Tips to Get Back into Business after a Break
Six steps to find your business and marketing mojo Are you finding it hard to get back into your business after the Xmas and New Year Break? If you live in Australia like ... read more
Seven Tips To Stay Optimistic In Business (When The World Gets Negative)
Maintaining optimism in your business and marketing Recently it seems that all the news has a negative spin. Positive stories are hard to find. The negative view point ... read more
Q: What is the Right Marketing Strategy? A: The one that works!
Revisiting an old marketing strategy may be just the answer to finding customers right now. Are you running out of ideas for how to find customers? Have a think back to the ... read more
Marketing Strategy to Attract Customers You Love
It's Valentine’s week and it’s time to talk about love. Not the romantic couple love we are overloaded with right now, rather customers you love. We all have them sometimes ... read more
Marketing When to Do It Yourself and When to Get Expert Help
I recently was asked the question ‘why do you need a marketing consultant when you can do marketing yourself’? This is a great question. There are some aspects of marketing ... read more
Why Are People Not Buying From You?
In this engaging session, I discuss with Nicholas Bolto from Founders key points why people may not be buying from you. This is helpful for people wanting to get more sales. read more
[PODCAST] Finding Your Marketing Mojo
I spoke on the Les Price podcast and you can listen to this episode all about finding your marketing mojo right here. read more
Caring For Yourself Is Caring For Your Business
The best marketing strategies can be created when you are on holidays so knock off early this year and look after the number 1 in your business. read more
LOCKDOWN Appropriate Marketing
Everyone knows you need to do marketing, but how do you continue to do your marketing in lockdown? We need to develop different strategies for our marketing in lockdown ... read more
Getting your marketing beyond Lockdown
Have you or your business been slow in lockdown? It’s not surprising with the constant changing of momentum. If you need help developing your marketing plan, I suggest you consider my Get Your Marketing Sorted program read more
Marketing planning in an uncertain world
Discover how to pivot your marketing planning in a COVID world when things keep changing. read more
10 Things to do for a good business new year
You’ve still got plenty of time to make some good decisions for your business. Here are ten ideas for you to consider. Choose one or two and implement them for a bright business new year. read more
Have you seen my marketing mojo? Seven tips to get it back.
7 tips to give ourselves a much-needed boost to our marketing, ourselves and get our business back into top gear. read more
Five common reasons businesses don’t have a current marketing plan
Developing a marketing plan doesn’t have to be a difficult, and having an effective marketing plan will improve business outcomes. Here's how! read more
Guest articles – a series: Branding and Public Relations
Sometimes I write for other blogs on a range of small business-related topics which you may not have read. This fifth collection of articles is all about branding and PR. read more
Guest articles – a series: Suppliers
Sometimes I write for other blogs on a range of small business-related topics which you may not have read. This fourth collection of articles is all about suppliers. read more
Guest articles – a series: Motivation and rebooting your mojo
Sometimes I write for other blogs on a range of small business-related topics which you may not have read. This third collection of articles is all about motivation and rebooting your mojo. read more
Guest articles – a series: Customers
Sometimes I write for other blogs on a range of small business-related topics which you may not have read. This second collection of articles is all about customers. read more
Shoestring Marketing what is it and why is it so important?
Shoestring Marketing is about doing marketing correctly and marketing done correctly delivers a good return on investment large or small. read more
Guest articles – a series: End of financial year for small business
Sometimes I write for other blogs on a range of small business-related topics which you may not have read. This first collection of articles is around EOFY. read more
COVID Content – what to create in these crazy times.
