One of the classic mistakes of new product development is to ignore your customers, and their potential for giving you good ideas. But it isn't as easy as you might think to get the ideas from them and into your business. One of the best known quotes from Henry Ford illustrates this beautifully: “If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses.” Consumers are experts on what they want, what they don't like and the problems caused by the products and services that we offer. What they aren't so good at is coming up with something better. But why should they? That is our job. So the trick is to play to their strengths. Listen to what they don't like, either face to face or through social media. Even better, watch them using your product. The point at which they start having difficulties, or swap to a different product or service to complete the task, is your cue to step in. Solve their problem, and make life easier. That's your job, not theirs. So use their experience, but don't expect them to hand you the answer on a plate. If you are interested in generating new ideas for your organisation, join us on February 21 for an early morning seminar at Farnham Castle. To check availability click here.  

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Creativity is all about coming up with ideas, and the more off the wall they are, the better. Inventors are creative, and they are often way ahead of their time. 

Innovation, on the other hand, is about turning good ideas into something of commercial value. It is a structured process, rooted in the real world, and backed by knowledge, analysis and judgement.

Many start up businesses are in the creative category, based on one person's passion for one good idea. But to grow into a sustainable, larger organisation there has to be a focus on innovation, which allows the development of multiple new ideas, making choices between them and marketing them effectively.

If you are interested in becoming innovative, rather than just creative, join us on February 21 for an early morning seminar at Farnham Castle. To check availablity click here.

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We see so many businesses with a great idea for a new product, but so few make a success of it. What are they doing wrong, and does it have to be such a risky way to grow the business?

1. The first mistake so many make is not to listen. Just because you think it is a good idea doesn't mean anyone else will. Ask people in your target market and LISTEN to what they say.
2. Be honest with yourself about the feedback. If the consensus is that it won't work, then take action. As Google say "Fail fast".
3. The best new products are simple. Don't over engineer the solution, just because you can. 
4. And finally, don't expect people to buy it just because it is new. You need to plan your marketing and implement it well.

If you are planning to develop your business this year, come and join us for an early morning session on developing new products. It's on February 21 in Farnham. Find out more. 

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There is plenty of evidence to suggest that recession can be a time of great opportunity. While competitors fall by the wayside, companies with the right attitude can prepare the foundations for explosive growth once the economy starts to turn. 

One of the things that characterises an innovative organisation is its environment. People won't share new ideas unless they know that they will be given fair consideration. And you can't expect reasonable suggestions from the team unless they really understand the market and their customers. 

So creating a very focussed workforce, that looks at their market with an enquiring mind and values each other's judgement is fundamental to successful innovation. 

For more thoughts on the innovative environment, have a look at James Caan's book "The Real Deal".

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Measuring customer satisfaction is one of those costs that large companies find hard to cut. Tracking the ups and downs of every aspect of customer service is addictive, and gives the illusion of control. 

Companies like to believe that perfecting their processes will make customers like them more. So they tinker under the bonnet, without looking at the bigger picture.

But do we really expect perfection? Or is it something else that makes us stick with our favourite companies? 

In many cases it's driven by the people we deal with, and how they treat us. But for online businesses it comes through the tone and style of the website, the packaging and even the materials that come with the delivery. All of which is much easier to control than actual people.

Although price, service, and quality are top of mind when we buy something for the first time, our reasons for repeat purchase are usually less tangible. It is how we feel about them that can make the difference.

So rather than investing big money on tracking customer satisfaction, take stock of your customer warmth in three simple steps:

• Buy your own product, whether online or in person. How does it feel to be a customer?
• Spend time with your customer service staff. Work in the shop, the factory or the call centre. How does it feel to deal with your customers?
• And finally, talk to your customers how they feel about you. Do they feel friendly and positive? Or are they just craving a reason to go elsewhere? Don't measure, just listen.

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With a degree of cynicism surrounding some formal networking, it was inspiring to see real connections being made, generous advice being given and strong alliances developing. And the lasting benefit will be a step change in their marketing approach, and real confidence developing in their future business success.

