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Not just an anniversary a Marks and Spencers 125 year anniversary

October 19th, 2009 · Marketing

Marks and Spencer is celebrating 125 years of trading.

Quite an achievement for any business. This is not just an ordinary anniversary .. as they say in the TV ad – but an extra special anniversary in this year of retail problems. What can a business owner learn?

Marks and Spencer 2009 Penny Bazaar as reported in the Daily Mail

1. Celebrate your anniversaries. Whether it is one year or 125 years make a noise about it. 125 years is a long time to be in business, and definitely a cause for celebration. M and S used the history of the “Penny Bazaar” to re-create part of their history, sell goods at 1 penny, and attract a lot of attention.

Even one year of trading is an achievement. The statistics from Britain and the US are alarming – most businesses fail. Sometimes 9 out of 10 will fail, but 4 out of 5 is common by the fifth year. If your business is anything over 1 year old – celebrate!

2. Products + salesmanship. Michael Marks introduced products from Poland to the North East of England. He offered exotic toys, which had probably never been seen before. He sounds like the classic entrepreneur: risk taker, resourceful and probably very charismatic. All entrepreneurs have to get buy-in not only for products and services but also for their ideas. it is salesmanship.

3. Know what your customers are thinking. One of the best principles of direct marketing is – as Robert Collier put it – to get into the conversation in the customer’s head. When those early buyers read the sign on one of Mark’s stalls which said: ” Don’t ask the price, it’s a penny” they must have become more willing to hand over the coin. It disqualified any customer who couldn’t read (and probably wouldn’t have a penny of disposable income), and made them feel their thoughts had been read.

4. Ask for what you want. Michael Marks was no slouch and expanded his business with market stalls and by selling products from Dewhurst’s a local supplier into the villages around Hartlepool. He approached Dewhurst to see if he would be interested in a partnership. Mr Dewhurst turned him down.

But, as in business networking events, if you ask for what you want clearly somebody will know somebody who is the right person. In this instance Mr Dewhurst recommended Thomas Spencer, his cashier. Thomas Spencer did see an opportunity for his money to grow, and probably for his talent to be applied. He invested £300 for half the business, took over the warehousing, and the company expanded rapidly.

5. Growing a business is different from starting a business. So the company belonged to them both and Marks had to share his venture. He ran the market stalls and Spencer ran the back office. They brought different – equally important – skills to the business which was bigger than either of them. Spencer was probably an expert with the quill pen and the ledger, and valued order and process, Marks saw opportunity everywhere, and had a million new ideas every day.

Marks developed the company to the stage where entrepreneurial skills and flair could be boosted by sound management. Once it made that transition, Marks and Spencer reached critical mass and the early success laid the foundation for the 125 year anniversary.

Anniversaries make news. They create a good answer to the question “Why should I know about this” and the media and your target market will be interested. They are a chance to promote products and services simply by virtue of the anniversary. It couldn’t be simpler!

Some of the better known retailers celebrating this year include:

Selfridges – 100 years in business in March

Primark – 40 years in business – their tale of growth and acquisition makes interesting reading.

Cargo -20 years

It is not only retailers who gain from the focus of an anniversary, but any organisation that has a link with a famous individal or cause. It is an opportunity for books, ebooks, events, festivals etc, and a re-publication of old material made newsworthy by the anniversary.

Charles Darwin – author of Origin of Species. 150 years since publication, 200 since his birth. The Natural History Museum and English Heritage were leaders in the focus on Darwin.

Isambard Kingdom Brunel – the great engineer. 150 years since his death. The anniversary has created opportunities for organisations as diverse as First Great Western trains to Brunel University .

Hampton Court – royal palace owned by Henry VIII. 500 years since Henry came to the throne. an opportunity for festivals, conferences and special events. ..not only for the Palace, but for any associated organisations.

Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy Douglas Adams’ famous book is 30 years’ old and published by PanMacMillan who are promoting a special anniversary edition.

