Saturday, August 07, 2010
4Networking - Business networking the modern way
4Networking - Business networking the modern way: "- Sent using Google Toolbar"
Saturday, May 29, 2010
Wednesday, December 21, 2005
New Campaign: Combating Climate Change
Co-operative Bank in the UK has just launched a new campaign for 2006: Combating Climate Change, in partnership with Friends of the Earth.
Further information available at
www.co-operativebank.co.uk/climatechange
Further information available at
www.co-operativebank.co.uk/climatechange
Tuesday, June 14, 2005
How Marketing is Like Making Love
From Shel Horowitz, founder of the Business Ethics Pledge and author of Principled Profit: Marketing That Puts People First
When you find a potential romantic partner, do you throw that person to the ground and force yourself? I certainly hope not! Instead of a beautiful relationship, you'd face a jail sentence; forcing yourself is criminal behavior.
While it doesn't send you to prison, forcing your unwanted marketing on others is not a smart way to build crucial long-term relationships with your customers—relationships that pay off in high life-long sales and huge numbers of referrals.
Even if the customer opens him or herself willingly to your marketing, "love 'em and leave 'em" doesn't truly satisfy. What does a Don Juan really get from the latest conquest? A momentary thrill and another notch on the bedpost—so what? If you convince someone to buy once, but you treat your new customer badly, nothing will last. You'll have the momentary thrill of a few more dollars in your account—but you'll spend that and more bringing in the next one-night-wonder. This is the difference between that three-letter-word beginning with "s"—a bodily need divorced from emotion—and a long-term, maybe even last-forever romance that combines passion, communication, and recognition of the other person's contribution to your own wholeness—so that the slightest touch of a finger against skin can open up entire worlds, and a quiet communication from you can have your customers oohing and ahhing and telling all their friends that they absolutely must do business with you, because you'll make them feel so special.
In marketing, there's a concept called by many names, among them Lifetime (LT, to get past the e-mail filters) Customer Value (LCV) and Total LT Value. It's the idea that it may be worth spending a little more to bring in a new customer, because over a period of years, that customer will spend with you again and again. But that only happens if you're there for them. If you show that you care, not just about the dollars, but about their wants and needs, then and only then will your customers build those high LCVs, and woo others to your camp as well. In fact, if a company starts taking a customer for granted, "marketing divorce" will follow. Just in the last few months, I've ended two long-term, high-ticket business relationships: one with the auto manufacturer whose cars I've been driving since 1977, and one with the mail order company that's sold me most of my software and several computers since 1984. In both cases, I received clear signals that these companies did not, after all, value my business enough to make even the slightest attempt to keep me happy. Over the next ten or twelve years, I'll probably spend many thousands of dollars with their competitors. And, of course, I no longer rave about the wonderful service I'd gotten with these companies in the past, so the stream of new business I may have generated is kaput.
You've all heard the "that was a demo, now you're a customer" joke about heaven and hell. A successful romance is built not only on passion, but on true two-way communication. The more you listen—REALLY listen—and act on what you heard, the more you sell. Nobody wants to be "sold to." We want to be courted, to be romanced, to be shown that our partners love, cherish, respect and honor us—that they're both passionate and tender, and that it's not just all about them and their needs, and that this care goes beyond the initial date or the initial sale. It's true in love, and it's true in marketing.
Originally published in
Positive Power of Principled Profit
Volume 1, Number 8 - April, 2004
When you find a potential romantic partner, do you throw that person to the ground and force yourself? I certainly hope not! Instead of a beautiful relationship, you'd face a jail sentence; forcing yourself is criminal behavior.
While it doesn't send you to prison, forcing your unwanted marketing on others is not a smart way to build crucial long-term relationships with your customers—relationships that pay off in high life-long sales and huge numbers of referrals.
Even if the customer opens him or herself willingly to your marketing, "love 'em and leave 'em" doesn't truly satisfy. What does a Don Juan really get from the latest conquest? A momentary thrill and another notch on the bedpost—so what? If you convince someone to buy once, but you treat your new customer badly, nothing will last. You'll have the momentary thrill of a few more dollars in your account—but you'll spend that and more bringing in the next one-night-wonder. This is the difference between that three-letter-word beginning with "s"—a bodily need divorced from emotion—and a long-term, maybe even last-forever romance that combines passion, communication, and recognition of the other person's contribution to your own wholeness—so that the slightest touch of a finger against skin can open up entire worlds, and a quiet communication from you can have your customers oohing and ahhing and telling all their friends that they absolutely must do business with you, because you'll make them feel so special.
In marketing, there's a concept called by many names, among them Lifetime (LT, to get past the e-mail filters) Customer Value (LCV) and Total LT Value. It's the idea that it may be worth spending a little more to bring in a new customer, because over a period of years, that customer will spend with you again and again. But that only happens if you're there for them. If you show that you care, not just about the dollars, but about their wants and needs, then and only then will your customers build those high LCVs, and woo others to your camp as well. In fact, if a company starts taking a customer for granted, "marketing divorce" will follow. Just in the last few months, I've ended two long-term, high-ticket business relationships: one with the auto manufacturer whose cars I've been driving since 1977, and one with the mail order company that's sold me most of my software and several computers since 1984. In both cases, I received clear signals that these companies did not, after all, value my business enough to make even the slightest attempt to keep me happy. Over the next ten or twelve years, I'll probably spend many thousands of dollars with their competitors. And, of course, I no longer rave about the wonderful service I'd gotten with these companies in the past, so the stream of new business I may have generated is kaput.
