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Your EnterQuest Bulletin - Issue 253
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| Thought for the week: "Science may have found a cure for most evils; but it has found no remedy for the worst of them all - the apathy of human beings." Helen Keller |
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In this week's issue:
Act and think like a marketing director
If you hadn't already grasped that marketing is critical to the success of your business, then you need to do so now and start thinking, speaking, planning and acting like a marketing director.
So how will thinking or acting like a marketing director make such a difference to your enterprise? Well, in essence, your job as a business owner is to take the lead in ensuring you add value to your business every single day.
The following is a list of activities you should be taking personal responsibility for, so try this little test to see how many activities you are really doing.
If you aren't doing any of this then you need to start, and fast. If you're already doing these things then you probably aren't devoting enough attention to them, so you need to find a way of ensuring that you do.
Ten crunch questions to ask mailing list owners
When it comes to harnessing the power of direct mail you need to know how to find good prospect lists. If you're having trouble compiling your own list, you might want to consider renting a list from another list owner.
However, renting lists can be a dirty business, because you pay list owners for quantity, not quality. Managers and brokers of these lists can pick up commission of up to 40% per 1,000 names they sell.
Before you ask for a list from another source, bear in mind that you want to get the best you possibly can for your money. Here are ten questions you can ask list owners to help you get the best deal.
1. Who are the previous users? Other reputable businesses using a list are indicators that the list is a good one. Who has rented the list more than once? Who has mailed the list before?
2. What is the list's source? Is it buyers/subscribers, enquirers/prospects, past clients and is it a controlled circulation or compiled list?
3. How old are the names? Can you select recent ones? When did buyers last buy? When did subscribers lapse? When was the list compiled?
4. How often is the list checked? When was it last updated?
5. Is the list owner registered with the Information Commissioner's Office? List owners must be registered before they can trade names.
6. Has the list been cleaned of people registered with the Mailing Preference Service (MPS)? The MPS records the names and addresses of people who do not wish to receive direct mail, and it passes these names on to list businesses.
7. What's their policy on mailings returned as 'gone away'? Do they give a refund or supply more names?
8. What is the minimum order value or quantity? If it's around 5,000, will they allow you to test around 1,000 names before rolling out to the full list?
9. What is the basic price? And how much are extras like disks, self-adhesive labels and delivery?
10. Will they deliver to your business or only to a mailing house? Ideally, get them to send the list directly to you so you can check it. Some mail list firms are reluctant to do this, so offer to sign a data protection form if necessary.
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To receive a free copy of BETTER business magazine simply send us your name and address to enterquest@cobwebinfo.com, putting 'EQ magazine offer' in the subject box. |
Each week we provide you with summaries of some popular or emerging business ideas in the UK and elsewhere around the world.
- DIY wine blending kits. Crushpad, a wine-making business in the US, has come up with the idea of selling wine blending kits. The offshoot enterprise is called Fusebox, and its kits contain six 375ml bottles of blending wines, one bottle of mystery wine and pipettes. Kit buyers can host wine-blending parties and 'guess the blend' tournaments.
Superbrands
The latest survey of the UK's top 500 brands has placed search engine giant Google in first place. Research firm Superbrands Council conducts the survey on an annual basis, asking the opinions of around 1,500 professionals. The top ten are as follows:
1. Google
2. Microsoft
3. BP
4. BBC
5. GlaxoSmithKline
6. Rolls-Royce group
7. Financial Times
8. BA
9. Fedex Express
10. Hertz
According to the BBC, the list is intended to reflect brands that have established the finest reputations in their fields.
Regularly improving your vocabulary is not just about learning a new word and its meaning. It will improve your general knowledge and make you feel and act smarter in all sorts of personal and business situations.
Do you know the meaning of the word 'chagrin'?
a) annoyance
b) approval
c) affection
d) affectation
Answer at the end of the Bulletin.
The following topical business issues have been recently reported in the media. Did your radar pick them up?
