I have had the opportunity to attend an array of training seminars accompanied by lots of eager business people, anxious to learn the tools of marketing and social media for business.
After a short while and particularly in the Question and Answer sessions it becomes apparent that the zero minus one question has not been answered.
What do I mean by zero minus one?? Whether it be Twitter, Facebook, Blogs , even after all this time, there is still an assumption that if you get your story out there good things will happen.
I began designing marketing campaigns with brochures designed, developed and posted but no matter the methodology the purpose is the same .
This is about engagement with new or existing customers and social media has become an industry , sometimes using delusionary tactics, where clients are convinced that in and of itself Social media is key to success.
Horses for courses is my motto. If you know your target audience..not always!! if you have engaged with them about their issues...and if you have engaged that you have a solution to their problems social media starts to work.
I see blogs that are three years old, newsletters so out of date they are meaningless so why expect an audience to be interested if your own company isn't
Monday 17 August 2015
Skills assessment : Fact or Fiction??
Organisational development and skills assessment has hit my to do list again. In the SME and Corporate world there is a need to ensure that the skills sets and business processes are in line with the needs of the business.
It never ceases to amaze me though, that the way in which this is done varies considerably between businesses, and the criteria for deciding what works can be arbitrary to say the least.
Applying 360 degree assessments to a lifestyle business where everyone built their skills around volunteering to do tasks and learning on the job leads to the inevitable missing link.The issue becomes the lack of definition of what good looks like.
We start off judging and categorising people in terms of their usefulness but not what the business actually needs and therefore assessing all employees in a grading and pay structure that works both for the business and the individual is vital to make genuine productivity gains.
Repeatability of performance, Right First Time customer service and profit growth are the ultimate measures of how successful a business is, but leaving people development to chance can lead to significant problems
It never ceases to amaze me though, that the way in which this is done varies considerably between businesses, and the criteria for deciding what works can be arbitrary to say the least.
Applying 360 degree assessments to a lifestyle business where everyone built their skills around volunteering to do tasks and learning on the job leads to the inevitable missing link.The issue becomes the lack of definition of what good looks like.
We start off judging and categorising people in terms of their usefulness but not what the business actually needs and therefore assessing all employees in a grading and pay structure that works both for the business and the individual is vital to make genuine productivity gains.
Repeatability of performance, Right First Time customer service and profit growth are the ultimate measures of how successful a business is, but leaving people development to chance can lead to significant problems
Thursday 12 March 2015
Profit trumps knowledge
I have been working recently as a consultant assisting start up businesses and have been reflecting on the fact that, actually, I have seen the same shareholder and management traits in well established businesses as I do in start up ventures.
In reality the passion and enthusiasm, plus expenditure on a new product or service, is matched by a lack of of reality about the market problem or market opportunity that the idea is addressing.
In management speak, managers believe that because they have knowledge they will automatically make money. I mean, after all, surely the potential customers must see that what they know and are selling is a must have.
As an example, a young entrepreneur who has developed a great safety product for the construction sector exhibited at a show, and advised me, that he had fantastic feedback from the limited PR material he distributed, and that it was necessary to discuss price tactics, when in fact he had absolutely no understanding on how he was going to fulfill commitments and whether he was ever going to make money.
When I reflect on sales initiatives in various businesses I have run in different sectors, those traits were apparent in suggestions made to me by highly competent functional managers.
It is a disease that profit seems to be an issue for someone else, and I even see this with entrepreneurs spending their own money who believe God or their accountant will prevail to ensure profit will result from their endeavour.
My mantra is that it is not what you know but how you convince the market that your idea solves a problem and makes profit as a result. It is a process not a dream.
Sometimes I find myself on the wrong side of the shareholder or manager looking inquisitively at me asking, surely you can see why we will make money?
Gratifyingly I received a call from the young entrepreneur this morning, who said I see where you are coming from now.
I look forward to a successful outcome !!!!!!!!
In reality the passion and enthusiasm, plus expenditure on a new product or service, is matched by a lack of of reality about the market problem or market opportunity that the idea is addressing.
In management speak, managers believe that because they have knowledge they will automatically make money. I mean, after all, surely the potential customers must see that what they know and are selling is a must have.
As an example, a young entrepreneur who has developed a great safety product for the construction sector exhibited at a show, and advised me, that he had fantastic feedback from the limited PR material he distributed, and that it was necessary to discuss price tactics, when in fact he had absolutely no understanding on how he was going to fulfill commitments and whether he was ever going to make money.
When I reflect on sales initiatives in various businesses I have run in different sectors, those traits were apparent in suggestions made to me by highly competent functional managers.
It is a disease that profit seems to be an issue for someone else, and I even see this with entrepreneurs spending their own money who believe God or their accountant will prevail to ensure profit will result from their endeavour.
My mantra is that it is not what you know but how you convince the market that your idea solves a problem and makes profit as a result. It is a process not a dream.
Sometimes I find myself on the wrong side of the shareholder or manager looking inquisitively at me asking, surely you can see why we will make money?
Gratifyingly I received a call from the young entrepreneur this morning, who said I see where you are coming from now.
I look forward to a successful outcome !!!!!!!!
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