Ever feel like you have so much on that you wake up in the wee hours in a cold sweat? Do you find yourself arriving at work exhausted just thinking about your ‘to do list’?
Over capacity? Don’t worry, you are in good company.
Twitter has been plagued this week by ‘over capacity of tweets’. For those of you not akin to Twitter, in a nutshell; too many people are trying to use their service at the same time. This is possibly due to some little world sporting event called the World Cup being played at the moment....
But what a nice place to be in. Your service is being used SO much that it temporarily keeps going down. What business wouldn’t want to be in this position?
Now, some would say, that it’s bad planning and that the geeks technical genius’ at Twitter should have foreseen this and increased capacity. Well, perhaps they should have, but being on such a worldwide scale, I guess it is hard to keep up.
ITV marketing department however, should hang their heads in shame about their preparation for the World Cup. They are sharing coverage with the BBC and had lucked out on getting the rights to the opening ceremony and first match screening rights. Now, being held on a Friday afternoon, I think even my four year old niece could have predicted that one of their largest audiences would be those working in their offices and wanting to watch the first match at 3pm on a Friday afternoon.
Unfortunately my niece doesn’t work for ITV and so they were therefore caught out when their online service crashed about 10mins into the first match due to ‘over capacity’. But don’t worry, that was soon forgotten when they switched off their HD service less than 4 minutes into the first England match and over 1.5million England fans watched Gerrard score England’s first (and let’s hope not last) goal of the tournament.
I’m guessing that the ITV Head of Marketing is not having the best of weeks.
Some things you can plan for, other times you simply need a hand when the workload just gets too much and you physically cannot do everything yourself. (Please be warned that the following paragraph is a shameless plug).
If you need a hand with marketing and communications but you don’t have the resources or budget to hire someone full time, ever thought about hiring a marketing professional on a project or retained basis? I’ve been working for a retained client, cfes Ltd www.cfes.co.uk since March, providing them with PR & Marketing work for 16 hours each week. So far, I’ve worked on several marketing and sales promotions for them, I’m in the midst of rejuvenating their website copy, delivered new company literature, got some trade PR branding and worked with them on sales pitches and presentations. Hopefully they’ll agree that my 16 hours a week is working for them.
(OK, shameless plug over, you can come out from behind the sofa)
It has been a week of mailshot’s in the world of Zzing this week though. I’ve been getting out a dental construction / decontamination mailer out for cfes this week along with preparing another one for them on air conditioning. Then there have been my own Zzing mailers which I’ve been steadily getting out. Fingers crossed they get some results as direct mail still gets a really good response even in this day and age of technology – I guess most people get so many emails every day that they are more likely to read a mailer when it comes in the post than an email in most circumstances.
Hope you all enjoy the rest of the world cup, let’s hope the ITV coverage gets better anyway! I’m going to miss England’s next game as I’m attending a “decontamination in dental practices” conference in Loughborough – yes, the world of marketing is all about lunches, press launches and decontamination seminars.
Happy Fathers Day to all those Dad’s out there too (and a timely reminder for those of you who may have forgotten that it’s this Sunday!)
Until next time....
Tuesday, 15 June 2010
Wednesday, 2 June 2010
I'm still here...
Remember me? Yes, I’m the lady who used to bombard you every week with a new update on the world of Zzing and how my business was going.
Well, to those of you who have been wondering and even more so to those who have been ASKING (aren’t you lovely?) where the latest instalment has been, here it is. No, I haven’t gone out of business and started working in Tesco’s. No, I haven’t won the lottery (more’s the pity) and eloped off to the Caribbean to sit on a yacht and have George Clooney bring me cocktails and no, I haven’t been in secret training and been called up by Fabio Capello to partner Rooney up front in the England squad (mind you, I reckon I could beat Lampard on penalties, but that’s another story).
So, what have I been up to? Well, where do I begin...
It’s been a busy time with my biggest client, cfes Ltd (www.cfes.co.uk) as I’ve been working on some Dental promotional sales material and promotional campaign as there is new legislation coming into the healthcare industry for infection control and cfes design and build dedicated decontamination and sterilisation units. Well, you did ask... I’ve also been working with their other divisions on some air conditioning literature and the company brochures have also gone to print. Oh, and I’m currently updating their copy and content on the website. Yup, they are keeping me busy. Really, really nice company to work for though and a lovely bunch of people.
By the way, “Hi Phil!” *waves manically* (Phil works in the cfes Business Development Team and mentioned he read my blogs so I had to mention him!)
I’ve also been working for some other companies on some rebranding and design work which has also kept me out of mischief and been finishing off one of the large market research projects for one of my other clients.
We did have May didn’t we? It FLEW by, could not believe it yesterday when I realised it was the 1st June.
I guess also, as the weather has been so lovely, I’ve been out and about a lot more. We held our own rowing regatta and then each weekend, we’ve had another regatta (my club is doing really well this season so each Monday morning I have little voice left or sound like Marlene Dietrich because of all of the shouting and cheering of the crews). Hockey summer season is also in full swing and I’ve been getting out on the water rowing with my buddy Mia. The boy also took me to Weymouth the other weekend for a weekend’s mountain biking on the hottest day of the year. He came ‘this’ close to killing me with the hills we went up and down. It’s fair to say, I am a glutton for punishment!
Now starts the ‘generation of new business’ mode. I have a couple of quotes on the board awaiting for either a yes or no, but, being the ever pessimist, I’m not counting my chickens so if they come off, great, but if they don’t then I have to get some new work in. My new Zzing flyers went to print today and fingers crossed they print correct this time, last week I was in despair when the cover dimensions were wrong. I thought I may have to revert to handwriting flyers and using potato printing at one point but, luckily, I have very understanding printers so they are reprinting it now as the designer has supplied the artwork with the correct dimensions. Phew. Thank crunchie it was for me and not a client...
