Adage Business and Media Services

Stay Visible - Stay Out In Front

2009-01-28T20:57:00.001+13:00

We're all hearing daily that the economy is in turmoil. People are spending less, weekly living costs climbing. Businesses are tightening their budgets, redundancies are on the rise. Yes, some business sectors are tightening their budgets, yet we must avoid falling into the trap of cutting our marketing and promotions budgets.
One of the true greats of the advertising world, Leo Burnett, would no doubt chuckle to himself over businesses who are slashing their marketing and promotions budgets. Who's this Leo Burnett?

It was during the Great Depression (1935) that Leo Burnett decided to set up an advertising agency in Chicago.

People must have thought he had lost the 'plot'; some were even bold enough to suggest he would wind up as a street vendor, selling apples. He didn't take their knocking and is reported to have said "not only will I not do that, but I'll give them away".

To cut a long story short, Leo Burnett built itself into one of the largest agencies in the world. Even now, 80 some years later it is still out there, and doing well in the market (ranked as the 9th largest agency in the world). All because Leo Burnett didn't give into the woes and listened to himself, and his own ambitions.

Don't you slash or stop your promotions budgets, don't give in.

What we are seeing is that some businesses are uncertain of what they should be doing, some are tightening their belts, cutting back on expenditure. But an area of business expense you should really think hard about before cutting back here, is that of marketing and promotion. Spend some of the quieter moments you may experience planning, setting goals, targets, use the time to cement your business plans. Learn new things, retrain make this a productive time.

And don’t forget to keep prospecting and branding your business, and the time when you are reviewing your business plan, take a look at the marketing section, see where you are now, strategise on where you want to be, how you are going to keep your name out there, how you will ensure your name will be at the top of the list when your customers are ready to buy.

People still want to do business and when they are ready they will be looking - you need to be visible. Keep your name out there; don't hide away - Stay Visible!!

Lost Customers and How to Get Them Back

2009-01-25T18:57:00.006+13:00

Don’t listen to customers and this could happen to you!

I had been thinking about putting something together about how to regain and retain customers, and then it dawned on me that I had a personal experience that would be a perfect fit as lead in to the item. So here goes:

A Moment in History
I had been going to the same café daily for over 6 years, and mostly found it a great place to go; good food, excellent coffee and in general good service.

Today
I walked out of the café a week ago as I had become frustrated with the way it was being run (or should that be ‘not being run’). In the time I had been going there I calculated that I had spent in excess of $17,000, not a bad sum from one person.

In the time I had been going to the café I had offered suggestions on how they could gain more customers, lift their standing in the café circuit and even build a reputation that would see them as a place of choice by the many businesses in their immediate area.

I even gave examples of promotions they could run, flyers, details as to the numbers of people working in some of the bigger businesses on their doorstep (in three buildings within minutes walk of the café there are more than 1800 people; not bad, but only about 20 people from these buildings frequent(ed) the café).

I was staggered to always here the same ‘excuse’ as to why they couldn’t do any of the promotions, and I had even researched as to what suppliers were likely to contribute to the promotions, I had done the homework. It was in (my mind) a no brainer to at least try these things.

Some of the ideas I put forward were:

Live Music – this would have been easy and cheap to do, there are music students right around the corner who would be more than willing to have the opportunity to perform.

Happy Hour – a flyer drop to the businesses offering them preferential prices crumbs if they only got 1% of these people along on any given day they would have increased their turnover. (18 people a day at an average spend of $8.00, over a 12 month period =$28,800, that’s almost the wages of one person working there).

Combo deals – Coffee and muffin for a set price, lunch and a drink for a set price, again a no brainer.

Any costs involved in doing these would have been offset by the potential increase in turnover.

More history
This café is on a main pedestrian thoroughfare, used by an estimated 15,000 people each day. It has one sign, telling people it is there, the sign can only able to be seen by people walking down the street; why not spend $200 and get a second sign made?

