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	<title>Jacqui Malpass - The Word Alchemist &#187; Marketing</title>
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	<link>http://jacquimalpass.com</link>
	<description>Helping you to find your voice, share your stories and build your brand</description>
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		<title>What&#8217;s in a brand?</title>
		<link>http://jacquimalpass.com/whats-in-a-brand/</link>
		<comments>http://jacquimalpass.com/whats-in-a-brand/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 21 Jan 2013 06:16:38 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Jacqui Malpass</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Personal Branding]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Newport]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://jacquimalpass.com/?p=317</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[www.dictionary.com A trademark or distinctive name identifying a product or a manufacturer. A product line so identified: a popular brand of soap. A distinctive category; a particular kind: a brand of comedy that I do not care for. A mark indicating identity or ownership, burned on the hide of an animal with a hot iron. A mark burned into the flesh of criminals. A mark of disgrace or notoriety; a stigma. See Synonyms at stain. A branding iron. A piece of burning or charred wood. A sword: “So flashed and fell the brand Excalibur” (Tennyson). Marketing is all pervasive and cuts across your whole organisation, it’s about what every part of your business does for its customers (and other stakeholders). Branding is more emotional and is, in the mind of the customer about everything you deliver, from your logo, colour, words, product, service, quality, in a nutshell it is your promise, a promise which is built up over time and one which is not about money, its about value. From the moment you get up in the morning to going to bed at night we are bombarded with brands. Kellogs, Colgate, Imperial Leather, Nike, BMW, Apple, HP, Dell, Microsoft, MacDonalds, Coca Cola, Virgin, Barclays, Santander, Body Shop, Disney, Nescafe, Google, Twitter, Facebook, Disney, Cadburys, Green and Blacks. In fact if you are really interested there is a list of the 2010 top global brands here.   As you read through the list, you will without doubt feel some emotion about what you see, be that good, bad or indifferent. I can remember a Kellogs advert for cornflakes a few years ago, something about how good they tasted, I watched and then convinced I rushed out to buy some.  I was horribly disappointed.  I didn&#8217;t ever like cornflakes unless they were covered in chocolate and presented as sweet little cakes.  Wow how powerful is that. Then of course there is Harry the spiders coming out day, which will definitely age me, Cadburys chocolate fingers, I demand they bring that advert back, it was brilliant and has stayed with me for years.  And despite the fact they are no longer British owned, that beautiful colour and swirly logo is somehow reassuring in a world of chocolate confusion.  With Cadbury&#8217;s you know what you get, it&#8217;s a safe option. Staying with chocolate, and this is fast becoming a mouth watering, lost moment as I plunge myself into the dark, intense flavours of Green and Blacks, it is indeed a whole mind and body sensation.  When I buy chocolate, it&#8217;s usually Green and Blacks (Yes I know they are owned by Cadbury&#8217;s).  I buy more than 1 bar in a range of flavours, my favourites and at least 2 others to sample.  At home they go in the fridge and then when cold, I slowly sneak a few bits at a time.  The cold snap tells me something cold and yet darkly warm is about to cascade through my senses&#8230;.. in it goes and I just&#8230;&#8230; savour.  Simple, smart, strong, smooth.  &#8217;Created without compromise&#8217;.  There is something quite wickedly good about devouring organic chocolate which is ethically produced.  My conscience is safe my waistline might not be. Now just imagine if when someone thought of your brand it evoked equally strong emotions. A thought Why is it important to develop a strong brand? Simple.  You need to get your prospects to see you as the only one that provides a solution to their problem. And of course lets be blunt, its worth hard cash.  You only have to go back to that list of best global brands to see this.  If you want a cold fizzy drink, what do you usually ask for? Your brand needs a personality which evokes good feelings in your customer, which when they think about buying a particular product or service only yours springs to mind. How do you do it? To begin the development of your brands strategy you must have an understanding of these four marketing components: Target market – who are your customers, develop your new business opportunity profile, understand their opinions, wants, and needs, including their feelings, habits, motivations, insecurities, prejudices, and desires?  There are many more questions to ask than that, these will do for starters. Competition, who are they, where are they and what do they do, what sets them apart, why do the customers you want buy from them? Product and service mix.  