Nido Marketing Blog

All Change at Nido: New Services, New Blog, New Website

noreply@blogger.com (Nido Markeing) — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 19:49:00 +0000

Over the last few months there has been a lot of changes behind the doors at chateau Nido. With the economic climate having a dramatic affect on purchasing and buyer behavior it became clear that to win business you need to go that extra mile.

There was a frenzy of activity consisting of talking to our clients to find out what exactly they need in order to get themselves in front of the right prospects to close more business. This led to Nido developing a range of new services including:

We are also very happy to announce that Zoe Porteous has joined the team as our Head of Communications. Zoe comes from a proven background in PR, marketing and communications working within a range of industries and will be helping clients to develop PR and marketing strategies and deliver sales and marketing training.

With all these changes taking behind the scene it was time for a new look Nido!

We have launched a new website www.nido-group.co.uk where you can find details of all our new services and the home of the new look Nido Blog.

Let us know what you think about our new site and make sure you subscribe to the new Nido RSS Feed for all our latest news, articles and information from Nido.

www.nido-group.co.uk

Expert Marketing & Sales Support for your business

noreply@blogger.com (Nido Markeing) — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 13:55:00 +0000

Award winning B2B business development consultancy Nido Marketing’s next Marketing & Sales Network is focused on how to find the right client. It takes place on 4th November, from 2.30pm at the Lighthouse facility on Kensington Street, Brighton.

This popular event is the fifth Nido has organised which encourages peer to peer learning and support for marketing and sales professionals. The event will consist of a panel of experts including Liz Barnes the Chair of CIM Sussex, Tom Ricca-McCarthy the Managing Director of Suila, Arjo Ghosh the CEO of iCrossing and our very own Tim Misson, Managing Director of Nido. These panellists will share their knowledge on the importance of finding the right client which will then be followed by a question and answer session and facilitated workgroups, ending with informal networking.

The network is a fantastic environment for companies to share experience and learn from each other and industry leaders.

Jacky Misson, Sales Director says: “Finding and securing the right client means long-term relationships, motivated staff, positive growth and greater profitability. If you need to learn how and increase your sales pipeline get yourself to this event.”

The network is just £38.00 (+VAT) to attend, including a glass of wine to celebrate the launch of Nido’s new services. To book your place call Nido on 01273 667979 or email alastair@nidomarketing.co.uk

www.nidomarketing.co.uk

We are sponsoring a BAHBA

noreply@blogger.com (Nido Markeing) — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 10:45:00 +0000

We are very pleased to announce that Nido Marketing will be sponsoring the “Best Customer Service” award at this year’s annual Brighton and Hove Business awards (BAHBA’s). The awards ceremony takes place on Friday, 9 October 2009 at the Brighton Hilton Metropole and will be attended by the finest business talent Sussex has to offer.

Good customer service is something that we are passionate about at Nido and we recognise that in these tough times having fantastic customer service can really make a difference in helping to retain your clients. Our decision to sponsor this award is a direct reflection of our own values towards this area and we are committed to supporting others that share the same principles.

Nido were lucky enough to win the Best Place to Work at the 2006 BAHBA’s which thrilled the entire team especially Tim and Jacky who had seen the business grow from a spare room in the their flat. We have long been champions of the Brighton business community and feel honoured to be involved in the event which is organised by our friends over at award winning PR agency Midnight Communications.

2009 marks the sixth year for the BAHBAs and it is set to be bigger and better than before with eight new sponsors and sixteen categories. The Awards were officially launched at the Thistle Hotel on Tuesday 16 June at a party that was attended by many of the city’s leading business people including the Mayor, sponsors, judges and last year’s winners and finalists.

New sponsors this year include RedSeven, Kelta HR, Wired Sussex, Veolia Environmental Services, QED, Nido Marketing, Neilson Active Holidays and Absolute Brighton. They join The Argus, University of Brighton, Hilton Brighton Metropole, MDhub, Brighton Primary Care Trust, Royal Mail and Nixon McInnes.

Entering the awards could not be easier. It costs £50 (ex vat) for one entry and £75 (ex vat) to enter as many times as you like. Decide how many times you wish to enter. Address the criteria outlined. And click to pay! You can find more information on entering at http://www.bahbas.org.uk/

We will of course all be attending the ceremony so if you are coming along then come and say hello!

www.nidomarketing.co.uk

Leadership and Management Funding

noreply@blogger.com (Nido Markeing) — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 10:02:00 +0000

Leadership and Management Specialist Advisory Service

Receive up to £1000 of funding to help your business grow!

