Click for large image with all the answers

Thanks to everyone who joined in the fun with their entries. Some people found some surprising things within the picture!

So, on we go into 2012. We wish you great success and look forward to sharing tips and advice with you throughout the year.

If you haven’t already subscribed to our email updates, now’s the time!

Have a little fun with us, as we save the trees that might have become our Christmas card. Spot all of the Christmas objects hidden away in our Nativity Play scene, and win a large box of chocolates. We’ll also donate £50 to a charity chosen by the winner.

The winner will be the first correct entry picked on New Year’s Day 2012.

Click on the image for a larger view. This is a Tongue-In-Cheek™ Production.

The competition has closed

Credits

This is a Tongue-In-Cheek™ Production in conjunction with Goldsbrough Consulting Limited and all the staff at Little Corner.

The winner will be announced in the New Year. Good luck!

Not entered yet? Go back to the entry form.

Feel free to pass this on to family and friends – the more the merrier!

We’re now able to help people more than we could individually, and clients are already welcoming that.

On a few projects, I’d helped the client to build a great business strategy, but I knew that the people in the business needed some help if they were to carry out the plan and reap all the rewards.

Meanwhile, Penny had been doing some inspirational work in transforming the ability of her clients to communicate effectively and use their personal strengths. But those individuals were working in an environment where the plan was hazy – it was impossible for them to do their best work.

Now, we’re able to help companies flourish. Our clients can have great products, effective processes, and positive people. We’re excited about this new phase, and the website has been revised to describe what we can now do.

Whether you’re new here or an old friend, please take some time to look around and tell us what you think of our new home on the web.

But getting access to the same level of expertise without facing the permanent overhead cost has paid off for software company, Silkmoth.

The firm, which does the “heavy lifting” or back-end building of websites to help companies market themselves and manage e-commerce, commissioned Matthew Goldsbrough of Goldsbrough Consulting in 2003 to do a small project. Three years later, the company had National Tyres as a client – now one of its biggest.

“That was the direct result of a specific marketing campaign Matthew put together and has been worth many thousands of pounds to us,” says Keith Jones, Silkmoth’s managing director.

Before Matthew got involved with Silkmoth the business – about half the size it is today – faced a challenge: “At that time we were concentrating on day-to-day activities and it was difficult to focus on how to present a credible story for winning new business,” Keith says.

“As well as trying to figure out how to show that what we did was different, we were also going after business that was – with hindsight – not quite right. As companies began to expect more functionality and value from their websites – plus immediate technical support – this was the arena we needed to be in and where we could outshine the “one-man band” website designers who don’t typically have the infrastructure to support customers properly.”

Structure, Strategy and Tactics

What Silkmoth needed to accelerate its business development was strategic thinking and establishing a clear market position; focusing on what it did well and pricing its services at the right level. “This was really Matthew’s principal experience and value for us,” says Keith.

“He was also valuable for tactical activities we needed, such as copywriting for our own website, along with direct and email marketing alongside developing a databases of prospects – all things we just didn’t have the time to do.”

“After seeing his work on that initial project, what we liked was his methodical approach; an ability to think clearly and direct others’ thoughts in a structured way. What he’s got is a well-defined system for working through marketing issues and producing good results.”

In time, Matthew’s role evolved into that of a freelance marketing director, complete with his own Silkmoth business cards. Keith explains: “He met clients, attended our board meetings in a non-executive role and provided the necessary marketing input, becoming an integral – albeit outsourced – part of the business.

“And, if we met a company that wasn’t quite ready to go down a particular route with its web presence, we would introduce Matthew to help them with their own marketing issues and that would, when it made sense, lead to business for us also.”

Partner Strategy Extends Silkmoth’s Reach

Today, Silkmoth works with a number of design partners to generate new business and has a much clearer idea of its strengths. “Matthew helped us to consider carefully and develop our key proposition for clients and partners, and that – in large part – is the way we continue to present our services now,” Keith says.

“With marketing and sales you can convince yourself you haven’t got the time to do it or, when running your own business, fall into the trap of believing you can do everything when, in reality, you don’t have the skills.

Focus and Direction

“So, getting an external view prompted us to think about our business in a different way and forced us to focus. Having regular, monthly meetings with Matthew meant there was always time allocated in the diary to discuss marketing and sales, which is vital to avoid the management team getting side-tracked by business-as-usual activity.

“Matthew’s approach is direct, but that’s part of the appeal. In business, I don’t have a problem with tough truths; if you are paying someone for their professional advice you’d be a fool not to listen to it! And if you can see some unfulfilled potential in your business it’s worth buying in the right advice to take it forward.”

This time, I’ll be focusing not on how to use social media, but why. I’ll be helping people to understand why social media is a vital asset in developing their business, helping them achieve things that might be much more costly, time-consuming – and frankly more boring – if they’re done in old-fashioned ways.

If you’re interested in coming along to the breakfast on 10 March, you can register for the event on the Manchester Chamber website.