My lovely friends at Vertical Leap passed me on another prospective client today for some possible copywriting for their website so again, lots of things in the air. Let’s hope some of them stick as they fall back to earth.
I best go, got a few more things to do before I clock off for today as I will be doing something which I have been trying to do since January when I set up on my own. Play golf. Vicki who runs Tiger Ink printing and I have been trying to play almost every week and it seems that as soon as we pencil a date in to play 9 holes, we both have something crop up with work and we have to cancel. But this week we are determined to play 9 holes otherwise we knew we would keep putting it off and before we knew it, the clocks would have gone back and it would have been too dark to play!
So, adios for now. I hope it won’t be as long before the next instalment of Zzing, but I can’t promise anything!
PS. If you wanted to see what some of Zzing client’s say about our services, take a look at our website www.zzingmarketing.com. Failing that, this is what one of the clients said about some recent market research Zzing undertook:-
“We employed the services of Penny Glazzard, ZzIng Marketing, as she was recommended to us by a supporter of the se² partnership. We chose to work with Penny due to her professional, positive and supportive manner and because of her excellent marketing background that we felt fitted with the needs of our project. Penny worked on a specific project that covered the whole of the South East region and we were particularly impressed with how thorough and comprehensive she was. The final report that Penny produced was professionally written with some really good ideas for how we could develop our business going forwards. Thanks for all your help Penny!’
Rachel Crossey, se² partnership
Well, to those of you who have been wondering and even more so to those who have been ASKING (aren’t you lovely?) where the latest instalment has been, here it is. No, I haven’t gone out of business and started working in Tesco’s. No, I haven’t won the lottery (more’s the pity) and eloped off to the Caribbean to sit on a yacht and have George Clooney bring me cocktails and no, I haven’t been in secret training and been called up by Fabio Capello to partner Rooney up front in the England squad (mind you, I reckon I could beat Lampard on penalties, but that’s another story).
So, what have I been up to? Well, where do I begin...
It’s been a busy time with my biggest client, cfes Ltd (www.cfes.co.uk) as I’ve been working on some Dental promotional sales material and promotional campaign as there is new legislation coming into the healthcare industry for infection control and cfes design and build dedicated decontamination and sterilisation units. Well, you did ask... I’ve also been working with their other divisions on some air conditioning literature and the company brochures have also gone to print. Oh, and I’m currently updating their copy and content on the website. Yup, they are keeping me busy. Really, really nice company to work for though and a lovely bunch of people.
By the way, “Hi Phil!” *waves manically* (Phil works in the cfes Business Development Team and mentioned he read my blogs so I had to mention him!)
I’ve also been working for some other companies on some rebranding and design work which has also kept me out of mischief and been finishing off one of the large market research projects for one of my other clients.
We did have May didn’t we? It FLEW by, could not believe it yesterday when I realised it was the 1st June.
I guess also, as the weather has been so lovely, I’ve been out and about a lot more. We held our own rowing regatta and then each weekend, we’ve had another regatta (my club is doing really well this season so each Monday morning I have little voice left or sound like Marlene Dietrich because of all of the shouting and cheering of the crews). Hockey summer season is also in full swing and I’ve been getting out on the water rowing with my buddy Mia. The boy also took me to Weymouth the other weekend for a weekend’s mountain biking on the hottest day of the year. He came ‘this’ close to killing me with the hills we went up and down. It’s fair to say, I am a glutton for punishment!
Now starts the ‘generation of new business’ mode. I have a couple of quotes on the board awaiting for either a yes or no, but, being the ever pessimist, I’m not counting my chickens so if they come off, great, but if they don’t then I have to get some new work in. My new Zzing flyers went to print today and fingers crossed they print correct this time, last week I was in despair when the cover dimensions were wrong. I thought I may have to revert to handwriting flyers and using potato printing at one point but, luckily, I have very understanding printers so they are reprinting it now as the designer has supplied the artwork with the correct dimensions. Phew. Thank crunchie it was for me and not a client...
My lovely friends at Vertical Leap passed me on another prospective client today for some possible copywriting for their website so again, lots of things in the air. Let’s hope some of them stick as they fall back to earth.
I best go, got a few more things to do before I clock off for today as I will be doing something which I have been trying to do since January when I set up on my own. Play golf. Vicki who runs Tiger Ink printing and I have been trying to play almost every week and it seems that as soon as we pencil a date in to play 9 holes, we both have something crop up with work and we have to cancel. But this week we are determined to play 9 holes otherwise we knew we would keep putting it off and before we knew it, the clocks would have gone back and it would have been too dark to play!
So, adios for now. I hope it won’t be as long before the next instalment of Zzing, but I can’t promise anything!
PS. If you wanted to see what some of Zzing client’s say about our services, take a look at our website www.zzingmarketing.com. Failing that, this is what one of the clients said about some recent market research Zzing undertook:-
“We employed the services of Penny Glazzard, ZzIng Marketing, as she was recommended to us by a supporter of the se² partnership. We chose to work with Penny due to her professional, positive and supportive manner and because of her excellent marketing background that we felt fitted with the needs of our project. Penny worked on a specific project that covered the whole of the South East region and we were particularly impressed with how thorough and comprehensive she was. The final report that Penny produced was professionally written with some really good ideas for how we could develop our business going forwards. Thanks for all your help Penny!’
Rachel Crossey, se² partnership
Thursday, 29 April 2010
Time for my own marketing...
They say that to identify a builder’s house, look for one where little maintenance has been done for a while. If you speak to my friend who is a decorator, he hasn’t decorated his house since he moved in over 10 years ago. Doctor’s (apparently) are least likely to seek any medical treatment or tests.
Therefore, I guess it makes sense that marketing consultancies probably don’t spend much time in marketing their own business once they are up and running as they are too busy marketing their clients business. *Hand up meekly in the air* Yes, guilty as charged.