The Learning and Skills Council (LSC) has been providing Leadership and Management funding to businesses for several years.

The programme has now evolved as a Specialist Advisory Service with new eligibility criteria that opens up the offer to previously ineligible organisations. Now even more employers will have access to funded training that enhances their leadership and management skills and in turn nurtures business growth.

What is the Leadership and Management Programme

The programme, funded by the Learning and Skills Council, is specifically aimed at business owners/managers responsible for the direction of an organisation, including private, franchise, public and voluntary bodies employing between 5 and 249 staff.

Each employer can benefit from up to £1,000 of grant support. The first £500 does not require a contribution from the employer and should be used for key directors. If you want a further subsequent £500 it must be ‘match funded’ by the employer and is available for key members of management.

How to qualify

To be eligible for the programme your organisation must:

- Employ between 5 to 249 people
- Not already have received Leadership & Management funding support (under Train to Gain)
- Must be from an EU country, or have lived in an EU country for the last 3 years

NOTE: Funding was previously unavailable to businesses that had attained the Investor in People standard. Now funding is available irrespective of whether you have the standard or not.

How it works

A Specialist Adviser will carry out a free impartial Individual Needs Analysis and help you develop a Personal Action Plan which clearly identifies your requirements. Together with your Adviser you will agree on the best solutions to meet the development needs you have identified.

When you have undertaken your training you can apply to have the costs reimbursed up to a total of £1000 (including VAT).

For more info contact Clive Bonny clive@consult-smp.com telephone 0208 876 4211 or on his mobile 07973 799153.

Clive designs and delivers programmes for clients onsite to avoid costs of absence and can refer you to a broker for your grant.

http://www.nidomarketing.co.uk/

Stress within the workplace

noreply@blogger.com (Nido Markeing) — Fri, 29 May 2009 13:59:00 +0000

Identifying and helping to relieve stress in the workplace

With everything that is going on in the world around us it’s hard not to feel the strain. Recession, tightening our belts, budget cut-backs, redundancies, hitting targets, the list goes on and so does the stress that goes with it.

BUT it doesn’t have to be like that…

Studies from the ISMA (International Stress Management Association) showed that 48% of people said that stress was caused due to lack of management commitment.

That means that nearly half of all stress could be prevented by management being more aware and committing to help their team cope in testing times. For all you ‘old school’ managers out there whose opinion is that people should just ‘get on with it’ and ‘stop complaining’ being more aware of the implications of stress could push it up your list of priorities. As a result of not dealing with this, your company could well suffer from low morale and quality of work leading to a higher staff turnover, higher recruitment and training fees, reduced productivity and hence lower revenue.

NOT DEALING WITH STRESS WILL COST YOU MONEY!!

An astounding 12.8 million working days a year are now lost to work-related stress alone, with 58% of workers complaining of job stress - UK HSE report

So, to start with a few simple things to look out for…

● People being a bit short tempered and irritable
● Deteriorating work relationships
● Increased sick days for things like headaches, stomach aches etc
● Complaints of lack of sleep

This may all seem very obvious but when people are stressed they can act strangely and it can be easier to just ignore it and hope it will go away. If managers are feeling the strain too – which I am sure you all are – looking out for the well being of your team may just seem like another thing you are responsible for… and you are….

HOWEVER it’s not all doom and gloom – we are all in it together and this doesn’t mean we all don’t enjoy a challenge, something to get out teeth into and really drive us.
It’s about balance – having the support needed to deal with demands and knowing that there is meaning to what is being done as well as an interest.

After all, can anyone honestly say they have never felt the strain? Have any of us just sailed through work without any worries?

So what can be done? At Nido we hope to prevent the team suffering from stress in the workplace… we may have slipped up in the past but we make a real effort to support and look out for each other. Things we do include:

● Daily team catch ups
● Drinks in the office every Friday afternoon – a bit more relaxed than usual…
● Monthly team outings
● Great offices!! (High ceilings, full front windows, plants…)
● Real, quality coffee machine
● Duvet day allowance for those days when you might just fancy a day at home
● Monthly staff outings
● Pinball machine

So what do you do to combat stress at work?

