Business Advice | They say..... A Cobbler never mends his own shoes

Business Advice | A Cobbler never mends his own shoes

As a general thing I am quite struck by business folk who propound some expertise in something when they are guilty of it themselves!!  The communications experts who can't communicate. The life coaches who are fragile themselves. The business experts who can't market themselves. The PAs who are always late. And so on.

You could say 'Cobbler and shoes' or you could point out that their own experience is an education they can use for the benefit of others. It's a consultant's privilege - 'do what I say not what I do'.  I am probably guilty of some of it myself.  We can't be good at everything. The best card I have to play is the external view. I turn up and there it is, wrapped up in some experience, some training and some developed practices and a different perspective....

Luckily my clients value it.....

To view articles and observations by Bob Shepherd Associates, just click here.

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

What First, What Next?

What to do first, what to do next? Starting your own business is fun, worrying, exciting and full of query. 

Most people start their business with a good idea of what they are going to do. Very often though they have not thought quite how they are actually going do it. Surely everyone will see how valuable a service or how good a product this is? We'll open our doors on the Monday and be flying by the end of the week!

The reality is very different of course. The statistics show that most businesses will fail in the first year and a few more stubborn individuals in the second and third years. Nonsense of course, because those figures include the wacky ones, the lazy ones, and a collection of no-hopers. If you took a measure of the good business ideas that are delivered with real intent, adequate planning, good support and sensible resources for what they are doing, the success rates are very different.

Bob Shepherd Associates will get you there sensibly, quickly, practically and with good practical guidance on what is feasible and what should be scheduled for next year. It will save you loads of time and money, not to mention your overall nervous condition. 

We have many stories, examples and testimonials from others who also think we can do it! 

South Wales Networking Groups

There are 85+ networks in South Wales I picked up somewhere in my business travels. I deal with business finance development and business strategy development. Not a shameless plug altogether, my point is that the business planning for growth and development requires experience and a knowledge of networking as one of the sub headings under that all embracing term "Marketing". You need all that in place to get the finance sorted by which time you have a plan to put into action. 

My view is that there is not one answer. Some networks work best when you have a business that is easily pigeon holed by everyone else (accurately or not - doesn't matter, you can sort that out later). Others don't. 

Then again if you like a strong systematic approach you will feel more comfortable in some groups more than others. 

My own loyalty goes first to ABC - Action Business Club. (www.actionbusinessclub.co.uk) You have some businesses there who are very experienced and can operate on different levels as required to service the needs of the business customer. To say it was best suited to 'small businesses' might give a false impression but small business SMEs – definition:  under 250 employees? - oh yes. Small businesses just starting out? Yes, if you are serious about what you do. 

The light hearted way it is conducted encourages friendship and respect for bright people who are happy in their work and confident in the trust of their colleagues. I would (and do) happily work with any one of them and I can't say that about every group I go to. 

So which one is best? The answer depends. When I am helping a business who is new to networking the first questions are about what they expect to get out of it. Their answer tells me if they understand it. If they do the one(s) to attend depend on the nature of their business but also the attitude and character of the attendee. It is more complicated than it appears but it does not need to be difficult.

It is vital to understand the essence of networking and incidentally this applies to ‘online Social Networks’, Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin and the like. If you feel you want to ask what was my return on that meeting then you haven’t understood the nature of what you are supposed to be doing. If you feel you have a room full of punters when you go to a meeting then you have misunderstood it and you will do little more than mark yourself down as someone to avoid. Measure you r ‘Return on Investment’over 20 meetings or so but be careful to estimate the worth of someone acknowledging your introduction with ‘I have heard about you.’

The whole business of getting your business known is not straight forward. It needs a mixture of resources and approaches. 

For those just starting out it is worth a hundred cul de sacs to get help from the beginning to plan your marketing and this part of it in particular. At Bob Shepherd Associates we have a particular interest in start up businesses (no bad habits!). It need not cost a lot to get appropriate guidance and the saving in time effort and practical application (therefore that 'return on investment' we were so worried about in the paragraph above) should show dividends in due course.              

Networking Or Not Working?

People are funny, well some are anyway.  Small Business folk are not exempt from this observation. To the outsider the self made businessman/woman is self possessed, confidant and intent on their next million as they move purposefully from meeting to meeting.

In most cases the truth is very different. I am struck by several things from recent networking events I have attended. I do this for several reasons not all of which are shared by other attendees. My primary motivation is to gather some business. You would think that applied to everyone but not so. My secondary reason is why. If I did not attend these events I would very soon be ‘out of the loop’ as the expression goes.

By listening at least as much as I am asked to speak I pick up news and tips, I gather who is doing what and I get to know and trust people I can use at some point to supplement my own business offerings to my clients. On a simple basis it gives me a boost to hobnob with business colleagues and become known to their contacts as we go. Under this heading also is the simple human pleasure in conversing with other people and that I have discovered is more appreciated than I had realised.

