Sir Richard Branson will speak at business 2012

How is your business going to develop in 2012?

Learning from experts like Sir Richard Branson who have created great success is one of the best ways to get inspired about taking your business forward.

Business 2012 is a free conference with over 500 events where you can listen to business gurus such as Sir Richard Branson,  Lord Sugar and many many others.  All topics are covered and are aimed at areas that are of vital importance whether you are a start up, and sme (small to medium sized business) or a medium sized business.

This is an important event for the UK.  It is sponsored by Blackberry, (smartphones) Regus (serviced offices) and the Daily Telegraph Business Club (inspiration and how-to for smaller businesses).  Take advantage of what is offered and plan a trip to the O2 from Sunday 18th – Tuesday 20th March.

You can listen to keynote speeches, attend seminars and go to workshops.  The website is a joy – simple and well laid out, and you are encouraged to plan your visit.  This is of course best practise and ensures you get to hear the people who interest you.  The other aspect that is important is to be clear what you hope to gain from being present.

Tactics are most likely to be covered in practical workshops where you can take what you learn and apply it to your business. Strategies for the direction of your business may be more likely to be revealed in seminars, and inspiration and motivation from keynote speeches.  The other gain from listening to well-respected experts is that you will gain credibility with your clients.  You can pass on ideas in newsletters and blog posts, and position yourself more strongly simply by mentioning in conversations that you heard them speak.  Your name becomes associated with the well-nown name in the mind of your client or prospect.

I have heard quite a number of the speakers and am looking forward to hearing what they have to say for 2012.  the economy is unlikely to improve quickly, so it is our responsibility to make our own economy as good as possible.

Secure your tickets for Business 2012 now. When planning your visit bear in mind that the first day – 18th March – is Mother’s Day.

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Self employed women in business gain from support

The survey by the Institute of Leadership and Management was asking about  ambition and gender at work. Some of the findings indicated that women are holding themselves back…and not a glass ceiling created by a male-dominated culture.

Obviously what the survey could not validate was whether feeling less confident equated with a poor performance in reality. But this has to be the question.  Maybe those who are aware of self doubt simply have higher standards?

People with more imagination can imagine things going wrong, while those with less do not anticipate problems.  In fact the fear can be part of the experience.  The really scary thing can be what is important.  To quote uber marketer and thinker Seth Godin “if it scares you that is the signal that you should do it” on David Siteman Garland’s interview

I find that many female small business owners are honest enough to admit to feelings of lack of self confidence.

Sometimes they cannot see what is special about themselves, sometimes those qualities have not yet been validated with money and status so seem unimportant, and sometimes they need inspiration or challenge.

However once they get support and validation, they go on to take risks and realise their potential.

And of course the great advantage of being self employed is that nobody else is making the rules about the priorities between work and home life.

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Employees and business owners take their holidays in August, so how could it be a great time for your small business?  These seven ideas will help your marketing and your business spark generally.

