Posted by martinparry on October 5, 2010 under Business Planning, Marketing, Sales, SME News, Start Ups, Strategic Planning | 
20 Years of marketing management in such corporate giants as Rover Group, AT&T and ntl: taught me little about the marketing and development needs of SMEs. The objectives and imperatives of such companies are light years away from the focus and immediacy displayed by small companies who rarely have a clear view of their objectives and strategies preferring to move forward on a day to day basis. This lack of clarity and simplicity however was not totally new to me. Before my marketing career among the corporate giants I had owned and managed business within the Travel, Leisure and Computer Services sectors and was very aware for the need to generate profitable sales at minimum investment in cash and time based on clear and simple objectives.
The size of business and market sector however has little impact on the essential truths of business marketing. All need to deliver the right products competitively but profitably priced; backed up by effective promotion and communication and supported by everyone in the business to deliver the best possible customer service and positive messages. It is therefore vital to remember that marketing is not the responsibility of a single part of the business tasked with generating enquiries. Marketing, like quality, is the responsibility of everyone. There is no point in investing thousands of pounds in websites, brochures and advertising if the installation engineers are scruffy and unhelpful!
This holistic marketing approach is reflected in a number of projects on which I have worked. The first example is a business that imported and distributed electric and woodworking tools to hobby modellers. Distributing via a team of sales agents to the retail industry my client had a respectable and profitable turnover of circa £3m. Family owned, the problem was that the business was not thriving. It hadn’t grown in years and chairman dad wanted to retire and was pressuring CEO son to deliver the growth that would enable him to do so.
The whole business was flabby! Dispatch from the warehouse was slow; sales unremarkable; too many customers buying too little. The company lacked direction, strategy and meaningful targets. Working with the board we undertook a complete review of the business resulting in a re-organisation of the sales team; a sharp knife taken to the retail customers cutting out those who failed to reach sales targets, focussing on those willing to respond positively to a new retail incentive scheme. As far as delivery was concerned, we invested in the distribution centre reducing average dispatch from 5 days to 1 thus allowing us to improve customer service; speed invoicing and improve cash flow by cutting stock and debtor days. All this activity was underpinned the identification of management criteria and reporting available at management meetings and ensured that senior management took responsibility for their delivery.
As a result sales revenue grew; profitability improved and morale throughout business recovered rapidly. Since the completion of this project the business has been successfully sold for a good sum; dad has retired and son is a senior director of the new expanded business.
A second project involved a larger business, circa £10m revenue working in motor components. They manufactured suspension systems for manufacturers like GM, Land Rover and Scania. Their problem was simply despite having a number of successful product lines they had identified a product gap during 2011 – 2012 and wanted to develop a product to fill it. The excellent management team had discussed this on several occasions but had failed to agree. And it is true to say that my suggestion to ask the staff was met with a degree of scepticism. However I was given a team made up of machine operators and junior supervisors and we set to work.
Our task was to make new product recommendations that would make maximum use of existing skills and resources within the company. Three days was spent brainstorming the project and undertaking detailed SWOT and PEST examinations of each idea put forward. After hard work from all involved I was given 10 product ideas to put to the leadership team. Of these, three were adopted by the business for initial development and my team were asked to be heavily involved in programmes that ultimately delivered two new and profitable products for the business.
My purpose in selecting these two case studies for discussion was simply to demonstrate the truism that marketing is not websites, brochures or social networking. Marketing works at a strategic level within businesses to deliver high quality, profitable products and services by a trained and motivated team of people led by those who have a clear commitment to the company’s objectives. Lack of sales is often blamed on the web site or the sales manager. As advisors and consultants we should be prepared to look much deeper than that!
Sc: martin.parry@mgba.co.uk
Free Resources
Marketing-Simply – A Guide to Marketing for SMEs –
Business Plan Template – Cashflow Template – Start Up Guide
Guide To Strategic Planning – Small Business Guide
www.ukba.co.uk
Posted by martinparry on June 23, 2010 under Business Planning, HR, SME News |
The coming months are set to be a crucial time for the education and training landscape. As the new government finds its feet, the initial signs are very encouraging and indicate a continuing commitment to the value of apprenticeships in the workplace.
