FREE BUSINESS SEMINAR – THE 7 STEPS TO SUCCESSFUL GOAL SETTING

Vanilla Recruitment is delighted to present a free goal setting seminar in conjunction with Alastair Campbell of The Ideal Marketing Company at the Angel Hotel, Market Harborough

When we run our own business or department, it is very easy to become absorbed in day-to-day tasks without taking the time to look at the ’bigger picture’. This interactive seminar covers a simple process we can all learn to make sure that life doesn’t pass us by and how we can achieve the things that are important to us. You’ll learn how to focus on the priority areas at work – as well as having more time with friends and family. And finally you’ll discover why the great philosopher Bruce Forsyth was trying to tell us the key to a successful life – we just weren’t paying attention.

What is the cost? The seminar is sponsored by Vanilla Recruitment and The Ideal Marketing Company and is free to attend.

When is it? January 27th from 10.00am till 12.30pm. The seminar itself starts at 10.00am with the opportunity to register and network from 9.30am and also afterwards.

Where is it? The Angel Hotel, High Street, Market Harborough, Leicestershire

Tea, coffee and soft drinks will be served upon arrival.

Vanilla Recruitment is hosting this event and would welcome you to attend for no charge and bring up to 2 guests. The event is likely to be fully booked so it is important to register your place in advance to avoid disappointment.

To reserve you place see www.vanillarecruitment.co.uk or call 01858 898 058

The Angel Hotel

How many new years resolutions did you set you self this year?   We are almost 2 weeks into 2010, how many of your resolutions have already come to a grinding halt?  They may be business, financial or health goals that seemed such a good idea at the start of the month.   If you really want 2010 to be the year when your achieve great things  you must avoid the things which will make you fail, here are my top  5 reasons why people fail to stick to their resolutions

1. Failing to Plan and Prepare It’s great to have goals or resolutions but most people fail right there, they fail to write down a workable plan on how they are going to achieve each one of their goals.   For example was one of your resolutions to lose weight and get in shape this year?    Staying fit and healthy is the best thing you can do for yourself, but unless you have written it down and broke it down into more manageable sub goals its just a wish.   If you are serious about achieving your resolutions in 2010 you need to write out what’s in your head and put a plan together on how you intend to achieve it?     “Failing to plan is planning to fail”

2. Lack of action Following on from reason number 1 lack of action comes in at a close number 2.    With out a plan it’s unlikely you are going to take any action but even if you do write out a strategic plan on how you intend to reach your goal you must take daily action to move forward towards your goal.      Here’s tip to get you talking action, develop your plan using a step by step approach so you don’t get overwhelmed by the whole new years resolution thing . Break your main goal down into sub goals which can be achieved in a shorter period of time like a week, this way you can measure your progress and reward yourself weekly which is a huge component of mastering how to achieve your goals

For example if you need to lose 30lbs of weight, don’t focus on the  whole lot, just aim to drop 1-2 lbs every week and if you reach your goal reward yourself with something.

3. Not Rewarding Yourself when you reach a sub goal

This is basic human psychology, if you reward yourself when you reach your sub goal you are programming you mind to succeed, its a positive reinforcement.    Research shows that people who plan a series of smaller goals and reward themselves every time they reached it had 50% more chance of success

4. Not being emotionally attached with you goal

Most people want to be millionaire’s and have a great body but the people who get what they want have to earn it (well most of us, there are a lucky few of course).    So what is the difference between the people who achieve there goals and the people who are just dreamers.

As Napoleon Hill puts it in his book “Think & Grow Rich” They have a burning desire to get what they want.  A desire which is so strong that almost nothing will get tin their way, they have a strong emotional attachment to why they want what they set out to get.

Does that sound like you?

Do you want to achieve your resolution so bad that you will be willing to overcome any obstacle that gets in your way?

To be emotionally attached to your goal you must have a strong WHY, why do you want to achieve you goal?  You must know the PRICE, how much effort, time, money its going to cost and you must be willing to PAY THE PRICE.

People fail because they are not willing to do what it takes ?    What about you are you willing to do what it takes?

