September 2012 Blog Posts (23)

You may spend hours composing the perfect e-newsletter but your readers will only take 2 seconds to decide if it’s worth reading! Tough huh!

It’s nothing personal, we all do it, so do you, and here is how the process breaks down:

1. We see an email message

2. We give it a two-second glance

3. We decide if it’s worth our time

4.…

No, it’s not a typo or another amusing Apple auto-correct! While it might sound stupid writing a “to-don’t list”, it could really help you to get the most out of your day!

The concept is simple, we all know the distractions and habits that keep us from working at our most efficient so why not write them down and then pin them up somewhere where…

Ok, so you’ve mastered Facebook and are an all-round top tweeter, but what about that blog you promised yourself that you’d write?

It’s amazing how many people we sit with planning their marketing who tell us that they understand the importance of blogging and are committed to writing one… they start with all good intention… but then stop after writing…

Great start to our first meeting with over 20 attendees all chatting, discussing and agreeing that art as a businss is complex. Need to look a the value that is provided in situation. More to ocme each month. Please get in touch if you'd like to join in. We meet in Reading on the last Tuesday of each month

Reading Arts Business Club

Reading Arts Business Club is a free informal monthly meeting point for those involved in the arts as a business and…

So you’re lucky enough to have a group of consistent loyal customers!

The key though, is remembering that you only have to make a few improvements to make a drastic difference to your profitability. It’s no mystery to most business owners, but very little is usually done about it.

First thing’s first – Measure it.

All you have to do is divide what’s in your till by the number of transactions. All you need at this point is an average. Measure it for about a week. Now you…

OK, this isn't really a blog and it's not business related... well, not really.  But it does illustrate how Twitter can backfire.

It's absolutely hilarious. Do read it and start your week with a smile. 

Waitrose Twitter marketing campaign backfires

Do you have a 5-year business plan? I know from experience of asking that question that only a tiny proportion of small businesses (under 25 staff) have anything resembling a one year plan, let alone a 5-year plan. Or even a clear goal such as the size of the business, number of employees, types of product or service, or anything else.

Without clear goals and a…

Cash flow (or lack of) is one of the biggest reasons that small businesses fail.  A good credit control system is a vital part of any business.  It is essential that a small business invoices in a timely manner and then collects payment promptly.

Here are some simple guidelines that you can apply in your business.

Invoicing

Have a system whereby an invoice is sent out as soon as the work is completed.  Make sure that you have all the necessary information to do…

I'm delighted to announce the launch of a new website for Integral Property Management.  Based in Windsor, Colm and his team are working with private property owners and Letting Agents alike.

Their experienced team have spent decades working within various sectors of the property industry and now service properties in the UK,…

A great way to drive ever better performance is to know and monitor your personal best performance as one or more measures. For example you might focus on a number of sales in a month, a number of calls in a day, the number of products manufactured, number of orders shipped, and so on.

When we focus on something that we want to improve, and measure it, then…

When all is well, we do not tend to think about our muscles and bones. But when our back spasm and “go out” of alignment, when every movement hurts then we are reminded that maybe we should have taken more care.

Did you know that the body has over 600 muscles, 200 joints and 200 bones? It can be quite a job keeping all that lot in order! And this is where regular Structural Massage can help.

Structural imbalances can develop without us even noticing.…

Bookings are going really well for my taster Marketing without Money workshop on 19th September.  If you want to attend for free go to http://stevemillsmarketing.com/index.php?Id=138

Steve Mills - The Prudent Marketer

www.stevemillsmarketing.com

Who do you like being around? Who makes you smile when they walk in the room? Who says things that make you stop and think? Who is it that makes your life richer and more enjoyable when they’re around? And who - when asked this question - will name you? When you walk into a room do people smile and feel pleased that you’re there? Think carefully about this, you might take…

What a lovely couple of weeks, a week away in sussex with my mum would have been unheard of a while back, but now my head is sorted after nearly two years of councelling and im sober Its a different story now. It is lovely to have a conversation with her without her putting my back up, and because im better she feels more relaxed and opens up alot more. Iv spent alot of time at home on my own regrouping as I…

If anyone is looking for a great conference venue in West Berkshire.  DCE Conference centre is new and it is fantastic.  Here is their website:

http://www.dce-conferences.co.uk

I am not selling this, I am just a new client of theirs trying to help a local business by telling others how good they are.  

Speak to Natalie if you want to know more.

Steve Mills…

First impressions count, particularly in networking situations.  In a crowded market, there is one thing that will make your business or service stand out and be remembered and that one thing is YOU.  How can you be sure to make the right impression? This quick read looks at some ways you can do just that.

7 steps to creating and maintaining a positive impression

What do you look like?

You will make an impact by how you look.  It is…

http://www.saucyhorsesocialmedia.co.uk/2012/09/social-media-are-you-wasting-your-time-or-have-you-identified-your-150-influentials-yet/

148.7 – That’s the maximum number of social relationships any average human being can handle, according to research by anthropologist Robin Dunbar (1998) and others.

29,074,287 – The…

Just came across this article on Mashable.com and thought I'd share it with you all.

What students should NOT do on Social Media

Although the article is directed at students, there are perhaps some useful words of advice for all of us.