When I started going there was a group of about 20 regulars who went daily, today there are only 2; where have the rest gone? Who knows, it’s been over a week since I walked out, the staff and management have my email address and phone number but they haven’t bothered to call and see where I am.

What led me to walk out was seeing this place being run to the ground, and the staff moaning about how boring it was with no customers. The staff would come up to me almost daily and tell me what was going on, how bad turnover was and how they were generally fed up working there.

I had had enough, I had given suggestions, spent time and money putting together plans I knew would work to get new business, but this all fell on deaf ears. So I decided enough was enough, I didn’t need to keep hearing their problems, so I cancelled my lunch order and walked out.

I’m now going to a café where the staff are friendly, greet you pleasantly, take your order and leave you alone, already they have earned over $100 from me.

Will I go back to the other café? Not likely, I will only go back to discuss my dissatisfaction with the management, but I really see no point in this. I feel as though it is a lost cause.

Don’t lose your customers
If you find your business in the same situation, losing customers for ‘no apparent reason’ listen to your customers, find out what they like and don’t like about your business.

If your customers put forward suggestions, try some of them. Treat your customers like gold; they are the ones who keep your business going.

Why not get in touch with your lost customers and find out why they have left. Your customers may have leave for any number of reasons; some will not come back as they may have moved out of the area.

You need to find out why they left, then you need to get them coming back, Phone them and see where they are, why they haven’t been back. You don’t have to spend hours phoning them all at once. If you are going to phone them, set aside some time each week to phone past customers. Simply contact some past customers each week, every week, this will break the job into easily managed ‘chunks’, you’ll be surprised how many you contact if you break the numbers into manageable ‘chunks’ and they the numbers soon build up if you stick to a routine.

Bad experience
Any customer who has had a bad experience dealing with your business can provide some valuable feedback to help correct your business; if they had poor service or unfulfilled promises/guarantees, these need to be fixed immediately. If a past customer tells you this, thank them for telling you. When you have fixed any failing in your business raised by a past customer let them know that the problem has been corrected, and ask them to come back and try your business again. Even offer an incentive – a money back guarantee perhaps.

Better service, choices, options
If past customers tell you that they have found another business offering better service, a wider range of products/options elsewhere this is valuable information and offers market research (it’s telling you what your competitors are doing). This information helps you make decisions on whether you need to train your staff in customer service, offer more product ranges, generally helps you work out what you can do better than your competitors are doing.

If price is a reason, don’t think that you always have to match or better your competitors’ prices, sometimes this is unrealistic. Perhaps you can offer something else of more value, a price promise, service guarantees. Whatever you offer and promise make sure you can and will deliver on it.

Sometimes you have to be direct, simply come straight out and ask why they left and what you can do to get them back.

If you don’t have contact details for your ‘walk in customers’, you and your staff may recognise them in the street, if you see them, ask them why you haven’t seen them, be casual in a face-to-face situation, and remember let your staff know that they are empowered to do whatever it takes to get the customer back.

What can you offer to entice customers back?
If you’ve lost customers and want to get them back try some of these:

Let them know that you have corrected the failings, fixed the problem/reason that resulted in them leaving

Offer a guarantee or an assurance your products/services and service are all better than ever

Offer a special 'welcome back' deal

Thank them and truly acknowledge their feedback and their suggestion on how to improve business

Whatever you choose to do, be sincere and make sure you deliver on your promise.

Do things to keep your customers coming back
Now more than ever businesses of all types need to be looking at ways to retain customers. We all have ideas as to what we could do to ensure our customers stay with us; the main point is that now you have got some of your ‘lost’ customers back – you have to ensure you keep them. You can’t afford to loose them a second time, they more than likely won’t come back a second time.

Here are a few suggestions that you could look at doing in your business to ensure your customers keep coming.

Customer loyalty programme, perhaps even include special ‘privileges’ (invites to special events/launches), discounts on certain products, Try things that you feel will make your regular customers feel valued and good about doing business with you.

