When it comes to advertising the small business operator often has to write their own material and hope for the best. lets follow a simple formula created by David Frey a marketing guru.
If you can answer these 5 questions in your copy, you’ll immediately begin to write compelling copy that makes people take action.
Here’s the 5 questions…
1. Who […]

This list was in response to a friend asking for some business starting out points to check out some Ideas she has which might be a business idea in the making… I thought it had some useful points too so here it is for the rest of the business start up world…

Cheers

Steve Gray p.s. Thanks […]

I’ve seen it done a lot, I’ve seen it done really well and I’ve seen it work exceptionally even in a down market.
I call it Marketing overlap, there is probably a fancy name for it in market speak but for now that covers it.
Many businesses rely on just a few forms of marketing and can […]

I have been on about good customer service for years now, and while I recognise it can take a lot to make it happen, it’s a thing, which needs to happen.
In my more recent travels I have noticed bitter, grumpy and annoyed people operating businesses. It’s one thing to have grumpy staff, but quite another […]

One of our guru lads over here is Ross Hill, on his Blog is a great piece of intriguing information I think all businesspeople and educators can learn a lot from.
He starts off talking about games and what makes them addictive… Then he goes on to show the comparison to social media (”aint” that the […]

Don’t turn off and stop reading because you are a small business, Don’t stop reading because you believe you have all the bases covered on this one, and just because your people in the HR department say there is no need for such a thing due to no cases of it at this point be […]

It’s June 2009 the global financial crisis is still happening. Watched a documentary on Chinese businesses going under, huge factories closed down, lots of out of region migrant workers now displaced. Sure this was one province (Guangdong) and particularly one city Dong Guan, so probably not a big cross section to measure by. The show was […]

For businesses starting out, and those who may have just swapped their “marketing person” to someone new, you need to be aware there is a marketing critical mass.
I figure it as the point where the marketing being done has reached a level where a balance has been reached between the income level in the business […]

There are many types of business primary, secondary etc… but I have just had a thought about other “types” of business and felt it useful to share.
In the most part a business is about creating a device to provide a product or service and make a profit from it, however it goes a bit further […]

Just for a moment think about your life, do you do things better when you are happy or grumpy/sad? Now think about business, do  you prefer to deal with people who are grumpy/sad or happy?
It’s a no brainer really, however there are many people looking to change jobs, move on, move up, move out! Why […]

A business idea, starts at zero it’s just an idea, a thought.
A Home starts out as a thought… an Idea.
A job starts out as…
EVERYTHING starts out as an idea. It’s what we do with the idea which brings it to life.
Note that right at the point of starting, there is no money, no income, no […]

I am still completely stunned when I talk to many new clients of mine who don’t track their marketing efforts. I mean -come on… what a waste of money!
How do you know if it works?
Yes it can be a pain.. personally I love it. I love seeing where my website visitors come from, what page […]

I have some across a lot of people in business over the years and am still surprised at how naive some people are about starting a fully blown business. Is it just me who sees this level of naivety? Surely not.
Don’t get me wrong here, a part time biz is part time, but a fully […]

Lots of people being sacked, redundantised, etc… due to the GFC (allegedly). In the past those who are regulars will realise I have been an advocate for cooperative business models. So ask yourself this would a coop put off a staff member for no good reason? short answer no.
So is the answer to make all […]

I’m sure you are wondering “can the marketing mix really be held accountable for my success?” You bet it can. You see, the marketing mix is the foundations of any business promotion. Read on to find how it works…
Not many people know of the Marketing Mix, or if they have heard of it, what it […]

https://www.yammer.com/
This is like Twitter, but just for your organistation. If you have a bunch of people with intra company email addresses, they can connect and chat, just like twitter does on a global scale. It works on the premise of “what are you doing now?” as the main question. Then as people use it they […]

The American Warren Buffet has been in the investing game and winning for a long time, here is his guide to investing and my take on how to go about doing it…
• Hard work: All hard work brings profit; but mere talk leads only to poverty. 
- If the hard work you do does not bring […]

Years ago when the “recession we had to have” was on (late 80’s) there was a push at one stage for an Arts Led Recovery. Perhaps it’s time to look at it again and try a fresh tack in the “G.F.Crisis”.
Locally there is a small Arts following with a few commercial galleries and a regional […]

Local paper, classified training section, courses on offer with local accredited training org’s there are free courses in pre apprenticeship training, and various others to assist to up skill people… seems good, fairly non eventful stuff. It looks like the government and trying to boost things along with the freebies (have done for some time […]

Ok so this is my view… but how dare a company employ people and not cover their entitlements when the whole thing goes belly up…
Here’s an example from our local newspaper, on Melba Industries.
The company does not have the funds to cover their staff entitlements now they are being liquidated. As business go along they […]

Business, Enterprises, Co-operatives, not for profit groups etc… I implore you to ALWAYS make that little bit extra, that “profit” that “margin”, that bit on the end left over after EVERYTHING is paid for.
Here’s why… In tough economic times, those who can stand the test of time are those who put away for a rainy […]

In tougher economic times the idea of sustainability may take on a fresh meaning, the big car guys didn’t get it, they have put their hands out… many other companies are down the tubes to, they also have their hands out.
Before a revolution kicks in and angry mobs demand “jobs and justice” I am reminded […]

A huge apology to all who want to view our Business Forum… We have had an issue with a “hacker”, and have to wait for the “rescue squad” to put back the pieces, I guess it will give people a break from their “forum fix” and give them a chance to read the main articles […]

