The purpose of these is to ask the delegates what they want covering relating to blockages they have in their businesses then deliver a seminar that answers their questions by the speakers constructing their presentations on what the audience want covering.

The whole aim of them is that as they are bespoke to the audience and as the delegates (business owners) actually dictate the topics covered on the day, everyone involved knows that the session is relevant to them and their business.

We are currently running two in July & August for South Yorkshire companies.

Carl Hopkins (www.kloog.co.uk):
4N Barnsley Ramada Encore Hotel: Tuesday 20th July (20 – 25 delegates)

Nicky Pattinson (www.hiyaitsnicky.com):
4N Sheffield Hillsborough: Wednesday 4th August (20-25 delegates)

Workshop Programme:
0800 – 1000: 4N Breakfast Meet
1030 – 1130: Session 1
1145 – 1300: Session 2
1300 – 1330: Lunch & Networking

The aim of these workshops, funded through the region’s Top Team Workshop Programme is to offer a strategic review of your business. Consisting of a half day session with around 30 delegates in each session, Carl and Nicky will cover topics including:

•    Identifying your key challenges
•    Main priorities for the business and identify barriers
•    Developing strategies to address those barriers
•    Finding the kind of resources needed to succeed
•    Identifying changes needed to ensure future success
•    Assisting managers to maximise performance
•    Developing staff if required and creating a realistic action plan to take the business forward

Both Carl and Nicky’s ‘day jobs’ are assisting businesses in strategic growth through sales, marketing, customer interaction and procedures so this is an excellent opportunity to gain advice specific to your business. We are limiting the number of delegates in order for all present to gain the maximum with regard to their business.

TO BOOK:
Contact Danny Matharu on 07904 – 873 202 or email danny (at) hillrich.co.uk

How Does it Work?
These workshops are built to be bespoke to the audience in the sense that the delegates outline the topics to be covered on the day. This will be in the form of a couple of questions which we will then pass onto Carl and/or Nicky so they can pitch their presentations and offer strategies specific to the 30 or so businesses.

With this, Carl and Nicky can offer examples and advice based on businesses present and therefore delegates take away tangibles that are relevant and achievable – things that can be implemented into your business from leaving the seminar which will make an immediate impact.

Carl and Nicky will be present during the lunchtime networking session to answer any specific queries on a one-to-one basis.

Price:
The funding for these allows the cost per seminar to be brought down to just £39.00 +VAT per delegate! Generally this would cost upwards of £200.00 per delegate. Each delegate simply has to supply information about their business beforehand for the Funders’ criteria e.g. location, sector etc.

Also included in the price is:
•    4N Breakfast
•    Lunch
•    Tea/Coffee throughout the morning
•    Excellent networking opportunities with specific networking times outside the presentations

TO BOOK:
Contact Danny Matharu on 07904 – 873 202 or email danny (at) hillrich.co.uk

Unfortunately, these seminars are only available to businesses based in South Yorkshire.

Here’s a snapshot of the workshops we ran in Huddersfield with Carl and Nicky:

Hillrich Carl Hopkins Seminar 08/12/09 – Fantastic Media Suite, Galpharm Stadium, Huddersfield

Click on the image to be directed to the Flickr presentation.

Hillrich Nicky Pattinson Seminar 15/12/09 – Fantastic Media Suite, Galpharm Stadium, Huddersfield

Click on the image to be directed to the Flickr presentation.

Nicky Pattinson for Hillrich – Galpharm Stadium December 2009

And here’s what the delegates said about them:
. . . . . . . . . .
Hi Danny

Brilliant Nicky Pattinson seminar yesterday – the organisation was absolutely brilliant – well done!

David Broadhead
Partners in Management
. . . . . . . . . .
Hi Danny

Today was simply amazing, ran like clockwork, an absolutely perfect event without one single flaw…you make it look so very very easy…

CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!!!!

Mandy Barwick
Heritage Group
. . . . . . . . . .
Danny

Thanks again for today – brilliant!  The morning was really well organised – as usual – and of course, it was a pleasure to sit and listen to Nicky again.

Martin Bown
Management Accounting Services
. . . . . . . . . .
Morning Danny

Just like to say THANKS VERY MUCH for a really informative, relaxing and sharply delivered event on Tuesday.

