September 2012 PROUDLY BROUGHT TO YOU BY:
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About Smart Company Magazine: Web Site: www.smartcompany.co.nz Publisher Maxiom Group Pty Ltd 600 Lonsdale Street Melbourne Vic 3000 www.maxiom.com.au Editor Mark Matthews Digital Magazine Created By Maxiom www.maxiom.com.au Advertising Enquiries 1300 855 696 (within Australia) + 613 8199 3486 (International) advertising@maxiom.com.au Editorial, Media Releases & Article Submission magazine@maxiom.com.au
Welcome to the September Edition of Smart Company New Zealand’s Business Lifestyle Magazine Written by some of the most exciting business and marketing minds from New Zealand, Australia and around the world, Smart Company focuses on cutting edge business strategies that business owners can implement in their organisation today! Smart Company is a great resource as it provides guidance for business owners and managers to develop ideas and concepts from their peers, leading edge entrepreneurs and organisations. Boasting exceptionally high quality information, tips and advice, every issue is packed with fantastic value added content including videos and webinars. Best of all, it’s completely free and open to everyone!
A Quick W or d with Mike P r ice Thank you and welcome to the September edition of Smart Company, New Zealand’s business lifestyle magazine. And thank you to all our subscribers and readers for making the launch issue such a success last month. We greatly appreciate your support and some great feedback. We have put together a packed second edition of Smart Company with contributions from some of New Zealand’s and Australia’s well known and respected business minds - plus selected international contributors. Smart Company contains special features, information, tips and advice on how to supercharge your business and your life. Running a business today is as exciting as it is challenging. We know that Kiwis have the courage to aim high, but more importantly to grab opportunities when they are presented. Smart entrepreneurs know that becoming predictive and embracing the future now is the key to their ongoing success. In this issue we look into some of the future trends in business, how to focus on creating a lean and agile business as well as what it takes to develop leadership capability and differentiate your business from the rest. Smart businesses are thriving simply because they have focused on effective business systems, strategies and implementation, which is what Smart Company is all about. Systems, and strategies that make you and your business smarter.
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Smart Company Magazine | 3
What’s in this month’s Magazine? Regular Features Page 14:
Smart Business
Page 38:
Getting To Know You
Page 42:
Ask an Expert
Page 64:
Featured Business
Profiles Page 14:
Smart Business - Store-it
Page 38:
Getting To Know You - Pricing Prophets
Page 42:
Ask an Expert - Mark Fernandez from BDA
Page 64:
Getting To Know You - Gene Stark from the Marketing Network
Special Features Page 6:
Once Fat, Now Skinny
Page 8:
The Traditional Fast Food Model Has Just Been Killed
Page 10:
7 Deadly Sins of Web Site Design, Copy and Content
Page 12:
The Workplace Revolution That is Changing Business
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SEPTEMBER 2012
Why Outsourcing has Become the key to Business Success
Special Features Page 18:
Cash Flow Friendly Pricing Models
Page 20:
What Every Leader Can Learn From Olympic Athletes
Page 22:
How to Run Your Own Publicity Campaign in 5 Easy Lessons
Page 24:
Don’t Mistake What You do With Who You Are
Page 26:
How to Make Your Subscribers Love You
Page 28:
Common Branding Mistakes Small Business Makes
Page 30:
Why Outsourcing Has Become the Key to Business Success
Page 44:
A Lateral Way to Grow a Business
Page 46:
Physically Here, Virtually There
Page 48:
Put Your Franchise in First Place
Page 50:
Cultural Awareness in the Lucky Countries
Page 52:
Manufacturing Your Future
Page 54:
Why Your Employees Behaviour and Attitude Can Determine Your Ultimate Success
Page 56:
Fitness in a Nutshell
Page 60:
The Future of Business
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Smart Company Magazine | 5
Smart | FI NANC E
ONCE FAT NOW SKINNY By Hamish Conway
The entire weight loss industry is built on the testimonials of people who were once fat, but are now skinny. Whether it is the latest abdominal machine, Jenny Craig, or some ‘magic’ weight loss pills, you’ll see the before photo, followed by the after photo. The power of the before photo, Psychological Trigger #1next to the after photo shows the Show People What is contrast and therefore the Possible For Them results- this is the magic. Many people actually lack the People go WOW that is imagination to picture what the amazing! after result can be. Whether it’s something to do with their home, They also say “they are just like their business, their me- if they can do it, so can I”. It relationships, they are often so seems to captivate people and stuck and have been for so long, that’s why there’s a bunch of they can’t see how it would look reality TV shows doing just this. different. The ‘once fat now skinny’ approach can be applied in just about any industry. As you read this article, do so with a ‘translate and transfer’ mindset. That is, think how can I make this idea apply to my particular business?
how bad and painful life was and now how pain free and productive they are now. Shelving Units- A mess before, followed by tidy and organised after photos. Website SEO Consultant- A shot of before web page stats and Google ranking, next to the after ranking and stats, ideally clearly outlining how quickly they happened.
Your job is to show them what is possible.
It doesn’t always have to be photos. It could be reports of Some examples: before and after. Whatever it is for your business, think how you Bathroom Expert- Show photo can show people what is examples of ‘Before bathrooms possible for them by showing examples of what you have done and After bathrooms’. Getting people to buy is all before. about psychology. Graphic Designer- Show When you do this, you will also examples of ‘Before branding The ‘once fat now skinny’ before and After branding’. help people get clarity about and after demonstration provides what they want for themselves. two very powerful psychological A Chiropractor- Examples of You’ve shown them the triggers in your marketing and possibilities and it provides ‘Before X-Rays and After Xselling. rays’, along with testimonials of momentum towards them buying.
6 | Smart Company Magazine
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Psychological Trigger #2Providing Proof You Can Do What You Say People generally want to buy a result. They want to get from where they are now, to where they want to be. As they consider the options of who, or what product can help them close this gap, they want to know who has demonstrated they can deliver the desired result.
Highlighting to them a ‘GAP’ exists is key.
who has shown people what is possible for them and also created the emotional spark to People buy on emotions and get them to take action now with justify with logic. So you’ve got to your solution. tap into people’s emotions. Here are two quick questions you can ask; “What annoys you the most about (your current situation or specific problem)?” On the flip side;
“If you could wave a magic wand The ‘Before and After’ approach and have everything be just how provides proof to the prospect you want it, how would you know, that you can in fact get them their what would you notice?” desired result. These two questions will help the Demonstrating ample proof could client realise them self there is a be the difference that makes gap that needs to be closed. people choose you over the Your job is to show them how you competition. By the way, can help then close the gap. research suggests you need at least 5 examples of before and Systemise this in your after’s. More is fine, but 5 is a Business minimum.
Hamish Conway is a former EY Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award winner and Business Performance Consultant at WHK Business Performance.
WHK Business Performance is a division of WHK (the fifth largest accounting and advisory firm in Australasia) where they help Depending on your business Ambitious Business Owners and Your job is to show your client work out how you can add getting Entrepreneurs Get Clarity, New that they are ‘fat’. Skills, Experts Guidance and before and afters in your work Results! process, so you can then use
Before I get in trouble here, let me explain what I mean.
them in your marketing.
A bonus strategy here is to actually help your prospect realise that where they are now is not where they want to be.
Take them to every presentation you do, or have them handy for or contact Hamish Conway on prospects to see. This step alone 04 384-4161 will help you stand out from the email: hamish.conway@whk.co.nz competition and be someone
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For more information, visit: www.businessperformance.co.nz
Smart Company Magazine | 7
Smart | TEC HNOLOGY
THE TRADITIONAL FAST FOOD MODEL HAS JUST BEEN KILLED! By Richard Wozniak
The traditional fast food business model just never had a chance, now did it? Well it’s had a good run. It is well over 50 years since McDonald’s rolled out its’ first franchises. But all good things must to come to an end. Yes, we’ve heard it all before - that people’s tastes and habits are changing. Many of us are eating healthier, or trying to anyway. But still the traditional fast food model reigns supreme. Until now! Marcelo Coelho and Amit Zoran, a pair of whiz kids from MIT, have developed what very well may be the next major revolution in food preparation. It may also be the only machine that keeps you alive when the Robot Apocalypse goes down, but we'll try to push that to the rear of our minds for now. Essentially, the Cornucopia is a 3D printer that precisely mixes foods and flavours from a number of canisters in order to produce something that's edible (and supposedly close to what you ordered).
Able to deliver "elaborate combinations of food," the machine also has a rapid heating and cooling chamber that purportedly allows for "the creation of flavours and textures that would be completely unimaginable through other cooking techniques."
Imagine printing your dinner every evening? What about being able to print food to save the lives of starving people in the poorest countries? It seems mind blowing right now but the I’ve never ordered duck a technology has already been l’orange from a street vendor before, but apparently now that’s developed and will become mainstream in the near future. totally possible.
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Will this be the future of food preparation? Will this be the end of the fast food model as we know it? What impact will this have on café’s and restaurants? - guess just have to wait for it to become mainstream to find out. Food for thought!
Richard has a long history in the management of food businesses internationally. A sought after speaker on future trends in food, hospitality and retail, Richard’s understanding of how technology is transforming our food and hospitality sectors is unsurpassed.
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Smart | MARKETI NG
THE 7 DEADLY SINS OF WEBSITE DESIGN, COPY AND CONTENT BY KRISTIN McNICOL
They always say “first impressions count”. So whether you are looking to attract new clients or that new star employee, the key is making a good first impression - and that usually means with your website. It represents your business and its’ standing - your brand and your employment brand. So how does your website stack up? Is it representing you well, or is it telling uncomfortable truths about how you felt when you were writing it?
measure up to your slick new design.
If the answer is no, go back and edit it until it does.
Solution: Resist the temptation Gluttony to blow the whole budget on web design and set aside some for In copywriting, less is more. Poor copy loses you clients and professional copywriting. Too potential employees you didn’t late? If you’ve no choice but to Which is easier to read? know you had. They come, they write your own copy, read on... read and - if they don’t like what “Established in 1986 and based they see - they leave. What Pride in Wellington and offering makes them leave? Perhaps architectural and design services they’ve noticed one of these If the last thing you can throughout New Zealand, XYZ deadly sins lurking in your copy: remember writing was a Architectural Design is a caffeine-fuelled college essay at specialised architectural and Greed 4am over a decade ago, you engineering design consultancy might find yourself lapsing into a that has been providing a You spent a lot of money on your formal style. That’s acceptable in proactive, innovative, and the depths of academia - but not effective service to the website. The more you wanted on your website, particularly from your web designers, the construction, mining and public when trying to attract your next bigger the bill became. By the sector for over 25 years.” star employee. Aiming for time it was finished, it looked authoritative can quickly arrive at or great – but the budget was stuffy. burned out. It still needed content, so you did all you could “XYZ Architectural Design is a Solution: Read what you’ve do: you wrote it yourself. specialised design consultancy. written aloud. Does it sound like We’ve been serving New something you would be Unfortunately you’re no more a Zealanders with proactive comfortable saying to a client, professional copywriter than a architectural and engineering employee or candidate over the design services for over 25 professional web designer, so the finished content doesn’t quite phone? years.” 10 | Smart Company Magazine
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Solution: When you’re finished, re-read what you wrote and consider whether there’s a more concise way to covey the same information. If your sentences span more than 2 lines, it’s time to turn some of those commas into full stops.
Earlier this year, some of Reddit’s users noticed that pasting this piece of copy into Google turned up thousands of exact matches (it still does - try it). These companies got lazy. They needed content, discovered that writing was hard work, and duplicated it. They thought Lust & Envy nobody would notice – but people did notice, and it was You’ve seen some copy you love. embarrassing. It’s witty, it’s funny, and it’s got style. You want your website to Google noticed too. Google is read just like it, so you try to inject designed to detect and penalise the same humour and fun into websites that use duplicate your copy. When you’re finished, content by sending them towards it just doesn’t have the same the back of search result pages. impact though. Why? Chances are they had a professional writer For any business, this can be do theirs. deadly: and when you are looking to recruit that new star employee, Solution: If in doubt, keep it or attract new customers, the last simple. People visit websites for thing you want is to be at the information over entertainment, back of the queue. Your so resist the temptation to use recruitment website already has ambitious technique unless millions of competitors, so you you’re a pro. need every chance you’ve got to push towards the top of search Sloth results.
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“Our firm's reputation for providing quality service reflects the high standards we demand of ourselves. Our high standards, responsive service and specialised staff spell the difference between our firm and the rest.”
Kristin has worked with some of the biggest household names, franchises and government organisations helping senior management improve communication with all stakeholders in order to achieve better business outcomes.
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Solution: Never use stock copy, and never pinch copy from another website. Search engines will silently punish you for it and, if someone notices, it’s going to get embarrassing.
“I’ve been looking at this copy for hours! I’m sick of it! It’ll have to do.” This is a frustration that every writer knows. Solution: Step away from the keyboard and make a cup of tea. Sleep on it. Come back with fresh eyes and tidy it up some more. Once you feel like there’s nothing more you can do, ask a friend or colleague to proofread it for you. Ask for their feedback and then edit it again. Continue the process until you’re looking at something you’re proud to put on your website, because it’s got to stand in front of more clients and more potential employees than you or your staff ever will.
