Bright Marketing

Robert Craven - Entrepreneur Guru - What would you do if you were in his shoes?

noreply@blogger.com (Robert Craven) — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:45:00 +0000

This was posted at the Business Support blog and I have taken a few lines from it.

"....Finally, I come to the aspect of what I would do if I were Robert Craven.

What could Craven do, occupying as he does the position of a leader in his marketplace (Consultancy).

Anyone involved in assisting SMEs wishes to help raise the standards and expertise of small business management.

As a market leader in UK Business advice and assistance Craven also needs to protect himself from business consultants trying to use or cheapen his business material.

So what’s my suggestion?

It is simple. Robert Craven (RC) already does a fantastic business presentation for UK SMEs in his business series: “Lets talk, More profit”. Market himself/rebrand himself as a business guru ‘celebrity’, increasing his ‘reach’.

He is already known as an author but he would benefit from raising of his profile. Creating top quality DVDs of his material (e.g. More Profit and Bright Marketing) and, with the help of the best PR in the business, he can try to -reposition himself as the celebrity business guru, such as the like of Alan Sugar.

Does this need TV to achieve it? I suspect it does, but that is where professionals come in.

The point is to rebrand Craven as a celebrity (i) is achievable and (ii) which bring him all the rewards he deserves (increased prominence, respect for his materials, financial return etc)."

Your thoughts?

Why 'DIY' When You Can Outsource?

noreply@blogger.com (Robert Craven) — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 07:39:00 +0000

I am slightly alarmed at the proliferation of so-called DIY solutions for small businesses.

A quick look at the internet sees people offering DIY solutions for
- accounting
- search engine optimisation
- promotional materials
- PR
- web design
- market research
- creating a brand
- ‘any marketing material’!!
- payroll
- health and safety
- employment law
- company formation
- business planning
- legal solutions
- IT networking
- ISO9000 and so on

I bang on about business owners being control freaks, never letting go... the main thing holding the business back is the owner/manager–director. There is no way that any person could deliver a half-decent result from trying to do almost any of these DIY solutions. You cannot do it yourself! You cannot be an expert in that many fields. And why would you want to?

You should be doing what you are best at. You should be employing the people who are best at function x to do function x. I would not want to look at a DIY manual to consider whether to perform my own heart surgery; I would not look at a DIY solution to figure out how to do my accounts. There are other people far better equipped to do these things.

Anyone who has seen the IKEA shelves I once attempted to put up will understand where I am coming from – reading instructions is not my strong point!

It feels like a no-brainer to outsource most of your non-core operations. Neither I nor my people have the time to be 100% bang up-to-date on payroll legislation and its application, the latest google algorithms, top tax techniques etc. That is why we employ/outsource experts to do the job.

The expert outsourcer can be local; they are an expert in their field, they bring years of their experience to your business but you only pay for the skill as and when you need it. No full-time Finance or HR Director, just an FD or HR Director when you really need one.

On the cost side this is incredibly effective; on the benefit side you get heavy-weight/blue-chip assistance for your less than blue chip business.

Here are a couple of examples of businesses I have recently met who are ‘doing what it says on the tin...’

James Benson – The FD Centre

Sue Tumelty – HR Dept

Peter Prater – QTAC Payroll Systems

Anthony Sherry – Chorus IT

Jason Flintner – Flint Design

(And of course I must add Paul Jobin - The Directors' Centre)

Marketing to Businesses at the Royal Mail - bad timing

noreply@blogger.com (Robert Craven) — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 07:37:00 +0000

According to the BBC, the second day of the second wave of postal strikes has begun at Royal Mail.

Ironically, the Royal Mail have been sending me stuff to help me grow my business!

Two links you should look at are:

10 Expert Tips to Help You Grow Your Business
Grow You Business with Royal Mail will give you product and service recommendations.

The quote I like is the one that says "No matter what your size of business,we've got the answers to all your questions."

Meanwhile we are desperately waiting for an item sent to us by a client on Saturday!

RELEVANT LINKS

Marketing to Independent Small Businesses - blog entry

Small Businesses Eye Growth with New, Free Seminars

noreply@blogger.com (Robert Craven) — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 06:44:00 +0000

From Insider Money Talks:

With around half of small business poised to expand in the next 12 months Barclays is offering an additional 26 free business seminars around the country to support the renewed interest in business growth.

Barclays business seminars, with backing from ACCA and Business Link, are presented by a range of business gurus including Rene Carayol.

The Let's Talk Preparing for Growth is a series of nine new seminars from Barclays focusing on business growth.

In addition, Barclays is offering 17 Let's Talk Bright Marketing and More Profit seminars during the second half of the year.

"The focus for many companies has shifted towards growth," said Steve Cooper, Managing Director for Barclays Local Business.

