Small business branding issue - where is the line between you and your business? What are you really selling?

I have just received an email from a client who is seeking clarity on an issue she has with her marketing. Her query is as follows:

“I need to get clearer about ''my name" or "my company name's" (footnote 1)  USP, and I am still not sure whether I am my business or not”

First a little bit of context. My client is a consultant/coach working on personal and professional development with individuals and teams. Her specialist subject is by definition personal to people and in order to be effective she needs people's trust. The paying customer/decision-maker may be the direct recipient of her service or may be an HR person who sources and arranges on behalf of the organisation.

I hear business advisors tell business owners “you are your business”. They insist “you must sell 'you'. And the poor business owner, who is likely to be at home with the operational side of their business, but less comfortable being its marketing manager, is left unclear on what this means. Conclusions may be drawn that you have to be a nice person, or a popular person, to run a successful small business. Then there is the current buzzword 'authenticity', which a lot of people are translating as sharing everything about themselves as individuals. And, then add to that the now obligatory adjective 'passionate'.  Can't you just be good at what you offer any more?

I send out a challenge to these business advisors. I am not satisfied that you have to “sell yourself” and “you are your business”. I would like to offer some health warnings to small business owers regarding this advice.  

Back to the client query re the USP.  Let's differentiate between 'USP', ethos, brand, and 'personal selling!

USP – so hard to offer something “unique”. USP has been downgraded to “wow factors” with good reason. A wow factor of your business could be that it uses the latest technology, has the most comfortable premises, has some amazing quantifiable results etc etc (nothing personal there). If you are struggling to think of some wow factors trying asking your customers what they think.

Ethos and brand are very linked in my mind, as a brand without an ethos is in danger of becoming just a meaningless logo device. No matter the size of the business, there are brand values wrapped up in it. The difficulty for micro businesses is unravelling what they are because the business owners are so close to it and simply do things 'their way'. In Henmore's Marketing Club we have some fun working on this area. Have a think, what standards and values do you have that are appropriate to share with your customers? What values do your customers seek?

Personal selling is a marketing text book phrase for when there is a face-to-face sales person as one of your marketing tactics (part of your promotional mix - see 2 below). Sales reps are the essence of this tactic. So if you are the business owner and selling your expertise you are inevitably both the sales rep and the delivery mechanism so possibly the concept of having to sell yourself and be authentic and passionate looms large (see 3 below).

Could someone else sell your product/service?

Try testing yourself with this question. Could someone else sell your product or service for you? There should only be one answer to that question – yes! Imagine what information and approach this ficticious sales person would need. Actually, don't just imagine it, write it down. What steps would you suggest the sales rep takes to convert a prospective customer into a paying customer? Give your ficticious salesman the job description of having to demonstrate credibility - would you equip her with some prepared information? How would she build conviction? This may involve a demo or trial – so that is possibly where the real you comes back in again. How would you make sure your sales person sets expectations about price and service levels? I bet your sales person wouldn't give away so much for free in the way that small business owners do!

If you couldn't answer yes to the salesperson question and you are more comfortable selling 'you' then let me leave you with this thought: You may be over-identifying with your business. You may be viewing its success, financial or otherwise, as validating you as a person. When something goes awry - business owners do make errors, products do fail, markets can collapse - the disasters or failures could have an affect on your mental well-being. Some entrepreneurs evaluate and start again with new information, others don't. What would you do?

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1. You'll spot that names were deleted – there's a balance between transparency and appropriateness.

2. Personal selling is part of the promotional mix, which for the sake of completeness also includes advertising, sales promotion, direct marketing, and publicity. The promotional mix part of your marketing plan specifies how much emphasis to apportion each of these techniques, and how much money to budget for each. (Reality check – not many micro businesses have a marketing plan beyond a 'to do' list unless their bank requires one).
3. I will publish my blog on authenticity another time because I want to run it past a kindred spirt in the US first. In the mean time I'd advise people to start being wary of describing how passionate they are about their business or product because it is fast becoming a cliché.

