Ethics and values seem to be high up in the news reports at the moment, with Ed Miliband extolling the virtues of businesses that show these traits, and suggesting that they should be rewarded accordingly. Putting aside politics for the moment, and indeed whether any politicians have the right to preach to us about ethics and values (the phrase “people in glass houses” readily comes to mind!!) does he actually have a point.

So thinking about all the businesses I have come across and worked with, I would say that inherently it makes sense to be honest and fair at all times with your clients and your staff, because the majority of people still believe in these values. Therefore by choice, they would tend to want to work with such businesses, which in turn brings its rewards, without the government having to intervene.

If a business looks after its customers well, and treats its staff fairly and consistently, your staff will perform better and increase productivity, and your clients will not only continue to buy from you, but will often be prepared to pay a premium for great service. Furthermore they are highly likely to refer new leads to you. Of course these are always going to be rogue businesses, and unpleasant individuals, but conversely they don’t tend to prosper for long, because they will always be chasing new business, and not getting repeat business, which is far more costly and time consuming.

So do the “good guys” win? Not always I suppose, but for the majority of cases they do, and as a business owner I know that I rest easier at night knowing that I am fair, honest and consistent with my customers and staff, and that ultimately you will invariably reap what you sow.

Like all the best boy scouts, now is the time to prepare for what I expect to be a fairly bumpy ride for the next 6 months or so. For those who read my blog regularly, you will know that I am generally a very optimistic person, but recently with all the bad news coming in from Europe, I suspect that we may well have some fairly tricky times ahead.

So what can you do to keep your business secure? First, make sure you have planned and written your cash flow for the next 15 months. It is probably worth looking at 2 or 3 scenarios, and see what effect it may have especially when looking at what you consider to be a worst case forecast. You can then identify any particularly bad months, and start to plan for how you will negotiate your way around these (e.g. extended overdraft or bank loans).

Secondly, look in detail at your marketing strategy, and see what you will need to do to keep yourselves as prominent as possible, whilst keeping to your budgets. Remember you will be competing more than ever for “wallet share”, because people are likely to tighten their belts even more in the immediate future.

Thirdly, look at your costs, and be realistic about what you can afford. Look at all aspects of your business, and see which areas if any, you can find savings on. Don’t cut costs if it will affect the quality of your service or products.

Finally, look at your pricing structure. Don’t be tempted to fall into the discount, low end of the market, as that is sure to lead into a price war. Look at the top end of the market, where there are still people with money, and find ways to add value wherever possible. All in all, plan ahead, and don’t stick your head in the sand, hoping all the “nasty things” will go away.

If I had a penny for the times I’ve been told “Oh I don’t need to write that down, I have it all in my head”, I wouldn’t exactly be a rich man, but I would certainly have a lot of pennies. You may say, “and what is wrong with that?” and I suppose the answer is “nothing”, however, the enhanced value of writing things down can be manyfold.

On a very basic level, writing things down helps you remember things. Often when I am coaching people initially they don’t write things down because they tell me they don’t need to, and of course when it comes to the next session invariably they will have forgotten half the actions they should have taken. In reality it gives them an excuse not to do the things they agreed to, but I have to let them find this out for themselves, before I encourage them, and then insist they make proper notes.

At a deeper level, for example when setting goals, having everything in your head, allows you to have dreams, but not true goals which you really want to achieve. Not writing your goals down again gives you an excuse not to do things, and prevents yourself and others from holding you accountable. A goal in your head is generally speaking not a true goal, and is unlikely to ever be achieved.

Recently when I had written up a report for one of my clients which summarised their business and personal goals, and highlighted the weaknesses of the business which needed to be worked on, it really came home to me, the importance of putting things down in writing, and the power it can have. The wife of the client I was working for had been a bit skeptical about the whole process until I presented her with the report. She said she was in tears while reading it, and although she was essentially simply reading what she had already told me, she hadn’t realised how badly things had gone wrong, until she saw it in black and white on the page in front of her.

So next time you are thinking about issues in your business (or issues in your personal life) why not write them down and see them for what they really are. Then maybe you will find it easier to do something about them.

How often do you tell yourself that you have got more business coming in than you really have? Perhaps you recognise the scenario where you look at your sales figures and think it looks a bit gloomy, but then comfort yourself with all the “what if’s”. In other words you include all your leads and potential customers in your figures, and suddenly everything looks quite rosy after all. Being an eternal optimist I often find myself doing this, but then check myself and take a more pragmatic view. What if only half of them come through, or worse, none at all?

Of course this is the sensible way to approach things. If you assume the worst, it keeps you hungry, and it should inspire you to take more action to make sure that first, you generate more leads, and secondly, you convert more of the leads you get. If you convince yourself that everything is OK without chasing things up or ensuring that they are converted, you can easily become complacent, and then suddenly find it is too late.

Sometimes it can be a case of not wanting to chase a lead too hard for fear of frightening them off, or it can be a genuine belief that the lead will be ringing back immediately, because that said they would (and surely it must be their No.1 priority). However, you should remember that just because it is foremost in your mind it is probably way down their list of importance, and you will need to jog their memory to ensure you get the sale.

So don’t wait for things to happen, and assume that customers will flock to your door. The only way to ensure you keep your sales up, is through plenty of action and hard work. Make sure you follow up all your leads, and only count the sales once the money is in your bank account.

For those of you who know me, or have been to any of my seminars or workshops, you will be aware of the concept of being above or below the line. Below the line we find people who blame other people and bad luck on their circumstances, they make excuses for not doing things, or doing things badly, and they are frequently in denial about their situation, refusing to face up to reality and do something about it. Above the line, however, we find people who like to take control of their lives, by being prepared to take ownership of what happens in their lives, and accept the responsibility and accountability which comes with that. In other words we have some people who sit around waiting for good things to happen to them, whilst blaming the world for all their misfortunes, and others who will do anything to make their world a better place despite the many various obstacles and set backs which will invariably be thrown at them. So which category describes you?

Over the last two weeks I have watched the inspirational story of four ex-army men, who have all been shot or blown up, and have had horrendous injuries including limbs lost, and in one case a broken back. So what is their response to this? Instead of wallowing in their own misfortune and misery, they have jumped up off their backsides, and done an unsupported 160 mile walk to the North Pole! I for one, a fit(ish) man wouldn’t consider doing this, let alone if I was short one limb, but these men wanted to show what is still possible despite their injuries to help inspire others who have had similar experiences.

Compare these men to the wasters and lazy scroungers, who blame society for their need to smash and burn shops and loot goods, because they “deserve” it. Words fail me at this stage (it’s a family show!) but I like to believe there are still plenty of above the line people in the world to help inspire us and drive us to improve ourselves, our businesses and our lives. So next time a setback happens to you, remember how lucky you are and rise above it.