by on September 28, 2009 3 Comments

Networking on a plate

As a journalist and professional communicator I always find the networking event a fascinating study of human behaviour. Everyone is different, yet there are some blatant familiarities in the styles of networker demonstrated at these shebangs.

THE HOST is there to tick your name off and welcome the speaker. The host is your friend and connector, the curator of networking memories. If the networking event takes place in a church (and let’s face it, with dwindling audiences the pews are the place to be for building relationships these days) then your host will probably be the chap who makes the jam. Eat it, covet it and enjoy it. Although easy on the coveting if you’re standing by the font.

The brimming with confidence guy who comes over to make rough love with your hand is the one who came here a couple of months ago as the timid, reluctant entrepreneur but has been coached and finessed by the professional networker. As he pumps your hand you notice a devillian yet infinitely seductive glint in his eye. The left one. You know he knows things, but you don’t know what. All you need to know right now is that he’s probably on the gin. And his decorating company is on its uppers.

There are always a few blokes and girls dressed like the back pages of FHM magazine. I don’t mean in glossy paper with a barcode on their arse – I’m talking effete style and sophistication. They work the room like you work the dishwasher. And they are the very epitome of networkingness. Hair snazzily caught in a permanent breeze (look up, it’s the aircon) they entrap and entice but their goal is to snap up your customers, not your wallet directly. You can leave that to the

PROFESSIONAL NETWORKER who knows everyone, even your mum who she’s never met, albeit on a superficial level. Teeth made of ivory, eyes glittering like tinsel on a tree, she will bewitch you with her beauty and yield your wallet and shirt off your back with the promise of ever-more lucrative networking events on her books. The professional networker has designs on your soul, spirit and mind. Despite being a bloke, Derren Brown is the archetypal professional networker. If you find yourself biting into an onion at a networking event you know you have been possessed by the professional.

The casual and evidently nonplussed guy is there because they’ve learned to find out how or they’ve been cuckolded by a friend to attend because their friend is

The timid, recalcitrant and often reluctant inventor knows he should be there – to make more contacts and connections. But instead he makes like a shrinking wallflower and coaxes wine fumes from his glass all night long.

Finally there’s THE CATERER. They wander through the room with a plate of sandwiches while the speaker is performing his oral vinegar stroke. It distracts everyone but the speaker. The round of applause is in the name of the food, which ultimately means the caterer.

Therefore the caterer is the most important person at any networking event.

The surprising revelation is we can learn and develop our networking skills from every single one of the networking types above. About how and how not to play the game. Whenever I go to such an event I treat it a bit like a Big Brother house. You know immediately the ones to be wary of, and the ones to gel with. The ones you gel with will confirm what you already knew about the other ones, while the ones you were wary of will probably nick the best sandwiches, That’s life.

After that serious study of networking, I want to give you the two golden rules of networking:

  • Remember everyone’s name.
  • And listen.

If you can remember everyone’s name, and a bit about their family and business operation, you’re guaranteed success. And the best listeners are the finest conversationalists. And they’re the ones that win minds and business.

Now get networking. The world awaits!

Dave’s microphone is on holiday.

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by on September 27, 2009 Leave a Comment

Twitter Weekly Updates for 2009-09-27

  • @dolphinmusic here do you have the Rode Podcaster in stock – or similar to connect via USB? Big love to ya! in reply to dolphinmusic #
  • 10 FREE and fantastic online tools and services to get the edge over your business competition. New report at http://wordandmouth.com #
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by on September 26, 2009 Leave a Comment

Ultimate business advice – free!

I’ve been around the block a few times in recent weeks. I’ve had to: my business advisor is literally located behind where I live!

And while I obviously respect and value his advice, I’ve discovered two incredible ways to take your business forward that don’t involve the conventional ‘experts’ we’ve come to view as absolutely necessary to our success.

It all comes down to board games.

[mp3]http://wordandmouth.com/audio/board_260909.mp3[/mp3]

Let me elucidate:

If you’re a start-up or emerging business the concept of a board is bordering on the ridiculous. Boards are for stuffy American conglomerates – right?

Well no, actually. At least, not if you think laterally – I’m not advocating you start creating C-level executive suites in your garage or hoik down to Ikea for the biggest table you can find.