In these COVID times communication seems to take on two extremes. Businesses are either retreating (verbally isolating as well as physically) and it’s difficult to find out ... read more
“C”ing your way through COVID-19: Communication
It's so important for Small Business to Communicate in times of COVID-19. Tips to small business owners on when, how and why to communicate with your customers, suppliers and others in this time. read more
“C”ing your way through COVID-19: Contact
It's so important for Small Business to stay in Contact in times of COVID-19. Tips to small business owners to help you get through this challenging period. read more
“C”ing your way through COVID-19: Calm
It's so important for Small Business to keep Calm in times of COVID-19. We share tips to small business owners on how to stay calm in a crazy world. read more
“C”ing your way through COVID-19: Crisis
Discover COVID-19 business marketing tips by using the six letters of the word CRISIS to help your business get through this challenging period. read more
Hidden benefits of joining a Networking Group
Networking is an important part of a small business marketing strategy. A great way to do Networking on a regular basis is to join a business referral network or networking group. As part of 20 years in business this is one of my key tips for all small businesses. read more
How marketing has changed in the past 20 years
It’s 20 years since I started my marketing business and I think like most milestones, it provides an opportunity for reflection. read more
Review, Reflect, Reset Your Marketing
A strong marketing strategy is one that supports business goals and direction.So reviewing, reflecting and resetting each year is a must. read more
Making the Most of EOFY in Your Marketing
It’s EOFY year and this is one of my favourite times in the business year. It’s a time where we have our feet in the past, present and future all at the same time. We need ... read more
Multiply Communication Options – Multiply Sales
Are you surprised to receive advertising material in your letterbox? It's election time in Australia and I recently heard a radio announcer utter her surprise that in the ... read more
What stops us setting goals and how it impacts our marketing
A successful marketing strategy for small business is the roadmap to business success. It is only possible to develop a marketing strategy if the business has clear goals and ... read more
Five Networking Tips for People Who Hate Networking
Networking is one of the best ways for small businesses to gain new business. Business networking is about building business relationships that lead to referrals. Ask any ... read more
Is the customer always right? You betcha!
One of the hot marketing topics right now is the customer experience. We talk about giving the customer a great in-store or online experience. So here's a tip for all ... read more
DIY Videos How To Do Them Better
Just because we have a mobile phone doesn’t make us a professional videographer but we can use professional videographer tips to get better! Video can be a powerful medium ... read more
Marketing Strategy for Success
As a marketing consultant based in Melbourne Australia I find that many business owners in this country feel they have to do every possible bit of marketing in order to be ... read more
12 New Financial Year Resolutions
How fantastic as small business owners we get to celebrate two New Year’s every year! End of Financial Year is one of my favourite times of the year not only because it’s my ... read more
Are You Underselling Yourself?
Do you know how much you are worth? Do you know how to work it out? Often businesses that provide services can find it a challenge to work out how much to charge. If it’s ... read more
Marketing Consulting
What is it? When do you need it? A marketing consultant is someone that can help you with your marketing. There are so many options out there for how to do your marketing ... read more
What is marketing?
What is Marketing? Marketing is the process you follow that gets you more customers and ultimately makes your business money. It involves finding customers ... read more
Don’t believe everything you see on social media. Here’s why
Last week I attended a show at the theatre and leading up to the start of the show there was a flurry of social media activity by the audiences. Many people were uploading ... read more
Keep More Customers – Fall Back in Love
Falling Back In Love With Your Clients Without customers we don’t have business. They are the lifeblood, the cashflow, the raison d’etre for many businesses. If we love ... read more
Get Off Social Media
Having a social media strategy is very much a part of most business marketing strategies. But should it be? Is social media everything it’s cracked up to be? As a ... read more
Tips for Keeping Motivated in Business
Maintaining motivation in your business is a must for business success. No-one can run your business for you – so it’s up to you to get yourself out of bed every day. Some ... read more
Simple Marketing Big Impact
Are you getting caught with technology and marketing systems and losing sight of the little things that make the greatest impact? If you answered yes, don't worry you are ... read more
New Year New Marketing Strategy
It’s a new year and this is a great time to freshen up your wardrobe, your house, your car, your pets and of course your marketing. It always amazes me how quickly the year ... read more
5 reasons why you should find your perfect business match
In small business, we like to think that we can do it alone. Sometimes that’s possible, but teaming up with others can sometimes form the ultimate perfect match. (more…) read more
Making mistakes could be the best thing for your business
Making mistakes gives you an opportunity to fix problems and take a new path. Did you grow up thinking that (more…) read more
What makes a great sponsorship?
10 tips... There is a shared understanding and respect for each other’s core business The partnership provides value for both organisations The sponsorship has ... read more
Uncover potential customers through sponsorship
The hidden gem of marketing It works for KIA and the Australian Open, NAB and the football, Emirates and the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra – and it could work for you ... read more
When should businesses get off social media?
