What Image? If you are a small business and like to blog, statistics have shown that readers are far more likely to notice your blog if you have an image with it. However it is not easy for some businesses to use images if they don’t have a product but provide a service. I found an article on Inc.com in which a group of people can help each other in solving problems. I recently chaired a meeting of the CAP Business and as a group we did some brain writing. Brain writing I hear you say in puzzlement! The theory goes that if you have a group of people in a room only a small percentage of those people will speak, there are always the quiet contemplators, the shy that think that they have nothing of interest to say. Brain writing helps everyone to express his or her ideas. How does it work? Everyone is supplied with small pieces of paper; anything will do, small index cards, Stickies etc. In our case we were trying to get ideas of images that people could use with their blogs. I went round the table one member at a time and everyone in the room had to write down one object that they would associate with that type of business, at the end of the activity each member goes away with a pile of ideas from all of their colleagues. A simple but effective way to help each other solve problems. Why not give it a try?
0 Comments
Why you need a Purple Cow in your business
Do you read business books? Some of them are deadly dull, but occasionally one leaps out at me and catches my attention. Seth Godin’s ‘Purple Cow: Transform your Business By Being Remarkable’ has been one such book. A little Americanised in its business examples and ideas, it has however set a whole load of lightbulbs flashing in my brain..and it might just do the same for you. I bought my copy second hand online for less than £2…it has been worth every penny and more. One of the most powerful messages in the book talks about the need for our business marketing approaches to move with the times. Lets face it, as customers we have all got enough stuff in our homes and businesses…we don’t really need to buy any more. We can access nearly every product that we need already – we know where to go and buy it, or at any rate we know where to go and find out where to buy it. We are all bombarded continually with different marketing messages all through our day…with the result that we stop watching, listening and taking in the messages. So how do we make sure that our business stands out? How do we get the attention of our customers and show them the wonderful products and services we have on offer? How do we break through the cacophony of messages that our customers are already zoning out from, to capture their imagination and show them new possibilities? Seth Godin argues that if we keep doing the same old marketing thing we will not succeed. Instead, he advocates, we all need to develop a Purple Cow. The Purple Cow is remarkable. Imagine that you drove past a field of cows, and one of them was purple. You would notice it…you would turn round in your driving seat and take another look to make sure. You would probably remark on it to your passengers…and may well tell other people about what you have seen. What would it take for your customers to notice the Purple Cow in your business. What makes you/your product/your service/your business remarkable? Fitting in and being the same won’t cut the mustard if you want success in your business. Being purple may mean taking risks, being talked about, doing something that no-one in your sector has thought of doing before. It might not work, but if you don’t try you won’t know. Go on – think what a Purple Cow might look like in your business! Don't under estimate the power of customer testimonials
Testimonials are simply another form of word of mouth – except in written form and can be used in a variety of ways, for example – on websites, quotes to customers, on fliers. What your existing customers say about you will shout much louder than what you say about yourself. How do we receive them? – Simple, just ask! 99% of customers will say yes When you complete a job ask your customer to write you a testimonial. Have a pen and paper handy, email them requesting one or whatever suits best. Tell them you would really appreciate it and it will help your business. This is a win/win situation – your customer will feel good about themselves because they have helped someone, you will gain kudos for your business and you will have made it easier for potential clients to check you out. Keep testimonials up to date....you can never have too many! Remember – Testimonials cost nothing, and can mean the difference between getting the job/contract or not. 'exceeding expectations'
I'm pretty sure it's been said many times before but all businesses need to strive to always do better than the customer expects! As s self- employed dressmaker I rely on word of mouth recommendations and repeat custom, this means I need to ensure all my customers are happy customers, wether they spend many hundreds of pounds on dressing a wedding party or a few pounds on getting a pair of trousers shortened. I believe the best way to secure happy customers is to do their particular job better than I intimate I can at the start of the job process. If like me you underestimate your skills even a little, this is easy, I quote a job in terms of cost and time, I generally underestimate the time required so usually manage to complete jobs early. Bonus! One difficulty with early completion of jobs is the reliance I have on suppliers, I have found the answer to this is finding good suppliers in the first place and in the second place having a full understanding of their delivery systems. A good example is the fabric and haberdashery supplier 'Calico Laine', the company has stores in the North West but also operates an excellent online store with a good selection of fabrics, patterns and haberdashery, good prices and importantly great staff on the end of a phone line who take my order and dispatch it quickly. Another difficulty is my reliance on my tools, to help alleviate this I have at least two of almost everything including sewing machines, of which I have three ready to use. It also helps to keep tools in good condition, machines need to be serviced and blades need to be kept sharp. So again good suppliers of tools and the services to keep them going are essential. The other way to improve on your offer is of course to complete a job to a higher standard than the customer expects, in my case I complete my sewing to the best of my abilities and hope for the best!! fortunately my customers are generally more than happy with their garments or curtains and some are very happy indeed. These are the ones to get testimonials from, but more of that another time! Caroline Jones 'Fashion Revived' If you go down to the woods today For many of us, when we go about our daily duties, visiting or greeting customers, we are on our own. This can make some people nervous, especially when visiting a new prospect that we want to impress, and may even prove to be too daunting – so we fluff it up, or just don’t bother. The idea of collaborative working is not new, but for many, it is still an experience we have never had. After all, you want to concentrate on delivering your service or offering your product – you don’t need the distraction of someone else trying to pitch in do you? In my experience, the opportunity to bring complimentary services or distributors together can be very powerful, and surprisingly well received by clients. It demonstrates that you have adopted an holistic approach to a particular requirement of theirs, and not just restricted your efforts to a narrow brief. An example of this might be when a customer tells you that they have plans to expand or move premises. You might be their telecoms provider, or you might supply their stationery, but this scenario opens a number of other opportunities for you to effectively use the close network that you have developed, to offer a total solution. Why not take along an accountant, a solicitor, HR specialist or even an insurance broker? Or perhaps you’ve identified that they would like to speak to a carpet supplier – you make the call. Anyway, returning to the subject of my “blog”, my point is that there really can be strength in numbers, and you don’t need to always go it alone. In the words of the nursery rhyme, if you go down to the woods today, you’d better not go alone. |
Categories
All
CAP BUSINESS CLUBS BLOG
Archives
December 2018
Visit us on Facebook - We always appreciate any "Likes"
Contact us
T: 01594 723120 M: 07811 981929 Email: Here Office 3 The Main Place Old Station Way Coleford, Glos GL16 8RH |