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5May 2017

Marketing’s role in the age of lean start-ups and agile design

Thursday, 30 March 2017, as published on NZ Business – the Owner Manager’s Magazine.

Why it’s vital to understand the best ways to reach and convert potential buyers before launching into markets – both local and overseas. 

Lean development and agile design is the process of testing a concept and product through the development process to learn early and quickly whether there’s a market for your great idea and whether it truly solves a problem faced by real people or businesses – before you’ve invested huge amounts to create and launch an elegant, fully developed product.

Throughout this process marketing can be overlooked, and with it a significant opportunity missed.

Marketing is an essential function even at the earliest stages of validation. Whether or not you call it marketing, you’re actually using marketing tools to uncover unmet needs and test your product, but it’s the other marketing activities that are often overlooked.

“Too often we see start-ups who’ve put their effort and resources into developing their app or product only to find that they have no plan to reach their market at launch. They come to us asking for help with the market validation and launch planning very late in the process,” says Nicole Crump, Managing Director at marketing consultancy Tactix.  “They’ve missed a crucial stage to develop and plan for how to get customers while they’ve been testing and developing just their product with potential customers.

“In conjunction with iterative product development and testing, these businesses need to be seeking insights around all the customer facing activities that will happen from launch.”

Integrating marketing into the lean development process from day one
Integrating marketing at the outset, will enable you to clearly be able to state what it is you have to offer and why it is better than other solutions or approaches your potential customers may be using – to plan the on-boarding process to get people using your software/product and the ongoing customer engagement process to keep them.  This is one of the biggest challenges that lean start-ups and software companies are facing – large and small, says Crump.

The aim is to have already figured out the best ways to reach and convert potential buyers before launching into market.

Tips for discovering and testing, rather than planning in isolation
When working with businesses these are some of the key areas we look at as a fundamental place to get started to give businesses the greatest chance of success when they launch.
You need to plan early on to capture the information you need. Get out and talk to potential customers early on to test your MPV (Minimum Viable Product) and validate the opportunity.

Use these discussions to discuss and plan the following:
•    The product/service you need to offer.
•    Your value proposition and easiest and most profitable customer segments to target.
•    Your planned marketing and sales channels.
•    Whether after-sales support will be required and how best to deliver this.
•    Find a great tool to manage your sales pipeline.
•    Make a plan for moving customers through the onboarding process so they can become paying customers.

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3May 2017

US Partnership Builds International Capability

We are thrilled to announce our partnership with SW & Partners, a New York based company that specialises in providing strategies and on-the-ground support to companies and entrepreneurs wishing to enter the US market.

An increasing number of our NZ technology clients are ready to expand offshore and we now offer in-market support on the East Coast of the US.  Doing business abroad is fundamentally different than what we know here in NZ and quickly establishing relationships, business networks and local case studies is critical.  The first few months in-market can be make or break for tech companies and our new partnership means that Tactix can continue to help businesses prepare for a move abroad, and then offer in-market support on the East Coast of the US via SW & Partners.

SW& Partners New York office space

SWP office space

SW & Partners have desks in New York for companies from across the globe working in VR, AR, Immersive Content, AI and cutting-edge SaaS product development.  Be part of a networked community that is serious about doing business in New York City and across the globe.  

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3May 2017

Sticky Screen Cleaner

Remind customers about your business!

It is important to stay top of mind with your customers and to remind them about the value you offer.  If your customers’ forget about you then they won’t do business with you.  Simple really!

Sometimes it’s good to have an item or two ready to give to people to remind them about you.   These don’t have to cost a lot of money, but we wanted to share with you our current top pick – Sticky Screen Cleaner.

Sticky Screen Cleaner
You can do a full colour print on this with your key message (reminding people why to do business with you!)  and it sticks to phones/phone covers and can be used to clean screens. We love it as it keeps you brand in the hands of your market, is useful, easy to travel with (size of a business card) and has a low per unit cost.

stickycreen
Let us know if you want to order any of these or if you’d like to look at other ways to keep your brand visible with your customers.

