First impressions count

If like me you are the face of the business then make sure your business has a good face. That sounds like an egotistical comment doesn’t it but, what I really mean by that is, decide how you want to be seen by your prospective clients and customers.

If for example you want to be seen as professional and smart then wearing a suit would be the obvious way to go. Or if your business were selling surfboards then perhaps the more relaxed look would work better. How you dress will reflect on your business.

It’s not just about how you dress yourself for business but also how your marketing looks. Clean lines, nicely crafted fonts and strong solid colours can give the feeling of strength and trust as appose to messy graphics, thick heavy fonts and colours such as bright pink which will give a completely different look and feel for the business.

Remember that your marketing will be seen without you there to back it up so make sure all your marketing collateral such as leaflets, business cards and even your website gives the right impression to your prospective clients and customers.

You never get a second chance at a first impression.

Be different – stand out

I started my business and marketing consultancy some 4 years ago now having spent the previous 19 years working with some of the world’s biggest brands. There were lots of marketing consultants out there and still are so I wanted to create a recognisable brand and be known as someone who knows his craft.

So I decided to wear some black edged glasses, pin stripe suit, white shirt and white handkerchief in the top pocket. This has helped me form my own brand. You’ll see my image across all of my marketing. From my business card to my website and my online TV channel. So when I now go to conferences and networking meetings people recognise me instantly, which helps me expose my business even further.

And in order to help me be seen as someone who knows his craft I decided earlier this year to create SimonJordan.tv which is an online TV channel where I have a marketing hints and tips video going out every other week to an ever increasing audience. On pretty much every video I’m wearing my trademark suit, glasses and handkerchief in the top pocket. It’s little things like that that help get you noticed and keep the brand consistant.

My aim has always been to help as many small business owners as possible and if it means I always have to wear my suit and trademark glasses to increase the business exposer then that’s what I’ll keep doing.

From tiny East Sussex village to global recognition in just 7 months

Using video is the new next best thing in my book. We live in a world where people are always busy and don’t have the time to read long emails or plough their way through a lengthy leaflet. If you want to connect with your audience and engage with them then grab a video recorder and start practising. Video is the medium that can really help you get your message across to a wider audience, and again if you want to create a strong brand then make sure you look the part when in front of the lens.

YouTube is the king when it comes to online video and it’s very simple to set up your own YouTube channel, plus it’s totally free.

With video people can see who you are, they can see your energy and hear your enthusiasm and passion for the business far more than they would on a standard website or other marketing item.

So if I can take my business from a small country village in East Sussex to now working with clients and being asked to speak at events across the globe all in just 7 months you can too.

In short…

think how you want to be seen.

Think how you want to stand out.

Look at how you can engage with your target audience and finally the most important part, you have to take action.

If you read this and do nothing about it then in 3 years time you’re sitting there in the same place thinking the same things you’ll know why. Knowledge is nothing without action.

So go forth, develop your brand, engage with your audience and be seen the best way you can and most of all enjoy.

For more marketing advice please visit simonjordan.tv

Or contact me about my Marketing Mentoring for Success Package

At info@simonjordanmarketing.com

To your onward success

Simon Jordan

Marketing Consultant and Public speaker

SimonJordan.TV

The problem is, that it is also the most common question a competitor is asked which causes a huge vicious circle.

To explain…

Paper is notoriously expensive at the moment, mainly due to the fact that companies have been loss leading on paper products for years – with retailers always trying to source cheaper & cheaper – which has now caused my industry an almighty headache because it’s come back to bite them with huge increases because it was not sustainable!

Paper has always been sold below cost by our competition as a ‘grabber’ or an ‘in’ to a new client who is then fooled into thinking that every other product will be equally as low.  Superb marketing but a terrible Purchasing decision.

For example…

• Joe Bloggs uses 100 reams of paper a year at £2.00 ream.
• John Doe Office Supplies (I hope this isn’t a real company! ) offers it at £1.50 ream.
• Therefore saving £50.00 per year.
• Result! Um….no…..because Joe Bloggs then buys 2 packs of laminating pouches at the catalogue price of £40.00 per pack.
• John Doe Office Supplies buy this at £10.00 therefore making £30.00 profit per pack.
• That’s Joe Blogg’s annual paper saving gone (and then some!) and they are left to pay full prices on all other products for the rest of the year, meaning they are massively overspending – but thinking they have a great deal!

The moral of my little tale is this – always think ‘bigger picture’ or the ‘shopping trolley’ mentality.  By all means review what you pay but consider these points;

• Check your invoices to ensure what you think you pay is what you actually pay!
• Get a quote for all regularly used items
• Find out what discounts you get ‘off list’
• Get to know your supplier – increase communication & grow a working relationship
• Be fair – accept that not every single item necessarily will be the lowest price
• Never jeopardise quality, service or standards for price – it’s just not worth it
• Any savings made by calling 3 suppliers every time is wasted in time, cost & credibility

Having become self employed, setting up my own accountancy firm, I decided to attend a 4 Networking event in order to promote my business. As soon as I walked in to the event, I took a huge sigh of relief, there were very few ‘suits’ and the women were proud to be women and were not trying to compete against the men. I knew 4N wasn’t like other networking groups, but having been a corporate robot in a highly stressful position, it really was a huge relief to be amongst people that didn’t talk about ‘firing from the hip’ or ‘singing from the same hymn sheet’.

From that very first meeting, I realised I could completely be myself and that was acceptable – no, actually more than that – uniqueness and personality were encouraged! I know I don’t fit the stereotypical accountancy image, but I realised this was actually a REALLY good thing, in fact it was my USP.

Since that day I have thrived on the fact that I can be myself completely within my own business and in doing so, I have attracted and retained a brilliant client base. Furthermore, I have become an Area Leader for 4N launching 3 brand new groups in South Wales, this has allowed me to demonstrate capability whilst also maintaining personality.

