The Sunday Blog
Out of turn i've decided to take advantage of my running mind and write my thoughts regarding business and following my read of the monthly Entrepreners Circlular from Nigel Botterill (for those of you that don't know, this guy started thebestof and has 4 other £million businesses). When nigel Botterill talks it's usually advised to listen afterall more than 80,000 uk businesses use the format of thebestof as a marketing tool.
Don't get me wrong i'm not plugging thebestof or Nigel Botterill Circle - Un/or fourtunately I have woken early this Sunday morning, Set the filter machine and the first thing I saw on the Breakfast table was this monthly magazine, which I really do enjoy reading.
Even as I write this I am flitting around checking out new ideas and new ways to improve my standing and biz operations whilst nursing an stiff knee.
Anyhow, here are the bits that really did jump out at me - I even highlighted them!
My first takeout would be Chgane: (deliberate, apologies for the pun)
"Change is the law of life. Those who look only to the past or present are CERTAIN to miss the future"(John F Kennedy, Source: Nigel Botterill Entrepreneurs Circular, Nov 2010 www.entrepreneurs-circle.co.uk)
This is just so true, on countless times I find myself out and about doing my daily business and I am presented with the same commonalities, that is businesses that fail to change for the future will inevitably CHANGE for the worse.
Businesses in and around Pontypridd and Rhondda are able to benefit from our FREE MARKETING REVIEW. If anything what we do at The Best of Pontypridd and Rhondda can be considered to be a marketing Audit - EFFECTIVELY, if you tick all the 20 boxes regularly you will have an effective marketing mix (or as Nigel Botterill puts it 'Multible media always increase response rate') that will and does produce results. EVEN if you choose not to take advantage of this opportunity. You have been given 20 of the most modern marketing opportunities available in the market place today - GREAT, so do them (so many dont)
Pricing
Mark Creaser (www.twitter.com/markcreaser) a social media advocate also a key element of thebestof or N5 team, not sure which, probably both. Anyhow, Mark Creaser gives an excellent article from the circular regarding Pricing the essence of the article is this:
"The price of something should never be associated with it's cost" (Mark Creaser, Source: Nigel Botterill Entrepreneurs Circular, Nov 2010, www.entrepreneurs-circle.co.uk)
Where as I understand this, from my experience of paying £7.50 equivalent for a Venti Vanilla Latte at the Starbuck in Dubai Airport - I payed it coz i wanted it, though my mind was telling me to pour the coffee over the assistant (not advised in Dubai).
However, here i have a moral dilema - I believe in equality, yet 'sales' is filled with ability and price negotiations - This why I really dislike YELL.com, there sales guys LIE and often sell the same product at two differnet extremes - I know of two local businesses one pays £4k and the Other £7k for essentially a similar service - NOT right. Just think about it. A top sales guy for such an ad agency get a phone, company car and is on £50+k per year. Heres my advice - SAY NO, they will come back and you will get it half price!!! Honestly this works.
But for me as a franchisee of The Best of Pontypridd and Rhondda - I will be fair and will present good value for local businesses but more importantly I will give my best effort to get our clients business. Any how local businesses that are not part of The Best of Pontypridd and Rhondda are really missing out. (based on feedback, site viewings, offers, reviews, networking etc)
Why I wrote this BLOG.
Having nearly read the whole of the November Circular I got to the Q&A section, don't get me wrong some parts were horribly tedious but none the less relevant. just this part got me to write this BLOG:
"In my experience, 90 minutes is just about the optimum period of deep concentration for most of us........I am very capable of being in 'the zone' for an hour and a half...... when in that state my output is prolific.' (p23, Q&A, Nigel Botterill Entrepreneurs Circular, Nov 2010, www.entrepreneurs-circle.co.uk)
I can relate to this paragraph so well. I know that I am most effective and super productive early in the morning and usually before 9am. When i sit down with my laptop on at 0730am I can achieve so much admin it's unbelievable - Just need to do more of this. I often find once 10am hits I want to be doing biz development, planning and really going out and about visiting new, existing and potential local businesses (it's this section of the day I find super TIME INTENSE).
So for now this blog is taking up some of my 90 - Thanks again for the Circular Nigel, as you can see it has inspired some Sunday action.
Ben
p.s. My blog has no spell check function so apologies for the errors, I only hope that these errors made you concentrate more.