Kristin is a consultant to enterprise on HR & recruitment best practices, having worked for over 20 years in North America and Europe.
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Smart | HR
THE WORKPLACE REVOLUTION THAT IS CHANGING BUSINESS There has been a mood of individual entrepreneurialism sweeping the world since the GFC. Structural change, new technologies and ultimately ingrained human behaviour are creating a revolution in our workplaces. By David Marks Simply put…The employee is dead!
First, we are seeing the way we work undergoing a significant change. We are more mobile. This statement may seem slightly Technology means we are no over the top to some. How could longer tied to a desk or an office. anyone say that the employee is dead? This in itself allows us to be more entrepreneurial, taking charge of Why would anyone make such a our own calendar, agenda and surprising claim? Why should we working day. More often we are make such a non-politically making our own decisions about correct statement, and upset the how we do business. apple cart? What's to be gained by rocking the boat? More people are coming to the realisation that they don’t need Well the short answer is that the an employer for security. In fact, workplace is in the early years of working for someone else is now a revolution. That means that less secure. There is no such what you see today will become thing as a “job for life’ anymore. more and more common. Most of us have several careers and many jobs in our lifetime. So The word revolution implies that more and more we are asking, “why not do it for ourselves?” something has been revolved, completely turned on its head. Society as a whole, however, The certainly can be said of the seems to be stuck in the infancy workplace now compared to as stage of this revolution because it still refers to unemployment recently as 5 or 10 years ago. and employment. Until such time And a growing number of people as the words they use to describe the world of work are beginning to see that the reflects the new, rather than the dust they thought would old, it will remain there. eventually settle, won't. It will never again be the way it was. 12 | Smart Company Magazine
Seth Godin observed that prior to the Industrial Revolution, there was no such thing as unemployment. And he's right. Employment, as we know it, has only existed for about 300 years; and now, the workplace in that respect is returning to those preindustrial days. Why am I telling you this? Because it's the entrepreneur to whom the future belongs. Employment will have it’s ups and downs for some time to come, and during that time, many people will feel the push to start their own businesses. But, you'll know that the revolution is maturing when self-employment is as common as employment is now. David Marks is a respected advisor and consultant to small business owners, franchisees and solopreneurs having authored several books on the changing workplace and entrepreneurship. A keen futurist and analyst of employment trends, David is highly sought after key note speaker and advisor on these issues.
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Smart Company Magazine | 13
Smart | C OMPANY FEATURE
SMART BUSINESS: STORE-IT After immigrating to New Zealand in 1998, Mike Price thought he’d invest in some property and ended up in the storage business. We talk to Mike about why he started Store-it how his business has grown to become recognised as a leader in it’s field in Australasia. 1. What inspired you to start Store-it?
2. What are your goals?
5. What types of customers do you help?
Open additional Store-it Clients who have a short or long In 2002 I was talking to a builder facilities in Wellington, New Zealand and ultimately Australia. term storage dilemma and need who had constructed some an easily accessible, secure, garage style storage units for a clean, dry, flexible storage Wellington client. 3. What are your values? solution. With an interest in property Respect – others first 6. What experience do you investment, renovation and Integrity – we do what we say development, I hadn’t envisaged have helping small business Camaraderie/ Teamwork owning a storage business. customers? together we achieve more However, I was shown a Service Excellence – a better We have a range of small warehouse in Ngauranga that business clients including, way everyday had been vacant for 18 months retailers, sales reps, tradesmen Make It Happen – can do, will including builders, plumbers and and the conversation with the builder was timely and became do! electricians, home business, the trigger to further explore what wine distributors, lawyers, I saw as real potential for a new 4. What was the driving force accountants and land surveyors behind your decision to way in secure self-storage in to name a few. specialise in the self-storage Wellington. sector? These clients store excess office In 2002, as part of my research, I furniture, equipment and visited several storage I started with residential property documents allowing them to companies and was interested investment but since starting in create space and grow their with what I saw in terms of self storage I’ve further businesses. facilities and customer expanded into industrial, office service. The three main issues and car parking property 7. Do you service other were Dampness, Security and investments, but my heart lies sectors as well? Access. Rodents and with self storage. It’s more Cleanliness were two other engaging, rewarding and there We also service Government, issues. is more people contact. corporate, not for profit and residential clients including Knowing I could provide a better We are now re-focusing the students. service, I embarked on business towards expanding our developing and launching Store- self storage interests, with the it to overcome the issues I found launch of our second facility in within the storage industry. March this year. 14 | Smart Company Magazine
8. What are the main reasons that someone would choose Store-it for their self-storage needs?
It's not just a guarantee, it's my promise to you!
space available to you, how to best wrap and package your possessions, down to helping 9. What process, services and you choose the moving company that best suits your needs and support do your clients everything in between we can Store-it’s - 7+1 Better than Risk receive? assist you. Free, Take-It-To-The-Bank Guarantee ( DRAFT) My team teases that we have My team works hard to provide processes for processes; Security – Fort Knox essentially we’ve got a process clients with a great storage experience – see our humbling guarantee for everything to ensure our clients get consistent service, no Google reviews Access – “Mum I need my matter who they deal with. teddy”, 365 days guarantee 10. What challenges did you We are the experts in providing face in setting up your Dryness – Dryzabone business? safe and secure storage. We guarantee have a wealth of knowledge Spotlessly Clean – I’ll eat Starting a business with very little within our team to ensure our my dinner off the floor capital and the banks thinking clients have a great storage guarantee we were too much of a risk was experience. Size promise – The perfect our biggest challenge. The next fit guarantee For advice on how to pack your biggest challenge was leading a storage unit to maximise the team, which I hadn’t done before. Price – We won’t be beat guarantee Service – If you don’t love us guarantee +1 bonus guarantee – I’ll take all the risk, Money back guarantee At Store-it™ your complete satisfaction with both our service and storage is 100% guaranteed. Simply put, when you choose Store-it™ to solve your storage problem, you can’t lose. 24 | Modern Franchise Magazine maxiom
Smart Company Magazine | 15
Smart | C OMPANY FEATURE
SMART BUSINESS: CONTINUED…..
11. Tell us about some of the expectations that you had.
in Facility of the Year 2008 category, Runner up in the Manager of the Year 2006 Our aim was to provide the best category, Finalist in Facility of the Year 2005 category, Runner storage operation and up in the Expansion of the Year experience in Wellington. 2005 category 12. Have they been met? 13. What types of services do you offer? Exceeded – Store-it is NZ’s most awarded self storage facility. Store-it was judged the Self storage with care, including personal storage, business Facility of the Year 2006 at the storage, wine storage, car Self Storage Association of Australasia (SSAA) Awards in storage, boat storage and we sell a range of packaging Surfers Paradise. supplies. Store-it was selected from We also offer a free truck hire or approximately 1200 storage free truck hire and driver service facilities in Australia and New Zealand, and the award is open or free trailer use on move in. to any facility, regardless of 14. Do you provide services location, age or size. nationally? The SSAA Awards are judged across a number of criteria Not currently, we have 2 including facility location, market facilities. One in Wellington and size, presentation, access, the other in Lower Hutt business performance and occupancy, management style, 15. Do you have any plans for marketing strategies, overseas expansion? promotional material and a ‘mystery shopper’ component. Yes - Ultimately; Additional Awards have included: Winner Manager of the Year 2011 category. Finalist 16 | Smart Company Magazine
home in the first instance, but it depends on the opportunity. 16. What would you say to someone looking for a storage facility and what advice would you give them? One thing you need to know is that not all storage facilities are created equal. The storage facilities purpose is to make your storage experience easy, stress free and to provide you with peace of mind. To ensure that they are use a Self storage facility 7 point checklist, which should cover
1. Security 2. Dryness 3. Access 4. Rodent control 5. Insurance 6. Location of the storage units and style of the facility 7. Professional Membership
For more details go to The definitive consumers guide to I’ve recently been to Singapore, choosing a storage company to have a look at the market opportunities, but I’ve decided I prefer to do something closer to
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Smart Company Magazine | 17
Smart | MARKETI NG
CASH FLOW-FRIENDLY PRICING MODELS
BY JON MANNING
Early in August I had the pleasure of being a panellist at the NAB Small Business Summit in Melbourne. Along with a taxation specialist and a management accountant, our topic was “How to Best Manage Cash Flow”. My contribution to the topic was that pricing is preventative medicine for cash flow. Get your pricing right, and you have the type of cash flow situation you want (a healthy one), but getting it wrong can be a contributor to cash flow problems. There are a number of pricing models that are more cash-flow friendly than others:
and revenue that forms an annuity, rather than a lump sum payment. Rentals: Companies selling tangible goods can achieve the same result as service providers offing subscriptions by renting out their products. Most companies don’t buy photocopiers any more: they rent them.
In addition to the advantages associated with subscriptions, further advantages of this pricing model is the ease with customers can be upgraded to new and improved models when they are released, as well as retention of Look at companies like Flexicar and ownership. Quickflix (in Australia), and Zipcar and Netflix, the overseas Goods Sold as a Service: A equivalents. Spotify, and many hybrid model, between Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) subscriptions and rentals is to sell a companies also fall into the same good as a service. Those engines category. on the wings of airplanes have not been purchased by the airline you’re Link Pricing to a Value Metric: flying with. They are operating on Often, the above-mentioned cash “power-by-the-hour” contracts, with flow –friendly pricing models are the airline paying for their use when non-linear, or have two or more the aircraft is in the air and earning parts. Subscriptions can be the airline revenue. Likewise, Orica accompanies by usage charges. not longer sells explosives: it sells a Photocopy rental agreements often ‘rock removal service’. comprise a rental fee as well as a cost-per-page price. Ideally, these linkages should be to a value or usage metric that is The beauty of selling subscriptions going to grow within your are numerous, including the ability customers business, thereby to “sell once and renew many”, growing your revenue. If airlines fly lower perceived price points, more hours, then Rolls Royce greater segmentation opportunities earns more revenue. Just be aware that the converse may also apply.
There is one other benefit associated with these pricing models that illustrates why pricing is a holistic, business-wide initiative. Such pricing models can be easier for your sales force to sell, as they often become OpEx, rather than CapEx spending for clients. Can you afford not to have a cash flow-friendly pricing model?
Subscriptions: The world is moving towards a subscription economy, in both business (B2B) and consumer (B2C) markets, particularly for services.
18 | Smart Company Magazine
Jon Manning (right) and Greg Eyres (left) run the website PricingProphets.com, the worlds first and only online pricing advisory service where companies can ask a panel of global pricing experts and thought-leaders what price they should charge for a product or service and why. http://twitter.com/PricingProphets http://www.youtube.com/user/ PricingProphets http://www.linkedin.com/ company/pricing-prophets
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Smart Company Magazine | 19
Smart | MARKETI NG
WHAT EVERY PRESENTER CAN LEARN FROM OLYMPIC ATHLETES By Gabrielle Dolan
Before the London Olympics are even over the analysis and debrief have started into why Australia’s athletes (specifically some of the highly favoured swimmers) did not win the gold medals as expected. The general commentary has been around the athlete’s mental state as opposed to their physical state. Although the athletes were at their peak, physically, many of the athletes failed to handle the pressure associated with the greatest sporting stage in the world.
Watching the effect of nerves and stage fright has had on our highly fancied Olympians, I was constantly drawing parallels between an Olympic athlete’s mindset and the mindset of successful presenters.
