Ignition 4 Business

Should I really have gone to Specsavers?

Posted on 16, Jun | Posted by Paul

COLLECTIONS counter – to collect a spare pair of glasses. Girl 20’s, both hands wrestling with a machine that bends specs arms by heating them (know the one?)

I would have expected… ‘Hi, how can I help you’? or ‘I’ll be one minute, is that OK?’ (or such like, would you?)

What actually happened was: she turned from the waist to me, still with hands on specs arms and said:
‘You alright?’

Me: Do you know, I haven’t been too good over the last couple of weeks, bit of man flu and not really on top of my game… but thank you for asking ……and how about yourself?’

She pauses: a crumpled and puzzled face: ‘No……Do you want something?’
I take two steps back and look up at the COLLECTIONS board above my head
Me: Is this COLLECTIONS?

She nods slowly ‘If that’s what the sign says’

Me: ‘Dach, then damn me if I haven’t come to the right place’.

Her: hmmm, right…any—way… Name? Right….That’ll be £x/ Thx. Bye. (about as much energy as a box of wet matches.)

(wife tried jabbing me in the ribs earlier but by this time has disowned me and left the store.)

Assistant probably returns to the staff room, saying, ‘ What a rude man.’

However, I shall persist – until common sense prevails.

Join me in the quest to rid the country of its useless retail staff, or rather the senior staff who should be training them?

Royal Wedding – so where does that leave the Royal Brand?

Posted on 2, May | Posted by Paul

Ok, a positioning statement. My late parents were more royalist than some of the Royals. I was indoctrinated at about 5 years old.

However, the whole Lady Di debacle left me cold and I reckon the brand crashed at Di’s death.

Apparently, Charles only met her 13 times before they married. She even had to call him ‘Sir’ whenever they met. Charles wanted to marry Camilla but that clearly didn’t fit the royal brand, right? It is said that a couple of months before the wedding that a leased line circuit for fax, data and voice lines was fitted in Clarence House direct to Camilla’s pad for Charles’ benefit.

The nation saw through the whole thing – eventually. Charles and his advisors took some very bad advice and the royal brand took a pasting.

Di fronted the brand; the most respected and loved of them all save none.

Now, it appears that the brand is back on course… a superbly staged wedding – despite Princess Anne looking a curtain and Eugenie’s fascinator – like a parson’s nose. And was Beatrice advertising Sky?

Thank God that Will and Kate clearly and genuinely love each other and that they have brought one of best British brands back into favour. Perhaps we can see Royal Brand strength again rather than ridicule from some quarters.

Is Customer Service THE most important element?

Posted on 25, Apr | Posted by Paul

At a breakfast meeting today, I was asked a question that the questioner probably thought was rhetorical. ’Would you agree that customer service is the most important part of establishing a brand?’

Always plan with customer satisfaction in mind, BUT gets the product basics within the marketing mix right first. No matter how good a story you talk on customer satisfaction, product quality will always shine out.

As former Country Manager for Service at Motorola you may expect me to bat the Service wicket. The reason I was appointed to Customer Service roles was that, as a marketer, I could listen to customers, conduct root cause analysis and effect CHANGE for improved product and customer satisfaction.

Seth Godin, in Tribes, makes the point that it’s no good just telling people you’re good - ‘We’ve got great customer service’ means damn all if the customer cannot even understand the product or affiliate to it. The whole brand representation needs to do that. Therefore to say that ‘It’s all about customer service’ is incorrect.

The whole marketing mix – the 7 P’s- product, price, promotion, place/ment and people, then process and physical evidence still to this day forms the basis of marketing within Universities and business schools who still teach the 7 P’s. They certainly do not lead with notions that Customer Service controls brand loyalty.

Each one of the 7 P’s is important, as is customer service – but there is no league table presented by any academic or key marketer, that I’m aware of, on which element is more important.

If you dropped your pricing by 50% would that create better customer satisfaction? Maybe, in the short term but price fluctuations only confuse then send out wrong signals to your customers. And what exactly does a 50% drop in price say about you to the customer? (another matter).

Even in an enlightened organisation, where the customer is at the heart of every decision, there are fundamental things to look at before even considering how the customer service policy shapes up. For example, is the product or service profitable? What sort of people should I employ to do a great job and to best represent the brand? Without a sound product, fairly priced, placed and promoted to the right target audience, the product fails, irrespective of what the customer thinks.

