Continuing the research into destination shopping, I visited Tubney Retail Park in Dorset. The retail park itself is a destination shopping centre. There is ample parking easy access for cars, walking and buses. However, I think their target audience is car drivers.
As an aside, and by comparison
IKEA has thought about the customer, the customer journey and envy purchasing. They have their showrooms laid out in a way that invites aspirational living. IKEA has been in the United Kingdom for many years and is incredibly popular. Indeed, in some towns, you queue to enter the shop (pre pandemic).
The three shops I visited today do not appear to have thought about the customer. They are stuck in the same layout as was around in the 1950s. The customer journey and envy purchasing are non-existent.
Dunelm’s
The first shop I went into was Dunelms. A shop specialising in home furnishings. Like most shops in the United Kingdom, there is a dedicated path through the shop. Items are in order of interest and psychological purchasing. Dunelm’s should look at how IKEA has attracted customers. I was looking for new towels, but I didn’t enjoy my time in the shop, the staff were too busy to talk to me. In short, I felt like I was intruding on their lovely displays. As a result, I bought nothing in this shop. I didn’t have that enjoyable customer experience I was looking for and became frustrated.
The Range
The next shop I entered was The Range. I have walked out of this shop before as I dislike the lighting, as it is too oppressive. The lights are dim; it feels dark; the fixtures are so full, you can barely walk around the shop without banging into something. I spent 15 minutes in this shop, and that included going to the loo.
Home Bargains
The last shop I visited was Home Bargains, selling cheaper homeware, from food and garden furniture to toiletries. The shop is bright, light and there is plenty of walking space. I have, on previous occasions, spent up to an hour in this shop just looking around. Thinking about the products for sale, could I use them in my home. However, on this occasion, I asked for help from one of the shop assistants. Unfortunately, she had no clue about the products she was selling. My conversation was very abrupt and along the lines of, it’s over there if we have it.
Dunelms Bedroom
The Range Bedroom
Home Bargains Bedroom
I am not a demanding shopper. However, I work hard for my money, and I want to enjoy spending it. When I purchased a computer a few years ago, I walked into PC World and laid down my expectations. I told the assistant that I wanted to buy a laptop and have an enjoyable experience or go elsewhere. The assistant couldn’t have been nicer. He was attentive, helpful and guided me directly to the Laptop I needed. An enjoyable experience and as a result, I often go back to that shop.
Destination Shopping via a website
As my business is very much an online business, I want a destination website. I went to the website of each business.
Dunelm’s has some images perfectly correct. There are some aspirational images of their products. The beds look luxurious, and you can see yourself asleep in them. Then they look at each item. I am not sure I would look at their website if I weren’t writing this post. However, I would look now.
The website for the Range could appear just as busy as the shop. The top banner is dynamic with loads of clashing images. However, the website is bright and full of information. I am not sure where my eyes fall on the homepage as there is too much to see. The product pages are helpful and bright. I prefer more space with images, but that is very much a personal style issue. Would I visit this website? I am not sure. Maybe for price comparisons.
The final website was for Home Bargains. Like the previous two websites, it was bright, easy to read and navigate. I would not have thought to visit their website in the past. It would never occur to me that Home Bargains would sell online. I don’t know why. Would I revisit this site? Yes, I think I would.
All three shops have a physical presence. All three shops have a website that is also selling their products. Do the shop and website give the same customer feel? Dunelm’s and The Range certainly don’t. It feels as if they are two very distinct businesses (which they could be). Home bargains was a surprise. I visit this shop every week. The website appears to have the same feel as the shop.
My View and my clients
I want my clients to have the same feeling when they meet us in person as when they visit the website. It is going back to getting that personality of the business and website to match. Maybe that is the key to marketing, being coherent? All touches with potential clients have the same feel and personality. Is branding about the ethos of the company and saleable products?
What I learnt about writing my memoirs
I don’t want to fight a website for information.
My website and company should have the same message, the same personality.
Reviewing successful websites and businesses to see what they do well is valuable for the success of your business.
Writing My Memoirs – 31 Day Challenge – Video and Blog Posts
Destination Website – The Decision and now for the changes
After my last post (see here), I revisited www.publishmystoires.com and view it as a visitor. I want this website to be a destination website, and I feel that it’s more about me. About my skills at writing my memoirs, about what I do and the skills I have. It may not be about my potential clients and could be more of a lecture. The website is a sales tool that yells, look at me. As opposed to, so, you want to write your memoirs, well this is what you need to do. My blog www.forgetmenot.publishmystories.com is the place to tell people about me.
