the decade, what are the major threats, opportunities and challenges that your business should focus on?

We’ve highlighted five of the big business challenges and share how we can help you and your business.

Five big business challenges for 2025 (and beyond)

However well-organised you are, there are elements in the external environment that you just can’t control. These external factors can have a serious impact on your ability to trade, grow and turn a profit. So, are you on the ball and ready to tackle them in 2025?

Let’s look at five of the external factors you should be focused on:

Climate change and sustainability

It’s an unpleasant truth, but the environment is in real trouble. As a business, there’s a growing need to demonstrate your environmental responsibility. This means developing a sustainability strategy, investing in green technologies and demonstrating your environmental commitments.

If you’re working on building a sustainability strategy, First Class Accounts Ovens & Murray can assist with identifying how your financial management processes can align with environmental goals. We can help track spending on green initiatives, create accurate reporting for sustainability investments, and ensure your accounts reflect your environmental commitments.

AI and technological disruption

Artificial intelligence (AI) and automation have changed the game in a fantastically short timeframe. Finding the value in this tech is crucial, as well as understanding its limitations. Getting your digital transformation underway will be vitally important in 2025, as will exploring how AI and automation can kickstart your productivity, boost your customer service processes and create a real competitive advantage for the company as a whole.

First Class Accounts Ovens & Murray can support your business by streamlining your financial processes with automation. From automating payroll and accounts payable to integrating cloud-based accounting software, like Xero, we ensure your financial systems are ready to scale with your technological advancements.

Skills shortage and transforming your workforce

The ongoing skills shortage, combined with the reality of an aging workforce and changing employment expectations, is a major issue. To overcome the talent challenge, you’re going to need to rethink your recruitment policy, your training and what you do to retain your key people.Things like flexible working arrangements, continuous professional development (CPD) and a great company culture are all ways to attract and maintain your top talent.

Managing workforce costs effectively is critical when addressing these challenges. First Class Accounts Ovens & Murray can provide accurate payroll management and cost reporting to help you allocate resources efficiently, allowing you to focus on creating a workplace that attracts and retains talent.

Inflation and an unstable economy

The global and local economies are not out of the woods yet. Forecasts may be looking more positive but there’s still the ever-present threat of recession, rising inflation and high interest rates. Getting granular with your financial forecasting will help, as will exploring your options for additional revenue streams, better cashflow management and ready access to business finance.

At First Class Accounts Ovens & Murray, we offer cashflow forecasting and management services. By providing timely, accurate financial reports, we help you stay ahead of economic uncertainties and make informed decisions.

Regulatory compliance and reporting

Regulatory environments are getting increasingly complex, as governments wrestle with the need for tighter structures. Regulations around your environmental reporting, workplace relations and digital privacy are all likely to get tighter over the coming years. This means allocating time and resources to understanding and implementing the relevant compliance requirements.

First Class Accounts Ovens & Murray offers expertise in financial compliance and reporting. We ensure your books meet the latest regulatory standards and provide accurate reports. By staying on top of your obligations, you can focus more on running your business and less on the stress of regulatory changes.

Talk to us about overcoming the big challenges

There’s no magic wand that can change these macro environmental and economic factors. But awareness, detailed planning and good use of forecasting can be a major boost.

Talk to our team at First Class Accounts Ovens & Murray about your concerns for the year ahead. We’ll help you understand the major external factors and what you can do to make your business more resilient.

Dealing with uncertainty – tips for business owners

Whether you’re facing changing market conditions, supply chain disruptions, or other challenges, there’s still real uncertainty for business owners. We’re trading in challenging times at present. 

And knowing what step to take next is a key worry. We know that you invest more than simply time and money into your business. It is more than a job but part of your identity.

So, how do you get more clarity around your future plans? And how do you work on the short-term future of the business, when sales, income and cash are in short supply?

Focusing your efforts in the right places

Planning the next business move is difficult at the best of times, but it’s doubly problematic when we have so little clear idea of what a post-COVID19 business world will look like.

It's difficult to plan when we don't know what will be possible. What regulations will be in place once you can begin trading? Will the market have changed dramatically? Will you be able to trade over borders and continue to be an international operation? Will you have enough cash to actually operate?

