The HUGE downside of “Free”
"Free" is a really powerful word, it gets used often to gain attention, and put urgency into a call to action, particularly if the "free" period is short. How many of us have not reacted at some time to the siren song of "Free?" However, "free" has a huge downside....
How to calculate Share of Wallet.
The calculation is easy, sales over total wallet, the problem is in defining the denominator, or what is in/out of your wallet. The definition of the wallet is the really hard bit, the debate however, can be extraordinarily useful in terms of focussing the attention...
Beginners guide to small business blogging
Writing a blog can be confronting, and often small business owners shy away for the commitment. Make no mistake it is a commitment, but so is anything worth doing. After 6 years and 1400 posts, and a lot of reading of posts by others, I have learned a bit, I...
How to stand out on social platforms. The 9 ways.
My small business clients ask me this all the time. They know they have to stand out on Social Media, but the question is how? The necessary steps and supporting processes are now pretty well understood, but not easy to execute. 1. Find a niche and own it. This...
15 rules for dealing with supermarket buyers
Respected Australian Food industry journal Australian Food News published a terrific rewrite of a presentation I gave some weeks ago to a group of food industry CEO’s reflecting on the years I have spent in the industry. After 40 years, I thought there may be...
Personalise to turn cold emails warm
So, you managed to get that cold email opened by the recipient. Well done, past the first hurdle. The next is to create an environment where the opener does something you want as a result of the opening, your next step in the process of engaging towards a...
Facebook ads for small business beginners.
So, you have a small business and your neighbour tells you Facebook is the place to be, that you can get heaps of likes and sales out of a few dollars. Not all true, but it can be. Facebook can be a great way to build a small business into a bigger one, for many types...
5 planning principals for the major long term sale.
Planning to engage a major potential customer is much more than finding the phone number on the web site and ringing reception to ask who is the right person to speak to. Chances are, even if they know who the right person is they will connect you to the intern. For...
Is FMCG Private label able to continue to grow?
Australia's Grocery retailers continue the march towards private label range dominance, basing their strategic decision making on two foundations, it would seem to me. By controlling a large section of their sales via PL, they manage to both increase their margins at...
How to build a small business brand from scratch.
Small businesses have great opportunities to leverage their skills, but now more than ever, they need a brand as the digital spot on which to double down their marketing investment, to create a wall from which to defend their territory. Most do not have the skills,...