Most people, who present, no doubt experience nerves, Throughout the entire 116 years negative thoughts and stage of modern Olympic history, there fright, with a detrimental impact have been examples of where on their performance. the greatest athletes have failed and where an unknown has come Given that the most common from nowhere to win gold. phobia is fear of public speaking; these states of mind are normal. After years of training the inability to master their mind can result in Being able to master your mind performances below before your next presentation will expectations. It’s why many set you up for success and make Olympic athletes enlist the presenting a lot more enjoyable services of sports psychologists. experience, for you and your Sport psychology exists because audience. the human mind can do strange things under stress. Granted, the audience at your next presentation may not be on Anxiety, nerves and negative the global scale of the Olympics, thoughts can all cripple an athlete the consequences of losing or before their event. It has been benefits of wining not so reported however that for the first dramatic and the sacrifices time in 20 years the Australia perhaps not as significant. swimmers are competing without their own professional sport Yet for anyone who has to deliver psychologists. presentations there are three key 20 | Smart Company Magazine
techniques we can learn from Olympic athletes that work particularly well for presenters. And all of them relate to your mindset. Slow Your Breathing The first is slowing your breathing. You may have experienced some of these sensations before a presentation, feeling nervous as hell, you can’t remember your opening line and you are fighting your greatest natural human instinct to flee. When this occurs you will be well served to find some space and a few minutes and actively focus on slowing your breathing. Slowing down your breathing reduces your heart rate and signals to your mind that all is calm here. The key is to identify the early onsets of nervous tension and start this technique immediately. After swimmer James Magnussen failed to meet expectation in the men’s 4x100 freestyle, he said "the morning of my race my hands were shaking
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and my heart was beating out of my chest". Perhaps an attempt to slow his breathing may have helped.
distinguish between reality and imagination. The more you visualise success the brain will be tricked into thinking it is real. As you are about to walk on Visualise success stage your brain will be think “Ok been here, done this before, all The second is visualise success. good”. In the lead up to the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, the once much Know Your Routine feared Australian men’s rowing team, the “Oarsome Foursome”, Many Olympic athletes have a were not rated highly. They only routine they religiously perform just scraped into the final and before each event. Sport against all odds won the gold psychologists call this medal. Sport psychologist Jeff mindfulness or process focusing. Bond had worked with the Oarsome Foursome on positive It’s helpful because it distracts visualisation in the lead up to the brain from racing ahead by Atlanta. “We’d run through the focusing the mind on the present warm-up, and the paddle to the moment. In ‘All Psyched Up’ start and then I would talk them Australian swim coach Shannon through the race”. They went Rollason instructed the swimmer through this process of Jodie Henry to have a routine for visualisation hundreds of times the 20 minutes preceding each and “the actual race went exactly, race. On leaving the change exactly as they planned it”. room she was to speak to someone in the marshaling area, then she was to find the Presenters can use the same Australian team and wave to technique. In the week leading up to your presentation, picture them. Next she had to seek out her parents in the audience and yourself walking on stage, your give them a wave and so right up opening, your key messages, until her being introduced and your ending, the laughs, the applause as you leave the stage, only then taking off her tracksuit and putting her cap on. the congratulations and hand shakes afterwards. Henry won three Olympic gold The power of visualising success medals in 2004 after following works because the brain cannot her pre-match routine.
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Similarly every successful presenter has a routine that sets their mind and heart in motion. They have a ‘getting ready’ process. This might be just one thing like some speakers brush their teeth before they present. Others do a final practice or prep themselves with some upbeat music that signals to them this is show time. Having a pre performance routine helps you shift your state. You shift into high gear ready to go. So before your next presentation, take some learnings from our Olympic athletes to help you master your mindset. Slow your breathing, visualise success and know your routine. Doing all three will help achieve your own PB (Presenter’s Best).
Gabrielle Dolan is a global thought leader on organisational storytelling and an expert in making good presenters Inspiring. For more information and workshop details, go to: www.onethousandandone.com.au
Smart Company Magazine | 21
Smart | MARKETI NG
HOW TO RUN YOUR OWN PUBLICITY CAMPAIGN - IN FIVE EASY LESSONS
By Jules Brooke
By using both lists and tailoring her media release, she is When you are about to start your doubling her chances of getting coverage and targeting the very own PR campaign, you need to make sure you contact media that her customers use. the right media. If we are creating media lists for our own clients, we always try to When we say ‘right’, we mean the media that your target market include at least three or four distinctly different media groups. reads, listens to or watches.
LESSON 2:
Another example is a children’s wear company Jules works with. Don’t Forget to Tell Your Story
They have an incredible background story so as well as sending out a release to the parenting and kids magazines and blogs, and the Fashion The more we can approach, the Editors for magazines and So the very first task you have is higher our chances of getting newspapers, she also pitched to identify exactly WHO you are coverage. the idea to magazines like Good speaking to. It may be that you Weekend who featured them in have a few different markets to For example, Simone has been the ‘Two of Us’ section and cover. working with a fantastic toy Wellbeing magazine (it is a fair company who have clever sports trade label) with great success. Tailoring Your Media List to goggles with built in video Your Target Markets cameras. Target the Media Your Customers are Likely to Use For instance, one of our HYOPR To get them the maximum clients, Phoebe, the owner of exposure she has targeted Start by thinking about what kind www.myfavourite.com.au, an men’s media, gift guides, of people your customers and online gift store, spoke to us the lifestyle media, newspaper potential customers are. other day about her different product sections, technology target markets. writers, general sport ● Old or young? magazines, speciality sports She has Mums and Dads magazines (for motorcross, ● Parents, singles or (parenting media and websites) skiing, scuba diving etc.) grandparents? as well as general lifestyle type photography media and even products (lifestyle media which kid’s media & women’s media. ● Male or female or both? includes in-flight magazines).
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● Are they environmentally minded?
It’s also a great idea to create a space for “media clippings” on your website.
● Do they love sports? That way potential customers can see that your business is credible and endorsed by others.
Then think of the sort of media they would use including online, magazines, newspapers, TV and A new Handle Your Own PR radio customer, All Day Heels, has a From there you will start to get a great example of a media picture of the sorts of categories section on their website. the media will fall into. They recently picked up a story You can then either spend some on A Current Affair and have time researching media contacts provided the link to that story, as well as others, on their site. online or via the contacts provided in such magazines and newspapers or buy the relevant This is a great way to make your editorial work for you well after it lists from us. runs. Get Organised and Add Your Get cracking on that list now! Media Exposure to Your Website However you get your media contacts make sure you place them into an Excel spreadsheet with the name of the media, the contact person, their role, their email address, their phone number and a leave a column for notes.
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Jules Brooke Handle Communications and Handle Your Own PR Ph: 0409 494 490 www.handle.com.au www.handleyourownpr.com.au (Au/NZ) www.handleyourownpr.com (USA) www.handleyourownpr.co.uk (UK)
Smart Company Magazine | 23
Smart | MARKETI NG
DON’T MISTAKE WHAT YOU DO FOR WHO YOU ARE ● Your product is not your company (at least it shouldn’t be). ● Don’t confuse them. By Michel Hogan We have all seen it. A single great product gets the company started but then in turn becomes the company. None of which is a problem until you are trying to launch a new product and no one knows who the organisation behind the product is or what it stands for. Where do you go from there? It is certainly a trap that entrepreneurs and start-ups particularly technology product companies, seem to fall into with depressing regularity. Building a company foundation of belief and purpose is just as important as getting your product ready to ship. The trouble is that getting to those things involves exploring messy questions such as “why” – not something people focused on “what” usually want to take time doing. I have lost count of the number of times I’ve worked with startups who say they will get to “that stuff” later.
and going. I can always spot the ones who haven’t done the work. The what and how they go about things are littered with contradictions and misalignment. If you look around you will see a trail of companies that reach year three and suddenly find themselves stuck with a product and company that are synonymous with no place to go. Trying to create separation at this point, both internally and externally, is at best expensive and at worst, nearly impossible.
What you do can, will and should change over time, who you are should not. There are plenty of product companies out there that are built to flip long before this becomes an issue. However, if you are aiming to build something for the long haul, the question of “who are we and why are we here” should be top of the agenda at every company meeting until you find your answer, no matter what your products are today.
When you build the value of your company and make that visible to It’s never too soon to start. your customers and other stakeholders, you create a stronger reason for them to purchase from you than just the features and benefits of the product.
Case in point, I could buy lot’s of different washing powders. The supermarket shelves are overflowing with choices. I will go out of my way to find and buy But here’s something to consider Ecover, because I like what the before you ditch the next company stands for. I could buy discussion – people buy products simple slip on shoes for ten dollars from companies, and when they in KMart. I choose to buy Toms know what your company stands Shoes online and get them shipped for and trust and respect it, they from US because I like what the buy even more products! So taking company stands for. Sure these that time might be the best are consumer examples, but the investment in your future you can principle holds just as true for B2B. make. For example software company Having a solid foundation of why is Atlassian has largely defined and also a great way to help guide the differentiated itself in a crowded thousands of decisions that have to space by what they stand for (and be made as the company gets up
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what they make - let’s not forget that is still important too).
Michel Hogan is an independent adviser and advocate dedicated to helping organisations make promises they can keep and keep the promises they make – with a strong, resilient organisation and Brand as the result. She also publishes a blog at michelhogan. com. You can follow Michel on Twitter @michelhogan.
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Smart Company Magazine | 25
Smart | MARKETI NG
HOW TO MAKE YOUR SUBSCRIBERS LOVE YOU By Mikel Kew
• Sell Solutions - Not Products
• Lower Customer Acquisition Cost
• Create a “Hype Free Zone” In this article, I’ll give you 4 ways to make your subscribers love you and why you should only promote products that you truly believe with help others to be successful online.
Here are 4 guidelines you can follow to make your subscribers love you:
Product selection is critical to your success and your reputation as an ethical marketer. If you promote the latest, greatest product launch just because everyone else is, or you promote products that you haven’t purchased and personally evaluated, you risk losing the respect of your subscribers. You may make a quick sale, but if the product recommended turns out to be junk, you won’t sell anything else to that person in the future…
Create a solid portfolio of quality products that provide solutions to problems. Identify the problems and challenges that your subscribers face and then, one at a time, find a few good products that provide a solution to each problem.
1. Sell Solutions – Not Products
Here are a few problems that your subscribers may have: ● Getting traffic ● Building a list
If you don’t truly believe that a product or service will help your subscribers succeed, then you shouldn’t recommend it. I know that’s difficult to accept, but it’s true. When you believe in the product you’re promoting, it’s so much easier to recommend to others and you’ll make much more money in the process.
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● Building a website ● Writing sales copy ● Setting up a membership site ● Setting up a blog
Now you just need to pick and evaluate a handful of good products at different price ranges and continuity programs that will help your subscribers overcome each one of those challenges. 2. Invest in the Products You Sell I understand that you can’t buy every product that a merchant sells. But I highly recommend that you buy at least one product for two reasons: 1. To make sure you’re selling something with true value. You don’t want to risk your reputation by recommending a product that is full of fluff and filler. People buy from people they trust. If you want to continue selling products and services to your customers, don’t waste their time with low-quality junk.
And the list goes on and on…
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2. You can use the content to pre-sell your prospects. For example, you could summarize an ebook and give it away as a free report. Or you could drop tips and tricks that you learned in a series of emails.
list. I recommend promoting one or two products per week. Show your subscribers that you believe in the product, have personally used it yourself, and highly recommend it. 4. Don’t Promote Hype and Lies!
The bottom line is this…it’s much easier to sell something that Take the time to thoroughly you’ve purchased and personally evaluate every product before used. you promote, and help your subscribers make a buying And if you use the product and decision. get good results, you’ll have a real success story to share with Stay away from products sold your readers that will send your with blind sales copy, false sales through the roof! scarcity, fake actors, and other lies. 3. Promote one Product at a Time It’s not worth risking your reputation to just to make a few Learn everything about the bucks. If you run your business product, develop unique with honesty and integrity, all the marketing materials to promote efforts you make to help others it, and create a unique bonus that will come back to you tenfold! compliments it and add tremendous value to the offer. If you enjoyed this article, share the luv… leave a comment, click Make your promotion an event “Like” and +1 this page. Thanks! and send multiple emails to your
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Mikel Kew is Co-Founder & CEO of Bargains4Business, Australia’s premier business group buying and deals site. Mikel is also Director of Film Cartel and works as a technology consultant for a number of Australian eCommerce sites. LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/profile/ view?id=53411085 Facebook: https://www.facebook. com/Bargains4Business Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/ B4B_Australia Google+: https://plus.google. com/107036293438866621077 Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/ b4baustralia/ Website: http://www.bargains4business.c om.au
Smart Company Magazine | 27
Smart | MARKETI NG
COMMON BRANDING MISTAKES SMALL BUSINESS MAKES
BY ANDREW BROWN
Branding is extremely important for small companies that want to grow and sustain their businesses for the long term
You can’t be everything to everyone or you’ll be nothing to no one.
Too many entrepreneurs think that they need a mainstream It is a major challenge for a small product for the highest potential sales. business to establish a brand because of the lack of funds, resources, people and time. Yet By defining and segmenting your audience, you can appear higher branding is what makes your company attractive to investors, in search engine results and the “right people” will find you and consumers and future want your product. employees. Your brand is the relationship you have with your customers and relationships are Think about the age, gender, geography and lifestyle of the not built overnight. people you’re targeting and don’t be afraid to define your market in A lot of entrepreneurs have difficulty with branding because public. they prioritise product For example, instead of being development and sales before just another accountant in meaning and experience. A suburbia, you can position company that doesn’t have a yourself as “business mentor for well-defined brand will have trouble with differentiation in the young entrepreneurs in your marketplace and with generating region.” media awareness. Here are If a young entrepreneur is looking some common missteps to for business support, they will watch out for. search online and your website will come up. 1. They don’t define a set target market Since you have a well defined position, they will choose you In order to gain visibility in the marketplace, it’s imperative that over a more generalist firm that you are specific with the types of doesn’t understand their needs. customers you’re going after. 28 | Smart Company Magazine
2. They focus too much on advertising and not enough on PR Sixty-three percent of small to medium-sized businesses advertise online. While targeted advertising on specific blogs, websites, and through Google AdWords and Facebook Social Ads might help, it’s well worth the investment to get PR support and partner with brands. Public relations is extremely important because what other people say about your brand has more impact than what you say about yourself. Self-proclamations don’t build brands; the your audience, your stakeholders and the media does. It’s far better to have a profile in a magazine related to your industry or sector than it is to pay for a full-page advertisement in the magazine. Earned media is much more respected by customers. Small businesses typically don’t have well-known brands so they require third-party endorsements and partnerships in order to become established.