Another biggie, along with price and value. Your competitive advantage – what makes you different, really different&#8230;. Not claimed by the competition Objective Quantifiable Means something to your customer You need to set clear objectives for your brand.  What do you want people to think and feel about it? A few pointers Be clear about who you think your customers are and acquire intelligence and data on them. Clean up your data, by which I mean, ensure that you have all of their contact names and details right. Walk your order creation processes through, eliminating wasteful activities and refining what you do. Implement a visual quotation management system and include all of the relevant people in a meaningful daily / weekly discussions. Implement a CRM system so that you can track your activities and sort data into meaningful &#8216;lump&#8217;s. Refine your product and service (and pricing) offering to suit your target markets. Refresh your branding if it does not reflect who you are. Sort out all of your collateral &#8211; your sales toolkit so that it is professional, says the right stuff and looks the part Check out the competition, what can you learn?  Could you collaborate? Ask current customers for testimonials and write case studies that reflect your competitive advantage. Pick just 3-5 marketing activities that you can do well, and get on with it. So before you run off to set strategy&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;.. Beyond marketing Without people, be it employees, customers, suppliers, friends, family and strangers none of what you have in your business matters.  Yet, so often when we look at the business we [...]]]></description>
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		<title>Make sure you are getting the most from new PR</title>
		<link>http://jacquimalpass.com/new-pr/</link>
		<comments>http://jacquimalpass.com/new-pr/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 26 Sep 2012 09:55:46 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Jacqui Malpass</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Personal Branding]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[made in midlands awards]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[made in wales awards]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Marks and Malpass]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[new PR]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[PR]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://jacquimalpass.com/?p=2709</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[New PR, a blended approach Blogs, wikis and other ‘social’ and digital media have transformed the way we communicate today. Just think about how most of the marketing communications we now receive from companies and organisations carry a ‘follow me’ badge. On the positive side, these social and digital tools and channels have created a host of additional opportunities for companies to collaborate online, gather and share information and contribute to various topics of conversation. Similarly, companies and organisations have been given the perfect environment to re-evaluate and, most importantly, reinvigorate their overall approach to Public Relations. Dubbed the tools and tactics of ‘new PR’, these offer unparalleled opportunities for communicating, influencing and keeping communities and stakeholders informed of your brand, business or organisation. Whilst there is no denying the power of social and digital media, it is well worth remembering that unless these tools and techniques are used correctly and integrated as part of an overall Communications Strategy to facilitate and foster relationships, these can quickly become a challenge rather than a solution. The goal of new PR – much like traditional PR – is identifying, understanding and communicating with those communities or stakeholders that are affected by or have an effect on you or your organisation. The differentiator of this new approach however lies in engaging communities, customers, etc in conversations directly. Moreover, new PR creates a far more active and respected environment for multi-way communication and conversations with peers and customers, whilst encouraging organisations to let go of some of the control around how messages are received and perceived. The results of effective new PR &#8211; potential customers and stakeholders are able to internalise information quickly; share their interpretations of your key messages directly with you and use their own tools and channels to reach others within your key markets. It is well worth doing it well!]]></description>
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		<title>Customer relationship management (CRM)</title>
		<link>http://jacquimalpass.com/customer-relationship-management-crm/</link>
