ENTREPRENEURSHIP GURU HELPS LOCAL FIRMS SURVIVE AND THRIVE! - Press release to be distributed...

ENTREPRENEURSHIP GURU HELPS LOCAL FIRMS SURVIVE AND THRIVE!

Business expert Robert Craven and his team at The Directors’ Centre are talking to over 2000 UK businesses about how to get more sales, profits and customers.

The half-day workshops, "Let’s Talk... More Profit" and "Let’s Talk… Bright Marketing" are based on his best-selling business books including "Kick-Start Your Business" and "Bright Marketing". They take place in 17 towns throughout the UK in October and November. The events are being run by Barclays Bank and demand for places is already high.

Robert and his fellow speakers, Kiki Maurey and Louise Nicolaou, will also use materials from his latest book "Beating The Credit Crunch" which will show how businesses have beaten the current economic downturn. The FT describes Craven as "the entrepreneurship guru".

Craven says, "The ‘Let’s Talk…’ workshops are a brilliant opportunity to step back, think about what you are trying to do and start to make decisions that will fundamentally improve the profitability of your business; in the current economic climate this is more important than ever."

Tickets should be £225, but are free to small businesses signing up through the Directors’ Centre website,

www.directorscentre.com/lets-talk.php

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EDITOR’S NOTES

Robert Craven, MD, The Directors’ Centre

Robert Craven is one of the UK’s most sought-after business coaches and speakers on entrepreneurship and is author of the best-selling business books ‘Kick-Start Your Business’ (Virgin Business Guides) and ‘Bright Marketing - why should people bother to buy from you?’. His latest book is ‘Beating The Credit Crunch’.

As MD of The Directors’ Centre,

www.directorscentre.com, the consultancy for growing businesses, he works with ambitious directors to break through constraints on business growth. A serial entrepreneur, Robert has run restaurants, management training centres and a sound recording studio. Prior to creating The Directors’ Centre he was director of consultancy and training for growing businesses at Warwick Business School.

Photos available from office@directorscentre.com 01225 851044.
"Let’s Talk… More Profit" and "Let’s Talk… Bright Marketing".

These half-day workshops are free to attend if delegates book via the website, www.directorscentre.com/lets-talk.php where delegate testimonials can also be seen. Running in some 17 locations across the UK, the latest ‘tour’ starts in October and concludes in November. Tickets are available on a first-come first-served basis.

More details of venues and titles at www.directorscentre.com/Autumn-09-venues.pdf
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- The Directors' Centre, 1 The High Street, Woolley, Bath BA1 8AR
www.directorscentre.com
- Tel: 01225 851044

Post Offices As Business Hubs

Many years ago I ran a project entitled the 'Post Office of The Future' which focused on making the PO into the hub of the local business community... Actually it is plain common sense. But , I am afraid that I was way ahead of my time.

I am delighted to see that the same idea has now resurfaced. Hopefully the timing is right!

"Safeguard post offices by making them business hubs"

The article in brief:
"The future of hundreds of post offices around the country could be safeguarded by transforming them into small business hubs...

To protect the vital service that post offices offer many firms, the FSB said it believes the network needs to be remodelled as a series of small business hubs...

Under the FSB’s recommendations, a business desk would be set up at each post office with specially trained staff able to advise businesses on banking, government services, insurance and sending and receiving parcels...

Each branch would also offer dedicated advertising facilities to help small businesses reach other local businesses and potential customers...

There would be a range of financial services available, including business banking and, where possible, meeting room facilities for start-ups and micro businesses..."

Corporate Myopia, Really

I am building up a portfolio of corporate myopia stories. The standard story goes as follows:

Robert Craven (RC): “Why do people buy your product?”
Corporate Client (CC): “Because we are the best.”
RC: “Really?”
CC: “Well, we are better than the competition.”
RC: “Really?”
CC: “Um and we are the only people to offer XYZ features”
RC: “And is that why people buy your product?”
CC: “Well we are competitive on price.”
RC: “And is that why people buy from you?”
CC: “Um, it could be our brilliant marketing campaign…?
RC: “Really?”
CC: “OK, why do they buy our product?”

What I find so scary is how fragile the arguments seem to be. And how can you create a marketing campaign or a sales activity or design a better service/product if you aren’t clear on what it is that the customer wants, needs and deserves to get.

So, my friend,
“Why do people buy your product?”

Your answer here: “___________________________________”

“Really?”