Island Records. The breathtakingly successful British recording studio with a stellar lineup from Bob Marley, Cat Stevens, and Amy Winehouse to Keane. 50 years old.

Look around for noteworthy events in your market even if your own history doesn’t warrant an anniversary. Ride on the coat-tails. Plan your anniversary in good time. It is a golden opportunity to connect and to promote.

→ 1 CommentTags:anniversary

Online road tax renewal- good customer service from DVLA

October 9th, 2009 · Inspiration

What a pleasure! Good efficient customer service from a government-type organisation!

My road tax became due and I was excited to read on the form that my car qualifies for payment of only £35. I rushed off to the Post Office with what I thought were all the forms needed.

Road tax from the Post Office

I had completely forgotten that my (new to me) second hand car needed an MOT certificate.

I organised the garage visit, the car had the service and passed its MOT. All very easy. Then I looked for my papers for the repeat trip to the Post Office. To my amazement I could find the insurance but the form from the vehicle licensing people couldn’t be found anywhere.

Then I discovered I could register online. The car log book number gave me access to check into the DVLA site. All my papers were virtually verified online and payment was easy to do. (And I enjoyed the low price of £ 35!). I was told that the disc would arrive in the post 4 – 5 days later.

Well we are all more cynical now – and I certainly was. But to my great surprise the tax disc arrived this morning in the post 3 days after I applied for it!

Online tax discs

When they over-delivered and it arrived early I was astonished…and delighted ..and want to tell people about the great service.

LOW EXPECTATIONS + OVER DELIVERY = POWERFUL MESSAGE FOR CUSTOMER LOYALTY

Delivering services and products beyond customer expectations is the best way to create loyalty and keep customers coming back. If you are in a market not noted for good service you have an additional opportunity.

I do prefer to use a real live Post Office if possible, but it was great to receive excellent customer service. Well done to the DVLA!

→ No CommentsTags:customer service

Which is the real Simon Cowell – or famous star – on twitter?

October 8th, 2009 · Branding

“How do you know which is the real Simon Cowell on twitter? I want to follow him and there are lots to choose from.”

I was asked this question yesterday and had to confess I didn’t know. The ones that say “the real Simon Cowell” are no more likely to be right than the others.

It was easy to work out by following some of the links that they were not real. ..but it still didn’t answer the question about who is real.

Now I know the answer as it was revealed in an interview with Evan Williams who with Biz Stone and Jack Dorsey founded twitter.

Well-known people are verified on twitter and there is a blue tick / check mark to show which is the real one.

Look at Demi Moore. Looking at the Simon Cowell entries on twitter none of them have the blue verification sign. Could it be they have not verified him? Unlikely. The truth is that Simon Cowell is not on twitter at all. They are all fakes.

Shame. Some of them are quite realistic!

→ 2 CommentsTags:twitter

National Poetry Day contribution “Justice at Work”

October 8th, 2009 · Bit of a Rant, Inspiration, Uncategorized

It is National Poetry Day. Here is my contribution especially for anyone (male or female) who has suffered in a totalitarian work environment.

Hope you like it! Poetry is such a great way to express imaginative ideas.

Justice at work

As the bullies come near in the playground

I go quiet, neutral.

Skirt length unremarkable, occupied

Don’t catch their eye

Hold my breath, wishing

myself into the brick wall

While my friend more reckless

returns the stare, sticks out her tongue

and runs off laughing

Miraculously unscathed.

In the very important meeting

With the very important customer

the gang leader

takes credit for my report, my analysis, my concept.

I freeze.

Guilt shame confusion.

Six years old inside my

Adult body – not too geeky

Not too gorgeous. Unremarkable.

Why can’t I be like my friend!

Suddenly I need to throw

the fat smug bastard

through the sixteenth storey window

hoist with his own glass shard.

I need to ram the biros down

passive throats

tear my report into confetti,

stuff it into every orifice

celebrate!

So I make an innocent but

intelligent remark

in a variety of ways

relentlessly

persuasively

until they eventually

get it.

The power in the room shifts, creaks.

