Make noise, win business!
Picture a carrot. I bet you’ve visualised something orange with a nice green top. And it works in exactly the same way when you present your new product to a potential buyer.
We presented our boards to SPAR last week and it worked really well, as they could see how O2GO SPORT+ would look on their shelves. This acts as a vital step closer to our product being a reality for their stores. It’s the best way to present your new product, and you need to make the most of the precious time you have with a buyer.
Being careful with spending is important at any stage of a business – the boards are a great concept and not cheap so we will be reusing them, because they still create the same effect
no matter who the audience. Our family of products were on there too, to give us other avenues. O2GO SPORT+ is now ‘officially’ going into retail just by us selling the concept!
Problems have arisen though – we now have to finalise designs, get packers for the product and boxes, all of which adds to our costs. But I have managed to create some sales already, so though I’m selling the concept, you have to do it to cover the cost of producing a sample run. Finished products aren’t the only way to get your point across …
My D-list celebrity status has taken off – I’m going to a regional final in York today for young people starting their own businesses. It’s a charity and sixth formers will be presenting their products to the audience on the day. I’m there to talk about entrepreneurship and to give them hints and tips on their business plan. Next week it’s the Vitality Show in Scotland, attended by 1000 ladies each day of the three. On the website there’s a picture of me alongside the likes of Michelle McManus and Rosemary Conley, so I feel I’ve made it, oh yes! I am also due to fly to Germany the week after that to talk to a very senior group of peers.
I’ll tell you a story now. I went to a buyer event recently and someone came up to me and said he liked my water bottle. We actually make them and he asked if he could order 300 from us; now this is not something we normally do, selling on water bottles, but I immediately said ‘no problem’. The moral is to take any opportunity you are given, say you can do it and find a way to do it afterwards. Always provide the best customer service and people will come back to you. Once you’ve got a customer, hold on to them, as there is always competition out there ready to take valuable customers from you.
We recently swapped our production which caused a bit of a heaadache with the Irish MoD order – to make sure that the customer wasn’t inconvenienced, I had to fly products from Italy over 24 hours, at great cost, but it kept us our contract. You have to look at the bigger picture. It’s not all about the money, think about how else you can help people with problems. Satisfy your customers and the money will come.
My speaking is time-consuming but I want to benefit the company by making sure we don’t become a faceless corporation. I’m here and I want to talk to people, be available for them as ‘Jon at Santeau’. You know when a company’s being different, they have their own vocabulary - we try to maintain this with newsletters and text massaging services. Personality is important. And I’ve just heard that I’ve been nominated for the Institute of Directors entrepreneur of the year award, which could be really exciting.
New companies need to be disruptive. People who make noise get feedback. O2GO tried to be disruptive by saying ‘don’t buy bottled water’, refill the bottles (CRB is important to me), which in a way is a ludicrous request, because of course people buy bottled water! But if you stand out, open your mind to new ideas and keep a fresh pair of eyes, people will notice you and your business is bound to benefit.