As a business owner, you’ll be continually thinking of new business-critical issues to add to this list – but the reality is that you CAN’T control all these elements. This sense of mounting uncertainty is likely to raise your stress levels and make you more anxious.

So, how do you overcome these worries and find a practical solution?

Try to focus on the things you can control:

• Identify the things that matter to the short and long-term success of the business

• Find the things you can control and over which you have some influence.

It's too overwhelming to try and work on everything at the same time. Instead, try to focus on the one thing you can achieve each day.

At First Class Accounts Ovens & Murray, we can help you identify and prioritize these elements through detailed management accounting and cashflow forecasting. These tools empower you to make informed, confident decisions, even when navigating uncertain times.

Review your overheads and costs

One way to reduce your cashflow worries is to reduce your spending. Look at your controllable overheads and see if there are ways to negotiate better terms with suppliers, cut down on expenses or pause any subscriptions.

Our team can assist by reviewing your financial data and providing insights into where savings can be made without sacrificing operational efficiency. With First Class Accounts Ovens & Murray managing your accounts, you’ll save time and gain clarity.

Talk to debtors and creditors

If you can bring down your aged debt, that will help your overall financial health. Set up automatic reminders for any overdue payments. Also, talk to any late-paying customers and agree when these debts will be paid. And talk to suppliers about extending payment terms, if possible.

First Class Accounts Ovens & Murray can streamline your debtor management process by setting up automated payment reminders using integrated apps like Xero. These tools ensure your customers receive consistent, professional reminders about outstanding invoices, helping you reduce late payments and improve cashflow.

Our expertise extends to configuring these apps to suit your business, saving you time and ensuring payments are followed up efficiently. We can also assist with tracking your accounts payable, giving you better visibility and helping you negotiate extended payment terms with suppliers when needed.

Consider alternative revenue streams 

If your current business model doesn’t work well in lockdown, are there other online services that you could diversify into? Any new revenue streams will help to bolster your income and cash position.

Update your website and marketing

Having a great online presence is vital during this crisis, when most goods and services will be purchased online. Give your website a refresh and make it easy for potential customers to find and buy your services.

Catch up with your team

Maintaining contact with your employees is vital if you’re going to nurture team spirit. The more engaged your team is, the easier it will be to embrace change together.

Reach out for tailored support

First Class Accounts Ovens & Murray offers flexible, 100% contract-based bookkeeping services. This means no interruptions due to staffing gaps—your accounts will always be managed on time, accurately, and with efficiency. By partnering with us, you can focus on growing your business while we handle the financial details.

Take control of what you can today by seeking expert advice and support. With First Class Accounts Ovens & Murray, you’ll gain access to expert bookkeeping, process improvement, and cashflow solutions to help you stay ahead, no matter the challenges.

How to keep your small construction company on track.

Times are tough in the Aussie construction industry. 

With rising costs, a lack of labour and a challenging economic climate. This is leading to a rising number of business failures.

About 1,400 construction firms filed for bankruptcy in the second half of 2023, according to a recent article from Inside Business. 

And it’s not just financial challenges that sole traders and contractors are facing. There’s also the stress of the physical and mental pressure of running your own construction business.

So, what can you do to keep your small construction company on track?

As a contractor, it’s hard work balancing your on-site time against the administrative and business-focused time that’s needed to keep your company fit and healthy.

But without a razor-sharp focus on cash, business development, profit margins and your own wellbeing, the business is liable to flounder – making business failure a possibility. 

Seven ways to keep your construction business healthy

1. Avoid working with just one customer.

Putting all your eggs in one basket is a risky move, so look into working with a varied mix of big and small clients to spread that risk. Even if you lose a few clients, you’re still left with a viable income stream. 

First Class Accounts Ovens & Murray can help you identify which clients and projects are most profitable by providing management accounting services. This ensures you have a clear view of your revenue streams and their long-term viability.

2. Diversify your revenue streams.

If all your income comes from one service, it’s time to diversify! Consider moving into new services or project areas, giving you multiple revenue streams and reducing your reliance on one source of income.

3. Optimise your cost management.

The major upfront costs and slow payment times in construction can make it difficult to keep cash in a positive position. Rising costs for raw materials are also a major headache. So, now’s a good time to explore strategies to reduce your overheads and negotiate better deals with your suppliers. 