The mast of superiority re-angled

Over our flagship idea.

They’re groaning and dying from paper wound

Fountain pen poisoning

Laptop leprosy.

Slumped across desks, rigor mortis

Set in mid-sip

“No sugar dear

must watch the weight” still in the air

not swallowed.

While the icy wind knifes round

the room through the crazed

discordant hole where no crack is permitted

in toughened glass.

I walk on devastation

In my red stilettos

Fish net tights

Frothy skirt

Tailored jacket

Laughing

till I am dancing

on the board room table.

Me and my magic marker

return it all to order

Without sideways glance

or heartbeat missed.

Space is made for me.

I’ve made a difference

To me.

my peace is a piece of me

top of my agenda

none of their

business.

Me and my best friend run off

giggling

to blow raspberries

with our bubblegum

and leave ‘em standing.

→ 1 CommentTags:spark

Endings create the next beginning

September 3rd, 2009 · Inspiration

Endings are usually not as exciting as beginnings. I am often reminded of George Bernard Shaw’s comment about personal attraction: “any fool can start a love affair, but it takes a genius to end one successfully.”

My personal feeling is that getting the quality of the ending as good as possible prepares the best foundation for the next beginning.

I have been thinking about endings recently because my brothers and I have been clearing out what was effectively our parents’ home. Decisions have had to be made and actions taken but it has been important to acknowledge feelings. These have been made more complex because the surviving partner – my stepmother – is happily living a few miles away. It is not death which has been the catalyst but dementia.

Endings are important in business, too. We often think simply about “end of the month” or “end of the year” but there are many endings to get right.

1. Ending of a relationship with a customer. Relationships with customers can go sour or simply lose impact. Even if the customer is happy it is better to draw the relationship to a close (or create an exit opportunity) rather than simply continue to take money. Where a customer relationship goes wrong dignity and courage is needed to prevent on-going damage. As the business owner it is our responsibility to take the initiative, and create the appropriate ending so that both sides can win. Apart from creating good karma this makes excellent business sense as new relationships and referrals are more likely to follow. Sometimes it is better to lose the battle to win the war.

2. Finishing a Project. Very often one piece of business can flow into another leading to false assumptions. It is always better in my experience to conclude one phase, provide the feedback or the final phase of the project rather than simply bolting on the new one. In the corporate world this is less likely to happen, but in the small business market the urgency of the new is often very seductive to both sides.

3. Taking leave of peers and colleagues. I have recently left a networking group which I had been in for many years. During that time there were many leavings and remarkably few where the leaver left with an enhanced reputation. A courteous email or phone call which respects the relationships works wonders and is so simple. Leaving is normal, endings are normal, and we all want to say goodbye, or have a chance to say goodbye to others. Where colleagues left without a word both they and the group were at a disadvantage. Leaving provides a point of communication which can help to keep relationships alive in the next phase. In my experience the women were on the whole more capable of leaving well!

4. Completion of internal Focus or Campaign. Finishing one phase involves tidying up afterwards and thinking about what has happened. Your own approach can be looked at and of course testimonials sought, and the desk or files cleaned. This helps to bring one phase to a conclusion and combat overwhelm.

A period of downtime is needed before the next beginning. It is the equivalent of wiping the tools down with oil and checking the sharpness of the blades, or of finally looking round the newly decorated room before bringing in the furniture again. Particularly if you are a one man band business it is important to feel the sense of rhythm and re-charge the batteries which helps to keep the quality of work high.

5. End of the conversation. On the phone or at the end of the meeting it is woth giving some thought to the conclusion, so that both sides feel satisfied and there is a clear next step. At face to face networking events most of us have experienced the stare over the shoulder when somebody didn’t know how to get out of a conversation but was already planning an escape route. It doesn’t make anyone feel good.

An ending will always involve change, or loss. Many people think it will be easier to ignore endings or resist them so they can avoid change and difficult emotions. In fact if the emotions are not faced the ending is not complete, the spark in us dies, and the issues can continue to re-surface. Endings where the feelings have been experienced create the fuel for the next beginning and helps us to move forward with more confidence, competence and generosity. That helps our business to develop and attract the next level of customers and partners.

