Your name? I have no idea!

Your name? I have no idea!

Regarding the name it’s a common problem to many that they are completely unable to recall names when needed. They may use a trick to avoid the embarrassment like using the name a couple of times after introduction to reinforce it in their brain. It’s probably a nice thing in that context.

I have this affliction and because of it I am much better now than I used to be at remembering names, especially when out of context. Also I decided a long time ago that the small embarrassment attached to confessing you could not bring their name to mind when meeting someone again is dwarfed by the massive destructive experience of painting yourself into a corner and never ever getting away with it.  To read the full LinkedIn Article by Bob Shepherd, just click here. Simple really.

Digital Marketing | That Social Media Thing

Digital Marketing | That Social Media Thing!

The best you can say about the use of social media platforms by small businesses is that they have 'sort of' adopted them. A lot of small businesses have a twitter account, facebook page and perhaps a blog. Some of the more aware ones have a pinterest page. Many more do not partake at all. There are some misapprehensions out there!

If your target audience is perhaps largely young women, then you should have an active presence engaging with your audience on a regular basis on the sites where you are likely to be seen. Not that older people and other people cannot be reached. The requirements for someone connected to the beauty business are going to be different from an air conditioning firm for example.

If you are not engaging with Professional business firms you still might get through by using LinkedIn. All those so called serious business folk have families and many have a sense of humour.  To read the full LinkedIn Article by Bob Shepherd, just click here.

Business Planning | Is it time well spent?

I had a client who was a tyre and exhaust depot who had tyres in every corner of space. I asked him how many and he had over 600. There was no real reason why he had to keep a couple of everything made when he could get them delivered in a couple of hours. His cash flow improved when I pointed this out.

We the consumers should demand less choice. That way when your Christmas tree lights don’t work and you try to buy some bulbs you will not need to discover there are dozens of variations which are essentially the same, but not interchangeable.  To read the full Bob Shepherd LinkedIn article, just click here.  Simple really

Marketing | The Pricing Ceiling

Marketing | The Pricing Ceiling

There are interesting effects that a price ceiling invokes and there is a need to be careful in using them.

For example a life assurance plan at “less than £1 a week” is not going to be worth a look if I want a meaningful financial benefit . Assuming I am representative of the sort of clientèle the company really wants to attract, they are likely to haul in precisely the opposite. It smacks of the post war burial plans that were collected at the door at a shilling a week. In those days the sheer quantity of them made them a useful contribution to the company’s funds and since many of them got lost or were never claimed for some reason there is a tidy sum kicking about somewhere.

The value of money has skewed dramatically in the last few years. Incomes are considerable now in......... To read the full LinkedIn article by Bob Shepherd, just click here.  Simple really

Business Presentations | Many ways to skin a cat

Business Presentations | Many ways to skin a cat

In my corporate career, I was sent on many courses and seminars. I think every time there would be someone there saying they could not think what they were doing there as they had been doing the job for two years, or that it was bound to be a waste of their time in some other way.

I thought at the time that I was missing several major points. Even if they knew everything about the subject we were going to get another perspective on the subject. We were going to spend some time with peers which might have some contact value or the opportunity to know and show who we all were. There was always a potential for some little nugget in the presentation that would prove useful and when else would we spend some hours concentrating on that particular aspect of our working life?

Altogether a positive experience, or it should have been. A lot of people did not see it that way however.......... To read the full LinkedIn Article by Bob Shepherd, simply click here

Business Networking | Knowing your onions isn't enough

Business Networking | Knowing your onions isn't enough

Professional knowledge is essential for any business but building an extensive network of relevant contacts can be just as important. This is particularly the case for a conceptual business. If you are a Printer, or an Accountant, or something with a definite label then people think they know what you do already. (They don’t of course but you have to see it positively) Getting to know the right people can be critical for business success.

The first purpose of networking is making contacts, building possible....... To read the full LinkedIn Article by Bob Shepherd, just click here - Simple really.

Marketing | The digital follow-up to networking

Marketing | The digital follow-up to networking

Recently, I have been catching up on my business contacts (do stay on top of this!). I take a card from the pile that is starting to topple over and I go through the following process....