I think the last time I updated my website was over a month and a half ago, my blog is generally – and I use this term generally very loosely - updated weekly, but I have done no new mailshots or cold calling for over three months now. Yes, I have been busy with the work which I have had on, but now, as campaigns and projects start coming to a conclusion, I’m looking at my May and June budgets and thinking I need to get some new work in. What do I advise clients? Yes, you’ve guessed it, regular marketing and branding.
I think I need to take some of my own advice.
I have been noticing recently that the copywriting business is getting very competitive and I’m regularly being undercut, not by a few pounds – but by a VAST amount. I regularly bid for work on a copywriting site where clients advertise projects they are working on and ask for bids – not huge jobs, just some small copywriting projects like writing a leaflet, website copy, brochure copy etc. Now, I thought I was reasonably competitive as I work for myself, I don’t have huge agency overheads such as staff or premises. However, some of the copywriters out there are bidding – and winning – work for less than the minimum wage. I bid last week for a project writing the copy for a website, 20 pages in total, a couple of days work researching the subject, writing, making amends from feedback from the client. A couple of hundred quid minimum for that amount of work and time spent on it. The winning bid? It was won for a grand total of £50.
All I can say is good luck to the client on that one and you have my details on file....
So, like Messers Brown, Cameron and Clegg, I’m on a self promotion drive. Going to work on my website, get some direct mailers sorted out and yes, #Dum, dum Dahhhhh# - I’m going to go back to the delights of business networking which, some of you may remember, was a whole new life ‘experience’ back when I first started up on my own.
First off though, I have to find some First Aid cover for the regatta I’m organising in two weeks time at my rowing club. I knew it was going to be a nightmare when we found out that Southampton FC had their last match of the season on the same day and there would be no parking for the other clubs trailers. Now we have sourced other parking, St Johns Ambulance, who normally do my First Aid cover are all covering the football match – not a bad gig if you are a first aider and football fan...
Anyone know any First Aiders who would like to cover a regatta?! Honestly, organising a wedding is nothing compared to a regatta....
It is nice to be busy all the time and I’m not moaning – honest – but if anyone thinks being your own boss is easy, it’s not. I have a lovely new golf bag which is sat in the hall and it is aching to be used, but both myself and my golfing buddy Vicki, from Tiger Ink Printing, have been too busy to play. Each week, we pencil in an early tee time, normally a Friday, so we can be back at work latest by 10am...and each week we cancel. How Tiger Woods managed such a full and active social diary for many years and managed to play a few rounds of golf in between is nothing short of a miracle.
I’ve got a couple of large quotes to work on this week – a new website, some market research and branding and some more PR, which, if they come good would be some good work for a couple of months, but can’t rely on anything so best sign off for another week and get cracking on finding some more new work!
Enjoy the sunshine, I think if this keeps up I’m going to test my WiFi connection in the garden...
Therefore, I guess it makes sense that marketing consultancies probably don’t spend much time in marketing their own business once they are up and running as they are too busy marketing their clients business. *Hand up meekly in the air* Yes, guilty as charged.
I think the last time I updated my website was over a month and a half ago, my blog is generally – and I use this term generally very loosely - updated weekly, but I have done no new mailshots or cold calling for over three months now. Yes, I have been busy with the work which I have had on, but now, as campaigns and projects start coming to a conclusion, I’m looking at my May and June budgets and thinking I need to get some new work in. What do I advise clients? Yes, you’ve guessed it, regular marketing and branding.
I think I need to take some of my own advice.
I have been noticing recently that the copywriting business is getting very competitive and I’m regularly being undercut, not by a few pounds – but by a VAST amount. I regularly bid for work on a copywriting site where clients advertise projects they are working on and ask for bids – not huge jobs, just some small copywriting projects like writing a leaflet, website copy, brochure copy etc. Now, I thought I was reasonably competitive as I work for myself, I don’t have huge agency overheads such as staff or premises. However, some of the copywriters out there are bidding – and winning – work for less than the minimum wage. I bid last week for a project writing the copy for a website, 20 pages in total, a couple of days work researching the subject, writing, making amends from feedback from the client. A couple of hundred quid minimum for that amount of work and time spent on it. The winning bid? It was won for a grand total of £50.
All I can say is good luck to the client on that one and you have my details on file....
So, like Messers Brown, Cameron and Clegg, I’m on a self promotion drive. Going to work on my website, get some direct mailers sorted out and yes, #Dum, dum Dahhhhh# - I’m going to go back to the delights of business networking which, some of you may remember, was a whole new life ‘experience’ back when I first started up on my own.
First off though, I have to find some First Aid cover for the regatta I’m organising in two weeks time at my rowing club. I knew it was going to be a nightmare when we found out that Southampton FC had their last match of the season on the same day and there would be no parking for the other clubs trailers. Now we have sourced other parking, St Johns Ambulance, who normally do my First Aid cover are all covering the football match – not a bad gig if you are a first aider and football fan...
Anyone know any First Aiders who would like to cover a regatta?! Honestly, organising a wedding is nothing compared to a regatta....
It is nice to be busy all the time and I’m not moaning – honest – but if anyone thinks being your own boss is easy, it’s not. I have a lovely new golf bag which is sat in the hall and it is aching to be used, but both myself and my golfing buddy Vicki, from Tiger Ink Printing, have been too busy to play. Each week, we pencil in an early tee time, normally a Friday, so we can be back at work latest by 10am...and each week we cancel. How Tiger Woods managed such a full and active social diary for many years and managed to play a few rounds of golf in between is nothing short of a miracle.
I’ve got a couple of large quotes to work on this week – a new website, some market research and branding and some more PR, which, if they come good would be some good work for a couple of months, but can’t rely on anything so best sign off for another week and get cracking on finding some more new work!
Enjoy the sunshine, I think if this keeps up I’m going to test my WiFi connection in the garden...
