A good, short, sharp presentation grabs the audience by the throat and gets to the point fast. Then, when you have their attention, ask for the referral.

Don’t try to be cute or oblique, and you’re not telling a joke with a punch line at the end – remember you’re scrapping for your audience’s attention. Even if they look like they’re listening, it doesn’t take long for a person’s mind to go wandering.

Simple and succinct beats rambling every time.

A good formula is the proven AIDA principle – Grab Attention, stimulate Interest, create Desire and call to Action.

Three tips for establishing a good online reputation

Two out of three New Zealanders will Google a person before meeting with them for the first time. Which begs the question, what are your potential clients and business associates finding when they Google your name?

If you are not actively managing your online reputation, it will be developing organically which, it goes without saying, is a dangerous state to find yourself in. Image by jannoon028

Intellectual Property, Auckland, New Zealand: Securing a trademark in countries like Australia, the United States, China and the United Kingdom will in future be exponentially cheaper and easier for New Zealand companies, following the Government’s decision to adopt the Madrid Protocol in September.

Intellectual property expert, Theodore Doucas of Zone IP (an intellectual property management consultancy in Wellington), said that the Trademarks Amendment Act is a major coup for the export industry.

As a signatory to the Madrid Protocol, New Zealand companies will only have to file one trademark application to secure trademark protection in more than 80 countries.

"It's not what you know, it's what you know about who you know."

According to a report in ScienceDaily, "a study of the biotech industry has revealed that opportunities which arise, and whether or not they are exploited by biotechnology entrepreneurs, depends to a large extent on how well connected is an individual business person and how well they mobilise their social network. Photo by Ambro

The volume of rubbish content on the World Wide Web is increasing and I believe it is mostly the fault of SEO consultants, and DIY marketers.

Not all DIYers and SEO experts of course, but there are a number of practitioners who are producing content simply as a vehicle to get their keywords and backlinks out there – regardless of the quality of the content.

As a result we are inundated with millions of pieces of junk writing that are cluttering the World Wide Web, a bit like the millions of plastic bags in the ocean.
Image by PopSci Blog

‘Because Y’s a crooked letter and neither you nor I can straighten it’. Remember that expression? 'Why' is a very powerful device for content marketing and copy writing. Here's why...
_{Photo by renjith krishnan}

Did you know that reliance on search engines is changing the way we think? Perhaps even, our ability to think at all...

And what does this mean for marketing?

According to a study by Betsy Sparrow at Columbia University, we are re-organising the way we remember things.

Photo by Pixomar

You already know that the Internet is a very powerful marketing medium.

After all, 93% of New Zealanders will research their buying decisions online
(that counts for business to business too).

You may also know that some companies are making a bundle of sales off their
Internet traffic, while others are getting nothing – not a sausage. Zip.

Which one are you, or are you in the middle? And, why are some companies so successful and others so dismal?

Photo By Stuart Miles

By John Forde

"More than any other time in history, mankind faces a crossroads. One path leads to despair and utter hopelessness. The other, to total extinction. Let us pray we have the wisdom to choose correctly." - Woody Allen

Photo by tungphoto

New Zealand urgently needs an Australian type mechanism for government intervention when patently unjust and misguided decisions are handed down by the Intellectual Property Office of New Zealand -- as in its recent decision to uphold DB Breweries’ trademark of the term ‘Radler’.

In a society where consumers are spoilt for choice, it would be prudent to wonder: "What influences them to make the choices that they do?"

Faced with making a decision about a purchase? Apparently we have already made our decision, even when we take time to think things over.

If you need to drum up business fast you have to take marketing and sales action now. However, while your choice of methodology will depend on elements like target markets and budget, there is just one effective strategy that gets results fast.

Photo By Ambro

Tobacco companies aren’t allowed to advertise, but they say that any publicity is good publicity (I beg to differ). In the case of tobacco companies and a recent New Zealand Herald article, it may actually be true.

Did tobacco companies trick the media? The use of the headline and sexy photo send a strong commercial message...

Do not be seduced by the multitude of marketing evangelists out there, or the hype around a particular channel like social media because – while all are valid and powerful – they must be used in the right context.

There are many different disciplines in marketing – SEO, content marketing, public relations, advertising, social media, loyalty programmes, direct mail etc. – and all have their evangelists and their merits, but it is critical to remember that they are all really just channels… to building a relationship with your customer.

The type of relationship depends on whether your business is with the general public (consumers) or business-to-business. While those channels we use to reach both sets of customers are the same, the way we use them differs.

Let me explain. There are two types of relationship and here's how to decide what's most appropriate...

Photo by Photostock

Writing is best done by people who care, rather than journalists who deliver content with as much vibrancy as the electronic voice of an ATM machine…

I had somebody ask me recently what he could do to establish how his business was performing – lead conversion, how inquiries  were being handled, customer service etc. – because he was so involved in the operational side of the business he had lost track of what was happening in the sales and service areas.

If you are more involved in operational matters and you’re worried you’re not keeping your fingers on the pulse of the customer sales and service, it is incredibly important to first make sure that you have put in place processes and procedures for staff to follow.

If they’re clueless and dropping the ball, you have only yourself to blame.

That’s a given. If you’re too busy, outsource it.

Read on for some tips on how to find out what's really going on in your business...

Photo by Ambro

Today’s customers – both consumers and b2b decision makers – like to research their buying decisions… and those companies that provide them with good quality, objective information which helps them better their lives or business, are the companies they are most likely to buy from.

How has the Internet has changed human behaviour?

Photo by Africa

There’s a story about two men who are walking through the forest one day. Suddenly a grizzly bear comes tearing through the bush towards them, all fury, claws and fangs!

The one man glances at the other. “Quick Ken, run!”

Photo by Michael Elliott

By Laetitia Smith

Can’t see the wood for the trees? Lucky you! Especially, as it turns out, if you’re trying to get your new product or concept accepted by a sluggish market.

When the going gets tough, it’s human nature for many of us to clam up a little while clinging desperately to the familiar. In light of the recent economic downturn then, how do you effectively market a new product or concept without being hit by a brick wall of negativity and resistance?

“Of course it is,”' said the Queen. “Now here you see, it takes all the running you can do, to keep in the same place. If you want to get somewhere else you must run at least twice as fast as that!" -- Lewis Carroll, Through The Looking Glass and What Alice Found There, 1871

Today, organisations “need to run hard just to stay where they are, particularly when a company throws money at a problem instead of being transformative.” -- Roger von Oech.

Why are most business strategies today ineffective, and how can it be fixed?

Photo by: Dream Designs