I had a conversation recently about all things marketing and we covered so many topics; it was very long conversation!
… and we barely scratched the surface.
Later that day I was thinking “how did marketing get so complicated?
There are so many different ways to tell people about our business it can be really difficult to work out what to do…
… and that is only one half of the problem as these days we are all expected to be able to do everything for ourselves. Technology has supposedly made everything “easy” but whilst it may be easy if you are an expert in a particular area it isn’t so easy when you are actually trying to focus on running your business.
You see this not just in Marketing but other areas of business as well. Years ago, I used to type up invoices and post them, simply writing “Paid” and the date on them when I subsequently received a cheque and filed them in a (colour coded!) lever arch file. I recorded my expenses on a spreadsheet and kept all my receipts (in a nice orderly manner), sending everything to my accountant at the end of the year. It was efficient, all be it extremely slow and ponderous but it worked.
Today I use an “all singing, all dancing” online accounting system which is great and gives me so much more information on, and control over, my business…
… except for that time when I have a one-off query and I realise that not only do I need to be Accountant to make sure I do something correctly I also need to be a technical expert on the software and that is even more challenging.
In fact, not a week goes by where I don’t need to speak to an expert to ask a small specific question about something in my business.
… but I am lucky because having spent the past ten years furiously business networking I always know someone who can help.
I talk a lot about how to network – about sharing your knowledge and expertise, becoming known as an “Expert” in your field and just generally being helpful – a truly underrated quality.
… and the great thing about networking this way is that when you need help in return it is given back with generosity.
So yes, business and the technologies we use might sometimes seem complicated, even overwhelming, but if you get out and go networking you will meet experts in every area of business and at Coffee and Connect we are always happy to talk and share our expertise.
Aside from Networking my area of expertise is Marketing so if you want to talk about all things marketing please do come and chat to me on Wednesday – though I should warn you it might be a long conversation!
Mel