Tuesday, 13 April 2010
It’s all getting a little bit political...
Well, the travelling show which is the general election has arrived in town so we’ve got about a month’s worth of hyped up political sound-bites to put up with. Some would say that politics is really just marketing – marketing of ideas, individuals and parties. I guess in a way, this is true. If you can get your point and case across better than your opposition - even if their idea or manifesto is possibly better than yours - you get the votes.
That’s why I had to laugh at the latest ads from the Labour and Conservative party – and also the speed in which they managed to turn the latest editions in their campaign advertising around.
Last week, at 9.45am Labour unveiled a new ‘topical’ advert with David Cameron, sat astride an Audi Quattro – yes, the new BBC series of Ashes to Ashes was just about to begin – with the lines of ‘Don’t let him take us back to the eighties’. Clever copy and visual with a nice topical twist which a large majority of the population would get, even if they don’t watch the programme.
Cue 3.45pm the same day (a whole 6 hours after the initial Labour unveiling) and the Conservatives looked quite smug at their new advert – the same picture of ‘Dave’ sat astride the infamous Quattro but with the immortal line ‘Fire up the Quattro, it’s time for change’.
Advertising genius on a political scale.
Now, I don’t sway to any of the parties, but the speed and wittiness of the tory advertising team did get my vote that day.
I see one of the Labour candidates has also been sacked as he was using Twitter ‘inappropriately’. Well, calling old people “coffin dodgers” and being exceptionally politically-incorrect may not be the best language for a parliamentary hopeful. Twitter is a funny medium. I use it for Zzing (@zzingmarketing if anyone wants to follow me) to 1. Help with keywords and marketing of stuff that I do, 2. Potentially network new clients and 3.(most importantly) find out what Chris Evans, Duncan Bannatyne and Will Carling are up to. Personally, I don’t think it will create any sales at the moment, people aren’t using it for that just yet. I think it’s good for branding and keeping in touch with others, but it’s still in its infancy. The market research I’m doing on Recruitment Trends for Incisive Media is looking into this and the impact Social Media has on recruitment. However, we all know how fast technology moves, so who knows, this time next year I maybe generating business because of the likes of Twitter. Cheryl Cole may be “tweeting” me for some help with her branding.....
It’s been a busy few weeks for Zzing – something which a few months ago I was wondering if I would be able to say – but I’m pleased to say I’ve got a few other bits and pieces coming my way including weekly blogs for a car company which need to be topical and help their website rankings with keywords. So I’ll be getting ready to fire up the blogspot on a regular basis and talk about Quattro’s, Audi’s, BMW’s, Robin Reliants....best get watching some old episodes of Top Gear. I also thought I could create a character from which this blog is written, sort of like a Del-Boy character but I’m not too good with the cockney rhyming slang “Oiwwww-rite guv, got a luverly mota owt back. For you guv, it’s just a monkey. Yor robbin me blind guv, robbin me blind.”
Hmmmmm, maybe not.
I’m off to hob-knob – sorry, “network” on a grander scale this week. Yes, so long local networking events and hello big glitzy event at the Grosvenor House in Park Lane. It is the annual Recruitment awards this week (I know, Brad and Angelina must be gutted that they are in Haiti or wherever) and I have been kindly invited along by Splash Communications www.splashcommunications.com which is not only a great chance for me to meet up and catch up with my old friends at Splash, Lindsay and Caro, but it also gives me the opportunity to once again, play ‘Business Card –Blackjack’. For those of you who remember my earlier ‘networking events’ this is a game where the winner is the one to give out the most business cards in one night. I generally lose as I get stuck with the boring person in the corner who has only come along to the event in order to interact with a human being for that week.
So, onwards and upwards for another week in the crazy world of Zzing with modular construction for hospital PR, selling car blogs, recruitment trends analysis and quaffing spritzers with the great and good of recruitment.
Hands up if your job is the same every day? (Penny’s hand stays firmly by her side). Hoorah!
That’s why I had to laugh at the latest ads from the Labour and Conservative party – and also the speed in which they managed to turn the latest editions in their campaign advertising around.
Last week, at 9.45am Labour unveiled a new ‘topical’ advert with David Cameron, sat astride an Audi Quattro – yes, the new BBC series of Ashes to Ashes was just about to begin – with the lines of ‘Don’t let him take us back to the eighties’. Clever copy and visual with a nice topical twist which a large majority of the population would get, even if they don’t watch the programme.
Cue 3.45pm the same day (a whole 6 hours after the initial Labour unveiling) and the Conservatives looked quite smug at their new advert – the same picture of ‘Dave’ sat astride the infamous Quattro but with the immortal line ‘Fire up the Quattro, it’s time for change’.
Advertising genius on a political scale.
Now, I don’t sway to any of the parties, but the speed and wittiness of the tory advertising team did get my vote that day.
I see one of the Labour candidates has also been sacked as he was using Twitter ‘inappropriately’. Well, calling old people “coffin dodgers” and being exceptionally politically-incorrect may not be the best language for a parliamentary hopeful. Twitter is a funny medium. I use it for Zzing (@zzingmarketing if anyone wants to follow me) to 1. Help with keywords and marketing of stuff that I do, 2. Potentially network new clients and 3.(most importantly) find out what Chris Evans, Duncan Bannatyne and Will Carling are up to. Personally, I don’t think it will create any sales at the moment, people aren’t using it for that just yet. I think it’s good for branding and keeping in touch with others, but it’s still in its infancy. The market research I’m doing on Recruitment Trends for Incisive Media is looking into this and the impact Social Media has on recruitment. However, we all know how fast technology moves, so who knows, this time next year I maybe generating business because of the likes of Twitter. Cheryl Cole may be “tweeting” me for some help with her branding.....