1. You can create a link by having the “have you been away/ have you stayed at home/ what did you do / how was it? conversation. The more links you have with your prospects and clients the more they will feel you understand them, and that they know like and trust you.  Of course similar experiences, likes and dislikes make for better quality links.
2. Holidays are associated with postcards – so send some!  A postcard will have more impact than an email.  You can send some to employees, to suppliers, and customers.  The message can be very relevant to your business and / or simply fun.  Of course you need to have their addresses.  Sending a few real hand-written hand posted cards with real stamps from a real place is the most authentic way to do it, or you can prepare a printed postcard with a hand-written font, take them with you and post them while you are away.
3. August is a great time for sending out real live letters which is an extension on the post card idea.  Why?  Because during the holiday season we feel we owe it to ourselves to enjoy things more.  A letter that is enjoyable to read and has a clear call to action stands a better chance of being noticed. Of course if you include a physical lumpy “thing” it is even more interesting and certainly more enjoyable than facing an overloaded email inbox.  Anything that is not an urgent problem or a message from a friend may simply get lost in email overload on re-entry.
4. Make those difficult phone calls because the unreachable person may be easier to reach during August.  They may pick up the phone or even be covering someone else’s phone.  A business owner covering reception duty is wired for action and decision-making not simply passing on messages.  Phoning in the holiday season is higher risk but every so often you get a winning result.
5. Clearing up is easier to do if normal business life is on hold.  Putting names on databases, catching up with invoicing or reconciling accounts, doing research, reducing the paperwork mountain or simply reading relevant magazines, blogs and social media are all excellent ways of getting that firm foundation so your business can move forward and grow in the Autumn.
6. Take time off to improve the quality of your thinking. Of course relaxation is the real point of a holiday! The problem is that if we get more and more stressed and overstretched the less capable we are of taking time off.  In fact like the hot frog in gradually heating water we do not even realise we are not operating at our best.  Relaxation becomes difficult but so does real focus and concentration.  When “forced” to do nothing and enjoy a holiday the phone and laptop often go along as well as a form of anxious defence, or alternatively illness can strike.  I have lost count of the business owners who felt uneasy without their constant checking mechanisms but once they began to relax became aware of how tense they had previously been.  A jump start like reading a wonderful book, taking exciting exercise, playing a boisterous game with the children can bring that first release.
7. As a business owner, however, you are unlikely to completely switch off for long..even if everything is covered at the office.   The chances are you have a lively mind and are interested in doing things better. Once you have begun to relax your interest will be sparked by new ideas and new opportunities.  Stay in brainstorm mode and just collect the business ideas in a small notebook or on a table napkin.  It only need take a minute or two, but the quality of your thinking is likely to be more creative and confident.  Edit and refine later when you are planning the next stage.

Whether you take a four week holiday or just the odd afternoon here and there the most important thing is to switch off.  It is the best investment you can make in your best business asset. The more you invest in you the easier others will do so, too.

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How could a business owner benefit from the programme?

Mary herself comes across as very authentic and natural.  She doesn’t do consultant-speak, she is very unstuffy and wears cool funky clothes (I especially like the ankle boots!) , she gets up early cheerfully if she has to, and she is sensitive to others feelings but not afraid of confrontation, nor of saying when she feels down.  Above all the has a great energy and sense of purpose…and a sense of humour!  All very refreshing and a good role model.

She operated in the real world and was on top of the facts. She said that 5000 small shops closed last year, and that half the number of greengrocers exist now compared to ten years ago, despite the fact that in the UK we spend 8 billion on fruit and veg a year.  Plus the salient point that sales of local produce have increased by a third, and that the veg box market is worth £ 170m.

She enrolled others in the vision and kept going despite setbacks.  One sister was on board with the new ideas (so she suggested she be in change) one was resistant to all change, and one was on the fence.  I was particularly impressed that she commented on the lack of enthusiasm even while they were in Harrods Food Hall, and was happy to challenge.

The shop moved from undifferentiated to specialist. Doing one thing well (providing quality local produce to the local community) made the shop better and more relevant than the supermarket.  Dominating a niche as a specialist is more effective than being generalist.

The personalities of the sisters became part of the brand rather than simply being all about the fruit and veg.  It made the shop more memorable with the new logo and photographs compared with its previous incarnation or a supermarket.  Small businesses naturally have loads of personality.

The physical premises became more inviting. With Mary’s magic wand and money from either the BBC or her company the shop became  more contemporary and more values-based. Local prodice was not only sourced but also described more fully.  Customers were invited to come in to a welcoming space, to read, to come to the launch party, and of course to take action and buy.

The owners’ assumptions about their customers were challenged. The sisters were shocked by the negative attitude of shoppers in the supermarket “before” and couldn’t believe “after” that providing what they thought customer wanted would be acceptable.  A woman said she would pay £ 10 – not the £8 they had imagined, and one man on the step of his house said that he would enjoy receiving a surprise box of fruit and veg for the week.  Mary made the most of this by giving him a hug!  Sometimes businesses have to listen (and it can be tough) and sometimes take the lead, and this was a lovely example.

