It was a mixed audience of small businesses and students all suitably impressed with the vital statistics, amazing facilities and great stars (of sport and music) that you would expect to be associated with this new flagship stadium:

• The 98 kitchens
• 2,600 toilets
• 4 of the largest restaurants in London
• Seated dining for 10,500
• 2 million sq ft of hospitality space

The scale is breathtaking. The budgets (and prices) are impressive – but so are their revenue targets. Club Wembley is responsible for 70% of all revenues at Wembley and they will be the difference between profit and loss, and between being a drain on the resources on the FA or being able to give money back for investment back into grassroots football.

So apart from being wowed with their achievements and envious of Heath Harvey, what did I learn that I can use and pass on to marketers generally? Well, Club Wembley know that marketing will make the difference between their success and their failure, and here’s why:

1. “Hospitality is about putting customers first”

Actually all of marketing is about putting the customer first – so replace the word hospitality with your own industry category. Understanding customers – what they need and value – is where you focus to design and build your products and services. Club Wembley have set out to design the best members club there is – they know their customers are high net-worth individuals with exacting standards for whom the EXPERIENCE is everything.

2. “A great experience stops people thinking ‘how much am I paying for this?’”

Price is only an issue if the value is missing. You can justify premium pricing if you work hard to deliver the value the customer expects. And that is true for all of us – even if we’re not in the business of selling £10,000 seats for football games! Fail to deliver the value and the emphasis goes back onto the cost to the customer.

3. “Every event we do must be better than the last.”

What a fantastic attitude. Never complacent, always striving to do better. Can you honestly say this is true in your organisation – not just of you but of everyone on the team?

4. “We aim to make our branded boxes difficult to give up.”

Again this is about the attitude to the service delivered. If you take a corporate box it will be customised to your brand – fully and completely, all fittings and furnishing, not just by putting up a sign with your logo on. There is a philosophy and culture running through Club Wembley that ensures they are focused on going beyond the service expected, creating something that their customers do not want to give up. Something that they will fight to justify spending their budgets on.

5. “People buy people.”

Every member of the club needs to feel special – known and understood. To enable this Club Wembley have invested £40,000 in their CRM (customer relationship management) system. Any information learned about a customer is noted in their profile and can be accessed by any member of staff needing to communicate with that member: children’s ages, birthdays, their working status, events attended, emails opened or ignored. It’s all there and updated constantly. This means that information, offers and once-in-a-lifetime opportunities can be accurately targeted to those members who would be most likely to be interested.

How can you improve your knowledge and understanding of your customers and use that information more effectively in your business? It doesn’t have to mean a £40,000 investment – simple CRM systems are available to all of us for a fraction of that.

6. “As long as we are making more good decisions than bad we are doing OK.”

This statement is not about being complacent, it is about attitudes to risk and acknowledges that not all decisions will lead to a great outcome. But if you hesitate too often then you risk not moving forward. It’s hard to be 100% certain of success everytime but you learn what works by trying new things. What have you done differently recently?

Marketing is about satisfying customer needs profitably. So no matter what your business I believe we can all learn something from Club Wembley. Focus on exceeding your customer expectations, ensure every member of the team is empowered to give the very best customer service, justify the price through the value you provide, and never believe you have done enough!

A highly recommended book is Roberto Cialdini’s “Influence, The Psychology of Persuasion”. In it he tells the story of a jewellers in Arizona who had tried everything to shift some items made from good quality turquoise: keen pricing, prominent displays, sales person’s attention, etc.  In desperation the shop owner decided to slash the prices by half to get rid of the stock.  However the employee who was left a scrawled note to this effect mis-read the x 1/2 as x 2, and doubled the prices instead!  The surprise was that within days every article had been sold!

Cialdini’s explanation for this is that it is a form of human automatic action – the holiday-makers, with little real knowledge of turquoise, were using a standard principle to guide their decision-making: “expensive=good”. The higher price made the jewellery more valuable and desirable – and I’m sure, if you’re honest, you can find examples in your own life when you have followed this principle.  And if you have been brought up on the maxim “you get what you pay for” then price is often a reliable shortcut to efficient decision-making.

The converse is also true, of course: “cheap = rubbish” in many (granted, not all) cases.  Be sure to bear this tale in mind when deciding your own pricing strategy.  Understanding the needs and attitudes of your target customers is critical to determining where to pitch your price in order to maximise your profit.  And note I say ‘profit’ not ‘revenue’.  As mentioned already, you can make more money by selling fewer items at a higher price – and potentially for less effort – than by going for volume at a lower price.  Being the cheapest is not an easy option – it requires ruthless cost management and, at the same time, making significant investment in marketing to hit the volumes.  Particularly hard for smaller businesses without the scale and buying power of larger corporations.

