Tuesday, 3 June 2008
Repurpose, recycle and reuse
 With the growing trend to recycle, many small businesses are embracing this with a passion and forging a whole new business out of repurposing products. Elena from EP Designs is a classic case study for repurposing - taking old products and with a twist of creativity making new (and profitable) products for sale. This week in her blog she talked about repurposing an old stainless steel gravy boat to become a candle, complete with decoupage! Now that's creativity. Repurposing doesn't have to be restricted to physical products. If you sell e-books you can look at repurposing them as well. Can they become e-courses, bundled into larger packages, read aloud or talked about in a teleseminar, edited into becoming articles, or presented as physical seminars. I am all for creating something once and using it for multiple purposes! Many of my clients repurpose our direct mail pieces and use the words on their websites or visa versa. What can you repurpose today? Ingrid Cliff Heart Harmony Putting your business into words Labels: recycling, small business ideas |
Thursday, 29 May 2008
Demotivation can make money
It started as a parody on all those motivational posters that litter workplaces (and yes as HR Manager I was guilty of buying them also). It then progressed into t-shirts, coffee mugs and videos. So what sort of thing can you find on despair.com? Tradition - Just because you've always done it doesn't mean it's not incredibly stupid. Mistakes - It could be that the purpose of your life is only to serve as a warning to others. Meetings - None of us is as dumb as all of us. Challenges - I expected times like this - but I never thought they'd be so bad, so long, and so frequent. Me ... I prefer the positive approach, but that doesn't mean there isn't a market for cynicism. Are you ignoring potential markets? Ingrid Cliff Heart Harmony Putting your business into words Labels: motivation, small business ideas |
Wednesday, 21 May 2008
Shared offices for freelancers, self employed & kids
| Here is a brilliant concept for freelancers and self employed people. The trend overseas is to share office space and facilities such as meeting rooms, faxes, printing and filing on a low fee basis. Nothing too new so far. What Cubes and Crayons do is add in a childcare centre, where the freelancer or self employed person can book their kids in full-time, part-time or casually while they use the shared office space. People pay a membership fee to join and then pay for child care as needed. Unfortunately Cubes and Crayons are only in the California, but what a great concept! It is looking at the trend of home based businesses and adding value to that niche through fulfilling services that can't be easily found from home. Some enterprising person needs to trial the idea in Australia. Ingrid Cliff Heart Harmony Putting your business into words Labels: small business ideas |
Tuesday, 20 May 2008
10 New Rules for 21st Century Business
 My colleague Dean Bleasdale posted on his blog 10 new rules for a 21st Century business. They are a great summary of things to do to achieve maximum personal productivity. 1. I take lunch everyday and do something unrelated to work. For example, I get out of the office and take a walk, listen to a relaxation CD, write in a journal, or visit a friend. 2. I work reasonable hours. On most days, I arrive at _____ and leave by _____. 3. I schedule "breathing room" every day so I can step back, re-evaluate my priorities and be sure that I am working on what really matters. 4. I do whatever it takes to create a healthy work environment. I keep my office free of clutter and if necessary, I use a clean air filter, full spectrum lighting, and I keep a reserve of bottled water nearby. 5. I have an "Absolute Yes" list for work (a 3" x 5" index card with my top five priorities listed in order of importance) and I refer to it often. 6. I train myself to consistently look for ways to delegate work in order to empower others so I can honour my Absolute Yes list. 7. I hire only highly competent, talented people to support my efforts. 8. I ask family and friends to honour my work time by eliminating non-essential personal calls and interruptions. 9. I coordinate my work schedule to remove distractions and interruptions. For example, I design blocks of uninterrupted, focused time and I only check voicemail and e-mail twice a day. 10. I stop taking on more than I can handle. When asked to take on a project, I check to be sure that I can complete the assignment without suffering or sacrificing my self-care. What other rules do you think need to be added? exuberantly yours Ingrid Heart Harmony Putting your business into words Labels: small business ideas, time management |
Monday, 19 May 2008
Be different in your industry to stand out
 Many small businesses try and fit in with what the "big boys" are doing. They work hard at adopting the same attitudes, approaches and strategies. But what if the big boys have got it wrong (or at least got it wrong for some largish niches within the industry). Anne from Beauty Banquet talked about the movie "The Devil Wears Prada" and how the movie is very true to life in the beauty industry. Unless you wear the right labels, drive the right car and are seen in the right places you don't fit in. But what about the large bulk of women whose budget is more at the Target/K-mart end of the spectrum? Target has recently started embracing the concept of labels for budget conscious people and are reaping the financial rewards. They very rightly saw a niche that wasn't being served - and promptly set out to fill it. Anne is an image consultant that doesn't blink at adding in Millers clothes to your range if appropriate - a great niche. Another colleage of mine Margaret Sims specialises in image for over 45. Both have chosen smaller niche's that were not being serviced within a larger niche. Many small businesses can fill the niches the big boys leave behind - and make tidy profits as a result. What is your small business niche? exuberantly yours Ingrid Heart Harmony Putting your business into words Labels: small business ideas, small business niche |
