The kind of CULTURE you have in your business is a bit like air. Air is hard to describe and you don’t really notice it being around you. Culture is a bit the same. But like air, when it isn’t there, or is stale and bad, then you really notice it. Because it is by-and-large…
If I asked you a question today like: Why aren’t you using social media as a tool to grow your business?”, the majority of you will respond, “I just don’t have the time.” Asked a range of similar questions on developing your business, you will probably give the same response. Are you really that pressed for…
In Africa, there’s a saying: If you want to go quickly, go alone. If you want to go far, go with a group. Does this apply to learning as well? Why would you want to learn with a group? Why share the experience you have gained through so many years of the school of hard…
Nearing the home straight now, so stick with me. To date we have focused on sorting the 3 key fundamental foundation stones of your BRAND and then looked at selecting the appropriate TACTICS that will help you attract the right type of client to your business. It is important to do things in this order…
In step 4 of Build Your Marketing Machine we evaluated and decided on what tactics to use in order to generate leads coming into the business. The tactics used needed to be aimed at the right target client and promote a consistent message. With so many tactics available to choose from, is there any other…
If you have been following this series of posts on building a solid marketing machine for your business, you will know that we have so far been focusing on putting the 3 critical foundation legs in place before going any further. Those 3 legs are: segmentation (focus on your target), differentiation (stand out from your…
In this third posting of the series about building a marketing machine for your business, we introduce the third of our foundation strategies. Imagine a tripod or 3-legged stool. All the legs need to be solid and of equal length to be effective. The same applies to our 3 key strategies in our marketing machine. You…
My last post introduced the issue of the Tradesmen’s Death Spiral and how building a systematic marketing machine was ONE way to help arrest the downward spiral and start to build a better business. In step 1 we discussed FOCUS. Pick who is your ideal target. Study their needs, fears and aspirations in great detail…
There is a problem in the building trade. It has affected many business owners in recent years and although the horizon is looking a little brighter going into 2013, the problem still exists. A typical story goes like this: You miss that job you thought you would get. The phone is not ringing as much…
The renowned business strategist and author, Tom Peters visited NZ a few years ago. Typically his writings are aimed at bigger businesses, however this time he presented a paper in which he outlined 56 ideas that any and all companies should consider incorporating into their culture, to create a sustainable aim of EXCELLENCE. Here are…