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If people haven’t heard of your company, then it’s helpful if you create strategic partnerships with companies that your market is familiar with. By associating your company with a well-known brand, your company becomes more credible and your brand grows. 3. They don’t build a strong Web presence to attract new customers Every single business should have a website, but 55 percent of small businesses don’t have one. How are potential customers supposed to find you?
who you are, what you do and what products and services you offer. Instead of blowing money on advertising, invest your resources in social media and your website.
Consumers want to hear your story and connect with your employees to get a better sense of your company.
Consumers also turn to their friends, through social networks, when deciding If you enable your employees to what company to purchase from. become evangelists for your company, then you will be able to That’s why it’s crucial, more than scale your marketing and foster ever before, to create your own stronger relationships with your profile pages, and engage with customers. your customer base. Your employees should be able Start by concentrating your to build and develop their own efforts on the top three social personal brands because then networks: Facebook, LinkedIn they become more valuable to and Twitter. your company.
People are searching for you online and every time you don’t 4. They disable their come up, there’s another missed employees from building their brand opportunity to build your business and brand. Half of all small businesses have Consumers turn to the Web first a policy that prohibits employees before making a purchasing from visiting FaceBook and decision. other Social Media. A strong Web presence allows Many also do not have a blog or you to point people to where they newsletter and those that do can find more information about don’t empower their employees to contribute.
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Small business owners should let their employees use social networking sites as long as they are doing it for the benefit of the company.
Andrew Brown is a small business marketing specialist that helps start-ups get more clients faster. Andrew has been influential in a number of industries including export, manufacturing and technology. You can visit his web site: www.clientmachine.com.au
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Smart | LEAD ERSHI P
WHY OUTSOURCING HAS BECOME THE KEY TO BUSINESS SUCCESS A combination of new business realities, delivery models, destinations and technologies has increased the utilisation of outsourcing strategies by SME’s and large enterprises alike. As more businesses realise the importance marketing plays in driving growth and achieving business aims many have turned to outsourcing to help ramp up their marketing activities.
Business is turning to technology software in particular Software as to boost productivity and a Service (Saas) to facilitate flexibility. project and client management as an increasing shortage of This also brings employee technology labour affects all recruitment and education businesses in 2012 and beyond. challenges as businesses need This has driven home the reality to recruit and train staff to cope This places a greater pressure that many business functions are with this new marketing and on businesses to outsource better off being outsourced so technology. It is also bringing some of these new roles in order that management can about a new appreciation for to get access to the talent and concentrate on the key drivers of relationship building with all knowledge required to business growth and profitability stakeholders as business owners successfully utilise these rather than managing timecarefully steer their business marketing and technology consuming and repetitive towards it’s goals. opportunities. business functions. Labour Shortage Business is now learning how to There are still challenges though, integrate outsourced services with the talent shortage and Despite the doom and gloom talk into their operations as access to finance still remaining of the economy, unemployment is seamlessly as possible in order key barriers to achieving the to pursue their commercial goals. still at very low levels. This is growth business leaders desire. unlikely to change significantly in Freedom & Flexibility the near future which means Many businesses are increasing entrepreneurs will continue to find their online presence with greater it difficult to recruit the expertise Business has embraced utilisation of social media, they need to grow their business. outsourcing more than ever in an content and local marketing effort to be more flexible. tactics to boost revenue. Many Marketing, sales, finance and are outsourcing the day to day technical positions will be New Media tools such as tablets, processes of creating & posting particularly hard to fill. webinars, document hosting and content, managing feedback and videoconferencing have become comments. Businesses of all sizes will lean more important in staff more heavily on cloud-based communications and training. 30 | Smart Company Magazine
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The latest generation of potential Tough Customers employees insists on being able to work wherever they feel most Here’s something that isn’t going productive. to change anytime soon customers’ willingness to pay If that means at home, on a more. Some companies have customer’s premises, or at a been discounting their products café, business will need to offer and services to compete with ways for those employees to online businesses, discount keep connected. coupons and international competitors, both online and new Being Where Your Clients Are bricks & mortar arrivals. Many businesses have taken keenly to the online environment and to social media in recent times, using sites like Facebook and LinkedIn to broaden their reach to customers. While the commercial zeitgeist suggests every company should use this technology, entrepreneurs are scrutinising the benefits carefully to avoid wasting an investment that may be better placed in other media, including traditional media, as that may be where clients are. Having the right outsourced partners to help you reach these clients has become vital to modern business success.
While we would never suggest outsourcing relationship building with your clients, outsourcing will help business reduce costs, become more flexible and provide more time to concentrate on building these client relationships that are so essential to staying competitive in the modern business environment. Finance
As the traditional retail economy Entrepreneurs trying to win over struggles, clients won’t want to go banks and other lending back to paying higher prices. institutions are facing a tough audience. Banks aren’t going to Social Media has also been open their purse strings to SMEs partially responsible for the high that don’t have incredible levels of retail competitiveness credibility. with a clear majority of people that “follow” or interact with The European debt crisis has put companies using social media financial institutions there under doing so to gain special offers or pressure. If a European bank discounts (71%) and make were to fail, lending may be purchases (55%). severely restricted, and we could easily see a return to the Global As a result, business is finding Credit Crunch that saw banks ways to reduce their own costs to collectively review their lending restore margins, and zero in on policies based on their access to those customers who may be funds. This could mean that willing to pay more, given obtaining business finance exceptional service and best-of- whether to start or grow a industry products. business will be more difficult. Relationship building will be the Regardless of this, lenders won’t key to winning over these clients. be willing to lend to businesses
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that lack excellent business plans – and in this day and age, you can bet that more businesses than ever are vying for the banks’ attention. Smart outsourcing to improve cash flow (such as paying outsourced contractors monthly instead of staff weekly or fortnightly) has helped many SME’s stay afloat and reduces the reliance on external finance options. Strategic Outsourcing Many business-critical, high-level services such legal, finance & accounting, marketing, HR, recruitment, facilities management, security, and strategic planning are outsourced.
are being increasingly used by companies. Business is moving outsourcing out of the back-office and into more customer-facing processes and more strategic opportunities making seamless integration by service providers even more critical to business success. Technology Convergence The convergence of social networking, collaboration and mobility platforms has created a significant demand for valueadded outsourcing services. Companies are increasing their emphasis on social media to source talent globally, position their products and services, and collect intelligence around their end users that goes significantly beyond SEO and SEM.
Marketing and Digital Publishing functions means more businesses will need HR, Marketing & IT expertise that understands the technology. The use of cloud based services for document hosting, training, sales and promotional materials has been growing significantly for several years and as more companies look to replace outdated intranet solutions with more secure, flexible and functional cloud-based solutions, printed marketing material with digital brochures and look for more measurable marketing solutions that the cloud offers; integrating these with existing business functions, processes and strategies has become vital.
The roles of sales, marketing and IT have become somewhat merged. Very few businesses Modern outsourced service can find candidates with the providers, have become more The Cloud knowledge and experience to experienced at seamlessly deliver the results required for integrating their services into As cloud computing solutions client businesses. continue to proliferate worldwide, modern business. This is where outsourcing comes into its’ own. customers and suppliers will Collaborative and Strategic continue to struggle to comply The best outsourced providers Alliances and Partnerships with increased government have teams that deliver for clients regulations, the real risks of Models where customers and cyber-security and threats of eco- across these disciplines so that the entrepreneur can concentrate service providers work terrorism. Having said this, the collaboratively to develop growth in cloud solutions across on the business functions that deliver the highest returns. performance-based partnerships the IT, Human Resources, 32 | Smart Company Magazine
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Smart | LEAD ERSHI P
RUNNING WITH THE BIG DOGS AND WINNING
BY PATRICK HANNAN
If you are a smaller company in your market, you often are competing against the idea that the safe choice is the right choice.
Here are some strategies and techniques to use when up against a competitor that trots out the “safe choice” fallacy.
1) Risk Ratio - Challenge your The best part of fighting Safeprospect to consider where they Choice Syndrome is that safety is want to be on the priority ladder a minimum standard of their provider. As the 21st measurement. If you can appear biggest customer of a big "safe enough" then you can win company, your prospect would on your compelling value. receive very different attention than that prospect will receive as Recently, I had a couple of a top 5 customer of yours. The business owners in my office who question is simple, "Who wants to had discovered that their largest be someone's 21st biggest competitor quantified its number customer?" one reason for winning contracts, over a third of all deals, from 2) Strong - Bring your strength to being the "safe choice." That was the conversation early and often it. not just your value. Take your best people, case studies, and clients That competitor wasn't better, into the early parts of the sales cheaper, faster or smarter. They process that show your strength were just perceived as safer. and stability. The safe-choice option only wins because of As entrepreneurs, we find this strength, stability and hard to stomach. We create defendability as a decision. Be advantages, best-in-class stronger. performance, tailored solutions and benefits. 3) 4 key safety flags - If safety is the operative term, then what can To be beat out for the reason that you include in your sales "bigger is safer" is intellectually conversations, presentations and offensive. This notion has to be proposals that will convey safety? crushed in every corner of the sales process that it is found. People - Demonstrate a sense of scale, interplay and uniquely Otherwise, smaller companies relevant resume experience to risk permanent second-position your prospects. status in larger sales opportunities. 34 | Smart Company Magazine
It's true - people buy from people. However, even more true is that people connect to safety with other people they see as peers, not sales people. Process - Illustrating directly the processes that you follow to achieve results gives the confidence of predictability and scalability that decision makers need to feel safe. Technology - One of the concerns of larger buyers when considering a smaller firm is that of scalability - "Does this little company have the resources necessary to grow and flex for my needs?" Your leverage of equipment, systems, software and platforms generates confidence that you can ramp up through technology rather than only by hiring, which carries many inherent risks. Experience - Your bona fides in the prospect's problems first, market second and industry third give them an anchoring reference point in defending the decision to go with the smaller company. You need to bring these to the discussion and hammer home the direct application on all three levels. Know that “safe-choice” is always lurking in the decision-making shadows of every big sale. Use these strategies to win.
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The
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Smart | D ESI GN
WHAT TO LOOK FOR WHEN HIRING A PROFESSIONAL GRAPHIC DESIGN AGENCY The benefits of hiring a good graphic design agency are many and there are an oversupply of designers out there, so why are the great ones so hard to find? By Trevor Cooke Choosing the right design agency - one who will clearly understand your vision - can be a time consuming and tedious exercise. You want a designer who can take the visualisation you have of your company name or trademark, what your business represents and the message you want to send to your audience and replicate it. Here are some things to look for in a graphic design professional. Open communication channels - A professional creative design agency should have an open communication channel with you at all times. This will keep you in the loop throughout the design process. It will also give you a chance to gauge how much time and effort they are putting into your project. Furthermore, graphic designers who are looking to keep you notified on your design, imply that they are giving due attention to the work at hand. Prior research - To get a complete understanding of your creative design needs, an agency should be willing and able to conduct a thorough research. 36 | Smart Company Magazine
This will give them insight into your company, as well as your business focus. With such information, creation of a design that embodies the company's qualities is possible.
Creativity is part of the job, and that aspect should be evident as they carry out the project.
Skills Required - The design agency you decided to use should be capable of designing Personable - The graphic with the most up to date software. designer you work with should be It's essential that the company is approachable. They should able to offer you visual design carefully listen to your instructions proofs before you decide to so that they do not miss out on agree to the design project. any details. In addition, they should ask questions where But it shouldn’t end there. Too necessary, so that as much many designers and agencies information as possible can be are just proficient at using the availed for the project. software but lack real knowledge and understanding of modern Price quotations - Dealing with business requirements, marketing and brand design agencies can get a bit development as well as specific tricky when it comes down to industry knowledge relative to pricing. As such, be cautious your business. about the agency you pick, and ensure all the costs are given, prior to carrying out the project. If The best agencies have industry specialists, who have worked the work is on a contract basis, with many companies like your be sure to read all documents and understand the audience you before signing. This eliminates any future misunderstandings or are trying to reach. hidden costs. The agency should also have vision and be proficient in the Passionate - Good website technology available to ensure design and graphic designers are genuinely passionate about your message is consistent across all channels. their work.
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Amaze Creative Keeping it clear and simple.
Amaze Creative Strategies Creating, distributing and analysing engaging, recurring digital content experiences across multiple channels. MWA Design can help you get your marketing message to your target clients in the most effective way to boost your sales and your profit. We are not just interested in great design and the latest technologies we’re interested in your business, your customers and your commercial success too.