In training presentations I do about setting up in Business successfully I have a slide entitled ‘loneliness’. That is a surprise to many but under that heading I cover the need for social interaction as well as talking about the responsibility of being the boss of a small business. The buck stops very much here and that covers making the tea as much as doing the background reading, as much as turning up when and where you say you will as well as presenting your business well and actually producing whatever you say you will.

For anyone wanting to Start up in business who has been an employee for years the change comes as a dawning surprise that there is no boss to ask, no books of instruction to obey and no pay if you go on holiday.

There are so many networking clubs, events, sessions and things to attend that it no longer matters if you don’t. At one time it was a benefit to be seen at a number of events. It showed you were out and about, that you were aware and hungry for business. Nowadays it is the case like some bus routes where it doesn’t matter if you miss one, another will be along in a minute.

In the last week there are some people I have seen at every event. I have been there as well, of course so I can’t criticise them for that.  However it is clear there are other people there who have no idea what they can get from  it. These days the word had got around and you don’t get many hard sellers grabbing you by the lapels and doing a number on you with their carefully rehearsed elevator speech.  Intent on their own message they give the impression they are not interested in you or yours. At the other extreme there are still some who attend a couple of events and seem to converse only with the colleague who brought them. Others seem to want to be able to measure the ‘outcomes’ and only attend where they can score some business.

Some are content to have their business facade. Bankers, Solicitors and Accountants are often poor networkers who have a Brass Plate mentality and wouldn’t see an opportunity if it hit them. They might be affable and convivial but it never goes anywhere, unless they receive a direct request for assistance.    

There are the micro mini businesses, often interested in multi level marketed body products of some sort. They service a circle of friends for a year or two and realise it is costing them all their commissions and all their time and effort to deliver an overpriced substance to a punter some miles away. 

The solutions for all these observations depends on the form of the event, but all have some common aspects. The spark between businesses is a part of what they have on offer.  That funeral director should have the florist’s brochure with him when he sits down with the family. He should get the signage company to push his monumental masonry as an alternative to traditional signs. He should talk to the IFA  about his funeral plans.

The printer should have working association with the marketing and branding people, the business development people and the web site people as well as the graphic designer. Any marketing function should also be able to offer the services of the finance and grant associates.

The point is whatever the speciality, it is always part of something bigger. The new website is for growth, for promotion, for fitting in with the brochures and needs the funding in place. The secondary point is that networking needs to be understood in the context of your business and the sort of event it is.

If you are a new startup finding your way or an old established business who has wondered if there is anything in this networking lark, then get some help to rationalise your approach and get your skills in place. Bob Shepherd Associates gives businesses direction and saves you time and money. One of the topics we cover is networking as part of a presentational strategy.

The World Moves On

Barclays bank reports the results of research which indicates the Recession has spawned more new businesses than ever before. That is not difficult to imagine. Anyone with initiative who perhaps could not get another job easily (the media has had tales of job applications being over subscribed by several hundred ) who has had a good idea has thought, ‘Maybe now’s the time to have a go.’

The research people all missed that one. For years the status of the UK entrepreneurial spirit has been lamented for its lack of enthusiasm. In particular the Welsh contribution to owner business has apparently suffered from long term historical precedent where the large heavy industries were the natural path. Those large scale employers have left in a sulk. Time has passed and the traditional track has grown over, as have the slag heaps.

Recession is the mother of entrepreneurialism it would appear. Anyone with a bit of an idea can make something of it perhaps. It is hard work, and stressful if you are thinking you need a certain minimum amount each week or month to feed your troops and keep the roof over their heads. However it is a different stress because it is yours alone. That is good generally.

Forget the regular wage. Forget the regular hours. In the first years you can probably forget the family holiday. Our great grandfathers would have scoffed at that hardship. What you can look forward to is personal development. You will do things you never thought you would, never thought you could, or would ever entertain.

As a consultant dealing with Business development I am often surprised at the things some people find they can do and other people find difficult. It is very interesting. Someone who has never had to do what they would call ‘public speaking’ might need to do a business presentation, with slides and timings and leaflets. Some have a go and make a total hash of it. Some are natural deliverers. Some see it, some can’t.

Some people are very comfortable on the phone and have the knack of gaining business. Others have no idea. I came across an answerphone message that was unbelievably incompetent. Unbelievable, not because it was incompetent, but because the business owner obviously thought it would do.

There are many of these subtleties. An outside view from an experienced consultant can help you past many of these pit falls. When ( if!) you do your sums in the first place, allow a place in the budget for advice and help. It will pay you back many times over. View the free services with reservation. They will take you some of the way, but you do get what you pay for. Pay nothing and you will not get much.

Tread carefully and with forethought. That much is the same now as it ever was. Let Bob Shepherd Associates guide you and share your new pathway.