A free Business Growth Seminar hosted on Thursday 22nd November by local charted accountancy firm Harding Lewis, in partnership with the Academy for Growth, met with resounding success and added a new dimension to the firm’s goal of increasing collaboration between local owner-managed businesses.
The event, which took place in the Sanderson Suite of The Claremont hotel, attracted over 60 delegates from a variety of sectors throughout the Isle of Man and was also attended by renowned marketing expert Steve Hackney, who presented on the topic of ‘how to multiply sales and profits from existing customers for less than the price of a McDonald’s Happy Meal’. Guests were also invited to purchase a copy of Why Businesses Stop Growing and What You Can Do About It, which was co-authored by Mr Hackney and Harding Lewis’ Managing Director, Andrew Gerrard. Proceeds from the first 30 sales of the book were donated to The Salvation Army (IOM).
Mr Hackney’s presentation, which was aimed predominantly at owner managed small and medium sized business, or SMEs, began with a series of basic instructions aimed at guaranteeing the retention and proper organisation of existing customers as well as the acquisition of prospective clients. These included basics such as the formalisation of contact databases as well as the creation of opportunities for personalised extras such as birthday offers and first-person referral systems.
Mr Hackney then moved on to the subject of up-selling and cross selling and the benefits that can be gained through the consolidation of points of sale and allowing colleagues to voice their experiences and opinions. The importance of maintaining consistent contact with existing customers was also emphasised throughout, with themed promotions, monthly newsletters and frequent prize draws featuring as means to achieving this goal. Attendees also enjoyed the opportunity to sample the Business Growth System, an advanced piece of business software aimed at growing businesses which is available for free to clients of Harding Lewis.
Commenting on the day’s event, Andrew Gerrard, Managing Director of Harding Lewis stated: “As a flourishing centre for business excellence and a hot spot for new business and entrepreneurs, it is vital that the business leaders of the Isle of Man work together to achieve the best for our clients and for our business community. To this end, resources such as the Business Growth Seminar and the popular Harding Lewis round-table discussions are invaluable and have so far generated an enthusiastic response from all industries within the Island’s increasingly diverse market. I would like to thank all those who attended and who made the day such a great success and look forward to our next opportunity to present to such an innovative marketplace.”
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