Ask for feedback, comments, suggestions, remember though that you will need to act promptly, let them know what action you have taken.

Give a gift at Christmas, or other known special time of the year (birthday, anniversary etc), use items that have company branding on them, or if a retailer you could offer a special birthday discount etc.

Stay in touch with your customers
Don’t fall into the trap of just doing business with your customers when they need something from you, be proactive and stay in touch with them throughout the year.

If you don’t already have a database set one up, you can use anything to capture customer details (excel, access, outlook etc)

If you’re a retail business ask customers for the contact details so you can send them special offers
Start regularly communicating with your customers through a newsletter or something similar; a printed one or an e-letter

Remember 20% of your customers account for 80% of your business.

Happy trading; and hope that this article has been of some help.

2009 Is Going to Be a Terrible Year for Business - It Needn't Be

2009-01-24T20:02:00.008+13:00

2009 Is Going to Be a Terrible Year for Business - well that's what everyone is telling us, but it needn't be a terrible year.

Sure the year is likely to be a bit rough; it certainly won’t be any picnic. But there are a few things to keep in mind.

Well who’s going to stop spending? Businesses all round the globe will still do business; the trick is making sure they do business with your company. Your clients (prospective ones) will do research before doing business with you; they will weigh up your products/services against those of your competitors, they will almost certainly check to see if you are the right fit for their business. They will want whoever they do business with to be professional in all areas (image, service, reliability).

If you can’t project your business in the right light, demonstrate skills, experience, knowledge; then people will go elsewhere – you will miss the opportunity.

You’re going to have one chance to impress. Get it right and you will win, get it wrong and you won’t get a second chance. You must stand out from everyone else.

The way the economy and business is likely to head this year is likely to mean there will be periods when business will be slow, slower than you have probably experienced before.

This needn’t be a bad thing, you can use slow times to update your business & marketing plans; map out where you want to be in the next quarter and how you will go about getting there.

Perhaps there is a course you have been thinking of doing, use any slow periods to do this. It’s an investment in yourself and your business.

Often we miss out on business or lose business, because we’re too busy working and we don't have the time to improve our skills or spend time improving our business plans and marketing.

Use any slow time productively and don’t get caught up in the doom and gloom. Remain positive and use any slow periods productively. It will pay dividends

Networking - Know why you are doing it

2009-01-24T15:48:00.005+13:00

With the way the economy is, it is really important for all businesses to make the most of any networking opportunity. So much can be gained by networking, either the more traditional ‘face-to-face’ or what I have heard refered to as the new generation of networking joining online groups (Linkedin, Twitter, and many more). This item is more on the face-to-face networking opportunities.

If we want to increase business opportunities we have plenty of networking opportunities with conferences, associations, trade shows, seminars, technology-based meetings, technology communications methods, and more.

It might seem like networking is a thing of the past, and often networking is the first item that falls off our to-do list. And, why bother networking? It takes a lot of time, you never know what results (if any) it will produce, and it can be hard work for those that are not networkers and relationship builders.

We must all remember there are increasing numbers and types of business providers out there, and with everyone calling themselves a “consultant” or “expert”, buyers of any services are becoming increasingly wary of engaging business relationships with people they don't know.

The only way to get to know people is to get out there and meet them. If you don't make the effort to get out there, you'll just be another so-called “expert” with a small network that nobody really knows.
It’s important that when you have a networking opportunity, that you make the most of it. All too often people turn up, then just stand around, maybe talk to one or two people (often people they already know) then leave.

If you make the most of any event, you can leverage so many opportunities, simply by making the effort to have as many conversations as you can.

As you might imagine, showing up and having conversations isn't where your networking efforts should stop. That only gets you in the door. The networking is not about accumulating business cards, but in doing something with them. And what you do with those cards – how you continue your relationship with people you meet – dictates what those people begin to think of you.

You can think of this as building your brand with your network. Your contacts should know who you are, know what you do, and ultimately prefer to work with you in the appropriate situation.