Whether an employee or an employer everyone has their own ways of handling the pressure - Let us know what you are doing and let’s all help each other to remain positive in these challenging times.

http://www.nidomarketing.co.uk/

May News Letter

noreply@blogger.com (Nido Markeing) — Tue, 19 May 2009 13:18:00 +0000

Welcome to the Nido Marketing May Newsletter

Welcome to the May edition of the Nido Marketing Newsletter. We had some great feedback from our March newsletter so thanks to everyone who responded and we hope you find this edition as enjoyable and informative.

This month Nido's managing director Tim Misson shares his thoughts on engaging your team to build your business, award winning digital marketing agency Leapfrogg talk about how to make your website work harder for you and we bring you details on the forthcoming annual Nido Fun Day in July.

We also bring you all the latest news from Nido HQ and a telemarketing training offer for all of our newsletter readers. Finally we catch up with Dee Blick from the Marketing Gym following the launch of her fantastic debut book, Powerful Marketing on a Shoestring Budget: For Small Businesses.

See you next time!

Employee Engagement

We often get asked how we have created such a unique company and atmosphere at Nido Marketing. Well there’s no secret - actually it’s quite the opposite. We believe our people are our greatest asset and by engaging and empowering them to get involved in all aspects of the business we become stronger and work more effectively as a team. Tim Misson, Nido’s Managing Director reflects on the path we took and the obstacles we overcame to get us where we are today. Read Full Article »

Nido Fun Day

July the 17th sees the return of the increasingly popular charity event the Nido Fun Day! Now in it’s 4th year the event takes place in the serene surroundings of Stanmer Park in Brighton and kicks off at 14:00. With over 50 local businesses invited this year looks set to be the best yet.The event is a great way for local businesses to do some informal networking, have a team-building day out, raise some money for a local charity and of course play games in the glorious sunshine. Event Information »

Is Your Website Working Hard Enough?

Ben Potter from Brighton based digital marketing agency Leapfrogg highlights some key areas to help you win more business from your website. Leapfrogg were recently named by New Media Age as one of the top 20 search agencies in the UK.If you are looking to grow your business the Internet offers a highly targeted, measurable and cost-effective means to do so because you are placing your message in front of a qualified audience. ‘Qualified in the sense they are actively looking for your product or service online through a search engine. Read Full Article »

Nido News

All the latest news from Nido HQ.In April we are happy to announce a promotion for Ollie Wickham and Sarah Esterson returned to the office after being out on maternity leave.We also have details of Frank and Al's efforts to raise some cash for good causes. More Information »

Telemarketing Training Offer

How to find and convert more of your ideal clients

Nido Marketing Workshop, June 1st, 9.45 – 4.30pm

This practical one day workshop will help you to find more of the clients you want and have sales conversations that result in business. Experts from Nido will be sharing advice on how to get in front of the people you want to do business with by:- Profiling your ideal client- Finding a relevant database of these companies- Structuring calls to help you ask for the business

By the end of the day you will know where to source a relevant database of on profile clients and have a tailored call structure to help you make effective sales calls that get results.

Readers of this Nido Newsletter will benefit from a special offer price of £250 + VAT per person for our June 1st Workshop (usual price £350 + VAT).

Please email Jacky for further details mailto:jacky@nidomarketing.co.uk

Dee Blick and Her Best Selling Small Business Book

We have always been advocates of sharing information to help ourselves and others build and develop business acumen. With this in mind a part of our website dubbed the Knowledge Hub includes a section of recommended reads where you will find a range of books we have found extremely useful in business. Chartered Marketer Dee Blick from Horsham based marketing consultancy the Marketing Gym recently released her first book called Powerful Marketing On A Shoestring Budget: For Small Businesses. We caught up with Dee to find out the inspiration behind her book. More Information »

01273 667979
http://www.nidomarketing.co.uk/
info@nidomarketing.co.uk

Follow us on Twitter http://twitter.com/NidoMarketing

Nido Marketing's Company of the Month - Propellernet

noreply@blogger.com (Nido Markeing) — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 15:08:00 +0000

At Nido we like to big up companies who excel in their respective field and draw attention to the wealth of talent that Brighton and Hove boasts. This month we are delighted to feature Brighton based online marketing agency Propellernet.