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Every small business owner knows how hard it is to make time for marketing. When you are busy, it doesn’t seem important, and when the work dries up you don’t know where to start.

In these uncertain economic times, it is even more important for smaller businesses to market themselves effectively, capitalising on the fact that they can be more flexible, more responsive and better value for money than their larger competitors.

This workshop helps smaller businesses to focus on their target market, communicate their messages with clarity and identify which of the numerous marketing channels are most likely to work for them.

The programme is designed to be very practical and interactive, using examples from delegates’ own businesses. And for two weeks after the course, delegates will have access to telephone support to help them put their plans into action.

What we will cover:

1. Three key questions to ask your prospective customers
2. How to define your target market in a way that works
3. The best way to communicate your business proposition
4. Identifying which marketing channels will work best for you
5. The million dollar question: how much to spend?
6. Pulling it all together: preparing a marketing plan for your small business

Who should attend?

This half day programme is designed for small business owners who want to grow their business effectively. If you are already running a business and want to market it better, then this is the session for you.

Date and Location

The workshop is on Saturday 21st May, 2:00pm-5:00pm, at The Hilton Cobham Hotel, Seven Hills Road South Cobham KT11 1EW

What is included?

The cost of the workshop is £79.50 + VAT. The price includes refreshments and individual telephone support for two weeks after the course.

How to book

To check availability contact Oriel Marketing on 01252 727625 or email philippa.varey@orielmarketing.com. Payment is by cheque payable to Oriel Marketing Ltd., Oriel House, 22 Brambleton Avenue, Farnham, GU9 8RA

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CIM Surrey hosted an interesting debate recently about whether outsourcing social media is ever a good idea. The argument polarises between those in favour of outsourcing (because Twitter just eats up time), versus the social media aficionados for whom it forms an integral part of their day.

Smaller companies seem to have the edge over their larger rivals when it comes to using social media well. The benefits lie in communicating with an authentic voice and building real, direct relationships. But for this to work, tweets and blog posts have to come from the heart, without jumping through hoops to get sign off.

So why might you consider outsourcing your social media activity?

• If you don’t use it in your personal life, it might just seem too difficult or too specialist to do yourself. It just takes you too far out of your comfort zone.
• An external agency is easier to control in some ways, and easier to stop if you don’t like what they do.
• Your own staff won’t be diverted from their day jobs.
• A specialist might just do a better job because they know what works best.

But there are weaknesses in this approach.

• Someone completely separate from your company is never going to sound authentic, and your followers will sniff this out.
• Social media is fast moving, and an agency will struggle to bring spontaneity into your posts.
• If you don’t engage with it yourself, you are missing out on the value of building relationships with genuine followers.

So which is the best way forward?

There are important points to consider on both sides of the argument, and the trick is to find the right balance for your style and your business.

Social media is just one of the important tools available to market your business, and like the others, it needs to be used properly. Just because you use Facebook in your private life, it is not necessarily the right tool for reaching out to your customers. And like all your other marketing materials, the quality of your social media presence reflects your brand and the professionalism of your business.

So how can you maintain the spontaneity and authentic voice of social media, whilst keeping control of the time spent and quality of output?

An outsourcing model that works

• Use an agency to help you develop a strategy for your social media presence. Identify what your objectives are and who you want to build relationships with.
• Take advice on which media will best deliver these objectives. You don’t have to do everything, and some tools just won’t be appropriate for your kind of business.
• Bring together a small team within your business who will take responsibility for delivering your social media strategy. They need to understand your objectives, but have the freedom to use their own voice.
• Use an external specialist to keep an eye on the quality of your posts and their fit with strategy. This is a very cost effective way to bring expertise into the organisation, and grow the skills base of your team.

Social media isn’t complex in itself, but we are all learning fast about how best to use it in the business environment. In any fast moving arena, the smart operators buy in expertise to get ahead of the game, but always make sure that the learning is embedded swiftly, so they can move onto the next innovation, secure in the knowledge that their team is at the leading edge of best practice.

