Member Article

?Opportunity Knocks? for leisure + retail businesses

A former navy paramedic turned leading North East entrepreneur is launching a new series of events to help businesses learn more about sales and marketing and how they can use simple techniques to become more profitable and grow.

Web marketing expert and international speaker, Alan Foster, runs Design 365 in Newton Aycliffe and will launch his ‘50 Ways’ series next month with an ‘Opportunity Knocks’ workshop aimed at the leisure and retail sectors. The informal event will provide practical methods and advice on how to create a powerful web marketing strategy to engage customers and significantly increase demand for products and services.

The Opportunity Knocks event will provide fifty proven ways to raise a business’s profile using online methods such as social networking, effective e-marketing campaigns and offers and effective distribution lists.

Alan has been in the web marketing field for over 15 years working for a range of blue chip companies, hotel groups, bars, restaurants, spas, gyms, leisure centres and a host of SMEs.

Alan will be joined by two highly-regarded experts in the fields of sales strategy and training and public relations to arm delegates with ideas and techniques that will create a steady stream of new and repeat custom.

Jackie Wade, MD of Winning Sales inDurham, is an experienced international sales and marketing trainer. Working with some of theUK’s leading companies and universities- including The Saga Group, Marriott and Newcastle University- Jackie’s mission is to help staff across a business become comfortable with selling and understand their role in growing a successful business. Her expert tips and ideas are captured in her recently published book, Successful Selling for Small Business. Jackie will provide advice on how to get staff to engage with customers effectively and turn casual enquiries into life-long valued customers.

And Anna Addison, who runs Anna Addison Associates in Stokesley, North Yorkshire, is one of the region’s leading PR specialists working with companies and organisations such as Rockliffe Hall,TeessideUniversity, Business Link, Simon Bailes Peugeot and the NHS. Anna, who also worked as a BBC journalist for over ten years, will be offering tips on offline and online PR that can help to raise awareness about a business and will explain why PR is a critical yet economic tool for business growth.

As well as providing a range of advice and practical methods for improving marketing cost-effectively, the Opportunity Knocks event is a chance for North East businesses in the leisure and retail sectors to network with one another.

Alan Foster, who employs a team of six at Design 365 in Newton Aycliffe, plans to roll out a series of “50 Ways” events in the coming months for a range of sectors.

Alan Foster said: “The 50 Ways series is something I have been working on for a while now and is in response to so many companies wanting a simple, informal workshop-style event to help them get started with web marketing, social media, sales and PR. We’ll be arming people with proven tricks of the trade so that they can do it themselves and we’ll be sharing lots of techniques to promote your business and ensure you never have a quiet day.”

Jackie Wade added: “Getting people to show interest and enquire about your business is one half of the equation. The other is making sure when they do that your staff are able to convert them into customers and furthermore keep them coming back. If you are to get a real return on your marketing investment, then getting the people on your side is critical, otherwise you might just be wasting your money. I’ll be delighted to share some interesting thoughts and ideas on getting your staff on board and ensuring they play their part in winning customers’ hearts, minds and ultimately their custom.”

Anna Addison commented: “This event is aimed at those in leisure and retail who are planning their marketing activities for 2013. Next year the ‘feel good factor’ created by the Queen’s Jubilee and the Olympics might not be so apparent so businesses need to come up with some new ideas, especially post Christmas, to get customers through their doors. And that’s what we’ll be helping people to do.”

Opportunity Knocks takes place on Tuesday November 6thbetween 9am and 1pm at the Xcel Centre, Long Tens Way, Aycliffe Business Park DL5 6AP. The cost is £30. For more details visit Please Call Natalia Watson on 01325 311909 or visit

http://www.50-ways.co.uk

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Anna Addison .