Jack of all trades? One Job Well?

by Simon on July 21, 2010

Eggs in a box

Funny old eggs

Focus on what you don’t do as much as what you do offer. This way your message is clear and your services are well defined. We see so many businesses trying to get another bite of the cherry by diversifying their market, buying into unrelated products. Customers are funny old things and easily confused. If the message doesn’t click, they won’t buy (anything) from you.

If you keep chickens and sell eggs then surely your customers will want to buy egg cups??? What do you think? Ask yourself who is my customer? What do my customers want? Better still – go ask your customers.

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The importance of Why?

by Simon on February 15, 2010

Spent any time with a small child recently? Got tired of them asking “why, but why, why, why” to just about anything you ask them to do. Or have you noticed how much more likely they are to listen if you give them a simple explanation?

Guess what, we never grow out of this, we just learn not to ask all the time.

Consider these two signs -

Slow Sign

Slow Sign 2

Which is more effective? The simple addition of a reason to act increases the impact of the request.

This has an effect on a lot of what we do when interacting with our customers.

Give them the why.

  • Buy now – because the offer ends next week
  • Out of stock – due to huge demand
  • Don’t cross this line – because you might fall under the train
  • Fill in this form – so we can send you offers

Every time you ask a prospect or customer to do something give them a simple reason why it will benefit them – even if it seems obvious. Why? Because it will uplift your sales and improve your customer’s experience a little bit.

Photo credit: Banalities

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I wouldn’t normally shake hands with everyone in the doctor’s surgery…

February 9, 2010

…not to be unfriendly but it doesn’t seem like a great idea.
So is the new self-service check in system a touch screen too far? On the plus side it saves a bit of time, a good thing I’m sure you’d agree, I’m all for improved customer service.
Oh well, I’m sure the bugs are loving it…
Hopefully [...]

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What’s the point of your blog?

January 21, 2010

Keeping your blog relevant is not an easy thing to do. The commitment to blogging while trying to do the other million and one job’s you have to do should not be underestimated. Who’s even looking anyway? Well I’m no TV presenter or camera operator however I think it’s important to show your face every [...]

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Interactive is the new TV.

November 6, 2009

Have a look at this film production specifically for internet not TV put on the internet.
Some interesting comments on how online video is changing and developing.
So far we have not done a lot more than put TV on the internet, but some innovators are starting to take advantage of all the possibilities offered by the [...]

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Get your message accross – try keeping more of it to yourself!

September 24, 2009

Usually when we are excited about a new project we have lots to say about it. We are enthusiastic and want to tell you all about the marvellous things on offer – this is great. We need to love and believe in our product in order to sell it.
Trouble is our audience insn’t in love [...]

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Applying for a new job?

August 21, 2009

How to avoid blending in to a cloud of CV’s
Today I helped a close friend apply for a job. Both of us are in management roles and have seen many job applications and CV’s before.
Sometimes you get the most fantastic person in the world. On paper it all seems too good to be true so [...]

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Community & Business

August 3, 2009

Business is about all sorts of skills and one of them is understanding others and helping them sort out what’s important to drive their business forward.
Working in a Marketing Consultancy gives me a fantastic opportunity to work with so many different people who have many different objectives. I like encouraging them to take the steps [...]

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Video book review – The Dip by Seth Godin

July 31, 2009

I popped into Borders last week and picked up a copy of The Dip by Seth Godin. It’s a very quick, very motivational read 7/10. Here’s a quick review.

Video Book Review of The Dip from Simon Mason on Vimeo.

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Please release me, let me go…

July 30, 2009

If you’re a phone/broadband/sateliteTV or other subscribtion based service I realise that you don’t want me to leave.
But here’s the thing. Make it easy for me to leave and I might just come back later. Make it hard for me to leave and I won’t. Make it really hard for me to leave and I’ll [...]

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