If you want to find out more about what Propellernet do and how they stand out from the crowd then read their profile www.nidomarketing.co.uk/profile.html to see what makes them different?

If you would like to be featured as a future Nido Marketing company of the month then please contact Alastair Digby: alastair@nidomarketing.co.uk

http://www.nidomarketing.co.uk/

South Coast Soul Review - April Shows Announced

noreply@blogger.com (Nido Markeing) — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 10:28:00 +0000

Our resident diva Ruby Egau will be taking to the stage with her band the South Coast Soul Review not once but twice in April. South Coast Soul Revue - An eight-piece band with two singers and a full brass section, performing classic and contemporary soul music with a little bit of funk thrown into the mix. Hear everything from Otis and Stevie to Amy Winehouse, Gill Scott Heron, Chaka Khan and a whole lot more.

Event: Grand Central Launch Party
Venue: Grand Central , 29-30 Surrey Street, Brighton, BN1 3PA
Date: Friday, April 3, 2009 at 9pm
Free Night: Join us for an hour set of our best tracks starting from 10pm.

Event: Easter Soul Extravaganza
Venue: Half Brick, 221 Brighton Road, Worthing, BN11 2EY
Date: Saturday April 11th Time: 8:30 – 11:30pm

“the band were terrific last night and everyone says how great you were. To get people up on the floor in the first set is unheard of so they must’ve loved you." Heather Jones, Head of Executive Office, Brighton & Hove Council following our playing at the Council’s annual Xmas party at Hove Town Hall in December”

Website: www.southcoastsoul.co.uk
Email: info@southcoastsoul.co.uk
MySpace: www.myspace.com/southcoastsoulrevue

And the Winner is........

noreply@blogger.com (Nido Markeing) — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 11:38:00 +0000

Congratulations to Ann Dieckmann, Managing Director of Brighton based medical communications company Facilitate, who was the lucky winner of a Nintendo Wii after taking part in our customer satisfaction survey.

At Nido we like to practice what we preach so back in January we conducted a customer satisfaction survey to gain valuable feedback from our clients on the services we offer. We have learnt from experience that your customers can be instrumental to adapt and improve your service and therefore retention rate.

As part of the survey clients could win a Nintendo Wii if they gave us a testimonial, all the companies that took part were put into a hat and the winner drawn at random by Jacky Misson. Luckily for Ann her name emerged as the winner and you can read her testimonial on our website: http://www.nidomarketing.co.uk/facilitate.html

Thanks to everyone that took part in the survey, your participation is much appreciated by all the Nido Marketing team.

www.nidomarketing.co.uk

March Newsletter

noreply@blogger.com (Nido Markeing) — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 13:41:00 +0000

Client Retention & Customer Satisfaction

When times are tough, it is more important than ever that businesses provide the best possible service to their customers to ensure they don’t lose them to competitors. Research has shown that 80% of companies believe they provide a superior client experience but only 8% of their clients agree*.Finding out how our customers feel about us means that not only can we adapt and improve our service and therefore our retention rate, it can also give us the chance to up-sell or cross-sell to a marketing that already knows and trusts us. At Nido we have seen a growing number of companies approaching us to help discover their clients’ perceptions of their service and delivery levels. Finding out weak spots, areas for improvement or what clients really value about them can all help to reduce attrition or defection to competitors. Read Full Article »

Nido Marketing & Sales Network lands in Gatwick

Nido Marketing launched in March 2008 a quarterly learning and networking hub, aimed at sales and marketing professionals. Branded "The Nido Marketing & Sales Network", the purpose is to bring together sales and marketing professionals in an informal and engaging setting so that they can network, share best practice and learn from each other. Previously this event has been held at the fantastic Lighthouse in Brighton but due to popular demand we are launching an event in Gatwick on March the 19th. Event Information »

Train to gain funding available

Did you know that you could qualify for £1000 worth of Train to Gain funding to spend on our Strategic Sales Training? Nido Marketing provides interactive workshops to help you or your team improve your telemarketing and client retention skills. We also provide consultancy and training for those companies looking to set up their own in-house telemarketing teams. More Information »

Line-up Changes at Nido

February saw some changes within the Nido Markeing team, we have gained a new member of the team, lost an old one and are happy to announce a promotion! Following a rigorous interview programme worthy of a Dragon’s Den audition, Nido are delighted to welcome new member Jon Prince to the team. Jon is a family man who brings with him a long and highly successful background in business to business sales, marketing and client liaison and is a fantastic addition to the company. More Information »