The best kept product secret collapses the customer service argument.

At Motorola, where customer service was critical, the most effective principles were around driving change and product development so that customers were satisfied; they would buy again and then recommend us to others. (Customer Advocacy – a way of life we formed at Compaq in 1999 and still on Seth Godin’s list.)

However, our product was constantly changing – and Nokia, Samsung and Sony E were changing at an even faster rate. If we didn’t catch up or lead technology, speed of applications, software capacity, battery life, reliability, and profitably, we would be dead.

Guess what? Customer feedback and our demands to US HQ for rapid change and development went unheard and our market share dropped from c. 26% to 4% in 18 months. (August 2011 update: Google buys Motorola …aha, someone with vision ..but hell’s teeth they paid a lot of money.)

Please don’t mix the notion that you can run a company based solely on great customer service. I teach the subject and it is should be seen as an extremely important part of every company’s culture. Customers need to feel they are being treated exceptionally well, all of the time. Not the smarmy, in-your-face, ‘have a nice day’ notion ( Brits hate that, sorry) But genuinely, because that’s how the company is led and that’s how every single member of staff feels, too. But put this activity before you build your brand fundamentals and you may not have a company.

Our customers at Motorola switched to other mobile manufacturers because we didn’t keep up. Where does that leave great customer service?

Drive everything towards the ability to satisfy customers, yes.. Building great customer service into every step of the brand building is entirely apt. But you don’t start building a house with the roof. Get the foundations right, then build the shell, then let your brand ‘roof’ be like the Sydney Opera House.

Recruiters and marketing don’t mix!

Posted on 4, Apr | Posted by Paul

A shake up in marketing practice due for Recruiters?

Do you think this time around, as the recruitment market is clearly picking up, that recruiters may take this opportunity to change their methodology a little?

When I was looking to get back into Corporate world after the virtual collapse of Motorola Cellular, all recruiters – save none – when they had a good match, were as keen as mustard…. ‘You’re ideal for this role’, ‘you’re just the man’, ‘a great match,’ etc..

Then what? Damn all for days/weeks… When I chased them up.. they could barely remember my name/ the role, etc..

In one case, a really gung-ho recruitment type (called ‘Georgie’, so I knew she was good) asked me to meet her NOW in Reading. I changed plans, met with her for two hours on that Monday and “Perfect” was her summary. ‘Keep this Thursday and Friday clear for interview”. Ouch, ok, but I did. I thought I would be, at very least, in the frame.

Guess what? …. having cleared the decks for the Thursday and Friday, when she did deign to return three voice messages it was the following Wednesday that she declared ‘Oh, yes, they’ve appointed internally’.

Shabby, or should I really not expect anything else?

Is the numbers game so strong for these people that they give up any notions of self marketing, common courtesy, keeping in touch, etc.?

Unless this time around they improve their efficiency, or experience this for themselves, there will develop a better way to match candidates with jobs and the recruiter will give way to online matching techniques.

In fact, let’s write a program.

Apprenticeships

Posted on 29, Mar | Posted by Paul

The Government – whichever flavour- has been talking about their desire to seeing the huge numbers of young jobless involved in apprenticeships. Good Plan.

At the (topped up) salary they recommend, it certainly seems reasonable to consider the options.

It’s a balancing act. Let’s take an office-based skills apprenticeship. On one hand you may have someone who is keen and quick to learn, you can leave with a set of procedures, some ideas, and let them crack on with it. They will need absolute guidance on everything from telephone answering and message taking upwards. This is your brand, don’t forget and this person will be there to sustain it. But you will also have to spend quality time with these young people for them to understand your values and where you set the bar for your company.

Every teenager worth his or her salt will try and short cut any system, that’s what makes innovation! Loads of ideas will be great ones.. so take them all seriously… we can certainly learn from each other. I’d also recommend that you start out clearly with the notion that this is not some form of slave labour.

On the other hand, it is a little worrying though when you hear about a 17 year old ‘entrepreneur’ who says he is an expert in marketing, mergers, and insurance. (A business friend said to me, ”Blimey, I’ve got pants older than him.’) Good luck for the pluckiness, young man, but back pack the Himalayas for 6 months then come back in five years with a relevant degree. Then we’ll talk.