Which is more important - the intuitive or rational mind?

"The intuitive mind is a sacred gift and the rational mind is a faithful servant. We have created a society that honors the servant and has forgotten the gift." Albert Einstein 


Marketing and running a business requires both, I reckon . . .

Networking - the merits of connecting locally

Networking locally has been a useful activity for us at Henmore, even though are clients are UK wide, in Europe and USA.  As a result of local networking we have:

• formed associations with marketing specialists to offer a wider marketing service 
• worked collaboratively on new projects with the people we’ve met 
• been invited as a guest speaker at UK events and conferences 
• strengthened relationships with existing clients 
• gained many new business referrals that have generated new customers (thank you to those that have supported us) 
• built a network of ‘champions’ who help us spread the word about our local marketing training events and programmes 
• gained insight and feedback on our ideas 
• kept abreast of issues and events taking place in our local area 
• made some new friends

After trying various groups and organisations I have settled on a select few groups in my local region of Derbyshire and Staffordshire that suit my style.  I regularly visit these groups:  WiRE, Matlock Business Club, The Business Cub, at Chatsworth, Moorlands Networking, SPDTA.

I am the facilitator of Matlock Business Club, which has enabled me to observe many people’s approach and consider my own.

Here are few thoughts about networking:

Attend with an open mind, go with the flow.  Some people seem to judge an event by the number of business cards they collected.  After assessing the benefits to Henmore of our networking activities, I am not convinced of that as an evaluation criterion.

Be friendly – you would think this would be obvious!  Be friendly even to your competitors.  I’ve heard some horror stories of people slinging some mud at their competitors (worse still dissing them in the one minute slot).  Don’t go there . . .

Be open and welcoming.  Approach those on the edge of the room; invite them into your conversations.  As an extravert, I have to remind myself that some powerful business people are not necessarily natural networkers, so don’t overlook those looking on from the sidelines. 

Stay calm.  If you spot an influential business person please don’t go all gaga around them.   I’ve seen this happen and it is just weird.

Allow yourself to move on.  Some people will monopolise you so be kind to yourself, and to them, and move them on to someone else or request permission to continue networking in the room. 

Keep your business card in reserve.  I am not a fan of ‘card slinging’ networking events. Some people look for quantity rather than quality, but that doesn’t suit our business model.  Unless it suits yours, save yourself the hassle of unsubscribing from a million mailing lists and hold back your details until you are asked for them.

Introduce people within and across your networks – be the real-life face-to- face version of LinkedIn and Facebook.

Source and share in your networks.  If you need something then ask from within your network of contacts.  It sounds obvious, but if it is so obvious why do so few people do it? 

In conclusion, I offer a gentle reminder that your network of contacts is not just a place to push your own wares.

Brand management - moment of amusement

This morning I received a jolly note from a client pointing out a typo in the LinkedIn event information for my business development workshop this Wednesday.  I gave myself a telling off, but then I tripped over this message from Google and now I feel a whole lot better.  This has to be a fundamental brand management error for a leading search engine specialist.  Quite fun though.

Training and thinking, marketing forum 15th June, Derbyshire

Ideas + Strategies -----> Making Connections
We are planning a new style event on 15th June at Cromford Mill. We'll facilitate IT and Marketing-based subject discussions and provide the environment for you to join other forward-thinking business owners to take a little time out to concentrate on your business, generating ideas and workable strategies.

Broadly, the morning session will cover strategic marketing and IT subjects, delving into some how-to and top tips for success with the tools and techniques we showcase:

• Ways to keep in touch with your customers and create champions and referrers.
• Seamless ways to collaborate with associates and present work to customers.
• The mindset and toolset to create a more marketing-led organisation.