We provide cashflow forecasting and budgeting tailored to the construction industry. By working with First Class Accounts Ovens & Murray, you’ll gain insights into your spending, enabling you to negotiate better supplier deals and plan for periods of tight cashflow.

4. Build strong relationships.

Stable, long-term customer relationships are crucial to your success. So put some real effort into nurturing partnerships with customers and suppliers, so you have a secure pipeline of projects and reliable supply chains.

5. Make good use of technology.

If you can automate an administrative process, automate it! Use the latest AI business tools to automate the answering of your business phone, the booking of customer appointments and the chasing of outstanding payments etc. Using digital tools helps improve your efficiency and can also cut your costs too.

First Class Accounts Ovens & Murray can assist you in identifying and integrating accounting software, like Xero, to streamline processes such as invoicing, payroll, and debt collection. This allows you to spend more time on-site and less on admin.

6. Utilise the available government support.

The Government wants construction to flourish, so it’s important to be aware of the available government grants, subsidies or tax incentives that can ease your financial pressures and help you to grow and prosper.

7. Take good care of yourself.

It’s crucial to not take on more work than you can handle. As with any industry, you need time away from work. Overworking and spending every waking hour on the business can be counterproductive. 

How We Can Help You Stay on Track

The construction industry is facing hard times: that’s the reality in the current market. But with careful planning, management and strategic thinking, you can overcome the challenges.

Talk to First Class Accounts Ovens & Murray about:

• Managing your cashflow: With tools like forecasting and budgeting tailored for construction.

• Streamlining your admin: Through efficient accounting software and automated processes.

• Developing a long-term strategy: Focused on reducing costs, diversifying income, and improving profitability.

We’re here to help you keep your small construction company on track. Let us take care of the numbers so you can focus on building your future.

Cashflow and cost control

More than ever, cashflow is a vital part of staying afloat, whether your business is in recovery or growth mode.

Revenue, profit, and your bottom line are always important, and in 2024, maintaining steady cashflow remains the foundation for keeping your business running smoothly and adapting to challenges as they arise.

Regular cashflow forecasts will help you keep that in focus. Here’s why:

Cost control  

If you can't reach your targets for income, reining in your costs may give you a little extra head room to manage cashflow while you plan your next move.

At First Class Accounts Ovens & Murray, our team provides detailed cashflow analysis and forecasting services, ensuring you have a clear picture of your financial position. With actionable insights, we help you identify areas where costs can be reduced without compromising business quality.

Visibility on outgoings 

Cost control can be a challenge when it’s hard to pinpoint hidden costs or where established ways of doing things cost more money than they should. You may also have been coping with unexpected expenses, as you’ve adapted your business for unplanned circumstances.

We can your financial systems and processes to identify inefficiencies. Our expertise in management accounting ensures your data is not only accurate but also timely, so you’re never left guessing where your money is going.

Improving business practice

It's more than just keeping an eye on outgoings (though that's important). It's about looking at each aspect of your business and business systems (or the gaps where there should be business systems) to see if poor practice is driving costs up unnecessarily.

Streamlining your processes can drastically improve your cost control. We work with you to implement appropriate apps to improve efficiencies, save time and money, and reduce costly errors.

It can be useful to break it down  

You can look at cost centres such as office supplies or freight. Or you can look at what those costs do for your business.

It can help to analyse costs in terms of cost of sale and overheads.

Cost of sale and overheads

Cost of sale (also known as Cost of Goods Sold or CoGS) is how much it costs you to make a sale. In a business which sells products, CoGS is based on the price paid for the product, plus any costs necessary to put the merchandise into inventory and make it ready for sale, including shipping and handling. You can even break it down to calculate the cost of sale of individual units.

Overheads are general business expenses. They can’t be tracked directly to sales. Overheads are what it costs you to open your doors (whether online or actual) every morning.

What’s your plan?