		<comments>http://jacquimalpass.com/customer-relationship-management-crm/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 03 Feb 2012 08:55:22 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Jacqui Malpass</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Personal Branding]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Newport]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://jacquimalpass.com/?p=309</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[&#160; CRM is the way companies manage their relationships with clients.   CRM is not just about technology. It is a strategy to learn more about customers&#8217; needs and behaviours in order to develop stronger relationships with them. The actual system can be a filing box, Excel, Access or one of many CRM systems (software) specially designed for the job in hand. What can you use a CRM system for? Profiling customers (and prospects) Tracking all contacts with a customer Managing all communications, including letters and proposals Managing sales campaigns and tracking results Managing and scheduling follow-up sales calls Managing problems and complaints Tracking sales targets and commissions Improving customer service Benefits increased sales by understanding trends and needs better identifying needs more effectively by understand customers better you can cross-sell other products more effective and better targeted marketing communications aimed specifically at customer needs enhanced customer satisfaction and retention increased value from your existing customers reduction in costs associated with supporting and servicing customers increase your overall efficiency reduction in total cost of sales Think Big, Start Small It may sound overwhelming to implement a CRM system, my advice is to think big, start small, and then when you have the confidence build quickly. You can start with the goal of creating intelligence around the top 20-30 customers, including data on sales pipelines, marketing, and products. When was the last time you were pleasantly surprised by how well the person on the other end of the phone knew you? They were probably using a CRM system.]]></description>
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		<title>Finding hidden talent with Yellow Pages</title>
		<link>http://jacquimalpass.com/yellow-pages/</link>
		<comments>http://jacquimalpass.com/yellow-pages/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 26 Jan 2012 07:02:51 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Jacqui Malpass</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Personal Branding]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[knowledge management]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://jacquimalpass.com/?p=2938</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[How do you start to look for your hidden organizational talent?  If you don’t take the time to find out about the people in your organization, how will you know what they can do, what they are learning to do, what they are interested in and how this knowledge can help you to achieve your business goals? This is just the question I posed my students this week. One said that in her firm everyone was an expert at everything, another that they would only be interested in job related information and another wanted to know more personal things so that they could find people who had things in common with them. When we ran the Yellow Pages activity, what actually fascinated all of them was the personal stuff. We discovered a singer, several dog owners, walkers, theatre lovers and after lots of laughs and wows, the bond between the group changed dramatically.   Suddenly there was common interest and a way for them to work together better. Then came more challenges ‘what could you do with personal information?’  ‘what about privacy laws?’ ‘what would HR say?’ Naturally, all systems which contain personal information, should fall within the bounds of the law and common sense.  As I am sure Emma Del Torto from Effective HRM would tell us. So lets assume that all of this is in place, that you have gone through your criteria for selecting and implementing such a system, it has a champion and the need for it has been communicated.  (is that a lot of assuming???) Imagine if you wanted to run a mentoring initiative, how would you know how to select and match up the mentor and mentee? Could John in the corner, who was also a Major in the TA’s, had a dog, loved triathlons and the theatre be worth asking And what about Joan running nominal ledger, she’s the chairman of a Scout group and write short storie, would she be a good candidate? Of course some of it will be in your HR system.  Back to the issue of the law, how many people have access to that? Then there’s Outlook, but how well would that work, given the amount and type of data you want to collect and search on? Aside from the systems approach, one company I worked with produced a marketing directory which was distributed around the organization, so that anyone in the 20 satellite offices knew who to call for what. What do you already have that could be expanded and utilized?  Do you have resources to self build or would you farm it out? What is your criteria for selection?  Have you reviewed lots of systems and taken the best ideas of each?  Who has tested your criteria? What would you collect?  What cultural / language issues do you face that means you need to collect and present information in a way that encourages use and gives you reliable information? How would you publish and share it? How would you communicate its value and motivate people to use it? Who would curate it? And if you already have a Yellow Pages, how well is it working?  Is it well utilized?  If not why not?  What could you do to improve it? How well would paper based directories work?  Have you asked your users which they prefer? [box] Unless you capture and manage that information, you will never know, and never knowing could impact your bottom line.[/box]]]></description>
