Twitter (again) Survey

After the last blog entry on Twitter I received a number of emails from people saying that they'd like to see Robert Craven on Twitter but only to receive occasional updates and links to keep them in touch without having to refer back to the website and/or blog.

In other words it would simply be another, convenient communications channel for them. As I personally have no intention of tweeting 24/7 this would suit me fine.

The Twitter 'experts' will assure me that it should be a two-way medium. I am honest enough to admit that I do not have the time or patience to read and enter every single conversation that may be required of me. So, five minutes a week is all I will do. Blogs, articles, newsletters will continue as usual.

I could get someone else to do all my twittering on my behalf but that would be dishonest.

SO we are going to do a quick survey. If the survey votes for a Twittering Robert Craven then that is what you will get - a message (to those who want it) about once a week pointing you to what I am doing/writing/presenting. And that's it.

Please fill in the survey. It takes 10 seconds of your time (or more if you wish to leave a comment).


I will let you know the outcome.

Roadkill

As I said to a potential consultancy client last week (she asked for honest feedback).

“Your business is like a rabbit frozen in the headlights, incapable of making a move or a decision, unable to move in one direction or another.

“You need to unfreeze, relax, take stock and weigh up the choices. With great speed you need to take the bold decision: left or right, up or down. Speed is of the essence. The consequences of making no decision are there for all to see. Do you want to be one more piece of roadkill for the statistics book?”

I apologised for my bluntness but the world seems to be dividing into the decisive and the indecisive, the bold and the meek. The brave and the stupid.

Yes, it is scary out there but we/I/you need to be clear about what we are doing and take clear decisive action.

First things first. Find out who your raving ambassadors are – the people who think your service is remarkable (and are not buying on price). Ask them what they can do to help you get more business. They will tell you. This is certainly a starting point.

What decisions have you been avoiding making? How will you benefit from putting them off?

Bunny Burgers

Another priceless piece of spoof video - this time from Fast Company: bunny burgers and how to brand them

Lousy Presenters

I listened to her tell me how one should do decent presentations, how the slides should be clear and easy to read, how the presenter must never read the slides off the screen word by word, how she could step in for me if I ever needed a helping hand as she had once spoken in front of 40 people.

And, when I saw her she was dreadful. See the advice above and reverse it. Dull, turgid uninspiring slides with 10-15 lines each... which were read from the screen even though she had a stage monitor... in a monotonous bored voice. The audience started chatting amongst themselves!

And next on was a chap who did exactly the same. And he kept apologising for the industry he came from. And he kept patronising the audience. (I wanted to stand up and shout "We are not morons".)

And then another. Groundhog Day or what!

Might I add that all three have serious Chief Exec/MD salaries.

Hasn't anyone ever read the "Moron's Guide to Presentations?" Haven't these people ever sat through the dreadful presentations of other people and figured out what made them so dreadful??

Being invited to give a presentation does NOT make you a good presenter.

When the average is so dreadful it is not difficult to be above average.

Apple vs Microsoft

See what Microsoft would do if they had to re-design the packaging for the Ipod - watch the video.

A priceless piece of send-up.

Blackberry vs Apple

I've had a BB for about three years now... and now my kids are telling me I should have an Apple phone.



Call me 'traditional' but I see the BB as the business phone. The Apple looks like fun but does it do the job as well as the BB?




RELATED LINKS
The Ultimate Celebrity Endorsement - blog entry

Barclays Press Release

A couple of people have pointed me to a PR/'market research' piece that seems to make little sense - let me try to make sense of it for you - my comments in italics.

"Research from Barclays Local Business carried out after the last programme of Let's Talk Profit and Marketing seminars [some 18 events, 1,800 people attending, Autumn 08], showed that despite the importance of customers, pricing and staff to businesses, these were areas which hadn't had the priority." [Delegates cited customers/pricing/staff as key issues when they arrived at the events - specifically before the event started ie by 09:30]

"By giving business owners the key skills the majority went on to make changes to their business:

• Seven in ten had confidence to approach new customers
• 43 per cent sought out cheaper suppliers
• 43 per cent changed the way they charged for a service"

[After the events the the main changes that delegates had made in their businesses related to customers and pricing - and this was because the workshops, Bright Marketing and More Profit, focused on how to increase sales and profits in your business]

The press release seems to lose the gist of the 'research', which was that people come to the workshops and take action as a result of attending. End of story.



RELEVANT ARTICLES
PR/'market research' - the press piece
Most June/July workshops (London [West Ham, London Bridge & Hammersmith], Colchester, Gloucester and Peterborough) can still be booked on to at the Let's Talk webpages