• I look to see if there are any Social Media icons with the businesses tag present? – Yes/No (7 second have lapsed)
• If no, go to their website: (14 seconds have lapsed)
• Are there any Social Media icons at the top of the page – Yes/ No
• No, scroll down to the footer – Yes/ No
• No, click the contact icon (are they hidden Here) – Yes/ No

Just click here to read the full LinkedIn Article by Bob Shepherd Assoicates - Simple really.

Business Sales | The Power of Now

Business Sales | The Power of Now

The idea of immediacy has long been recognised in the "Sales" world. You know the sort of thing; if you are buying or signing up now there is a strong incentive offered like a discount on the price, or a free add-on.

I have been reminded of this a couple of times lately when for logistical reasons I have set an appointment for a potential customer some days ahead, or the following week. That meeting gets cancelled and we enter a sort of limbo where I have thought what I might offer and what I can contribute but the magic of the initial conversation is fading and both potential customer and I are starting to forget the point that was so obvious in the beginning.

By the time that meeting does happen, if it ever does, the initial gain has been lost and we have to start all over again and sometimes........... To read the full LinkedIn post, just click here. Simple really.

Business Finance | Alternative Investments

Business Finance | Alternative Investments

In recent times the alternative investments markets have received more attention and publicity. There are realistic markets in Diamonds and Wines, Stamps and coins as well as Gold and other metals, Fine Art and Antiques and Classic Cars.

You can have an investment in Wines for example, have the broker store it for you and never actually lay eyes on it. If you are cold blooded about it and study the 'form' you can make money from these things. In a more casual way you can watch the TV programmes and see what excites you. if you are a collector by nature you will probably have an idea what your own collection is 'worth'. Always become knowledgeable before you step in and commit your savings. 

As a collector.... To read the full LinkedIn article by Bob Shepherd Associates, just click here. It's that simple.

Leadership | The thing about business, big or small

Leadership | The thing about business, big or small

Whatever the flavour, size, style or type of  business you have there are some common features - some common characteristics. This is the secret behind how I can contribute to a business. I do not actually need to know the technical and finer points of the business to know what needs some attention, needs a fix or needs some development.

For example all businesses need to communicate with the outside world in an attractive and constructively encouraging way. The methods for doing that may have differences in detail and sophistication and will have a different focus on one channel over another, but still the principle is there.  To read the full LinkedIn post by Bob Shepherd Assocaites, please click here.

Business Finance | Bank's can't do it anymore

Business Finance | Banks can't do it anymore

There was a time when the sensible way for a respectable small business to finance the ups and downs of their developing cash flow requirements was to trip down the bank with their figures and see a friendly Bank Manager who knew them, understood their business and had the discretion to assist them sensibly and proportionately with an overdraft.

There were rules about this. With a long climb up the specialist ladder behind him (mostly a him) he knew how to assess the risk and how to apply the brake when required through monitoring, understanding and sensible appreciation of what the customer was trying to do.

And then the system changed.  To read the full LinkedIn article, click here.

Marketing | The Power Of Business Communication

Marketing | The Power Of Business Communication

Communication takes many forms and is not just about speaking at events or writing. In business many things are important but communication is right up there at the top of the list.

What many do not realise is that you are communicating your business worth, credibility, trustworthiness, efficiency..... To read the full LinkedIn article by Bob Shepherd Associates, just click here.

I‘ve got a Business Plan, have you.

I‘ve got a Business Plan, have you?

Give yourself full marks....If it lives in a drawer somewhere, take off 10 points. Take off 20 points for every three months since you looked at it. Take off 10 points if it is less than 3 pages long. Take off 20 points if you used a “business plan template”. Take off 10 points if it is a several generation old photocopied questionnaire type template. Take away 20 points if it did not have a monthly cashflow forecast that you update. Take off 50 points if you did not see the point when you did it. To read the full LinkedIn article, click here:

Leaders and Managers

Leaders and Managers

The old ideas of leadership are changing in business. In truth they have been changing for years and 'evolving' may be a better word to use. The old autocratic ideas of a pyramid hierarchy with someone at the top are rarely found these days.

