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 […]
7 Reasons to use Direct mail
Categorised in: Ask Nigel Posted: December 2, 2015
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]