. . . and it will be lively and interactive with presentations, case studies, thought-provoking exercises, peer group discussion. More than that we have built into the agenda an extended 'let's take that off-line' break-out session designed to be free flowing. Choose between the opportunity to pose detailed questions to the experts or engage in discussions and networking with other attendees.

Ideas & Strategies – Marketing and Technology

9.30am – 12.15pm Facilitated interactive sessions (as above)
12.45pm – 2pm Freeflow and break out sessions - Marketing and IT questions answered and debated.
£15 + VAT (book in advance cw@cwoodhouse.com)
Lunch and refreshments available at the on-site cafes

Why not arrive early and include some breakfast networking taking place in the same room.
7.30am - 9am Matlock Business Club – networking and business support group meets
£5 including breakfast payable at the door (book in advance web@henmore.co.uk)
Call or email us to reserve your places at these events.

Marketing & Technology Workshops - spring 2011 series

Please view/download the flyer for the Marketing and Technology tutorial events

I co-presented a workshop recently with Chris Woodhouse, an IT and technology expert.  We trialled the one event to see how it went.  Quite honestly we were quite pleased with it.  But obviously it is not what we think it is what the delegates thought of it, and it seems they were pleased with it too.  Phew!

We were delighted to receive this comment on the LinkedIn page for the event:  "Really enjoyed this workshop and came away with lots of practical ideas.  Highly recommended."

Since then Chris and I have put our heads together and the result is a number of workshops on Marketing and Technology working together. 

Is your website doing its job? Let's ask Google! - we take you through the best way to analyse your site traffic and interpret findings into a plan of action.

Grow your business using loads of free stuff  - we short cut delegates to low cost / no cost marketing tools that we know work and demo case studies of clients that are doing a good job.

Can you improve your online marketing? - we help you assess whether your online marketing efforts are working and throw in some alternatives to consider.

Business development using The Cloud technology - using case studies we explore how to make the most of the tools already at your disposal and the software and gadgets that you can add for smarter marketing and business development.

More details on all of these tutorial workshops >> Marketing & Technology
Please add your name to Henmore's mailing list to be sure to receive details of our workshops, programmes and speaking engagements. 

REGISTER - When you are ready you can book your place online.

Marketing Club 2012

Marketing Club is one of my favourite services.  I love the enthusiastic participation of everyone in the group and I am gratified by the positive steps that the business members take as a result.

Henmore's Strictly Marketing group

Business owners say they benefit from a sustained focus on their marketing over the year. Marketing Club is designed to help you find 'clarity' and 'certainty' in all areas of your business development. The primary aims of this long-term programme are to help you to do more business and to do that business on your preferred terms.

This translates to minimising wasted effort and/or budget on sales and marketing, making sure you are selling at the right price and achieving maximum customer satisfaction. We know this is aiming high, but justifiably so because our Marketing Club members are benefiting from the positive results.

In the words of a Marketing Club Member:

Strictly Marketing has provided me with the know-how and motivation to develop and implement a structured and focussed marketing strategy for my business.

Catherine’s step-by step approach, one-to-one mentoring and engaging group sessions enable businesses to adopt a professional approach to DIY marketing. It saves time and gets results. Highly recommended and great value. Chris Mills, Barlow Associates


What we cover in Marketing Club?

During the group sessions and in the one-to-one sales & marketing consultancy sessions, we build knowledge and improve techniques in the following marketing essentials:

• Know the customers you want to win
• Establish a strong brand and generate strong sales leads
• Understand the available methods to reach your customer types
• Position your products and services to wow your prospective customers
• Communicate effectively with prospects and customers
• Convert more sales, doing business on your terms
• Evaluate what works and what doesn't
• Help your customers become your champions
• Extend your successes further into the market and/or enter new market segments

Workshops are held six times a year on dates/times agreed with the group.  There is networking and meeting room space available before and afterwards.  We meet at Dove Studio, Ellastone, DE6 2GY.