"Expansion can be a positive move for a company, and there are always opportunities for growth, but the reality is that it's also difficult.

This is a chance for businesses to hear experts speak about growing successfully, and also to ask the questions they need to ask."

Business Secretary Lord Mandelson said: "This is an important initiative by Barclays which I hope helps small businesses get the support they need to grow.

"Small firms depend on bank lending to fulfil their potential and any move like this by lenders to help businesses deal with new challenges is encouraging.

"There is plenty of free advice available for small firms to help them succeed, including from Business Link, and it is important that they take advantage of the full range of support on offer."

The Let's Talk seminar programme is developed by Barclays and delivered by leading business gurus who have worked with organisations across diverse sectors and size, helping companies face the challenges of business by implementing strategies and processes that focus on customers and profitability.

Let's Talk Preparing for Growth will help companies to think about whether their business is in the right shape to look at expanding and how to go about it.

Let's Talk Bright Marketing makes businesses re-think how they get and keep customers, helping them focus their marketing activities more effectively and profitably, see their business and products through their customers' eyes, to take control of their sales and marketing activity.

Let's Talk More Profit makes businesses re-think how they make their money giving them tools and techniques to improve profits in their business, improve cashflow and how to make it all happen by getting more customers, more sales, more profits and more cash.

RELEVANT LINKS
Insider Money Talks: - the original article
Let's Talk Preparing for Growth - Barclays webpage
Let's Talk Bright Marketing and More Profit - Directors' Centre webpage
Let's Talk Bright Marketing - webpage
Let's Talk More Profit - webpage

PRESS RELEASE: Kiki Maurey's Let's Talk... Events "get businesses going..."

noreply@blogger.com (Robert Craven) — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 15:22:00 +0000

Kiki Maurey, the keynote speaker for The Directors' Centre, is delivering four Let's Talk events for Barclays.

The 'Bright Marketing' and 'More Profit' events are participative and challenging events that make you think about what is best for your business. With a focus on action and results the events now have a special time set aside for participants to network and create business for themselves.

Recent comments about the events include: "challenging, inspiring and motivational", "made me step back and consider what I need to do" and "the push I needed to make the tough decisions". Kiki is an excellent speaker.

The events are always over-subscribed but some tickets are still available via The Directors' Centre.

3rd Nov - Let's Talk... More Profit - Wakefield

4th Nov - Let's Talk... Bright Marketing - Croydon

5th Nov - Let's Talk... Bright Marketing - Heathrow

12th Nov - Let's Talk... More Profit - Newport

RELEVANT LINKS
Kiki Maurey - find out more about Kiki
The Directors' Centre - homepage
The Directors' Centre Let's Talk Events - webpage for the Let's Talk events
What do people get from attending? - see the blog entry and comments

Punters Deserve Honest Suppliers

noreply@blogger.com (Robert Craven) — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 06:35:00 +0000

Being dishonest must be bad for business in the long run!

This posting could apply to most industries (I suspect) but the following has been brought to my attention this week.

This is not intended as a 'pop' at certain organisations (I will not name them). However, this behaviour is being talked about (good news: "all publicity is good publicity..."?) but not very positively.

POOR PRACTICE
One is a well-known company that was caught red-handed, at two events, removing competitors' business cards on the open business card table and replacing them with their own. The then distributed leaflets 'under-cutting' the event organisers. I worry about their ethics (and their ability to deliver real value to clients) when they are so obsessed with 'getting/stealing the business'.

Does this make business sense? Do people trust people that behave in this way?

The other is a curious happening.

OVER-EFFUSIVE MARKETING COPY
Four different 'renowned' people have sent me so-called personal emails about their unique one-off relationship with a guru (four different ones!) who is doing a free, special, unique, exclusive, matchless, rare, once-in-a-lifetime, never-to-be-repeated, special, most important event that I cannot afford to miss.

Again the cries of desperation resound. Surely the punters soon realise that it, the 'event of the year', is not quite so unique. All the usual spiel: "time-sensitive offer, nearly fully booked blah, blah".

Does this make business sense? Do people trust people who behave in this way?

The first tactic is unforgivable. The second gives the tag 'all marketers are liars' a ring of truth and may reflect badly on a whole industry.

Maybe these 'tactics' work when appealing to certain audiences?

My feeling is that the whole persistent 'interruption marketing' piece with endless empty breathless promises has been spotted for what it is. Or maybe I am wrong.

Accountants - You Have Been Warned

noreply@blogger.com (Robert Craven) — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 06:39:00 +0000

Accountants need to recognise that they won't be remembered as they slip into the blur of 'much of a muchness', 'me too' providers.

More Effective Marketing article from ACCA's In Practice Magazine.

Better to work with more (but shallow) or work with less (but more intensively)

noreply@blogger.com (Robert Craven) — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 06:03:00 +0000

I have come across an interesting challenge.