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		<item>
		<title>All about meetings</title>
		<link>http://jacquimalpass.com/all-about-meetings/</link>
		<comments>http://jacquimalpass.com/all-about-meetings/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 14 Dec 2011 10:52:27 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Jacqui Malpass</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Personal Branding]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[effective meetings]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://jacquimalpass.com/?p=3534</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[How many of you work in companies that are always meeting.  Does it drive you insane?  Would you like a simple guide to meetings?  Try this, it may give you back some time. Step 1 would be to have a meeting (I know) about meetings and then issue your guidelines. Objectives What meetings should be conducted How they should be conducted Who should attend what How information should be communicated Develop a meetings style Develop a communications protocol Actions What actions came out of the meeting Example meetings and structure Meeting name Purpose Frequency Attendees Agenda / Structure Location Communication / reporting Actions / feedback Measurement Board Meeting On track Monthly Directors Off site strategic Strategy review ¼ ly Directors Works Council Meet with ambassadors – what’s going on ¼ ly Weekly Process owners Best practiseOn track Weekly Daily check in What’s happening?  What are the priorities?What do we need? Daily Methods of communication Method Paper based Technology Face to Face Phase Linked to activity Owner Surveys Y 1 W4C Y 1 Internal MD’s Blog Y 1 Face to Face1-2-1 Y 1 Personal development for direct reports – linked to objectives Signage / posters 1 Strategy – where are we going School visits 1 PR Email Newsletter EXT 1 PR, lead generation Breakfast meetings 2 Works meetings 2 Global gathering 2 Plasma displays 3 Intranet 3 ExternalSocial media Twitter Linked In Blog AN Other collaboration tool Newsletter Face to face12 Many 12 group Suggestion box Meetings / Communications protocol Email Only email if a face to face communication is not possible Do not use UPPERCASE or RED to make a point Re read / proof read your email before you send it Ask a colleague to check the tone and words in your email Before sending ask yourself would you like this published in the daily newspaper? When angry, discuss your feelings with a colleague before venting in writing, there are always other ways to resolve issues Your subject line should be: Clear, concise and informative Be specific, if you can’t pick up the phone and discuss (after considering what your outcome needs to be) Make your recipient&#8217;s life easy – include the required action in your subject heading. For example: &#8220;FYI only&#8221;, &#8220;Important: action required immediately&#8221; or &#8220;Please review and respond by Friday&#8221; will help your recipient prioritise his or her e-mail without having to read the entire message. Do not CC everyone Double check who you are sending the email to and who is CC’s and BCC’d Before replying check the who and what as above Don’t waste time constantly saying thank you Do not mass forward jokes or irrelevant information using company email Phone Answer the phone in the prescribed manner COMPANY NAME, Good morning, afternoon, Joe speaking Ask how may I help you?  How can I direct your call?  Who shall I say is calling When early, lunchtime or after hours, explain that someone may not be around, provide your direct number and email so that they can come back to you Check urgency Go and find the person if you cannot get through to them and explain what is needed No more than x rings Pick up colleagues extensions Advise who is in what pick up groups After hours message – check periodically Check company policy for giving out information Return all calls ASAP Follow procedure for urgent calls Never take client calls in front of another client Meetings Before calling a meeting – ask if it is necessary? Think about to behave in meetings Value other peoples right to be heard Recognising that people are different Don’t blame others, think of your part in the solution Support your colleagues, give their voice a chance to be heard and consider what is said Listen, pay attention to what others say and give them a chance to finish Get involved and share your ideas Don’t brag or hog the lime light Meeting participants must: arrive on time be well-prepared be concise and to the point participate in a constructive manner think about how you will communicate and collaborate with your team keep the overall company / team objectives in mind be organized and don’t leave your preparation or following up on actions until the last minute communicate any unforeseen events with a suggestion who can fill your place, brief them or appraise the team leader of your thoughts If you don’t understand ask for clarity Meeting team leader / Effective facilitation Set the time for each item Stay on topic Let others be heard, even if you think you know better Ask others don’t tell Provide constructive feedback Be positive, reframe objections, ask open questions Value others contribution Appreciate our diverse culture Consider group dynamics Summerise each agenda item, has everyone understood?  