Businesses that inappropriately use social media don’t get the results – putting some energy into learning how to make it work for business is vital for success. The ... read more
5 marketing must-dos each week
It’s a fact: business owners are time-poor. But your marketing machine is vital to the success of your business, so keeping the momentum going is vital. (more…) read more
5 quick ways to make a sale
If business is looking a little slow and you need some quick sales to keep things heading in the right direction, take action. Here are five things you can do to get the ... read more
The dos and don’ts of selling to potential clients
Is selling an art or a science? Do you need special skills to sell to your customers, or can anyone do it? I believe selling is an art and a science, and it’s all about ... read more
New marketing options, old marketing dilemma
A lot has changed in marketing in this digital age. Never before has there been a way to make personal and direct contact with prospects and customers alike for so little ... read more
Are you maintaining your most important business asset?
Accountants and insurance brokers often advise business owners to “look after your assets”. They are usually referring to machinery and equipment, which they suggest you ... read more
Branding your business from the bottom up
So you’ve spent money on a visual identity check! You love your logo and you are happy with your business name. It’s time to get that brand out there, and it doesn’t have to ... read more
8 tips for outsourcing your business tasks
Why consider outsourcing your business online? It all comes down to focus and the best use of your time. If you find dealing with all things online in your business is ... read more
Choosing the right technology for your business
In today’s landscape, we are definitely spoilt for choice with regards to digital technology. There are so many options that can make our businesses run more smoothly and ... read more
How to spend just 15 minutes daily managing your social media
Yes, it is possible to manage your social media in 15 minutes a day. First you need a plan and an understanding of what you want to achieve on social media for your business. ... read more
6 ways to start getting comfy with technology
I call myself a reluctant technology enthusiast. Using technology doesn’t come naturally to me, and I know I am not alone. I also know that as a business owner, if I don’t ... read more
8 Signs A Business Needs To Change Its Name
It’s a big decision to change a business name. There are lots of costs associated with such a transition, and sometimes it is unnecessary. On the other hand, there are times ... read more
How To Clone Yourself In Business
Do you sometimes wish that you could clone yourself in business so there is more of you to go around? You are not alone. When you are the product and there is a great demand ... read more
Managing Social Media on the Run
Need some help managing your social media? Here is an article I wrote for MYOB Pulse on how small businesses can manage their social media when they are not based in the ... read more
Marketing Strategy: Using Humour – Serious Business
Is humour a good thing in advertising? I used to believe yes it is as long as it’s tasteful. (But what’s tasteful and who decides?) I now believe it needs to be used with ... read more
Ten Top Tips for Ending the Year Well
It's easy to run out of puff at the end of the year but it is at this time of the year we need to keep our business wits about us. Here are ten marketing and business tips ... read more
Managing Customers at Christmas
I’m not sure exactly what is supposed to happen at Christmas but it is important for customers that their goods and services are delivered by Christmas. Now that is fine when ... read more
Avoidance – Small Business Marketing Enemy
Avoidance is a natural human instinct and can be helpful in situations like avoiding being hit by a car. Avoidance in business however, can have a damaging effect and ... read more
Update Your Database Best Marketing Return
Here is a question for you. When customers move on – how do you stop them from moving on from your business? Here is the answer. Keep contact details and follow up on ... read more
Marketing in Tough Times: An argument for all guns blazing!
There are some real advantages for businesses to come out all guns blazing with their marketing in uncertain times. Firstly it’s the opposite of what most businesses are ... read more
Sparrow Savvy in Marketing
Just last week I was talking with my accountant about the merits of taking the small jobs and the topic of sparrows came up. Have you ever seen a skinny sparrow? Sparrows ... read more
Being Friendly Gets Business!
A marketing tip for retailers and hospitality for keeping customers coming back that costs nothing! If you like a freebie - here it is. This is one of the most powerful ... read more
What Drives Great Car Signage?
If you are out on the road a lot either driving from town to town or from job to job in the city, car signage can be an affordable and effective form of advertising. Costs ... read more
What Should I Spend My Time On?