In May the CBI/EDI Education and Skills Survey was published which asked over 600 UK employers to give their priorities for the new government. Ensuring young people are equipped with the employability skills they need to succeed in the workplace was top of the wish list for 70% of those polled. The survey also showed continuing enthusiasm among employers for providing apprenticeships, with 54% currently offering them and another 14% hoping to get involved in the coming months. Despite all the upheaval of the past 18 months, employers still know a good thing when they see it.
Under current economic conditions, employers need to ensure they have a steady stream of skilled employees to help them meet the demands of their customers; apprenticeships can play a vital role in sustaining this flow. Investment in apprenticeships not only increases the skills base of a company, it has a direct impact on the bottom line. According to statistics published by the National Apprenticeship Service (NAS), 80% of apprentice employers said they noticed a significant increase in productivity when employing apprentices.
EDI works in partnership with employers, further education colleges and private training providers to award a wide range of vocational qualifications, including apprenticeships. We’re committed to maintaining the highest standards for these vocational qualifications to ensure they offer a robust alternative to more traditional academic routes.
This year we’re once again sponsoring the Apprentice of the Year category at the National Apprenticeship Awards, our way of celebrating the valuable contribution of apprentices from across the country and the commitment of the organisations that employ them.
With over 190 different apprenticeship programmes now available, there is scope for employers of all types and size to get involved. As well as programmes in the traditional trades of carpentry and plumbing, apprenticeships are now offered in new areas such as creative and cultural, information technology and retail.
In terms of the training apprentices receive, I would argue that the mixture of practical experience and theoretical knowledge required by all apprentices to complete their qualification is exactly what modern businesses need in order to meet the challenges of tomorrow. While it is important to learn the theory of something it is also essential that this learning can be applied practically. We are in danger of restricting the potential of those who learn better in a more practical setting. Apprenticeships are not the easy way out for people with poor academic records. They are challenging programmes that present a different route to success for individuals looking to reach their potential in the world of work.
I would challenge the 32% of employers we surveyed who don’t yet have an apprentice on board, or aren’t yet contemplating hiring one, to find out what they’re missing. And I can vouch for the benefits; EDI has three apprentices and is currently recruiting more.
If you want to learn more about hiring an apprentice for your business go to www.apprenticeships.org.uk.
Sc: Chris Bolton, Director of External Relations, EDI
Sc: www.ediplc.com/news www.ukba.co.uk
Free Resources
Marketing-Simply – A Guide to Marketing for SMEs –
Business Plan Template – Cashflow Template – Start Up Guide
Guide To Strategic Planning – Small Business Guide
www.ukba.co.uk
Posted by martinparry on June 2, 2010 under HR |
Companies must be forced by the Government to include employee information on their annual reports, HR industry representatives have urged. The measure should be included as part of the Operating and Financial Review (OFR), which is a written account of how a company is being run. The OFR should include details covering directors’ social and environmental duties in annual reports. However, the requirement for employee information has not been confirmed. The requirement was first proposed by the Labour Government, and the new Government has announced its commitment to implementing the mandatory OFR.
For more on this story go to:
http://www.personneltoday.com/articles/2010/05/27/
55741/ofrs-must-include-people-information-says-hr.html
Compiled by www.ukba.co.uk
Free Resources
Marketing-Simply – A Guide to Marketing for SMEs –
Business Plan Template – Cashflow Template – Start Up Guide
Guide To Strategic Planning – Small Business Guide
www.ukba.co.uk
Posted by martinparry on March 31, 2010 under Business Planning, Finance, Marketing, Operations, SME News, Social Networking |
The UKBA group in the Midlands(MGBA) are launching a season of
The Board Room
dinners for business leaders in the region. The events will offer an opportunity for entrepeneurs to get together in relaxed civilised surrounding and thrash out problems and issues that affect them all. The first dinner will take place at Hogarth’s Hotel and Restaurant on 27th April 2010.