Knows their actions? Send summary and action items with dates After the meeting is over, take some time to debrief, and determine what went well and what could have been done better. Evaluate the meeting&#8217;s effectiveness based on how well you met the objective. This will help you continue to improve your process of running effective meetings. Phones Off or silent No texting Typical agenda items  Agenda / objectives / time allotted for each item (send out beforehand) Back ground information (where needed) (send out beforehand) Assigned items for preparation (send out beforehand) Confirm commitment to work together What are we doing well? What can we improve? How can we introduce improvements Outstanding items (send out beforehand) How can these be resolved Actions Important and urgent Important and not urgent Urgent and not important Unimportant and non urgent Roles Facilitator Note taker After meeting review Meeting effectiveness reviewed and suggested improvements applied to the next meeting. What worked well in this meeting? What can we do to improve our next meeting? &#160; &#160; &#160; &#160; &#160; &#160; &#160; &#160; &#160; &#160;]]></description>
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		</item>
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		<title>Knows the price of everything</title>
		<link>http://jacquimalpass.com/knows-the-price-of-everything/</link>
		<comments>http://jacquimalpass.com/knows-the-price-of-everything/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 11 Dec 2011 10:41:32 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Jacqui Malpass</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Personal Branding]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://jacquimalpass.com/?p=3531</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[&#8220;… knows the price of everything and the value of nothing&#8221; from &#8216;Lady Windermere&#8217;s Fan&#8217;, by Oscar Wilde As I work more and more with clients we talk about how do we define the value in what we sell.  Our case studies look at the actual value we bring to our customers and their end customers.  What would it cost if x wasn’t in place, what would it have meant if this project didn’t go live when it was supposed to. As the writer of these case studies, I am fascinated at a) how my clients just accept that this is what they JUST DO and b) what they JUST DO means to their customer. When we get down to brass tacks and see what the cost is in man days, brand value, lost orders, repeat business it really does focus your mind. In today&#8217;s tough business climate, sellers are told you must  &#8217;create value&#8217; and &#8216;add value&#8217; for their customers. Many sellers interpret this as pressure to go that extra mile, provide additional service, say yes to undertake something which puts strain on internal resources or give the customer that further product enhancement in order to generate customer loyalty. As sellers we do it out of fear.  Fear that this customer will walk if we don’t add value.  Ask yourself is this the kind of customer you want?  I look for partnership, do you? The trouble is that this added customer value is mostly provided free, with unfortunate consequences. First of all, the seller hasn’t created value.  They have created a cost to the sales organisation.  And now the buyer just adds this to the list of ‘this is what we expect as normal service’ The seller may have thought they have ‘added value’ for the customer by exceeding expectations. We know from research and life that something given free has little value. How naffed are you, when the customer simply nods acceptance and moves on! Real value is only created when it is recognised and realised by both parties and that both know what they can gain from it.   And it might not even be financial. Take some time out interviewing your customers and finding out, why they work with you and what they think you have added to their business.  It will be insightful and may only cost you a lunch.]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<title>EU Cookie Law &#8211; what&#8217;s all the fuss?</title>
		<link>http://jacquimalpass.com/eu-cookie-law/</link>