Sunday, 18 May 2008
Intelligent whiteboards
On 14 May this year Bill Gates unveiled the future of whiteboards. Most people who have been to my office know I can't function without a whiteboard as I love the interactivity and immediacy of a whiteboard. It is one of the best tools we can use to help sort out precise word flow for someone looking for a tag line or vision statement - as people can get intimately involved in the process. This advance is quite an exciting step forward. It reflects the trend of blending technology with the human touch factor - making technology easier to use. You don't need to push buttons or use special tools - just use your fingers. It is still at prototype phase and a few years off production - but Bill, my order is waiting for when it is released on the market! For your products - how can you increase the human touch factor? How can you build ways for people to physically interact with your product rather than just observe? exuberantly yours Ingrid Heart Harmony We put your business into words Labels: small business ideas, small business trends, technology trends |
Wednesday, 7 May 2008
Green handbags
 We all know the trend is towards more ecologically sustainable living - which is why I love this product. Solar panels in handbags! Noon solar is just one of a number of handbag manufacturers that include a light flexible solar panel on the side of their bags. Just pop your handbag by a window during the day and you get enough power to recharge your ipod or mobile phone. No more flat batteries. How cool is that! These designers have taken a traditional concept (handbags) and turned it on its head! To think I was excited a few months ago to find a handbag that had an external pocket for my mobile, one for my PDA and an easy access compartment for my business cards for networking. Where can you turn a design idea around in your business? Until next time Ingrid Cliff Heart Harmony Putting your business into words Labels: small business ideas |
Tuesday, 8 April 2008
Mobile phone training
 I have been looking at upgrading my mobile to a fully featured smart phone to reduce the clutter and weight in my handbag with all of my technology toys. As I was checking out the latest GPS, 5 MP, pay TV phone features I must admit feeling a bit lost. I wonder how many other people have all of these mobile phone features but then never use them or don't use them effectively because they don't know how?Quick quiz - how many features do you regularly use on your phone? With the modern technology in phones, just using them to make and receive one call at a time is like just using a computer to type letters (and that's all). Modern phones are really mini computers - are you getting the best out of your phone? Now if I was in NZ I would just contact Mobile Mentors - a specialist company that teaches people to use all of the features in their phone. Or if I was in Holland I could tap into a brilliant initiative that pairs 12-16 year old kids who are proficient in mobile phone with mature age corporate "students". This is a win-win for everyone - the kids get confidence, build connections and gain exposure to corporate environments (and make money). The businesses get better productivity from their employees using the technology they have provided for them. I haven't yet been able to find something similar in Australia - I can't understand why mobile phone shops don't hold regular classes as part of their service offering! I love technology (and yes I am a geek), but having someone walk me through all of the features and how to use them effectively is a service I would love to have and would willingly pay for. Oh ... and if anyone has tried out a Nokia N95 8gb or an I-Phone (yes I know they are not yet released in Australia officially) I would love to hear your opinion on which is better. Until next time Ingrid Cliff Heart Harmony Labels: mobile phones, small business ideas |
Wednesday, 2 April 2008
Not all inventions make it big
 I was doing some research for a client and discovered this great story in an article by Thomas G Field Jr ... If a man can make a better mousetrap, though he builds his house in the woods the world will make a beaten path to his door. Attributed to Ralph Waldo Emerson In the early part of the 20th Century, the Animal Trap Company of America sold a five cent mousetrap. For years, the president of the company, Chester M. Woolworth, had tried to improve it, and in 1928 he succeeded. Mr. Woolworth failed to look carefully at the way the average family used a mousetrap. The mousetrap was normally purchased by the husband who set the trap at night after the children were in bed . In the morning, the husband hurried off to work leaving the dead mouse in the trap. The housewife did not want a dead mouse around all day so she would pick up the trap and dispose of the mouse and the trap. When any small business creates a brilliant invention or new idea, it doesn't necessarily mean that it will be successful if they haven't taken into account the context in which the invention or idea is used. Always do your research on your clients, dig into their minds to find out why and how they