If you have tried outsourcing social media what works best for you?

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But we’ve always been very well aware that what most people dread most is the prospect of handling interviews when they’re in the midst of the media storm, a skill that can be developed with high quality communications training.

 We are delighted to have linked up with media training experts Rough House Media, to develop our own Crisis Management service, which now includes crisis communications training – so for the first time we can offer our clients the complete package.

The new service will:

·         identify potential crises and risks

·         audit our clients’ existing capability to handle these

·         develop action and containment plans for the highest risk scenarios

·         work with clients to develop a series of effective key messages to cover each eventuality

·         produce a comprehensive communications blueprint, providing an operational plan on handling the media and the key messages to be delivered

·         provide key spokespeople with a rigorous programme of crisis communications training, including specially designed interview exercises to test their strengths and weaknesses, and equip them with the skills and strategies to tackle the most difficult interviews

·         run crisis simulations to make sure the communications blueprint works effectively in practice

 Protecting your business in a time of crisis is essential - and if you do it well, you could come out stronger, with your reputation enhanced. Our new crisis management service will provide you with the tools to manage the unexpected, and the skills to deal with the media if the worst should happen. To find out more, give us a call on 01252 727625 or visit our website.

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If I asked you to name five businesses which had suffered PR hell in the past year, it wouldn’t take you long – Toyota, BP, Hamleys (remember the live reindeer and penguins before Christmas), Sky Sports and BAA all spring to mind.

Of course no business can totally prevent disaster striking – after all BAA couldn’t stop the snow falling before Christmas.  But they can all prepare and plan how they’ll react when the worst happens.

Effective crisis management will anticipate potential problems, identify vulnerabilities in the business response and put systems in place to deal with them.

A vital part of this is handling the media fall-out.

A rat runs across the steps of 10 Downing Street on live TV and you know the media will have a field day. Make sure the ‘humane rat catcher’ is also spotted by the cameras and it’s crisis-averted.

Be picked up by TV microphones making off-colour comments about a female footie official and you’re definitely in for some stick.  With no apology and further footage emerging, then your career’s in nosedive.

As Andy Gray found, a crisis badly handled in the media can literally end careers, and wipe millions off a business’s value.

So what are the big no-nos in managing the media if your business is in crisis?

1.       Don’t hide your head in the sand and hope the media will go away. It won’t. And that will just egg the journalists on.

2.       Don’t refuse to comment. Immediately this makes you seem as if you have something to hide.

3.       Don’t allow anyone to do interviews with journalists who you don’t trust to stay on message in the face of difficult questions, and who hasn’t been carefully briefed and media trained. Tony Hayward is the most prominent example of this going wrong.

4.       Don’t lie and dissemble if you’re in the wrong. You will be found out.

5.       Don’t refuse to apologise for wrong-doing – an apology and a promise to investigate and take action is very effective.

6.       Don’t only engage with the media at the time it’s all falling apart – good relationships and a good reputation will help ensure you have a gentler ride in times of trouble.

7.       And lastly – don’t hope you can just wing it. You must have an effective crisis management plan which can swing into action, in which everyone knows what to do, how to do it and when.

Of course, none of this can prevent problems in the first place, but if you avoid these seven mistakes it will help mitigate the fall-out. 

With thanks to Ann Wright of Rough House Media for this guest blog

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Some businesses seem to be intuitively good at marketing. As the snow continues to fall, and the road outside is impassable, a card came through the door from a local garden maintenance company. It's always good practice to do a bit of business development when you have some downtime, so they already deserve Brownie points for getting out there to sell their services.

But even better, a second slip of paper, also from them, was lying on the door mat, offering a snow clearing service.

Excellent timing, innovative offering and a great way to build new contacts. Well done Mint Gardens. You're one ahead of your competitors.

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As we all re-examine our budgets for the next year, whether we run a household, a business or a government department, we're all going to be looking for savings.

One item of expenditure that will have to fight for survival is the subscription to your professional body or trade association. News this week has revealed that some public sector bodies are funding thousands of pounds worth of subscriptions to organisations only loosely connected to their public purpose.

