Thursday 2 July 2009

Business Consultants: Big Business Through the Ages

You may not be aware that today’s business consultants come from a long background of pioneers who offered their valuable services to the business community. In fact, the first consultants can give credit to some amazing, forward-thinking trailblazers from as far back as the 1880s. Take a look at this brief history outlining how business consultants and their jobs have changed over the years. 1880s Over a century ago, people were just beginning to examine business and the way it works. The book, Principles of Economics, was released – one of the first to determine that supply and demand was a major factor in success. Frederick Taylor becomes the first business consultant in the manufacturing industry using principles of Scientific Management. The Emerson Company becomes the first generalised consulting firm that resembles those of today. 1900s The early part of the century witnessed the birth of the first business schools at Harvard and New York University. Bricklaying Systems is published; it detailed the most efficient processes to lay brick and was used as the basis for later consulting methodology. Charles Dawes becomes the first government consultant. 1920s – 1930s Leading UK business consultant Lyndall Urwick publishes The Elements of Administration, which details his experiences offering management advice to factory executives. George S. May becomes famous for advocating commission-based marketing. A firm researches the effect of lighting in worker’s environments on productivity. The Great Depression keeps business consultants busy. Problem solving and clients become the focus of most consultancies. 1940s – 1950s Business and government converge as ex-military officers take over the practice of consulting. Ernest Butten starts his own consultancy firm and advocates the PA Method of Training – still a viable resource for new product development. Future giant Price Waterhouse initiates a consulting department in the rapidly growing firm. The concept of hiring top students from universities becomes an accepted business practice. 1960s For the first time, women begin to start careers as business consultants, buoyed by the success of Harvard’s business school and the new policy to admit women. Experience curve and growth-share matrix are added to the corporate lexicon and the focus becomes market strategy. The Stockholm School of Economics researches organisational behaviour. Shareholder value becomes an important part of a business plan. 1980s Corporate executives turn to the book In Search of Excellence to guide their market strategies and achieve success. Computers in the office become more common, but few executives are trained how to use them – opening the door for business consultants to step in and help. 1990s Salaries of business consultants continue to rise and many firms snap up newly-graduated MBAs. Top talent is in great demand. Price Waterhouse and Coopers merge and experience phenomenal growth in their consultancy branch through a focus on IT and implementation-oriented consulting. Today, business consultants are still in high demand. In fact, as global economies continue to falter, the need for their services is higher than ever. Thanks to those first business men and women who began to study the processes and principles that make a company successful, business consultants have helped shaped modern corporations and the world as we know it today.

Saturday 6 June 2009

Marketing Consultant Tip: Write a Sales Letter

Most marketing consultants will agree that a sales letter is a great way for a company to get their foot in the door of potential clients. A sales letter can serve as an introduction, or be used like a newsletter that announces new developments to current customers.

Many business owners are not confident in their writing ability. One way to get over this fear is to decide what you want to say. Verbalise it first, then a marketing consultant can take your ideas and put them on paper, or in the content of a web page or email message.

Here are some tips to help you get started with a sales letter for your company.

First Things First


Perhaps the most important parts of the sales letter are the subject line, greeting, and opening. These are the first three things a customer, or potential customer will see when they receive your message.

Think carefully about the subject line for an Email message. These days, so many people are inundated with spam they tend to pick and choose which messages even get opened. Make sure your subject line provokes immediate interest. Ensure that it states succinctly how the body of the message is going to benefit them. You might want to offer something discounted or even free in order to grab the reader’s attention.

The greeting should be personalised, if at all possible. A generic address is a sure way to sound amateur and immediately indicate to the reader that this is a form letter.

The opening of your letter comes next. If you are sending the sales letter via Email, remember that many people use the preview pane included in their Email program so they will see the header even if they don’t open the message. Again, the idea is to make it attention-getting and eye-catching. It is appropriate to use colour here and perhaps a simple graphic.

The Body

Once you’ve attracted a potential client’s attention, don’t lose it by making your sales letter a blatant pitch. Make it friendly, informal, and interesting. You might want to consider including a story from a satisfied customer as a way to keep the recipient reading on. This also shows them how your product or service can benefit them.

