heartharmony.com.au

Direct mail marketing isn’t just about the content. What motivates people to open mail? In my experience curiosity is one of the biggest factors in getting people to open mail.

Think about it for a moment - if you get an envelope plastered with logos and slogans from a company and it is obviously direct mail - how many people don’t even bother opening it and bin it instead? My local post office kindly provides a bin near the post office boxes so people can “sort” their mail straight into the bin.

Now imagine you get a hand written plain envelope that has something lumpy inside that crinkles a bit when you touch the envelope. Would you open it to see what was inside? Most people would. (I personally used this approach last month when sending out instant coffee bags with a mail out about my Instant HR Policies and Procedures Manual - they crackled and made the envelope lumpy enough to be interesting).

If the mail is opened you have a chance to have your message read. Tap into curiosity and you are more likely to have your mail opened. Broadcast your wares on the outside of an envelope and there is no mystery left to be revealed.

Until next time

Ingrid Cliff
Heart Harmony
http://www.heartharmony.com.au/

Business development … through copywriting and marketing

Marketing isn’t just about selling a product - you also are selling your team, your skills and your brand.

One of the most forgotten marketing areas is planning for team transitions. Losing a key contact in your business through resignation, promotion or even just an extended holiday is often a time when your key clients make a choice to go elsewhere with their business.

Without effective planning for this transition you may find your customers follow the person leaving, get confused about who to talk with about their issue or even get frustrated about having to repeat their history to a new person.

Some tips to manage the marketing of succession:

• If clients have a personal relationship with the person who is leaving, have the person who is leaving send out a personal letter/email to their clients endorsing the new person in the role (make sure you get final approval before they hit the send button to limit any poison letters going out)
• Have the person leaving take the new person around to meet the clients and make sure the person leaving verbally “backs up” the new person’s expertise and experience to the clients
• Reinforce what is staying the same “same great service, same great products”
• Get your basics in place - rush order business cards for the new person so people know who to contact in future
• Have the new person reinforce what they know and understand about the client’s business to reduce client fears of having to repeat their information
• Take is as a great opportunity to get feedback on what clients would like to see more of in the future - ask what they liked about the last person and what they would like to see more of in the new person

Managing a transition doesn’t have to mean losing customers - if you deal with it correctly.

Until next time

Ingrid Cliff

Heart Harmony

www.heartharmony.com.au

Business development … through human resources and marketing

The most effective marketing campaigns align with the goals of the campaign. Each part of the campaign builds on a previous part.

For example a print ad may lead people to a website “squeeze page”. This page needs to be consistent with the information contained in the ad otherwise people will click away without leaving their details or taking action. Once they get taken through to the website - the page they land on must be consistent with the previous page information.

Everything must seamlessly flow through.

The more aligned your material - the better your results.

Until next time

Ingrid Cliff
Heart Harmony
www.heartharmony.com.au

Business development … through marketing

Most people understand the need to plan their business and their marketing, but the need to plan for their team often gets pushed down the list. Your people will make or break the implementation of your business vision and direction. Unless you have the right team with the right skills at the right time in the right place your vision won’t be realised.

Once you have planned for your business direction stop and ask:

• what sort of skills will people need to implement this plan
• what sort of skills do my team currently have
• do I need to recruit additional staff or upskill my existing team to deliver our vision

Every time someone leaves or promoted don’t get caught into automatically filling the role. Stop, think about the role and what needs to be performed in that role today and in the future and only if the role is still needed go ahead and recruit the skills you need.

Until next time

Ingrid Cliff
Heart Harmony
http://www.heartharmony.com.au/

Business development … through human resource management

It is that time of year when people are desperately trying to find suitable presents for people.

Put yourself in most present buyers shoes for a moment - they are tired, worried about the cost of buying for everyone on their list, most hate shopping at the best of times and really hate crowded shopping centres, they have very little time and want things to be made easy for them.

You can help both them (and the people around them) and your business by understanding these needs and taking action.

Gifts:

How can your product or service address these needs? How can you make it quick and easy to shop with you? How can you present your products already wrapped ready to give - at a great price?

Service:

How can you make their day a little bit more pleasant? How can you make their lives a little bit easier and stress free?

The extra time you take looking after your customers this time of year will pay dividends for both you and them.

Until next time

Ingrid
Heart Harmony
www.heartharmony.com.au

Business development through marketing

Hi

This week I have been reminded that we attract into our lives the same sort of people over and over again. I was working with a business that had a history of poor hiring decisions. Each person turned out to be “full of hot air” with no substance beneath to back up their talk. Many had money problems that lead to suspected or proven pilfering and many had aggression problems.

But something changed … all of a sudden these people started resigning and were replaced by decent, solid, reliable team members.

What was happening with the managers? At the same time some key managers had separated from their partners (who also happened to be aggressive etc) and were now dating solid, reliable, stable people.

What was the difference? The most significant change was the thoughts of the key managers about who they were and what they would and would not stand for. Once the thoughts changed then the environment around them changed.

Look at your work environment - what is it telling you about your thoughts?

Until next time

Ingrid Cliff
Heart Harmony
http://www.heartharmony.com.au/

Business development … through human resource management

Hi everyone

I have just uploaded 25 of my business development, human resource management, marketing and personal development articles to my website.

Happy reading!

Until next time

Ingrid Cliff
Heart Harmony
www.heartharmony.com.au

Business development … through copywriting, marketing and human resource management

Hi

This week while I was facilitating a planning workshop I was reminded about the power a group of people talking about their visions, hopes and dreams can have.

Each person added a piece to the jigsaw puzzle that was the vision of their company. Each person was needed to complete the jigsaw as each person held a piece that was unique to them. Each person left feeling heard, excited about the potential of their future and full of energy to step into their vision.

Sort of reminded me about life - each one of us has our unique piece of jigsaw that we need to put on the table to create the bigger jigsaw. We need to share, speak up and not be afraid to show our jigsaw piece as without it the bigger picture may not develop.

What is your jigsaw piece that you are meant to share? Have you shared it fully?

Until next time

warm regards

Ingrid Cliff
Heart Harmony
www.heartharmony.com.au

Business Development … through personal development

Hi

Have you ever noticed how your business profitability reflects your own internal profitability?

The days when you are on top of the world with your confidence and everything in your business flows smoothly compared to the days when you are feeling flat and want to curl into a ball and your business heads the same way?

Many of the positive thinking gurus talk about this phenomena - what you focus on you get. But there is more to it than just thinking about it.

On the flat days you need core skills and grit to keep going until you are “up” enough to take action to improve yourself further. Abraham says it well (and I am paraphrasing here) - some days even anger is better than depression. You can’t get to feeling aligned straight from depression - anger is at least heading in the right direction as it has energy behind it.

So on a really flat day - don’t go for the rah rah hype - get good and angry … and once that is done you may be able to reach for a wry smile rather than a million dollar focus!

Until next time

warm regards

Ingrid
www.heartharmony.com.au

Hi

Shakti Gawain talks about all people as being mirrors to your personal development - either showing you great parts of yourself or bits you need to heal.

I agree and take it one step further. In business - your customers are a reflection of who you are, your current level of thinking or your next step in your business.

For example - if all your customers are angry people trying to rip you off … guess where your thinking is likely to be. If you have brilliant happy customers who genuinely enjoy working with you then it is likely that is what you are giving out.

Me … well I have been looking at my customers over the past few months and I have noticed a marked trend for high profile public speakers on topics such as wealth creation and internet marketing. All are lovely people in their own right. Draw your own conclusions on this one!

Who are you attracting at the moment?

warm regards

Ingrid
www.heartharmony.com.au