There is a theory that you should give away all your content for free as a good business. If people want to use your services, they will judge you on your knowledge. If you are giving your information away for free, you demonstrate you know your services. You are showing your clients that you are open and honest. My website is transparent, my prices are visible, and I tell my clients what I do.
However, I don’t think I give away much information to my clients for free. When speaking with me, clients tell me I can overload them with ideas and suggestions. My passion for their memoirs needs to slow down and get one or two tasks completed before moving on.
My clients tell me that my passion is infectious.
Publishing and helping people write their memoirs is a passion for me. It is so important that we don’t lose the life lessons. We should pass these lessons on to the next generation. The government also agrees with me. How often have you heard a politician say that ‘lessons have been learnt!’ this is all I am doing, helping people pass on lessons.
I know that sometimes my communication style is very middle class. Very 1950s, prim and proper. Please understand, I am not ashamed of being middle class because I am middle class and proud of it. Being middle class is not a dirty word. It is not an embarrassment. It just is. I want my communications to reflect my personality. I want my business to reflect my passion.
Family Feedback
My brother, looking cool on Bournemouth Pier
I asked my brother to watch one video I created (day two). I thought I came off well and was open, friendly, and relaxed. My brother disagreed and thought I was stiff, reserved, and nervous. It’s so interesting that what you think you have said is not what other people hear or see. Paul (my brother) wants my personality to come across in the videos. He knows me well. He understands my passion and is very supportive of my www.publishmystories.com. I now need to revisit my video recordings style.
It’s not that straightforward
YouTube and matching my blog posts is all a learning curve for me. I know that at the beginning of my video monologues, I will make mistakes. There will be improvements, changes, and experiments. Having a destination website and YouTube channel is one of my marketing strategies. I need to get it right. I also know that what I write in the blog has to be similar to YouTube. These subtle changes are hard to balance, and I think I may overthink the situation.
Maybe I need to look at the camera as one of my clients, stay focused and discuss the post with suggestions. Added to this, I need to add keywords and phrases in the narrative so Google will find the post. The posts then must pass Yoast’s SEO rules and a few other tools that I use. Finally, the post URL is to be to several social media outlets.
What I learnt about writing my memoirs
My videos are not showing my personality and passion for my clients
Marketing is about the client and not my skills within the business. My expertise is a given. That is why I am in business
Giving away free material is a valid marketing strategy. If a client works with you, they know and understand your expectations
Writing My Memoirs – 31 Day Challenge – Video and Blog Posts
Writing in your voice is so crucial to your writing style. I know this as I had lost mine; if I am honest, this is not the original blog post I was going to post today. I had spent the last three hours writing a post and researching wearing a dressing gown outside the home. The reason for this was that I opened my curtains today and noticed a woman walking her dog. She was wearing a pink terry-towelling dressing gown and flip-flops. My entire article was about social norms and values, our individual freedoms and being judgemental. It was more like an essay or lecture. So my three hours have resulted in no blog post and me starting afresh.
Deciding if you should walk away from a task can be daunting. You need to evaluate several factors. How much time is this costing you? Should you spend your time on more cost-effective tasks? Is there someone cheaper and more experienced that can do the job instead of you? After careful consideration of the above philosophy. I am going to walk away from the previous three hours of research. The post will be marked down as an experience to stay focused in the future. It turned out to be a vanity blog post to say, look at me, don’t I know many long words.
I don’t want to write my memoirs using words that are not from my mouth. Words need to resonate with me, as they are so important. My style of writing is straightforward, to the point, and I think easy to read. Using a voice that is not mine is not part of me writing my memoirs or www.forgetmenot.publishmystoires.com.
Writing in your voice
Writing in your voice is so important; it will convey more to the reader about you than you will realise. You tell your reader your truth in your words, and it is you being genuine when writing your memoirs. It is very much the tone you use, the words, the way you describe something. When writing your memoirs, you have the control.
So, I stopped writing my last post. It was a good essay if I was at university, but I don’t want to write in that style. Writing my memoirs in this business blog is about me. I do not wish to lecture or get on my high horse and tell you how to think. I would prefer you get to know me and my style, know Publish My Stories, and writing memoirs is fun.
What I learnt about writing my memoirs
I need to stay focused on my primary goal and not go off on a tangent
Have the courage to walk away from a business deal or activity if it isn’t working
I have found my voice in my blog and my business.
Writing My Memoirs – 31 Day Challenge – Video and Blog Posts
Opportunity Knocks – Writing my Memoirs or previous skills?