The organisation and facilities, down to every detail were perfect. We just had to turn up and take it all in!

The wealth of information that was delivered in Carl’s inimitable ’straight talking’ way was hugely helpful in many areas. Also, being a small company, it was definitely ‘therapeutic’ to hear some similar problems and issues voiced and solved in such a relaxing and intimate setting.

I have to admit that I don’t attend many network/seminar events and I’ve come away with a real purpose to attend more.

Your event was the yard stick Danny – so I reckon other peoples need to be shit hot!

Danny Bulmer
date of birth
. . . . . . . . . .

TO BOOK:
Contact Danny Matharu on 07904 – 873 202 or email danny (at) hillrich.co.uk

The response was could I talk about the any number of things that companies do wrong in their marketing.

Simple enough but my concern was that in my busy weeks I meet many companies who do many things ‘wrong’ and there was a possibility of this blog turning into a book!

So I will try to summarise a handful of points that I repeatedly come across on my travels, although each one could be a blog in its own right. If you recognise ‘yourself’ or issues you are facing within any of these points then you will be able to refocus and renew your efforts with a fresh approach.

And that leads me to my first principle, what is your focus?

Whenever you start to create any piece of ‘marketing’ what are you trying to do?

I don’t mean whether you are creating an advert, or a website or a glossy brochure but what exactly are you  trying to do in regards to the individual you are aiming your messages at?

I pretty much guarantee you are only doing one of the following three – so be clear, most people are not.

Recruitment
Are you trying to recruit a new customer? If so, you may have to work very hard as this is the
difficult and expensive part of marketing, and fraught with the most disappointment.

When you are putting your recruitment messages together then bear in mind that your new audience may have no idea who you are so part of your message may need to be focused on educating your prospect as well as introducing your business, product, service or brand. So in effect, a big chunk of your message and therefore your budget will actually be spent on creating awareness and not necessarily enquiries or sales.

Retention
Is the marketing communication piece you are creating there to help you retain valuable customers? If so, these messages will differ to those of recruitment. You need to spend less time educating and introducing and should look to reassure.

Remind your customer of the great choice they made in choosing to deal with you in the first place. You can reinforce your point of difference and introduce new offers, products or services. You can spend time building a relationship and entering into a dialogue with your customer tailoring your offer to their needs.

Reactivation
Every business has dormant or simply ‘old’ customers; you have probably dealt with more customers in the past than you are currently dealing with. This is a gold mine. So when you are writing your next marketing message why not aim it specifically at your dormant customers? You do not have to introduce yourself, you do not have to educate you simply have to remind them you had a relationship and why they made a great choice.

It is an ideal opportunity to introduce any new products or services which may act as a catalyst to re-ignite the relationship… and this is so much more cost effective than recruiting new customers.

“I will make him an offer he can’t refuse”
A great line from The Godfather, but also a great tip in marketing. Once you are in front of your prospect then you have to make an offer. You have to be aware that the thing that interests everyone more than anything else in the world is….themselves. Not you, your product or your service, not your latest recruit, your new office, your newest clever gizmo.

Everyone is looking at your marketing messages and thinking ‘What’s in it for me?’ (WIIFM)

Benefits
So if you know everyone is thinking WIIFM then you had better have some benefits in your messages. How is your product or service going to benefit your customer? The common mistake here, especially if you are a business of ‘specialists’ and you let ‘in-house’ people write the copy for your ads, brochure or website, is that you may end up with feature heavy copy and not benefit led copy.

I have little interest in the grinding speed and capacity of my coffee machine but I like the fact it is quick, elegant, easy to use and produces a consistent quality of taste – for example.

What do you want me to do?
Finally make sure that when you sit down to create your marketing masterpiece you have a clear focus on what you want the recipient to actually do.

What is your ‘call to action’ (CTA)? Do you want the person to make an enquiry, by phone, fax, email?

Do you want to drive them to a website for more information, to request ‘a pack’, to make an appointment or to make a purchase?

Give people a clear and strong CTA or all your efforts (and cash) will be wasted.

Good Luck

Carl Hopkins
ch (at) kloog (dot) ch
(excerpts from the three R’s of marketing)

Carl Hopkins is managing director of kloog business development. www.kloog.ch

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