And that begs the question: "What are professional bodies for?" In some careers there is a clear requirement to be a member in order to practice. But in most, there is a choice to be made. Do people join for reasons of credibility and status, or is it for information, education and CPD? And who pays the subscription? Is it you, or your employer?

In these times, every professional body needs to prove their worth, and fight to keep their place in your budget. So it is time for them to consider very carefully what their members want and need from them. With so much pressure to cut costs, they need to re-invent themselves and deliver real value to their members, who will become a scarce and precious resource.

Let us know what you think. Do they help or hinder? What do you get for your money? And are they fit for purpose?

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Every business has a view on social media; love it or hate it; we all know it is out there. But clients always ask how effective it is as a marketing tool. For the lucky few, there is a clear connection between tweeting their news and an increase in sales. But for the vast majority, it is a much more complex formula. According to the TalkTrack Great Britain survey, released this week, social media has a much less important role in spreading the word about brands than you might expect. It shows that people who talk about your brand are very likely to buy your goods. But the important point is that over 90% of these conversations take place face to face or over the phone. Only 7% are conducted online. Given that the fundamental point of most social networks is to replicate conversations with a friend, this should make us stop and think. Word of mouth marketing has always been important, but many businesses have been seduced by the prospect of being able to participate actively in the process, and generate discussion from afar. This reminds us that most of our customers are talking about us in the real world, not the virtual one, and we need to make sure we aren’t distracted too much by the prospect of a worldwide following. Real people buy our services, particularly if they know us personally.

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Many commercial organisations imagine that they will be able to make their customers more loyal by calling them members, and re-packaging some of their services as Benefits of Membership. They soon discover that consumers are a wily bunch, and can tell a real members’ club from a marketing inspired commercial proposition without any difficulty. Membership clubs must take lessons from the most sophisticated marketers in the world: UK supermarkets.

1. Ask your members what they really want from their organisation, and where they are in terms of their career or life stage.

2. Segment your membership base. This gives you greater insight into their motivation for belonging, how much it is worth to them in financial terms, and, importantly, how much they are likely to use your services.

3. Work out how much they are worth to you, taking account of their progress through the grades of membership, use of membership benefits, purchase of additional services and number of years they remain a member.

4. And finally, use this information, to offer tailored benefits, to invest where you’ll get greatest return, and to price competitively.

The fact that supermarkets continue to talk in terms of Club Cards and loyalty points indicates the undeniable appeal of belonging to something. Measuring membership retention is only the beginning; understanding life time value is the real objective. And that is what the supermarkets understand so well, and most membership organisations fail to achieve.

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Clients often ask what makes a great marketing plan, and there are as many right answers as there are individual businesses.

A recent survey put some interesting ideas into the pot:

1. Passion. If you aren’t passionate about your business, it shows, and your marketing is likely to be lacklustre and unappealing.

2. Clarity. Know what you want to achieve and who your target audience is. The tactics will follow naturally.

3. Return on Investment. Every activity, large or small, must deliver benefits. Some won’t be measurable, but many will, so evaluate everything you do.

4. Visibility. Keep the marketing plan on your desk, not on the shelf. Review it regularly and adapt it as the market changes around you.

5. Common sense. Share the plan with your team and seek their views. If it doesn’t make sense within the business, then you’ve probably over-complicated it.

What do you think? Let me know.

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1. Ask your members what they really want from their organisation, and where
they are in terms of their career or life stage.
2. Segment your membership base. This gives you greater insight into their
motivation for belonging, how much it is worth to them in financial terms,
and, importantly, how much they are likely to use your services.
3. Work out how much they are worth to you, taking account of their progress
through the grades of membership, use of membership benefits, purchase of
additional services and number of years they remain a member.

4. And finally, use this information, to offer tailored benefits, to invest
where you'll get greatest return, and to price competitively.

The fact that supermarkets continue to talk in terms of Club Cards and
loyalty points indicates the undeniable appeal of belonging to something.
Measuring membership retention is only the beginning; understanding life
time value is the real objective. And that is what the supermarkets
understand so well, and most membership organisations fail to achieve.