Inspire Your Customers & Franchisees Inspire them to buy Inspire them to share Inspire their loyalty Increase brand recognition Increase interaction with your brand Create a consistent brand experience
Brand Design | Print & Digital | Web Design | Web Development
www.amazecreativestrategies.com
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Smart Company Magazine | 37
Smart | C OMPANY FEATURE
GETTING TO KNOW YOU: PRICING PROPHETS Small business hasn’t had access to much good pricing information and advice in the past. Most people think that there is only one option when pricing their product or service. You work out the cost to manufacture a product, or the number of hours involved in delivering a service, add a percentage for the profit you would like to make and voila! You have your price. Talking to pricing expert Jon Manning to find out more about pricing strategy, we quickly learnt that value based pricing is far more effective. 1. What inspired you to start PricingProphets? What are you goals and values?
2. What was the driving force behind your decision to specialise in the pricing strategy sector?
In mid 2010, I was at a networking event where there were speakers talking about crowd-sourcing. Although, I wasn’t one of the speakers, I was asked a question about pricing and crowdsourcing.
SME’s are the type of clients I like the best. I’ve helped many I have worked in pricing for almost all my working life, and it over the years, ranging from homebased business, started by accident rather than entrepreneurs with start-up Design. businesses, as well as retailers and wholesalers. My first job was in the oil industry checking the prices on invoices, and wondering where Some of their products include those prices came from. I don’t marketing and music recording services, websites and think anyone has solved that technology products, through to mystery yet. fresh flowers. I then started pricing catering, The great thing about working and quickly worked out where those prices were coming from: with SME’s is that you can make a difference to the bottle line the addition of costs, plus a very quickly, and without having desired profit margin. to worry about the bureaucratic baggage that comes with a After that I moved into pricing large firm. airfares, where prices are primarily driven by the competition. And for the last ten You usually end up with both a years, I’ve been consulting to a relationship and a friendship with the people in the business wide range of companies, assisting then with pricing on the as well. basis of value, rather than costs or the competitions.
After the talk had finished, someone approached me and said “I’m selling this product, but I’m about to launch that product, what do I charge for it?” At that moment I realised that people had been asking me that question for over 20 years, and rather than answering “that depends”, I could provide a more specific answer if I created a platform that crowd-sourced the answer. [NB: crowdsourcing is an online movement where you get ‘crowd’ of people to solve a problem, such as, in the case of PricingProphets, what price to charge] 38 | Smart Company Magazine
3. What experience do you have helping small business clients?
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4. Do you service other sectors as well? Of course! You know, one of the misconceptions of a lot of people is that you need pricing experience in their particular industry to be able to help them. This could not be further from the truth. People don’t ask an accountant if they have experience in their industry: 80% of what they need to do they are trained in, and the other 20% is worked out from the financial transactions they crunch for the client. The same applies in pricing…perhaps even more so, as we know what sort of pricing works in business markets or consumer markets. 5. What are the main reasons that someone would choose PricingProphets to assist with developing their business? There are several reasons clients use PricingProphets: ● They realise that an incorrect pricing decision can mean the difference between profit and loss, but they have no idea where to start;
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● They think they are charging the right price, but they’re not quite sure, and they would like to validate the price, or;
We’re happy to chat, and support is available on every step of the journey, either by email, telephone Skype or even Twitter.
● They are going to be grilled on their pricing strategy by an investor or venture capitalist, and they want to speak from a position of informed authority.
7. What challenges did you face in setting up the business?
I’m a very optimistic person, and I don’t believe in ‘problems’ or ‘challenges’, only solutions. So the biggest ‘challenge’ 6. What process, service associated with setting up and support do your clients PricingProphets was selfimposed. I set my partner and Receive? myself a deadline of 100 days to set up the business and build the So using PricingProphets is relatively simple. The first step is website. to create a log-on and complete Did we achieve the target? No! a simple, once-only business The Australian Tax Office took profile. Once that’s done, a longer than expected to give us client can run a project, which our tax file number, and it took us involves answering around 40 101 days. questions on the product they want priced. That seems a lot of questions, but most are relatively 8. Tell us about some of the straightforward. Clients then pay expectations that you had. Have they been met? for the project, we do our stuff, and in about 7 days the client gets and email telling them the I tend to find people in business results are available online to fall into one of two camps: those view or print. that have business plans and those that do not. I’m closer to One of my personal dislikes is the latter. I don’t have a formal, websites run by people who written business plan, other than don’t want to talk to their the one in my head. customers.
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Smart | C OMPANY FEATURE
There are two reasons for that. The first is that I can change direction quickly, without having to worry about that change of direction being in my business plan (or not). And secondly, if my expectations are not documented, then there is no disappointment if they are not achieved…but we are happy with the progress we’ve made with PricingProphets so far.
11. Do you have any plans for The experts suggested the client stop selling the service to the overseas expansion? parents and start selling it to the That process has already started schools. It would not only make as well. We already have experts the schools look concerned about safety, the schools were in (Australia, NZ, the USA, his channel-to-market, and if he the UK, Singapore, India and priced his service as a the Netherlands), We’ve also percentage of school fees, there completed projects for clients was only one way his revenue in the US and India, as well as would go: up! Australia.
12. What would you say to 9. Who is the target market for someone looking to grow your business? and develop his or her business? We’ve built the service for the hundreds of thousands of SME’s I’ve got a couple of tips. Firstly, who have no dedicated pricing look to partner with resources, who can’t afford to organisations that have already attend pricing workshops or got the clients you want. It’s a lot conferences, who can’t afford more cost effective than going expensive pricing research after all those clients individually. alternatives, such as focus Secondly, identify companies groups or conjoint analysis, and that are either upstream or who want to ditch cost-plus downstream from your business pricing. (i.e. what do your clients buy before and after they buy from 10. Do you provide services you) and work with them. Nationally? Finally, and not everybody can Absolutely. Obviously Melbourne do this, but if you can, adopt a is our home market, but half of pricing model that grows with the projects we’ve completed to your clients’ business. One of the date have been for clients projects we recently completed outside of Victoria. on PricingProphets was for a company selling a safety services to parents of school children. 40 | Smart Company Magazine
Jon Manning has over two decades of global pricing management experience, and is the mastermind behind PricingProphets.com. To speak to Jon for further information you can email him at; jon@pricingprophets.com or phone 0405 629 141 International +61 405-629-141) Find us online; http://www.PricingProphets.com Youtube; http://www.youtube.com/user/ PricingProphets
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Ask an Expert - Franchising Business Development Alliance
Strategise Systemise Commercialise Franchising is a highly competitive sector with a unique set of challenges. But we discovered that successful franchises have one common characteristic, and that is extraordinary “passion”. This is a key asset for any business owner, particularly in franchising - along with getting great advice - as Mark Fernandez from Business Development Alliance explains. 1. What inspired you to start BDA? What are your goals and values?
passion and determination. With our never ending search for excellence coupled with our experience we believe that we have a lot to offer anyone either BDA has been servicing the Franchise and Business sectors entering or already immersed in since 2002 and we have grown the sector. into one of Australia’s Premier Management Consultancy. Our 3. What experience do you values enable us to express have helping franchise sector what we do and what we believe clients? in, which, in turn enables us to put into practice what we are We have been involved in the committed to, which is – Franchising sector for over 40 excellence in everything we do. years and have experience across all facets of franchising. Our goals revolve around With this vast experience we providing the best advice, believe our clients can only service and education to benefit from what we have Franchise Networks whilst learned along the way and that assisting and educating brings expertise to the table prospective franchises to when making those critical become more profitable. business decisions.
4. Do you service other sectors as well? Yes, we have worked in many sectors assisting business grow including; manufacturing, retail, hospitality, shipping and wholesale. We have the capabilities and experiences to assist any small business find its growth path. 5. What are the main reasons that someone would choose BDA to assist with developing their business?
Businesses choose BDA as we assist in finding the right growth path. We will determine wether Licensing, Agency Agreements, Dealerships, Co-Operatives or Franchising is the best way forward. Most business understand the need for control 2. What was the driving force Our Director is a Committee when expanding however, may Member of the Franchise behind your decision to Council of Australia WA Chapter not be aware of the boundaries specialise in the franchise in which that control can be and is intimately involved in a sector? exercised. number of well recognised brands within the sector. Its all about passion!!! This sector demands a high level of 42 | Smart Company Magazine
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We have had many clients over the years that just need good, sound business advice and that’s where we come in. A’ sounding board’ for senior management and for those franchises that need assistance along the journey. 6. What process, services and support do your clients receive?
completing the Viability Study, Financial Modelling, Scripting Operation Manuals to Training and Recruitment. The real work starts after the launch of a franchise, we then take a ‘coaching ‘ role in the organisation just to keep things on track and to enable the practical application of the system is actually in play.
8. Do you provide services nationally? Yes we do, we have worked in all states and territories in and across our beautiful country. 9. Do you have any plans for overseas expansion?
We are looking to form international affiliates with 7. Who is the target market for companies that have the same We provide a ‘one stop shop’ for your business? values and principals as us. franchising your business. We undertake all activities in setting Typically we find that business 12. What would you say to up a franchise; everything from looking to grow and have heard someone looking to franchise about franchising but not really their business? sure what It’s all about. Yes they know of the major brands but are The key here is to get good looking for a guiding hand to quality advice. If you want to be take their business to a new successful in an industry that level. employees around 650,000 Australians and contributes Business that have been more that $140b to the operating successfully for at Australian Economy, then you least 12 months and are need to have a relentless search profitable are now looking to for excellence. expand. With this in mind, setting the structures and putting the Surround yourself with the best infrastructure in place for growth advisors that you can afford and can be a costly exercise and get out and chat to people in the without sound advice can leave industry – these are my top tips you exposed and put your for business that are looking to business at risk, hence we are grow through franchising. finding more and more Mark Fernandez - brings over 20 Mark Fernandez entrepreneurs seeking years of senior management mark@bda-online.com.au experience in business development professional advice. and franchising to your business. www.bda-online.com.au 24 | Modern Franchise Magazine maxiom
Smart Company Magazine | 43
Smart | ENTREPRENEUR
A LATERAL WAY TO GROW A BUSINESS By Siimon Reynolds
When people seek to grow their business they usually look at doing it three ways. 1. They do more marketing. The truth is, there is no more effective way to grow a business than increasing marketing efforts. If your business is not rocketing along, it is almost always because you aren’t spending enough of your day learning and applying new marketing methods. 2. They introduce new products.
3. Change the distribution model. By simply changing the way the product is delivered,you can unlock enormous wealth. Let me give you an example. Because I coach people all around the world on improving their business, I am often asked by entrepreneurs at social events to give them advice (lucky me)!
Last week I was at a lunch and an owner of a vineyard in Napa Valley (USA) was complaining This method can also quickly about how tough the wine grow a business. If you used to sell one product and now you sell business is. two, then some people will choose that second product and They pointed out how hard it is to differentiate their wine from the some will choose both. Result? other ten thousand wines Increased sales. available. I totally agreed. But If your business isn’t growing as then I said something that really got them thinking. fast as you’d like, then simply think of ways you can introduce new products – you’ll usually get I said that instead of trying to compete at the same level as all a quick uplift in profits. But there’s another way of growing a the other winemakers, they should just move to another business that very few people distribution model. I gave them think of, and I’d like to focus on two ways they could do this: that today. 44 | Smart Company Magazine
Firstly, they could create a new model where they sold shares in their winery for say $150. For this price someone who likes wine can actually achieve a dreambecoming a part owner of a winery. As an owner, they could even have their name printed on every bottle they buy. Now think about this for a moment. If you owned a share in a winery and had your name on the bottle, wouldn’t you buy a lot of that wine? Of course you would. Think how cool it would be if at dinner parties if you brought your very own wine with your name on it! It would be very impressive. The primary owner of that winery would get the upfront $150 which would help cashflow enormously, then also get far more regular sales of the wine.
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You could even send Notice how neither of these shareholders a bottle a month ideas were about doing (charging them an annual fee for business as usual. this of course). They were focused around how I also suggested a second way to change the business model of changing the distribution by focusing on the distribution model. In America ( and much of method- the first via getting the world) the TV reality show people to ‘own’ the winery and ‘Keeping Up the second by getting the Kardashians to expand the With the Kardashians’ is a huge distribution to their fans, not just hit. In case you haven’t seen it, to the average wine lover. the shows follows a family around as they go about their So think laterally about your how lives,which are full of drama, your company can sell it’s tension and fun. I told them they wares. If you’re in a market should do a deal with the where it’s really tough to Kardashians and produce a compete, then change the Kardashian wine. game. Move the battle to a new field, where you are the only It would appear at every meal player. they have on the show,their huge army of fans would buy it, it It takes guts, but it often works. would get loads of press and many liquor stores would stock it just for the novelty. Bottomline; they’d sell a lot more wine.