Time is something that small business owners are always wishing they had more of. To be a successful business balancing time, energy and money is always a big challenge. ... read more
Developing Your Marketing Strategy for Change
Recently I have been working more with businesses that have been successful in the past but are needing to change their direction because their traditional offerings are not ... read more
Improving Productivity By De-Stressing
As small business owners we deal with stress every day. Making the most out of the resources we have is always a constant challenge. When we get it right - business goes ... read more
Tips on Pitching for New Business
Whether it's by phone, in person or on email or paper a pitch for new business needs to communicate the following Understanding of the customer's needs - what does the ... read more
End of Year Marketing
Happy New Year! End of Financial Year can be a great time to get last minute sales, advanced orders, reconnect with customers and just celebrate being in business. Have a ... read more
Defining Your Value Proposition: A fresh look
Defining what your value proposition is the most important thing to communicate to your customers. What does it mean? It means communicating the value that your product ... read more
Just Because You Can Doesn’t Mean You Should – Charge Credit Card Fees
Welcome to the first of the "Just Because You Can Doesn't Mean You Should" Series. Part 1. Should I charge the customer the credit card fees? So what do you think? Should ... read more
Drumming Up New Customers and Sales
Do you need customers and sales fast? Here are five ideas of how you can drum up sales for your business. Contact all people or businesses you have worked with before to ... read more
Branding by Alignment
Have you ever stopped to consider how the suppliers and people you work with reflect on your brand? As part of networking it is common for business owners to look for other ... read more
Open for Business – Good Marketing Practise Gone Bad!
If you’re open for business it’s good to let your customers and your potential customers know. The old style “Open” sign (more…) read more
Customer Turnoff #1. Complex admin processes
Have you ever wanted to buy a product or service from a business and they hand over a complex form that resembles a final year exam? Or maybe buying was the easy part but ... read more
Assumptions: Business Booby Traps to Avoid
Small Business is all about learning. The big lesson I’ve learnt recently is never to assume anything in business. Instead, try and employ contingencies to manage ... read more
Marketing Vs Smart Marketing: Part 1 – Business Attributes
All businesses undertake marketing activities. At the very least they get business cards, a brochure, a website, maybe they undertake advertising, direct marketing campaigns ... read more
Is Your Business Worthy of Referrals
One of the most cost effective forms of marketing today is business to business referrals. What makes one business refer business to another? What are the characteristics of ... read more
What’s the bigger risk? Economic climate or your sales team?
What’s going on with sales teams? I thought everyone was desperate for sales. We hear it on the radio talk back about times being tough and needing customers. Apparently ... read more
Value Based Pricing
Pricing can be a complex task to get right. The rewards of correct pricing show up in both customer retention and your balance sheet. One relatively unknown form of pricing ... read more
Best Way for Small Business to Communicate their Brand
Last week a workshop participant at a seminar I was presenting in Melbourne asked the question “What’s the best and cheapest way for small business to promote their brand”? ... read more
Marketing Messages & Methods in a Downturn
There are always positives in every situation and a downturn is no exception. How can a downturn be good news for a business? If you do business with other businesses there ... read more
Losing the Procrastination
One of the biggest challenges facing small business owners is keeping high levels of motivation to continue doing what needs to be done in order to achieve success. It is not ... read more
Finding Opportunities in Pessimistic Times
One of the smartest questions for business owners to ask themselves is; have my customers been affected by the global economic crisis? If the answer is no then fantastic ... read more
Free WiFi a customer benefit or a pain for everyone?
Many businesses situated in Tourist Destinations have been jumping on the 'must offer WiFi' band wagon. Maybe I’m a cynic but it isn’t the make or break feature for me partly ... read more
Newspaper Advertising as a Marketing Strategy – Dead or Alive?
A lot of people think that local newspaper advertising is dead. I believe maybe the advertisement needs to be killed off rather than the medium. A case in point this ... read more
Small Business Owner’s Sick Policy
Sounds a bit crazy I know particularly if you are a one person band, but when you get sick how does your business cope? How do you manage your customers? How do you manage ... read more
Be Glass Half Full for Sales!