1) The results of the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform's (BERR) 2006/07 Annual Small Business Survey are now in. According to the results, what came top of the pile as small businesses' biggest barrier to success?
a) competition
b) regulation
c) taxation
d) cash flow
2) According to the latest survey by Barclays Local Business, what percentage of bosses surveyed use their own money to keep their business afloat whilst waiting on outstanding payments?
a) 9%
b) 16%
c) 25%
d) 39%
3) Following the drama of last week's earthquake, a new report claims that consumers living in and around the epicentre, Market Rasen in Lincolnshire, will increase their spending on which types of items?
a) home security
b) luxuries and treats
c) emergency equipment
d) store cupboard essentials
Answers at the end of the Bulletin.
freetradefront.com website
freetradefront.com is an online portal which is particularly useful for businesses that import and export goods. It provides a wealth of information on businesses operating in different sectors in various countries. Click on the map to select your geographical area of interest, then choose a trade interest using the box provided. The results list provides a brief synopsis of each business listed and includes contact details.
Free threat detection test from Sophos
The Sophos Threat Detection Test is a free spyware and adware test which you can use to perform a scan on your computer and find any threats that your day-to-day protection may have missed. Machines that do not already have Sophos Anti-Virus can use this test for free.
Adobe Buzzword
Buzzword is an online word processing application from Adobe. It looks just like a normal word processing package but it operates inside a web browser, so you can access your documents from any computer connected to the Internet. Because it operates online, it's great for facilitating collaborative working. It also enables you to import Word, TXT and RTF files.
NOW North East workshops
Entrepreneur and former Dragons' Den judge Rachel Elnaugh is supporting start up workshops open to North East-based businesses and entrepreneurs. Entry is open to anyone who thinks they have a great idea which can be turned into a business. Workshops are available on a range of business start up topics, including business planning, finance, business formation and legal issues.
Win great new office products worth £500
EnterQuest has teamed up with Viking Direct to give readers the chance to win £500 worth of stylish new office products.
Viking Direct has an inventory of over 12,000 products and brand new for 2008 include the Leitz Vivanto filing range, the Niceday executive and ergonomic leather chairs, and the Brother MFC5860CN multi-function print, copy, fax and scan machine. And ideal for work or play are the new 7-inch digital photo frame and the iLamp - a stylish desk lamp incorporating an iPod dock and speakers.
Viking are offering two lucky readers the chance to win all these new products, together worth £500. To be in with a chance of winning, simply answer the following question:
Q. What is the brand name of the executive chairs in the new Viking range?
E-mail your answer, together with your name, address and daytime telephone number, using "Viking Direct Competition" as the e-mail subject line, to enterquest@cobwebinfo.com.
All entries must be received by March 28. EnterQuest and Viking Direct will use the information you provide for their own marketing purposes only and your details will never be shared with any third parties (except to arrange delivery of the prize). Competition rules are available on request.
This book explores how you can develop habits for generating new ideas and facilitate creative thinking. The author reveals the thought processes that Thomas Edison used to come up with his ideas, and writes about principles that can help even the most seemingly uncreative people become more creative. Check out:
Just one word answer
The answer is a).
Chagrin means annoyance.
The business owner's takings were down after his weekend opening stint, much to his chagrin. |
How's your business radar? The answers
1) The answer is a). The BERR survey revealed that most businesses thought that competition - not red tape or taxation - was their biggest barrier to growth.
2) The answer is d). Worryingly, well over a third (39%) of small business owners regularly sub their business out of their own pockets in order to keep it afloat while they chase late payments.
3) The answer is b). The survey by SPS Medi (as reported in the Scotsman) revealed that four out of ten people in the Market Rasen area said they would be spending money on non-essential goods such as luxuries and treats. SPS Medi said that consumers tend to go on mini spending sprees after experiencing disasters. |
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Good luck
The EnterQuest Team
This information is meant as a starting point only. Whilst all reasonable efforts have been made, the publisher makes no warranties that the information is accurate and up-to-date and will not be responsible for any errors or omissions in the information nor any consequences of any errors or omissions. Professional advice should be sought where appropriate. |
