Blogs & how to use one

Do you blog? As you probably know, a blog is an online site in diary form. The most typical blog is one that has articles that are posted periodically with the newest appearing at the top of the page; above the previous one. There are also static pages like the about us or profile pages […]

How to open doors

In order for a business to grow, clients need to buy from you. Don’t expect many clients or prospects to buy straight away or to beat a path to your door in the early stages, but stick with it and you will reap the rewards. Similarly, most buyer surveys suggest that buying decisions are highly […]

Spreading the word.

There are numerous ways that you can get your message out to potential customers, but the main ones are advertising & PR. I know that online is a huge area, but, in this instance I am grouping advertising together as advertising encompasses TV, radio, magazines, local press, billboards, leaflets, Blogs, podcasts, social media, public speaking, […]

Branding: The Reputation You Can’t Escape

Whether you realise it or not, your business has a brand. Every organisation—big or small, new or well-established—develops a reputation in the minds of its customers, employees, and competitors. The question is not whether you have a brand, but whether you are actively shaping it to work in your favour. What Defines a Brand? More […]

Leads – where are they and who are they?

Just where do you start looking for leads?! How do you qualify them? How to quantify them? Try and use the Qx2 method – Qualify = ensure that they are in the target group to buy from you; Quantify = has their organisation the budget i.e is the suspect you are looking at an actual […]

Keeping the customer happy

Let’s assume that the work you have been doing for your clients has been delivered; you will need to continue to keep the clients happy between projects in the same way you won them in the first place – by being helpful, professional and adding value to their business. However, for any organisation, one of […]

Market Research – DIY Tips

I have been involved with a number of blue chip clients over the years who have embraced my idea of actually engaging an external agency to research the markets they operate in before actually implementing marketing initiatives, in terms of buying behaviour, competitive analysis, cost comparisons etc, but what about if you are a small […]

Possible objections when cold canvassing

When it comes making cold calls, it is likely that you’ll need thick skin as I am betting you get a lot of objections. But how many could you come up with? How many have you had? I am sure the prospect will have more, but below are a list of the ones I have […]

Money, money, money

One of my Tweets this morning (August 2010) was just a snippet about profit being far more important than numerous sales or account wins. The reason for it was that I have experienced working with one particular agency who threw everything (including the kitchen sink!) at a possible bit of new business making the creative […]

Develop a clear vision

I was with a new client the other day who told me a number of times how good his business was at supplying the product he sells. When I questioned the word “good” there was a lack of statistics or information to substantiate his claims. Sometimes business owners can get a bit blinkered when it […]