It’s been a busy few weeks for Zzing – something which a few months ago I was wondering if I would be able to say – but I’m pleased to say I’ve got a few other bits and pieces coming my way including weekly blogs for a car company which need to be topical and help their website rankings with keywords. So I’ll be getting ready to fire up the blogspot on a regular basis and talk about Quattro’s, Audi’s, BMW’s, Robin Reliants....best get watching some old episodes of Top Gear. I also thought I could create a character from which this blog is written, sort of like a Del-Boy character but I’m not too good with the cockney rhyming slang “Oiwwww-rite guv, got a luverly mota owt back. For you guv, it’s just a monkey. Yor robbin me blind guv, robbin me blind.”
Hmmmmm, maybe not.
I’m off to hob-knob – sorry, “network” on a grander scale this week. Yes, so long local networking events and hello big glitzy event at the Grosvenor House in Park Lane. It is the annual Recruitment awards this week (I know, Brad and Angelina must be gutted that they are in Haiti or wherever) and I have been kindly invited along by Splash Communications www.splashcommunications.com which is not only a great chance for me to meet up and catch up with my old friends at Splash, Lindsay and Caro, but it also gives me the opportunity to once again, play ‘Business Card –Blackjack’. For those of you who remember my earlier ‘networking events’ this is a game where the winner is the one to give out the most business cards in one night. I generally lose as I get stuck with the boring person in the corner who has only come along to the event in order to interact with a human being for that week.
So, onwards and upwards for another week in the crazy world of Zzing with modular construction for hospital PR, selling car blogs, recruitment trends analysis and quaffing spritzers with the great and good of recruitment.
Hands up if your job is the same every day? (Penny’s hand stays firmly by her side). Hoorah!
Tuesday, 30 March 2010
Four day weeks are not all their cracked up to be...
I hate to admit it, but you were all right – I am struggling to keep up with my weekly newsletters / blogs! Mind you, I have a good excuse, last week I was in Paris for a long weekend of rugby (more of that later) so apologies for the delay in getting a latest update out but it’s been slightly busy in the world of Zzing.
It’s obviously not helped by the fact that this week we have a Bank Holiday this week AND next week. Oh, how your perception of national holidays change. Four months ago I would have been counting down the days to having a four day weekend and two four days weeks, however, now in the lonely world of self-employment, it can only mean one thing...no work means no jingles in ones bank account. Yup, I officially have two days of not earning any money and two weeks of trying to make up for the two days missed. Honestly, if I ruled the country....
I’m trying to meet up with my old friend Vicki West who runs her own print brokers, Tiger Ink – she’s just launched her new website and it is pretty groovy, even if I do say so myself as I did the copywriting www.tigerink.com (blatant plug there) – anyway, we’re due to meet up for a coffee tomorrow which is great however, I reckon that looking by my diary, I’ll pop in for a quick coffee on my way back from my PR work for the construction company in Alton, but will need to get home pretty soon as I need to get cracking on some trend analysis for some market research I’ve been doing.
Whoever says being your own boss is all about lunches, playing golf and early evening cocktails is living in a different world to me that’s for sure.
I’ve just finished one of my market research contracts and I’m in the last phase of the other market research project on recruitment trends which I’m working on too. It’s hard work but really interesting, especially trying to not laugh when someone answers the phone and says they’ll put you through and the next moment, the person you were being put through to is “in a meeting” – I laugh as that is exactly what I used to ask my team to say when market research calls came through to me. How times change. Still, I’m doing the research for a nice client so I hope that they find the research findings useful.
I’ve done three weeks now working on the retained work I do every month for the construction company, cfes Ltd and I have to say it’s odd going into another office for a couple of days every week as I’ve so got used to working from home. Luckily they have loads of work for me to do so before I know it, my hours are up and it’s time to head back and the 16 hours a week I’m doing is enough to get enough work for them done along with working on other projects for clients so an ideal situation. I’m quite liking juggling different projects and market sectors I’m working for currently, it certainly keeps me on my toes and my brain active which can only be a good thing, I don’t want the early onset of becoming the local strange bag lady with lots of cats who talks to herself.
The break to Paris was amazing, we stayed in a really nice little hotel in Montmarte where we made the most of the cafes and bars (I know have a longing for Pernod and water), we wandered around all of the main tourist sites, watched an excellent game of rugby which England should have won however it was an amazing atmosphere in the stadium, especially as France won the grand slam –
...oh, and the boy and I also got engaged under the Eiffel Tower at night when it was a lit up like a Christmas tree. A very happy trip all in all and one to remember!
So now the month of April is creeping up upon us and apart from the retained contract of work, I’m on the lookout for new contracts and pieces of work. I’ve got a couple of possible copywriting and marketing contracts in the pipeline, but as ever, it is back to the waiting game of getting sign off and the bank holiday period is not going to make it happen any quicker either. I’m also trying to organise the rowing clubs annual regatta but we’ve just found out that on the same day it’s Southampton Football clubs last home match of the season and as our regatta take place 2 mins away from the football stadium we’re struggling to find car parking for 300 rowers and their boat trailers. Doh!
Ah event management, the headaches you give me. I’m thinking that my experience of delivering and managing overseas sales conferences for 300 (mainly drunk) sales people along with organising rowing regatta’s and championships for up to 1,000 people should stand me in good stead for organising a little wedding next year – it can’t be that taxing surely? I’ve started on the draft guest list at the airport when we were delayed, so far we know 250 people and that’s just close family and friends (well, when you add in the Rowing Club, Rugby Club and Hockey Club, it starts to add up...)
Anyway, here’s hoping that April is as busy as March was, I’ve got vol au vents for 250 people to save for.
It’s obviously not helped by the fact that this week we have a Bank Holiday this week AND next week. Oh, how your perception of national holidays change. Four months ago I would have been counting down the days to having a four day weekend and two four days weeks, however, now in the lonely world of self-employment, it can only mean one thing...no work means no jingles in ones bank account. Yup, I officially have two days of not earning any money and two weeks of trying to make up for the two days missed. Honestly, if I ruled the country....