buy from you and your opposition and get to know what is truly important to them. Selling is not about forcing a product that they don't need or want onto a customer.In my world view it is all about knowing what your customer needs and wants. If your product genuinely helps fill those needs and wants then your job is to show them how your product or service can fill their needs and wants in the best possible way. I look at it as if someone you cared about was struggling with a problem. If you knew a solution to their problem - wouldn't you want to share it with them? That to me is what selling with integrity is all about. So ... back to the mousetrap. Just because you have created a better mousetrap doesn't mean your customers want or need a better mousetrap. Before you leap off and try and sell something - stop and put yourself in your customers shoes first. Until next time Ingrid CliffHeart Harmony Labels: small business ideas, small business marketing ideas |
Sunday, 30 March 2008
Creative Photography
| Do you hate having your picture taken at a photographer's studio - always feeling the look is forced? One enterprising photographer in the US (MethodIzaz.com) has taken the good bits of paparazzi and put them into their business. Subjects provide him with their schedule for the day, and the photographer does his best paparazzi impersonation, quietly taking candid shots as you go through your day. You don't know when or where you will be photographed, and in many cases you don't even know you are being photographed. The results are natural, real and quite interesting. Wonder if any photographers in Australia will pick up the idea? Until next time Ingrid Cliff Heart Harmony Labels: small business ideas |
Tuesday, 25 March 2008
How small is small business?
 I read an interesting post from A Modern Goddess Online blog - there are over 1.88 million private sector, non-agricultural small and micro businesses in Australia. (Small business is defined by the ABS as employing less than 20 people and micro business as less than 5 people.) In the USA this number is 25.8 million and 4 million in the UK. Of that number men make up 2/3 of the business owners and 1/3 women (although this is on the rise). Can you see any business niche potentials here for your business? A business niche is something where there is a sufficiently large group of people with common interests or goals, who are willing to invest money in particular goods or services. How does your business currently serve small business or micro businesses? What can you do to improve your level of service to this business niche? Until next time Ingrid Cliff Heart Harmony Labels: small business ideas |
Friday, 21 March 2008
Google Giving Back
 For many people homelessness is something they have never considered. In every city there are a significant number of men, women and children who are homeless - who sleep wherever they can. Being homeless is something that is often not a choice - but arises out of life circumstances. If you watch the movie "Conversations with God" you will see even Neale Donald Walsh spent time as a homeless person after a traffic accident robbed him of his chance to work. Some of the things we take for granted - like a telephone and mail become a real challenge for someone who is homeless. Google in San Francisco has taken the step of offering people who are homeless free lifetime phone numbers and free voicemail. They are partnering with San Francisco shelters and agencies to give the numbers to homeless people. This gives homeless people a permanent point of contact for little things like doctors, schools and potential employers. It also allows a point of contact for family members - to help people to stay connected with dignity. If the pilot is successful it will be rolled out to other communities. It is one way of a business giving back to the community - and sharing services with people in need to help them have a new beginning. This Easter, think about what you can do to give back to help others have a new start in life. Until next time Ingrid Cliff Heart Harmony Labels: small business ideas |
Thursday, 20 March 2008
Lessons from Tupperware
 Party Plans are a proven way to generate sales - they were the precursor to all of the Web 2.0 high tech strategies of forming networks and communities, taking recommendations from friends and just having fun.I am always fascinated when someone takes a proven concept and applies it to something totally left field. In the USA, a group has taken the Tupperware party concept and applied it to Tasers. For those of you who don't know Tasers (or stun guns) are a weapon that shoots electro-shocks to subdue a person. They are generally used by police and the military, but in the USA you can obtain a Taser for about $300 with minimal checks. Some enterprising business people now hold Taser parties - where women meet to discuss self-defence, swap recipes for the latest dips and shoot Tasers at dummies. Tasers now come in a range of women friendly colours and prints specifically for this market. ... and business is booming! Whatever you think of Tasers and their use - the idea of taking something that generally has not been seen in a party plan situation and trialling its sale is a great one. There are loads of opportunities for enterprising businesses - from mobility equipment, through to electric drills. Are there any products in your business that you could trial using the party plan concept? Until next time Ingrid Cliff Heart Harmony Labels: small business ideas, small business marketing ideas |
Wednesday, 19 March 2008
My Day Off
