Quite often I spend time working with clients in their place of work - it's the perfect way to really understand what challenges they face, how the culture works and how you can flex your role to really make a difference. It's also quite a useful way to observe and offer objective thoughts and solutions. Not being so close, not in the business full-time, means you can see things differently sometimes.
I've just played a similar role for 5 months, in far greater depth, in our family pub business that has sadly closed today due to differences with the pub company that made no commercial sense at all and simply couldn't be resolved. I worked alongside my partner and son (when I wasn't running my marketing company) who ran the pub. It's amazing to see how different companies work, what their organisational structures are and what is really involved. Running a pub is no different except it doesn't close at 5pm, has the most complicated staff rotas and, if you serve food, is like running at least 2 businesses at the same time. Juggling doesn't come close. Add to the mix the unpredictability of customers and any number of unforeseen scenarios and it is mind-bending!
Coming in to any business sector, we think we have an understanding of what's involved - and to a certain extent we can work it out - but it's not until you've been there can you fully appreciate what is needed for effective marketing and business development. The point of this blog, and I know I'm being a big long-winded, is to really get to know your clients. Never assume and think you know it all because you probably don't know the half of it!
This entry was posted on February 16, 2016