Enjoy the extra encouragement via the peer support and feedback of other group members.  Come along and address those hard, strategic questions: is your business approaching the best customers, in the best way, at the best time, with the best products?  Is there more you could be doing?  How will you find out what is working and what needs improvement? Make sure your ideas are put into practice in a structured way.

More Marketing Club Members' comments:

"Many thanks for the speedy response - and really useful feedback. It's so hard to be objective when promoting your own business."

"I think there's a lot of 'marketing tips' on offer through events and online, and people tend miss the point - one size does not fit all, and though general advice can be helpful, successful marketing needs to be right for your business and you personally. In the same vein, although a 'quick hit' can be effective, keeping your marketing going is crucial, and this is where ongoing support, that can be tailored to your particular circumstances, is invaluable...and where Marketing Club really fits the bill."

"Marketing Club is good use of my time and budget"

“I am a member of Catherine's Marketing Club which is a fantastic opportunity to receive professional marketing advice, expertly tailored to my business, at a reasonable cost. The club consists of a group of businesses with bi-monthly meetings facilitated by Catherine. These meetings are highly practical, informative and enjoyable. Club members also benefit from regular a one to one session with Catherine. These are an excellent follow-up to the group sessions. I can really see how my business is benefiting from this regular and focussed input. I also very much value the input of the other group members and find it an ideal forum to get honest feedback on my ideas and strategies. All in all, highly recommended.”  A recommendation from Frances Taylor, Brightspark Training, posted on our LinkedIn page.

Venue:  Dove Training Suite, Ellastone, DE6 2GY.  To join one of these programmes please email us on web@henmore.co.uk or call Catherine on 01335 289075

Marketing and use of Social Media

Henmore's virtuous circle of marketing communications diagram illustrates the marketing challenges businesses need to address.

During the workshops this week we helped businesses with the use of Social Media in their marketing.  Participants came armed with laptops and applied changes to their online presence during the workshop.  I am driven by a determination to help businesses translate ideas into workable strategies, that they succeed in putting into action, gaining desired results. It is not enough for me to see people scribbling notes of their good intentions, because I have experienced those intentions myself and subsequently lost the piece of paper (or the good intentions).  We all know about this inevitable loss of momentum.  That's why I like interactive workshops and year plus programmes like our Marketing Club.

Last week people in the room were there to make changes.  But of course we worked our way towards that part of the workshop.  First of all we looked at the challenges faced by businesses in generic terms, referencing Henmore's much-referred-to trademark diagram (as shown above).  Each workshop participant in the room articulated the particular marketing communications challenges that were a priority for them.  Then we took action on the laptops.

I am sure someone once advised it is high risk to present live in an environment of children, animals and IT.  We only had live IT, and it seemed to work OK on this occasion.

As presenter and facilitator I really enjoyed the sessions and the enthusiasm of the business owners in the room.  I would like to thank everyone for all the positive comments and the reviews and recommendations that we have received as a result.  And I would like to thank Jane Stretton at Dove Studios for the refreshments and the perfectly functioning IT connections.

If you would like to join one of our marketing and social media training courses in Staffordshire or Derbyshire please check our upcoming events or sign up to receive email invitations.

Social Media for Business - marketing training event

Social Media - your business voice

Social media has revolutionised small business marketing. There ever never before been such a cheap and easily accessible set of tools. More and more small businesses are seeing the benefits of social media to help increase awareness, create and nurture relationships, generate new leads, increase search engine placements, monitor marketing effort ... all with reduced expense.

It takes thought, so many organisations are not yet effectively establishing and managing a strong social media presence, let alone keeping up with the ever-changing landscape of social outlets and tools.

Henmore's interactive, hands-on workshop session covers:

• Social Media Basics & Beyond: Understanding key social media outlets, emerging trends and new tools and communities to consider in your social media plans
• Creating Your Social Media Strategy: Developing and implementing a social media strategy that supports your specific brand voice and vision, takes into account your day to day realities,  identifies which tools make sense (and which don’t) for your business.
• 5 Marketing Questions to ask yourself: What you need to consider before diving into specific social media outlets - and tips for making your effort worthwhile when you do.
• Tips, Tricks & Real-world Examples - ideas, practices and lessons learned from helping clients with their marketing on Facebook, Twitter, Linked In, Blogging, and more.