Opportunities to promote yourself and your business can arise at any moment. If anyone tells me they are about to start “writing my memoirs” is a blatant chance. In that case, I know there is an opportunity for us to work together. If you can see that opportunity, grab it with both hands and don’t let go.
It may sound strange, but you could miss an opportunity if you don’t recognise it right away. Alternatively, if you don’t know about the possibility of the chance, then you will miss it. For example, I was at a networking meeting a few weeks ago when one delegate asked if anybody would like to become a trustee of a charity he ran. In the past, I have been a town councillor and deputy mayor and volunteered in my local community. I’m a firm believer that everybody should give something back to the community. I raised my hand and expressed an interest in more information.
As it transpires, I knew the person who set the charity up. I’d worked with him at a previous company. The charity helps people learn to swim, prevents drowning, and raises money for awareness. The first meeting was on 4 August, for all potential trustees to understand more about the charity. I stated that I’m still interested and am looking forward to finding out more about the organisation.
Back to my old job – Writing Minutes, not Writing my Memoirs
Five Five minutes into the meeting, the chair asked if I would mind taking the meeting minutes. I hadn’t been elected as a trustee yet, but I said yes as I knew the chair, and he knew my previous skills. I then introduce myself to the other trustees from all over the world. During my introduction, I explained what I did by helping people write memoirs and getting their stories into print. I expressed my passion for writing memoirs and listening to family history. In the meeting, there was someone from the British Space Agency and Canadian Charity Worker. If I hadn’t said yes to being interested in being a trustee, there is no way that I would have had the opportunity to meet these people.
I’m now looking forward to spending more time getting to know my fellow trustees. Finding out more about them and their business and hoping that they will promote me and my passion for publishing memoirs. Opportunity seems to knock in the strangest of places and at the strangest of times! We just need to make sure that our eyes are open, and our ears are listening. Then we can grab those opportunities with both hands. You never know what may happen or who you will meet.
The Charity – SwimTayka
SwimTayka, is a charity that promote water safety, swimming skills and clean water stewardship to children in developing nations.
What I learnt from this
Opportunities are out there. You need to recognise them when they arise and when they do grab it with both hands.
Any skills you had from a previous job will always come in useful.
Past contacts and work colleagues are a great referral and opportunity generator.
Writing My Memoirs – 31 Day Challenge – Video and Blog Posts
An Entrepreneur’s Mindset is generally different to that of an employed person. Entrepreneurs usually have a distinct attitude and set of priorities compared to those people in paid jobs. (When I use the term entrepreneurs, I am talking about those people who set up a business from nothing). We look at things uniquely and wherever we are, every decision, social occasion we talk about, consider or plan something for our business. If we need a job done, it will never occur to us to ask ‘How do I this’. Our first concern is the outcome that I want to achieve. From there, we will then decide on how to get the task completed.
Our minds are all over the place. How do we earn more income, what products can we sell, who will buy this service? How can we leverage our current services? It is a different outlook, which is not right or wrong, it’s just different.
My Hell
My personal hell would be a day of shopping for makeup and clothes. It just has no interest for me. I am not really interested in my socks are matching as long as my feet are warm or if my bag is a different colour to my shoes as long as it holds everything I need it to hold. It just isn’t one of my priorities. Now, if it is one of my author’s books, that is a very different story. The font has to be spot on, the formatting and front cover need to tell a story in its own right and the author has to be 100% happy with the outcome, I am slightly anal about that, because to me, it’s a product that I have produced and I want my clients to treasure that product.
Take, for example, walking home yesterday. Just as I was leaving the office, the skies opened with torrential rain. It just wouldn’t stop. I didn’t have a coat with me as the weather forecast said it would be sunshine all day. So, there I am standing the lobby looking at the rain falling and pondering, how am I going to get home. I could, for example:-
Walk and get soaked
Call a taxi
Get a lift from someone
Wait until the rain stops
Options are available if you think hard
There would be more options if I set my mind to it, Critical Thinking (a very good business term for evaluating all options). I think situations through and make my decisions quickly and run with the consequences. It has served me well and I learn quickly from mistakes, especially as I am a firm believer that mistakes are more valuable than getting things right all the time.
Back to my story. I wanted to walk home as the dog also needed a walk, and the rain would wash her coat, which is a bonus. So, how to get home without getting too wet. Now, I considered my solutions was rather ingenious considering my limited options. Get a plastic bag, cut a hole in the top and arms and like magic an instant raincoat. So, there I am with my pink plastic bin liner, cutting in a hole for the neck and arms to hear someone from behind me question what I was doing.