 One of the problems with running a small business is the glowing temptation of the computer. It is so easy to pop over and do one more client email at all hours of night, or to "quickly" finish off a client file over the weekend. Recently I have begun to appreciate regular "days off". Taking time out to recharge my batteries, unwind the stress knots in my shoulders and reconnecting with friends. Regular time out helps me to be more focussed and present for my clients and the quality of my work improves as a direct result. Sometimes it can be hard to take a day off. That's why I appreciated the blog post at My Day Off - a list of fun things to do on your Monday off. Humour is a good thing that helps to remind you not to take life so seriously. ... Now just to remember to book in a weekly massage and all will be well. Until next time Ingrid Cliff Heart Harmony Labels: small business ideas |
Wednesday, 5 March 2008
Unsupplied markets
| As I was looking through the Beauty Banquet blog posts the comment was made: "Considering the wonderful range of native flowering plants here in Australia it is a wonder that we don’t have a thriving perfume business" Now this got me thinking. We have bush flower essences, tea-tree oil is well known - but what about all of our other brilliant native flowering plants? Why aren't we using them not only in our perfumes, but also our other products. Sounds like a market looking to be filled by more than just the boutique perfumeries ... Until next time Ingrid Cliff Heart Harmony Labels: small business ideas |
Thursday, 21 February 2008
How NOT to deal with customer complaints
 Not every customer will be happy with your service - at some point everyone makes a mistake. It is how you recover from that mistake that determines whether or not you convert your customer to a fan or a foe. This week I was forwarded one of the worst recent examples of a business dealing with feedback. To set the scene - this person had eaten at Casa Flamenco at Albion in Brisbane (yes names are being used - you will see why in a moment). They had had some problems so had sent an email outlining their concerns and providing feedback. Here is a copy of their email Hi I saw your ad in the city news last week and dined with 8 friends last night. I wanted to pass on some feedback regarding our experience at your restaurant. As someone who has experience in restaurant marketing I applaud your concept of 50% off the total bill – it will certainly get people in the door to try the restaurant. However, if you are going to retain them as regular customers who will not only return to the restaurant but tell all their friends and family to go to your restaurant you need to make the first visit memorable. Here are my suggestions; 1. Staff. We were the only table dining last night so the fact that there was only 1 staff member working should not have been a problem. The waiter was a sweet, friendly guy but he was not properly trained in waiting. He was unable to explain the menu when questioned. He did not regularly check back on the table to take drink orders, he left the menus on the table after we had ordered and didn’t bring out the cutlery before dessert arrived. He was obviously a little nervous which didn’t help the cause either. 2. Food. The food was good, we enjoyed it but it was not enough and it took far too long to arrive. We had ordered the chef’s tapas selection which the waiter said was good. It was good. However, it took over 1 hour to arrive on our table after we had ordered and the dishes that were meant to be served hot were cold by the time they arrived. Also, I would consider paying $36 or so for the size and contents of the platter brought out but if I was paying $55 I would have been very disappointed (in fact I think I would refuse to pay!). I had assumed that the ‘chef’s tapas selection’ would also have included at least a salad and some breads for the price so we didn’t order any. After we had devoured the food in a very short time as we were starving we decided not to ask for breads or salad as we assumed they would take too long to arrive also. We actually assumed that the platters brought out were going to be followed by a second platter based on the quoted price on the menu. Really, for $55 I would be expecting that platter to be supplemented by 1 salad, some bread and perhaps some olives, calamari and prawns also. We also ordered dessert (creme brulees and creme caramels) because we were still hungry after the tapas– the creme caramels were okay but the creme brulees were lumpy and inedible. Again, if we were paying $15 each for them we would have been very disappointed. I was disappointed enough paying $7.50 for them. Also, the coffee was brought out after dessert was served and was not good coffee. 3. Value for Money was awful. We ended up paying around $30 per person for our meal which was okay for what we got. However, should we have been paying full price I would not have been happy at all. There simply was not the variety or amount of food served for the money that the menu quoted. I am afraid that my experience at Casa Flamenco was very disappointing. I am not seeking any recompense here - I think you have a good concept in the restaurant and your website shows you are passionate about what you do. The fact that you are offering diners a 50% discount to try the restaurant out shows that you are keen to attract new customers. I do hope you take my feedback into account and use it constructively to improve your customers’ experiences. You are doing the right things in your marketing to attract customers. However, the key is to retain these new customers and keep them and their friends coming back for more. To do this you will need to improve your service