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Robert Craven Website

Newsletter
from Robert Craven,
Keynote Speaker, Author and MD of
The Directors' Centre
May 2006

 

 

Greetings... Let's Talk!

In this month's newsletter:

• Five new articles for May 2006
• Two articles only available to Website/Newsletter subscribers
• Customer Stories
• New Service Offerings
• Free Stuff from the new website

Regards,

Robert Craven

P.S. 'Let's Talk' is my motto for the week

• Let's Talk... do give me a call on 01225 851044
• 'Let's Talk... Bright Marketing' - the Barclays show is back on the road (seven venues)
• 'Let's Talk... More Profit' - the new Barclays workshop (14 venues)

 

May 2006 Articles

• Pitfalls To Avoid - Robert Craven reveals the top ten issues that inhibit the growth of a business (Making Money Magazine, May 2006)
• The Bright Marketing Manifesto - Part One of Three. The unique Barclays Bright Marketing Seminars have changed the lives and fortunes of thousands of the UK’s small businesses. So what’s it all about? (Start Your Business Magazine, 2006).
• Success At What Cost? - Success is a bit of a paradox for the growing business. On the one hand, we seek the popularity and profits that go with it but, on the other hand, our product loses its intimacy with the success. (ServiceManagement365, April 2006).
• The Elevator Pitch - Article specifically adapted for women in banking and finance. Robert Craven (Women in Banking and Finance, May/June 2006).

articleS for newsletter subscribers only!

• Let's Talk About... More Profit - an introduction to making more profit - free of accountant-speak. This is the basis of our 'Let's Talk... More Profit' programme being run through May, June an July.

april 2006 articles

• Strategy, Marketing, Teams - The three obsessions of successful organisations. (Making Money Magazine, April 2006)
• Spirituality Sells - Attaching a transcendental or religious dimension to a product satisfies our craving for both God and Mammon, with potentially lucrative results. Article by Mark Vernon, quoting Robert Craven (Management Today Magazine, April 2006).

Customer Stories

There's nothing better than a story written by a customer to convince others about your offering. If word-of-mouth marketing is the most powerful way of spreading the word then it makes sense to formalise this word-of-mouth activity.

Below are a selection of different formats that you can use (with links to examples on our website!):

• Customer stories - develop a page of recent customer stories
• Testimonials - show what others have said
• Specific testimonials - let customers talk about a particular product/service
• The specific success story - show potential customers a specific story.

We are currently gathering testimonials and 'customer stories' so please do send us yours and we will feature it on the website!

New service offerings from the directors' centre

We love to work with ambitious business owners on a bespoke basis, offering consultancy and coaching support to solve and respond to a specific and agreed agenda of issues and goals.

As well as the bespoke services we also offer specific packages:

• Level One: for owner-managers of smaller, growing businesses - a 'paper-based' solution
  
• Level Two: for owner-managers of growing businesses who need some occasional dialogue with an expert to help them to grow their business - a 'telephone coaching' solution
  Level Three: for directors of fast-growing businesses that need more direct contact and discussion with an expert to help them to grow their business - a 'face-to-face coaching and consultancy' solution
  Level Four: for directors of fast-growing businesses who want to work with Robert on a one-to-one basis - consultancy with Robert Craven.

FREE STUFF ON THE SITE

We are especially proud of the Free Stuff pages on the new website - but it looks like they won't be free forever! It includes:

• 21 Free Workshops - Let's Talk About... '...More Profit' and '...Bright Marketing' workshops run by Barclays ... (standard delegate ticket price should be £225!)
• 70+ free Articles and Reports This site offers you the opportunity to download Business Guides and Direction, Articles and Reports
• Free Business Surgeries... a particularly powerful way of talking to us in a one-to-one environment - in effect it's a 'Try Before You Buy' (TBYB).

Take Action Now - THINGS that won't wait!

If there's one thing we'd like you to do, it is to call us today, on 01225 851044. More specifically, I am available to take your calls today, Friday. I'd like to get to understand what your issues are, and what kind of help you might be looking for!

I am in the office for most of next week and will be happy to talk to you.

Other actions you could take..

• Book into one of the Barclays events '...More Profit' and '...Bright Marketing'
• Book into the Tenon Fast-Start Programme - starts on Tuesday 16/17 May, Heathrow
• Check out the free stuff on the site
• Find out about the new service offerings.

NEWSLETTER LINKS

• Kick-Start Your Business and Customer Is King
• Free Business Surgeries
• Free Telephone Seminars
• The New Service Plan
• Fast-Start Programme Heathrow
• 21 Barclays Free Workshops with Robert

ABOUT ROBERT CRAVEN, MD of The Directors' Centre

Robert Craven works with the ambitious directors of fast growing businesses who feel that they could be doing even better.

• As a keynote speaker his style is challenging, honest and goading; free of business school hyperbole, he makes his audience think.
• The Financial Times describes him as 'the entrepreneurship guru'.
  
• Mentoring and Coaching - The Directors' Centre team work with a select number of Managing Directors to help them grow their businesses. Phone Robert direct to know more on 01225 851044.
  
  
  For more details go to the Directors' Centre website

BUY THE BOOKS NOW AT A SPECIAL DISCOUNT PRICE FROM AMAZON

Robert Craven, The Directors' Centre, 1 The High Street, Woolley, Bath BA1 8AR, UK - +44 (0)1225 851044 - www.directorscentre.com

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