Here’s what you do:

  1. Walk down your road. Speak to your friends. Go to a networking event or an unconference.
  2. Get the business cards of eight to 12 businesspeople that share your energy and genuine love of customer service and success.
  3. Call them up a few days later and invite them all to the pub, cafe, Temperance Institute or park. It all depends on the weather, you see.
  4. Discuss the concept of meeting once a month or quarterly to bounce ideas off each other about problems and opportunities with business.

Your very own board. Not only that, but everyone in the group benefits. You’re all rooting for achievement; and by being part of a tribe, you’re all rooting for each other.

Now here’s how your board is so invaluable. Every time you all meet:

  • Go round the pub table or room with each person given the opportunity to air their problems or views. Get others to pitch in with questions to try and isolate or expand on the issue and find the very best way to solve it or maximise it.
  • At the end of each pitch from both sides, ask the source of problem or opportunity to take stock of what he or she has learned and to tell the group what action points they have picked up and will, um, action.

That’s the way to run a business board! I’ve seen this in action a number of times and if there’s one thing that works, it’s having cohorts with creativity and dynamism at their very core. To share strains and successes, to brainstorm positives from negatives and to fix problems you previously felt unfixable. I’ve seen people with businesses of 20 years’ vintage and more come to these meetings, air a grievance about the direction of the organisation, and within half an hour have a stratagem for revolutionising the company’s vision statement and brand values for massive medium-term success.

Talking about virtual boards, I picked up some wise advice from Napoleon Hill. He’s not a close friend of mine, having been dead for a lot of years, but what he suggested was that you think up all the people that have inspired you as the person you are today. For whatever reason.

You sit them round a virtual table in your head, and whenever you have a tough leadership decision to make, you revert to that virtual boardroom. Start the meeting then bounce some ideas around the table.

This. Seriously. Works.

I have that Virgin chap Dickie Branson at the helm, with Napoleon Hill and Dale Carnegie sat starboard and port. Moving closer to me opposite Dickie are Von Glitchen, some creator type who’s always on Freelance Radio and I have a lot of time for. Then Seth Godin, the best marketer in the world apparently. And coming up the rear with a vague contribution towards sexual equilibrium, is Chrissie Hynde. I goddamn love her music, and she would certainly make the guys weep with her musical abilities.

There’d be some girl in a pencil skirt and a grey cashmere sweater tasked with bringing in the tea and biscuits too, but that’s for another day.

Model your table and make it sing. I guarantee you’ll find it worth questioning your sanity.

May success be your everlasting song.

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by on September 25, 2009 Leave a Comment

Create an incredible podcast

[mp3]http://wordandmouth.com/audio/whypodcast_250909.mp3[/mp3]

Personality. Droning is an attention killer. Right now for research purposes only I’m listening to a podcast that is purportedly designed to give you tips on public speaking. The podcaster has one tone – a dull one. I’m questioning the interest level of the broadcaster, so why should I bother listening to the content. Behind the dullness may be the most intriguing and provoking ideas in the world. But who’s going to bide their time waiting for the nuggets to pull them in? And more importantly, why am I still awake when by rights this podcast should have sent me to sleep?

Relevance. Know your audience and address their needs with reference to your company and its offerings. If you’re a tech company check the most popular diggs, vet techcrunch and mashable for the topics that are jarring and inspiring your kin. If you’re in marketing, suss out what the big agencies are working on. Find out who’s won the latest awards, and check out their work. Then talk about them.

Have a co-broadcaster. It’s far easier to engage your audience if it feels like they’re part of a talking shop rather than simply being addressed. I like it hard which is why I don’t. But you should, if you have a hot topic on your hands. Plus with two or more heads you get a more balanced opinion so your listeners are far more likely to relate to the subject matter.

Respond to your listeners. As your podcast grows in popularity you’ll get emails asking you to cover certain topics or questioning your line on a particular subject. Address them. Not only is it great PR to mention that so and so called in/wrote to ask about x, y or z – it’s also an essential way of making and breaking news yourselves. And since the chances are your podcast is relatively niche, you might even get some new product line ideas from your audience. Make it as easy as possible for them to contact you. Mention it on your website, in the show notes and of course, in the podcast itself while the moment is warm.

Set an agenda and stick to it. Give yourself an agenda as you would for a meeting. Expect to digress now and again – that’s human nature. But do stick to the subjects on the script and keep things on track.