I am sure there were other aspects which will occur to me at some point.

Did you watch the programme?  What did you like about it?

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1.  Sales made.

How much did you sell and invoice this month?  And the all-important cashflow question about the cash received?  Who still owes what?  What is the lifetime value of your customer?

It is also important to look at where the money was made.  Which products / services are selling best?  Which are bringing you in most profit?  How did those customers find you?  What words were put into the search engines to find your website?  Time and money are never in sufficient supply, so go with what is working best, and do more of it.

2.  Money spent

Each end of the month is an opportunity to complete the month in terms of expenses, and I am far more interested in doing this if the information is fresh and new.  (In fact if it is old I get very bored!).  So I go through credit card payments, bank statements, and my diary to make sure nothing is forgotten.  As a general principle  I try to file away receipts as they occur, and enter the information on the spreadsheets.  Doesn’t always work of course, but there is nothing worse than having to go through ancient receipts a year later.  It is also an opportunity to question the value of where the money has gone.

3. On track / off track?

Are you meeting your targets?  Are you heading in the right direction even if more slowly than you hoped?  Sometimes opportunities are too good to turn down, and sometimes they are the entrepreneur’s curse, where the new is more interesting than the current idea.  In addition to sales targets it is good to be clear about the type of business you operate which makes decision-making much easier.

Facing the truth of the situation helps to keep the business in touch with reality.

4.  New brilliant ideas.

Entrepreneurs have more brilliant ideas than most people!  Write them down so you don’t lose them, and get them expressed as much as possible.  Half completed ideas can absorb energy so either do them, or record them.  Once a month look through the ideas for inspiration and remind yourself who is boss.

Whether it is more entry level products, more high end services or a completely different way of looking at your business, get the ideas on to paper or out in the open.

5.  New contacts made.

New contacts are the lifeblood of next month or next year.  In addition to prospective customers, and new customers, your existing contacts may have a new relationship with you.  A good customer may become a referrer, a “competitor” may become a business partner, you may have found a mentor, a board member, a preferred supplier.  Tracking what has happened helps with what you want to happen.

6.  What did we learn?

Market research never stops.  Who is buying, why they buy, what’s new, how we are changing.  You can do SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) and PEST (Political, Economic, Social and Technical changes) analysis, but keeping current and articulating the changes is one step closer to being in touch with your market and your business. You change, too,

7. Destroy something.

Yes, it is good for you!  Paperwork, emails in the inbox, partnerships, customers, businesses,advertisements that are not working, products, all have shelf life.  Gardeners have to cut and prune to get the right stuff to grow.   As the business owners the only job is see the wood for the trees.  Removing some trees will help others to grow.

8. Choose what to grow

Focus on a definite project or projects to help accountability, and makes success more likely.  You might decide to grow your email list, or your Pay per Click account before holding the workshop.  You might decide to spend the month looking for a certain number of speaking engagements, or meeting important clients.  Whether you do the work yourself or outsource it will have to be managed.  Having a definite target and monitoring helps keep a sense of purpose, and a business you want to work in.  Weeds will grow by themselves, but an apple orchard or rose garden will have to be nurtured!

9. The end of / the start of..

Campaigns and projects are a useful way to make the most of end of/ start of  energy.    The campaign is likely to run for more than a month but there will be different activities to monitor as it develops.

The end of the day, the week, the month, the end of the quarter, the end of the year, of the decade are all opportunities to take stock and learn, even though  the end of the month doesn’t always happen at the end of the month.

Each new month, quarter, year or decade brings new opportunities and a fresh start which gives you the energy to go out and do something amazing!

10.  Celebrate every success.

If the figures on the white board add up, if you receive a fantastic compliment, if your visitors comment on your blog – whatever it is – celebrate.  It builds the “can do” muscle and gets you in the habit of achieving and thinking positively.  Then the sky is the limit.

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Marketing ideas can be big or small, short term or long term.  They may lead to a marketing plan or to the trial of an idea but either way they take you forward.  Going forward is essential to business life.   To mis-quote Bob Dylan if your business is not getting ideas and busy being born it is busy dying..

