Here's a conundrum ...

You're manning reception (or these days I suppose I should say 'personning' but that just sounds silly) or working in a store and the phone goes. At the same time a customer walks up to you to ask a question. Which do you attend to first? 

Or you're in a deep and meaningful conversation with your boss and the phone rings / a customer walks in. What do you do?

As I've grown older and less tolerant of poor customer service, every experience like this which isn't handled well presents an opportunity for the individual and thus the company / business / organisation to do better. There should be proper training and clear guidelines as to what is expected of everyone working for a company, and in many there are - and they get it right. Are you sure that's your business?

How important is the customer? How do you know if that's a new one on the phone waiting to give you a huge order? How do you know if the person walking in is a mystery shopper?

How often have you fumed while you travel the world virtually through call centre systems when the business you're calling about is located just down the road?

Each time I stand in line waiting for service when the person behind the counter is so busy chatting to his / her colleague about what they did the night before, or I'm fighting with a health centre receptionist to get an appointment (to which my response is usually "Three weeks? I'll either be dead or better by then"), or my local leisure centre when they can't find my booking when I made it in person the week before, I want to go straight to the person at the top and tell them there's a training need. And sometimes I do.

Why am I, as a Public Relations and Communications specialist, talking about Customer Service? Because it can make or break your business. Get it wrong and it doesn't matter how good your products or services are because your customers will go elsewhere. It'll have a direct affect on your reputation, sales and ultimately your profits. And that's the connection. That's why it's so important.

To rectify the need, my Customer Service 101 training workshop looks at the topic from a PR and Comms perspective and is going to be held in Brighton on 20th February. 

Come along for a refresher; if you're starting a business come along to ensure great Customer Service from Day One; or send your team for a couple of hours out and some fun, informal and interactive training. 

Practical tips you can put into practice straight away will put a smile on your Customer Service face. And as they say in certain establishments "Have a nice day now!"

You can book tickets at an insanely competitive price here.

5 ways to improve your customer service and your reputation

You’ve got your branding spot on. You even have a style guide. You’ve got all the employees you need. Your premises look great. Your website is sparkling. You’re proud to be eco-friendly and sustainable, not a plastic straw in sight. You have leads and appointments. You have a sales pipeline. You aren’t worried about cash flow. Yet. You have it all down pat.

What could possibly go wrong?

Have you seen bad press for companies that give poor customer service? How you treat your customers, even just one customer, can have a good or bad effect on your company.

Customer service is about every element of the purchase experience with your company, from the initial research to after-care support. If you have a small business, you’re more likely to be aware of how your customers are treated. If you are at the top of a large company, this isn’t possible. How do you know how your customers are being treated?

The main reason why a customer leaves or doesn’t buy from you again is because they feel you don’t care about them.

How can you show them you care? It’s simple. Provide excellent customer service and be authentic from the top down in your desire to give your customers an excellent experience from start to end, which then becomes the start again – there’s nothing better for the business heart and for the business pocket than repeat customers.

From the person on Reception who chooses whether to acknowledge the customer who has just walked in or carries on talking to their colleague (BAD), to the car dealership which sends you a personalised video every fortnight to let you know how your new car is being built thereby keeping you in the loop (GOOD), it’s a choice each business owner must make.

Show your customers you care

Do you have “We provide excellent customer service” somewhere on your website, in your mission, vision or values? Do you really mean it or is it something you thought you had to put on there?

There are thousands of negative customer service stories on the web but relatively very few positive ones. People tell many more people when they have a bad experience than when they have a good one, and word of mouth counts. I am the sort of person who takes to Twitter immediately I have dreadful customer service because it’s absolutely not necessary and the offending companies need to be outed.

Here are five ways in which you can offer excellent customer service for your customers:

1. Call back or respond as quickly as possible

Doesn’t it make your blood boil when someone promises to call you back and they don’t? In my experience, I always expect the worse then I can be pleasantly surprised when it does happen. I make bets. I’m not often wrong. And isn't it nearly always the mobile phone and utility companies?!

Rather than an empty promise to call back, if you can’t do so with the information needed, then call back anyway and say it’ll take longer. It’s amazing how much this will alleviate stress on behalf of the customer, and it’ll give you extra brownie points in the long run.

