Last week I went to see a local business run by people I used to work with in my Corporate days. We talked about all sorts of things and I suggested that a re-wording of their web-site could prove profitable. I also gave them details of a networking event that I have found to be [...]

Networking is a powerful business and life tool, used in an appropriate and consistent manner it really can build your business (and your life). Here are the categories that I see out and about. When you plan your networking, which description best fits you? What does your networking behaviour say about you and your business? [...]

Watching an exchange on Twitter earlier this week made me think about the distinction between businesses at the bottom of the market and equivalent businesses in the same industry at the top of the market. Some say that the income of a small business owner is the average of the people that he or she [...]

John’s recent post Never Let Lawyers Write Your Contracts prompted me to think more widely about the things which prevent us from winning sales – even though that was not the intention. Every business has to make sales, deliver a product or service and then collect payment – making a profit along the way. Most [...]

Everything your business does, every bit of communication your business sends out and everything your employees do whilst on duty/in uniform reflects on your business. No matter how much you spend on ‘branding’ these actions affect the image of your brand that your customers, suppliers and employees have far more than any ‘branding’. That communication [...]

I frequently find examples of businesses where the concept of niche product has been taken to a whole new extreme – to the extent that they are turning down potentially profitable work because the customer wants their core product with a minor addition. They then bid only the core product and lose the work to [...]

One of the “gotchas” for businesses compiling their marketing materials is the: “Aren’t We Clever” trap. Here’s how it works. Your business is built on your knowledge and experience. Your clients lack the time, skills and experience to do the work that you do. They rely on you to supply services or to trawl the [...]

Harley-Davidson, Nike, Playboy, Coca-Cola, VW, and Apple logos have been permanently etched into the skins of customers worldwide. Why do they do it? Why do these raving fans, or Brand Lovers, scorch their bodies with a company’s mark? And what can marketers and brand managers learn from them? Most acts of unabashed brand loyalty are [...]

In setting up your business, something to spend some time on is the image you wish to present to the market. And I do not mean your branding and logos – I mean the real basics of your image. I have lost count of the talented people that I speak to who go on to [...]

The Brain Human brains work against one-off marketing initiatives. This is because our brains are designed to filter out transient information. If we have heard or seen something recently then it is much more likely that we will remember it. If we see something frequently then we are more likely to remember it. Also, remember [...]