I’m trying to meet up with my old friend Vicki West who runs her own print brokers, Tiger Ink – she’s just launched her new website and it is pretty groovy, even if I do say so myself as I did the copywriting www.tigerink.com (blatant plug there) – anyway, we’re due to meet up for a coffee tomorrow which is great however, I reckon that looking by my diary, I’ll pop in for a quick coffee on my way back from my PR work for the construction company in Alton, but will need to get home pretty soon as I need to get cracking on some trend analysis for some market research I’ve been doing.
Whoever says being your own boss is all about lunches, playing golf and early evening cocktails is living in a different world to me that’s for sure.
I’ve just finished one of my market research contracts and I’m in the last phase of the other market research project on recruitment trends which I’m working on too. It’s hard work but really interesting, especially trying to not laugh when someone answers the phone and says they’ll put you through and the next moment, the person you were being put through to is “in a meeting” – I laugh as that is exactly what I used to ask my team to say when market research calls came through to me. How times change. Still, I’m doing the research for a nice client so I hope that they find the research findings useful.
I’ve done three weeks now working on the retained work I do every month for the construction company, cfes Ltd and I have to say it’s odd going into another office for a couple of days every week as I’ve so got used to working from home. Luckily they have loads of work for me to do so before I know it, my hours are up and it’s time to head back and the 16 hours a week I’m doing is enough to get enough work for them done along with working on other projects for clients so an ideal situation. I’m quite liking juggling different projects and market sectors I’m working for currently, it certainly keeps me on my toes and my brain active which can only be a good thing, I don’t want the early onset of becoming the local strange bag lady with lots of cats who talks to herself.
The break to Paris was amazing, we stayed in a really nice little hotel in Montmarte where we made the most of the cafes and bars (I know have a longing for Pernod and water), we wandered around all of the main tourist sites, watched an excellent game of rugby which England should have won however it was an amazing atmosphere in the stadium, especially as France won the grand slam –
...oh, and the boy and I also got engaged under the Eiffel Tower at night when it was a lit up like a Christmas tree. A very happy trip all in all and one to remember!
So now the month of April is creeping up upon us and apart from the retained contract of work, I’m on the lookout for new contracts and pieces of work. I’ve got a couple of possible copywriting and marketing contracts in the pipeline, but as ever, it is back to the waiting game of getting sign off and the bank holiday period is not going to make it happen any quicker either. I’m also trying to organise the rowing clubs annual regatta but we’ve just found out that on the same day it’s Southampton Football clubs last home match of the season and as our regatta take place 2 mins away from the football stadium we’re struggling to find car parking for 300 rowers and their boat trailers. Doh!
Ah event management, the headaches you give me. I’m thinking that my experience of delivering and managing overseas sales conferences for 300 (mainly drunk) sales people along with organising rowing regatta’s and championships for up to 1,000 people should stand me in good stead for organising a little wedding next year – it can’t be that taxing surely? I’ve started on the draft guest list at the airport when we were delayed, so far we know 250 people and that’s just close family and friends (well, when you add in the Rowing Club, Rugby Club and Hockey Club, it starts to add up...)
Anyway, here’s hoping that April is as busy as March was, I’ve got vol au vents for 250 people to save for.
Wednesday, 10 March 2010
Hours in the day? 24? Not enough!
For those astute of you, you will have realised that the weekly Zzing newsletter and blog have not been updated recently. Unlike the previous eight weekly updates, I fell short last week and now we are nearly at the end of another week.
The reason for this? Well, I haven’t won the lottery and therefore I’m not currently in the Seychelles sipping champagne and no, I haven’t managed to upset the Microsoft / O2 Broadband techie-geeks and broken my computer or broadband. The reason for my ‘slacking’ in the newsletter / blog department is simply amount of work – yes, PAID work! Can you believe it? No, I can hardly either...
My last update included the market research tender which I had just won. That was for an evaluation / market research project for se2 Partnership which is a Social Enterprise organisation in the South East. So have been designing online survey’s and telephone interviewing their network organisations – what lovely, lovely people they are in the Social Enterprise Network they are. I guess their name say’s it all, ‘Social’, but they really are. Have had lovely chats with many of them – really didn’t seem much like work at all! However, market research does take up acres of my time with the telephone interviewing and then typing up the interview notes – still, all good stuff.
I also got some great news last week. The specialist construction company which I had a meeting with decided that they liked me (without the bribery of homemade brownies I hasten to add) and I start on a monthly contract for 16 hours each week in Alton next week. Again, perhaps I have been hit with a lucky stick, but they are such nice people (or perhaps I need to change my view that all business people will be really scary and shout lots). They want me to work on their PR and marketing their company profile so really looking forward to getting on with that work. One of the directors also plays rugby (for another team) against the boyfriend, so this made me telling them that I’m going to be in Paris for a few days next week (Oui, oui! J’adore Jonny Wilkinson and all that) a bit easier!
Then today, I got confirmation of some more market research work through an introduction from an old friend Andy Knight who works for Incisive Media. I’m going to be working on some qualitative research which is going to be pretty full-on for the next two weeks. I haven’t got the contact list yet so I’m using this time to write my weekly (albeit a bit late) ramblings.
So all in all, a pretty eventful week or so! Oh yes, I am now the owner of a sparkly new Blackberry as I’ll be out and about more and so what have I been doing for the last few days? Yes, on the phone to the ‘service provider’. Well, for a start, I think it’s a slight infringement to have ‘service’ at the start of their title and if I hear one more automated message telling me that they provide the ‘highest levels of customer service’ I’ll scream (they tell you this after holding and pressing 20 different buttons for options to finally get through to a human). However, when you do, you can already hear them eating their breakfast / lunch whilst flicking through various other internet sites as well as your email account. Yes, I know you are a techie and can multi-task various programmes and internet options whilst making ‘uumph’ noises to me, sorting out your fantasy football team, ordering the new shoot ‘em up PS3 game and tap, tap, tapping on your computer – but please....just talk to me in language that I can decipher and not make me feel like some idiot who has possibly not plugged the computer in.
