Do you keep on top of your skills?
Here at Win Marketing, we are always on the lookout for ways in which our team can learn, grow and adapt their skills.
Our MD, Ann is on the CPD scheme with the Chartered Institute of Marketing, assuring her continuing status as a Charter Marketer, and also assuring her knowledge of marketing implementation and strategy is relevant in today’s markets and sectors.
Chris is our ‘young apprentice’ – Star Wars reference anyone? – and as such is always keeping in touch with the latest in the world of technology and the web
For me (Jo) – I have just started the Level 6 year of my Chartered Institute of Marketing course – this is the Professional Diploma in Marketing – thus making sure my marketing theory is sound and up to date when I am working with clients.
For Nad – keeping on top of what is going on in the world of technology and development is not just part of his job, it is part of his life – you only have to look at his Twitter feed to see that!
On top of this, the team is always taking opportunities to learn more – social media courses; copywriting seminars, online marketing courses and webinars are just some of the recent learning undertaken by staff here.
Why do we do all of this?
Because, as marketing professionals – it is important that when we deliver a service for a client, that we are giving them the most up to date, and therefore relevant advice and support for their needs – be it market research or strategy, web design and development, or social media activity.
We believe that any client who comes to Win Marketing deserves to know that people who genuinely know what they are talking about are implementing your marketing activity.
Are you on top of your skills? Do you keep on top of your industry?
If you are an expert in that industry – what are you doing to show it to your potential customers?
Grants available for marketing in food & drink sector
One of Win Marketing’s partners has announced today that there is an opportunity for grants to help companies with their business strategy, product development and general marketing.
Up to £10k* worth of funded support is potentially available to East Midlands Companies in the food and drink manufacturing sector or companies in their supply chain. The grant* is available to organisations who provide products or services in the supply chain of food and drink, excluding the farmer/grower or the retail/restaurant end of the market.
If you are looking for a grant to help you boost your sales through various marketing activities and you are in the Food and Drink sector, then this match funded grand may be relevant for you.
Eligible projects for the grant may include
Market research to assist with new product or new market development
Business strategy and developing services
Marketing plans
Innovation
Marketing tools including new websites, brand development, digital marketing campaigns and developing an app
Training and development
Deadline for applications is the end of November 2012
Applications will go to a panel for a decision first week in December 2012
*All applications are subject to criteria, terms and conditions
If anyone is interested to know more about the grant scheme please contact one of the Win Marketing team on 01509 265890 and we will put you in touch with our partners, but be quick the applications need to be submitted soon.
The importance of PR and being social
The Win Marketing team have been in a busy over the last 12 hours as one of our clients, Air Fuels Synthesis achieved an exclusive front page article in the Independent. This has resulted in various national and international media enquiries and their website gaining an increase in visits by around 13,000% – SO FAR today.
With coverage on Breakfast TV, various BBC radio stations, national newspapers online and hundreds of social media comments, the name AFS and their process of producing petrol from air has gained massive exposure in the last few hours.
We are really pleased for our client that they have gained this national and international exposure and the fact that we have been able to help the with this. We hope that the media coverage achieved can help AFS raise their profile further and help them gain the funding they need.
European Golf victory – showing us to believe you CAN!
Henry Ford said if you think you can do a thing or if you think you can’t do a thing, then you are right.
On Saturday night I tweeted ‘Come on Europe believe you CAN’ – and they did!
What a fantastic day for European golf when Martin Kaymer sank his 5 foot putt to retain the trophy for Europe. Wasn’t Ian Poulter amazing? But it was the whole team including the captain Jose Maria Olazabal that saw us through to victory.
The spirit and approach the European Ryder Cup team showed, can provide inspiration to all of us in life and in business. The team spirit – everyone playing their role, supporting each other was a pleasure to watch. The positive attitude the players adopted, knowing that if they did their bit and every other player in the team played also their part the unthinkable could happen. At one time, the team looked as though they could be going into Sunday’s final day 12-4 down, but somehow they managed to win the last two games on the Saturday to see the USA team lead 10-6. The team knew there was no room for error if they were to turn the 10-6 deficit into a win. They believed they could do it and they did!
Self belief is so important not just in sport, but also in business. If you believe you can offer a better level of customer service than your customers – you will. If you believe you can make a product better than your customers, with more added value – you will.
Believe you can make a difference for your customers and you will.
Summer 2012 has been a fantastic year for sport in the UK and I congratulate everyone who has had success. Now is the time in business for us to set our own goals and ensure we gain the success we desire in our lives. Good business processes recommend that in business we consider our marketing objectives and set a marketing plan to achieve these goals, monitor and keep the plan on track to ensure success.
If you feel the inspiration from elite, successful sportspeople has motivated you and would like to know more about how you can use the lessons from sport to help your business contact one of the Win Marketing team now. We have links with some highly successful athletes that can motivate you and help you and your business to win.
Once again, thank you to all in the European Ryder Cup team for making this year so special – bring on Gleneagles in 2014.
Win Marketing has been asked to look for a generic training package that can be delivered online to one of our customers’ who have staff based both in the UK and Europe
The package needs to be based around the core skills needed to adopt best practice in customer service, in addition it should:
Work with the cultural differences of non-English speakers
Provide practical support in areas around dealing with the telephone and telephone manner.
Cover how to handle customer complaints and not pass the blame to customers
Perhaps be part of a suite of online soft skills training including time management, introduction to sales
The e-learning training is for approximately 30 users.
We have posted this enquiry on numerous websites and asked e-learning companies to respond. We have had excellent response form companies that cannot help and thank them for their timely response, but the companies that offer this service(according to their websites) have been slow to respond.
It made us think here about how often companies spend a fortune on developing their marketing materials and then fail to follow up in a timely, relevant manner. I am sure the owners of these training companies would be devastated to know that enquiries have been made and not followed up.
So if you know of any training company that can help our client, please do get in touch.
But remember this useful lesson to us all – always, always, always follow up on an enquiry even if you cannot fulfil the customers’ needs – it will create the right impression for the future.
