Month: February 2014

Whether your marketing material is an advert in a magazine, a website or a triple-fold flyer, there are some basic principles that remain true about your marketing content, whatever format you use. Here are my top tips

1)      First and foremost, make sure you’ve told people what you’re selling, what they can expect if they buy from you, and how you’ll solve their problems or fulfil their desires. This should make up ¾ of your content. If this interests them, they will read on. This should be more prominent even than your company name – if someone is interested in what you can offer, they’ll look closer to find out who you are.

2)      Marketing is not about you or your business – it’s about what you offer. Don’t make the first thing you tell people how many years you’ve been trading or how great your work is. After all, when you go to see a doctor, do you ask them what grade they got in their finals or who they’ve successfully cured in the past? Or is the only thought in your head about what they’re going to do to make you better? Only do the ‘about us’ bit once you’ve already got their attention.

3)      Include a call to action – tell people what you want them to do, ‘call me’, ‘e-mail to book an appointment’, and so on.

4)      And critically… make it easy for them to contact you! All your contact details need to stand out, be clearly visible and easy to find. No difficult-to-make-out fonts, no small type, and all the details: phone number, e-mail, address if appropriate. Don’t assume that all potential customers will be happy to e-mail you  or fill out a contact form – some may still prefer to speak to you

We held a Marketing Training Morning at Wolverhampton Novotel yesterday. Many thanks to all who attended – we hope you found it enjoyable and useful. We will be running another marketing training session in six months – full details will be released in due course. In the meantime, here is a selection of the feedback that we received:

 “I liked it that the advice was personalised to my business”

“the training was hands on and left me with a plan of action”

“It helped me to be definite about our unique selling point and what our key message is”

“it got me to think about where else my customers shop”

“I liked the interaction with the other attendees”

“one of the best parts was hearing from other business people with the same issues”

“the training was enjoyable and held my attention”

Our next training morning is on the subject of ‘Sales – helping you to close more deals’ and will be held at Wolverhampton Novotel on June 2^nd, costing £45 plus VAT per person. E-mail Doug@exec-tc.com to book your place.

Business Coaching is not waving a magic wand and making business owners’ problems disappear. Like all forms of coaching and training, it is about equipping clients with business skills, or enhancing them, so that they know what they need to do to make their business work for them now and for the future. Here is an example:

On the video from the night of our book launch, you will see Mel Riley, a friend and occasional client, describing what resulted from a Free Business Review that I did with her a couple of years ago. As is often the case, I talked to Mel a great deal about what her life goals were: what she would wish for if wishes could be granted. Mel’s wish was modest: she wanted to achieve a healthy work/life balance, with both time and money readily available for fun and relaxation, kept in balance with her work helping and supporting her clients, which is also very important to her. Knowing that, I was able to identify what business practices could be changed to help her to achieve this.

Like many business owners, Mel suffered from excessive modesty and was relying solely on word-of-mouth for marketing, rather than promoting her counselling services actively, not liking to be pushy. Together, we looked at areas of her market place that could be developed. Mel had worked in schools in the past and knew this arena, so I managed to persuade her to introduce herself to the local schools by sending letters with her flyers. This resulted in two schools taking her on.

I also had to persuade Mel to review her pricing structure to reflect of the wealth of experience and expertise that she offers to her clients. Again, like many, she was undervaluing herself for fear of pricing herself out of the market – in fact, by not placing yourself at the bottom of your market, you are giving your customers an indication that they are paying for quality services or goods.

Armed with this advice, Mel had picked up new clients in a matter of weeks, and was well on her way to making her wishes come true. She’s proven to be a keen and diligent pupil, and I’m proud to have facilitated the great things that she’s achieved.

Here is the story in her own words:

“I am self-employed and I suddenly lost one of my contracts due to funding cuts and felt much panic. I knew I had to do something but I didn’t really know what that something was.  A friend suggested using a business coach who was in her network group and gave me his number.

 I called Doug for a free consultation, and, if I am honest, I didn’t expect to like him. I was expecting someone pushy, who would give me the hard sell. I was convinced I would just have the free consultation and send him on his way. When Doug turned up, I found I couldn’t have been more wrong. Doug listened and understood where I was coming from. The morning flew by and before long I had a big to do list.  I had found the something I needed and just knowing I was doing something pro-active made me feel much better. cloud hosting info  I had a plan to get this show back on the road, I am a woman who likes a plan. Some of the ideas Doug gave me, and some were my own that I had not put into practice. 

 Using a business coach gives you the following

 1) Support and understanding that makes you feel less alone.

2) A coach can give you fresh ideas that you might not have thought of

3) Can help increase your confidence to get your ideas off the ground.

4) It makes you accountable so you don’t put things off or avoid them.

5) A business coach can keep you motivated or get you back on track.

 I have not only gained a business coach but a good friend. He has more than paid for himself and I would thoroughly encourage anyone who is struggling to invest in some support. There is no obligation to keep Doug and you can send him packing after your free review, but I suspect, just like me, you may decide to keep him.”

Mel Riley

Psychotherapist in Private Practice