This is how you can build professional relationships that will bring dividends.

The majority of networking conversations are never followed up. But, those that are tend to be straight sales calls. This approach rarely works. The best way to build relationships with people is to provide some value to them with your interactions. In other words, as you network, your mission is to give, not get.

Most successful conversations, and the relationships that develop, tend to be strongest when you can establish real rapport in your conversations. The old adage, 'people buy people first' is truer than ever. In an increasingly impersonal business world, people are looking as much to find fulfillment and enjoyment as well as make money. If people see you as someone they can work with and like at the same time, you'll be in great shape.

If you can become enthusiastic about networking – and most people can – you will not only have more conversations through effort and determination, you will have more positive and productive interactions.

This creates an opportunity for great success and growth for those who make the effort to build a network filled with rich and rewarding relationships.

Next time you have the opportunity to network, go prepared to interact, have a simple summary (elevator speech) of your business ready, strive to make new introductions; and follow up on all contacts made.

Working in the Community

2009-01-24T15:41:00.005+13:00

Since posting the item on Marty Casey coming to New Zealand I have received quite a few questions asking why I put the item on the blog.

Actually I was pleased to get feedback, it showed people were reading what I wrote, but perhaps I should have made brief mention as to why I was involved with the Marty Casey “Making it Happen Tour”; so to clarify here’s why.

Having worked in the charity sector for a number of years, assisting charities with various marketing and media activities, I knew that I had skills that would help make the tour a success, so when Jo and Tania (Making it Happen Promotions) asked for help I quickly offered my services,

At Adage we have a commitment to give assistance to at least one not-for-profit organisation each year, and last year we worked with Koru Care Charitable Trust.

The Koru Care Charitable Trust helps children in the community who have an ongoing medical condition, terminal illness or significant disadvantage by giving them a trip of a lifetime to Disneyland.

Our work involved us helping to raise its media profile in the lead up to the Trusts Gala Dinner & Charity Auction. We will continue to support Koru Care throughout 2009.

Adage also assists:

The Courageous Women Charitable Trust.
The aims of this Trust is to empower, inspire and support women survivors of sexual abuse.
As a relatively new trust, Courageous Women are in need of building their public profile, and are working alongside them to ensure the public learn of the work they are doing in the community.

Mercy Hospice Auckland
The Hospice relies very much on the help, support and generosity of the community, Adage Business & Media Services is supporting the Hospice with planning and other activities for the fundraising activities the Hospice will embark on during the coming year.

Adage receives numerous requests for assistance from community groups, charities etc, these are mainly of a monetary nature, however we feel that we can possibly help more by offering our services free of charge.

First Post and Marty Casey Lands in New Zealand

2009-01-11T17:46:00.000+13:00

My first post - wow - about time as I have had this set up since about October.

It's a New Year and I have so many things I want to achieve this year, and one thing on the list is to get this blog going.

The start of the year has been great, last week Marty Casey from Rock Star:INXS fame, arrived in New Zealand for a solo acoustic tour - "Making it Happen". He will be performing in Christchurch (x2), Dunedin, Invercargill, Queenstown, Blenhein, Nelson, Wellington, Auckland.

The tour is in support of CanTeen the NZ organisation supporting young people living with cancer.

The "Making it Happen" tour came about early 2008, with Tania (a fan) suggesting he come to NZ, will things soon starting gaining momentum; Jo from Grow Your Business (www.growyourbiz.co.nz) was on board as soon as Tania suggested the tour. Using her business network, Jo tapped into graphic designers, an accountant, web developer, and I put my hand up to handle media activity.

All nett proceeds from the tour will be going to CanTeen to help them with their work in the community, and one other exciting things taking place during the tour will be Marty's involvement at the CanTeen National Camp, where he will be leading a song writing workshop. Marty will be going through the steps he used in writing his hit "Trees". At the end of the workshop CanTeen will have a single of their own.

Get along and see Marty Casey - and support CanTeen - www.martycasey.co.nz