→ No CommentsTags:spark

Complimentary spam comments on your blog

August 8th, 2009 · Face to Face Networking, Social media, Uncategorized, Words

Spam comments that told a story and did not appear to be spam did fool me and Akismet, the spam terminator on WordPress. Because they were not just a bunch of dreary keywords, which I guess led back to a dubious site, I actually preferred deleting them. Well, if you are going to delete spam you might as well enjoy it!

Recently the comments thrown up by Akismet are more complimentary. They have been along the lines of “This is a very interesting post, please write more” or “This is a long and worthwhile post. I look forward to reading your next one.” or simply “Please write more”.

Am I flattered?

Of course!

Do I want to believe they are genuine?

Yes.

Do I actually think they are genuine?

No.. although some may be, and I don’t delete them all.

Recently I read a blog post by Michel Fortin the well-known copy-writer where he talks about instigating a zero tolerance approach to Fake Friendly Comments. As a well-known authority he receives a lot of genuine comments, and an enormous amount of spam comments which recently have been dressed up as compliments.

Now, thinking about it some more I realise when you first start out to comment on someone else’s blog it is in fact quite difficult to know what to say. You don’t know how the blog writer will respond, and as a normal good natured human you do want to spread good around the world. And despite everything that goes on via the internet, most people are good natured!

So writing a complimentary sentence or two is a natural first step. After all you wouldn’t force your way into some else’s house unless invited in, and caution is an appropriate response.

So the spam writers have been clever. They have in fact caught what happens in real life.. where people do make vague compliments about each other. Whether you are writing or receiving a comment on a blog or getting comments that value your business the easiest ones to write are generally non-specific and broadly complimentary. eg

” I have worked with ABC company for years and they are very good.”

“I would recommend John Smith highly.”

“XYZ company are my first choice”

This is the sort of thing people say in real life. Very often they are the types of comment that my clients think will look good on their website. They may have tried to get something more substantial from their clients, but they have waited a long time. The trouble is these comments don’t look real .. even if they are .. and – even worse – they are not interesting to read.

There are no details, no rough edges, no interesting snippets that bring in some life. Nothing about WHO the writer is, HOW the company has helped, WHAT has changed – with real figures, or real results, WHEN it all took place, or indeed WHY there was a problem at all.

Once some of these details are written down, the vaguely complimentary comment becomes a great deal more lively. It is more interesting to read, and becomes of use to the prospective buyer.

“ABC’s financial knowledge has helped us increase profitability by 12% each of the 5 years we have been in business.”

“John Smith’s design work has allowed us to bring in bigger target customers and position the company more confidently in our sector.”

XYZ have consistently cleaned our offices to a high standard. We have moved to larger premises in Anytown a number of times and they are the number one company we call each time.”

In fact it may be quite a relief to just tell the truth and not have to be complimentary at all!

So too with blogs. While a warm tone is of course preferable as the conversation is more interactive, responding to the meat of the blog post is preferable to a vaguely complimentary sentence.

It also means that your comment looks more authentic and is less likely to be deleted as spam.

→ 1 CommentTags:authentic·blog

Dragons’ Den – best entrepreneur yet

July 23rd, 2009 · Inspiration

What a pleasure to watch Dragon’s Den last night on BBC TV and see admiration from the dragons for one of the entrepreneurs.

While it is obviously good television to have them be abusive to the hopefuls it does not do the image of business much good. The dragons look cold and you feel embarrassed for the participants.

Last night was a shot of business inspiration. The dragons were full of praise for a professional confident women who had already achieved a great deal.

What was even more refreshing was that Sharon Wright was not arrogant about her success. In fact at one point she said that she was not very proud of what she had done in the last two years. Deborah Meaden immediately told her that she was fantastic and that all the dragons thought she had done extremely well.