And finally

Jacky Misson founding director of Nido Marketing appeared on the hit CBBC show Beat the Boss on Thursday 26th of February. Beat the Boss consists of a team of three children going head-to-head with three top business people to create a new product for the children's market. If you missed the show you can now watch it again on the BBC iPlayer. More Information »

01273 667979
www.nidomarketing.co.uk
http://twitter.com/NidoMarketing

Jacky Misson appearing on CBBC's Beat the Boss

noreply@blogger.com (Nido Markeing) — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 12:44:00 +0000

Jacky Misson founding director of Brighton based B2B telemarketing consultancy Nido Marketing will be appearing on the CBBC show Beat the Boss on Thursday 26th of February at 5.15pm. The show is hosted by Saira Khan who formally featured on the hit BBC show the Apprentice.

Beat the Boss consists of a team of three children going head-to-head with three top business people to create a new product for the children's market. Nido Marketing were contacted by the BBC who are keen to feature prominent business people in the show which is a great honour for Jacky.

You can watch the show on the following services:
Freeview channel 70
Sky Digital Channel 613
Freesat Channel 600
Virgin Media Channel 701

You can watch the show here on BBC iPlayer

www.nidomarketing.co.uk

Nido Marketing & Sales Network lands in Gatwick

noreply@blogger.com (Nido Markeing) — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 11:45:00 +0000

After a year of successful Marketing & Sales Networks in Brighton, Nido Marketing are now bringing this popular event to Gatwick. The Network will take place on Thursday March the 19th at Hilton London Gatwick Airport, South Terminal, from 2pm – 5pm and costs just £35 + VAT per delegate.

Limited to 30 places and aimed specifically at sales and marketing professionals, the Network encourages peer to peer learning and support and includes specialist marketing and sales speakers, facilitated group work and informal networking.

The Gatwick triangle is an important and thriving area for business in Sussex. Nido Marketing’s founding director Jacky Misson says “Many of our clients and the companies we do business with are located here. The feedback we have had from these events in Brighton has been overwhelmingly positive so it was a natural step to start bringing them to a wider audience in Gatwick”.

Award winning local search engine marketing agency Leapfrogg are sponsoring the event and have will share some of their secrets on how to acquire, convert and retain customers online. Sales training and business development experts Sales Engine will be guest speakers and will share some practical tips on how to generate sales results that continue to drive business growth. The event is co-sponsored by Sussex’s premier business club the MD Hub 100 whose representatives will be facilitating the small group forums.

Established in 2003, Nido Marketing is an award-winning telemarketing company focused on high-quality lead generation and client retention services. Nido were finalists in the 2008/09 Sussex Business Awards ‘Small Business’ and ‘Best Employer’ awards and were winners of the ‘Best Place to Work Award at the 2006 BAHBAs.

www.nidomarketing.co.uk

Brighton Media Centre Talk – Tuesday 10 Feb 2009

noreply@blogger.com (Nido Markeing) — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 16:43:00 +0000

Free Networking at The Brighton Media Centre - Tuesday 10th February 2009 with guest speaker Jacky Misson of Nido Marketing

Don’t let the recession get you down – go out and find the customers you want!

Jacky Misson set up Nido Marketing 6 years ago with a loan from the Prince’s Trust and was voted Entrepreneur of the Year at the 2005/06 Sussex Business Awards. Nido now employs 16 people who help companies grow by finding them their ideal clients through targeted, conversation led marketing.

Don’t let the recession get you down – go out and find the customers you want!
In times of recession we all need to step up a gear and not expect customers to just come to us. At this event, Jacky will be sharing tips to help you proactively go out and find your ideal client instead of waiting for them to come to you….

www.nidomarketing.co.uk

6pm – 7.30pm
@ Brighton Media Centre Gallery
15-17 Middle Street Brighton

With drinks, nibbles and guest speaker Jacky Misson Strictly limited spaces.

Call 01273 201306 or email sales@mediacentre.org to book your place www.mediacentre.org

THE LAYLANAS SUPPORT ALABAMA 3 AT THE BRIXTON JAM

noreply@blogger.com (Nido Markeing) — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 10:13:00 +0000

Nido Marketing's very own Ollie Wickham will be grazing the stage of the Brixton Jam supporting Alabama 3 with his band The LayLanas!