		<comments>http://jacquimalpass.com/eu-cookie-law/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 08 Dec 2011 09:39:43 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Jacqui Malpass</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Personal Branding]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[EU cookie Law]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://jacquimalpass.com/?p=3515</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[What does your privacy policy say about your cookies???? [content_box_red width="75%"] According to a recent EU Directive - \&#8217;Privacy and Electronic Communications (EC Directive) (Amendment) Regulations 2011\&#8217;, known as the EU Cookie Law, we need to ask you for permission to use cookies. These are small pieces of information which are stored on your computer and sent to the webserver with each request. The updated Directive came into force on 26 May 2011, which means all EU countries should have brought the new requirements over cookie usage into law.  The UK government has deferred the new directive requirements for a year while they try to work out a common sense way for UK businesses to comply with the updated Directive requirements.   A full explanation of ‘cookies’ can be found at http://www.allaboutcookies.org/ If and when this becomes law, you may see a pop up with these words on every site you visit and will have to install a cookie opt-in your-self.  At present this site does not use the pop up, but will as soon as the law is set.[/content_box_red] [order_box_2 width="60%" + border="4px"] POP UP &#8211; We need authorisation to store Cookies on your computer According to a recent EU Directive - \&#8217;Privacy and Electronic Communications (EC Directive) (Amendment) Regulations 2011\&#8217;, known as the EU Cookie Law, we need to ask you for permission to use cookies. These are small pieces of information which are stored on your computer and sent to the webserver with each request. This website is based on WordPress and uses plugins. This means it uses cookies to save some settings about your browser and whether you are logged in or not.These cookies are not nasty, they can\&#8217;t read your emails, drain your bank accounts or take pics of you naked at the keyboard typing&#8230; If you prefer not to allow us to use cookies, you will be unable to use this site and will be redirected to another site which explains these rules. ACCEPT &#124;&#124; REJECT[/order_box_2] What does this mean and what should you do? Go to your control panel on your computer, Internet Settings and change your privacy to suit Your Internet Security software should have a tracking cookie scan option, check how this is set up Conduct a cookie audit on your site(s) Update or add a privacy disclaimer to your site, you do have a privacy policy don&#8217;t you? Add a headline to the top of your main header asking people to go to your privacy policy and read it.  You could add an opt-in button, be aware that this will not stop cookie usage, it will merely show that you are working towards a solution. Your best bet. You can beat the deadline and install an opt-in pop up plugin (For WordPress only) where visitors to your site will have to agree to your privacy policy before they can go any further. Click here to visit Sarah Arrow.  Sarah has produced an opt-in pop-up WordPress plugin which does comply with EU law.  It&#8217;s only £10 for a single site and £25 for a multi-site. I will be doing number 6, what about you? [content_box_yellow width="75%"]PS, if you are not using WordPress, check what you are using with your developer and ask them, for the best option for you moving forward. PPS: If you don&#8217;t have a privacy policy you can always copy mine[/content_box_yellow]]]></description>
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		<title>We love our competitors</title>
		<link>http://jacquimalpass.com/we-love-our-competitors/</link>
		<comments>http://jacquimalpass.com/we-love-our-competitors/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 06 Dec 2011 09:11:26 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Jacqui Malpass</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Personal Branding]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Newport]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://jacquimalpass.com/?p=311</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Business takes place in a highly competitive, volatile environment, so it is important to understand the competition. Questions like these can help: Who are your five nearest direct competitors? Who are your indirect competitors? Is their business growing, steady, or declining? What can you learn from their operations or from their advertising? What are their strengths and weaknesses? How does their product or service differ from yours? And here&#8217;s something I think is really important how can you collaborate so that you can both create a win win? Start a file on each of your competitors including information gleaned from the web, advertising, promotional materials, pricing strategies and conversations with customers or suppliers. Review these files periodically, looking at their sales strategies, profitability, PR etc. What to address in your competitor analysis Names of competitors &#8211; List all of your current competitors and research any that you think might enter the market during the next year. Summary of each competitor&#8217;s products &#8211; This should include location, quality, advertising, staff, distribution methods, promotional strategies, customer service, etc. Competitors&#8217; strengths and weaknesses &#8211; List their strengths and weaknesses from the customer&#8217;s viewpoint. State how you will capitalize on their weaknesses and meet the challenges represented by their strengths. Competitors&#8217; strategies and objectives &#8211; This information might be easily obtained by getting a copy of their annual report. It might take analysis of many information sources to understand