With the thousands of emails we all receive, find a way of prioritising the important ones and exercise good time management to get back to the others within a reasonable period, say within two working days. A footer added to your corporate signature explaining this customer service promise will make people aware. It’s good PR.

Ditch those hated automated phone systems. Last week I was holding on for over ten minutes while the message cut in every minute to tell me my call was important to the company. It clearly wasn’t important to the company because if it was, they would have a better way in which to answer their phones. And I don’t mean outsourcing to overseas call centres who can only deal with customer enquiries via scripts. It’s not the customer service assistants fault, it’s the fault of the company which isn’t equipping people well enough to be able to offer excellent customer service.

2. Know your customers inside and out

Great interactions begin with knowing your customers’ wants and needs; what makes them buy; what mood they’re in when they buy; what time of day they buy; and what is it that prompts them to buy from you.

If your business is small enough, get to know your customers, remember their names and previous conversations. If you have a larger business, use an effective CRM system so that when someone calls your company, the person answering the phone can see the last contact with the customer and effectively deal with the query or update them on the previous issue.

3. Be prepared to do something to rectify a problem

One of the best ways to damage your reputation is by not taking responsibility if you get something wrong. And even if you don’t think it was your fault, weigh up the cost of putting it right anyway to avoid a disgruntled customer.

Consider these scenarios:

You buy a relatively cheap bunch of flowers for home from a low-price supermarket. You’ve used the store a fair number of times and you’ve been happy with the quality of the goods. You’ve purchased similar flowers and they’ve always been fine. You’ve never had to complain before. You’re a good advocate of the brand. On this occasion, the flowers died more or less overnight. You couldn’t get back to the store because you were busy and it took several days before you visited. The customer service assistant was arrogant, rude and tried to make you feel small. You complained to the manager who was no better. Is the very small cost of refunding a cheap bunch of flowers worth the rather large cost of the many people you will tell about your experience?

On the other hand, mentioning this to a friend who works for a higher-end supermarket, she said their policy is to immediately refund or replace regardless. Now consider which store you’ll visit in future.

There is a direct correlation to the bottom-line profits of those who offer excellent customer service.

4. Aim for excellent and achieve it

Going above and beyond will not only result in repeat business and happy customers, it will have a positive effect on your reputation, arguably your most important asset. Make sure everyone in your business, whether it’s one employee or thousands, offers the same level of customer service. Regularly do mystery shopping to check. Make it a part of your business culture and get buy-in from everyone from the CEO to the delivery driver. Have consequences if someone lapses and find out why. Maybe there's something you can do to put it right. Always investigate and report back to the customer.

5. A customer is for life not just for Christmas

Think long-term and keep your customers happy, and they will be loyal. Customer retention is so important. It costs much more to locate and convert new leads than it does to retain and satisfy existing customers. It’s a no-brainer.

6. Buy five and get one free!

If your brand is known for excellent customer service always, then there is an argument that says you’ll be able to charge a little more for the privilege or if not that, then customers will buy more from you thereby increasing revenue. 

Either way, it makes sense. Can you afford to get it wrong?

Chimera Communications can help you identify what’s going right and what could go wrong in your organisation. We can work with you to get your internal and external communications right. And we can show you how to make your customer service excellent.

Contact us now for an initial chat on info@chimeracomms.co.uk or 01903 812275.

Age-related resilience

Once upon a time, when I was younger and definitely less worldly, I really cared what people thought of me. Now, not so much.

Does it matter in the grand scheme of things? Do I have to have anyone’s permission, approval or consent about how I run my business? No. Have I done ok so far? Pretty much.

As the years go by, I’ve found I care less and less about what people think, and more and more about whether I can lay my head on my pillow at night, knowing I’ve done the best I could during the day.

It matters more to me that I’ve acted morally, legally and ethically. It matters to me that if I have a problem with something or someone, I’ve done something about it and not stayed quiet for fear of being thought badly of, which I might previously have done. I can’t stand idly by while I watch something being done which I believe is incorrect, illogical, unreasonable, unfair or plain daft. And I tend to say things in a straightforward manner these days, whereas I might have spluttered and walked away before.