5.  Not Reviewing Your Goals & Not having Someone Hold You Accountable

Relying on will power alone is not enough; you must follow a systematic process and review your progress through some type of measurement system and have someone to hold you accountable for getting things done.    For example you can use a weekly body fat test to measure if your fitness program is working   From my experience you have a greater chance of success if you have some one or a group to hold you accountable.  Working with a professional fitness coach is a great way to be held accountable and get the support you need to reach your goals or if that is not a option for you surround yourself with like minded people.

In summery      Don’t let 2010 be another year where you fail what you set out to do.

1. Plan how you intend to achieve your goals

2. Take daily action

3. Reward yourself every time you reach a sub goal

4. Make sure you have a burning desire to reach your goal

5. Review and measure you goal and get yourself a fitness coach or someone to hold you accountable

Marketing Seminars in northampton

Just arrived back from a morning seminar I was asked to run for the FSB in Northampton.  The event took place at the Northampton cricket club.  With around 60 business owners present it was a good oppertunity to talk about the ‘9 steps to successful marketing’ that I recently completed a tips booklet on.  If you were one of the people there I hope you found it useful.  I actually recorded the talk and plan on creating a CD and transcript out of it later this month.

I am delighted to have been asked back to talk at the East Midlands Franchise show.  The event takes place at the Leicester Racecourse on Saturday 20th.  My slot will be in the morning and if you are considering setting up on your own but want the security of working within a franchise than it may make good sense.

My talk will also cover how business owners can make the most of theMarketing Mentor programme for free.

This year the organisers are thinking about people who have been made redundant as the following news release indicates.

Redundancy need not mean Redundant – say Franchise Show organisers

As more of us begin to revaluate career options with lingering uncertainty in the workplace, starting up your own business – via a franchise – has long been a route considered by individuals looking to re-invest redundancy pay off.

And most franchising companies will tell you that, although a bolt out of the blue, being made redundant can be the making of you. You could well end up happier, and better off, than someone else’s wage slave.

But are those claims slick sales talk from franchise companies who want you to invest in them? Or is there hard evidence to reassure those who do lose their job that using their pay off to fund a business will “pay off”?

Well the organisers of the East Midlands Franchise Show, arriving at Leicester Racecourse in Oadby on June 20th, claim that 9 out of 10 franchisees report profitable business a couple of years into their licence.

And to reinforce the point, the low level of commercial failure is something that the high street banks have picked up on. In this immediate post credit crunch era, some high street banks have even set up specialist franchise teams keen to invest in what the have judged a “safer bet” – and offer preferential banking terms too

So if the worst happens, why not just set up alone? Why not use the capital you would have to pay the franchise fee and instead launch your own copycat idea?

Marcus Remfry, of franchise show organisers Job Done Marketing, gives as good an explanation as any;

“A good franchise will have a good brand, strong national marketing, good support for the new franchisee and most of all – a ready made, proven manual of how to run the business. None of that is there for a stand alone new business.

Those factors make franchising work. It is a far safer bet for the new business owners to succeed – and make their investment work for them

In addition, the clue is in the attitude of High Street banks. Cutting back on almost all forms of lending is in the news constantly, but some have set up specialist franchise teams to invest in, what they see, as a safer business opportunity”

So if you are one of those facing the push from work, it may just be the push you need to succeed. There are five million self employed Britons working today – and in times of economic slowdown, that tally could rise. Considering all career options – including creating your own career in your own company – is one avenue many will consider more and more.

Background:

The East Midlands Franchise Show 2009 takes place on Saturday June 20th at the Leicester Racecourse Conference Centre, Oadby, 4 miles south of Leicester city centre.

The show is free to attend – no tickets required – and there are specialist career and start your own business seminars taking place throughout which are also free to sit in on.

There are 36 exhibitors with full and part time business opportuntites on offer – a list of whom is available online at www.eastmidlandsfranchiseshow.co.uk.

Redundancy need not mean Redundant – say Franchise Show organisers

As more of us begin to revaluate career options with lingering uncertainty in the workplace, starting up your own business – via a franchise – has long been a route considered by individuals looking to re-invest redundancy pay off.

And most franchising companies will tell you that, although a bolt out of the blue, being made redundant can be the making of you. You could well end up happier, and better off, than someone else’s wage slave.

But are those claims slick sales talk from franchise companies who want you to invest in them? Or is there hard evidence to reassure those who do lose their job that using their pay off to fund a business will “pay off”?