But creative ideas tend not to come to us in an orderly way.  It is important to be constantly alert for them, and write them down.  As entrepreneurs we tend to have more ideas per moment than most, and one way of combating any sense of overwhelm or frustration is to record all ideas without judgement, and then process them afterwards.  The ideas will be a treasure trove for ways to improve customer service, (or your life), develop new products and ranges, as well as find  new clients.

The spark and the energy of the new idea is  nurtured.  New ideas often meet resistance – whether from your work or home team – so give them some breathing space before they get out into the world.

What is the point of marketing ideas?

Marketing ideas help your small business to communicate what is special your offer (and you) so that the right people buy more easily more often.  The right marketing ideas help the buying decision to happen more effortlessly.  You have more fun being you, and you make more money so you can make more difference.  Pretty good, huh?

When do you find marketing ideas?

When you are more relaxed.  The shower or the bath is one of the best places – think of Archimedes shouting Eureka ( I have found it) when he was in the bath, or Newton – not slaving away but sitting under an apple tree – when the idea of gravity occurred to him.  It is important to have periods of relaxation during the day.  They give your subconscious a chance to get to work, and you stop getting in your own way.

How do you find marketing ideas?

Go out and about and keep your eyes open.  Watch how people behave when they are buying stuff even if it has nothing to do with your business.  Ideas from other markets can easily work in your own.  Note down anything that seems interesting.  then give yourself a period of time to reflect. Sit in a cafe on your own, read the paper, listen and watch.

If you have a marketing problem get clear first on the problem.  Maybe you want more customers, perhaps you sense that you are not presenting your business as a benefit to your customer, perhaps you need some new product ideas.  The worst way to solve it is by getting desperate – ideas and solutions seem to disappear.

Write out the situation as clearly as you can.   There may be some emotion behind what you are saying to yourself, and it is good to get clear on that, too.   Sometimes we can be simply unaware of what voices are talking in our heads!    Write down the exact words you are saying to yourself and notice the tone of voice you are using.  Simply looking at those words and getting a sense of the emotion will help.  It could be anger, frustration, or sadness, fear or excitement…your emotion will affect the response.

Then write the problem out again as briefly and unemotionally as possible.  Reduce it almost to a formula.  See if you agree with it when it is written out, and if not, do it again to reduce it to its simplest form.  Then shut your notebook and go out and lhave a great day.

Ideas will start to come to you.  By recording them (no matter how crazy) you tell your subconscious to carry on working for you, and you will soon be an organic ideas farm and more and more ideas will flow and later you can choose from the best ones.

When do the marketing ideas come to you?

When you least expect it!  Your subconscious (and the reticular activation part of your brain) can do far more work for you when not constantly interrupted by your conscious mind interfering.  So, as we have said, a relaxed state of mind is the best.  You could be driving back from seeing a client, feeling relaxed when suddently you get a brilliant idea about how to structure the website better.  It may surprise you that is is so simple, and you could wonder why you have not thought of it before.  Be grateful you have had the idea, and write it down.When I have reached my destination I often have a quick refresh of my mind to see what I have been thinking about, and discover all kinds of good marketing ideas. .. and yes, note them down on paper, otherwise I will forget them.  Drawings and doodles are good, too, as they come from the more imaginative side of the brain.

The simple act of clearing ideas out of your mind helps enormously to remind you that you have good ideas, and helps you to act on them, too.

You could be cooking a meal and not thinking about anything when suddenly the question you really need to ask your clients jumps fully formed into your mind.  Or you could be on the point of waking up and you realise that the words for your strap line have arrived!  Walking and other forms of physical exercise are good especially if there is an element of rhythm as it seems to soothe the brain and get you into that relaxed state.

Marketing ideas achieved through this process usually have more vitality and are more sustainable than ideas generated simply through will-power.

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The best gift you could give your business is some inspired marketing.