I have learned that successful people do not have to conform, that success is all about finding something which allows you to completely be yourself and therefore makes you happy.

Lianne Dupre

D2 Accounting & Area Leader for 4Networking

www.d2-accounting.co.uk

@LianneD2

The Question Of Variety

It is easy to think that your local, seemingly small independent stationery and office supplies company will never be able to match the number of different items stocked by the likes of Viking Direct or Staples.  However don’t be fooled!  Here at KN office supplies with have a vast catalogue that in many cases provides more choice and value than even the “big boys” could dream of.  Furthermore, need something obscure or a little out of the ordinary?  Try asking your not so local “Viking Direct” to source this for you!  Well they may be able to get it, but at what price?  On the other hand ask us and we will invariably not only find the item but also provide it at a realistic cost without charging you a premium for the privilege.

Flexibility

Here at KN Office Supplies we pride ourselves on flexibility.  Where else can you get same day delivery to most Bristol (BS) postcodes and nationwide next day delivery across pretty much our whole product range.  Furthermore if you have special delivery requirements we can happily work with these saving you the hassle of having to find the time to collect missed deliveries!
We believe that this level of flexibility in our delivery process really does give the small business or large business complete control of their stationery supply chain.  Furthermore if you have special delivery requirements we can happily work with these saving you the hassle of having to find the time to collect missed deliveries!

Personality

Like to know who the hell you are buying from?  Don’t want to deal with some faceless corporate that does not have a clue what your business is?  Great so do we, which is why we take the time to get to know our clients and fully understand their business.  90% of our staff have been with our company for over 7 years which means we know our customers very well.  If you have a problem you will not end up speaking to a call centre, with someone who doesn’t know you from Adam or Eve.  I strongly believe in the Meet Like Know Trust ethos which is why we take the time to go out and meet our clients after all we all like to know who we are spending our hard earned with!

Wrapping Up

I supply businesses of all sizes, from all industries and with a massive range of products & services.

Most of my time promoting KN is spent either convincing the large companies that as an independent we can beat the ‘big boys’ or on the flip side, ensuring the small businesses and even one-man-bands that we are happy to supply them, we want to supply them – because that is how my network grows, by not looking at people with ‘£’s over their heads and doing a bloody good job! Because then…guess what…we get recommended and promoted….MONSTER!

Never underestimate the true value of fantastic, independent service….with cost savings too!

No, I have not gone stark raving mad, well maybe a little!

What started as an innocent tweet has resulted in a full on contest for me to try and snag the monster.co.uk domain name, in return for 160,000,000 4 finger Kit-Kats!!!

Below is the tweet history of how this all came about

So please help me by pledging your 4 finger kit-kats so that I can hopefully be the proud owner of monster.co.uk

Clearly this is a bit of an outrageous task to accomplish, but it does show how some of the “bigger” companies are interacting on twitter.  Well done to Monster for entering into the banter and having a bit of a laugh together.

If however you do want to donate some Kit-Kats then please drop me a message using the contact form

It’s easy, with the impressive corporate marketing machine and ever present “Special Offers” to get sucked in and never consider that the independent stationery retailers can match or even beat the deals that the larger corporates can offer. Well the good news is, we can. In this post I will aim to show you how independents can deliver the power of a corporate retailer yet still offer a personal service that you would expect from a local independent.

The Question Of Cost

Lets start by getting the question of cost and pricing out of the way. Bombarded with emails, flyer’s and brochures lately? All offering the absolutely best ever price on a ream of paper? I think pretty much every business have received these messages. They make it all look so easy, just pop along to their website, place the order and within a couple of days the “Unbelievably” priced paper gets delivered. You may think at the time that there is no way that an independent can get anywhere close to matching these deals, in fact you probably never even considered using an independent. The reality is, independents can often match if not better the promo prices that are often offered to business owners by the corporates. Many corporates often employ sliding scale methods that start of very cheap and then get progressively more expensive as time passes, not that you would notice as they are very subtle about it!

Many independents have access to the same range of suppliers as the corporates and can offer the same discounts/deals. The trick here is to simply ring your supplier up and ask for the best deal on that given product. I think you will be surprised at the savings you can make over the corporates

The Question Of Service

On a weekly basis I hear so many horror stories about the poor service delivered by the major suppliers. Call centre hell, incorrect deliveries and broken or damaged products to name but a few. Now I am not suggesting for one minute that the independent retailers are exempt from these problems, we are not, it happens. It’s more a question of how quickly these situations get resolved. In my case, my customers have direct contact with me through either Twitter (follow me!), email and phone. They get straight to me without having to wade through the endless phone options and then talking to someone who doesn’t really know anything about you. I make a point of getting to know my customers and their business. If we make a mistake I fix it, quickly and without fuss. This is where the personality of an independent really comes into play.

I have just realised that I was hoping to do this post in one hit, however I have rattled on for far to long. So stay tuned for part two of this post where I shall go through; well you have to check back to find out!

I am also Area Leader for 4Networking, the UK’s fastest growing business network & use my passport to maximum effect!

I live in South Gloucestershire, a stone’s throw from Bristol & Bath – am married, have 2 Guinea Pigs, 1 Cat & a mortgage!

I also belong to 2 local business organisations – the Bradley Stoke Small Business Forum & the Sodbury & Yate Business Association – check out the networking tab for full details + I am a member of Business Against Poverty. I am an eternally optimistic Bristol Rovers supporter (is there any other way to be!), huge fan of Terry Pratchett’s books & I love music – of all types!

This whole online/blog/geeky stuff is all new to me – so please, I welcome any feedback you can throw my way! What’s that coming over the hill….? MONSTER!