Can I Interest You In One Of These?

Last year we had an exhibition stand at a ‘meet the buyer’ trade fair. At the time we treated it simply as an event to raise our profile in a different geographic location. This year we are attending the same event but this time we are hoping to go one step further and secure some new business.

It was good to attend last year because we learnt some valuable lessons. The first was how good an idea it is to have some treats on the exhibition stand in order to draw people in. Of course there are always visitors who take something free but it is also an ideal opportunity to make them aware of your proposition and enter some dialogue.

We took the offering of food very seriously because we felt it represented DrivenByQ on a subtle but definitive level. Looking at the other exhibition stands you could recognise how they valued their customers by what nibbles they had available. Just ask yourself if you would prefer a sweet from a large bag purchased from a £1 shop or whether you would prefer something more exquisite?

Last year we offered Ferrero Rocher, Chocolate Hob Nobs (with caramel) and an assortment of fresh fruit. We did this to set us apart from anyone else in the exhibition but on reflection, it was maybe a little too mixed. This year, we’ve decided to do it properly and bring along our DrivenByQ hand-made pink champagne truffles which have become our signature.

Simple Marketing

If you have ever read a book on marketing, then I’m sure you are aware of the old acronym AIDA (Attraction, Interest, Desire and Action). It is strange that after seven years of trading we are coming back to visit some basic principles but I suppose you have to start somewhere?

If I’m honest, I would admit that in the past we’ve only ever focussed on one area of our marketing at a time. This wasn’t because we didn’t know any better – it was simply because of our financial limitations. When you only have a thousand pounds at a time at your disposal, you can sometimes get conditioned to a way of thinking that short blasts of activity are a good thing!

I’m glad to say that over the last few months I’ve been formulating a new approach to our marketing at DrivenByQ and have finally recognised we need an integrated plan if we are to grow bigger. This should breakdown each part of the AIDA process in to individual components but at the same time it should leave the customer feeling it is one seamless experience.

So, the first thing to do is decide how we are going to raise awareness. Well that is easy. We are going to attend some trade exhibitions where we can meet people face-to-face. After all it is important to recognise we offer a close personal relationship with our customers and they need trust, reliability and reassurance. So surely the next question is how are we going to get their interest?

New Opportunities

Earlier this summer I attended a local meeting where the guest speaker was Phil Jones from Brother UK. He mostly spoke about leadership but he also detailed his rise within the company and how some changes in his life led to increased success. I took on board many of his comments.

One thing that particularly interested me was when Phil spoke about himself being the COE rather than the CEO. This stands for Chief Opportunity Engineer. Another thing he added was that, when he stopped trying so hard to make success happen in his life, success had a chance to come and find him.

In the last few weeks, I have been freeing up as much of my time as possible so that I could also create new opportunities. Reflecting back on just this past week alone, there has definitely been a difference in where my time has been spent and it seems more than just coincidence!

I spoke to a number of new drivers who could undoubtedly increase our capacity, I met with my business partners and discussed our future plans, I met with a potential new customer and I saw a long standing customer about creating even more opportunities. Seems all I had to do was make myself available!

Catching Up

It is no secret that at this time of the year, businesstravel and corporate chauffeur work is much quieter than normal. As some factories shut for maintenance; school holidays take effect and people take a break, our work reduces.

The last week has been fantastic. I managed to watch educational TV programmes; read a whole load of trade magazines; delete a few hundred old emails and clear a stack of paperwork. I’ve even managed to fit in some cycling again too.

As I have finally managed to do things which have been outstanding for so long, I have also been reflecting on where my time actually goes on a normal week. As a result I’m questioning if everything I do actually adds value?

Maybe it is time to apply some lean principles? Maybe I should identify which tasks add value and for all the areas that don’t, they should be treated as waste and eliminated. Then maybe I could start to add even more value to DrivenByQ?