Title: Communicating with Small Business Lessons learnt so far from the ATO trial and other forums and activities.
1(No Transcript)
2Engaging Small BusinessLessons learnt so far
from the ATO trials and other forums and
activities.
3Some common attitudes towards small business
- Small business need to become better managers.
- Dont they understand how important - add area of
interest - is! - It doesnt really matter if a small business
falls over, there is always someone else to take
their place. - Why are small business operators so hopeless?
- Its their own fault if they fail.
- Just how hard is it?
4- Background
- Traditionally Small Business Operators do not
appear to take a lot of interest in changes that
are on the way or support that is available. -
- They make up a large number of businesses that
are non compliant with various government
processes and red tape demands - They do not provide comments on government
discussion papers. - They dont access support.
- They complain about events that they could haver
managed better. - They ask for support or changes that have always
been available
5- Why are they like this?
- Not aware of the issue, the change, the request
for submissions or the support available - Not sure that they understand the issue
- No confidence, No time, No interest
- Embarrassed
- Afraid of what might happen
- Confused
- Once in trouble not sure how to get out of
trouble and back into the good books
6How to engage small business?Understand what is
happening
- If the mail arrives and there are three cheques,
five invoices, two orders, a bank statement, five
advertising features and a note from the
ATO/ASIC/local government. There is a chance
that the note may be overlooked or put at the
bottom of the pile. - Emails arent always used by small business
operators and the same type of prioritising will
occur
7Dealing with Small Business Operators is not like
dealing with big business
- A Small Business Operator will behave like an
individual not like a medium/large business. - Their behaviour is affected by time, demands
from family and by business cycles, or by normal
life events such as holidays, illness, staff
shortages, IT equipment problems or just plain
stress. - Big business tell their experts to fix it. Small
business has to fix it themselves or pay someone
to fix it. - Small business operators act more like consumers
not like big business
8Training completed and planned by small business
operators
Nothing 25
Information Provided by Strategic Economic
Solutions 2007
9If we want more input from Small Business
Operators we need to
- Develop willingness by stakeholders to
communicate differently - Find Small Business Operators with an ability to
understand the real and potential impacts of any
proposed changes or support offered - Create a desire and capacity, and the confidence,
to provide a response or seek support - Create better small business focused responses
from small business supporters such as
associations, peak bodies, accountants and tax
agents.
10If we want Small Business Operators toaccess
support we need to
- Make that support compelling
- Target their needs not the needs of the supporter
- Use their supporters
- Understand their business cycles and demands
- Communicate with them as though they are
individuals
11Communicating with small business
- Communicate on their terms and at their time.
- Work with their business cycles - Small business
is not an homogenous group but many varied sub
groups who communicate differently and at
different times. - (eg owner drivers communicate differently from
home based IT business operators)
12- Methods for engaging small business operators
include - Using the language that Small Business Operators
understand (particularly the language of their
industry) - Use of local business networks, chambers and web
based networks - Use case studies and examples that suit the
industry - Use of targeted questions on frequently used
websites industry websites
13Methods for engaging small business (continued)
- Highlighting specific issues
- Targeting specific industries and regions
- Thinking differently eg BeyondBlue, Lifeline,
targeting life partners - Using mediators to communicate issues. These
groups can include industry associations,
accountants, tax agents, banks, financial
advisers, bookkeepers, networks websites. - Focus groups
14Involvement of Industry Associations Industry
associations should know the language, the
business cycles and the preferred means of
communications of their members. They should be
able to differentiate between the large
businesses and the small business operators.
15Care needs to be taken as submissions, opinions
or activities from associations can be
- responses that claim to cover issues for all
business - large, medium and small - but which,
by their nature, will focus on large business - the opinion of a CEO, an executive officer or a
board of management that does not reflect the
real issues facing small business operators - will reflect the policy position of an
organisation rather than the needs of small
business operators - Associations, especially the smaller groups, may
need support
16 Use of Accountants and tax agents
- Accountants and business professionals,
especially from suburban and regional areas, can
provide informed realistic comment. -
- But they often provide comment and
recommendations on policy and on process rather
than on impact for small business -
- They can be better utilised for commenting on the
impact on small business by targeted questions
and by seeking examples and case studies.
17Some specific activities that are successful in
engaging small business
- Focus groups
- Targeted Surveys
- Selected websites, magazines and newsletters
- Targeting select groups or regions
- Seeking short focused comments on particular
issues design questionnaires with small
business in mind
18Summary
- Small business acts and communicates like
individuals, not like large companies, they have
emotions and families and lives - Use networks and supporters to seek and provide
information - Be specific to the needs of individual groups of
small business
19Potential role of Finance Sector
- Provide information onw here to get assistance
from ATO - Recognise key moments when assistance will be
more willingly accepted - Identify business operators at risk
- Make ATO information part and parcel of the
process - What is realistically able to be provided?
20Thank you
- Peter Strong
- General Manager, Policy
- COSBOA
- 0414 961 073
- 02 6230 4545