The dragons were impressed that:

she had developed a product from her idea
already made sales
with additional orders in hand
and big plans for global expansion
she made a confident pitch
was clear about who she wanted to work with

She was offered the money she wanted (£50,000) by Theo Paphites who described his offer as insurance, and by Deborah Meaden who wanted the opportunity for herself. This allowed the programme to have some inter-dragon rivalry which is the best TV of all.

Peter Jones decided not to invest. Not because he didn’t want to invest, but because he felt that Duncan Bannatyne and James Caan would be the most appropriate dragons to work with. Sharon herself had identified Duncan and James, so that made sense. However I don’t remember seeing such altruism on the programme before. ..which was another spark of inspiration.

The drama was that James and Duncan had to go to the back of the room and work out a deal. Of course they weren’t going to offer exactly what she wanted. They are self made millionaires and are unlikely to do what is expected .

Another unusual part of this feel-good scenario was that they offered more than the original request (£80,000 not £ 50,000), but for that they wanted not 15% of the business, but 25%

It was then Sharon’s turn to go to the back of the room and decide between the three offers.

She came back with the wonderful comment that she was a businesswoman and would negotiate: she would take the money but only for 20% of the business.

Dragon’s counter offer: 22.5%.

Deal struck.

The satisfying aspect of this scenario was that the dragons were impressed with the numbers, with her clarity, and with her as a person.

Peter Jones suggested that the money was not needed, but Sharon wanted a better quality of life. She was not afraid of working all hours but wanted more time off, and -even more interesting – she wanted somebody at the end of the phone to help her with difficult decisions.

Best of all as a viewer it looked as though she had achieved all this and worked round the clock BUT had a great relationship with her 12 year old daughter who she described as her biggest fan.

In fact when interviewed by Evan Davies afterwards she made the comment that her daughter would be so proud.

Wow. Business success and good relationship- it was extremely moving to watch.

We saw all the life stages of a business through the programme.

Sharon saw the business opportunity (threading cable through cavity walls), got the product made, got orders, had plans for global expansion and subsequent products, worked hard, and with huge support from those closest.

And finally she received more funding than she asked for from rich experienced businesspeople who wanted to help her succeed. She was treated as a respected equal by the dragons.

Not only is she female, but she is a single mum. What an inspiration.

This is business rather than endless stories about bankers.

→ 2 CommentsTags:female entrepreneur·TV

Google brand gains from 40 year space anniversary

July 22nd, 2009 · Branding

Google is making the most of the 40 year anniversary of Apollo 11 on 16th July. Data from the space missions together with information from NASA is introduced by astronauts who went into space.

This information about space is presented as an extension of Google Earth, so effectively Google lets you look around all corners of the world. The Moon section is selected within Google Earth.

Anniversaries are always an opportunity for renewed interest about a subject, and it is no surprise that Google has launched this feature to coincide with the space anniversary.

This helps Google take its brand into the stratosphere and:

demonstrates Google as a major player in partnership with NASA and the folk-hero astronauts

subliminally gives the message that Google is master of Space as well as Earth.

The direct benefits are that Google will capitalise on and contribute to search phrases and news stories about the space anniversary.

This information about space looks much more like an identified product than the other services available from Google.

I wonder what is next…

→ 1 CommentTags:anniversary

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Spark into Marketing

Small business marketing ideas and inspiration

Not just an anniversary a Marks and Spencers 125 year anniversary

October 19th, 2009 · Marketing

Online road tax renewal- good customer service from DVLA

October 9th, 2009 · Inspiration

Which is the real Simon Cowell – or famous star – on twitter?

October 8th, 2009 · Branding

National Poetry Day contribution “Justice at Work”

October 8th, 2009 · Bit of a Rant, Inspiration, Uncategorized

Endings create the next beginning

September 3rd, 2009 · Inspiration

Dragons’ Den – best entrepreneur yet

July 23rd, 2009 · Inspiration

Google brand gains from 40 year space anniversary

July 22nd, 2009 · Branding

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