levels and your value for money substantially from what my friends and I experienced last night. Thank you for your time, Lorraine As you can see it is not abusive - the person was just stating their point of view. Now - this is the exact response they were emailed (obviously they attended the Basil Fawlty School of Hospitality) Dear What is the lesson? This email has been forwarded to many hundreds of people in Brisbane. One thoughtless response by a company has created significant negative attention that will impact on their business. Even if the company privately thought the customer was an idiot, all they needed to do was send an email back stating "I am sorry you had a bad experience with us. We appreciate the time you took to give us this feedback. At our next team meeting we will discuss your feedback as a group to ensure we improve on all aspects. Thank you again" and the matter would be settled. If they wanted to go the next step they could send a voucher in way of apology. Take the time to review your complaints procedure and ensure you have processes in place to deal with any complaints easily, smoothly and swiftly to a positive outcome (and be careful where you eat in Albion!). Until next time Ingrid Cliff Heart Harmony Labels: customer service, small business ideas |
Monday, 18 February 2008
Handmade = Profits
| A few years ago who would have thought that doing it yourself could mean high profits? One of the niches that really has grown in popularity in the past 5 years or so are handmade cards. They have gone from the full of heart but poor of design memories of our childhood through to magnificent works of art. When I was reading Jenni's Papercraft Design blog I found out there have been over 150 US & UK books published on how to make handmade cards. Now that's a definite niche! As Jenni said - there are now three markets for cards:
Until next time Ingrid Cliff Heart Harmony Labels: small business ideas |
Saturday, 16 February 2008
Just for fun
| Life is short and it is easy to get caught up in the day to day humdrum routine. You got to work, come home and not much changes. That's why I love the group called Improv Everywhere. They are US based and pull mass theatre improv pieces designed to bring chaos and joy to public places. I particularly love this piece of improv with over 200 people who suddenly freeze in place at Grand Central Station. Watch the reactions of people around them ... Now the scary part - there are chapters of Improv Everywhere springing up around the world. Even Brisbane has its own subgroup that has completed 2 smaller pieces of improv. So the next time you see 80 people enter your shop all dressed in the same uniform as your employees, or your suddenly have hundreds of mobile phones all go off at the same time in the theatre - you may be in the middle of something more interesting than just a coincidence. As an aside - think for a moment why these sort of things are expanding. People have a strong need to be part of something bigger, to belong, to have fun. How can your business capitalise on these needs in providing service to your customers? Could your work pull off its own piece of improv? These sort of things often attract media attention if they are feel good and harm none - so what could you do? Until next time Ingrid Cliff Heart Harmony Labels: small business ideas, small business marketing ideas |
Friday, 15 February 2008
Free University Education
| Have you ever wanted to go to Stanford University? What about MIT or Berkeley? You can - and it's free. Many of the BIG unis now offer free podcasts, webcasts and course notes for many of their courses. Here's a link to the best of Stanford Uni on i-tunes UC Berkeley has course notes and all sorts of interesting things on everything from Archaelogy to Existentialism MIT has an absolutely massive list of resources to explore. Of course if you want access to loads more unis then visit U Channel. It has lectures from institutions around the world. So - if you are looking for business, psychology or anthropology you have no more excuses! Check out the major unis and see what you can learn. I've downloaded a stack of material and look forward to enjoying reading it with a good glass of red wine! Until next time Ingrid Cliff Heart Harmony Labels: small business ideas |
Tuesday, 12 February 2008
Saying sorry
| No business gets it right 100% of the time. There will be times when mistakes are made, emails not responded to, promises made and not kept and customer service given that is less than optimal. It is what you do with those mistakes that makes the difference. If you ignore the mistake, pretend it didn't happen or try and blame the customer you create more problems for yourself. What could simply have been resolved at a lower level gets blown up in the mind of the customer and they escalate the problem or just take their business elsewhere (and complain about you to all of their friends). But it doesn't have to be that way. If you train all of your staff that mistakes happen. that it is a fact of life and they have discretion to resolve the problem to a certain level then you can turn a potentially damaging situation around. Work out within your business what will be your policy if someone complains. If the person complains to an employee - allow the employee to acknowledge the person's feelings, to apologise that your actions have caused the person to feel that way and ask how the person would like to have the matter resolved. Often all the person wants is to be heard. If there is expenditure needed to resolve the matter and it is above the employees financial delegation level, empower the employee that it is OK