competitors&#8217; strategies and objectives. Strength of the market &#8211; Is the market for your product growing sufficiently so there are enough customers for all market players? Ideas for gathering competitive information Internet, no one will no you have been snooping Personal visits &#8211; go on have a 121&#8230;&#8230; Talk to customers/prospects &#8211; Your sales staff are in regular contact with customers and prospects, as is your competition. Learn what your customers and prospects are saying about your competitors. Competitors&#8217; ads &#8211; Analyze competitors&#8217; ads, flyers, brochures to learn about their target audience, market position, product features, and benefits, prices, etc. Speeches or presentations &#8211; Attend speeches or presentations made by representatives of your competitors. Trade show displays &#8211; View your competitor&#8217;s display from a potential customer&#8217;s point of view. What does their display say about the company? Observing which specific trade shows or industry events competitors attend provides information on their marketing strategy and target market. Undertake a value analysis with your customers, understand what they value in you and others, how can you improve? Written sources: General business publications Marketing and advertising publications Local newspapers and business journals Industry and trade association publications Industry research and surveys Computer databases e.g. OneSource Customers, prospects, suppliers When I meet people or companies who do it better, I use that inspiration and try to make myself better. There are two reasons for doing it: I get better at something. I could eventually collaborate with them. There will of course be times when you are both competing for the same piece of work and you may not win, but how you lose, and I am sure that is with grace, will say so much more about you, and guess what, you may still get a slice of the cake. Competition is a game of balance and collaboration.  It&#8217;s about win:win and you can “win” beyond your wildest dreams, if you do it right. If you would like a 121 with me, I would be delighted to see how we can collaborate for success]]></description>
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		<title>March is for celebration</title>
		<link>http://jacquimalpass.com/march-is-for-celebration/</link>
		<comments>http://jacquimalpass.com/march-is-for-celebration/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 01 Mar 2011 06:36:08 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Jacqui Malpass</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Newport]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Spain]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://jacquimalpass.com/?p=960</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[March is for celebration As February draws to a close it’s time to think about celebration and what better month than March to really get into the swing of things. March is packed full of great days to celebrate and celebration sends a positive and optimistic message to your customers, suppliers and employees. March 1st – St David’s Day March 8th – International Women’s Day and Shrove Tuesday (Pancake Day) First Friday in March – Employee appreciation day March 15th &#8211; The Ides of March is the first day of the Roman New Year. It also marks the first day of spring in the Roman calendar. March 17th &#8211; Saint Patrick&#8217;s Day March 18th – Red Nose Day March 19th – Writing for change – journaling and creative writing workshop March 27th – British Summer Time starts Pick a day, any day to celebrate your business, its achievements and people. Blogs 10 reasons to partner 7 reasons to start a journal This month’s journaling give away is a free 6 week online course, designed to kick start your journaling. Customer relationship management (CRM) This month’s marketing give away is a CRM checklist – what to think about before you choose your CRM solution. &#8220;I&#8217;ve looked at life from both sides now, from win and lose, and still somehow…&#8221; Joni Mitchell Looking at things from different angles doesn&#8217;t guarantee certainty, but it does leave you with a different perspective. And when you consider that marketing runs through everything you do, a new perspective may be just what you need to give your business a boost. Ask yourself, are you spending too much time crunching numbers and gathering facts in a relentless pursuit of certainty, leaving yourself with no time to plan or implement your marketing strategy? So many things I would have done…. Experienced businesses make sure they look at things from both sides.  