Keep the text simple. Avoid using long or complex sentences or big words; neither do you want to use industry-specific jargon that might not be understood. Your sales letter needs to be easy and quick to read.

The Ending


The last paragraph should include a short summary of the content of the sales letter. Always include a “call to action”. Ensure there is a link to your website and all forms of contact, from telephone number to Email address to physical address. You do not want to make it hard for potential clients to get hold of you. Put your name at the end so it is apparent the letter is coming from an actual person.

You may want to consider including a printable coupon, or a link to a discount offer. This is a direct call to action which should result in furthering the reader’s interest. If you are mailing the letter, include a coupon or brochure that the recipient can keep.

Remember that a marketing consultant can help you with this process. If you’ve already spent too much time writing and rewriting and are still not satisfied with your sales letter, then call a professional for help. Marketing consultants can also be of benefit by obtaining mailing lists and sending out the professional sales letter in a manner that will be most effective for your business.

Monday 11 May 2009

Cheap Business Marketing: Blogging

Does your business marketing plan include blogging as part of your initiatives? If it does not, then you may be missing out on one of the easiest, cheapest ways of marketing your products or services.
Blogging (derived from the words “web log”) is quickly becoming the most preferred form of marketing for any variety of businesses.
Why Blogging Works
You might wonder why or how it can be so successful yet cost so little as far as time and money.
The answer is that blogging provides a means of social interaction with a customer you will never see face to face – the online shopper. These days, more and more consumers buy their products, and even services, from the internet. They are savvy computer users and know how to find what they want or need on the World Wide Web.
The only way a business can effectively reach them is to provide content on the internet that consumers will want to read. This is a very basic, simple concept. And it works.
What to Post
Your blog is like a sales brochure. But beware writing content that appears like a blatant sales pitch. Most people will shy away from anything overtly pushy.
In that same regard, ensure that your blogging site is professional. Do not use flashing stars or other over-the-top flash animation graphics. Your blog should reflect your brand, as outlined in your business marketing plan.
Decide where you will post your content. You have a couple options. You can create your own blog as a page on your website, or you can join a social networking site and update blog posts there. The best business marketing approach combines these two options and ensures you will reach the maximum number of possible customers. There will certainly be at least one social networking site that attracts your target market.
Give consumers information they want, or need. For instance, if your company sells lawn care products, then perhaps your blog posts could revolve around topics like when to plant grass and how to easily maintain it. In this way, you are giving out free advice, but also promoting your products in a subtle manner.
This is also a key component in ensuring that visitors come back time and again. You must post content regularly so that consumers can expect to find new and useful information often.
Blogging is a great business marketing tool. It costs only the initial annual fee to purchase the URL (do not utilise a free blogging account), and then time to create and post the content. What you receive in return will be increased interest, qualified sales leads, and hopefully, an increase in sales.

Sunday 19 April 2009

Learning English during the summer holidays

Coming to England and learning English during the holiday is a great way to brush up on your English speaking and reading skills. Coming to the Midlands Academy of Business and Technology brings lots of benefits, not only is the academy a licensed and accredited learning center for international students, but it is near to a number of famous UK tourist attractions in the Midlands, including Stratford upon Avon and Warwick.


During term time the academy teaches and prepares international students from all over the world for UK university places through our renowned and successful University Foundation Courses. Part of our teaching involves teaching English as a foreign language. (EFL or EAL) Our teachers are experienced and able to teach and improve the English skills of classes of beginners in the English language as well as accomplished English speakers.

Property Management Services

Property letting can be complicated. Finding tenants, dealing with all the legal paper work and collecting rents can make the whole thought of property investment not such a good idea.

When you let you’re a property to a tenant, you need to have an agreement for this tenancy. This is called an assured shorthold tenancy. This agreement means you have the guaranteed right to get your home back after six months, if you need it. You can charge a market rent and you can get your property back if the tenant owes you at least two months or eight weeks rent. How long an assured tenancy lasts is really up to you, you can agree for a set period or you can leave it open ended.
To get your property back, you can end the tenancy at any time after six months, providing the fixed term you have agreed has ended. You will need to give your tenant two months’ written notice. There are instances when you can end your tenancy agreement at any time, these included rent arrears, anti social behavior and damage to your property by your tenant.

