Bridging the Gap Between Business Theory and Practical Implementation
I went shopping yesterday in Exeter city centre – my hometown in the south west of England. A much-needed pair of shoes, some books and a shirt later I was in desperate need of refreshment. While sipping my coffee and catching up on reading I was the recipient of marketing emails that I read on my phone.
Amazon emailed me about very relevant books I might be interested in; Wiggle tried to interest me in cycling gear; and 37 Signals sent me a newsletter loaded with customer case studies about their Highrise contact manager. After rapidly deleting these well thought out emails I remembered my bewilderment, and frustration, that small business’ – in fact, those very shops I had just visited, failed to market to me with even 5% of the sophistication of the marketing I later received. Not even the large book chain I shopped in has ever sent me any decent marketing.
So why are so many business’ not making the effort to get the most from their customers? How has the vast amount of marketing knowledge not filtered down into practical steps that any business can apply? Who’s doing it well, and what lessons can we learn from them?
RealBizTools is all about bridging the gap between business theory and business practice. What are the key tools for SMEs? What metrics & KPIs should every entrepreneur have at their fingertips?
Most importantly, how can you put this information to use in your business to increase your share of the pie?