HR Diversity Blog

Marketing Mistake - 4

2010-11-18T01:37:00.000-08:00

Launching Into Your Sales And Marketing Without Preparation.

"If you fail to prepare you are preparing to fail."

Nothing could be more true with Sales and Marketing.

For example, I could show you literally hundreds of different sales letters sent by businesses, which are so poorly written it would be a miracle if a response was generated.

This is the norm.

It is extremely rare that you see any sales letter or other marketing tool even close to average in standard. The sole reason for this is a lack of preparation.

Your sales and marketing are your "building blocks." You must build them step-by-step, peice-by-peice. This does take time initially but the rewards are astounding if you take the time to get them right and include all the important elements that are needed to achieve success.

I don't care what products or services you are selling, you need to go through the same preparation as the next person. The one difference is your content - the stuff that makes you unique. But every good sales letter has a headline, a PS, testimonials, a strong offer etc. The same can be said about any other marketing tool you choose to use. Each needs to be prepared in the same way. And each will be much improved if only people took the time to prepare.

There is a sporting analogy to explain this point further:

A friend used to play professional rugby for a well known team - one of the most successful rugby teams in Europe. Prior to each match on a Saturday afternoon, they would train 10 to 12 times between Sunday and Friday.

They would watch numerous videos on their opponents. They would discuss tactics, which were closely aligned to the strengths of their opponents, and also focused on their opponent's weaknesses.

They had strict diets. They were told what they could drink and what they couldn't drink. And they were told when to rest and when to sleep.

Preparation was a religion. This amounted to approximately 6 whole days of preparation for an 80 minute match on a Saturday afternoon.

They won 90% of their matches each season. They won the league and they won the knock out cup competitions.

How do you think they would have fared if they'd turned up to the match on a Saturday afternoon without all this preparation?

It goes without saying that you must be this clinical in your preparation if your business is to grow at the rate you want it to. Far too often we rush into doing things without planning and preparing. And then we wonder why our results are so poor.

So, Prepare to Win!

Published by courtesy of Alchemy Network Ltd.

Marketing Mistake - 3

2010-11-17T10:03:00.000-08:00

Not Using All 7 'Profit Multipliers'

How many ways do you think there are to grow a business? You may be surprised to learn there are just 7 ways. Each one of these is what we call a 'Profit Multiplier.'

You must use all 7 to successfully grow your business. If you do I guarantee your business will reach or at least get very close to its potential very quickly.

It is my estimation that your are using only one or possibly two of these Business Growth Multipliers (and these could be improved significantly). Here they are:

1. Lead Generation - Getting more qualified leads.
2. Improving conversion rate.
3. Increasing average sales value.
4. Increasing Profit Margin.
5. Increasing the number of purchases.
6. Increasing Customer Loyalty.
7. More referrals from Customers.

There are numerous proven strategies you can apply to massively improve each of these 7 key areas, and by combining the power of each multiplier you have the ability to grow your business to heights you never thought were possible.

If you would appreciate some help and support in implementing the 7 Business Growth Areas just call this website on 01793 338888.

Published by courtesy of Alchemy Networks Ltd

Marketing Mistake - 2

2010-11-17T09:48:00.000-08:00

Not Having A Unique Selling Proposition (USP)

This will knock your socks off!

This is by far the most common mistake people make. USP is the one thing that differentiates you or your business from your competitors in the minds of your clients and prospects. Your USP is what makes the difference between having a truly outstanding business or a faltering one.

Often your USP can be found in your business - you just need to articulate it in a way that makes you stand out from the crowd. I can't stress enough how important this is to you. How can you expect your clients or customers to be able to choose you, over and above any of your competitors, if they can't quickly see what it is you do that is so unique and beneficial to them?

Outstanding businesses have been founded on a USP alone. For example, here is a very well known USP:

"Red hot pizza delivered to your door in 30 minutes or less - guaranteed."

Tom Monahan of Dominos Pizza created one of the most successful fast food businesses in the world from the strength of this USP.

Please don't dismiss the importance of USP. Your competitors are very unlikely to have one. This will make a massive difference to the growth and profitability of your business.

Plus there are other factors to consider...

If you are viewed by your clients or customers and prospects to be the same as your competitors, what do you think becomes the important criteria when they want your product or service?

That's right - Price!

There's no hiding the fact that as soon as you create your USP you automatically take your business out of the "price war" and into Nirvana of higher prices/fees - and less competition!

That's the power of USP.

Published by courtesy of Alchemy Networks Ltd

Marketing Mistake - 1

2010-11-11T13:23:00.000-08:00

Marketing to Everyone

“You can’t be all things to all men.”

This may come as a surprise to you, but it’s true. You cannot hope to market your products or services to everyone, even if you think everyone needs them.

This is not to say you can’t be successful doing this. However, you really do limit your potential by not focussing on select groups of people or businesses. These specific groups are called “niches.”

By focussing on one or more niches you are able to connect with these people at a much higher level, and consequently you automatically gain more business.