Know your limits. It’s ok to have a short podcast, but not so great if you bust your listeners’ eardrums with an hour of chat. Rein it in. The runtime of an episode of ‘Neighbours’ is generally enough for any audience. Don’t forget they’ll be listening to it on their commute or in the kitchen/study. Half an hour is generally more than enough time to cover the topics of the day and pitch (subtly) any new products or services you’re working on. Don’t stretch your listeners’ capabilities. Podcasting is all about adding value, remember?

Develop a brand. Once you get into the swing of podcasting you’ll naturally gravitate towards a certain style. Try also to slot different segments into the ‘cast, punctuated by musical moments to break up the different sections. It’s important your podcast has its own personality. Don’t suppress it. You’ll soon find out by trial, error and audience feedback how well it’s being received. Adjust your tone and format accordingly. Keep an eye on iTunes to see how it’s being perceived by its wider audience (although don’t pay too much attention to the star ratings, since studies show most people are skewed towards the 5s and 1s with very few able to differentiate between 2s, 3s and 4s; I long for the day when Apple intoduces a thumbs up/down ratings system…) and stay close and loyal to the opinions of your most prolific customers.

Supplement with web content. Always, always, always produce show notes. They’re a mental recap of what’s gone on. They give your listeners additional information. A why, where, how, what and when relating to the podcast’s content. With links to even more information on the net or across other marketing channels. It’s so important to keep the conversation going after the podcast has finished. Don’t deny yourself the chance to convert that listener into a customer – or if they’re already one, to upgrade them to a bigger, better product. And when you get feedback, feel free to revert to the podcast theme through clever use of business blogging.

Did we mention we do business blogging, too?

Hey: after all that, now’s the time for me to put my money where my mouth is.

I promised you some awesome podcasts. Note: you’ll need iTunes to see, and subscribe to, these ‘casts. But it’s absolutely worth it. So, my favourite five:

  • Get-It-Done Guy’s Quick and Dirty Tips to Work Less and Do More – simple ways to make things happen. As far as podcasts go this sets a benchmark: it’s usable, personable and definitely a brand builder. Steven Robbins is a clever guy with a great voice. Five stars.
  • Marketing Over Coffee – commentary on current trends in marketing and communications, mostly focused on tech. But inspired nonetheless, for any listener. Four stars.
  • Peter Day’s World of Business – a catch-all for commercial stories that might not necessarily get airtime elsewhere. Peter is lucid and enlightening. Four stars.
  • Six Pixels Of Separation – this is a true work of genius. Your host Mitch Joel gets some great guests on board to discuss marcomms: an essential strategy if you’re going to keep your podcast fresh and lively to capture your listeners’ attention. Four-and-a-half stars.
  • Freelance Radio – one of my all-time favourite podcasts. The team covers a smorgasbord of topics relating to today’s contractor in a fun and no-holds-barred style. Five stars.
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by on September 24, 2009 Leave a Comment

Schmooze your staff for success

[mp3]http://wordandmouth.com/audio/lovestaff_240909.mp3[/mp3]

Sometimes when business gets on top of you – your business is running you, rather than the other way around – you lose focus on the important stuff while obsessing over the minutiae. It happens to us all. Some people call it stress, I call it overworked.

The most important part of business is doing business. Not fussing, but just doing what you do best – building relationships, and capitalising on all the time and effort it takes to make them happen.

If you are busy, and let’s face it that’s no bad thing in this rainy economic climate, you may overlook crucial relationships that need developing, expanding or simply nurturing to reveal their true worth to you and your business.

So as well as you external customers, you have to really flex your charisma and powers of commercial seduction over your internal customers. Keeping your employees happy is perhaps the most closely guarded secret of most successful companies. For if you and your staff are walking around with a permanent cloud over your heads, your customers will probably notice before you – and vote against the Precipitation Party with their feet.

Don’t let it get to that. Coddle your crew.

Let them be creative. Give them some time every week, even if it’s just an hour, to work on personal projects. Make sure they’re relevant to the business but set their minds free of the rat race. Google, Microsoft and HP are famous for allocating time to employees’ schedules for them to embark on ambitious opportunities that ultimately a. put smiles on faces, b. increase overall productivity, and c. often drives product and service development. Legion are the examples of business success generated from focused creative energy.