Over the last 25 years, Siimon has created multimillion dollar businesses from the ground up and is now teaching other entrepreneurial business people his systems for success. He started the Photon Group and grew that company to be worth over $500 million while employing over 5000 people so he can definitely help grow your Business. Siimon has a passion for helping entrepreneurs build and grow so definitely visit his website and download the free ebook and business building videos. http://thefortuneinstitute.com
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Smart Company Magazine | 45
Smart | FUTURE
PHYSICALLY HERE VIRTUALLY THERE By Morris Miselowski
The Year 2020 is only eight years away and for many it holds the romantic promise of how different life and business will be, but will the reality live up to the expectation? 2020
out ways to leverage and make best use of these by forming alliances with other business and In 2020 we will hold the 32nd Olympic Games and it will be a The eternal core of an innovator providers who service similar and complimentary markets, leap year. Australia population is underpinned by a childlike will be around 25.5 million. Baby curiosity; a “why not” and “what if” knowing that in this collaborative boomers will be 58 years old attitude to every possibility they offering there is strength, growth and profitability for all involved. plus and one in five of us will be encounter in a daily fresh new over 60 years of age. The world; a strong intuitive belief in 2020’s workplaces will need to median Australian age will be 40 how the world is evolving, all with a life expectancy of 81 for a balanced by a strategic old-world be adept at uniting a physically male and 86 for a female. whole of business pragmatism. present tribe of employees with a tribe of offsite and often transient staff, specifically chosen for their In our 2020 workplaces, one in This will remain fundamental in three employees will be working business innovation, but what is ability to add value to the task or on a causal, part time or project different, is the speed of change project regardless of where they basis. 40% of today’s senior and the breadth of opportunities are on the globe. leaders will have reached that we have access to. These tribe members may have retirement age. Gen Y will history and longevity in working account for 42% of the As technology increasingly workforce. The average job satisfies our linear and routinised together, but just as likely may only come together to perform tenure will be 2.4 years and one work activities and provides us one task or project and then in four workers will be working with synthetic thinking and remotely or virtually. analysis, successful corporations disband, repeating this process will evolve into the realisation that over and over again responding ongoing to global marketplace Between now and 2020 we will human knowledge and the also move forward 100 willingness and agility to readily needs for projects, skill, wisdom technological years as we and appropriately respond to the and insights. continue to irrevocably enmesh unusual and unpredictable will The old management paradigm our physical world with our online offer them their unique point of of control will also slowly give digital world and render difference and profitable way to the new paradigm of ourselves virtually immortal competitive edge. influence, as we learn that our leaving digital footprints that will workplaces are extremely fluid, echo throughout all time. Where once we may have jealously guarded our intellectual malleable and adaptive and that property and unique know-how, to flourish in this new work context is to allow our people the we will instead choose to seek 46 | Smart Company Magazine
Tomorrows’ workplaces and thinking
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freedom to explore new possibilities and methodologies whilst remaining true and fixed on the compass pointing steadfastly to the required outcomes. As the boundary between our physical and digital worlds blur and we become more immersed and dependant on constantly-on and information-rich in-situ technologies, the ability to compartmentalise our lives into the historical dictum of eight hours work, eight hours play and eight hours rest will no longer have meaning, or purpose.
service our aging population as we strive for quality of life as we routinely live to 100 years of age and beyond. Expect to see a growing number of genetic counsellors, stem cell researchers and custom implant organ designers’ jobs being advertised. In allied industry’s, Baby Boomers will be hiring retirement coaches and counsellors, financial advisors and wealth experts to advise them on how to maximise their post work lives.
Our insatiable reliance on digital The willingness and ability to and augmented online worlds effectively manage the personal will make digital professionals needs of the individual with the another sought after industry and commercial needs of an profession with new jobs organisation will be a skillset emerging including computer muscle we will all need to forensic analysts, cyber security exercise and strengthen. specialists, media search consultants and data Tomorrow’s professions technologists. Many of tomorrow’s career and industry opportunities are hidden in the 60% of the tasks and jobs we will do in the next decade that we can’t yet imagine. This includes the burgeoning healthcare industry that will
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They will clearly know what they are capable of; be willing to innovate in large and small ways, be skilled at harnessing the collective wisdom and energy of the people around them, and adept at finding new markets and new opportunities and most importantly not afraid to reach out and grab for them.
Where to from here? As we journey towards the year 2020, the companies that thrive and grow will be those that find opportunity in the changes.
The highly-regarded principal and founder of Success through Focus since 1981, each day, he consults with business leaders around the globe, helping to shape their businesses so they can be first to take profitable advantage of tomorrow’s business opportunities. Morris foresees an unlimited future for those companies which take the time to prepare and strategize for the future NOW.
Smart Company Magazine | 47
Smart | FRANC HI SI NG
PUT YOUR FRANCHISE IN 1st PLACE By Mark Fernandez
Position Yourself against Your Competition “How do you stand out in a crowded Franchise market to get the best Franchisees to consider your Franchise system?” • It’s All About Perceived Value
Competitive athletes know that checking out the competition is as important as eating right, training and assessing their own strengths and weaknesses. Franchisors that want to win have to get their head in the game as well.
• Franchisees Demand Quality Systems and Excellent Support
Consider a franchise network Some questions that you may that has been operating for less ask: than two years, does this mean that the systems, processes and ● What industries is my support offered by the business in? – does this Franchisor is of less value than limit the pool of potential the franchise system that has a franchisees? 10 year operating model? ● What products and services do we offer? – It’s all about perceived value, the why do our customers value offering over your come to us? competition.
Determining your Sustainable Competitive Advantage (SCA) starts with evaluating and identifying your strengths and weaknesses; what you are good Everyone is fighting to feed the at. discerning appetite for information buyers are looking at Comparing this to your price, ease of operation and competition reduces risk, above all ROI. decreases speculative investment spend, clarifies Before you analyze your necessary resources and saves competition, clarify what your you valuable time. business does and offers, it’s a mistake to try and be too much Prospective franchisees’ to too many people. demand for quality systems and excellent support runs high and If you don’t believe me then ask sometimes blurs the lines of some of your current franchisees competition. they will tell you.
48 | Smart Company Magazine
● How do we rate our field service team? ● Is our royalty, marketing and initial franchisee fee competitive? ● What is our USP- unique selling proposition? ● Is our training world class? ● Are we getting the best margins for our current franchisees?
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It is very easy to become insular against the realities of what is actually happening within the franchise system. The best way of increasing franchisee numbers is through having a strong and vibrant culture.
time, every time; being prepared for meetings and not rushing around looking for their application/ forms or paperwork, its all about being in control and remembering that you are always on show!
You only get one chance to make a lasting first impression – Having your existing franchisees so make it a positive one!!! ‘close’ the deal, cannot be underestimated. Determining your SCA is only one of the many ways that a The influence that one, two or a franchise system can go about small group of franchisees may being that little bit extra in front of have on the bearing of an the pack. applicant is invaluable. Analyzing the situation gives you But, this does not happen a leg up on the competition and overnight. you can use the information to make sure you’re the obvious To gain the respect and trust of choice to potential franchisees. the franchisees, requires a commitment to excellence, a never ending appetite for success and a partnership mindset. It’s the 1%ers …..doing the little things, like returning calls on
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Mark Fernandez - brings over 20 years of senior management experience in business development and franchising to your business. If you would like to discuss your competitive position further or would like help with implementing any of the ideas in this article, please Contact: Mark Fernandez Director Business Development Alliance www.bda-online.com.au mark@bda-online.com.au
Smart Company Magazine | 49
Smart | LEAD ERSHI P
CULTURAL AWARENESS IN THE ‘LUCKY COUNTRIES’ New Zealand and Australia are the ‘lucky countries’. We live in resource ‘rich’, largely safe environments, we are relatively wealthy, well-governed and politically stable first world countries. By Holona Lui We are both populated by people from all over the world.
look at and interpret the world through a cultural lens.
We are vibrant multi-cultural societies. Cultural diversity is a rich feature of our communities and an integral part of our places of work.
Sometimes we do this consciously but most of the time we do it unconsciously. This is For many cultures these perfectly natural and expectations, values and their understandable. underlying assumptions can often be different and can How we view the world through contribute to misconceptions our cultural lens is shaped by and misunderstandings that many influences. These impact on job satisfaction and influences include our the way a job gets done. upbringing, our family, our community and society in which Why Cultural Awareness we live and the assumptions and training is important values we have about what is the ‘right’ way to do things. This is ‘Cultural Awareness’ training in aptly reflected in this quote; “We the workplace helps companies don’t see things as they are, we to increase and strengthen staff see them as we are.” by Anais engagement with their business Nin (1903-1977). and business aims. It can proactively reduce the potential Our cultural lens encompasses for misunderstanding, staff many things including how we disengagement and reduce staff behave in the workplace. These turnover. Cultural awareness behaviours and the motivational training is aimed at helping cultural drivers that underpin workmates gain an insight and them include how we expect general understanding of how decisions to be made, how we and why colleagues from various respond to authority, our cultures might respond to the attitudes and response to same circumstances in different individual and collective needs, ways. It helps people to decide priorities, manage understand the motivational
On one level our diversity is highly visible, while on others, particularly in the workplace, our diversity is seemingly underacknowledged and ‘invisible’. However this is changing and there is a growing recognition and gradual acceptance that there is a need for greater appreciation of the different cultural perspectives we all bring to the workplace. There is an increasing call for ‘Cultural Awareness’ training but some are wondering, “What is this ‘Cultural Awareness’? And how would having it benefit us?” Lenses on the world We all have a culture. All of us have a perspective, a view of the world we see around us. We all 50 | Smart Company Magazine
projects, how we express an opinion or disagree with each other or relate to our clients, managers or other staff at work.
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values that might be influencing the way their workmates respond to particular circumstances and to adjust their own behaviour accordingly, not only to get the job done but to build and maintain effective working relationship with their customers and colleagues.
an awareness of our own cultural lens and it how influences and filters our view of the world. Essential business and leadership skill
Having a greater sense of ‘Cultural Awareness’ and being able to communicate effectively This can contribute to a greater across cultures is now an degree of staff engagement, essential workplace skill. It improved recruitment and requires conscious development retention, and increased to ensure sustainable and productivity and innovation. It can successful, productive working also help develop and strength relationships and business high-performing work teams. outcomes.
Holona and Trish Lui
problem-solving to be more readily voiced. This acceptance and promotion of diversity of thought and perspectives encourages innovative thinking which may benefit the business.
He regularly provides advice on communicating with Pacific Peoples and co-conducted Pacific Analysis Framework policy training for a wide range of public sector and non-government organisations.
Holona has considerable experience and expertise in his specialist areas of team development especially high performance teams, project ‘Cultural Awareness’ helps foster ‘Cultural Awareness’ training can management for learning and a collegial work environment that help New Zealand and Australian development programmes and encourages diverse cultural communications, particularly for businesses to confidently and perspectives and approaches to strategically leverage the talent Pacific communities.
and potential for growth and innovation that cultural diversity offers them towards achieving their business goals.
Realisation of its significance to New Zealand’s and Australia’s ‘Cultural Awareness’ training economy is still gaining helps us to consciously develop momentum and has yet to reach an empathy and respect for a tipping point towards being different cultural perspectives fully recognised and accepted as within our businesses and an integral part of effective organisations, while maintaining everyday business practice.
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T: +64 4 938 8183 M: +64 274 439 345 E: holona.lui@catalystpacific.co.nz W: www.catalystpacific.co.nz
Smart Company Magazine IntelBuild Magazine| 51 |3
Smart | MANUFAC TURI NG
MANUFACTURE YOUR FUTURE By Gene Stark
● Manufacturers need to manufacture their own future ● The old days and ways are gone and not coming back ● The future is bright for the manufacturers that are able to professionally market their products Perception is Reality, Manufacture Your Future.
“When everybody goes one way, you should go in the opposite direction.” Words to It’s easy to feel that we are all at that effect have been attributed the mercy of market forces. They to some pretty successful affect individual consumers and entrepreneurs like Richard Branson. So why do we as enterprises. Daily we are bombarded with statistics, most a business community react so emotionally and irrationally? of which are useless to us Because humans are emotional as consumers and beings and because emotions entrepreneurs. Why? Because we as individuals cannot control are much more powerful than logic. If you are smart then the market, so rather than feel you can use this knowledge to helpless, I say why even your advantage and connect your worry about them? products or services to the emotional needs of your People sell shares and companies lay off staff, all based customers! It’s called branding! on their perceptions of what will happen, while our governments I say ‘who cares’ to the “SAGE attempt to “talk up” the economy! SME Business Sentiment Index 2011” quoted in Manufacturer’s Monthly: This article is not about all of the empirical data that shows ● 4 in 10 feel business is companies who continue performing better than in marketing during a downturn, 2010. increase sales and come out with greater market ● 1 in 10 feel it’s performing share and improved brand loyalty when the good times worse return. No, enough has been already been written about that, ● 5 in 10 feel there is no although the majority of difference manufacturers have not heeded the advice. So, I’ll try to How does this information help simplify it: the individual enterprises? 52 | Smart Company Magazine
It doesn’t. The conclusion is that manufacturers are realistic about their situation, but really who cares that rising costs and cash flow have become less important while sales and efficiency are now at the top of the priority list. I would have thought that they should always be at the top of the list. As a marketing consultancy we ask our clients to be ‘unrealistic’. If you do what you have always done, that is be a follower of the market, then you will get what you always got! According to “SAGE SME Business Sentiment Index 2011” twice as many manufacturers want to invest more money into sales than other types of businesses, if only they had the budget, and certainly when it comes to marketing no company ever has enough!