Quite apart from the gender roles disappearing and the values that went with them watering down, the structure of business has changed. Some of that is good and some not, as with all change. What was there before was a mixture of good and bad as well and it is a mistake to ever think everything is or was fine.

Some have started to realise that leadership is present at all levels and is an integral part of the mixture of all things. 'If you want to know how to build a pyramid ask the man with the trowel', is a phrase I heard many years ago and it touches on the same thing. Leadership is managing people upwards, downwards and sideways. It's managing your people, your boss, and your colleagues: Click this link to read the full post on LinkedIn

What's in a business name?

What's in a business name?

What name should you call a new business? Decide all the attributes you want an intended audience to attach to the name. Write down these qualities. When you hit on a name check it to see if it includes these points.

Try to avoid anything difficult to say or spell. You want to be understood over the telephone and elsewhere and you want people to relate to the name easily. A quirky spelling might be all right or it might mean no one can find you listed anywhere.

Avoid initials that sound like others. The phone test is a good one again. P’s sound like D’s Vs and B’s for example. Again, do you want people to find you easily or not? Click this link to read the full post, on LinkedIn

Several things to get right at networking

Several things to get right at networking

Networking may seem daunting, but it is an essential business skill. The best net-workers accept they are not on a mission with a sales pitch. The real point is to build up your circle of contacts and your influence out there. It’s a big mistake to think you are going to turn up and everyone will slap their foreheads in wonderment that they have somehow managed without your services until now. It is said you need to be in touch with someone seven times before they’ll start to consider you as a colleague for working.  “Kissing frogs to find a princess”, is the analogy that is trotted out to illustrate the point.

This post contains some essential advice to the art of business networking.  Click this link to read the full post on LinkedIn

Traditional Marketing With A Hint of Digital Marketing - Make It Easy For Them

Digital Marketing | The digital follow-up to networking

Recently, I have been catching up on my business contacts (do stay on top of this!).  I take a card from the pile that is starting to topple over and I go through the following process....

• I look to see if there are any Social Media icons with the businesses tag present? – Yes/No (7 second have lapsed)
• If no, go to their website: (14 seconds have lapsed)
• Are there any Social Media icons at the top of the page – Yes/ No
• No, scroll down to the footer – Yes/ No
• No, click the contact icon (are they hidden Here) – Yes/ No
• If I still can’t connect with the person (40 Seconds have lapsed). I ask myself “do I need to connect with this person – this is becoming hard work!”

So now, look at your own Business card!  Would someone have the same problem connecting with you?  To read the full LinkedIn article by Bob Shepherd Assocaites, just click here.  Simple really

Incidental Business Building

Two things happen when I go into a business and neither has much to do with me directly! One is that I necessarily bring an outside view to a business. That means the business owners have the benefit of another perspective drawn from a completely different experience set gained over many years of helping business develop, solve problems, strike out in a new direction and revise their offer. 

The other is that I turn up! By doing so it focuses attention and I find that people have done the things they said and that were on the list from last time. Unconsciously I am fulfilling a role as a catalyst for change by simply appearing by appointment. It is not me putting them in detention for not doing their homework. 

Neither of these fine contributions are on my leaflets but having realised I create these little waves, I do take them into account when with my clients. Cynically, I suppose I use these two forces to encourage and to gain traction with the project we are doing. Setting an appointment not too far ahead, but far enough to take advantage of No2 phenomenon: playing "devil's advocate" as it is known and asking the unspoken questions with a straight face... that sort of thing. 

It's all part of the service. Sometimes I am asked by a client "what will I get for my money?" The answer is sometimes partly that I do not know until we get going. That does not mean there is no process or that I am making it up as we go along. It is just that I have no clear idea what will pop up out of the box when we open it. 

Pandora's box? Possibly! More likely, the material to build a successful business, well coordinated and with strong foundations. Bob Shepherd Associates builds businesses!