Is it better to work with more businesses (in a relatively shallow way) or is it better to work with fewer but in a more intense way (and therefore more long-term benefit)?

When working in Africa I felt sure that the broad but shallow effect wasn't really that effective; my preference was to work longer and deeper with fewer people - by handing over the tools I was able see more benefit and by creating 'champions' I could see the legacy of locally-owned and adapted toolkits being used.

But does this theory (better to go narrow and deep rather than broad and shallow) hold in the UK?

Applied to your own business (and specifically to your marketing) is it better to narrow your focus and look for deep knowledge in a narrow field (niche) or is it better to go broader and shallower?

Case Study One: the business coach who only sells to dentists charges four times the going rate because of his narrow focus/niche expertise.

Case Study Two: the 'tart with a heart' business will sell anything to anyone and does make sales but she gets known for what she does and becomes known as a 'jack of all trades'... Gets lots of work but at low rates. "Jump!" the clients say. "How high?" she says...

Do you have the bottle to go narrower and deeper in your niche or is the recession making you more of a tart? How do you think this is perceived in the marketplace?

What does one person in the audience see and hear?

noreply@blogger.com (Robert Craven) — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 15:40:00 +0000

It is always useful to see what other people get out of attending an event. Eilidh Milnes got the following from this week's Let's Talk... More Profit in Crewe.

"Here's a selection of notes I jotted down in his comprehensive course brochure:

1. Hope is not an option (when linked to future profits)
2. Many businesses neglect marketing
3. Practical common sense profitability tactics
4. The Law of the vital few
5. The Law of the trivial many
6. Win the battle of the mind of the customer
7. 78% of people trust recommendations"

RELEVANT LINKS
Eilidh Milnes - her blog
Let's Talk... More Profit - 12 more events in the current series

National Customer Service Week - Lousy Hotels: when will I Iearn?

noreply@blogger.com (Robert Craven) — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 07:27:00 +0000

I have just come across a blog that suggests that it might be NATIONAL CUSTOMER SERVICE WEEK right now.

As an obsessive (of brilliant and dreadful) customer service I was surprised not to know about it. I googled and found National Customer Service Week (good old google) but can't quite tell when it is from the home page!!!

AND NOW A QUICK CUSTOMER SERVICE MOAN FROM A RECENT TRIP TO IRELAND (Sept 09)

One Irish town. All the B&Bs looked a bit dodgy.

I wished “If only there were a named/branded cheap and cheerful travel hotel/lodge/inn nearby”. As I uttered the words the place came into sight. Too much synchronicity to deny. Against my better judgement we booked in.

The receptionist was economic with her use of the English language: “100 Euros for bed only”, “Don’t do breakfast. Go to restaurant next door!”, “Paying cash, we’ll need credit card as deposit.” [in case I trash the room?]. I suggest we leave then and there.

Hen night in the first corridor. Pics of the hen on all the doors. Humourously I suggest we leave.

Our corridor had the familiar odour of human urine; you could see the stain on the floor. Again I suggest we leave.

Our bedroom had lost a bedside table; it had been ripped off the wall. The plumbing creaked; the whole system rattled every time anyone in the corridor went to the loo. It is too late; I am too tired and give up trying to leave. The website doesn’t have a FAQ covering complaints [seriously]. We complained three times at reception, wrote a note, sent a letter and still no reply.

Cheap? No.
Cheerful? No.

They have got away with it again. Or have they?

Long live Trip Advisor... The URL for I-Hate-XXX- hotel.com is available. I now have a reason to get up in the morning. Or will complacency get the better of me?

RELEVANT LINKS
Customer Is King - the book

What Is The Message?

noreply@blogger.com (Robert Craven) — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 07:32:00 +0000

This one question has focused me on what it is that I am trying to say: "What is the message?"

And the answer is: "Stop p***ing around!" I apologise for the language but that’s it in a nutshell.

Point one: It is all your fault.

You charge too little for your product because you haven’t got the bottle to charge realistic prices. You put up with slow paying customers because you are frightened of losing them. You tolerate sloppy performance from team members to avoid confrontation, You...you...you... It is all about you. There’s no-one else to blame. I am sorry the only person I am talking about is you.

So what's going on? Well, at its simplest we blame everyone else for what’s going on: the government, the bank, the customers, the competitors, the staff, the product. Like a spoilt four year old who has had a rotten day facing the reality that is life, you need to come to terms with the fact that you are the problem. No-one else; just you. It is because of your decisions and your ideas that you are where you are today. Or are you just going to blame someone else (again!).

Point two: Stop procrastinating

Your business is like a rabbit frozen in the headlights, incapable of making a move or a decision, unable to move in one direction or another. Or you will die.