Well the organisers of the East Midlands Franchise Show, arriving at Leicester Racecourse in Oadby on June 20th, claim that 9 out of 10 franchisees report profitable business a couple of years into their licence.

And to reinforce the point, the low level of commercial failure is something that the high street banks have picked up on. In this immediate post credit crunch era, some high street banks have even set up specialist franchise teams keen to invest in what the have judged a “safer bet” – and offer preferential banking terms too

So if the worst happens, why not just set up alone? Why not use the capital you would have to pay the franchise fee and instead launch your own copycat idea?

Marcus Remfry, of franchise show organisers Job Done Marketing, gives as good an explanation as any;

“A good franchise will have a good brand, strong national marketing, good support for the new franchisee and most of all – a ready made, proven manual of how to run the business. None of that is there for a stand alone new business.

Those factors make franchising work. It is a far safer bet for the new business owners to succeed – and make their investment work for them

In addition, the clue is in the attitude of High Street banks. Cutting back on almost all forms of lending is in the news constantly, but some have set up specialist franchise teams to invest in, what they see, as a safer business opportunity”

So if you are one of those facing the push from work, it may just be the push you need to succeed. There are five million self employed Britons working today – and in times of economic slowdown, that tally could rise. Considering all career options – including creating your own career in your own company – is one avenue many will consider more and more.

Background:

The East Midlands Franchise Show 2009 takes place on Saturday June 9th at the Leicester Racecourse Conference Centre, Oadby, 4 miles south of Leicester city centre.

The show is free to attend – no tickets required – and there are specialist career and start your own business seminars taking place throughout which are also free to sit in on.

There are 36 exhibitors with full and part time business opportuntites on offer – a list of whom is available online at www.eastmidlandsfranchiseshow.co.uk.

Marketing seminar at Hothorpe Hall

Free Evening Marketing seminar – Low Cost Marketing Ideas to Weather the Economic Storm

This new seminar gives you practical, low cost ideas on what you can do to keep you existing customers coming back and win more new business – despite the economic storm that is gathering around us.

This event is free to any business owners or people with a marketing function within a company. It is aimed at small businesses with limited marketing budgets who want to make their funds stretch as far as possible – typically employing less than 50 staff.

Date : Tuesday April 28th 2009
Time : 6 for 6.30pm till 8.30pm
Location : Hothorpe Hall, LE17 6QX (near Market Harborough)
Cost : FREE

What will this free marketing seminar cover?

During the seminar I’ll cover 12 of the key main low cost marketing areas to help your business. These ideas cover making the most of existing customers as well as seeking cost effective ways to win new business. Previous slow-downs have shown that companies who cut their advertising lose their share of the market, whilst those who continue to market themselves do far better in the long run BUT only if they undertake the right marketing activity.

Why should I attend?

If you are the owner or manager of a small company, you’ll be only too familiar with these problems -

• Fear of Failure – too many small companies go out of business because they don’t understand how to market themselves. Out of the ones that survive the early years, few rarely go beyond ‘making a living’ for the owners
• Small businesses don’t have big budgets to spend on marketing
• Business owners don’t have enough time to attend lots of courses & seminars
• Lack of ideas and fresh ways to attract customers
• Not enough time to put any existing marketing ideas into place.

This seminar is aimed at companies who want to grow, but don’t know the best way to go about it and have limited marketing budgets to spend.

How will this Marketing Seminar help me?

‘Low Cost Marketing Ideas to Weather the Economic Storm’ will give you lots simple, practical ideas to introduce to your company straight away. You’ll also learn about the Marketing Mentor Programme and how it can give your business:

• Have a clear sense of direction in your business – where it is heading over the next 5 years and how it is going to get there
• Generate enquiries though successful direct mail and e-mail programmes
• Read about the success of your business in the local / trade and national press
• Convert more leads to appointments, and more appointments into sales
• Produce a brochure and leaflets that people read rather than toss in the bin
• Create a website to get noticed by Google, and visited by prospects
• Become the ‘go to’ company within your target markets
• Convert more customers, launch more successful products and keep more customers happy
• Receive more warm leads and find out how to close more sales more easily
• Keep your customers loyal and buying from you again and again
• Increase your profits by creating a simple sales strategy that makes sure even a junior sales person can increase their average order value
• Decrease significantly the chances of losing major contracts and improve the chances of extending the work you do for your best clients
• Make networking work for you and excel at exhibitions
• Have your company and products stand out for the crowd
• Learn how to make your advertising results increase 50 fold
• Ensure your customers stay with you for longer and spend more with you than ever before
• Stay ahead of the competition and maintain the lead in the market place