The LayLanas are the headlining support for Alabama 3 (They did the title music for the Sopranos) at the Brixton Jamm and are on at midnight.

Hailing from Brighton, The Laylanas, fronted by songwriting duo Lana McDee and Sandra Lea broke into the local scene in 2008, giving UK country music a much-needed tweak. Lana McDee’s voice is reminiscent of southern country singers such as Alison Krauss and Tammy Winette, as well as having the modern pop innocence found in singers such as Tori Amos, with the charming darkness of Jolie Holland or Lucinda Williams. Augmented by cheerful southern-style guitar riffs, got-to-whistle chorus’s and solid, fluent harmonies

Time and Place
Start Time: Saturday, February 7, 2009 at 12:00am
End Time: Sunday, February 8, 2009 at 4:00am
Location: Brixton Jam:

email: Thelaylanas@hotmail.co.uk

web: http://www.myspace.com/thelaylanas

www.nidomarketing.co.uk

Movember at Nido Marketing!

noreply@blogger.com (Nido Markeing) — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 12:34:00 +0000

Nido Marketing - The Movember Challenge

View SlideShare presentation or Upload your own. (tags: marketing nido)

During November the men at Nido Marketing took part in a moustache growing extravaganza in order to raise money and awareness for The Prostate Cancer Charity.

The guys stepped and agreed to not shave their upper lips throughout the whole of the November and the results were amazing as you can see from the pictures above! At present the total amount of money raised is just over £150.

“Movember” is an annual moustache growing charity event held across the world to raise awareness and funds about mens health issues, for more information then visit www.movember.com

If you sponsored any of the team then thanks very much for your kind donations.

www.nidomarketing.co.uk

Nido Marketing Sponsor DiMAS Awards

noreply@blogger.com (Nido Markeing) — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 10:59:00 +0000

Nido Marketing as part of their continued support of the Brighton Digital Marketing community was proud to be a category sponsor of the first ever Digital Media Awards South or DiMAS.

We sponsored the Digital Collaboration Award, this award is about the motivation and purpose of a collaborative project. What had to be overcome and why was it successful. Specifically hoping to find collaborative projects that may have have broken new boundaries in digital media. The award went to Blast Thoery, so many congratulations to them and all the other nominees.

The event was held at All Saints Church in hove on the 27th November and was attended by the cream of the digital community from the South.

Well done to all the team at Wired Sussex for organising this fantastic event! We all look forward to next year’s awards and the work that will be produce in 2009 that continues to put Brighton on the map as the premier creative hub of the UK.

www.nidomarketing.co.uk

Nido Marketing at the Sussex Business Awards

noreply@blogger.com (Nido Markeing) — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 16:06:00 +0000

Nido Marketing were nominated for two awards at the Sussex Business Awards 2008/9. The annual awards ceremony was held at the Copthorne Effingham Park Hotel in Gatwick on 20 November.

We were nominated for the "Small Business" and "Best Employer" awards and up against some stiff competition from the other entrants. Unfortunately we didn't win either of the awards despite the team being very confident that we would walk away with at least one!

On reflection we did incredibly well to even get nominated and we are proud to have taken part in the awards as there were some very strong companies nominated.

We would like to say congratulations to Leapfrogg who not only kept us entertained on our table all night, but also won the "Best Employer" award. So a big well done to Rosie, Ben and the rest of the team!

We will no doubt at the awards again next year hoping for a win!

www.nidomarketing.co.uk

Is this a good time to talk?

noreply@blogger.com (Nido Markeing) — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 11:02:00 +0000

We’ve all had the dreaded call from the contact centre, the monotone voice reads through a lengthy script down the phone, disengaging the recipient and ruining any chance of them buying into the idea, in some cases even damaging the brand.

The worst tend to be inflicted on the consumer by loan companies who advertise in the back of The Sun.

“Hello my name is Derek from ABC Finance, part of the Yabber Yadda group of companies regulated by the Financial Services Authority, I’m calling today because you’ve been selected blah blah blah…”

Then about 3 minutes later you finally get the chance to say “no, thanks”.

Ultimately, there has been no attempt to relax the recipient or let them speak, creating immediate barriers and adopting an obvious carpet-bombing approach.