Point three: Speed is of the essence

You need to unfreeze, relax, take stock and weigh up the choices. With great speed you need to take the bold decision: left or right, up or down. Speed is of the essence. The consequences of making no decision are there for all to see. Do you want to be one more piece of roadkill for the statistics book?

Point four: Decide which side of the fence you're going to sit on

The world seems to be dividing into two camps and living in the middle ground is purgatory – similar to choosing the wrong side in the first place. So, are you going to be a) decisive or b) indecisive? Bold or meek? Strong or weak? Grown-up or child-like? Responsible or irresponsible? Bright or stupid? Clever or dumb? Fast or slow?

Point five: Just do it - now

Action has a great power to it. The mere act of taking action opens up possibilities, energy and choice. Without action everything fades into a mediocre dull blob of emptiness.

Point six: Take massive action

Enough or just about enough really is not good enough. Not for anyone. So don’t mess around. If you are going to do something, anything, then do it properly. Or just don’t bother.

Point seven: DIY my foot!

Do you really believe you can create an effective quick fix DIY solution to what you are doing? Remember you are where you are now because of your actions. A word to the wise: try bringing in some experts to help you out. Do that unless you really believe that you are cleverer, smarter, more experienced and wiser than they are. Buyer beware: not all people who claim to be experts will be cleverer, smarter, more experienced and wiser than you. Make sure that they can also get you and your business to move on up to the next level. It is all about results.

So, now is the time to grow up and take responsibility for the successes and failures of your business. Stop blaming other people and take on the challenge as an adult.

It is the classic epic hero story: our hero feels OK then realizes that things aren’t so good. The hero goes on some journey and has to face his/her demons and comes out the other end a stronger and better human being. Lion King, Aladdin, Star Wars, Goonies, James Bond, Pulp Fiction, The Yes Man, Ace Ventura Pet Detective, Batman, and King Lear.

I am not sure if Shakespeare would approve of King Lear being summarised as "Stop p***ing around!". But I am sure you get my point. Anyhow, now it’s your turn!

Go for it!

RELEVANT LINKS
Directors' Centre - the consultancy for business people who want to stop p***ing about!

Seeing The Bright Side

noreply@blogger.com (Robert Craven) — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 06:54:00 +0000

If I take a few quotes from Oliver Horton's article Seeing The Bright Side you get the gist of my argument about surviving the recession:

“Take action now,” advises business consultant Robert Craven from consultancy firm Directors' Centre. “Our experience is that the world divides into those who step up and those who step down."Those who step up, says Craven, decide to work even harder. Those who step down tend to whinge and moan. They don’t want to work harder so their first action is to cut costs.

“If one group of businesses is working 20% harder and the other group is working 20% less hard, that creates a huge gap. Those businesses able to step up have a big advantage,” says Craven.The recession offers an opportunity to steal market share, to focus your business, to go one step ahead of the other guy.

Craven expects to see as many businesses fail after the recession as during it. “It’s a long game, not a sprint,” he says. Craven says business owners need to ask themselves, clearly and honestly, if their business is viable in the short term. And if it is viable in the short term, is it viable in the long term? “If it’s not, then you’re beating your head against a brick wall. Hope is not a method,” he insists.

If you do choose to stay in business, Craven believes you must focus on the basics. Put prices up if possible. Instigate clear marketing. Deliver jaw-dropping service and product. Go the extra mile. Get rid of clients that don’t pay or are just time-wasters. Fix credit terms and a system for collecting the money you’ve earned. Make it easier for people to buy. Talk to clients. Step up sales initiatives. Keep the business moving, keep it alive.

Easier said than done. Or is it? It takes a massive amount of energy to make these things happen.

The consultancy part of our business at The Directors' Centre has started putting in place 'devices' and 'processes' to enable MDs to deliver on the mantra above. Read the case studies posted on the website or call/email Lesley, Paul or myself on +44 (0)1225 851044 to find our more.

BOGOF Deals

noreply@blogger.com (Robert Craven) — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 14:57:00 +0000

The Free vs not free argument rages (see the blog entries I want to be free and Expensive is the new free). I say "put your prices up" and they say "offer BOGOF deals" (Buy One Get One Free). The Times Online has very kindly put a whole bunch of special deals all in one place:

Here Times Money lists 10 of the best discounts available on the web this week, with thanks to Vouchercodes.co.uk, MyVouchercodes.co.uk and MoneySavingExpert.co.uk.

Shopping and Groceries

Ocado

The food delivery service Ocado is offering 20 per cent off all orders worth more than £60 until October 5. Enter the code VOU9397362 in the space for a promotional code at the checkout.

Abel & Cole

The organic vegetable service is offering new customers £10 off when they spend £30 online. At the checkout, enter the code TELESUMMER09. The code is valid until October 31.

