I am grateful to both Jeremy Silverstone of Purple Marketing and Peter Sellers and Hal Ashby for the inspiration for this week’s blog.
Jeremy and I were talking during breakfast at Key Connectors networking in Barnet last week, about the fact that most companies generally do not review their website more than once a year and wonder why they don’t have many hits. In fact there is one company I used to work for who is a prime example of this. If I recall it correctly they spent around £600 - £1000 developing their website, the price included the capacity to carry live streaming etc and at the time it was a very good and innovative website. They had embraced the modern age and very quickly they saw an immediate return for their investment. The number of hits on their website was amazing, they received enquiries and instructions from both the UK and abroad. Due to the stat counter they had installed on the website they knew that this increased level of work could be attributed to their new website.
Unfortunately, they didn’t listen to advice and 6 years down the road the website has not been changed or updated and is now looking very dated. I can only assume that the level of enquiries they receive has dropped to a mere trickle.
I’m sure you’re asking yourself “What has this got to do with Peter Sellers or Hal Ashby?” Well Jeremy reminded me that one of the great films of the later part of the 1970’s was Being There and how the film’s message should be adopted by all business owners.
For those who haven’t seen the film, Peter Sellers plays a middle-aged gardener who lives in the townhouse of a wealthy man in Washington. Chance appears to be a simple man with simple tastes and is perfectly happy living with his employer as long as he has his garden, television and food on the table. When the wealthy man dies he is forced to leave by the executors and leaves with only the clothes given to him by his late employer, a homburg hat, umbrella and a television remote and starts to walk aimlessly through Washington.
Due to a random act of misfortune he is knocked down by a car being driven by a wealthy businessman who feels so guilty that he takes Chance home with him to recover. During dinner he is asked his name and even though he says he is called Chance the Gardener, the other dinners think he says Chancy Gardener. When Chance is asked his opinion of the economic crisis that was then effecting America and the rest of the Western world and when he answered he used the only knowledge he had and that was the knowledge that came from gardening.
He explained that everything in nature is a cycle, that while in spring and summer there is growth, but in fall & winter things die down. It is in winter and early spring that we should cut back the dead wood to allow for the new growth to come through. His simplistic answers were interpreted as statements of deep wisdom and knowledge regarding business matters and the current state of the economy. The jaded guests and those he meets along the way declare Chance to be a genius.
While Being There is a work of fiction the sentiment is very true today. We are currently coming towards the end of a very hard financial winter and if we want our business to start to grow we have to start making some very hard decisions.
Start by looking at your website how long since you’ve received an enquiry, is it looking tired and old, can you almost see cobwebs. If the answer is yes to any of these questions then you need to invest some time and money and refresh it. Remember your website is your shop window and you are judged by it and like a garden it need constant upkeep to ensure that it offers the visitor a splendid impression of your business.
When you’ve done that review your customer base, especially the bottom performing 20%. You’ll have to decide if the reason that they are underperforming is due to your lack of communication. If it is, make some time and phone them and if possible arrange to visit them and find out why they are not your best customer. If after that they're still at the bottom of your chart, divorce them as they aren’t Roses but weeds that could be choking the life out of your business.
If you would like to know more about David or Deanem Collections please do not hesitate to visit www.deanemcollections.co.uk
Jeremy and I were talking during breakfast at Key Connectors networking in Barnet last week, about the fact that most companies generally do not review their website more than once a year and wonder why they don’t have many hits. In fact there is one company I used to work for who is a prime example of this. If I recall it correctly they spent around £600 - £1000 developing their website, the price included the capacity to carry live streaming etc and at the time it was a very good and innovative website. They had embraced the modern age and very quickly they saw an immediate return for their investment. The number of hits on their website was amazing, they received enquiries and instructions from both the UK and abroad. Due to the stat counter they had installed on the website they knew that this increased level of work could be attributed to their new website.
Unfortunately, they didn’t listen to advice and 6 years down the road the website has not been changed or updated and is now looking very dated. I can only assume that the level of enquiries they receive has dropped to a mere trickle.
I’m sure you’re asking yourself “What has this got to do with Peter Sellers or Hal Ashby?” Well Jeremy reminded me that one of the great films of the later part of the 1970’s was Being There and how the film’s message should be adopted by all business owners.
For those who haven’t seen the film, Peter Sellers plays a middle-aged gardener who lives in the townhouse of a wealthy man in Washington. Chance appears to be a simple man with simple tastes and is perfectly happy living with his employer as long as he has his garden, television and food on the table. When the wealthy man dies he is forced to leave by the executors and leaves with only the clothes given to him by his late employer, a homburg hat, umbrella and a television remote and starts to walk aimlessly through Washington.
Due to a random act of misfortune he is knocked down by a car being driven by a wealthy businessman who feels so guilty that he takes Chance home with him to recover. During dinner he is asked his name and even though he says he is called Chance the Gardener, the other dinners think he says Chancy Gardener. When Chance is asked his opinion of the economic crisis that was then effecting America and the rest of the Western world and when he answered he used the only knowledge he had and that was the knowledge that came from gardening.
He explained that everything in nature is a cycle, that while in spring and summer there is growth, but in fall & winter things die down. It is in winter and early spring that we should cut back the dead wood to allow for the new growth to come through. His simplistic answers were interpreted as statements of deep wisdom and knowledge regarding business matters and the current state of the economy. The jaded guests and those he meets along the way declare Chance to be a genius.
While Being There is a work of fiction the sentiment is very true today. We are currently coming towards the end of a very hard financial winter and if we want our business to start to grow we have to start making some very hard decisions.
Start by looking at your website how long since you’ve received an enquiry, is it looking tired and old, can you almost see cobwebs. If the answer is yes to any of these questions then you need to invest some time and money and refresh it. Remember your website is your shop window and you are judged by it and like a garden it need constant upkeep to ensure that it offers the visitor a splendid impression of your business.
When you’ve done that review your customer base, especially the bottom performing 20%. You’ll have to decide if the reason that they are underperforming is due to your lack of communication. If it is, make some time and phone them and if possible arrange to visit them and find out why they are not your best customer. If after that they're still at the bottom of your chart, divorce them as they aren’t Roses but weeds that could be choking the life out of your business.
If you would like to know more about David or Deanem Collections please do not hesitate to visit www.deanemcollections.co.uk
No comments:
Post a Comment