As more companies go down, and an unrepentant writhing takes place as people follow the sense of fear pervading workplaces, I am left to ask… Were these big companies not smart, or perhaps should they have been conservative?
Ok a boom is a boom, bust is what it says and no one wants to go bust. […]

Positives and negatives abound in the new found financial meltdown news, some people have lost value but not $$ (Big business CEO’s who find their stock options are “a little short on value”) while others have lost $$ but not value (e.g. work has dropped off for some contractors).
Despite all this the average “Joe” is […]

A marketing action plan is the most vital part of the planning process in your business. It details what strategies you will use, when you will do them, and what you hope to achieve. Setting goals and a timeframe is also crucial. Below are 5 tips to help you create your marketing action plan.
1)      […]

Pacific Brands Australia announced over 1800 jobs to go in the next 18 months.. jobs to go off shore.
Those who  are regulars here will know I have sprouted wistfully about the doom and gloom, however this time I want to take a “positive swipe” at the situation and ignore the nay sayers cutting jobs and […]

I’m always finding myself saying “Fall down 5 times then get up six times…” But I can’t say it as well as this guy!
In times of challenge you need to be in the right frame of mind to come out on top, check the video and let me know what you think…
Steve Gray - Steve’s […]

On the news this morning more jobs lost 600 here 400 there and that’s just in Australia… so where to from here?
Well people will pull their heads in then even more slowly let them out, I guess the smart money is on businesses, which provide a need for customers, then there’s those which put a […]

For many this might seem like a curious title but I hope it makes sense as you read on.
For many the horror of the Victorian bushfires will be an ongoing battle as they come to terms with personal loss on an unimaginable scale. For those watching from a short distance they are living the horror […]

Your are in the midst of the economic whatsit… and you are doing what?
perhaps you are planning what to do… Pulling your hair out as prices alter before your eyes, competitors cut their margins to keep afloat, petrol prices go up (again) staff are nervous and looking elsewhere, your partners and or shareholders are asking […]

Ok.. some of you are… (not you specifically…)
I wanted to raise your interest in a thought I had this morning watching the news, someone did something dumb and I thought “Derrh! what an idiot”, then I started to mentally add up the dumb stuff…

Stop violence against women, great idea, but why not just Stop Violence…
War, […]

The Australian Government is due to release details of it’s next economic stimulus package today 3/2/09.
The previous stimulus package drew bad reviews from what many saw was a flawed package (handouts to family’s). The feeling seemed to be that the money went to frivilous purchases (gambling among them) while some saved the money for “A […]

If you are listening to the news you are, doom and gloom at every turn.
Many businesses will give up, walk away and say things like “It was out of our hands…” “We were at wits end…” “It wore us down…”
So make a decision, to stand and deliver or fold under the pressure. The key thing […]

Economic indicators for the global downturn etc are rocking the ’system’ to the core, now more than ever we need to innovate rather than blindly continue to do what we always have done.
Businesses need to reevaluate where they are at, what capacity, scope and skills they have. Instead of running scared and waiting for the […]

With lots of things happening in the world it makes sense to get a perspective on things, some change you are experiencing may be good, some the opposite. Here are a few things which you may find of value in changing times.

Be positive and have a sense of optimism – So things are changing… You […]

The economy is in turmoil, your staff are jittery, the sales forecasts are still okay and you actually need more staff, we live in interesting times! But to recruit takes up precious time and resources, the position you have in mind is just not quite up to using the recruitment company so you want try […]

It’s just afer Chirstmas and all through the land people are buying, while others take orsers, sell etc.
It’s a great time for retailers, it’s all so busy.
Me I’m after an item, and like to compare prices and hunt about for a good deal (so I’m a cheapskate at times, negotiating can be like that.)
I saunter […]

How many times have you heard terms like, “Never give up”, “Play hard”, “It’s all about taking risks…”, “Put your money where your mouth is”, “To make money you need to spend money” “If only we can make it through this rough patch”, “Set lofty goals to get results”, “Put it on the plastic…”, “It’ll […]

We wanted to know more about some of our active forum members…… so we asked them
Steve spoke to Sue from Abacus Screens……..

1. How did you get started in business?
LOL I think I got started in business from birth. My Mum and Dad had corner stores and I was taught business skills at […]

Yes if only the big Co’s going down in these tough times had set up some form of Structural integrity system that had been ready to support a system in criscic then this  current downturn would be quite different.
Call it  debt reserve fund, or a risk management strategy…. either way it could have aved the […]

In though times the tough get going!

Steve Gray - Steve’s clients are calling him “the leadership guy” for his focus and knowledge on leadership development. Steve is an avid business commentator, writer and a business consultant - Mentor - Coach - Trainer - Presenter. The information provided in these articles is for educational purposes only […]

In turbulent times there are the basics that need to be looked after like revenue needs to be more than expenses, but then again that should always happen, but in doing the basics an asset protection policy is always good too, who would like to loose a good performing asset right? but I am seeing […]

In the tumultuous financial crisis and the uncertainty it causes, there is one thing for certain, Change is happening. Sure it’s not a change that organisations implemented, and for many it’s a change they did not have a contingency plan for but it’s happening and if your organisation needs to do something about it, then […]

When tough times strike my heart goes out to those businesses on the edge, and of course instead of talking about daily things that can trip up a marginal business, we are now talking about bigger fundamental global meltdown type trip ups.
So when the going gets tough how many of the businesses on the edge […]