La Redoute

The French fashion catalogue is offering £15 off all orders over £20. Simply enter the code 8401 at the checkout. It is only available on full priced items in the current season collection.

Millets

The outdoor store will cut 10 per cent from your online bill if you add the code next10 at the checkout.

Jessops

You can get 8 per cent off all compact cameras when shopping online at Jessops until October 9. Simply enter the code CAMERAS8 at the checkout.

Restaurants

Zizzi

The Italian chain is running a buy one, get one for a £1 offer until Sunday October 11. You'll need to register and print out the voucher here.

Pizza Hut

A half price voucher which applies to food but excludes the ever-popular lunch time buffet, happy hour and delivery, among other terms and conditions. It is only available Sunday to Thursday until October 8.

Strada

Two for one on all main meals with this voucher until October 4, although not valid at certain restaurants so check for details. Click here to register and print the voucher.

Ha Ha

Another two for one offer at the chain of bar-restaurants. This one is also for main meals. Offer ends on October 12. Only one voucher per party, per day. Click here to register, print the voucher and read the terms and conditions.

Giraffe

Yep, another two for one. Register and print a voucher for the less expensive dish free at breakfast, lunch or dinner until October 4th, not available on Friday or Saturday.

RELEVANT LINKS

I want to be free - blog entry
Expensive is the new free - blog entry
Times Online

Watching Sales Increase by 150%

noreply@blogger.com (Robert Craven) — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 06:41:00 +0000

As people feel the full bite of the recession, the quest to survive puts more pressure on the need to find more and better clients. One key problem, poor sales performance, is simply more visible in difficult trading conditions.

CASE STUDY (Real Life – Accounting Firm: Jan - June 2009)

The Background:
Profits and sales were slipping.
Using a number of fairly sophisticated marketing techniques, potential clients were invited to presentations, exhibitions, updates and seminars as opportunities for face-to-face contact. Yet sales conversion rates were disappointing. The practice was simply letting new business slide through its fingers.

The Problem:
Poor sales performance despite having a decent product.

The Reason:
Poorly trained staff and lousy systems.

The Solution:
A few simple changes that will have a massive impact on your bottom line.

It was identified that staff had been expertly trained on the technical side of their job but were lacking the more subtle inter-personal skills that are so important. Accountants are great at doing accounts but not so great at talking to potential clients about why they should be appointed.

Director level support brought the issue out into the open.

Your sales performance will improve if you focus on the following 'crunch questions':
· Who is the ideal/target customer? What are their problems? Why do they buy your product?
· Do you really understand what it is that the customer is buying? Are you selling the benefits rather than the features?
· Why should people buy from you when they can buy from the competition? What makes you different from the rest?
· How to start and finish a conversation?
· Do you deliver a credible and compelling Audio Logo/Elevator Pitch/One-Minute Intro
· Can/Do you ask for the business? Can you ask for referrals?
· Are you able to close the sale?

For any sales professional this is the stuff that Session One from Day One of a Sales Course should cover (Spookily this is very similar to the programme we take business through on the Bright Marketing courses that I run for Barclays).

The reality was far from the truth.

Your sales people need to be taken through a process like the one outlined above. Add decent measurement systems to your soft skills (targets, some decent prospect data, metrics, and conversion ratios) and selling becomes a simple game: you know how many conversations create an appointment create a new client.

Results:
In the six months we worked with our client we saw their competitors going bust and the industry lose its confidence. However our client saw client sales rocket. Compare the numbers (which lose their formatting on most machines - sorry!)

6m to 31 Dec 08
Leads 300
Conversations 140
Proposals 50
New Clients 20

6m to 30 June 09

Leads 350

Conversations 180

Proposals 95

New Clients 50

Leaving out any complicated/sophisticated explanations, the incredible thing was that new clients had increased by a remarkable 150%.

What does this say to you?
Well, small changes in how you go about the sales process have a massive impact. Many trainers use Micky Mouse numbers to impress their audience but here is an example where the numbers speak for themselves.

RELEVANT LINKS
- of course you can't write a blog entry like this without pointing out where people can find out how to get their own 150%...
The Directors' Centre - talk to The DC if you want these benefits

Barclays Let's Talk... series - free workshops covering some of these materials (but very quickly)

Malcolm Gladwell's Outliers - the story of success

noreply@blogger.com (Robert Craven) — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 07:42:00 +0000

Just finished 'Outliers - the story of success' by Malcolm Gladwell.

While writing the book, Gladwell noted that "the biggest misconception about success is that we do it solely on our smarts, ambition, hustle and hard work."

On page 285, he sums it all up:
“Superstar lawyers and math whizzes and software entrepreneurs appear at first blush to lie outside ordinary experience. But they don't. They are products of history and community, of opportunity and legacy. Their success is not exceptional or mysterious. It is grounded in a web of advantages and inheritances, some deserved, some not, some earned, some just plain lucky - but all critical to making them who they are. The outlier, in the end, is not an outlier at all.”

