Slides from Elephants Abroad pilot conference

AN INTRODUCTION TO BUSINESS SUCCESS

Helen Hammond, Elephants Abroad

Now you… your goals and objectives from today

THE OBSERVATIONS OF A WOMAN IN BUSINESS

Exercise 1

In groups, draw a picture of a successful business woman

Exercise 2

Now, draw a picture of an unsuccessful business woman

Exercise 1

Let’s agree, the things that make businesses succeed and fail

STARTING UP A BUSINESS IS…

Frightening Exciting Confusing

Challenging Entertaining Frustrating

Rewarding Problem-solvingProblem-creating

But above all… it’s lonely…

I’LL LET YOU INTO A SECRET… WE ALL FEEL THE SAME WAY...

I’LL LET YOU INTO ANOTHER SECRET… NOBODY ELSE IS WORRYING AS MUCH AS YOU…

I’LL LET YOU INTO ANOTHER SECRET… THE WORRY DOESN’T GO AWAY…

Today’s agenda

• Understanding why people go into business and why they ‘buy’

• Deciding on an idea• Setting and understanding target audiences• Setting goals and objectives• Planning for your business• Key skills – finance• Key skills – the law• Key skills – marketing• Key skills – measuring & reporting• Planning for the future• Personal action plans

WHY GO INTO BUSINESS?

Why go into business - motivations

But these are also the reasons people buy

Exercise 3

You are selling bottles of water. How would you describe your product to satisfy each level of buyer need?

Exercise 4

Know the difference between needs and wants

DECIDING ON AN IDEA

QUESTION: Deciding on an idea

What questions should you ask yourself?

Deciding on an idea – questions to ask

1. Why are you doing this?2. What do you want to achieve?3. Who are you targeting?4. What do you need to do to be a success?5. What are your timescales for success and are they

realistic?6. What tools and skills do you need?7. Have you got them?8. If not, where will you get them?9. How realistic is it that you can make this work?10.How are you going to do it?11.How will you know you’ve succeeded?

TARGET AUDIENCES

QUESTION: Why do you need to understand your target audiences?

Can you just ‘sell’ to everybody?

Why do you need to understand your target audiences?

1. Needs2. Wants3. Motivation4. Language5. Saves money6. Saves time7. Gets results

Understanding target audiences

Sally is a teacher based in Oxford. She is in her first year of teaching at a private, mixed primary school, linked to a well-respected senior school. Sally is teaching 8 year olds. Outside of school Sally is a keen environmental crusader, supporting her local recycling campaign, as well as growing her own organic vegetables at home. She drives a Ford Focus when she needs to but tries to cycle whenever she can. She has two cats and a goldfish (Hugh, Jamie and Nigella, respectively) and is currently living with her partner, Steve. Steve works at a local charity, supporting the homeless getting back into work. They own their own house, a three-bedroom semi-detached house on the outskirts of Oxford. They both have iPhones and Steve has an iPad. They are both on Facebook and use it to keep in touch with friends, particularly those that they met at university. Sally keeps up to date with current teaching practice on The Guardian website, as well as various blogs and teaching resource sites. She rarely comments. She recently read about the concept of Environmental Citizenship in The Guardian. She’s is keen to integrate this into curriculum studies, as well as extra-curriculum activities and holiday clubs. She has approached the Head Teacher about starting a vegetable garden and taking more of her classes outside. She would like to be able to sell the produce to parents and teachers, to use the money to take the children on trips to local farms and nature parks. She is also keen to work with the Student Council to hear what they have to say about how the children think they can help to make their school ‘greener’

Exercise 5

Your turn…

GOAL SETTING

Setting goals and objectives

Setting goals and objectives

• Specific

• Measurable

• Actionable

• Realistic

• Time constrained

• Experiential

• Challenging

Setting goals and objectives

By the end of December 2015 we will have increased our profit margin

from 20% to 25%.

measurable

specificachievable

realistic

time constrained

experiential

challenging

PLANNING

Planning

PLANNING… START WITH WHAT YOU KNOW…

Elephant Creative is me, Helen Hammond. A ‘really useful marketing person’, soprano, retired rowing coach and organist’s moll…

Elephant Creative is the sum of all the people I know. A collection of expertise that means the right team for every business.

Elephant Creative provides common-sense solutions.

Elephant Creative puts order in chaos for businesses.

The statements

The elevator pitch

Elephant Creative is an innovative new marketing consultancy, providing a full-service to

organisations in the UK, and in particular across the South of England. We don’t just provide advice

but roll our sleeves up and help you to achieve your business goals through intelligent, practical marketing. That means drawing on a wealth of

experience and a network of specialists to translate marketing ideas into action and action

into achievement.