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So what does this mean to you? matters is not the % unemployment but whether ● Manufacturers tend to you can land that one perfect job. invest less into Marketing and Sales activities in the So stop looking at ‘the market’, stop following others, first place stay positive, and develop ● Not having the budget just strategies to create positive means the manufacturer’s perceptions in the mind of your customers and prospects so as objective is actually not to find, attract and that important to them. retain customers and then continuously test, increase and ● Manufacturers that do invest into Marketing and improve them. Sales activities wisely will Manufacture your future; whether be going ‘against the it’s a failure or a fortune, it’s up market’ and should to you! prosper.
Gene Stark - is the co-founder of The Marketing Network, an SME Branding & Marketing Agency that brings together every marketing discipline, providing convenient and affordable solutions for their clients - professional services and B2B firms that need to find, attract and retain customers. email: gene.stark @themarketingnetwork.com.au LinkedIn: http://au.linkedin.com/ In/genestark Twitter: @starkreality4u Website: www.themarketing network.com.au
Australian manufacturers need to start taking marketing seriously, to remain competitive and relevant. They need to become educated about marketing disciplines, at least to a level where they can effectively engage with marketing professionals. Manufacturers need to adopt an attitude that has long been adopted by smart job seekers looking for a position in a tough employment market – what
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Smart Company Magazine | 53
Smart | ENTREPRENEUR
TRAINING EMPLOYEES WHY YOUR EMPLOYEES BEHAVIOUR AND ATTITUDE CAN DETERMINE YOUR ULTIMATE SUCCESS Once you’re business starts growing one of the challenges new business owners face is hiring and training employees. The success of your business ultimately depends on the quality, performance and behaviour of its employees.
In other words, once you’ve conquered the marketing challenges and have customers coming into your business, the ultimate success of your Training staff to be effective at business is directly related to the customer service, marketing and quality of your employees' creating a positive brand behaviour and attitude. And of experience is a challenge for any course your own and the The challenge is particularly business operator, especially example you set for your staff. relevant in retail concepts, or new businesses with little or no professional & trade services background in human resources, Any business owner that is truly where the quality of staff marketing or customer relations. interested in their business performance and success will provide training for communication with customers Everything your staff does their employees. is vital to the success of the makes an impression on each business. Front-line employees customer - creating a positive After all continual learning and are the face of the brand, experience, driving satisfaction development is the key to your dealing directly with each and loyalty, or driving them to a own self development and customer every day. And your competing brand. As a business business success so why “brand” is the experience owner, it's all about managing wouldn’t you also implement customers have in their dealings the "customer experience," and programs that will improve your with your business. training staff in the ways to staff performance too? deliver it, in every interaction with Creating productive employees customers, every transaction, Consider outsourcing this whole with a positive attitude is a key every day. function a company that can ingredient for success. In fact, manage the entire process for many experienced business you. There are now some very people follow the adage: "Hire well structured and cost effective for attitude, train for skills." options out there.
54 | Smart Company Magazine
A good attitude goes a long way in a team-oriented environment; skills can be learned. Attitude is inherent.
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Don’t forget OH&S either. There are very hefty penalties for failure to comply with OHS Laws, Standards and Regulations.
If you hire for attitude, then training for skills is both something the outsourced recruitment & training company can assist with, as well as your business in its day to day operations.
These are going to be much tougher and more strongly enforced with the introduction of the new National Standards in This training will differ from January 2012. business to business and between industries, as every Even failure to have basic business will have unique paperwork up to date will attract training needs. large penalties. This is where it is best to rely on There is an old saying in staff the guidance of your outsourced recruitment - "Hire slowly, fire provider in how to best train your quickly." Taking the time to staff. screen and interview new employees is crucial. Most of these providers have been through this hundreds or Many small-business owners even thousands of times and find themselves under time should have distilled best pressure and need the practices in how to train additional staff “yesterday." employees most effectively for their brand.your industry and Balancing the urgency of filling a should be able to first position with finding high-quality understand and then implement employees is an ongoing these practices to suit your challenge. business and your brand Poor hiring decisions, and insufficient training is certain to have an adverse effect on your business performance.
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A minefield of potential legal traps and penalties can trip up even the best-intentioned employer. If you need help, or if you don't know what to ask, say, or do, or what not to, consider contracting with an outsourced specialist who can help you through the minefield without setting off any of the mines. If you can find a recruitment agency that understands your business and your needs, it can lead to excellent results. Make sure you fully explain what you are looking for in an employee so the agency knows what type of person to send you. The costs can be very reasonable and having a specialist do it is usually much more effective than than doing it yourself for most businesses, (but shop around as some still charge hefty placement fees).
More often than not, the additional time you spend Managing staff can be an art. interviewing, doing paperwork, Business operators must not HR & OHS compliance is better only be adept at judging and more profitably spent on character, they also must comply your business than on these with a long list of laws and tasks. regulations if they want to stay out of trouble.
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Smart | HEALTH & FI TNESS
FITNESS IN A NUTSHELL
By Mish McCormack
Now that spring is approaching and summer will follow soon after it's a great time to start moving again. If you work in an office or corporate environment it’s likely you will have become a bit sedentary over the winter months. Before providing some tips for keeping fit while near your desk, firstly I will outline the five key elements of what makes up a fitness training programme. Depending on your goals and lifestyle, some will be more important to you than others, and a good personal trainer can put together a programme that has the right balance for your unique needs and your current fitness level. Cardiovascular fitness ‘Cardiovascular’ literally means ‘the heart and the vessels (veins and arteries)’, and some consider it the most important element of fitness to your health. The term ‘cardiorespiratory fitness’ is sometimes used to describe the link between the heart, lungs, and blood vessels, as these systems work together to provide blood and oxygen to our bodies. These systems are central to our heat regulation, and transportation of nutrients around the body. Cardiovascular fitness is also often referred to as ‘endurance’. 56 | Smart Company Magazine
In terms of performance, endurance or ‘aerobic fitness’ is the capacity of the heart-lungblood-vessel system to deliver blood (and therefore oxygen) to the working muscles during sustained exercise.
blocks away, taking an office power walk, or some gardening for a few minutes periodically can all add to your 30 minute per day quota. In terms of improving fitness however, a more sustained type of training is desirable. The guidelines for Poor cardiovascular health increasing cardiovascular fitness (generally a result of a sedentary incorporate the ‘FITT’ principle: lifestyle and poor diet) frequency; intensity; time; and contributes to a range of general type. health problems, from high blood pressure to depression and Frequency: At least 3 sessions reduced life expectancy. Anyone per week, although greater who has developed the habit of frequency such as 5 sessions exercise will report that they feel will result in higher fitness levels. happier and are healthier as a result. Intensity: On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being nothing and 10 To train for cardiovascular being maximally intense, fitness any activity is good, but at somewhere around 5-8 is least 30 minutes of physical recommended. Or, use your activity per day is heart rate as a gauge – a recommended. personal trainer will be able to give you a guide for your age. Perhaps less known is that the 30 minutes does not need to be Time: 20-60 minutes continuous consecutive to be effective. exercise will significantly improve fitness. Perform longer Small bursts of activity are if you are training for a longer beneficial to maintaining general event. Or, try interval style cardio health. training where short periods (1-5 minutes) of hard exercise are For example, taking the stairs alternated with short periods (1-3 instead of lift, parking a few minutes) of lighter exercise.
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Type: Any activity requiring the sustained use of large muscles. Try walking, running, biking, rowing etc. A correctly structured weight-training programme will also improve your cardiovascular fitness and your muscles.
For example, the best way to develop muscular endurance for running is simply to run. Yoga, Pilates, and weight-training will improve muscular endurance beyond simply general activity, particularly for the core (trunk) muscles needed for good posture and control.
Muscular Endurance Flexibility The term endurance is commonly used to describe cardiovascular fitness, but muscular endurance is a separate fitness quality defined as the ability of a muscle to exert force repeatedly without fatiguing.
toes?), and in reducing your susceptibility to injuries such as sprains and strains. A small time investment can reverse and prevent muscle tightness. Regularly performing dynamic movements that put a joint through a full range of motion is a good start. Stretching is the most accepted technique for improving flexibility. Dynamic (moving) stretching is typically recommended as part of a warm-up, such as arm swings, or progressive sport-specific drills.
Flexibility is the range of motion possible about a joint. Inflexibility is generally caused by inactivity. Constant sitting is the enemy of good flexibility as muscles such as the hamstrings and hip flexors may become short and tight over Static (held) stretching is the time. most commonly used, typically Muscular endurance is an important fitness quality for day- Also, repetitive actions involving recommended after an exercise session. The best time to stretch a limited range of motion such to-day living. Walking, sitting is when a muscle is warm, and with good posture, standing with as jogging may result in a progressive shortening of certain the more regularly you stretch the good posture, or gardening all better – ideally every day. Hold muscles (such as hamstrings). require a degree of muscular a stretch for at least 20 seconds, endurance. Most sports require preferably longer. Always try to high levels of specific muscular We are probably all guilty of becoming more inflexible as we push into a stretch as the muscle endurance. age due to a lack of effort. Good relaxes. flexibility (or lack of) is directly Muscular endurance is usually related to your postural balance, Try and hold the stretch past the achieved through specific and point of initial resistance, a little sustained practice of an activity. your ability to move freely and easily in sport and in day-to-day discomfort is okay. activities (can you touch your
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Smart | HEALTH & FI TNESS
Breathe! Stretching is a great investment – the returns are high. If you lack the motivation and/or knowledge to stretch correctly, try yoga classes – they work!
Also, maintenance of muscle Speed mass is an important component of maintaining healthy body fat The definition of speed is levels. distance / time; how long it takes to get from A to B. Improving Any activity which overloads the speed is all about improving Strength muscles beyond what they are performance rather than health, used to will improve strength. so is associated mainly with Strength is used to desribe a training for sport. General activity only goes so far range of muscular qualities from to achieve this, so one of the maximal strength to explosive Although some of us are naturally best ways to gain strength and power. It’s the ability of a muscle faster than others, you can make tone is resistance training. The great gains in speed with sports to exert force. old stereotype that resistance specific practice. Using a wellThe maintenance of strength is training is just for body-builders structured weight-training should be ignored. Sure, you can programme and specific sprint now considered an important build muscle with weights, but part of enjoying quality of life drills will tap into your available you can also improve muscle through the ages, which is why speed ability. tone and lose weight without resistance training is increasing your muscle size. recommended for the general Work out at work! population by international health A progressive and wellHere are some simple ways you authorities1. structured resistance can add some elements of programme from a qualified fitness into your work day: You want to make sure you can exercise professional is one of pull yourself up out of a chair in the best investments you can ● Park further away from your old age! The term make in your body. As a work than usual and force ‘musculoskeletal’ health is often guideline, train the major muscle yourself into a short walk applied because muscles pull on groups on 2-3 non-consecutive to and from the car. bones, thus bones are also days per week with multiple sets strengthened when we use our ● If you park in a parking of 8-12 repetitions1. Weight muscles. Strength is directly building, take the stairs training in a gym setting is the related to muscle tone as well, not the lift. so getting stronger can also help simplest way of achieving this. ● Routinely take the stairs Close supervision is very you look better. important for weight-training within your building during beginners. the day instead of lifts. 58 | Smart Company Magazine
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Try running up the stairs, if you aren’t wearing heels! ● Choose five static stretches and do them twice a day in your office. Monitor your progress and aim for pushing past your current flexibility level. ● Get out of your chair every hour regardless of what’s going on at your computer… walk around for a few minutes or do some calf raises and arm swings or press-ups. ● Try walking up the stairs backwards and feel your muscles working.
● Wall squats: Lean with your back against the wall and place your feet out in front of you, facing forward. Slowly slide down the wall until you are in a sitting position, with your knees forward and your quads parallel with the floor, as if you are sitting in a chair. See how long you can hold the position for. Do this twice a day and gradually extend the length of time you hold the position.
Mish McCormack is passionate about helping business improve workplace health, fitness and performance. Mish won national honours four years running at the Fitness Life Awards and her business partner, Max, after a successful career spanning many years at both senior management and director levels, is now following his passion to help businesses improve their health and fitness. For more information about Mishfitness visit their web site: www.mishfitness.com
Whatever your age and stage, you can gradually increase your fitness across all elements and your quality of life will improve too. So what are you waiting for?
Mish McCormack
● Buy a pedometer and aim to increase your step Start by incorporating some count week-on-week. simple extra movements in your ● Use office materials such day as above, or book the as heavy books, boxes of personal trainer and make a files etc, as weights and committed plan to look, feel and carry them around perform better! periodically or lift them up and down (being careful not to strain your back). 1 American College of Sports Offer to help the couriers when they have deliveries.
