Joanne Clayton

I remember a long time ago, being told a story of someone who went into a famous German car showroom, only to be frowned upon and not taken seriously by the sales person because of how he was dressed. As it happens, he was a multi-millionaire looking to purchase a new top-spec top of the […]

We’ve recently adopted a new CRM (Customer Record Management) system, replacing the previous one which had proven to be unreliable. We’ve used a CRM system for some time as a database marketing tool, as from it we conduct email broadcasting, telemarketing and other ways of direct marketing to our contacts. Predominantly though, it’s a means

I read an article in a magazine recently – it was a sports magazine and the article was regarding how to get over the motivational dips that we all get from time to time. Whilst some of the tips were aimed directly at the issues faced by athletes, such as cold weather outside, dark early

I often wonder how many opportunities I lose by not knowing that something is happening. I also wonder how to prevent missing such opportunities – is it possible to find out in advance of an upcoming event, for example? Let me explain…… Last week was National Apprenticeship week. Luckily, we found out about it, although

A couple of weeks ago, we changed our company’s telephone supplier. The catalyst for changing was simply a cold call I received (proof in itself that a) telemarketing companies still works and b) we practice what we preach), during which the salesperson promised cheaper bills, based upon our consumption. We weren’t looking for a new

Last year, I said to my husband Steve that I was going to ride one or two Sportives – timed cycle rides / races of varying distances, often around 50-100 miles. Last year came ….. and went ….. without my having ridden one! You may recall that we both rode the Pedal For Pounds charity

This week’s blog was inspired by a recent call I received. The person in question was requesting an email address list for an upcoming direct marketing campaign and came to me having been recommended by a mutual contact. They wanted help and advice on how to be sure they maximised their campaign. I receive frequent

How do you get new business? During one of the networking events I attended last week, one of the other attendees stated that he gets 100% of his business through Twitter and that he was after ideas of how to gain new business. This got me thinking, how many businesses don’t take advantage of the

listen to ‘Mistakes Happen’ on Audioboo

As many of you will know, both Steve and I are huge cycling fans. It might therefore seem an obvious choice to blog about something so close to our hearts, given the Lance Armstrong interview with Oprah Winfrey that aired on TV last week, so I will…..with a positive emphasis! Whilst I have no doubts

I may have lost a client recently, because I couldn’t keep a promise. The client in question required a business email list urgently and, having sourced a business list owner who could promise timely delivery, I placed the order and made payment. The business list in question, which was only a small order, was promised

Happy New Year to all of my blog reading friends…..I hope the festive season was enjoyable and that Santa treated you all well. It’s been three weeks since I blogged – I dared to take some time off! – and thought I’d kick off my 2013 blogs by asking you what impression you believe your