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Clients often ask what makes a great marketing plan, and there are as many right answers as there are individual businesses.

A recent discussion on LinkedIn put some interesting ideas into the pot:

Passion. If you aren’t passionate about your business, it shows, and your marketing is likely to be lacklustre and unappealing.

Clarity. Know what you want to achieve and who your target audience is. The tactics will follow naturally.

Return on Investment. Every activity, large or small, must deliver benefits. Some won’t be measurable, but many will, so evaluate everything you do.

Visibility. Keep the marketing plan on your desk, not on the shelf. Review it regularly and adapt it as the market changes around you.

Common sense. Share the plan with your team and seek their views. If it doesn’t make sense within the business, then you’ve probably over-complicated it.

What do you think? Let me know.

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As stranded travellers make their way home, and bring their tales of woe back to their friends and work colleagues, it is worth reflecting on which organisations have emerged as winners, and how they have succeeded when others have failed.

It is a classic Crisis Management case study. How should businesses have planned for this scenario, and what made the difference between a happy outcome for the customer, and a PR disaster for the organisation?

Competing stakeholders

Most of the bad news stories came down to money, and the un-generous spirit demonstrated by insurance companies, airlines and travel companies as consumers struggled to patch together alternative travel plans. Keeping an eye on costs, and delivering value to shareholders is essential in normal times, but many organisations forgot that they depend on the goodwill of their staff and their customers and took an extraordinarily unhelpful stance to enquiries.

Communication is the key

It has been entertaining to see which celebrity travellers have made their way home with the help of, or despite, some of our well known travel brands. Some have struck it lucky, and provided great service to highly influential travellers, such as Simon Calder, little knowing how effective his endorsement would be. Others have made it very clear how little they understand about customer service.

Segmentation

But perhaps most stress has been caused by the assumption that everyone needs the same solution to their problem. Rushing people to far flung airports, with hardly any notice, only to cancel the flight once they get there, shows little understanding of segmentation. Many would have been happy to stay put for a little longer, whilst others really needed to get home.

Spotting opportunities

But the smartest move in marketing terms comes from the Royal Caribbean Cruise Line, who sent their new ship to pick up customers of Thomas Cook and Tui Travel, stranded in Bilbao. The cost to them was low; the ship should have been hosting a travel trade launch event, but the delegates couldn’t get there. The good publicity reached the national press, and their captive audience experienced all the facilities of the new cruise ship, ensuring bookings got off to a flying start. A winning outcome for all involved.

And the winners are…

The winners, as usual, are the organisations who treat their customers as individuals, communicate well and take personal responsibility for them. And the lessons learnt? Ask your customers what they want, be generous in a crisis and be ready to act boldly when the right moment comes.

And enjoy your extended holiday if you have the chance!

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Research prior to the last recession showed that businesses which thrived in difficult times were those which already placed a strategic emphasis on marketing and had an entrepreneurial culture.

Responses from our members show a rather different picture; businesses are confident about their operational and financial skills, but a quarter lack confidence in their marketing expertise and a fifth have doubts about their strategic skills.

 However, 60% of them have taken external marketing advice to bridge this gap, with the vast majority feeling more confident as a result, and 50% of those seeing a direct improvement in business profitability.

 A surprising number of respondents still believe that marketing is just about promotions and on-line visibility, rather than being a total business approach focussing on profit maximisation. And in common with businesses large and small, they are putting their faith in finding new customers, rather than investing in their existing ones.

So at the half way point of 2010, it is time to take stock of your business:

• Are you confident that your business strategy is robust enough to withstand the next stage of this recession?
• Do you place a strategic emphasis on marketing?
• Are you paying enough attention to your existing customers?

 Top tips for 2010

1. Take professional advice to revitalise your business strategy.
2. Bring skills and knowledge into your business: train your staff or use external experts.
3. Invest in your existing customers. They’ll buy more, stay longer and recommend you to others.

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