Value every comment. From my own experience and that of my colleagues when working for American businesses, it becomes tiring to contribute at meetings or in front of the boss when you’re heckled or jockeyed. I consider this behaviour on the part of the manager and meeting host both the epitome of arrogance and incompetence. In the Utopian company in my head – which, if you’d like to know, is a paragon of virtue, efficiency and staffed largely by waitresses from Hooters – everyone gets a fair roll of the dice. No idea is discounted at face value. Every contribution is merited and staff get benefits for mooting innovative ways to streamline and improve the business. And thus everyone is happy since they feel empowered and an invaluable part of a community of friends working for a common and respected goal.

Let them eat cake. How much does it cost in real terms to provide free fruit and water? Maybe even chocolate bars on Fridays? The comped snacks idea is perhaps a metaphor for a caring attitude. Whatever you contribute is a drop in the ocean compared to what you get back. Consider it karma. Devote time and effort to your staff and they will repay you in productivity, smiles and customer service.

Do as I do. The very best business managers and owners don’t just talk the talk – they’re out on the shop floor every day doing the jobs of their employees. A very famous chap whose name eludes me set up a series of oil refineries. At the launch of every one, he’d go round and work next to a staffer in every area of the business. He would gain trust, loyalty and empathy from everyone he worked with. And thus the coveted relationships he sought to make the business successful were set in stone. To make sure things were ticking over nicely throughout the life of the refineries he’d return time and again to applaud, graft and respect. Which leads us on to

R E S P E C T. The most important thing of all. Why it’s down here and not up there eludes my sanity. Maybe because it’s the most straightforward and logical element of being a proprietor. To care. To listen. To indulge, on occasion. To be a friend, mentor and muse. To on occasion entertain. Treat your employees like good friends. Good friends will do anything for you – that’s the name of the business game.

Finally: Lead, don’t manage. You know the direction you want to take the business. Your associates will be looking to you for that vision. To be guided. And to be a leader means empowering your staff to do their best to take you there. You have to be a communicator, a teacher and a voyager. To communicate the news, the way ahead. To teach staff how to become leaders themselves; leaders of their own destiny as well as leaders of companies in the future; and a voyager to chart the path of success through uncertain environments and challenging climates. Hell, you’re already in one. Smiling? You’re halfway there.

Don’t forget that effective communication is equally important when dealing with suppliers, too. Give them the same treatment as you would your friends and staff, and you’ve got all your bases covered.

Now lead!

Useful resources:
How to motivate your staff
Leading staff the Business Link way
How to empower staff by delegating

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by on September 23, 2009 Leave a Comment

How to communicate effectively

[mp3]http://wordandmouth.com/audio/talksell_230909.mp3[/mp3]

Every time you open your mouth, you’re selling a service.

You live, you sell.

Someone with sense on his or her side said to me a while ago that it doesn’t matter whether you’re the interviewer or the interviewee, you’re on a sales pitch.

Makes sense really. You’re either selling your company or selling yourself.

And so it applies to every moment you’re doing business.

To make the most of every second you have to be able to read your audience or opposite number. It’s mission critical. Because if you don’t empathise and identify, you’re missing an opportunity to sell or cross-market.

On my top 10 books of all time is a fantastic read called How To Win Friends and Influence People. It’s an absolute bestseller, as it deserves to be. And has been, for 90 years. The fundamentals are the same today as they were when Dale Carnegie was inspired to write it in 1912.

Aware there was no training for folk to develop their relationship-building abilities, he established his own. And from short lectures grew this affable behemoth that is in my mind the definitive guide to treating people right. Tales abound of the angry proprietor whose staff despise him; after reading the book and applying its sound principles, he can call them his friends. The demonstrable change in how you perceive people when they understand their personal impact and how to benefit others with it, is acute.

So if you can combine the pursuits of smart discourse with empathy, you have a winning hand.

Imagine if you could maximise your personal impact and sell convincingly to hundreds if not thousands of prospects at a time?

That’s the power of podcasting.

A professional writer and broadcaster can:

1. Get up close and personal. A podcast delivers a sales message wrapped up in an intriguing and fun show. There’s a reason why radio endures to this day: it’s entertaining. Time’s right for you to have your own company DJ to enrich and excite your customers with sales and marketing in mind.

2. Make your messages multi-functional. Podcasts can tie all manner of different marketing and communications pieces together. They’ll amplify your brand. They’ll emphasise your successes, your progress. You can shout about your clients successes. Use interviews to add gravitas. The only limit, as they say, is your imagination (and how far your microphone can stretch).