You will also be told about marketing funding that is currently available from the Government to help with your marketing. If you employ one member of staff or more you are likely to be able to receive this funding for your business.This funding will entitle you to a free place on the Marketing Mentor programme (worth around £3,500) and details will be explained on the night about how to apply and when the next seminar will run.

How do I book a place?

Free places for the marketing seminar are limited, but to check availability please e-mail seminar@idealmarketingcompany.com or call 01858 44 55 43 for more information
You can reserve up to 3 places for yourself and friends / colleagues.

The copy

Which do you find easier to read – Chaucer or The Sun editorial?  My guess is that whilst we hate to admit it, The Sun will win out every time.  I’m not suggesting that you copy their writing style, but elements of it are admirable. It’s clear what they are about.  They use short, punchy sentences.  There is little ambiguity over what is meant and you don’t need to re-read any of it because it was clear the first time.  At school we are taught to expand our vocabulary and write to impress.  With direct mail copy almost the opposite is true. You want to use words that everybody will understand and that people won’t stumble over.

One good way to discover any pitfalls is to read out loud what you have written and see if any bit makes you stumble.  If they do, re-write it until the whole letter flows smoothly.  Another important aspect is to use sub-headings to break up the text and use a PS at the end of your letter.  When it’s all written, look at it without reading the words.  Does it look like hard work to read? If it does, see if you can break it up with spaces and breaks.  

This material comes from one one of the Marketing Mentor Marketing Seminars.

The headline

You cannot sell to people if you haven’t got their attention. The headline is there solely to catch people’s attention.  Newspapers use headlines to communicate what they stand for and the type of stories that you will find inside.  The headlines actually sell the papers: once you have bought the paper, each story headline sells each individual story.

If you don’t have a clear benefit driven headline at the start of your letter you can wave goodbye to about half of your readers, so spend time getting it right. It has to appeal to your perfect customer so think up a series of headlines that sum up what the letter is about.  Create at least 10, but you may write as many as 100 before you find one that perfectly sums up what you want to say.

This material comes from one one of the Marketing Mentor Marketing Seminars.

The offer

What do you want to say? Why are you contacting these people in the first place?  You should always have a reason for writing to people.  Is it something new that they can have?  Is it a special offer or a reduced price, a new item in stock for a limited time?  Whatever it is, the offer is probably the most important area.  If you get the offer right then you are off to the best start.

Make your offer as eye catching and imaginative possible.  Make it time sensitive and difficult to say no to. Make it believable and above all make it easy to understand. To assess this, show your letter to a stranger: they should be able to say what you are telling them about in about 5 records if you are to have a chance of winning over people with your direct mail letter. 

This material comes from one one of the Marketing Mentor Marketing Seminars.

The offer

What do you want to say? Why are you contacting these people in the first place?  You should always have a reason for writing to people.  Is it something new that they can have?  Is it a special offer or a reduced price, a new item in stock for a limited time?  Whatever it is, the offer is probably the most important area.  If you get the offer right then you are off to the best start.

Make your offer as eye catching and imaginative possible.  Make it time sensitive and difficult to say no to. Make it believable and above all make it easy to understand. To assess this, show your letter to a stranger: they should be able to say what you are telling them about in about 5 records if you are to have a chance of winning over people with your direct mail letter. 

This material comes from one one of the Marketing Mentor Marketing Seminars.

What to say in direct mail?

There are various things that you can write in your letter that will make it more widely read, but bear in mind that about 50% of people will never even open your letter – it will go straight in the bin or will be partially looked at and then thrown away. The more you can make your letter look like a personal communication from one person to another, the better.

Having said that, there are certain ideas, tips and techniques that you can use to improve readership and response rates.

This material comes from one one of the Marketing Mentor Marketing Seminars.