To help businesses get on track I have collaborated with Marianna Marks from MandM Communications. I have worked alongside Marianna on a number of marketing and PR projects over the past few years. Like Joni’s lyrics. There are always new ways to see things…… The Two Sides of Marketing programme is designed to provide short, sharp sessions on tried and tested tips and techniques to boost your Marketing Communications skills. These will commence in April with the first series ending in July. We will also include post event support.Read more. Prevention is better than a cure… With absenteeism and stress-related illness at record highs, the health and morale boosting value of fun, creativity and self-awareness at work shouldn’t be underestimated. Supporting employees to achieve better wellbeing in a business landscape of uncertainty and change means that you will be creating people and teams who work and communicate better. Writing for change is a programme of journaling and reflection through creative writing. With the added benefit that it leaves your employees with tools for life. Read more The Growth Circle is back &#8211; Growth Circle Seminar – April 7th &#8211; Bristol I work with Phil Terrett at the Growth Circle and I am affectionately known as the sales and marketing ninja, although not the green or turtle kind…… At the Growth Circle we have 3 simple questions for you:- ·         Are you leaving corporate world and striking out on your own? ·         Do you want to start a new career? ·         Have you been made redundant, or are about to be? Intrigued? The Growth Circle is all about how the business world is changing, both online and offline. It’s about the groups of people who are starting to feel left behind…primarily it’s about surviving and thriving in the new digital age. If you’re running a business or changing careers or starting a whole new venture, you’ll be fascinated by the speakers lined up for our first ever Bristol media summit. They’re all doers – not talkers – and they’ll all be in Bristol on Thursday 7th April at Engineers’ House BS8 3NB. Read More Here Just one last thing Every month I check that it is still ok to email you. What you will get if you say yes or don’t opt out Short emails with relevant content (once a month or less) Hints and tips pertinent to subjects of people development and sales and marketing Opportunity to opt out at any time Free things like e-books or how to’s This month it’s a free 6 week online journaling course (journaling subscribers) and a choosing a CRM system checklist (marketing subscribers) Invitations to events To subscribe to marketing or journaling newsletters please click here Thank you and have a fabulous March. Kind regards Jacqui Follow me on twitter: jacquimalpass (I will follow you back)]]></description>
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		<title>Reasons to partner</title>
		<link>http://jacquimalpass.com/reasons-to-partner/</link>
		<comments>http://jacquimalpass.com/reasons-to-partner/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 27 Feb 2011 04:35:06 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Jacqui Malpass</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[coaching]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Newport]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Spain]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://jacquimalpass.com/?p=911</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Ten reasons to partner How your company, people, products and services are presented conveys an important message about your company and what it stands for. Many larger companies will have access to a variety of people who are able to work in cross functional teams, but often lack the time needed to bring new products to market due to other constraints.  Small to medium companies’ constraints could simply be that they do not have access to the integrated teams in the first place. Design and development of products, services and processes is rarely straightforward so you need a team who will work in close collaboration with your team to manage the risks associated with the exploitation of new technology and the development of new products, services and processes. The integration of all of your functions is enabled through combined technical expertise, marketing knowledge, experience, creativity, motivation and the utilisation of effective tools and techniques. Decisions made in the early stages will affect your competitiveness. Getting the right people on board for even a short time can increase your effectiveness and efficiency and ultimately your bottom line. There are several areas in which an outsourced partner can add value and bring innovation to your ideas:- Develop new products and services based on your ideas Extend an existing product line to new target markets Refresh an existing product by introducing new features Review end to end processes looking for better ways to work. Implement new processes for lead generation so that you get more of the right customers. Refresh your brand so that it appeals to a wider audience. Update all of your collateral, including giving your web content a much needed up date. Extend your message to a wider audience. Train and coach your staff to increase knowledge and motivation. Your outsourced partner should work as an extension to your business providing you with an integrated solution designed to alleviate the problems caused by using disparate teams who do not work together or communicate well. Top ten reasons Share responsibilities Outsource your weaknesses You have a sounding board Being in a team gets things done quicker Share resources Share ideas Have a backup Motivation to get things done Gain a new perspective Partners hold each other accountable Click here to see some of my partners.]]></description>
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