A question I am being asked regularly by small business owners is ‘Ailsa is the global economic crisis hitting businesses?’. I reply how have your sales been? Many business ... read more
E-nnoying: Overuse of email marketing
What can I say just because you can doesn’t mean you should! I’m sure you have experienced the sudden increase in email newsletters promoting everything in the shop using a ... read more
Marketing Tough – Canadian Retailers take on Competition
I have just returned from Canada and while there was delighted to see some really proactive retailing occurring in Canada. Canada retailers have identified two major threats ... read more
Promotions Win Win Marketing
I was recently involved with organising a promotion for the shopping centre Acland Court. Apart from getting to wear my rather retro Sue Sylvester tracksuit in public again, ... read more
Is All Publicity Good Publicity?
I received some recent publicity upon the release of The Shoe String Marketing Kit for Small Business book. It's interesting the different angles that can come from the ... read more
It’s Who They Know. Networking in Perspective.
A mistake business owners often make at networking functions is looking around a room and making assumptions about how much potential business they can get from this group of ... read more
I Want My Money! Seven Steps to Getting Paid
What's the point of working really hard getting sales if you don't get paid? Here are seven things you can do to increase your chances of always getting paid. 1. Talk ... read more
Just Because You Can Doesn’t Mean You Should – Make the Customer Pay!
Just Because You Can Doesn’t mean you should Pt 2 Remember Customer Service means Serving the Customer! Number one characteristic of successful small business owners is a ... read more
Social Media Starter Hints for Business
Social Media has pros and cons for businesses it can take time but the bottom line is it's what your customers are engaging in and it could be one of the best ways of finding ... read more
Creativity Instead of Cash to Grow Your Business
Last night I had the pleasure of visiting Macedon and speaking at, a great business networking night with over 50 businesses in attendance. The topic we discussed was growing ... read more
Help for Small Business
Yes there is someone batting for small business in Victoria. It's the Office of the Victorian Small Business Commissioner and they can help if as a Victorian business you ... read more
Getting Referrals Starts With You
Often businesses who do networking or join referral networks get disgruntled when they are not getting as many referrals to their business as they think they should. In the ... read more
Marketing Gourmet Food and Petrol Together: Can it work?
Is it possible to to sell gourmet food, wine and petrol all at the same place 24 hours a day… and have it work? Before my recent trip to Tasmania I would have thought no. But ... read more
Yarram Positive Marketing that Works!
Main street of Yarram - visit website Last week I was lucky enough to travel to the small town of Yarram which is approximately 3 hours south of Melbourne in Gippsland. My ... read more
Costco – Nightclub Marketing Strategy in Shopping
What makes people... Line up for 30 minutes to get into a store that is not having a stocktake sale? Pay a member joining fee to be able to purchase at the store? ... read more
Economic Constipation not GFC hurting Small Business
This year in business has definitely been an interesting one. One trend I have noticed is that consumers and other businesses are holding on to their money. It’s not that ... read more
Business Lessons from Bushfire
In the next few days I will be assisting businesses affected by the bush fires through the Small Business Mentoring Service and whilst many businesses are concerned about the ... read more
What Australians are Thinking Right Now
Recently I attended a breakfast by the Australian Marketing Institute where David Chalke from Quantum Market Research gave a presentation on the latest social research into ... read more
Don’t Look a Complaining Customer in the Mouth
If a customer who complains is a gift for business why do customers ignore them? In my particular situation I wrote a detailed letter (yes very old school on paper with an ... read more
Eroding a Brand
It can take years to build up a brand. As well as lots of money, hard work and consistent performance yet it just takes months to unravel a brand. (more…) read more
Is Small Business Losing a Competitive Advantage?
One of the major advantages of small business has always been the relationships that staff and owners can develop with customers. Customers usually have direct access to the ... read more
Social Media for Small Business: What, Why, How, When, Who
As small business owners we are busy. There are not enough hours in the day and the thought of adding extra tasks to an already ridiculously long to do list is about as ... read more
Reach out to your customers, or someone else will
Keeping customers costs less than replacing them. It makes sense to make a large part of your marketing strategy keeping your customers. Some things that help ... read more