You've all heard the "that was a demo, now you're a customer" joke about heaven and hell. A successful romance is built not only on passion, but on true two-way communication. The more you listen—REALLY listen—and act on what you heard, the more you sell. Nobody wants to be "sold to." We want to be courted, to be romanced, to be shown that our partners love, cherish, respect and honor us—that they're both passionate and tender, and that it's not just all about them and their needs, and that this care goes beyond the initial date or the initial sale. It's true in love, and it's true in marketing.
Originally published in
Positive Power of Principled Profit
Volume 1, Number 8 - April, 2004
Wednesday, June 08, 2005
Standing up for the little guy
Croner Small Business reports on recent accusations from UK small business associations against retails giants that dominate the consumer retail sector. Associations are taking their complaints to the UK Office of Fair Trading which is currently asking for evidence on the current issue of competitiveness in the grocery section
read more...
read more...
Saturday, June 04, 2005
Strong Future International - Making The World A Better Place!?
Strong Future International - Making The World A Better Place?!
This is the "ethical" focus for SFI for which I am an affiliate, mainly because it offers superb internet marketing resources and education for free which can cost an arm and a leg elsewhere.
Anway, Strong Future International promotes itself to SFI affilates as follows
"The One World Awareness Campaign is a prime component of Strong Future's mission, providing a vehicle to expose StF to millions of people and designed to continually grow the StF membership. The One World ads have a simple message based on a "help us make the world a better place" theme. Readers are being directed to the website, where they can choose to become an StF member, shop the StF Mall, and/or become an SFI affiliate."
It is currently based around 3 charities but it also provides shopping facilities at stores which I need to check out for their ethical business policies.
Watch this space
This is the "ethical" focus for SFI for which I am an affiliate, mainly because it offers superb internet marketing resources and education for free which can cost an arm and a leg elsewhere.
Anway, Strong Future International promotes itself to SFI affilates as follows
"The One World Awareness Campaign is a prime component of Strong Future's mission, providing a vehicle to expose StF to millions of people and designed to continually grow the StF membership. The One World ads have a simple message based on a "help us make the world a better place" theme. Readers are being directed to the website, where they can choose to become an StF member, shop the StF Mall, and/or become an SFI affiliate."
It is currently based around 3 charities but it also provides shopping facilities at stores which I need to check out for their ethical business policies.
Watch this space
Thursday, June 02, 2005
Vote for Trade Justice with the Co-operative Bank
The Co-operative Bank is the only main UK bank with a published Ethical Policy and their latest campaign is a call for Trade Justice for some of the world's poorest countries.
Please get involved and join thousands of other in the Vote for Trade Justice
Trade Justice calls on the UK Government to:
Please get involved and join thousands of other in the Vote for Trade Justice
Trade Justice calls on the UK Government to:
- Fight for policies that will allow poor countries to choose the best solutions to end poverty. These will not always be free trade policies
- Stop the flood of cheap, subsidised exports to developing countries
- Make laws to stop big business profiting at the expense of people and the environment
Read more about the Co-operative Bank...
Best regards
Kevin
Global Business Resources
Ethical Optimism
www.widerworldbusiness.com
Shel Horowitz and The Ethical Business Pledge
I am proud to be associated with Shel Horowitz, ethical marketing expert, and his Principled Profit programme of marketing that puts people first. Everything on Shel's site, in his newsletters and articles applies to what I am trying to achieve with WiderWorldBusiness - earning an honest living off the internet with integrity and respect for other individuals, societies and cultures.
I came across Shel when searching for like-minded sites to make sure that WiderWorldBusiness was not going to be targeting a market with no competitors, or should I say, co-operators! One of the first things I have done is sign "The Ethics Pledge" which means committing to doing business ethically to succeed without dishonesty, greed or unethical practices. Use the link below to do likewise.
Sign The Ethics Pledge
Shel has written many articles and books on ethical business and marketing and his "Principled Profit" became an Amazon bestseller. I have a sample of the book in PDF format which you are invited to download here for free from our free resources page.
He also has a blog at http://principledprofit.blogspot.com/
Best regards
Kevin
Ethical Optimist
I came across Shel when searching for like-minded sites to make sure that WiderWorldBusiness was not going to be targeting a market with no competitors, or should I say, co-operators! One of the first things I have done is sign "The Ethics Pledge" which means committing to doing business ethically to succeed without dishonesty, greed or unethical practices. Use the link below to do likewise.
Sign The Ethics Pledge
Shel has written many articles and books on ethical business and marketing and his "Principled Profit" became an Amazon bestseller. I have a sample of the book in PDF format which you are invited to download here for free from our free resources page.
He also has a blog at http://principledprofit.blogspot.com/
Best regards
Kevin
Ethical Optimist
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