You may have heard people say things like, “This person really connects with me, and they really understand my business.” This is what you do when you choose to market to these different groups.

Think about it.

What is also important to understand is that certain groups of people or businesses are more likely to want and need your product and services more than others. More importantly your niche must focus on the groups that can AFFORD your products and services. There is no point in targeting groups who want and need your products or services if many of them cannot afford to buy or pay for them!

A common question is – “If I limit my market won’t I be reducing the chances of doing business with more people?”

Of course you will, but to succeed in today’s competitive marketplace you need to concentrate your marketing on a smaller number of well chosen segments or niches into which you will pour all your resources.

A niche market is a specific group of people or businesses that want and need your product or service and can afford to pay for it!

Because you are targeting smaller numbers, the same amount of money you were previously using to acquire customers or clients, is spread across a smaller number, and therefore you have more to spend on each prospect than you would if your market was bigger. This alone makes you more successful.

In a nutshell your niche market is the segment(s) that represents your best chance of getting a good return for your marketing efforts.

These niches are critical to you.

Of course, if you focus on a smaller group you may not get the business outside the target group. However, what actually happens is you increase the amount of business you receive from your target group(s) or niche(s).

This is because you are specifically meeting the needs and requirements of your chosen niche. You are saying to them that, ‘you are THE company that knows about their situation.’ No other company specifically meets their needs in this way, and therefore you are seen as the logical company to turn to.

Here’s an example to show the power of defining your market or niche:

Let’s say you’re a start-up business and you need an accountant. Your first choice is to look in the Yellow Pages under the ‘Accountant’ category. Although there are a number of ads the first one reads:

‘ABC Chartered Accountants. Tax preparation, auditing, bookkeeping, payroll services, help for start-ups, management accounts, and so on..’

The second ad reads:

XYZ Chartered Accountants. Specialising in helping Start-Ups get their businesses running quickly, profitably and effectively.’

Which firm of accountants are you likely to choose? The answer is obvious, but it serves as a good example to show how effective this strategy is – yet how widespread it is that few businesses follow this simple approach!

If you can create this bond between you and your niche market(s) you’ll grow your business to unprecedented levels. That’s the power of niche marketing. By concentrating on specific groups, you can achieve very high market shares in that particular category because people automatically come to you.

You’ll own the market!

You are viewed as the only choice because your product or service is ‘designed’ to solve the specific problems of those people.

Not focussing on one or more niches is perhaps the biggest mistake people make!

Courtesy Alchemy Network Ltd

Marketing Mistakes

2010-11-11T11:18:00.001-08:00

By courtesy of Alchemy Network Ltd we will be running a series of Common Marketing Mistakes that are costing organisations literally millions of pounds in lost revenue and profit every day.

Its not that people are making the mistakes on purpose. No. In fact these mistakes are being made because people simply don't realise that what they are doing is having a detrimental effect on their businesses.

Call it ignorance. Call it lack of knowledge. Lack of marketing savvy. Call it what you like. The point is that almost every business is making many of these mistakes.

Statistics tell us that 80% of businesses go out of business the first year they are in business. And of those that remain, 80% of them will not be in business five years from now. That's a scary but true statistic.

Yet, even with what seems like an almost impossible task, people still take their dreams into the marketplace with little or no planning, and with little or no regard for the harshness and cruelty of what the marketplace can bring, without proper planning and 'marketing savvy.'

In fact the success or failure of any business is almost entirely down to how well a business is marketed - and not down to how good the product or service is - or the people in the business!

This may be difficult for you to agree with at the moment, but as we uncover common marketing mistakes, as we will in the immediate future, you will quickly understand that 'he who markets most effectively' - wins - and wins big. That's why inferior products and services have stood the test of time. It's because they were (and are) marketed well - better than superior products and services. And that's why hundreds of brilliant inventions fail to materialise. A good product is nothing without effective marketing.

So, what is effective marketing?

To be precise, effective marketing is the ability of a business to consistently and repeatedly get people to buy the products or services they sell and extract as much profit out of each customer over the duration of the relationship.

When you understand what effective marketing means, it's easy to appreciate why businesses all over the world struggle.

They simply haven't found a way(s) to generate a constant stream of customers and keep them buying - time after time.

This is WHY businesses fail - or don't prosper as much as they should. Yes we have all heard of the excuses:

"Too much competition"

"I have to reduce my prices"

"It's a poor market"

Etc, etc

But when you dedicate a large proportion of your time on effective marketing, then you make your business 'immune' to outside factors such as the competition.

But, because these marketing mistakes are so COMMON this presents a huge opportunity to you. I guarantee your competition will be making many of these mistakes. Mistakes they're not even aware of. Mistakes you can now change into winning strategies.

By looking at the greatest mistakes people are making every day, you'll get an appreciation on why they are failing. You'll be able to spot the mistakes before they happen. And ultimately you'll be in a position to transform each mistake into a powerful marketing strategy that generates windfall profits the moment you take action!