People might not like it, but it has to be done. I might implode or explode if I keep things in, and that just wouldn’t do. Think of the mess.

I was someone who would sit in a meeting and a bright idea would come into my head and I’d be reticent to share. I’d wait and wait, gathering up the courage, then someone else would say it and get the credit. I bet that’s happened to you too. 

Now I stand up for my views, share my ideas and if someone else presents a rational counter-argument, that’s fine. I’m happy to be persuaded otherwise but only if there’s a better rationale and I can see it makes sense. You may not believe it but sometimes I do get things wrong, and I get frustrated when there isn’t a rounded and fair debate on the subject.

I often ask clients why something is being done a particular way and frequently hear it’s “always been done that way”, which is almost a gauntlet being thrown down to someone like me. If I can’t see the logic I’ll offer a better, quicker, cheaper, easier way to do it. 

The result is that people look as it they’ve seen a ghost. They go white, then red, then a strange shade of green as the penny drops that they could have been doing it that way all along.

This, of course, is because having been in business for so long I’ve seen an awful lot, made many mistakes, enjoyed many successes, worked in and with a huge range of sectors, and have the benefit of experience. It means age-related resilience, more courage, less ‘sweating the small stuff’ and an ability to see the bigger picture.

Clients sometimes hook themselves on to a belief about an issue based on their views about their business. Age-related resilience allows me to stand my ground. I’m giving them my best advice (which, as a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Public Relations, I’m duty-bound to give anyway) and because it’s based on an excellent understanding of my field of expertise and the facts that I’ve gleaned about their business. I reach conclusions and give advice solely for the benefit of clients long-term. And if they get frustrated with me when I don’t always agree with them? I go to bed at night knowing I’ve given the best advice for which they’re paying. I am, after all, on their side.

Lessons learned along the way?

•          Never be afraid to get things wrong – enjoy the learning curve
•          Focus on cash flow, knowing your customers inside and out, what makes them buy from you and what makes them not buy from you
•          Look after your clients as they’re your brand ambassadors
•          Keep up-to-date with innovation and new technology which can help you in your job
•          Take frequent pit stops during the day to remind yourself there is a world away from the computer
•          Drink lots of water
•          Breathe deeply
•          Be grounded
•          Use voicemail effectively especially if you’re concentrating on something and don’t want to be disturbed
•          Realise you don’t need to answer every email immediately
•          Use the Auto Reply function on your email to let people know you’re away from the office for a while so you don’t lose any business
•          Sleep well (something I still haven’t mastered)

The benefits of ageing? Being able to write a blog post like this and not worry if someone doesn’t like it. It's more about not needed validation, as you do when you're younger. It's about having the courage of your convictions, the benefit of having seen and done a lot, and knowing that something that seems huge one day will likely be almost forgotten in months to come. 

The best mentoring comes from age, experience, knowledge, straight-talking, empathy, big picture thinking, confidence, proven skills, and a desire to pay things forward.

If you need mentoring – or any other PR, marketing, branding or social media services we offer – contact Jill Woolf on 01903 812275.

Blink and 15 years go by, just like that!

It all started at the Hotel Seattle, Brighton, in February 2003. I was having dinner with a very good friend, colleague, mentor, future client and future team member. My small but perfectly formed PR and marketing consultancy was about to arrive on Planet Earth.

I had just taken voluntary redundancy from a wonderful job I had been in for 10 years. I was a head of department running PR, Communications and Corporate Services across nine group companies in the South-East. I had a great team behind me and unquestioning support from my immediate director.

It’s possible I would have been there still today, had it not been for rafts of mergers and acquisitions, the last of which resulted in horrendous internal politics, self-preservation tricks and ego-related shenanigans. This was the sort of situation that showed people up in their worst light. It became the sort of place in which I didn’t fit, so I was off.

What next?

So many people said to me, upon hearing of my impending departure: “If you’re going to set up a PR company, I’ve got some work for you.” Goodness no, I retorted, that’s really not what I want to do! No, no, never. My plan was to take a few months out and consider what to do next, calmly and rationally.