Through the Internet, have we really fabricated a one-stop-shop of excellence for young people? Is the Web now the catch-all for instant knowledge? If in doubt, Google it? Sure, where would we be without Google etc.. what a fantastic enrichment they’ve created for us all through great forward thinking. But is that all it takes? If so, let’s not bother with further education, business books on awesome new stuff, trends and all that haughty mumbo jumbo….let’s just get straight to the action! What? What? Google and Nike? Now there’s a meaty opportunity for you, 17 year old entrepreneur! We leave that one in your capable hands… now come back in three weeks with the merger proposal.

Let’s teach the fundamentals with some structure to our kids… there are no easy fast-track solutions. You don’t build a house starting from the roof. But it really is down to us and our sense of creating a future for our young people, giving them the breaks they deserve to make the difference.

paul.sampson@ignition4business.com

Among the facts : *

80% of those employers who employ apprentices agree they make their workplace more productive.
The National Minimum Wage for apprentices is £2.50 per hour. Many employers prefer to pay more however, and research shows that the average salary is approx £170 per week.
Employers who take on a 16-18 year old apprentice only pay their salary. The Government will fund their training.
There are over 85,000 employers offering Apprenticeships in more than 130,000 locations; there are almost 200 frameworks suitable for hundreds of job roles.
83% of employers who employ apprentices rely on their Apprenticeships programme to provide the skilled workers that they need for the future.
One in five employers are hiring more apprentices to help them through the tough economic climate

* http://www.apprenticeships.org.uk/Employers/The-Basics.aspx

Should I have a website – part 2

Posted on 29, Mar | Posted by Paul

Part 2 – (EastEnders started small like this)

Actually, in the light of two cliché-cringing sites I’ve re-written in the last three weeks, if you haven’t really characterised your brand, I would advise that you don’t start a website.

Or, reconcile yourself to some soul searching of your product or service and set this plan:

What exactly am I selling? (note: this is my income not a hobby. I’m not a geek spouting drivel to impress others with knowledge. Follow Sir Isaac Newton who said, ‘Watch this – Clunk – Ouch – Simple’. (Or words to that effect.)

If you cannot simply relay your story so that others can relay it for you, STOP and take stock.

I have challenged lots of customers with the theory – ‘If you were able to advertise your product through a London Bus campaign, and you were given five words to characterise your product on the side of the bus, what would those words be? ‘

(Send me yours, I’ll comment politely and I will send you a free pack of tasty marketing tactics – with no strings.)

paul.sampson@ignition4business.com

Reason – unless on a London bus side (or a website) you can tell people what you do in five words, why or how will they remember? They’ve got a lot of things – and several thousand other marketing messages a day – battering their brains for attention.

Your website needs to tell people they’ve come to right place – quickly – and that can be done in seven different ways – which we’ll look at over the next few weeks. Let me know if you want to catch the next blog.

www.ignition4business.com

Should I have a website?

Posted on 16, Feb | Posted by Paul

We’re often asked that question when we talk with clients – some have been in business for years, others are new on the block. Some say that they ‘ought’ to have a website because their competitors have them, therefore they should follow.

If you have or need a viable business, remember that the world and his wife are in control and demand access to your proposition. Why? Because the internet gives 24/7/365 access to nearly all knowledge and if you’re not in the stalls, you’re not at the races.

But….

1. Be sure that you’ve characterised your product clearly.

2. Be sure you’ve understood – is your proposition business to business or business to consumer?

3. What are the benefits, advantages and the product qualities? (in that order)

4. Don’t forget that design is centre stage and must be treated with the respect it deserves. A designer with the vision to understand and frame your brand with a logo is worth his or her weight in gold.

Try not to compromise and definitely avoid college kids ‘doing graphic design and media studies’ who can ‘knock you up something’ as your logo. By all means ask them to offer something speculatively, but be careful in treating it seriously. Your logo is the characterisation of your product and demonstrates a style. It creates an air, an attitude, a start point and a form of art that people will recognise, become familiar with and may even grow to admire and like. Ask Google, Apple, P&O, Nike, Macdonalds, etc.. as to how important their logo is to them. (Nike paid very little for that neat little swoosh.) ’Ah, but they’re the big boys,’ you say. Well, exactly the same rules apply to you.