What if you were fork-to-mouth about to take the first bite of your favourite meal? In the middle of a meeting? Rushing to finish before leaving the office? Would you stay and listen to 3 minutes of dour drivel?

Surely it’s more likely that you’d interrupt and get them off the phone ASAP.

One controversial idea is the use of “is this a good time to talk?” Some use this phrase whereas others view it as a loss of the control in the conversation.

5 reasons to apply this:

It helps establish interest immediately.
It aids intelligent conversation rather than reading from scripts.
You can get a set time to call back when the prospect is readily available for a conversation on the matter.
It is the difference between a cold call and permission marketing.
It embraces basic manners.

How to Lose Potential Business and Alienate Yourself

noreply@blogger.com (Nido Markeing) — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 12:37:00 +0000

Nido had a chat with Shelley Fagence-Traynor to find out what makes her blood boil when she receives a cold call.

Given Shelley’s company First Time Response answers many calls every day for clients, she’s in a great position to pour scorn on the more abrasive elements in the industry…

As a person who receives sales calls on average 20/30 times a day my feelings are mixed. This is mainly due to the incompetence of the companies employing the 'wrong representatives' to do the calling.

I have experienced some wonderful sales calls and have complimented the person on the other end of the phone for their polite approach. This hits the nail on the head! If the caller is prepared to be polite, understanding and willing to listen then they have succeeded in getting my attention.

When they demand to speak to the person in charge and then hang up when the information they are given is not what they wanted to hear, then they fail.

When it takes a minute to actually hear another voice on the line which is crackly and distorted making them incomprehensible, then they fail.

When they call politely and befriend, listen and adhere to advice given then they succeed! I myself have been in the shoes of the sales person calling companies to promote services which gives me an understanding of the reaction from the recipients. Taking notes of names, times and who you spoke to when and about what is a major asset when calling back.

Makes the follow up much more personal and on a friendly level. Just what the business asks for.

Shelley Fagence-Traynor is MD at First Time Response in Crawley. She can be contacted on 01293 565520, or info@firsttimeresponse.co.uk

Getting the Most from Every Cold Call

noreply@blogger.com (Nido Markeing) — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 10:20:00 +0000

Ever call a prospect, get your ‘no’ and then move straight on without asking questions? You could be missing out on key market intelligence which could help you further understand your marketplace and even help you resolve unidentified gaps in your service.

Once your prospect has delivered the news that they’re not interested in your product or service (this will happen loads in telemarketing), why not try getting that little extra out of them to make sure you get something from the conversation.

This could include:

What was it that made you choose your current provider?
What is it that makes them different?
When will this agreement be reviewed?
What service would you like your current supplier to provide that they don’t currently?
When would be the best time for us to contact you again?
What similar areas of work will you be looking into in the future?

aidan@nidomarketing.co.uk

www.nidomarketing.co.uk

"Robocalls" – The New Evil

noreply@blogger.com (Nido Markeing) — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 11:39:00 +0000

First New Labour, then The Lib Dems, and now the US Republicans are using automated calls to shout about their bile-driven policies to consumers.

Robocalls are the new evil, but are they a necessary evil? We don’t think so – blanket calls lacking in interactivity are a great way to irritate your target market.

October has shown a 4% jump in the polls for Labour, but a drop for the Lib Dems suggests that Gordon Brown’s financial clout is the reasoning, rather than a practise that the information commissioner considers to be “direct marketing”.

Tell us your thoughts… aidan@nidomarketing.co.uk

Calling all Creatives!

noreply@blogger.com (Nido Markeing) — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 10:38:00 +0000

For a long time Nido Marketing have been fierce advocates of supporting the Brighton business community as we think it is the best city in the UK. With this in mind we are proud to announce we are a category sponsor at the forthcoming Digital Media Awards South (DiMAS) for the “Digital 360 Award: Collaborate Award”.

The awards are about rewarding the creative minds that come up with cutting edge digital content and highlight the wealth of talent the South boasts in spades! Applying for the awards has been made very simple and the deadline is fast approaching so check out the website for more details: http://www.thedigitalmediaawards.co.uk. We would strongly urge you to enter if you are in the creative industry as we want to help make the awards a success!

The awards ceremony itself takes place on November 27 at All Saint’s Church Hove we hope to see you there?

www.nidomarketing.co.uk