Back to the Hotel Seattle on that fateful night. “If you’re going to set up a PR company, I’ve got some work for you.” Now it was my friend’s turn. “Go on,” she countered, “what’s the worst that can happen?” I pondered for a moment and responded, “If it all goes wrong, I’ll have to go and get another job… oh, alright then. I’ll call it Chimera Communications.”

And that was it. The next day I designed the logo, set up a bank account, got an accountant and bought a new laptop.

And now …

Fast forward 15 years and, of course, it was probably the best thing that could have happened to me. 

That’s not to say there haven’t been times when stacking shelves in Tesco seemed a desirable alternative. But overall, I really can’t believe it’s been 15 years. And several hundred clients later.

Here are some observations, as I sit back with my coffee vat and contemplate what’s turned out to be the very quirky world of Chimera Communications:

• Few people understand what PR is (public relations, that is, not proportional representation … which no-one understands anyway)
• When they do get it, they think they can do it themselves (sometimes you can, sometimes you really do need to be concentrating on the business you set up and leave the professionals to do it properly)
• Even fewer people realise how important it is to know your customer inside out and what makes them buy into your brand, products or services
• Only about 5% of SMEs have a business plan when they come to us (that’s an estimate, by the way, based on my experience; we’re not talking Ipsos MORI here)
• PR is not necessarily a quick win. You must be patient and allow time for the professionals to do it right (no, I’m not going to tell you how, you’ll have to employ us for that!)
• Some clients ambush themselves by not giving us what we need. This has been one of the most surprising client attributes. By not giving us what we need, to deadline and in the right format, we’re unable to do our job
• Another surprising client attribute is that some think we should work for nothing, which I always think is quite weird. Would they? I, for one, have spent decades honing my skills, experience and professionalism, and that comes at a price as a business consultant, just like a lawyer or accountant
• Social media has revolutionised communications. It’s fascinating to watch what happens next in the world of PR and comms. Will robots take over our jobs? Wouldn’t it be fun to see how they tackle organising an event on the beach, or train people to go live on TV or radio?!
• The explosion in real-time news availability has been, overall, fantastic. How interesting is it to watch news happening in front of your eyes?
• Crisis PR management, though, has changed immensely. Not the theory, just the speed at which responses are expected. Not a bad thing, but organisation and prior preparation for such an event is key

• Everyone’s expectations have changed dramatically too. Remember when we used to send letters by post and – yes - actually waited days for a reply?! 
• Now most of us look online for reviews before we consider buying a product or service
• Whole new industries have arrived to tell us how to do things: digital everything; Data Protection; GDPR and so on
• Technology has certainly made life much easier in so many respects, but the burden of legislation and political correctness in communications has escalated, more so for some sectors, so the small print is not so small any more
• Where would we be without YouTube videos to show us how to do things properly (invaluable in many cases)?; or squintillions of apps (how did we ever live without them?), so much so that we don’t need to go outside our homes or offices unless we really want to (sunshine and fresh air, anyone?)
• Keeping up with the pace of change is either exhausting or exhilarating, depending on your frame of mind. I think a combination of the two, as I love learning new things daily
• And I have learned so much over the years. I’ve improved. I’m confident in my views and advice. I can share successful techniques across my client base. I mentor others in business. I give back

Some more observations

• It’s been interesting to see the revival of vinyl - and that the specialist record shop on the corner opposite Brighton Station is still trading, despite everything!
• People’s love of reading books is still alive and kicking. It’s been dismal seeing libraries disappear
• It seems social media is losing some of its lustre. I’m sure we’ll be seeing more about this in the weeks, months and years ahead. Life is cyclical (as any woman who realises something she wears is so old, it’s now back in fashion will tell you). Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose
• As someone who started her career on newspapers in London, I’ve been saddened by the decline in the quality of journalism over the years. Governed by the decrease in advertisers and the subsequent decrease in journalists, content has been lost and quality content at that. Coupled with the lack of experience of cub reporters and sometimes the lack of experienced chief/senior reporters and editors to teach them on the job, as well as sub-editors who don’t seem to know how to correct bad grammar or spot bad spelling - plus the proliferation of non-stories and fake news - is it any wonder people these days have little faith in what they read or see on screen?