On the twelfth day of Christmas my true love (that’s you!) gave to me(your business):

12 Twelve months of the year to plan newsletters, special national days, anniversaries and to establish the rhythmn of your business.  Finding an anniversary can be a good way to smooth out any seasonal imbalances. .. and break down any assumptions you may have aboutyour customers buying patterns.

On the eleventh day of christmas my true love (well, you know who that is, now!) gave to me(you know what) :

11 pipers piping out my marketing messages. There are so many pipers available and together they makes more music.  Social media is still becoming more and more popular (facebook has the population of the third biggest country in the world, after all) so make it happen for you.  Face to face networking where you see the whites of their eyes, can read the body language, and be seen and heard most completely is still the first marketing option for many start ups. Write white papers, send email newsletters, or drip out your email courses, PR ( on line and in your vertical markets)can be amazing, advertising: local, pay per click, or in your sector, SEO and on page web optimisation, Web 2.0, blogging and interacting in the blogosphere, directories, videos, teleseminars, webinars, not forgetting direct mail – which has more impact these days – and of course referrals from satisfied customers.

10 lords or satisfied customers leaping around saying how good your work is. More than that, how much you understand what they think  and give them the solutions they want.  Who are your top ten customers and what do they want?  Ask them!

9 ladies dancing. Cars and boats always used to be called “she” and the man who fixed my roof recently referred to my house as “her” and it sounded really friendly!  What do your customers think of your car, your office, your desk, your comfortable chair?  Everything you have is part of your brand and could be dancing for you.  What about your laptop or notebook, the pen you sign the contract with, your shoes, your bag, your jacket, handkerchief?

8 headlines milking the conversation in your customer’s mind.   Headlines on webpages, brochures and emails do a lot of the hard work and work their cash cow thang.  Write 8 during this holiday period so you are ready.

7 steps that take your customers they want to be. Seven is a magical number,  Identify the magical seven steps for one of your headlines and let it out into the world.

6 eggs that have been laid since last year. You will be increasing the asset value of your business year on year.  What are the top six assets that you have developed in your business over the past 12 months?  It doesn’t have to be technical equipment which is how we often think of assets.  Your contact list, products, improved systems, new website, better metrics are all assets, too.

5 go-o-ld things that save your business money and time. New technology means you can do more with less better and faster.  From low-cost email marketing so you know who is opening your emails, to easier websites, IT offered as a service for a lower monthly cost, outsourcing rather than taking on new employees, as well as all the talent available to help you grow your business.  There are many ways to make the recession irrelevant. The ipod, iPad or iPhone could be saving you valuable time and energy.

4 Quarterly plans (to stay on track). Of course planning doesn’t mean you will automatically achieve everything you want, but I am surprised how often it happens.  Getting clear is the first step.  It can be a lonely as an entrepreneur and planning improves your ability to make the most of a team.

3 values that say it all. The sub-text, the hallmark, the special aroma, the spark that you bring to the world that is uniquely you, and communicate powerfully.  It is why people choose to be with you, work with you, like you and trust you.  When we are confident it all happens naturally, but by thinking about it consciously you can generate consistency and be more memorable. (And make more money more easily)

Image by cassie_bedfordgolf via Flickr

When explorers first went to remote parts of the world they often planted their national flag to claim the land.  What part of the internet are you claiming?  You may have more than two phrases what are the top two?

Finally:  on the first day of Christmas my true love (me) turned up to give to me (my way of creating money and value in the world/ my business) one partridge plus pear tree.

What is this gift?  One thing that can fly around,  and one that stays still and grows and bears fruit. They have been delivered to your snow covered doorstep as a package.  All businesses need the running around and the staying still.  Active and passive, doing and thinking, yin and yang, extravert and introvert.

Is your business unbalanced?  Do both sides of you get representation at your (very) senior management meetings? Have you got someone who is on your wave length who naturally contributes what is less natural for you?

In modern times retail Christmas seems to last from Hallowe’en at the end of October till December 24th.  But traditionally the twelve days  went from Christmas Day till January 6th.  So once Christmas Day is past you are still in holiday mood right through the New Year and into the first week.