His style does meander even if he does use some interesting case studies and even if the conclusions are self-evident . Quite a 'nice' read but a bit disappointing. Maybe it was more auto-biographical and self-referencing than intended - it was his journey he was analysing. Gladwell has created his own brand and followers and it will be interesting to see where he goes from here.

Launching A Business With A Cause - Quick Update

noreply@blogger.com (Robert Craven) — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 06:57:00 +0000

Last year I reported about Launching A Business with a Cause and I thought that we should have a quick look to see what's happening to Madécasse, the business I featured. The answer is that they are still going strong as reported in the New York Times Tasteful Company/Madecasse:

"These days my favorite chocolate isn’t U.S.D.A. organic certified and it’s not Fair Trade or Rainforest Alliance stamped. It’s Madécasse, made from cacao grown in Madagascar’s naturally organic forests. It’s traded fairly and is environmentally friendly."

One rave review however does not make a business.

At the end of the day Madécasse may need to literally break into the Vanilla and/or Chocolate markets and that will cost money. As said before, success is not about having the best product. Marketing is not a battle for the product but a battle for the mind of the customer.

This may be a traditional conundrum of just how much money will they need to make an impact on well developed markets. With chocolate they are competing against the big boys and in vanilla their product is competing with 'industrial' alternatives.

So how easy is it to be the next Green and Blacks/Ben & Jerry/Innocent Drinks 'successful' high-quality offering and what are the odds of breaking through?

Will the success of this business boil down to the depth of their pockets? Or the quality of how they market their product (= money, again)?

Is it possible that, ironically, the business's success may be more about their ability to raise capital than the quality of their product and ethics!

Compulsory Retirement Age - A Good Thing?

noreply@blogger.com (Robert Craven) — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 16:29:00 +0000

SW (a regular commenter to this blog) has suggested that we look at and discuss the BBC's UK Retirement Age Challenge Fails news piece.

SW asked "Robert, what is your opinion on the Federation of Small Businesses lobbying and supporting for the compulsory retirement age being kept at 65?"

(At least) Two things to discuss
1) Should the FSB hold such a view (to represent its members)?
2) Should there be compulsory retirement age at 65?

This really is a can of worms.

Accountability

noreply@blogger.com (Robert Craven) — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 06:00:00 +0000

Consultancy, training and coaching fails on a regular basis. There's nothing wrong with the process - usually it is all good stuff. The problem is with the 'afters'. You should only participate in these activities for what happens afterwards - the change in behaviour or the results. The context here is the business.

Most interventions are all about the process and not about the results. And that's why they fail.

The key issue is around accountability. If you (as client) are not accountable, if you do not have to report back the results then the whole intervention process will probably collapse.

At the Directors' Centre, the accountability issue is pushed because the consultants know that without accountability then the client can avoid the 'action' piece. Not enough consultants, trainers, coaches, mentors, accountants etc make their clients accountable to them for results.

And so the client doesn't get the desired results. That's pretty poor!

Paul and the team in our consultancy group seem to have cracked the accountability conundrum. The result: clients have to deliver; they get results; everyone is happy.

RELEVANT LINKS

The Directors' Centre - management consultancy (with accountability) for growing businesses

And now I am getting hate mail

noreply@blogger.com (Robert Craven) — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 06:14:00 +0000

It seems that my ‘Beating The Credit Crunch’ ology is like marmite. People love it or hate it.

The messages are pretty straightforward. You shouldn’t even think about increasing sales until you have done the following:

- Put up your prices if you can

- Compete on everything but price

- Screw your suppliers feet to the ground

- Sort (or sack) under-performing customers, staff and suppliers

- Collect money 10 days quicker; spend it 10 days slower

There is no point getting more sales if you aren’t making money on the additional sales. Only once you have done the above (i.e. fix the financial model) should you even think about selling more.

Most people seem to ‘get’ what I am saying but there is a bunch of people who seem to miss the whole point. They describe me as callous, insensitive, cruel, mercenary, short-sighted, and selfish to use a few of the nicer words.

I will list the top few grumbles and my reply.

“It is impossible to put prices up in a recession. All your customers will go to the competition”
Answer: Only the people buying on price will leave but they tend to be the ones who are the hardest work that you would be happy to lose. We recently surveyed some 500 businesses that have put up their prices since autumn 08 – all felt that their businesses have benefited from the price increase (poor clients have left and profit per sale have gone up to outweigh any sales loss) .

“It is impossible to put prices up in my industry.”
Answer: Nonsense. Put the price increase into the contract, or do it annually, or do it based on raw material price increases, or repackage the product, or bundle products together, or do it by stealth. There is no shortage of ways to put up prices.

