Massey University has teamed up with a group of supporting organisations to provide North Harbour business people with an online tool that can provide a very quick fitness check for their business.
Massey University is leading the initiative with the support of Business North Harbour, Kiwibank, QLBS and Benefitz.
Business Insight 10 is a quick, 10-minute, totally free online tool that has been developed to help business owners analyse their business and highlight strengths and areas that may need some attention. It involves a very simple three-step process: firstly defining your business stage; secondly completing the 10-minute survey; then receiving a detailed and customised report. It is a proven tool that has been completed by more than 10,000 small businesses in New Zealand, Australia and the United States.
“The survey guides the business owner to think carefully about every aspect of their business,” explains Keith Phillips. CEO of QLBS, an Albany-based business which developed the survey. “Once completed, they get an immediate snapshot of their business, which is benchmarked against other, similar businesses.”
As an example, some questions in the “sales and business development areas” ask whether you have a process for keeping in touch with your market and potential customers. Or whether you have a well-defined process for acquiring new clients and new business. Is your sales process refined and efficient? Or whether you have a system for when customers or prospects raise a problem or question.
Benefitz has supported the initiative with marketing and design services. Benefitz Managing Director Aidan Bennett is also championing the initiative. After more than 30 years in business, he stills sees the need for constant evaluation and says this is a very efficient way for local businesses to get a quick overview of the health of their business.
“There aren’t too many things in this world that are free, and this is one of them,” says Aidan. “Massey has a desire to engage and assist local business and has selected this very useful tool.”
“We are committed to using research and creating learning opportunities to make a positive impact on the success of New Zealand businesses and the overall prosperity of New Zealand,” explains Prof Ted Zorn, Director of Executive Development at Massey University. “We are thrilled to be able to offer this as a valuable tool to our local business community and are also grateful for the support of our partners Business North Harbour, Kiwibank, QLBS and Benefitz, who clearly share our desire to foster business in the area.”
“Business owners can use this tool for their business with the knowledge that what they are doing is confidential, and no individual information will be shared. It will, however, assist with building up generic data for the North Harbour area, which will help us deliver appropriate services and support for our members,” added Kevin O’Leary, the newly appointed General Manager of Business North Harbour.
Kiwibank is the financial sponsor of the project. “Our motto is ‘Kiwis making Kiwis better off’, and this project is an excellent opportunity for us to support local businesses to them focus on key business opportunities,” explains Neil Craigen, Regional Manager – Auckland.
Local businesses can take advantage of this free opportunity by visiting the dedicated website detailed below. The analytical tool, valued at $250, is available for free until 31st October 2019. After receiving the customised report, there is no further obligation to engage with Massey University or Business North Harbour’s business development resources – the choice is yours!