Thinking is probably the most valuable gift you can give your business.  If you want some help with the foundation thinking about getting the spark into your marketing check out this ecourse.

Enjoy your precious twelve days of Christmas!

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This spreads the social media love, helps people acknowledge each other, and – at heart – reminds everyone what twitter is about.

Fridays are special days for finding your spark!

Fridays have always had a special place in the working week. There is the sense of anticipation and the fact that most people unclench a little and relax.

And, by magic, Friday can often be the day when

I can remember “Dress down Friday” when permission was given to come into work in jeans and the atmosphere at coffee time was like a party. People chatted about their plans for the weekend , connected better, and sometimes averted disaster by feeling more confident to ask for help or pass on information.

Further back, Fridays used to be called POETS day: PXXX Off Early Tomorrow’s Saturday. I first heard this from hard-bitten salesmen continually on the road who would engineer their calls to be near home on a Friday. It was quite an adversarial approach with the underlying implication that “they” wouldn’t notice – and possibly that “they” wouldn’t buy.

If you are the boss of your own small business there is no “they” who run the business, there is only “I”, and in fact it is unhelpful to think of customers as “they” when in fact “we” can achieve miracles.

For small businesses who enjoy their work there is no such thing as a Friday afternoon product. Fridays – instead of releasing you from the hell that is work – are a fantastic opportunity to think more deeply or simply do more stuff.

I remember when I was selling solar electric products my sales partner and I would love that Friday feeling. The chances of getting more sales increased because you could slip under the radar and engage as human beings as the defences went down. It was lie-back-in-the-chair time and chat, not stand up and pace, and the results were surprising.

If it seems difficult to focus on your own business development, rather than your customer’s needs, try making Friday a day for you.

Let me know how you get on!

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Is the the same-size company offering a broadly similar service?
Is it the bigger competitor with a well established brand name and deeper pockets who can afford to pay more to get a client?
Is it the hundred other ways that the money can be spent?

No, the biggest competitior is simply inertia.

It may not be anything as concrete as a definite NO but simply the inability or unwillingness to take a decision at all. It is said that in the corporate world it took 18 months to get a decision, which has probably stretched out a whole lot longer in the recession.

Modern sales techniques are all about qualifying the prospect so that these hidden time-wasters are eliminated. If you can get a “NO” from a potential client that is a much more energising result than a “maybe.”

So what do you do with the “maybe” type of prospects? (And indeed, the ones who said No).

You develop the relationship. You get prepared for the long haul and speak to them in the way they want to hear. You weave them effortlessly into all your marketing communications so they feel they get to know you.

You give them valuable information which they can take away and use. They will remember that the information came from you. Next time they hear from you they will feel indebted to you… and the chances of them coming to you to buy is dramatically increased.

Pain and pleasure are the big motivating factors at every stage. Excitement will make them want to be part of your world, and scarcity or fear will moitvate them so they don’t miss out.

Inertia is a big deal. Prepare. Small business marketing can be brillliantly effective when planned with inertia in mind.

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The point of the task was to sell the products at the right price. With hindsight the best approach would have been to get the items valued and prioritise the sales activity in order of value. The winning team showed this dilemma with stark clarity. The team leader assumed that the carpet, (the most valuable product) was worth little, with Lorraine, a team member thinking it was valuable. She however was trying to be more amenable this week to stay in the game so did not push her views. No evidence was gained for the valuation, and the action was based purely on instinct. Not uncommon in business!

The context for the task is of course that often The Apprentice is about selling as much as fast as possible. Getting into action and just going for it.

In business there is often the lure of action because it brings the sense of acheiving something. In fact staying with the discomfort of identifying the strategy longer usually results in more effective action.

My recollections are of the struggle between the urgency of releasing new product and turning the investment into cash, versus the need to hone the product and the marketing to make sure it found the right audience at the right price point. Sales people on one extreme and Research and Development on the other.

It is the perennial battle in small business where results matter and pockets have limits.

Good to see it on the screen.

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