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The Bardon Group Blog

From business advice through to award ceremonies...our blog aims to keep you up-to-date about all the goings on of The Bardon Group.

7 Reasons to use Direct mail

7 Reasons to use Direct mail

Categorised in: Ask Nigel    Posted: December 2, 2015

As you all know I am a big believer in the value and effectiveness of direct mail as a marketing tool and to this end I have reproduced and edited an article that recently appeared in ‘print power’ that supports the value of Direct Mail. An interesting statistic before we start is than an IPSOS […]

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Tree Planting and Orangutans for Bardon Group Boss Nigel

Tree Planting and Orangutans for Bardon Group Boss Nigel

Categorised in: General News    Posted: November 5, 2015

Battling illness and 90 degree heat in the Sumatra jungle has been the toughest but most rewarding challenge yet for Bardon Group managing director Nigel Toplis. Every two years Nigel and his colleague Russell Golding owner of Recognition Express Kettering undertake an extreme endurance feat in aid of the charity Well Child. So far they […]

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So you want to get into Franchising!

Categorised in: General News    Posted: September 29, 2015

Have you ever toyed with the idea of owing your own business- but ultimately found the fear of failure overwhelming? The fear is not misplaced with the business survey by NatWest regularly revealing that some four out of five independently owned businesses go out of business in the UK within their first two years of […]

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Door drops – old hat or clever marketing?

Door drops – old hat or clever marketing?

Categorised in: Ask Nigel    Posted: August 13, 2015

We run a very successful retail franchise called The ZipYard which specialises in garment alterations and repairs and are constantly looking to keep our customers (and of course prospective customers) engaged, informed and excited – such that new people are encouraged to try us and existing customers come back time and again. Like most companies […]

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Motivating Your Staff

Motivating Your Staff

Categorised in: Ask Nigel    Posted: July 13, 2015

In any business your staff play a critical role and there is no doubt that a happy camp with little turnover of staff is a productive business. We cannot afford to take staff for granted and when things are going well there is a danger that you don’t think of how to reward or recognise […]

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10 ways to improve Customer Experience

10 ways to improve Customer Experience

Categorised in: Ask Nigel    Posted: April 29, 2015

10 ways to improve Customer Experience Be personal – use the customer’s name during any conversation. Follow-up – give the customer a call to ask how the last order was. Ask for Testimonials – asking for customer testimonials makes the customer feel special; posting them on our website shows others how well you’re perceived. Be […]

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Seven Steps to Accelerated Business Growth

Seven Steps to Accelerated Business Growth

Categorised in: Ask Nigel    Posted: March 13, 2015

It is one of the perennial questions in business – how do I grow my business? Well rest assured there are no magic answers but I’ve jotted down what I consider to be seven steps/areas/elements that WILL affect business growth. Being efficient, adding value, being flexible and having a willingness to change will all help […]

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ComputerXplorers: Programming for Primaries Week

ComputerXplorers: Programming for Primaries Week

Categorised in: ComputerXplorers    Posted: January 10, 2015

ComputerXplorers has earmarked 26th January – 1st February 2015 to be the date for this year’s Programming for Primaries week to raise awareness of the need to introduce programming skills to children at an early age. The aim of the week is to shine a spotlight on the support and resources available both directly to […]

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