So in essence, I could really, really do with some additional hours in the day. If anyone has an ‘app’ for obtaining more hours in the day (I got offered some from my ‘service’ provider – I pretended not to hear them as I haven’t got a clue why I would use my phone as a compass, spirit level or want to know how to decipher what bird song I can hear – I live in Southampton, if it’s not a seagull, the bird has got lost), let me know.
On a random note, has anyone else tried the new Marmite Cereal Bars? They were handing them out free in Waterloo yesterday. Tried one. Bit dry and tasteless and I sit in the ‘Love Marmite’ camp too. Apparently, you need to post your comments on the Marmites Facebook page. Seeing they only starting handing them out this week, they have over 2,500 ‘fans’ – what a cost effective way of getting feedback on your product.
Anyway, best go, got some survey results to sift through before hockey training tonight (2 matches at the weekend, still aching slightly when I get up and three large bruises and two astro-turf burns to my left knuckle – can’t complain, one of my team mates snapped her tendon in her ankle and is now on crutches).
A bientot! (practising for Paris next week)
The reason for this? Well, I haven’t won the lottery and therefore I’m not currently in the Seychelles sipping champagne and no, I haven’t managed to upset the Microsoft / O2 Broadband techie-geeks and broken my computer or broadband. The reason for my ‘slacking’ in the newsletter / blog department is simply amount of work – yes, PAID work! Can you believe it? No, I can hardly either...
My last update included the market research tender which I had just won. That was for an evaluation / market research project for se2 Partnership which is a Social Enterprise organisation in the South East. So have been designing online survey’s and telephone interviewing their network organisations – what lovely, lovely people they are in the Social Enterprise Network they are. I guess their name say’s it all, ‘Social’, but they really are. Have had lovely chats with many of them – really didn’t seem much like work at all! However, market research does take up acres of my time with the telephone interviewing and then typing up the interview notes – still, all good stuff.
I also got some great news last week. The specialist construction company which I had a meeting with decided that they liked me (without the bribery of homemade brownies I hasten to add) and I start on a monthly contract for 16 hours each week in Alton next week. Again, perhaps I have been hit with a lucky stick, but they are such nice people (or perhaps I need to change my view that all business people will be really scary and shout lots). They want me to work on their PR and marketing their company profile so really looking forward to getting on with that work. One of the directors also plays rugby (for another team) against the boyfriend, so this made me telling them that I’m going to be in Paris for a few days next week (Oui, oui! J’adore Jonny Wilkinson and all that) a bit easier!
Then today, I got confirmation of some more market research work through an introduction from an old friend Andy Knight who works for Incisive Media. I’m going to be working on some qualitative research which is going to be pretty full-on for the next two weeks. I haven’t got the contact list yet so I’m using this time to write my weekly (albeit a bit late) ramblings.
So all in all, a pretty eventful week or so! Oh yes, I am now the owner of a sparkly new Blackberry as I’ll be out and about more and so what have I been doing for the last few days? Yes, on the phone to the ‘service provider’. Well, for a start, I think it’s a slight infringement to have ‘service’ at the start of their title and if I hear one more automated message telling me that they provide the ‘highest levels of customer service’ I’ll scream (they tell you this after holding and pressing 20 different buttons for options to finally get through to a human). However, when you do, you can already hear them eating their breakfast / lunch whilst flicking through various other internet sites as well as your email account. Yes, I know you are a techie and can multi-task various programmes and internet options whilst making ‘uumph’ noises to me, sorting out your fantasy football team, ordering the new shoot ‘em up PS3 game and tap, tap, tapping on your computer – but please....just talk to me in language that I can decipher and not make me feel like some idiot who has possibly not plugged the computer in.
So in essence, I could really, really do with some additional hours in the day. If anyone has an ‘app’ for obtaining more hours in the day (I got offered some from my ‘service’ provider – I pretended not to hear them as I haven’t got a clue why I would use my phone as a compass, spirit level or want to know how to decipher what bird song I can hear – I live in Southampton, if it’s not a seagull, the bird has got lost), let me know.
On a random note, has anyone else tried the new Marmite Cereal Bars? They were handing them out free in Waterloo yesterday. Tried one. Bit dry and tasteless and I sit in the ‘Love Marmite’ camp too. Apparently, you need to post your comments on the Marmites Facebook page. Seeing they only starting handing them out this week, they have over 2,500 ‘fans’ – what a cost effective way of getting feedback on your product.
Anyway, best go, got some survey results to sift through before hockey training tonight (2 matches at the weekend, still aching slightly when I get up and three large bruises and two astro-turf burns to my left knuckle – can’t complain, one of my team mates snapped her tendon in her ankle and is now on crutches).
A bientot! (practising for Paris next week)
Friday, 26 February 2010
Houston, we have lift off!
Well, there I was, about 30mins ago wondering what to put in my weekly newsletter. I was thinking that I needed to put in what’s gone on in the world of Zzing this week but was aware that it was starting to sound very similar to all of the other weeks – nearly there, another proposal sent out, no news yet, fingers crossed on this tender etc. etc. I could see why my Mum and Dad were getting worried that I had made the right decision to go freelance.
Then BAM!
Email comes in.
I WON A TENDER FOR A PIECE OF MARKET RESEARCH!!!!!!
Yes, you read it right - my first ‘official’ tender won. An actual tender which I completed for a company that I had never met before and they decided that my approach to the project was the best one!