PS I ran a brief session for a roomful of marketers last night. Lovely people. Brilliant at their jobs (doing marketing) they struggled to tell each other (succinctly and in a compelling manner) what they actually did for their clients.

Banksy Unmasked

Another reason I hate the Daily Mail:



Today's paper spoils the secret of Banksy Graffiti Artist Banksy Unmasked - unless it is an early April Fool joke.



No longer a best-kept secret.



Shame.


Did the secrecy make his work the all more fascinating? Was it all just a great marketing stunt? Shame, shame, shame.

I Want to be Free!!!

Everything everywhere is FREE! Is this just a marketing gimmick?

As my father would say: “Free but who pays?”

In the old world of physical product, if something is free then someone will pay in the end. Most FREE offers are actually the old ‘bait and switch’ strategy.

One way or another it is you that will pay for the free product.

In the new world there is a real free – the marginal cost of storing and distributing digital 'product' is negligible so it can be given away for free with no-one paying for it.

My kids can use computers given to them with a phone contract… they use free mobiles (so the operator makes money on minutes sold) and use Google (free) and Skype (free), Wikipedia (free), Flicker (free) and FaceBook (free) to find out about everything they need.

There is an unwritten assumption that you should give things away for free ("because the competition do..."). Is that right for you? A free healthcheck... a free test drive... a free audit...

For some businesses the "giving it away for free" approach may send out the wrong message.

On the other hand the consumer loves the TBYB (Try Before You Buy) philosophy. Some consumers will feel more likely to buy because of the moral contract created. Some will be free-loaders. It all depends on what you think is the best way to capture the best clients for your business.

Should you be giving anything away at all?

Or should you be giving more away than you are doing at the moment?

Are you clear about what you should be giving away and why?

They just didn't get it

A brief story.



Two delegates approach the presenter and say:



"We've now seen you four times over the past year or so. Each time you've done a different topic (More Profit, Bright Marketing, Credit Crunch, a keynote) but really you keep covering the same kind of topics. And you always end up saying 'take action'.

We hear what you are saying and its all good stuff.

When we're ready we'll start to apply it all but meanwhile we're still looking for something new and different instead of listening to you banging on about the same old stuff... taking action, asking for the business, being able to demonstrate how and why you are different, getting closer to the customer blah, blah. And all the books and magazines are no better.

It is time you came up with something new or else we will stop coming to these workshops."



I think they missed the point.


Or rather they forgot where the exit was; you don't have to stay to the end.


1) My 'job' is not to be a presenter/entertainer. (I use whatever methods necessary to get my message across - one method is that I present so that others can listen and take action. Other methods include writing articles/books/blogs, recording webinars/interviews, working one-to-one, doing masterclasses/workshops - any method that seems appropriate to help people to run better businesses.)


2) It was time for them to actually listen to the message and get on and do it. Instead of attending another course they should apply what they have learnt. They just don't need to attend another workshop.



'Training junkies'!!!




It reminds of the Woody Allen story from the Annie Hall movie:
Patient's Brother: "Doctor, Doctor, my brother thinks he is a chicken."


Doctor: "Well, let's get him to a psychiatrist."

Patient's Brother: "No, we can't do that!"

Doctor: "Why not?"

Patient's Brother: "Because we need the eggs!"




Thought Bubble
Are you avoiding taking action over something because you are too committed to maintaining the status quo and are frightened of what the new world might look like?

Business Link, business support and passion

At a recent presentation I was asked, "Have you got it in for the Business Link?".

Actually the answer is "No I have not got it in for the BLs - I want them to do really well, to blow people away with legendary value-adding service".

In principle I think that anything that helps people run better businesses is a good thing.

My concern is that
1) no-one seems to care and
2) there are numerous examples of BL under-delivering in the customer's eyes (and if you even have to think about who the customer is then 'I rest my case'!)

So a quick visit on my recent postings on the subject:

ONE-MIN VIDEO:
My Solution for Business Support

BLOG POSTs:
Business Support - The BS/BIS Industry
Simplifying Business Support - a humbug/cynic's view
Doug Richards Rips into Business Link
The Truth Is... No-One Seems To Care About Business Link

I admit to playing Devil's Advocate and no, this is not BL-bashing, but actually quite the reverse. I have recently been involved in some really first-class and excellent BL projects so I know that BLs can deliver in every sense of the word.

Our businesses deserve the best, most appropriate, most relevant business support that is available ('free' or 'subsidised' or' paid for' is not the point).

Tax payers' money is used to deliver a service that should be blisteringly powerful for individual businesses and the business community. It is a great challenge.