A website needs planning – why are you creating this medium and who is it pitched at? Then use design, movement and video clips to entertain and give practical visual demonstrations of the explicit and implicit advantages and how you do what you do. Design breathes life and character into a flat concept and starts to give personality to a product or service. It creates autonomy and separates you from those who cannot characterise themselves.

5. You need engaging content written properly, but beware, Richard Hill says that writing your own copy is like doing your own surgery – bloody, messy and sometimes fatal.

6. May sure you take good advice on “optimisation”. The right words in the right place so that you are spotted. It’s a science and we work with people who are great at it.

Why do you need it? Ok, if you wrote and published a book that never left its packing case at the bookshop, would it sell? You need to fish where the fish are, right? If your line’s not even in the water, you won’t catch fish. (Dach, metaphors, don’t you love ‘em?)

If you don’t invest in a proper website, don’t do it at all! You’ll be doing yourself a disservice. You may well need £2-3,000 to make the right impact. Work with a webbie who understands code not just templates. He should really have a background in IT and design.

Make sure you take ownership of all domain addresses- not the webbie – and that the he or she is building a you content management system, that is, one that you can change yourself.

If you’re not sure… call us … it may not even cost you much to be convinced!

Ignition4Business.com building websites not pretty wallpaper books for real sales enquiries.

Customer Case Study: Events Company

Posted on 24, Jan | Posted by Paul

Problem

Dull website; 1-2 enquiries a week from it.

Answer?

Called Ignition4Business.

Drains up; frank talking; brand re-established. The brand now has personality.

Site re-written, in English, in a language style that involves customers – not that sells stuff to them.

Site optimised. Fresh content every week, and we’re paid per enquiry.

Result?

Twenty-two on average new, sensible enquiries per week. Happy bunnies.

Marketing: art or science?

Posted on 18, Jan | Posted by Paul

A new client asked me if Marketing is a art or a science. Pondering over her motives to ask such a question, I asked her what drew to her to that idea. ( If in doubt, stall for time, look grave and answer a question with a question.)

She answered, and I quote, ’I see Marketing People as a load of poncey advertising execs, full of themselves, in blue striped shirts, red braces, drinking Chablis and talking a particularly nauseating strain of jargon.”

Tucking my glass of (low grade) Chablis inside my jacket without spilling it, I wanted to answer, ‘well, you’re wrong about the braces’, so back off, ok?’

I chose the Japanese approach, ‘Honour your question’. ’Use Tact and Grace’.

‘So, is it art or science? Well I think it’s both on the basis that you must take calculated risks based on fact-based-reasoning, but if you cannot measure it accurately, don’t do it. Bit of Math, and ROI/ finance = SCIENCE.’

‘Then clever presentation, creativity, brand management, a distinctive trade marked logo,* attractive, well presented product benefits, well-signposted and paraded succinctly – with an air of honesty – they must tick the ART box. ‘ The client smiled. (I took it that the answer in that case, was reasonable.)

Ignition4Business – growing your business with you.

trade marked logo* = a subject for later (you saw it here first, right?)

(Challenge and argue these ideas – we love it!)

The smartest shop windows are designed not filled

Posted on 18, Jan | Posted by Paul

Selfridges take weeks to hatch concepts for each of their windows, facing Oxford Street, or other.

Then they re-design their shop window from a plan using skilled designers to calculate every square inch, even if it’s just white space. Every window reflects the season in a work of art. Always with effective results and, more often than not, stunning effect.

It amazes me that when people set about their producing their little product ‘baby’, their website, they don’t think like a Selfridge, or even beyond their own imagination.

I’m not a designer and I don’t try to be one. But I do understand Brand. I fully acknowledge that logo design and then website are centre stage, bang in the spotlight. Unless Selfridges designs shop windows with product content to drive sales by creating ideas and desire, why should they bother? Just hang up a black curtain in the window with a note saying, ‘It’s much brighter inside. Honestly.’

Unless a business designs its website as a shop window, inviting in all reasonably interested parties, however will it get past first base?

Like I say, I’m not a designer. When I need stuff designed, I hire someone who has impressed me, with the right credentials and a varied portfolio showing a real variety of treatments. DIY is not an option.

When filling your shop window, you’ve got 3-5 seconds to make an impact.

Don’t DIY. You’ll only see it for yourself and you’ll be pushing, not pulling.

for more, drop me an email… paul.sampson@ignition4business.com

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