to contact you with a code word to say that the matter has to be dealt with straight away. You need to act and resolve complaints within one business day. Let it linger and you are creating further problems. Government is a business just like any other. I worked in Government for 15 years and I know mistakes are made - the people in Government are human. They may be acting from the best of intent, but when they forget they are there to serve the greater community and believe they know best for other people - that is when mistakes are made. Over-responsibility in all forms creates hurt and pain. If you try and run someone else's life down to the smallest detail you are not allowing them to grow and learn. Your job is not to run a life, but to grow a life. It is for that reason I totally believe we need to say sorry to the stolen generations. We as a people made major mistakes over generations and now have to live with the consequences. Discrimination in all its forms - both direct and indirect limits us as a society and limits the creative potential of our future. I am proud that Kevin Rudd is finally formally apologising tomorrow for what has been done in the past. Whatever your politics - it is simply the right thing to do. I urge everyone to watch the address live and allow your employees to watch the event as paid time (hey if you can watch a horse race in November, you can watch history in the making). I also ask you to reflect on where your business and you personally may have also unwittingly or knowingly caused hurt and offence to someone else. Take this time to work out how you can say sorry for the hurt you have caused and plan for how you will deal with this in the future. Until next time Ingrid Cliff Heart Harmony Labels: saying sorry, small business ideas |
Friday, 8 February 2008
Business and beauty can be anywhere
 I have lost track of the number of businesses who have said "I can't do that - I am in the wrong location". That's why Annette from Annette Piper jewellery is so inspirational. You see she lives on a cattle farm in rural NSW and creates the most gorgeous quality gemstone pieces. If a mum on a cattle farm can run a thriving jewellery business - what is your excuse? Annette is someone who asks "how can I" and that's the difference. Have a look at your excuses and ask "how can I" solve them. Until next time Ingrid Cliff Heart Harmony Labels: small business ideas |
Monday, 4 February 2008
Feng Shui Your Cubicle
| Feng Shui is the art of energy flow. You know instantly when you walk into an office whether the place feels welcoming or challenging. Many people turn to Feng Shui to help create a better feeling workplace. But how do you get started? I found this great short video on the net about how to Feng Shui your office cubicle. There's quite a few tips here in how to make your space better reflect your intent. Happy re-arranging! Until next time Ingrid Cliff Heart Harmony Labels: small business ideas |
Saturday, 2 February 2008
Yes- another great idea - Playgrounds for pensioners
 OK - this one just forced me to post it (two in one day - a record). With the aging population out there, who said getting old had to be boring. Enter playgrounds for pensioners. Imagine creating specialist playground equipment so older people can laugh and have fun. Love this concept! When I was working with a pharmacy group, my favourite products were the jelly bean patterned walking frames and psychadelic walking sticks. Old doesn't mean dead - and the sooner companies realise the purchasing potential of creating fun functional products the older market the better. Until next time (really) Ingrid Cliff Heart Harmony Labels: small business ideas, small business marketing ideas |
More Small Business Ideas
| Rather than just Twittering this site, it deserves a post all on its own. Here is a great t-shirt idea (and you thought everything t-shirts had been done). T-shirts that when you are within a few feet of someone else wearing the same t-shirt glows with hearts. To make it even better they recharge with hugs. http://www.trendhunter.com/trends/hearts-lightup-with-a-hug Brilliant Valentines Day promo item and proof that you can always find a new twist on an old product. (Of course having a heart on it helps even more). Now - think about it in terms of its application to social networking, being part of a group, singles on the search. How could you take the concept and make it work for your business? Until next time Ingrid Cliff Heart Harmony Labels: small business ideas, small business marketing ideas |
Monday, 21 January 2008
The expectation economy
| One of my favourite trend watching sites has just released its latest summary on "The expectation economy". What is the trend? The growing trend of highly aware, well researched consumers demanding exceptional service and products. Many consumers have changed their buying patterns. Previously they would go to a store, look at products and talk with a salesperson before buying. The trend we are now seeing is consumers first doing extensive research about the product AND the company before they will consider purchasing. They check out blogs, forums and other places to assess how credible and reliable the company is. Many also check out "green credentials" - what the company is doing to preserve and conserve the environment. All of this happens before you even get to hear from the customer. If you "fail" you have lost a sale. What impact does this have on businesses? If you are the only real alternative on the market - not much, at least initially. But if a company with better credentials surfaces, you will suddenly find your business dries up. What do you do