I’m not a big fan of marketing and business development ‘models’ in general, but I do like the Service Gaps Model. It’s old-fashioned, perhaps, but still works for me and the many service businesses I deliver mentoring to. Essentially, the Service Gaps Model is a way of reviewing the performance of a business, as measured …
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It’s a few years since I met these people, but the client’s name recently popped up in a conversation. This cleaning company has been very successful over the years and I remember them as one of the most impressive small businesses I’ve come across. First, their business is spread quite widely across the country. Despite …
Let’s face it, we all reflect at the start of each New Year. How’s our business going? How did last year end up, compared to our plans and aspirations of 12 months ago? With that in mind, here are a few tips for the start of a new year. Get out First, go somewhere new …
A few short years ago, amid great fanfare, Ryanair announced to the world that it was changing the way it did business. Changing its spots, if you will. The airline, declared Mr. O’Leary, would “try to eliminate things that unnecessarily piss people off”. Apparently, this change of heart was due to some significant shareholders being worried …
Congratulations! You’ve presented your product or service, negotiated an agreement that’s a win-win for both parties and closed the sale. Now remember that following up is a key function of selling, not to be ignored. The thrill of the sale is hard to beat when you run your own business – whatever its size or …
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Often, when trying to improve our sales performance, our attention is concentrated on how to present and how to negotiate. As vital as these tasks are, we should not lose focus on the true job in hand : closing that sale. See if you can apply any of these 6 ways to close that sale. …
Hate Cynical Ads? I Know I Do. OK, before moving on to why I hate cynical ads, let’s start by saying that I generally enjoy listening to ads on the radio (I watch relatively little telly). I particularly like really great radio ads, like the campaign run during 2017-2019 from Appliances Delivered. I mean, they …
How to Develop your Sales Funnel – Lifeblood of your Small Business. Listen, whatever marketing and promotional work you undertake, whether that be pressing the flesh, putting photos up on Instagram, email marketing or whatever, your focus needs to remain on moving people in your target market along and how to develop your sales funnel. …
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Irish Craft Beer Symbols. This year has seen the launching of two separate Irish craft beer symbols, in an apparent attempt to stave off ‘pretenders’ from the world of Irish craft beer production. There has been a phenomenal growth in production of Irish craft beer over the last few years, to such an extent that …
People as part of the Services Marketing Mix When we think of the Marketing Mix, we’ve all heard about the famous “Four Ps”, made up of product, price, place (distribution) and promotion. However, the importance of people as part of the services marketing mix might just pass us by. You see, potential customers will make …
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