“You can’t go around sacking people yet expect the rest to remain loyal.”
Answer: In the first instance you should only remove staff that are not pulling their weight or delivering the expected results.

“It is dumb to expect to be able to screw suppliers feet to the ground yet not get screwed yourself”
Answer: You should be selling on everything but price and you should be confident that your customers/clients understand this. As for your suppliers, while they would prefer to keep your business, there are plenty of others who may wish to win your business with low prices.

“It is dumb to expect to be able to get paid 10 days quicker yet pay 10 days slower. It is also immoral”
Answer: Most of us collect the money (that is owed to us) much too slowly; many of our suppliers don’t seem to be too bothered about how quickly we pay them.

Without making sweeping generalistions, I seem to have wound up a brigade of people who feel that their business deserves to do well because of their good intentions. These people hope to be able to survive by being nice.

I am afraid that nice is not enough, especially in these recessionary times. Like pulling off a plaster, the best way to make the decision is to brave up to it and get on and do it. Procrastination does not help anyone.

So, take a morning out with your key business partner or colleague, take a blank piece of paper and make the tough decisions that you will implement over the next two weeks. You will be amazed at how this decisiveness will give you the energy, focus and direction that might have been lacking of late. Go for it.

ENTREPRENEURSHIP GURU HELPS LOCAL FIRMS SURVIVE AND THRIVE! - Press release to be distributed...

noreply@blogger.com (Robert Craven) — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 06:55:00 +0000

ENTREPRENEURSHIP GURU HELPS LOCAL FIRMS SURVIVE AND THRIVE!

Business expert Robert Craven and his team at The Directors’ Centre are talking to over 2000 UK businesses about how to get more sales, profits and customers.

The half-day workshops, "Let’s Talk... More Profit" and "Let’s Talk… Bright Marketing" are based on his best-selling business books including "Kick-Start Your Business" and "Bright Marketing". They take place in 17 towns throughout the UK in October and November. The events are being run by Barclays Bank and demand for places is already high.

Robert and his fellow speakers, Kiki Maurey and Louise Nicolaou, will also use materials from his latest book "Beating The Credit Crunch" which will show how businesses have beaten the current economic downturn. The FT describes Craven as "the entrepreneurship guru".

Craven says, "The ‘Let’s Talk…’ workshops are a brilliant opportunity to step back, think about what you are trying to do and start to make decisions that will fundamentally improve the profitability of your business; in the current economic climate this is more important than ever."

Tickets should be £225, but are free to small businesses signing up through the Directors’ Centre website,

www.directorscentre.com/lets-talk.php

Ends 182 words

EDITOR’S NOTES

Robert Craven, MD, The Directors’ Centre

Robert Craven is one of the UK’s most sought-after business coaches and speakers on entrepreneurship and is author of the best-selling business books ‘Kick-Start Your Business’ (Virgin Business Guides) and ‘Bright Marketing - why should people bother to buy from you?’. His latest book is ‘Beating The Credit Crunch’.

As MD of The Directors’ Centre,

www.directorscentre.com, the consultancy for growing businesses, he works with ambitious directors to break through constraints on business growth. A serial entrepreneur, Robert has run restaurants, management training centres and a sound recording studio. Prior to creating The Directors’ Centre he was director of consultancy and training for growing businesses at Warwick Business School.

Photos available from office@directorscentre.com 01225 851044.
"Let’s Talk… More Profit" and "Let’s Talk… Bright Marketing".

These half-day workshops are free to attend if delegates book via the website, www.directorscentre.com/lets-talk.php where delegate testimonials can also be seen. Running in some 17 locations across the UK, the latest ‘tour’ starts in October and concludes in November. Tickets are available on a first-come first-served basis.

More details of venues and titles at www.directorscentre.com/Autumn-09-venues.pdf
-----------------------

- The Directors' Centre, 1 The High Street, Woolley, Bath BA1 8AR
www.directorscentre.com
- Tel: 01225 851044

Post Offices As Business Hubs

noreply@blogger.com (Robert Craven) — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 07:05:00 +0000

Many years ago I ran a project entitled the 'Post Office of The Future' which focused on making the PO into the hub of the local business community... Actually it is plain common sense. But , I am afraid that I was way ahead of my time.

I am delighted to see that the same idea has now resurfaced. Hopefully the timing is right!

"Safeguard post offices by making them business hubs"

The article in brief:
"The future of hundreds of post offices around the country could be safeguarded by transforming them into small business hubs...

To protect the vital service that post offices offer many firms, the FSB said it believes the network needs to be remodelled as a series of small business hubs...

Under the FSB’s recommendations, a business desk would be set up at each post office with specially trained staff able to advise businesses on banking, government services, insurance and sending and receiving parcels...