about it? Be aware of the trend - look to see who is doing great things in meeting customer demands. What can you learn from them? Here's just a few examples: Walking sticks with funky designs and colours - just because you need a stick to get around doesn't mean you automatically like silver! Free photocopying for students - some clever campuses sell the back of pages as advertising space. Students get free copies - businesses get to market to students. Keep a running ideas book in your office, where anyone in the team can jot down somewhere that had exceptional customer service and what made it so great; fantastic niche products just what they were looking for; or products that had a clear green message about their creation. How can you adapt these ideas to your business? Don't ignore the trends - unless you want to go out of business. Until next time Ingrid Cliff |
Thursday, 17 January 2008
The impact of the internet on business
| Recently I was asked how the internet was forcing businesses to rethink their current business model. This is a massive topic - many businesses are not aware of the changes happening around them and continue to do business in the same old way. It is working for them after a fashion - but it is also limiting their future. But the internet is not just causing changes to business practices - it is also fundamentally changing management, marketing and leadership. The web and the rise of social media and Web 2.0 has meant a blurring between personal and business. Many of our business contacts are now "friends" on Facebook who mingle sometimes uncomfortably with our social friends. This has an impact on the workforce as managers try and manage the productivity of work vs. recreational interaction. The rise of the maven or star vs. company branding. With web 2.0 there is the rise of the cult hero - individuals gain a following, where their thoughts and opinions sway results. People follow people - not companies. It is now much harder to brand a company than it is to brand a leader. We saw this in the last election - with Kevin 07 vs. the Labor party reflecting the change in society. The total reversal of product development. In the past companies had a "great idea" then created a product before taking it to market to see if it will work. With Web 2.0 that is a recipe for disaster. Now you find a niche that is not being served effectively, test the market to see if people are willing to pay for a product in that niche by selling someone else's product and using free web media and gain proof of concept. Only once the test is proven with guaranteed results you then invest in product creation in your own right. Impact on traditional advertising - web "direct mail" is now a science, where every element is tested, results measured and tweaked for maximum return on investment. It is very easy to now prove ROI on a web advertising campaign. Traditional forms of advertising don't have similar speed and data availability so are losing out in terms of expenditure from savvy businesses. Information silos are busted wide open (think Wikis). The web has meant people value instant access to information (often in an organic way vs. a structured way). Businesses are struggling to keep pace with sharing information within and across parts of the business. Many knowledge management tools where they impose unnecessary structure are not stepping up to the mark in terms of useability. It is not uncommon for parts of businesses looking for info on the wider web because an internal silo will not share, only to find someone in that area had posted that info for all to see on a blog post etc. The use of social media such as You Tube as a major way to communicate. People are turning away from traditional TV, magazines and newspapers. More people use Facebook, Myspace and YouTube each day than Google! Even Oprah now streams via You Tube on the You Tube Oprah Channel - that is telling you something! I am an avid trend-watcher - every person I have worked with in the past knows that this is one of my areas of passion. Businesses need to be aware of trends building momentum and get on board before they are left behind. The good part is that small businesses are the best placed to capitalise on these latest trends. It doesn't cost a lot of money to reach the world with your niche product. You just need the desire, the knowledge or someone with the knowledge. Until next time Ingrid Cliff Heart Harmony Labels: small business ideas, small business marketing ideas, small business trends, social media, web 2.0 |
Wednesday, 16 January 2008
Businesses working together rather than standing alone
| Why do many small businesses think they have to "go it alone"? They believe they should be able to succeed by learning everything, doing everything, being everything to everybody. They believe the only way to succeed is by reinventing the wheel from the ground up. If this is you then your approach is self limiting. It is costing you success and wealth. No person or business is as island - they rely on other people to help supply their needs. Just look at the computer screen on your desk in front of you. People from around the world created it for you - they assembled the hardware, coded the software, designed the equipment that manufactured the pieces within it. People built your desk and your chair. People drove trucks to stores with your goods on the back and people sold them to you. Your desk and computer are the results of thousands of people working together to bring them to you. Where am I going with this? You didn't decide to handcraft the desk by yourself. You didn't grow the timber, cut the tree, finish the wood, make the