Our social media session is always one of the liveliest. We share our knowledge and give you tips
and tools to help you get started, grow and solidify your social media strategies.

2012 Social Media Workshops - schedule and booking

Strictly Marketing Workshop

The Strictly Marketing Club programme is unashamedly one of my favourite business activities at Henmore and yesterday's workshop reinforced my fondness for it. Such a great team of members. They set aside valuable time, taking time out from the day to day stuff that earns them immediate money and instead came along to focus on marketing. Added to that they are generous in spirit; they don't just focus on their own marketing, they stretch their brains and their energy on each others' businesses too.

If you are a business owner, taking time to focus on marketing is vital but incredibly hard to do in an effective way. As Paul observed yesterday, he wants to brainstorm his ideas, have them sanity checked and then test the detail on other people. Fine to do in the Strictly workshop environment but hard to achieve in a busy work environment or at home of an evening.

Yesterday the group set about a task of coming up with marketing campaigns for a ficticious company that was facing a difficult challenge. With a given set of limited resources they created campaign ideas to flush out sales interest from a cold list and qualify them into a sales pipeline. In 15 mins there were a number of genuinely workable campaigns fully mapped out and discussed. I think it was Brendan that articulated the take-away thought of the exercise - we do have 15 minutes that we could set aside to achieve the same in our own businesses. . . the trouble is, without the fictitious boss, the deadline or pressing circumstances we rarely apply such a rigourous approach.

Back at HQ, without the relaxed environment at Dove Studios combined with the collective creativity and resourcefulness of the group, it is hard to get into the right frame of mind to find that 15 minutes. There were, however, a good many campaign ideas generated yesterday that could be taken back to HQ and put into action.

And although as businesses owners we don't have a boss, we do have the sheet of paper with all the actions we committed to taking prior to the next meeting on 8th September.

Press Release Oct 2009: Strictly Marketing Club

Press Release: Strictly Marketing Club is a year’s programme for business owners.

Businesses in Derbyshire and Staffordshire are being offered a way to make sure their marketing effort isn’t wasting time or breaking the bank. Strictly Marketing Club is designed to help business owners focus their effort and maximise results from their marketing. It’s a programme for the year with a combination of group workshop participation and one-to-one marketing consultancy.

The workshops consist of tutorials, case studies and group discussion, all designed to add insight and inspiration as well as encourage action and add accountability. Catherine Doel, MD of Henmore Marketing and facilitator of the Strictly Marketing Club workshops says: “The programme will help business owners remain in control of their marketing communications and budget for the year ahead. Participants establish clear marketing objectives and create their own calendar of activity to suit their businesses. We cover strategic subjects and make them relevant to participating businesses by addressing tactics they could use and discussing case studies. Ideas and feedback from everyone in the group plays an important part.”

These days, simply being 'open for business' is rarely enough. Businesses need to find ways to get their message out there and convert interest into sales. Business owners have joined the programme to ensure all aspects of their marketing mix are well planned and managed.

Paul Hickman, an experienced business owner who runs Great Business Websites in Belper, explains why his business has joined the Strictly Marketing Club programme: “I know a good deal about marketing already, but there is always more to think about and it is important to take time to focus. The management team at Great Business Websites is serious about what we want to achieve and the part that marketing plays in that. We will be using the consultancy sessions for experienced input to our marketing plans, and the group workshops to get feedback on everything we do to win and keep customers. Starting and running a business means spinning a lot of plates - marketing is not one we intend to drop! This programme will be enough to keep us thinking and is incredibly cost effective for what it includes.”

The first group Workshops are starting in October and November and are being held at Dove Studios in Ellastone.