Each branch would also offer dedicated advertising facilities to help small businesses reach other local businesses and potential customers...

There would be a range of financial services available, including business banking and, where possible, meeting room facilities for start-ups and micro businesses..."

Corporate Myopia, Really

noreply@blogger.com (Robert Craven) — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 10:51:00 +0000

I am building up a portfolio of corporate myopia stories. The standard story goes as follows:

Robert Craven (RC): “Why do people buy your product?”
Corporate Client (CC): “Because we are the best.”
RC: “Really?”
CC: “Well, we are better than the competition.”
RC: “Really?”
CC: “Um and we are the only people to offer XYZ features”
RC: “And is that why people buy your product?”
CC: “Well we are competitive on price.”
RC: “And is that why people buy from you?”
CC: “Um, it could be our brilliant marketing campaign…?
RC: “Really?”
CC: “OK, why do they buy our product?”

What I find so scary is how fragile the arguments seem to be. And how can you create a marketing campaign or a sales activity or design a better service/product if you aren’t clear on what it is that the customer wants, needs and deserves to get.

So, my friend,
“Why do people buy your product?”

Your answer here: “___________________________________”

“Really?”

PS I ran a brief session for a roomful of marketers last night. Lovely people. Brilliant at their jobs (doing marketing) they struggled to tell each other (succinctly and in a compelling manner) what they actually did for their clients.

Banksy Unmasked

noreply@blogger.com (Robert Craven) — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 07:27:00 +0000

Another reason I hate the Daily Mail:

Today's paper spoils the secret of Banksy Graffiti Artist Banksy Unmasked - unless it is an early April Fool joke.

No longer a best-kept secret.

Shame.

Did the secrecy make his work the all more fascinating? Was it all just a great marketing stunt? Shame, shame, shame.

I Want to be Free!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Robert Craven) — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 07:14:00 +0000

Everything everywhere is FREE! Is this just a marketing gimmick?

As my father would say: “Free but who pays?”

In the old world of physical product, if something is free then someone will pay in the end. Most FREE offers are actually the old ‘bait and switch’ strategy.

One way or another it is you that will pay for the free product.

In the new world there is a real free – the marginal cost of storing and distributing digital 'product' is negligible so it can be given away for free with no-one paying for it.

My kids can use computers given to them with a phone contract… they use free mobiles (so the operator makes money on minutes sold) and use Google (free) and Skype (free), Wikipedia (free), Flicker (free) and FaceBook (free) to find out about everything they need.

There is an unwritten assumption that you should give things away for free ("because the competition do..."). Is that right for you? A free healthcheck... a free test drive... a free audit...

For some businesses the "giving it away for free" approach may send out the wrong message.

On the other hand the consumer loves the TBYB (Try Before You Buy) philosophy. Some consumers will feel more likely to buy because of the moral contract created. Some will be free-loaders. It all depends on what you think is the best way to capture the best clients for your business.

Should you be giving anything away at all?

Or should you be giving more away than you are doing at the moment?

Are you clear about what you should be giving away and why?

They just didn't get it

noreply@blogger.com (Robert Craven) — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 06:20:00 +0000

A brief story.

Two delegates approach the presenter and say:

"We've now seen you four times over the past year or so. Each time you've done a different topic (More Profit, Bright Marketing, Credit Crunch, a keynote) but really you keep covering the same kind of topics. And you always end up saying 'take action'.

We hear what you are saying and its all good stuff.

When we're ready we'll start to apply it all but meanwhile we're still looking for something new and different instead of listening to you banging on about the same old stuff... taking action, asking for the business, being able to demonstrate how and why you are different, getting closer to the customer blah, blah. And all the books and magazines are no better.

It is time you came up with something new or else we will stop coming to these workshops."

I think they missed the point.

Or rather they forgot where the exit was; you don't have to stay to the end.

1) My 'job' is not to be a presenter/entertainer. (I use whatever methods necessary to get my message across - one method is that I present so that others can listen and take action. Other methods include writing articles/books/blogs, recording webinars/interviews, working one-to-one, doing masterclasses/workshops - any method that seems appropriate to help people to run better businesses.)

2) It was time for them to actually listen to the message and get on and do it. Instead of attending another course they should apply what they have learnt. They just don't need to attend another workshop.

'Training junkies'!!!

It reminds of the Woody Allen story from the Annie Hall movie:
Patient's Brother: "Doctor, Doctor, my brother thinks he is a chicken."

Doctor: "Well, let's get him to a psychiatrist."

Patient's Brother: "No, we can't do that!"

Doctor: "Why not?"

Patient's Brother: "Because we need the eggs!"

Thought Bubble
Are you avoiding taking action over something because you are too committed to maintaining the status quo and are frightened of what the new world might look like?