The people

Other elements… if helpful

• Financial review• Where does your work come from• The current sales process• Review of current marketing activity• Competitor review

Planning

PLANNING… THEN STATE WHAT YOU WANT TO KNOW…

The SWOT test

STRENGTHS

•Over 10 years of experience•Plain speaking in plain English•Common sense approach•Approachable

WEAKNESSES

•Only one of me and sometimes runs things too thin•Marketing can be spasmodic depending on time available•Lack of belief in herself•Lack of confidence in networking

OPPORTUNITIES

•Growing expertise in online retail•Could get loads more PR work if I had more expertise available•Could do more remote work which would mean cheaper for client (in particular copywriting)

THREATS

•Work gets in the way of business development opportunities and pipeline•Relatively saturated market with marketing consultants•Only one ‘Helen’ – threatens growth•Recession is still going meaning budgets are tight

The Action SWOT test

STRENGTHS

•Share case studies more – write up examples of things I’ve done and share them more on the blog to demonstrate expertise, experience, clients and approach.•Consider ways to develop relationships with more referrers and improve those I do have.

WEAKNESSES

•Need to develop network of people (see above)•Need to allocate time each day to marketing. Suggest timetable? •Have started business coaching to build personal confidence in business scenario and also in networking.

OPPORTUNITIES

•Need to develop network of experts – in particular with PR freelancers. Broaden network and specialisms. Need to ensure core specialisms are covered: professional services, online sector, hospitality/leisure.

THREATS

•Learn from the competition – start a log of the ‘good ideas’ the competition have had and expand to factor in to my weekly/monthly marketing.

So, with all this in mind, do you want to revise your personas?Make sure you’re talking to the right people.

QUESTION

Planning

PLANNING… WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO?

Questions to ask…

• How do my personas communicate?• What brands do I love/hate? Inspiration?• What is each activity supposed to achieve?

What does success look like.• What ROI can I expect from this activity?• How much is it going to cost?• How will I measure it?• What’s realistic?

1: Your actions and priorities

2: Your action plan

2: Your action plan

3: Immediate actions

Review…

• Put it in the diary• What have we learnt?• What have we achieved?• What have we not achieved?• What next – goals?• What next – target market?• What next – action?

Planning for your business

Exercise 6

Now apply it to your water selling business…

Objectives, goals, target audience and plan examples

LUNCH – YIPEEEE!

LET’S RECAP ON THIS MORNING… WHAT HAVE YOU GAINED? NEW OBJECTIVES?

KEY SKILLS - FINANCE

THE MOST IMPORTANT RULE

Profit is more important than revenue

Key skills – Finance - Cash is king

Key Skills – Finance - Cash is king

YOU MUST RECORD:

• Money coming in – from sales• Money coming in – from other areas• Money you started with

• Fixed costs• Variable costs• People costs• Obligations

Key Skills – Finance - Cash is king

• Link budgets and decisions to goals• Learn the value of every penny spent• Save money for fees, tax and overheads before you

do anything else• Never a lender or a borrower be• Don’t buy anything the business can’t afford to buy

for you• Measure, report, adapt• Make sure you know the law and your obligations• Consider these things daily• Don’t forget growth – what do you want to do next

and how much will it cost to do it• Don’t be afraid to ask

PROTECT YOURSELF – THE LAW

Protect yourself – the law

“I don’t want to get too legal with people – they might not

want to work with me…”

Protect yourself – the law

UNDERSTANDING CONTRACTS• A verbal contract is binding• A text message is a contract• An email is a contract• Contracts protect you and your buyers

TYPES OF CONTRACT• Business creation and obligations• Employment• Terms and Conditions• Sub contractor• Health & Safety• Property• Data protection• Intellectual property

Protect yourself – the law

TERMS & CONDITIONS• You should include:• A detailed description of the goods and/or services;• The agreed price and any deposit (returnable or not);• Payment terms and what happens if payment is not made;• When the goods will be delivered, and/or the services

provided;• The expected quality of the goods or services, and the process

for deciding whether any goods/services are defective;• Limitation of liability;• Force majeure; and• The circumstances in which the agreement may be terminated

and what will happen upon termination. 

Protect yourself – the law

PROTECT YOURSELF WHEN BUYING TOO…• If prompt delivery is important, inform the seller and

confirm it in writing.• Ask for detailed product specifications. When you place an

order, insist that the product must match the specification.• State what quality levels and standards you expect.• Tell the seller what you will use the product for or why you

require the service.• Ask the seller to tell you about any hidden dangers,

limitations or quality changes.• Keep a record of any claims made by the seller. 

Protect yourself – the law

BREAKTIME – CONSIDER THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS YOU NEED TO SELL WATER – WHAT SHOULD THEY CONTAIN?

EXERCISE 7

MARKETING

“Marketing consists of individual and organisational activities that facilitate and expedite satisfying exchange relationships in a dynamic environment through the creation, distribution and pricing of goods, services and ideas.”