3. Excite your customers. How hard is it to delight a customer on a Monday morning? You can only offer to wash so many dishes, walk so many dogs, cook so many breakfasts. But if you can be there on their MP3 player they take on the train or in the car every week, you’ll score ahead of the competition. Research shows that those messages that are received at the start of the working week, last beyond the end and carry monumental benefits to the broadcasting source as a result.

4. Overdeliver. There’s still a nationful of people who don’t expect you to go the extra mile and give them added value through a radio show. Yet in reality you’re lightening their lives with some fairly direct sales messages. If you can’t see the win-win in this situation, you’re in the wrong business.

5. Surprise. Sanctify the relationship with some elegant and community-focused discourse. Making the conversation personal is the way to winning business. Podcasts are your personal podium. With them you can reach out and tend to the needs of your customers with feedback based on their enquiries. Chances are many of your clients will have the same issues. And once your customers realise you’re going out of your way to help and abet, you’ve got a loyal brand advocate who will go out of their way for you.

Once your podcast is out inspiring and delighting your clients, with sophisticated tools available, ridiculously, free – you can…

6. Track and measure the outcome. Simple-to-integrate plugins can help you analyse the impact of your company’s voice on the netwaves. Whatever your goal, wherever you are.

So why waste the opportunity?

Put your thoughts down on paper. Buy a voice recorder. Hire a servant to deliver the gospel in an entertaining and direct fashion, with clarity, conviction and care.

Whatever your method or raison d’etre, you can be sure that by following this strategy, you can achieve results beyond your wildest expectations.

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by on September 22, 2009 Leave a Comment

Press release me, let me go…

[mp3]http://wordandmouth.com/audio/press_release_220909.mp3[/mp3]

I’m flummoxed. I’m in a state of flummox because it’s better than being accursed by bamboozlement. I’ve spent a couple of hours reading befuddling press releases this morning. I say befuddling because it’s up there in my all-time favourite words list that includes mushroom, pelmet, beer and cheese.

I still cannot fathom why companies – of all sizes – insist on meting paragraph pain on their constituents via the news release. Put simply, the reward (in the loosest sense) is simply not worth the effort.

If I was a news release I’d be considering a riot, or at the very least a conservative protest against the abusers of my kin.

I’m a journalist so maybe you could say I have an insight into the usage of sound editorial and communications practices, but one thing I’m not is intellectual.

So based on the notion I’m an average Joe, why do my Joe cousins insist on creating absolute garbage about their products and services and inflicting misery by touting it as a press release?

I guarantee you this: there’s only one word from the phrase ‘press release’ that applies to your efforts if you mindlessly output sentences of jargon and gobbledegook. You won’t be getting any free publicity, simply a ‘release’ for the junk in your head.

I’d run with the Pareto principle here: at least 80% of press releases today represent churn – churn of characters, churn of customers.

So what are you to do to stand out from your press release-bothering brethren?

I’ll revert to my philosophy that to be successful you need clarity, conviction and care – and new for today’s patronising lesson in life, to be concise.

  1. Be absolutely clear – in your own, non-bullshitty tongue – about the message you’re trying to convey. Don’t beat in or around the bush. Go down the route of the ‘what, why, when, where and how’ principle of news reporting and you won’t go far wrong. As a test, write your release as you hope it would be reproduced on the newspaper’s or website’s pages. How much different is your core press release from the perceived reality? Don’t make your journalist friend sweat over the transformation – they have donuts to buy.
  2. Write with conviction mindful of your target news source. If you’re penning a release for The Observer, you want to use lexicon that fits the page. If you’ve just manufactured a brand new bra that will revolutionise the world of ladies lingerie, don’t use the word ‘bazookas’ if you’re angling at a slot in the broadsheets. The Sun, on the other hand…
  3. Get the name of your chosen recipient. No point sending an email to news@blahblah.com – it’s got a direct line into the spam filter. People do business with people: those who you connect with will value the effort you made to liaise directly. Care for them and they will care for you back.

Of course you could always go straight to the top of the milk bottle and talk with Word And Mouth who can advise you on individual and regular marketing and communications campaigns.

Incidentally did you know you can listen to an accompanying mini podcast to each post at Word And Mouth? There’s a little audio player at the top. Suck it and see! And thanks to music.mevio.com as always for providing the class notes at the start and end of each micro-podcast. You guys rule!