I am sure I am close to how Amy Williams who won the Olympic Gold medal in the skeleton this week felt – all that hard work (OK, only two months in my case, I know she has been training for years) has finally paid off. (That little jig I did last week when I got a contract and then lost it, I am convinced is jinxed so have remained firmly in my seat, just bounced up and down a lot.)
It’s one small step for Zzing, one giant leap to hitting the annual budget!
Actually, it has capped off a very good week. I met with a really nice recruitment agency this week and they are looking for help with their PR and Marketing. This company have grown to a very stable organisation over the last few years, are expanding with focus and want some help in raising their profile. I met with the MD who was a really nice guy and, if he likes my ideas and costs, I think he and his company would be a really nice project to work on. I’m also meeting with a construction company early next week to discuss some possible freelance work for them, again PR and Marketing. I’m hoping that my previous experience in construction and recruitment will help me win some work for both of these companies, looking at what they want to achieve, I know I can help – I have my fingers, legs and eyes crossed that they want to work with me as much as I want to work with them.
As I was up in London meeting the recruitment agency this week, I took the opportunity to pop in to Mum and Dad’s on my way back and also managed to invite myself to tea too – it would have been rude not too. I know Mum and Dad support me but they are worried that I have left a good job to start up on my own (that thought goes through my head on a regular basis too!) but I still feel that I have done the right thing (most days!) Especially today – wooop, woop woop! (Yes, still bouncing up and down in my chair, the neighbours must be wondering what’s going on)
I think I must be Lloyds TSB Banks best friend at the moment, they keep phoning me and asking for me to take part in some telephone research on their services, customer support, how they communicate with me. Obviously, being at home, I can take these calls and I think that as I agreed to take part in the first 5min telephone survey, I am on some ‘golden list’ which means that I am in when they phone and happy to take part. Mind you, I should have asked them to phone my friend Vicki from Tiger Ink for feedback, she has not had a brilliant time with Lloyds it is safe to say. In fact, I think if Lloyds called Tiger Ink and asked for a printing quote for all of their UK business, she may tell them where to stick it – well, maybe not, but she is really not happy with them. I think if I had been mucked around the way Vicki has been, the pens clamped by short wires to the cashiers desks would have been swiftly uprooted and placed in an appropriate place on the Business Bank Manager using a forceful upward movement!
So who knows what next week will bring? I know what this weekend will bring - bruises. Got a tough hockey match tomorrow with a very physical side that no one in the league likes playing AND on top of that, they have changed the match time from the morning to the afternoon. Right in the middle of the 6 nations rugby matches! Honestly, what were they thinking? England really need to win against the Irish to keep alive my dream of seeing the deciding match of the six nations live in Paris in four weeks time.
Let’s hope a few more tenders come good as if England win, the bar bill in Paris may be a bit high!
Right, best sort out my diary and work calendar for next week – this could be the start of something beautiful!
Then BAM!
Email comes in.
I WON A TENDER FOR A PIECE OF MARKET RESEARCH!!!!!!
Yes, you read it right - my first ‘official’ tender won. An actual tender which I completed for a company that I had never met before and they decided that my approach to the project was the best one!
I am sure I am close to how Amy Williams who won the Olympic Gold medal in the skeleton this week felt – all that hard work (OK, only two months in my case, I know she has been training for years) has finally paid off. (That little jig I did last week when I got a contract and then lost it, I am convinced is jinxed so have remained firmly in my seat, just bounced up and down a lot.)
It’s one small step for Zzing, one giant leap to hitting the annual budget!
Actually, it has capped off a very good week. I met with a really nice recruitment agency this week and they are looking for help with their PR and Marketing. This company have grown to a very stable organisation over the last few years, are expanding with focus and want some help in raising their profile. I met with the MD who was a really nice guy and, if he likes my ideas and costs, I think he and his company would be a really nice project to work on. I’m also meeting with a construction company early next week to discuss some possible freelance work for them, again PR and Marketing. I’m hoping that my previous experience in construction and recruitment will help me win some work for both of these companies, looking at what they want to achieve, I know I can help – I have my fingers, legs and eyes crossed that they want to work with me as much as I want to work with them.
As I was up in London meeting the recruitment agency this week, I took the opportunity to pop in to Mum and Dad’s on my way back and also managed to invite myself to tea too – it would have been rude not too. I know Mum and Dad support me but they are worried that I have left a good job to start up on my own (that thought goes through my head on a regular basis too!) but I still feel that I have done the right thing (most days!) Especially today – wooop, woop woop! (Yes, still bouncing up and down in my chair, the neighbours must be wondering what’s going on)
I think I must be Lloyds TSB Banks best friend at the moment, they keep phoning me and asking for me to take part in some telephone research on their services, customer support, how they communicate with me. Obviously, being at home, I can take these calls and I think that as I agreed to take part in the first 5min telephone survey, I am on some ‘golden list’ which means that I am in when they phone and happy to take part. Mind you, I should have asked them to phone my friend Vicki from Tiger Ink for feedback, she has not had a brilliant time with Lloyds it is safe to say. In fact, I think if Lloyds called Tiger Ink and asked for a printing quote for all of their UK business, she may tell them where to stick it – well, maybe not, but she is really not happy with them. I think if I had been mucked around the way Vicki has been, the pens clamped by short wires to the cashiers desks would have been swiftly uprooted and placed in an appropriate place on the Business Bank Manager using a forceful upward movement!
So who knows what next week will bring? I know what this weekend will bring - bruises. Got a tough hockey match tomorrow with a very physical side that no one in the league likes playing AND on top of that, they have changed the match time from the morning to the afternoon. Right in the middle of the 6 nations rugby matches! Honestly, what were they thinking? England really need to win against the Irish to keep alive my dream of seeing the deciding match of the six nations live in Paris in four weeks time.
Let’s hope a few more tenders come good as if England win, the bar bill in Paris may be a bit high!
Right, best sort out my diary and work calendar for next week – this could be the start of something beautiful!
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