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Medicine position stand
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Smart | LEAD ERSHI P
THE FUTURE OF BUSINESS ● Technology is the key ● Changes will be fast and often ● Entrepreneurs and marketers must be prepared ahead of change - not following trends Over the next few years we are going to see some amazing new technologies that will transform the way we do business even more than it is being transformed now. Some sectors will reel from the changes while others will benefit and reap untold rewards.
3D Technologies in Retail
You take a photo of yourself upload it into the virtual change room and try on the different Paint companies, kitchen and styles, colours and fabrics so that home designers have made you can see exactly how every these technologies available item looks as you would wear it through their websites or sales teams. Harvey Norman and other with a simple click, with a 360° “old school” retailers even sell it three dimensional view, no tricky in their stores! You take a photo mirrors, fancy lighting designed Retail is already under immense of your home or a room, upload it to make the clothes look better pressure and wholesalers have to the software and play around than they are or pushy all but disappeared. salesperson telling you that the with the colours, textures and effects until you find what you like hideous dress you tried on looks But the biggest changes are yet and off you go to the paint shop really good because they want to to hit. get rid of the stock or need the or hardware store to buy it. commission cheque. Retailers, already falling behind Some companies have enabled will be obliterated. you to add your furniture, fabrics And ladies now you can see if your bum really does look big in window coverings, floor Manufacturers will be able that…you’ll never need to ask us coverings light fittings, even compete directly with retailers TV’s, decorative items, pictures poor men again….hooray!!! with little capital commitment or and accessories. barriers to prevent them. This And with more online stores also has repercussions for The home design versions even offering same day delivery emerging economies such as have thousands of suppliers and options and standard next day China and to a lesser extent delivery, then Internet based pricing built into the software. India as local manufacturers will retailers can now offer a high become more competitive by level of service that rivals that of So what if this technology was implementing these delivered via the cloud and every major retailers’ in store technologies. experience. manufacturer had access to it? For instance, we have been using technologies such as 3D imaging in software for well over a decade.
Clothing manufacturers could create a virtual changeroom, connected to your smart TV, mobile device or laptop.
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And this isn’t pie in the sky dreaming, the first of these online stores offering this technology will open its’ doors to
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Australian consumers in October.
This is happening now. It’s not some futuristic dream that some businesses wish it was. If you’re 3D Technologies Adopted by not already on board, you may as well just get out of the way. Manufacturers
user in a far greater personal manner which will result in a better experience for the consumer.
SEO as a marketing strategy is also dead. Google has been Now take this technology right working hard to make SEO across our business landscape. Marketers must also understand practitioners impotent and has Manufacturers could easily bypass retailers, sell direct, get what the future holds and not get pretty much succeeded. caught up in fads such as outpaid upfront and control and manage their manufacturing to dated technologies of QR codes We Live in a Digital World and the like. Better technology meet orders, no longer As our word become more beholding to larger retailers who has emerged such as MVS show little loyalty and often pay (Mobile Visual Search) which is digital, understanding this world a far better solution. and its’ technologies will on extended terms. become a specialty in itself (if it Add this to virtual stores and you already hasn’t). In fact, as more manufacturers adopt 3D printing technology to have a perfect match. It functions with any phone that has a built-in The Internet is a business manufacture their goods, the camera, thus eliminating the platform. entire landscape is changing need for a Smartphone. No faster than many business scanner required. Just point and It’s not an advertising medium managers, marketers and click. as some believe, nor a passing observers such as journalists fad that some others want to can understand what is believe. It is where the majority happening. 3D printing enables Unlike two dimensional barcodes (QR Codes) MVS has of all new business is generated, almost anything to be but less than half is though manufactured to order then and three dimensional capabilities that will increase the level of search engine enquiries. there for the consumer – no engagement with consumers, far need for expensive inventories more likely to increase the level So what for shopping centres, or stock holding. of interaction. MVS will retail and commercial capitalize on humanizing the premises? Coupled with online sales, this experience and engaging the technology will completely change everything. Marketers Must Learn Fast
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Smart | LEAD ERSHI P
Well there are already serious repercussions being felt in this sector and that is only going to become more serious and very soon! While there will be more opportunities for manufacturers to open “factory showrooms” many other premises will become unleasable.
use technology is changing fast as well. With Andriod devices lagging behind Apple & Kindle in functionality and their delivery of interactive media, understanding what all this means to how marketing should be delivered in this arena is currently beyond many trying to implement their new media strategies. There Are No Longer Any Rules
And without the passing traffic, many ancillary businesses that rely on the big retailers to attract As I mentioned before, traffic might also find times manufactures are fast exploring, becoming tougher. developing and adopting 3D technologies. There are no limits Everything is Changing so to their application. There are no Get Used to It. rules because we haven’t developed any yet and by the Even the way we advertise is time we do look at developing changing. Leading businesses rules, the technology has moved now spend around one third of to a whole new level with even their budget on content less rules. marketing alone. The new Cornucopia 3D Food As more newspapers and printer has enormous potential magazines go online and in and its’ applications are many cases online only, boundless. It brings in a whole marketers need to adjust quickly. new way of food production that And with around 50% accessing makes the old rules obsolete. this information via tablets and smartphones, the way marketers Every industry and sector is being affected. 62 | Smart Company Magazine
So are you a rule breaker or a loser? You can no longer wait and see how something pans out or until everyone else adopts a technology or system. Either you learn to become predictive or - in the business sense - you die. The future is as exciting as it is challenging. But isn’t that what we live for as entrepreneurs, marketers and business leaders?
Mark is CEO of Maxiom Group. Maxiom delivers the Business information and advice you need straight to your inbox. Best of all, it is completely FREE and open to everyone. Learn more at www.maxiom.com.au
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Smart | C OMPANY FEATURE
GETTING TO KNOW YOU: GENE STARK We talk to Gene Stark from The Marketing Network about why business is about 2 things and 2 things only; marketing and innovation. What inspired you to start The Marketing Network? What are your goals and values?
Then I met my current business What was the driving force partner Chris Dobbin, who was behind your decision to thinking along very similar lines. specialise in marketing strategy? Chris had complimentary skills and was a strange animal who Marketing Strategy is something I was consulting for about 5 had expertise in design and years and had a dream of that I have always had a passion developing a marketing agency digital (read technology) so we for, and it allows me to be have little 'cross over' in our for the SME segment - the involved across many business areas of expertise and hence businesses that needed decisions, although technically rarely ever step on each others marketing advice and most of what we do is Marketing toes - an important factor in any Communication Strategy and assistance most. business partnership. then implementation. We do The idea was for a one stop have other specialist partners in shop and kind of like McKinsey Our main goal is to educate the Marketing Network that focus SME business owners on the meets Saatchi & Saatchi for the on other elements of the importance of marketing in their marketing mix like Pricing. SME market. business, stop them wasting I had tried numerous times with money and have a better life, Today I also get involved in after all SME's make up the different prospective partners providing strategic advice to our majority of the economy and who all loved the idea but the design team, plan and develop provide jobs for so many people, venture didn’t get off the ground content for our clients, work with they also tend to be the most because everyone wanted to a copywriter and teach and stressed, and under funded, we coach our clients on using develop this big wonderful new “animal� from scratch and I want to give them the best LinkedIn. chance of success. was determined that it had to come together organically as noWhat types of customers do one knew the hurdles ahead of We have the goal of making you help? What experience them understand that as Peter us, and we had to test the do you have helping small Drucker famously said, market. business customers? "business is about 2 things and 2 things only; marketing and Our core target audience and innovation". the majority of our client base is made up of Small Medium Enterprises; mostly professional 64 | Smart Company Magazine
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services and industrial companies; Accounting firms, IT Companies, Recruitment, Technology and Software firms, as well as more traditional manufacturers. Both my business partner and I have around 7 years experience each (and about 20 years each in the industry) in the SME Marketing Communication space and between us we would have completed around 200 projects in that time and provided advice to thousands of business owners.
2. We are a "one stop shop" with every imaginable marketing service under one roof, which means an account manager, one invoice, but most importantly an integrated, holistic marketing solution to their challenges. What process, services and support do your clients receive?
We do a lot of hand holding and education, and we now have a process for most of the tasks we perform. We also use online technologies to collaborate with clients on everything from Do you service other sectors Project Management to as well? Copywriting and Web Design as well as store all of this Yes, but they still tend to be communication and working files SME's, like Education / RTO in a client’s own designated type organisations and we have "cloud". done some work with NFP's. We rarely charge by the hour, What are the main reasons most of our work is fixed fee / that someone would choose project based and our clients do not have to stress out about The Marketing Network to being billed when they have a help grow their business? question. 1. Our knowledge and experience, which translates to a What challenges did you face very good understanding of their in setting up your business? customer needs and their Time was and still is the biggest marketing challenges of challenge, not having enough for communicating with those everything you want to customers.
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accomplish TODAY and having to wear multiple hats like every other business owner. The main challenges were in fact around developing processes, templates, etc that were suitable for the SME market, what works in the corporate world simply didn't translate to meet the needs of our clients or our own. Tell us about some of the expectations that you had. Have they been met? Most of our expectations about growth have been met however there are some we are reevaluating and looking for better ways of doing what we do for ourselves and for our clients. The pace of change is such that you never stop and as The Marketing Network we are still relatively young, being 2.5 years old. What types of services do you offer? The Marketing Network is a multidisciplinary organisation that brings together every imaginable professional marketing, creative and management disciplines that
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Smart | C OMPANY FEATURE
have not previously existed in any Do you provide services one organisation under one roof: nationally?
2. The more diverse the marketing consultant’s background the more likely they are to provide your business Brand Development: Mostly in Victoria, we have had with innovative ideas on how to ● Strategy and Positioning clients in NSW and Tasmania, ● Brand Name Development but today there's no reason to be find, attract and retain customers. confined by geography. All of the ● Marketing Plans The most common and silly Freelancer, guru, elance type ● Creative Strategy portals have changed the game. question we get asked is have ● Market Research you worked with "our type of ● Media Planning The only constraint is the mindset business", luckily for us, the ● Personal Brand answer is usually yes, but we try of many SME business owner Development and their desire to have a face to to educate clients that this is face...we usually suggest skype! definitely not the reason why they Content Development: should be choosing us. ● Copywriting for the Web, Do you have any plans for Print, Video Scripts, PR I'm amazed that some business overseas expansion? Releases, Email, Direct owners would put the most Mail, Advertisements We have a few years ahead of us important part of their business Design: before we contemplate this, but into the hands of people who are ● Brand Style Guide we have discussed the different doing the same work for their ● Corporate Collateral ways we can take our concept to direct competitors! ● Web the world! 3. The diversity of the marketing ● Print consultant’s experience is What would you say to ● Email important. someone looking for a ● Packaging & P.O.S. business or marketing ● Photography A marketing consultant that has consultant and what advice worked with big business has the Promotion: would you give them? planning discipline and ● SEO & PPC ● Social Media (Facebook, 1. Consulting in general is one of knowledge that can only be gained working at the big end of LinkedIn, Twitter, etc) the most transient industries and town. ● Online Video marketing is no different. ● PR (Traditional and Online) A marketing consultant ● Direct Mail Make sure they have been that has worked with small and around for a while and intend to ● Branded Merchandise medium enterprises will have the ● Print Advertising & Online stay, rather than go back to the street smarts that come only after comfort of a corporate job. Advertising one has experienced the
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limitations of tiny budgets that force a marketing consultant to think outside the square.
5. Has the marketing consultant worked both on the client and advertising agency side of the marketing fence? Both sets of 4. Does the marketing consultant skills are vital to achieving have Integrated Marketing success for your business. Communication experience, that is experience across all or at Marketing professionals on the least most of the marketing client side concentrate on disciplines, and for how long? developing products or services to meet the needs of their target Integrated Marketing market, managing the Communication is important distribution relationships and because it is the “helicopter the sales process, analysis and view” of your marketing situation, research of buying trends etc. rather than a band-aid approach to the immediate challenges at Marketing professionals on the hand. advertising agency side concentrate on the Here are some of the main communication aspect of areas: marketing, making sure that the right message reaches the right ● Strategic Brand prospects, the right number of Positioning times. ● Online and Social Media Marketing This is also generally the most ● Advertising expensive part of your marketing ● Direct Marketing - getting your message into the ● Media Planning / Buying hands of your prospects, before their eyes, and into their ears. ● Sales Promotions & Events 6. If a marketing consultant can’t ● Personal Selling come up with a few innovative ● PR ways of promoting your business in your first meeting, they are Then ask for proof of their experience and examples in all probably not right for you. of the above areas! Be aware, however, that ideas and strategies are tools of trade and marketing
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consultants may be hesitant to give those away for free, but they should be able to at least provide you with some constructive observations on how your business can be improved. 7. Will the marketing consultant just take your brief or will they challenge it? Does the marketing consultant have the guts to challenge you their potential prospect? Do they have the fortitude to tell their clients and prospect’s the truth about their chances of success, about their briefs and about their businesses in general?
You can contact Gene by email: gene.stark@ themarketingnetwork.com.au or to visit their website go to themarketingnetwork.com.au
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