Dibb, Simkin, Pride & Ferrell

WHAT???!!! “Marketing is common sense. It’s talking to the right people,

in the right language and in the place they’re already talking, so that you encourage them to do what you need them to do in a way they want to do it.”

Helen Hammond

The marketing mix

• Product• Price• Place• Promotion• People

What’s the difference?

• Advertising• PR• Web• Email• Social media• Partnerships• Sales promotion• Customer care• Networking• Competitions & incentives

Types of ‘marketing’

Planning your marketing

1. What do you want to achieve?2. Why?3. Who you’re talking to?4. About what?5. How?6. When?7. How will you know it worked?

Planning your marketing

1. Marketing is one person talking to another one person

2. It’ll only work if it’s integrated3. Know where you’re going and what you need to

happen4. That’s enough about you… what do they need?5. Common sense must prevail6. Beware of competitors7. Good marketing principles will win out8. The method doesn’t dictate the activity

Let’s understand brands…

Your brand is not your logo. It’s everything you ARE & WANT TO BE wrapped up in how you communicate.

Let’s understand brands

FIND YOUR VOICE• Who are you talking to?• What sort of ‘person’ is the speaker• Words we love• Words we dislike• Visual ideas• How will our target audience respond• Try it out and test it

TELL ME ABOUT YOUR WATER BRAND… WHAT ARE YOUR VALUES AND THE THINGS THAT ARE IMPORTANT TO YOU AND YOUR CUSTOMERS?

EXERCISE 8

1. What do you want them to do?2. Know your audience3. Get the language right4. Blank space is important5. Think about what they need to know, not what

you want to say6. Problem, solution, call to action

Advertising top tips

1. Title2. Sub title/intro3. Body text4. Editor’s notes5. Contact details6. Keep it personal7. Include photos8. Don’t forget digital

PR top tips

1. What do you want them to do?2. Know your audience3. Get the language right4. Blank space is important5. Think about what they need to know, not what you want to

say6. Problem, solution, call to action7. Google Analytics8. Consider search engines9. Link things up10.Websites should evolve11.Landing pages12.Continuity

Web top tips

1. What do you want them to do?2. Know your audience3. Get the language right4. Blank space is important5. Think about what they need to know, not what

you want to say6. Problem, solution, call to action7. Link it up8. Google Analytics, MailChimp9. Data Protection Act 1998

Email top tips

• Logos are ok, but people like to connect with people. • If SEO is important, name your profile photo, images and logos• Make the effort to get things set up properly – this is your shop window• Think of social networking like a networking event – DM isn’t the way to

start• First be interested – find people that contribute good content and follow

them• Then be interesting – provide content yourself and contribute to the

conversation• Join in the chat – join/follow groups and get talking in response to posts

you’ve liked• It doesn’t have to be perfect, but it does have to be you!• Engage with people outside of your normal friends/colleagues• Find your favourite brands/companies and follow them for inspiration• Make sure you respond to posts/RTs/mentions if people are kind enough

to mention you or share them• Keep it fresh – set up Google Alerts for topics of interest – you can post

directly from there and save time• Check your profile tab regularly – would you follow you?• Make life easy with tools

Social media top tips

Partnerships top tips

FIND PARTNERS WITH THE AUDIENCE YOU WANT AND JOIN TOGETHER.

1. What do you want them to do?2. Know your audience3. Get the language right4. Think about what they need to know, not what

you want to say5. Problem, solution, call to action6. Always consider the longer term

Sales top tips

1. Don’t assume – ask2. Think about how you will know you’re doing well3. Be prepared to change

Customer care top tips

1. Develop an elevator pitch:1. What do you want them to do?2. Think about what they need to know, not what you want to

say3. Problem, solution, call to action4. Ask yourself whether anyone can understand the value you

bring

2. Do your homework3. Two ears, one mouth4. Make notes5. Follow things up

Networking top tips

EXERCISE 9

WRITE YOUR ELEVATOR PITCH

1. Know your audience2. Get the language right3. Problem, solution, incentive to move faster4. Plan it out properly5. Remember your Ts and Cs6. Measure results7. Be prepared to change

Incentives top tips

Turning it into a campaign

MEASUREMENT & REPORTING

Measuring activity and return on investment

• Customer feedback• Online survey• Face-to-face survey• Post sales• Focus groups

• Financial information• Digital tools

• Social media• Website traffic• Activity reports

Measure, report, change

Two big questions…

HOW SHOULD YOU DECIDE HOW MUCH TO SPEND?

Two big questions

BUT WHERE DOES THE INSPIRATION COME FROM?

Be brave

You are not alone

THAT’S IT… YOUR TURN… WHAT WILL YOU DO DIFFERENTLY TOMORROW?

Personal action plans