Overall, though 

Don’t let the above make you think it hasn’t been fun. I’ve experienced so much I never thought I would, done so much, seen so much, been so many places, met so many people, laughed so much.

It’s been a real ride, and I still have the ticket to go around again.

One of the highlights was being invited to become a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Public Relations for services to PR. A real accolade.

Most of my clients have been a delight and a pleasure to work with. We’ve had some great results and some lovely testimonials. We’ve had some talented, skilled, creative professionals on the team over the years, who have been real assets to the company. And I have a clever hairdresser who hides all the grey hairs which have arrived over the years under this nutty blonde halo (of hair, not the celestial kind).

So, to start celebrating 15 years of Chimera Communications with you, we’re offering 15% off PR and marketing services, as well as mentoring, for 15 days from 15 February 2018.

There are some Ts & Cs, so do contact me for details.

Thank you to everyone involved in or with Chimera Communications over the years, and here’s to the future.

Top 5 customer service fails of 2017

Yes, I know this is slightly tardy but I have had over a month’s-worth of poor health due to some version of the infamous flu bug, for which my flu jab wasn’t ‘person’ enough for the job [Note: proper PC word use].

There are few things that set my temperature valves to breaking point than the truly awful examples of bad customer service that I am destined to experience, and last year was no exception.

It has to be said that the bigger the company or organisation, the worse the customer service. Usually. I have worked in and for organisations of all sizes over the years, and it doesn’t need to be so. It comes down to management and communications.

Consider the effect that poor customer service has on me. It ranges from:

·         Mild irritation. The problem gets sorted, I tut and then get on with something else

·         Simple frustration. It takes longer to get sorted but it’s ok, we get there in the end

·         Some short, sharp words of advice from me. Often about a training need

·         I ask to speak with a manager. It gets worse when they refuse to put me through

·         Some tweets ending with #fail

·         Emailing the Chief Executive. “Dear [xx], I’m not normally prone to writing directly to the top honcho, but on this occasion …”

·         A formal complaint. If I have the energy to fill in copious forms. It depends on the incident

·         Advising the Ombudsman. Must have been a bad incident

·         Contacting Watchdog. Must have been a very, very bad incident. Don’t they know they’re dealing with a PR person?!

·         Considering sending the boys round (I jest. Really.)

During the course of the above, my blood pressure rises along with the volume of my voice. 

Especially if I’m getting scripted responses from an overseas call centre where the very nice people have not trained their very nice people to veer off-script to actually help customers. Sometimes, if I’m in a very good mood, I’ll play along with the idiocy of it all and tie the poor person up in such knots that they may need psychiatric support after my bout of mischief. I apologise unreservedly to them all.

What these companies and organisations seem incapable of understanding is that there are real ramifications of ignoring the bad customer service practices they operate. Be aware:

·         It’s bad PR, folks

·         Customers will go elsewhere to buy goods or services

·         They will tell everyone they know about their bad experience (and less frequently about their good one)

·         They will leave bad reviews; as we all know now, reviews are increasingly used as online testaments for potential customers

·         You don’t know who you’re dealing with – who customers really are and who they know (they might be the one person instrumental in getting your next huge contract)

·         Your profits will suffer

·         Your shares will suffer, and your shareholders will ask questions

·         Your brand will suffer – you’ve spent a lot of money and effort getting it right and one or two bad experiences can have a significantly negative effect

·         You may be fired

Top 5 fails of 2017 – according to my own experiences during last year

• NHS
• GP surgeries with rude receptionists who don’t allow you to see your own GP unless you wait a month, by which time you’re either better or dead
• GP surgeries which don’t offer an effective online booking service. Or one at all
• NHS area appointment booking services which on the face of it seem like a good idea until in practice, they’re totally rubbish
• No emailing allowed. Come on, it’s 2018
• BT – truly awful customer service and accounts. Yes, both personal and business accounts were moved to other providers
• A certain mobility bathroom installer – young business owners/fitters working on our neighbours’ place; showed no respect and were rude when asked to move their van from across our drive. Repeatedly. They might have gained work from the whole road if they’d been more accommodating. Much lack of foresight shown
• Port of Tilbury – normally the most courteous and helpful assistance but one individual being offensive lets the whole side down. Considering giving him a Jobsworth Award
• DPD UK – ringing the doorbell, not waiting and taking a parcel away immediately. Twice. Perhaps it’s a corporate game of Knock Down Ginger

Also: O2, Vodafone, Royal Mail, Lloyds Bank, HSBC – the list goes on.