Just some of the above is why people prefer to use a property management agency. A recent client is Nuneaton property management agency Homes2Let East Midlands Ltd, from their office in Nuneaton they cover the whole of the midlands including Coventry, Leicester, Derby, Hinckley and Nottingham. Not only do they find tenants for you, they do all the administration and collect rents all for a 6% management fee.

Home2Let covers the whole of the Midland’s region and has a proven working system to acquire tenants, in fact is has no vacant property at the moment. If you are thinking about letting property then Warwickshire letting agency Home2Let could be the perfect agency for you.
To find out more please visit their website www.home2letinfo.co.uk

Wednesday 15 April 2009

What Will Marketing Consultancy Do For Your Business?

Every business needs to spend time and money on developing their presence and increasing customer awareness but few owners have the experience to do it as well as a marketing consultancy can.
You may have wondered if hiring an outside firm is worth the money involved. The first thing to consider is that no one person can be good at every aspect of business. You would not think about hiring anything less than a professional for your sales team or to manage operations, so why would you want to take over the marketing tasks yourself? A marketing consultancy provides a wealth of knowledge, guidance, and expertise that ensures results.

Market Analysis

A good consultant will begin with a thorough analysis of the overall industry market and the existing state of affairs within your company. They will examine the products or services you offer, how your operation stacks up against the competition, and where your pricing and quality standards fall on a continuum.

Spend Advertising Money Where It is Most Effective

This is a key benefit of using a consultant for marketing your business. As someone without any particular knowledge of marketing and advertising, many owners may throw their money out here and there hoping something will eventually stick. Obviously, this is not the most cost-efficient way to develop a market presence.
A marketing consultancy firm will first identify the demographics of your target market. From there they will develop a plan to reach these potential clients and place advertisements where they will produce the greatest amount of interest.

Develop a Marketing Message

What is it that your company wants to say and how should it be said? This is a key aspect of any effective marketing plan. In conjunction with pinpointing this message, a good marketing consultant can offer advice on creating a brand, and collateral which is appropriate to the identity.
Market position is another aspect of your company’s message. Where in the market should your company be placed based on your target audience and the message you wish to send them?

Utilise Marketing Tools

Of course no marketing plan is worthwhile without a way to ensure that the strategies are executed. Your marketing consultancy should include the provision for tools that you and your entire team can use to keep the sales coming and your name at the forefront of the customer’s mind. These tools address such tasks as generating leads, follow up on prospects, and the best way to pitch sales.
Obviously, a marketing consultancy firm has much to offer any type of business. Consider hiring an expert in the field in order to get the most return on your investment.

Monday 9 March 2009

The Benefits Of Getting Business Advice

You know your business, so why would you need business advice? Because you can't think of everything and a seasoned business consultant can help you move your business to further success and profitability. Whether you are selling services or products hiring a small business consultant is a good investment in the future of your business. Think of your consultant as a mentor whose goal is to help you do better and to achieve your goals. You need support while you improve your business and consultants can help with all the tasks you need to manage. Here are some areas where getting business advice can help.

Many times, moving your business to the next level depends on marketing and promotion. This can take a number of forms. An experienced consultant will have worked with a range of businesses and will know which strategies work best for what type of business. The consultant may recommend rebranding, changes to marketing material, overhauling your customer communication channels and more. Perhaps the consultant will suggest new ways of marketing yourself, such as a targeted email campaign. This business advice will not exist in a vacuum. Your consultant will review your entire business before selecting the strategies that are most appropriate for you.

Preparing For Growth
If you are preparing for expansion, then getting business advice from a consultant could help you to secure the funds you need to grow. Getting investment often depends on having a sound business plan and knowing how to present it. Your consultant can help you with forecasting and models and can use his contacts to get your plan in front of the right people. This is one reason to get business advice from someone with experience in similar business types – networking can be invaluable when you are ready to grow.

Perhaps you just need to find a way to become more efficient at managing your business. You might need advice on controlling cash flow, converting leads and enquiries to sales or setting up a web sales portal that sells your business as well as your products. All of these are areas where you may need business advice. A consultant can take an objective look at your business to see where you can save time, money or both. At the end of the process, you will have a more profitable business that is poised to dominate your chosen niche. Isn't that a great reason to pay for business advice?