I explained what I was doing and why. She couldn’t understand why I didn’t just wait for the rain to stop, as she was doing. Her car was 10 feet from the front door. It never occurred to her to walk to her car in the rain and get wet and that a makeshift plastic bag could act as a temporary raincoat for a few minutes. What upset her more was the fact that the pink plastic bag was a Biffa bag, and a trade Biffa bag at that.
Appearances can matter
I have been a member of BNI (a networking group for small businesses and entrepreneurs) for many years. Every so often a member would be asked to give a 10-minute presentation on what their business is and what referrals they are looking for. On one occasion, I took several tools that I use in my business and carried them in an orange plastic bag. As I stood in front of the 35 other members explaining my business and what each tool represented, I felt the presentation went well. It was only after my presentation two women in the group came to me and said they loved the presentation but couldn’t get past the orange plastic bag. They suggested that next time I should use a company branded bag.
It concerned me for a while and what was interesting was that both ladies worked for an entrepreneur, which differs from being an entrepreneur. An entrepreneur’s mindset will equate every penny spent to hours worked or jobs completed. Why would they focus on something as immaterial as the orange plastic bag and not the contents of the bag and what I was saying? To them, the importance of someone’s outward appearance was just as important as what is being said or sold. I have taken this on board and retired my orange plastic bag. However, I am still in business and the two ladies are not working for other companies that provide branded products.
Learning Points about an Entrepreneur’s Mindset
There are many ways to get a task completed, focus on the outcome first and work backwards
Don’t be guided by someone who has never had the courage that you have shown by setting up your business
Thinking outside the box is a prerequisite for an entrepreneur, so stand up and yell, “I will do this, and I will do it my way with the results I want to achieve.”
Writing My Memoirs – 31 Day Challenge – Video and Blog Posts
The first of August was a Sunday, and it was very easy to spend the time getting my post ready for this challenge. Today is Monday and a day that I need to spend on fee earning tasks. As a result, this post will be much shorter.
Best laid plans and all that
I had planned to dedicate an hour to this blog post. That included writing, recording and posting. However, I had a few issues. The first was that my keyboard suddenly stopped working, and I had to figure out what was wrong. I couldn’t type the letter D. You would be surprised how often you use that letter. I discovered that another program I was using had appropriated the letter D to create a Sticky Key.
I also needed a template to create this post and with Microsoft being as good as it is, somehow there was a change to my computer system which meant the OneDrive’s synchronisation had stopped. Not only that, the icons were missing from my tool bar. This has meant that I had wasted half of my allotted time for this post on repairing that link. Come on Microsoft, let’s try to make things easy for end users.
All of this took time. That is precious time that meant I didn’t do any billable work. When working out if you should call in an expert and leave it to them there is a very simple calculation you should do:
Your hourly rate v their hourly billable rate (including VAT if necessary)
Back to Me
I run two businesses, one called www.mypavirtualservices.com and www.publishmystoires.com. If I am honest, I think of them as the same business, it’s getting administrative tasks and providing my clients with an easy way to get those tasks completed. I prefer the publishing side of my businesses as I love to provide my clients with a product they can touch, something they are proud of and can pass on to family, friends and/or making a living. With a hand on my heart, I am a massive voyeur, and I love finding out about people’s stories, their past, and how they have become the person they are today.
Tall Poppy Syndrome
Today, I must also complete my billing as it’s the first working day of the month. This is one task that I used to hate doing. I was not alone; most entrepreneurs hate billing. Often this is because of the accounts software package they use. Justifying the service or product they provide and the belief in themselves and their business. This has to be one of the hardest mindsets that an entrepreneur has to overcome. I have known some business people keeping a photo of their children on their desktop to remind them why they are working so hard.
Follow the Money
I passionately believe in the service I provide. I passionately support my clients and want the best for them, but it is akin to asking someone for money. I have a client whose life mantra is “Follow the Money” and a mantra that I have now followed.
Learning Points
If your IT breaks down, you could try to fix it yourself, but work out your hourly rate to see if you are saving time and money or just being procrastinating.
Invoicing is part of your business and a vital task, cash is king. Without it you can’t put food on the table, so invoice as soon as you can. On your invoices why not add information about another product or service you provide, it’s easier to sell to your existing customers than to find a new one.
Be proud of your business, tell everyone.
Writing My Memoirs – 31 Day Challenge – Video and Blog Posts
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