As I said, it doesn’t need to be this way. No matter what size or sector, organisations should be offering the best customer service they can, through proper training and management. Managers should be trained to manage – not simply be called a manager because they’ve been there the longest.

It’s not always the size of your budget, but the way in which you manage it. 

Managers/business owners shouldn’t be afraid to bring in change and not do something ‘because it’s always been done that way’. Life has moved on and you don’t need to be afraid of, for example, automating a process and retraining your team to work in a different way. As long as you communicate change effectively with all your audiences in the way in which they need to be communicated with, and in a language they’ll understand, they’ll come along with you.

Our clients are used to me asking why something’s being done a particular way when it doesn’t seem logical to me. Most of the time there’s a rational reason but now and then, I can suggest a different way of doing something which involves less cost, resource or duplication of work, and I love it when it works. Our smartest clients are those who are open-minded and listen, then participate in the process. Quite often, it will enable them to work smarter too. Plus I get to learn plenty from my clients, and I can pass this on to others to help in their businesses.

You see, PR with Chimera  is not only about communicating effectively, promoting and selling more, it’s about the whole in terms of business strategy – and that’s because we’re experienced, skilled people who have worked with a wide variety of companies and organisations across the years.

And every now and then, if you stand outside my office, you can hear the gentle ripples, caustic comments, or volcanic eruptions caused by poor customer service. 

One thing though – I always compliment people and say ‘Thank you’ when someone gets it right or goes above and beyond! I hope you do too.

12 tips for effective pre-Christmas business communications. And a partridge in a pear tree!

Let’s be thankful we’ve made it this far through the year, although some people believe the world will end on 23rd September. Assuming we get through the latest apocalyptic prophesy, businesses should be looking at how to best communicate with their customers, now ... before it's too late!

Here are some tips to ensure as stress-free a time as possible for you in the run-up to the festive season:

1.       Publish your opening hours on your website, social media and wherever else is appropriate, well in advance
2.       Ensure you give an emergency contact name and number if appropriate
3.       Remind customers about special offers or seasonal services
4.       Give special offers to existing customers as a thank you for their loyalty
5.       Do seasonal competitions to increase your database for New Year promotions
6.       Offer free delivery before Christmas if appropriate
7.       If you have a small business and giving anything free is difficult, give something extra by way of great service or a very small free gift to make people feel good (like a coffee and mince pie if they’re coming into your shop) – or team up with another company and do something together to share the cost
8.       If you have a food, clothing or other appropriate business, give some left-over products to a local charity
9.      Take on seasonal staff – you might need extra help to cope with the extra business 
10.      Product returns usually increase after Christmas; make sure your customers and your staff know your policy so everything runs seamlessly (especially if you've taken on seasonal staff or part-timers)
11.      Make sure you train new staff as well as refreshing the skills of existing ones who might be under pressure if you get really busy, and explain your seasonal offers to your team so everyone is up to speed
12.     Reward your team with a bonus to say thanks for working hard – if times are tough financially, you’ll be amazed how much a kind word, a smile and a few extra hours off can help!

I'm off to buy some Easter eggs now. I believe they're already on sale in M&S!

He’s behind you! Oh no he’s not. Well, he could be …

And before I start, no messages with comments about using ‘he’ instead of ‘she’. No slurs intended. It was simply the first thing that came to mind. Nothing to do with feminism. I’m normally a meritocrat but in this case, it was first typed, first kept.

OK, moving on … what’s the PR and marketing slant of this post?

The panto connotation in the title relates to The Amazing Adventures of Pinocchio being produced by my wonderful clients, JW Productions. No, it’s not me although the initials are the same. 