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5Apr 2017

Tools to help you manage your prospects and customers

As you grow your business your customer database will grow. Having the right systems in place to track and manage your prospects and customers is fundamental. It’ll assist you in growing your business profitably and ensure you don’t miss opportunities. 

We work with a wide variety of business – from new software companies through to well established retail companies who share the same challenge in understanding;

  1. The best way to capture and manage data – to identify sales opportunities and understand customer behaviour
  2. What to say to prospects that will win their business and turn them into loyal customers
  3. What communications can be automated – especially around the on-boarding of new customers and how can this be done most efficiently.

We are fortunate that there are a lot of good software options available to answer these challenges, but with so many factors that go into choosing the best business applications, figuring out which is best for your business (now and into the future) can pose a bit of a dilemma.

To help you get started we’ve put together some tips for choosing a CRM tool (Customer Relationship Management Tool) based on the experience we’ve had with working through this process.

Finding the best business applications

  1. Take time to understand your core needs so you don’t carried away with the bells and whistles that aren’t really needed. Not only does it increase the subscription cost, you might find that the system is more complicated to use and takes precious time to learn and use.
    • Your core need may be just to hold all your customer data in one central place (so consider software like Insightly , Capsule, Zoho)  or it may extend into being able to send targeted communications based on prospect and customers behaviours that you would like automated (so you may look at Hubspot, Ubiquity Engage, or integration with software like MailChimp or Campaign Monitor to name a few)
  2. Look for a good fit now and into the future. Small businesses with two to twenty employees might be overwhelmed with a mid-market or enterprise-level solution, but if you’re forecasting big growth, make sure to you choose a solution that will scale with you.
  3. Look to the cloud. Cloud based software and apps benefit greatly from being accessible online and remotely, especially via mobile devices. Having a mobile app for your CRM will be especially important if you’ve got employees like sales people constantly on the move.
  4. Be realistic. As you are examining how much time, money, and additional resources implementing a new business application will take, make sure that you are looking at it realistically. You will need to include the amount of time it will take to set up, learn and integrate your new system with other systems.
  5. Check Integration. When you’re looking at cloud-based solutions, also make sure to check out what other applications it integrates with. This will be especially useful for things like accounting software when creating quotes, invoicing, billing and keeping track of customer sales, or marketing communications.
  6. Understand what workflows can be automated – for example, you may wish to create automated customer emails, triggered by an event.
  7. Look online for reviews and don’t be afraid to check out some free trials to see what they offer and how easy they are to use before you make a commitment to one system.

Getting the most from your data is the next step

We also with closely with our customers to help them understand what needs to be communicated and when – it’s all about engaging when the ‘moment is right’.

As well as looking at timing and messaging, we also consider how best to deliver this information. It might be a mix of blogs, emails, surveys or even direct calls. The options are endless but the businesses that are succeeding in growing and keeping their customers all have a couple of key things in common;

  • A good understanding of their sales funnel metrics
  • Strong customer on-boarding programs
  • Clear processes to logically take customers on a journey from first engagement, to qualifying their level of interest, making the sale and retaining their business.

If you’d like support in mapping how to engage with your customers throughout their customer life-cycle, what to say and systems that could support you to achieve this then let us know.  

 

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16Mar 2016

LinkedIn – setting up a free Company Page

What is a LinkedIn Company Page?

LinkedIn is a professional online community that makes it easy to find and connect with people that may benefit your business. If used properly, LinkedIn can be a great platform for the growth of your company and a Company Page helps LinkedIn members learn
about your business, brand, products and services, and job opportunities.

It’s all about joining the right Groups and connecting with the right people.

What do I need to create a Company Page?

To be eligible to create a company page first make sure your company does not already have one set-up, and read the requirements. Requirements include that you must have a personal LinkedIn account to create your Company Page from, and that you have a
distinct work email domain. Your Company Page will be set-up as an offset of your personal page as LinkedIn is about linking business to people and making connections,not solely about product promotion.

How do I set-up my Company Page?