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by on September 21, 2009 Leave a Comment

Ten free and fantastic ways to better your business

[mp3]http://wordandmouth.com/audio/free_210909.mp3[/mp3]

Are you harnessing ‘free’? Focused on cost efficiencies, maybe even saving thousands of pounds annually by using complimentary products on the ‘net?

If you’re not, you’re definitely missing a trick. There are so many ways to reach out for new market opportunities with pennies or even just your time. Social media, anyone? And what about all the free software out there to help you control your business better?

  1. SugarCRM provides a free contact management platform with its open source Community Edition. Listen to episode 1 of customergency chat (a podcast from our sister site customergency.com) to find out how Customer Relationship Management could totally transform your business.
  2. Google Docs have all your spreadsheet, word processing, task and note-taking needs sorted.
  3. Socialtext can throw you a microblogging tool for your business of 50 employees or less – gratis!
  4. Twitter can take your business global in 140 characters or less.
  5. LinkedIn will help you network online – with millions of other SMEs across the world.
  6. stock.xchng is packed to the rafters with free images to use on your website.
  7. MusicAlley is great for free music to colour up your broadcasting and podcast shows.
  8. Open Office is a smashing alternative to Google Docs if you want to keep all your data local.
  9. Force.com free edition is a host platform where you can develop applications tailored to your business needs with free support and tutorials.
  10. And SourceForge.net is where you’ll find just about everything else!

All this talk of free stuff whet your appetite? Listen to Chris Anderson’s book Free: The Future of a Radical Price. It might just be the most useful and inspirational book you read this year, covering all manner of exciting opportunities to showcase and expand your business for zero down.

And it’s free!

Got any other free tools to suggest to fellow SMEs? Let us know!

For advice on maximising the effectiveness of any of these fantastic tools and services, drop me a line.

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by on September 20, 2009 Leave a Comment

5 ways to revolutionise your business

[mp3]http://wordandmouth.com/audio/rev_biz_200909.mp3[/mp3]

I realised today I’m a complete addict to SME success. It made me sweat with excitement. I genuinely felt incredible joy at being a marketing geek, but being happy in my skin and proud to be able to work with some of you incredible people.

There’s only one thing better than personal achievement, and that’s seeing your business blossom. Because in many ways your business is your baby, and absolutely a reflection of you and your capabilities. So irrespective of whether you didn’t jump out of a plane today for charity, if your business is on the up – or even if it’s doing as well as last year – give yourself a hearty pat on the back and be safe in the knowledge that you are amazing because of it.

Manage brand, reputation and trust to generate customer delight

One thing you gotta realise as a business owner is that the only way you can guarantee success on professional terms is by thinking marketing, brand and reputation 24/7.

Many of you will know I run a site called customergency.com which looks at the very latest thinking on customer service and satisfaction. And the one thing I learned from working on this proposition is that without satisfaction, there’s no loyalty. Without loyalty, you enjoy very little word of mouth marketing or referrals. In this day and age, you don’t get closer to a golden egg than word of mouth marketing because it’s free, and more valuable than any campaign crashing through your door into the big wide world.

This is exactly why you need to keep your finger on the marketing pulse at all the time.

Marketing can be a scary word. We think of marketing vehicles as those nasty thunder trucks employed and abused by titans of industry to run roughshod over the innocent consumer. To baffle and trick, to make people think they need the product when it’s just a nasty basket of bile.

But marketing at grass roots level can be sweeter than honey. And I admit, some big companies use it just as well. Take Innocent, the drinks manufacturer, which used to run large-scale village fetes to espouse its philosophy of giving back to the people who buy its products. I like that.

So how do you think marketing to protect and boost your reputation, and to take your brand recognition to the next level:

  1. Care. We’re talking fundamentals here. The small things. Go out of your way to help your existing customers. Give them a sample. Give them a call. Above all, talk to them. And don’t forget that when it comes to brand advocacy (the whole loyalty/word of mouth thing) it’s not just your most frequent customers that give you their trust. It can be Mr and Mrs Average Buyer who don’t need you so frequently but nonetheless think the sun shines out of your arse.
  2. Look and listen. One for both your internal customers (staff) and external clients. Next time you meet a customer on the street, or talk to one of your employees, notice their reactions. Are they bold and warm, or shruggish and standoffish? Find a common theme and expand on it. How’s your football team doing? Have you seen that great new lasagne recipe? Loosen them up if they’re cold, or expand on the dialogue if they’re friendly. As a little test, ask them what they think of your new product range, or your service. Combine everything here and you’ll get some really valuable insight into how your business is doing. Then you’ll realise the importance of body language as a litmus test of your business reputation and effectiveness. And don’t forget your clients are also your suppliers. They are savvy; they know your industry inside out and can point out where your strengths and weaknesses are off the bat.
  3. Encourage feedback. At all stages of your relationship with the customer, find out what they think. At every touchpoint. Whether you’re using a web survey (if so, make sure the results don’t get cobwebbed at the back of some cupboard; use them to produce action!), or a chat at the counter, or even a visit to their premises. Make sure whatever you’re doing, you’re doing it as a direct result of what your customers and contacts are telling you. Unless it’s a decision on the direction of your business. As a leader and a believer in the instinct/research balance, only you know the right way to move.
  4. Smarten up and get wise. Make decisions based on a variety of causes – from gut feel to employee feedback to customer opinion to market flow. Everything will influence you as you think about your brand and reputation. Whatever marketing decisions you make, they need to be from the heart and head. But you can take baby steps towards the decisions by looking closely at how you do business, and refining your strategy.
    • Are your marketing materials sharp and to the point?
    • Do you make it easy for customers to buy from you?
    • Are you ‘out there’ enough? As a person and as a brand?
    • What are your competitors doing that you aren’t?
  5. Question your motives. Are you doing this for personal gain alone, or to give something back to the community? Corporate altruism is something that many an organisation favours in this day and age. Sponsor a football team. Give your staff a couple of days off a year to involve themselves in charity projects. Do a project every year for a good cause. Karma rides on the back of benevolence. You’ll be surprised how word gets around once you dig in. The smile from within at being part of the greater good will manifest itself on your face, and your customers will feel it and know about it. The edge over your competitors is guaranteed. And positive PR and publicity will follow.
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by on September 18, 2009 2 Comments

Can you make an impact in two seconds?

[mp3]http://wordandmouth.com/audio/span_180909.mp3[/mp3]

Well folks, if we are to believe the hype/surveys (judge for yourself which of the words separated by a slash are the most plausible) then web users are becoming even less focused on the job in hand.

Broadband and loud babies have evidently been working in cahoots, for the tolerance point for surfers waiting for web pages to load is down to just two seconds.

Two seconds. That’s not even enough time for Usain Bolt to run across America. I can’t even drink a pint that fast. But long enough for this little guy to get bored…

Two seconds to load your site - what you gonna do?

Let’s forget for a moment the whys that have driven us to be such fickle and ignorant consumers. Let’s instead focus on what we can do to meet our customer’s expectations.

Stop trying to be clever. Ask anyone who has met me and you’ll know I’m the world’s biggest hater of Flash. I don’t have an argument against it; I don’t need one.

I met an optician the other day and he said Flash is great when you want to showcase a catalogue of products. I disagree. Javascript works just as well (but may need a click rather than a twitch of the mouse) and the code required is minute.

I use this example purely to demonstrate that Flash, even among its supporters, is barely even being used for its raison d’etre - dynamic and interactive animation – any more.

Flash started bugging me when its biggest supporters started using it on those intro screens. I Clicked to Skip. Every time.

Flash labours load times. Get rid of it unless you’re a farty creative type who needs to showcase his Flash skills. In which case drum your fingers waiting for the phone to ring because any rational soul will be looking to romance the customer with meaningful content.

That’s where we’re at right now. Meaningful content. It’s the stuff that gets you up the search rankings. Gets you noticed.

I delivered a speech today about Word And Mouth. About the fact we produce creative communications that build profitable relationships for SMEs. We do. And included in the work is producing the kind of content that’d make your hard-nosed sister weep tears of joy or pain, depending on your objective.

We’ll reinforce the content with a follow-up business blog to keep the emotions flowing. And we can bring down the house with some podcast radio featuring mouths and sounds of your choice.

If you don’t truly understand the validity of a simple, clean and uncluttered webspace for your business, take a look at the outpourings of one Jakob Nielsen. Quite aside from the ramifications of his tongue-twisting name I swear we could be separated at birth.

Just check him out. It’ll make you think. And once you’ve had a nice think, get down the pub. It’s Friday.

Enjoy your weekend!

Attention span survey

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