JW Productions have been bringing traditional theatre pantomime back to the Brighton & Hove area for the last five years. They specialise in superbly acted productions all year round aimed mainly at the children and family community audience, as well as producing some wonderful thrillers, drama and avant-garde stuff. It’s a small, local, independent company which receives no funding.

The thrust of PR is to influence, educate, communicate and persuade. Marketing is all about finding a niche in the market and selling something profitably.

I have therefore educated and communicated about this year’s panto production, Pinocchio, which will be at The Attenborough Centre for the Creative Arts on the University of Sussex Campus at Falmer from 20^th December 2017 to 6^th January 2018.

And now I’d like to persuade you to consider how you can be involved. Casting is already well under way but if you really wanted to, I guess I can arrange an audition! But what I really mean is: how your business could be involved from a PR and marketing perspective.

Here’s how … get your company’s name behind Pinocchio and these will be the benefits:

Raised brand awareness

Put your brand literally in the spotlight. You’ll get positive PR, credibility and expose your brand to all those people going to the shows who could buy your products or services.

Emotional connection

People often spend with their heart. Seeing your brand connected to a Christmas panto shows you care enough to get involved at the community level so it becomes instantly more appealing.

Media Exposure

We’re hoping for lots of coverage from our media partners in the area (print, online, TV and radio) so it’ll be extra positive exposure for your brand too.

We’re working on collaborating with a number of iconic companies and venues in the city with some exciting promotional events using Pinocchio and his chums.

Merchandising

You can have your promotional materials at the event to promote what you do, and give-aways will ensure an additional shelf life for branded items. You could, for example, test the market with a product before investing in a larger marketing campaign or simply use the exercise to get your logo ‘out there’ with an existing target audience.

Marketing

Through the panto website and extensive print and online advertising, social media messaging and, of course, word of mouth.

Use the event as a corporate hospitality opportunity, or to reward your staff. Have it as an end or extension to a conference or your own event.

The Charity Champion package is particularly useful for a large-scale CSR push, and photo potential galore, particularly if you end up on stage in costume!

Here are more details:

Pinocchio Package - £7.5k

Headline Sponsor (3 required)

You get:

Logo on all print media (30k flyers and 1k posters)

Full page advert in the souvenir programme

200 tickets

10 mentions on each of their social media platforms

6 VIP tickets to press night and the post-show reception with the cast

Foyer presence

2 mentions in the MailChimp mailer (database of 8k)

Geppetto Package - £6.5k

Sponsor (5 packages available)

You get:

Logo on all print media

Half-page advert in souvenir programme

50 tickets

5 mentions on each of our social media platforms Foyer presence

4 VIP tickets to press night and the post show reception with cast

Figaro Package - £6.5k – Charity Champion

(2 packages available)

You buy a WHOLE performance (320 seats) and get:

Full page advert in souvenir programme

10 mentions on each of their social media platforms

2 mentions in the Mail Chimp (8k)

Foyer presence on the night of the performance

A pre- or post-show reception can be arranged for your guests

Jiminy Cricket - £2.5k

Ambassador (10 packages available)

Would suit smaller businesses looking to gain local recognition

Quarter-page advert in souvenir programme

25 tickets

3 mentions on each of our social media platforms

2 VIP tickets to press night and the post-show reception with the cast

If you’re interested – and I do hope you are – please contact me on jill@chimeracomms.co.uk or on 01903 812275.

I’m all ears. Or should that be nose? Well, it is Pinocchio!

Cruising out of your comfort zone

I’m lucky enough to be able to go on many cruises. If you follow realchimeracomms on Instagram, you’ll be able to see a selection of photos from our working adventures around the world.

Recently it struck me that there is some correlation between being on the high seas and our working lives ...

Stepping out of your comfort zone

I’m claustrophobic. I never wanted to go on a cruise. I couldn’t bear the thought of being encased in a large metal box on the high seas. Being over thousands of feet of potentially treacherous water, miles from anywhere, also frightened me. I’d always said I’d never do it.

Something life-altering happened, after which I decided to live for the moment. I decided to try a cruise. I started with a short one. And the miraculous thing was ... as soon as I stepped on the ship, I felt at home. I’ve since done plenty of cruises as it’s part work, part holiday. It’s a marvellous life and I love it.