nails and assemble it. You relied on other people's expertise to help you. You already have the experience of relying on others - extend this further. Where are you standing by yourself in your business? Where are you trying to reinvent a wheel that someone else already has invented? Sure you can improve the design, but fundamentally the wheel is sound. Build on it. I see this all of the time with businesses trying to find a perfect niche no one else has thought of. It has been thought of - the question is has it been applied effectively. I see it in businesses trying to build a product, write a policy or code software from scratch. Templates exist - borrow and build on them. I see it in businesses trying to implement cutting edge HR practices and change initiatives when the dust hasn't settled on the last effort. They don't reflect on what has been done and build on that. They don't borrow ideas from people who have successfully been there - done that. I see it in businesses trying to market by themselves - when a shared mail out with like businesses can be cheaper and more effective. I see it in businesses fight to gain clients - when providing referrals means everybody wins (including the clients as they get people with a great track record). So what can you do? Stop and reflect before you act. Why are you trying to reinvent the wheel? Is there already a wheel you can build on? How can you borrow ideas from other great businesses and implement them/tweak them to make them your own? How can you learn from the past and other's experiences. My blog contains stacks of "Twitters" about great sites around the world where people are doing interesting things. Check out some of them and be inspired. Form your own Master Mind group to keep you motivated and to share ideas - learn from each other Go to networking events and learn from others experiences. Share your knowledge and expertise. Share your wisdom on social groups such as LinkedIn and Yahoo answers - you may have the answers others need to hearThe bottom line is you don't need to stand alone. Ask - share - learn - build on what is already great. Your success will be so much greater as you are starting from a higher point Until next time Ingrid Cliff Heart Harmony Labels: business to business networking, small business ideas |
Monday, 14 January 2008
Marketing Tip - Low cost marketing ideas
| I am always on the look-out for great low-cost marketing ideas for small business and found these ideas on the Tall Poppy Blog. While they are written in the context of party planners getting bookings - the ideas are directly applicable for any small business wanting appointments or sales from clients. And the best and simplest idea ... simply ask for an appointment with every contact! Here's a link to the full post if you would like some more low cost ideas. Until next time Ingrid Cliff Heart Harmony Labels: marketing tips, small business ideas, small business marketing ideas |
Wednesday, 2 January 2008
Small Business Ideas - Think BIG!
| My motto is there are no small businesses ... only small ideas. Recently I was running a planning session for one company who had a great idea for a product ... a really great idea. The trouble was their method of distribution was cumbersome, time consuming and would reduce their profits significantly. For them that was the only way they could see to achieve delivery - in their mind that was the way they did things. I looked at their model and made one suggestion - instead of retail, what about wholesale to a few suppliers and change their approach to supply to the wholesalers to one where they could add massive value and support to their wholesalers. This one idea meant they went from having to try and provide service to thousands of people a week, to being able to provide exceptional service to just a hundred people a week. Their wholesalers love the new level of service and support they are getting and have all increased their orders. Their distribution costs plummeted which meant they could invest this money in other things like building their brand, finding new wholesalers and improving their product (...oh yes it tripled their profits in the process). Often it is the small business ideas that make the most difference. Where are you stuck thinking this is the only way it has to be done. How can you shift your thinking? Until next time Ingrid Cliff Heart Harmony www.heartharmony.com.au |
Tuesday, 1 January 2008
Marketing tip - What is Squidoo?
| One of the most useful sites on the net is Squidoo. It is where you get to showcase your depth of expertise in particular areas. With Squidoo you shine a lens on your niche information in a fun, interactive and informative way. On the plus it has high rankings when your page is indexed, you can include links to other websites/blogs etc and you can make money linking to products from places like Amazon. Once you get the hang of the design, creating a lens is easy and quite addictive to do (sort of like on-line scrapbooking!) On the downside it seems to take some time before Google discovers your great new page. But why would you do it? Because you get to position yourself as an expert in your field, to attract traffic, to promote your business and create additional income streams. To give you some idea of what a Squidoo lens looks like here are two I have done up so you can get an idea of the sort of thing you can do: Employee Handbooks that are right, read and understood Marketing plan template Happy Squidooing! Until next time Ingrid Cliff Heart Harmony Blogs: Small business ideas Employee Performance Reviews Labels: internet marketing, marketing tips, small business ideas, squidoo |