Setting up your Company Page can be completed in a few simple steps:

  1. At the top of your homepage move cursor over Interests and select Companies.
  2. Click Create in the Create a Company Page box on the right.
  3. Enter your company’s official name and your work email address.
  4. Click ‘Continue’ and enter your company information.
  5. A link will be sent to the email address provided; use this to verify your account.
  6. You will need to enter your company details to make up your company profile. This includes contact details and basic information about your company such as the industry and number of staff. This is where you can add administrators and link your Company Page up with personal LinkedIn contacts.
  7. Once you are happy with your profile click ‘Publish’ to make your Company Page go live. It is better to set up a full profile before inviting all your contacts to check it out. Think about what your audience will see and how this will impact
    on the image projected of your business.
Promoting your company page

Now that your Company Page is set-up, start thinking of some ways you can actively promote it. Here are some ideas to generate interest for your page:

  1. Get your staff to create their own personal LinkedIn page and link to the company page.
  2. ‘Join’ and ‘Follow’ groups or pages.
  3. ‘Like’ and ‘Share’ other Group’s’ news updates as other groups and people on LinkedIn will see your activity, creating more exposure of your brand.
  4. Update your own news on your Company Page Overview. Here you can attach links and choose specific groups to share your news with.
  5. Add LinkedIn’s Share plugins to your sites. The two most beneficial plugins to start with are the ‘Share on LinkedIn plugin’ that allows people to share your website with their LinkedIn contacts, and the ‘Follow Company plugin’ that sits as a link on your website or email marketing to instantly become a follower of your Company Page.
  6. Use Email to Send Invitations That Convert
    • You can send out invitations to get your contacts to join your LinkedIn group. Rather than using the LinkedIn template, you’ll get much better success rates by crafting a more targeted message.
    • Include a reason why they should join and make sure this aligns with your business’s marketing message
    • What can they expect
    • Invite them to participate
    • Brand your email with your logo and be sure to use a clear call to action,such as “Join Now.”
  7. Who do you want to meet? Make a target list of companies and people you want to connect with then use the information you gather to send thoughtful,smart messages.
  8. Create engaging content: it needs to be both useful and worthy of a discussion,often it is the simple things that create the most interest.
  9. Remember most people won’t ‘Like’ or leave a comment. Some will just be watching, listening and learning from those who are taking part.

So keep posting and don’t be discouraged!

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13Aug 2014

Focused Marketing Plans

Find out what is really important to your customers. What benefits do they really value and are you
delivering on this?

Now you have spoken to your customers and asked why they bought from you (August newsletter) and what was important to them when making that decision, you can now determine what benefits your customers value and how they rank them. Is it what you thought?

Customer value drivers is the term used for the features and benefits you offer that mean your customers will buy your product/service over others. Providing customer value, drives loyalty, retention and the acquisition of new business thereby driving business growth.

Value drivers can come in many forms from the quality of the product/service itself; its functionality, look and feel, ease of use, image and price through the customer’s treatment in the pre/sales/post sales care. Also the image of your brand must be considered, how you are perceived by customers is just as important as the product/service delivery.

Now you have your customer value drivers you need to compare them to what you are saying to your customers. Tweak your messages to reflect this information and this will resonate more with customers and potential customers.

NZ Domain Registrations

As of this month you are now able to register new shorter domain names ending on .nz rather than .co.nz . So why is this
important? It is important because it provides:

  • More choice in .nz domain names
  • More representative online addresses. For example, many people get co.nz domain names originally set up with businesses in mind even though they are not businesses.
  • Shorter .nz domain names
  • New Zealand is now in line with many other countries that have already made this change.

The new domain names won’t be active until next year, so you have until March 2015 to pre-register your domain name. For
more information you can visit www.anyname.nz.
If you have any questions about think could directly improve your sales and you would like independent help with, then give
me a call on 09 215 7858.

All the best,
Nicole Crump

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13Aug 2014

Do You Know Why Your Customers Chose You?

Why Not Ask Them?

Be brave and don’t be afraid to ask your customers questions that you may not like the answers to. There might be simple changes you can make to improve your customer service to help existing customers and also increase the number of new customers.