I’ve been on many ships now including one where we were in the middle of a ‘weather phenomenon’ and another with Force 10 gales. Of course, it’s challenging and the sea can be kind to you or very brutal. Being at the heart of Mother Nature is incredibly invigorating and you just have to put your faith in fate.

If I hadn’t been determined to try it the first time, I would never have known that I would come to love going on cruises, travelling the world while working with clients, and seeing places I never thought I would.

This has shown me how to take unchartered waters when it comes to work situations. Just because it looks frightening, it doesn’t need to be so. It’s amazing how good you feel after doing something you really didn’t think you could.

The many benefits of being reticent but doing it anyway

Business survival depends sometimes on taking that risk. Being nimble, flexible and agile, and diversifying if necessary. If I’d carried on doing exactly what I’d always done, I wouldn’t have discovered a whole world of delight and wonder.

If you’re stuck in a rut, the courageous thing to do is ‘something different’. If you’re scared of speaking in public, for example, the more you practise and the more prepared you are, you really can step of your comfort zone and do it anyway.

Take your blinkers away and upskill. Challenge yourself to learn something new to benefit yourself and your business. Keep up-to-date with new technology (which can be very scary) and open up new horizons.

Having a great crew around you

Every efficient ship needs a great crew, working together as a team. Seeing how every crew member on cruise ships is part of the whole, believing in the very best customer service to look after their guests, as well as how intricately the organisation of each ship works, is truly inspiring.

Getting the very best people around you for the benefit of your business (team members, suppliers, contractors etc) goes a very long way to ensuring you will be ship-shape and sea-worthy.

Happy sailing!

Business survival : getting the best from yourself

“I feel so lonely as a freelancer” and “I’m the boss but it’s really lonely at the top” – these are two phrases I hear frequently from clients and networking colleagues alike.

Even very successful business people feel isolated and there are all sorts of reasons why. 

One of the best remedies is to get yourself a mentor; one you trust, can engage with, and is experienced and skilled enough to be able to be a real support to you as you go on your journey. And yes, I hate that word too. Let’s say ‘ride’ instead.

I’m a mentor for Entrepreneurial Spark in Brighton, an organisation powered by NatWest, Royal Bank of Scotland, Ulster Bank, KPMG Enterprise and Dell Technologies across the UK. In England and Wales, they also work with Pinsent Masons and in Scotland, Harper Macleod. E-Spark is “a people accelerator and work with you as the entrepreneurial leader to develop your mindsets and behaviours.”

I’ve been doing this for nearly two years and find it very interesting and rewarding. Here’s what I get out of mentoring:

•         I meet lots of businesses, both start-ups and those which are in the growth stage
•         I’m able to help these business people based on my 35+ years of experience working in and for a variety of different organisations, both commercial and not-for-profit
•         I’m delighted when my advice, support and contacts have helped businesses develop and grow
•         I’m also delighted when I see the faces of those business people when they learn something new from me; when my suggestions are taken on board and prove themselves as relevant and useful, and provide solutions to problems
•         I love hearing “I couldn’t have done this without your advice”, “You’ve completely changed my perspective” or “I would never have believed I could have done this so quickly and easily”
•        This is another hideous phrase, but I do love ‘giving something back’

I’ve done mentoring in various guises throughout the years, from being the first mentor in the Women in Housing scheme to Ride the Wave from Brighton & Hove Chamber of Commerce over the last couple of years. 

Sometimes through mentoring, people find the right thing for them is to move on from their jobs because they’re in the wrong place. That sounds negative, but it’s actually incredibly powerful and positive because often they’ve been stuck in a rut or just stuck generally, and they realise why.

I find I'm mentoring clients frequently too. It's part of helping their businesses be successful. As PR and communications should be core to every business, taking a strategic look as we do for our clients means sometimes mentoring is a useful by-product.

Mentoring isn’t about me doing it for you. It’s about empowering you to make the changes yourself, opening up your mind to other possibilities, and generally being there so you don’t feel so isolated.

I offer mentoring generally on an hourly basis, so if you think I can help you or one of your team in whom you wish to invest, just contact me on jill@chimeracomms.co.uk