As you read through each mistake, think about your business, and see how you're doing in each of the areas.

Some mistakes are worse than others. Some can be deadly. But if you catch them soon enough - you'll have time to act. And ACT is what you must do. If you keep doing what you have always done you are going to get the same results.

If you can get control of your business and avoid making these mistakes, you can expect truly amazing results! That's the true purpose of publishing these mistakes. Identify them, put them right, and skyrocket your sales and profits literally overnight!

HR & Diversity Management and Alchemy Network

2010-11-05T06:26:00.000-07:00

HR&DM announces an exciting new partnership with Alchemy Networks to provide SME organisations with powerful sales and marketing strategies to unlock cash within their business.

Business life is tough at the moment, and the Coalition is looking to the private sector.
SMEs are suffering and need all the help they can get.

HR & DM is widening its very successful HR Consultancy remit to help SMEs respond to the new business climate with support that is both effective and affordable.

It is based on the very successful Alchemy Network systems that have been successfully installed by nearly 200 Consultants in France Switzerland Germany Australia and United States.

Yes the issues faced by small and medium enterprises are the same the world over - and so are the solutions.

The Alchemy systems enable SME organisations to:

Unlock large volumes of untapped cash
Increase customer lifetime value
Drive profitability through customer business development
Grow the whole business through specific, globally developed marketing strategies
Enable business owners to become free from the day to day running of the business

So, while SMEs are having a tough time, there is now a well proven series of initiatives from HR&DM combined with Alchemy Network Systems to ease the pain of operational cash flow and business growth.

To find out more call David Pratt on +44 1793 338888 or email david.pratt@hrdiversity.co.uk

New Workplace Investigation Support

2009-11-23T04:28:00.000-08:00

We are continuing to financially support the National Bullying Helpline charity (No 1117852) and to capitalise on the work we are doing in the area of Investigations we are opening up access to our current services.

Especially in the Public sector we are seeing organisations in need of our independent view on workplace malpractice, but wanting to carry out the investigation themselves. This has the advantage of increasing the investigative skills of their own staff and reducing both the cost of the investigation itself and the exposure to the risk of litigation.

HR & Diversity Management Ltd (HR&DM) is launching a Training programme to help in each of these areas.

For each organisation that wishes to take part we will:

1. Provide a 1 day training course on how to carry out a full investigation using the copyrighted '20 step guide to Investigations' The course will be delivered by one of our experienced investigators.
2. Provide a full copy of the '20 step guide to Investigations'
3. Provide support as necessary during the first and subsequent investigations.
4. When an investigation has been carried out, an HR&DM experienced investigator will review findings to ensure any bias has been removed and that the investigation has been carried out in compliance with the '20 step guide to Investigations'.

This last step is vital from a complainant acceptance point of view. It is well known that strong complainants may not accept internal investigation findings that do not go in their favour, with the oft quoted view - 'Well they would find in favour of their employer wouldn't they?'

For further details please call David Pratt on 01793 338888.

Help and Support for Organisations

2009-10-27T04:16:00.000-07:00

It seems that many organisations are still experiencing workplace behavioural problems and trying to solve them internally, especially in the public sector. There is still a strong belief that such behaviour can a) be contained, with the protagonists not taking formal action or b) that any such problems can and should be dealt with by 'the system'.

Whilst many cases may just 'go away', we have found that internally activated investigations really are not as unbiased as the organisations would have those involved believe.

Working with http://www.nationalbullyinghelpline.co.uk/ we find that many aggrieved parties find no consolation or conclusion when internal 'solutions' are applied.

So, what is the problem. Well each case has its own circumstances but in many instances the problem lies at the level of First Line Management. Why is this? We feel that first line managers, especially where they are in technical or specialist areas, for example, Nurses, are well trained in those areas but not trained to look for the symptoms of behavioural issues.

As examples we believe managers should be taught to:
a) Just look at the history in the department of those that have strong personalities and those that are more introverted and to keep a weather eye out for abnormal interactions.
b) Where voices are being raised to quickly step in and take action and 'nip in the bud' small issues before they have a chance to fester and become major time consuming and costly problems.

Easy to say from this distance perhaps but the problem for the manager is 'How do you step in and What do you say?' Simply something as soft as 'Susie could I have a word please' in a quite normal tone of voice is effective. It breaks the conversation, and the issue breaks down. It takes Susie away from Bill. Both think the interruption is over normal work issues. The manager then says to Susie out of earshot of Bill, 'What was all that about?' and finds out one side of the issue. The manager then repeats the action with Bill out of Susie's earshot to find out the other side of the problem.

The manager then has to decide what to do. Either s/he can implement a solution from his/her own experience in which case s/he does so, or needs HR support if the issue is not straightforward. At this point the first line manager has either cleared up the issue or passed it to HR to clear it up and s/he can return to running his/her department.

Very easy solutions like this can be implemented by short training sessions for the line manager which would reduce the chance of costly and time consuming litigation.