There are different ways you can find out this information and what method used will depend on the complexity of your product range, the cost of your product/service and how you engage with your customers pre, during and post the sale. We generally conduct in-depth interviews over the phone but an online survey to your database or Facebook likers, or small survey at the end of a customer call to the service centre will give a great result too.

Sometimes incentivising people to enter with a small prize helps. Many of the questions asked are just the same regardless of whether your business is B2B or B2C. After all you’re still selling to humans!

Some of the questions we ask are:
  1. What other brands or products did you consider when purchasing?
  2. Why did you decide to choose our brand or product?
  3. Was it easy to compare our products to the others?
  4. What are the three or four most important things you looked for when deciding?

You might get some quick wins when you have found our more about your customer’s decision making process, or improvements that will give better benefit in the long term. Don’t forget to add these into your SWOT analysis (refer to our previous newsletter Edward, please add in I think it is the May edition for more information on creating a SWOT).

Quite often we find that our client’s customers don’t speak the same language as our clients. They often simplify things and they are not as “precious” about some of the features that our client’s offer. Talking to your Heading (Style ‘Heading3’) clients helps you look at your products and services through their eyes seeing what is actually important to them rather than what you think is important to them.

All the very best and if you need independent help to interrogate your customer’s decision making process, then give me a call on 09 215 7858.

All the best,
Nicole Crump

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13Jun 2014

May is a Great Month

May is a great month to undertake a situation analysis for your business

At Tactix we place a lot of emphasis in our plans looking at where our client companies are now before creating our recommendations for growth. In our plans we delve into several areas including distribution, purchase decision making, pricing, communications etc.

Once we have this information we consolidate it into a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats). Whilst this is marketing language it is a helpful tool for non-marketers too.

Helpful Harmful
Internal Strengths Weaknesses
External Opportunities Threats

Our preference is starting with a clear piece of paper or blank whiteboard rather than a computer as we’ve heard that there is
better engagement in the brain when handwriting. The secret here is to just get started, you can always prioritise the items you come up with or remove some later on.

Because we’re positive people we like to start with strengths first, the things that our client companies are doing well – these are things to continue to develop to make us stand out from the competition. We’ve populated the grid below with suggestions to get you started. Next we look at weaknesses, things that need addressing and may be hindering our goals. Remember both strengths and weaknesses are internal to your organisation, but may be things that you are doing better or worse than your competitors.

Opportunities may come from the weaknesses identified above or you may like to note down ideas that have been bubbling around for a while. This is where you can note down a whole raft of ideas, things that may not get resource or priority for years – you can structure these ideas and funnel them later on. Remember go for volume here in the first instance!

Finally it’s time to look at threats, and be honest with these – camera film manufacturers should not have been surprised by
movement to digital.

Helpful Harmful
Internal Strengths

  • well priced
  • unique product
  • excellent customer service
  • good product knowledge
  • good system software
  • etc
 Weaknesses

  • dependent on only one customer
  • unique product
  • lack of depth across sales team
  • ongoing out of stocks
  • etc
External Opportunities

  • investigate the Australian market
  • launch another colour or flavour variant
  • find a new accounting partner
  • join a networking group
  • sell the business
  • move premises to somewhere with more foot traffic
  • ensure the website is aligned with business goals
  • investigate how a Facebook page can work for our business
  • put through a price rise to our customers
  • look for cheaper packaging
  • etc
 Threats

  • changing government regulations
  • customers dying off (it happens!)
  • product range going out of fashion
  • competitor decreasing price
  • change in eating habits – healthier options
  • preference for NZ made
  • new entrant into the market
  • etc

We’ve now created a draft list as above. Go back and add additional opportunities now that you have identified weaknesses, this will stop them getting lost. Don’t funnel the ideas yet, keep adding to them over the next few days.

A few days later, when you’re ready to prioritise we suggest most emphasis should go into funnelling the opportunities as they’re most closely aligned to growth. You could use this time management grid to do this.

Good luck. Let us know how you get on! And if you do need some professional help or fresh thinking give me a call on (09) 215 7585.
All the best,
Nicole Crump

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