1. Reduce unnecessary expenses
   Now might be the time to trim every expense that’s not related to your core product or service.
2. Suppliers
   Are you able to work with your providers to ask for discounts or more favourable payment terms on either cost of sale or overhead expenses?
3. Talk to the team
   Analyse your costs and involve your team, including frontline sales staff.
4. Advertising
   It might be a false economy to cut back on advertising, as customers are online looking for bargains and price-checking alternatives. Targeted campaigns might work better.
5. Prioritise
   Can you pinpoint the products most likely to bring the fastest or best return and hold back on products that are a slower sell?
6. Promote or discount
   If you have old or slow-moving stock, can you discount it and convert old stock to cash? If you can attract customers now, you may be able to use it to spotlight your other products.

Making managing cashflow easier

Every dollar you can pull back from your costs can go straight into cashflow. Whether your sales are booming or slow, keeping your costs under control is key to sustaining growth and stability.

At First Class Accounts Ovens & Murray, we understand the importance of managing your cashflow effectively. From cashflow forecasts to systems that streamline your operations, we partner with you to ensure your business has the financial stability it needs.

Want to get a handle on cash flow in your business?

Whether your sales are boom or bust, you want to make sure that your costs aren't holding you back. We can help.

Talk to us if you'd like to review your costs and your systems to keep costs under control. .

Planning for seasonal dips in income

Seasonal dips in income can be highly challenging when you’re a small business. But there are proactive ways to predict, plan for and overcome these dips in revenue.

The key to dealing with seasonal dips is to know when they’re most likely to occur, and to have measures in place to spread your income and revenue pipeline over the course of the year.

Understanding seasonality in your sector

If your business is seasonal such as pool supplies, or a ski gear specialist, you’ll be used to the peaks and troughs, but many 'non-seasonal' businesses experience times during the financial year where sales and revenue peak – and, on the flipside, where sales and revenue experience a pronounced dip.

When income is low at certain times of the year, it makes for challenging times. First Class Accounts Ovens & Murray can assist by analysing your business's financial history to pinpoint these peaks and troughs. Our expertise in management accounting provides insights that help you understand your sector’s unique seasonality and prepare for it.

So, what are the key ways to plan for this kind of seasonality?

Forecast your seasonality

It’s vital to know WHEN you’re most likely to experience any seasonal dips. Looking at bench-marking reports for your industry is one way to predict the seasonality in your niche or sector. But you can also use your own accounting data to great effect. Look back through your profit & loss reports and spot where the peaks and troughs have occurred over preceding years.

First Class Accounts Ovens & Murray offers forecasting services to help you assess this historical data. With our support, you can anticipate and prepare for quieter periods, ensuring that your financial planning is well-informed and tailored to your business.

Charge a premium in peak time 

One straightforward approach is to apply premium pricing for your products/services during the busy season. By increasing your pricing, you boost your overall revenue, giving you more working capital to see you through the leaner months when sales and income are at their lowest.

Our team can work with you to develop a pricing strategy that aligns with your cash flow needs, helping you make the most of high-demand periods while securing funds to navigate slower months.

Offer additional peak-time services

Offering added extras and other additional service lines during peak time is another way to maximise the season. In the months where customers are most engaged, look to upsell these premium services and offer more value. Satisfied clients will be more inclined to pay for added extras, giving you an increased revenue stream from the same number of customers.

We can help identify and structure these peak-time offerings, ensuring you’re positioned to maximise revenue during high-demand times.

Target other markets

Exploring other related markets is another useful tactic. When you’re experiencing downtime, look for other ways to monetise your existing assets, products or services. For example, if you’re a hotel where sales peak in summertime, offer discounted conference space in the winter months to boost revenue.

Diversify your products/services

If one product/service has a known seasonal dip, look at adding an additional product or service to offset this downtime. For example, a a ski resort could promote bike-riding or hiking breaks during the warmer summer months to keep revenue constant. Likewise a pool maintenance firm could establish an outdoor fireplace business for the colder months.

Have a regional e-commerce strategy

If you’re dependent on a small local market, broadening your marketing and e-commerce strategies can help to attract a wider customer base – and bolster sales. Paid advertising through Facebook, LinkedIn or Twitter can easily target new geographical markets, bringing in new customers and giving your revenue a much-needed uplift during seasonal troughs.

Talk to us about planning for seasonality

If your business is struggling with seasonal dips, and the resulting impact on cashflow, come and talk to us. We’ll help you identify the timing of your seasonal downtime, and come up with a clear strategy for stabilising your income across the year.

Get in touch to start planning for seasonal dips in income.