Invitations are being sent out over the next few days and MGBA are looking forward to hosting a fascinating evening of debate, discussion and hopefully, some answers to the challenging questions and issues before the business community today.
Any business owners and leaders who would like to join MGBA on the night or would like details of future events email martin.parry@mgba.co.uk
Sc: MGBA, Midlands Group Business Advisors
Free Resources
Marketing-Simply – A Guide to Marketing for SMEs –
Business Plan Template – Cashflow Template – Start Up Guide
Guide To Strategic Planning – Small Business Guide
www.ukba.co.uk
Posted by martinparry on February 25, 2010 under Finance, HR, SME News, Tax |
According to Rachel Burgess of Business Car Magazine plans for workplace parking taxes are emerging across the UK, with York and Exeter city councils first to follow Nottingham’s confirmed scheme by revealing proposals for charging businesses that providing parking for employees.
However, states Rachel, the Forum of Private Business has branded the additional tax burden, intended to cut congestion and reduce carbon emissions, as “unfair, unsustainable and unacceptable”.
“It is an attempt to tax struggling businesses for employing people at a time when we should be facilitating them to take on staff. Instead we are penalising them,” a spokesman told BusinessCar. “It is very much a case of looking for short-term gain at the expense of longer term economic stability.”
Sc: http://businesscar.co.uk
Free Resources
Marketing-Simply – A Guide to Marketing for SMEs –
Business Plan Template – Cashflow Template – Start Up Guide
Guide To Strategic Planning – Small Business Guide
www.ukba.co.uk
Posted by admin on February 24, 2010 under HR |
1. Put 400 bricks in a closed room.
2. Put your new employees in the room and close the door.
3. Leave them alone and come back after 6 hours.
4. Then analyze the situation:
a. If they are counting the bricks, put them in the Accounting Department.
b. If they are recounting them, put them in Auditing.
c. If they have messed up the whole place with the bricks, put them in Engineering .
d. If they are arranging the bricks in some strange order, put them in Planning.
e. If they are throwing the bricks at each other, put them in Operations.
f. If they are sleeping , put them in Security.
g. If they have broken the bricks into pieces, put them in Information Technology.
h. If they are sitting idle , put them in Human Resources .
i. If they say they have tried different combinations , they are looking for more, yet not a brick has been moved , put them in Administration.
j. If they have already left for the day, put them in Marketing.
k. If they are staring out of the window, put them in Strategic Planning.
l. If they are talking to each other, and not a single brick has been moved, congratulate them and put them in Top Management .
m. Finally , if they have surrounded themselves with bricks in such a way that they can neither be seen nor heard from, then put them in Government
HOW TO PROPERLY PLACE NEW EMPLOYEES
1. Put 400 bricks in a closed room. 2. Put your new employees in the room and close the door. 3. Leave them alone and come back after 6 hours. 4. Then analyze the situation: a. If they are counting the bricks, put them in the Accounting Department. b. If they are recounting them, put them in Auditing. c. If they have messed up the whole place with the bricks, put Location Central Valley Bank them in Engineering . d. If they are arranging the bricks in some strange order, put them in Planning. e. If they are throwing the bricks at each other, put them in Operations. f. If they are sleeping , put them in Security. g. If they have broken the bricks into pieces, put them in Information Technology. h. If they are sitting idle , put them in Human Resources . i. If they say they have tried different combinations , they are looking for more, yet not a brick has been moved , put them in Administration. j. If they have already left for the day, put them in Marketing. k. If they are staring out of the window, put them in Strategic Planning. l. If they are talking to each other, and not a single brick has been moved, congratulate them and put them in Top Management . Finally , if they have surrounded themselves with bricks in such a way that they can neither be seen nor heard from, then put them in Government
Free Resources
Marketing-Simply – A Guide to Marketing for SMEs –
Business Plan Template – Cashflow Template – Start Up Guide
Guide To Strategic Planning – Small Business Guide
www.ukba.co.uk