Some industries seem determined to devalue their whole market – websites for £99 anyone?  Faced with this offer this may be a good time to stop and remember once again, “you get what you pay for”. If you are tempted to go cheap in this area stop and consider what value you are intending to get from or create using your website, and what therefore is a more rational and reasonable approach to take.  And if you are competing with people offering very cheap versions of your products or services, spent some time to understand and articulate the value you truly can provide to your customers to help them feel they are making the right decision.

Never forget:

“Marketing’s objective is to be able to charge the highest possible price for what you offer – and for people to smile after!”

If you enjoyed this article you can read more blogs from Sharon Wilding here.

Ian is a Chartered Marketer as well as Fellow of both the Chartered Institute of Marketing and the Institute of Direct Marketing.  Prior to this role he served as Chairman of the Kent Branch of the Chartered Institute of Marketing for over 3 years.  Ian currently works as Marketing Manager for Herne Bay based radio communication company Icom UK Ltd. 

On taking on this role, Ian said, ’From my experience with the  Kent Branch of the CIM, I recognised the perception of marketing by small businesses was incredibly poor and that marketers were often looked upon with suspicion and perceived as a cost rather than a force for business development.  Knowing there was a remit to serve, I set up together with Sharon Wilding, a Small Business Programme in Kent which is still going to date.  Based on this success, my skills set and my enthusiasm I know that I can make a difference and be a driven force for change.’

He added, ’My immediate goal is to provide the necessary building blocks for each branch in the South East region to develop their own Small Business programmes.  I intend to produce a framework for each branch so that they can establish and co-ordinate their own workshops, seminars, training etc to help Small Business in our region.  I also intend to develop central relationships with business organisations throughout the South East…my feeling at this time, is that it is better to pull resources together for the common cause.’

The South East region of CIM is one of the most diverse regions in the UK and stretches in an arc around London, from Thanet in the south-east to the New Forest in the south-west and to Aylesbury Vale and Milton Keynes in the north-west.  There are five branches in total; one in Kent; Sussex; Surrey; Solent and Thames Valley. Two of these branches have active schemes already.   

Ian said, ’I am convinced that in these tough times, marketing is the business development driver that can really help business of all sizes and that the CIM, as the main marketing professional body in the world, can certainly take the lead on such issues.  I am looking for organisations who share these goals and if you would like to work with me on mutually beneficial initiatives, please contact me at info@easimarketing.com.’

The CIM Small Business Community is a group of members with an active interest in SME’s and capable of providing practical marketing support and advice to smaller businesses.  A range of documents and practical marketing tips that provide marketing advice and support to those working with SME’s can be accessed from their website.

The first one is scheduled to take place on 30th November between 6pm and 9pm in the White Rabbit pub in Maidstone.  More details are available on the CIM Events page.

Held in Old Sessions House at Canterbury Christ Church University, the lecture focused on the fact that social media has been seen as a luxury by many organisations, but should now be at the forefront of an organisation’s reputation management strategy.  Using a variety of different case-studies, including BP, Eurostar and Toyota, he concluded that social media should be used alongside a plethora of other tools to ensure that a crisis can be quickly controlled whilst limiting reputational damage.

Clarence has a wealth of experience in the PR industry, including a 20 year reporting career for the BBC as well as being media spokesperson for Kate and Gerry McCann.  When asked what his tips would be, he said “Social media has an enormous impact on how we, and our organisations, are socially connected.  An organisation’s social media presence must be monitored as they need to be aware of what’s being said about them 24/7. It’s potentially damaging even when you’re asleep.  In a crisis, social media is so effective and the key for any organisation is to use clear, concise and transparent messages.  Plus, if something goes wrong, say sorry.”

Neil Lakeland, Chair of the Kent CIM Committee, said: “We are delighted to have Clarence speak at our annual lecture and, with nearly 80 attendees from a range of different industries, it is clear that this topic was something that people felt they needed to know about.” 

During the evening Clarence also presented the Chartered Institute of Marketing’s Kent Student of the Year Award  to Sarah Mcdonnell.

After an informal tour of the vineyard in which the members of the two professional bodies had an opportunity to network whilst learning about the wine-making process, Frazer Thompson, Chief Executive of English Wines Group PLC and current Chair of the Kent Branch of the IoD, gave a talk on how they had successfully turned around the perception of English Wine and brought Tenterden Winery back from the brink of bankruptcy.

Frazer highlighted the importance of a successful brand to a company.  He maintained that the brand should be at the centre of the company and be defined by the values which the company stands for.

Commenting on the evening Neil Lakeland, the Kent CIM Chair, said “this event was a great way to start of our annual calendar of events.  Chapel Down is one of Kent’s success stories and this talk, plus the opportunity to mix with fellow professionals like the members of the IoD, made for a very enjoyable evening.  Frazer was, as always, inspirational and I think that no matter what business you’re in you would have found something to talk away from tonight”.

KCC Alison Campbell-Smith, KCC Programme Manager said:

“It’s very heartening to see that in this current economic climate, so many companies and individuals have been recognised for their work and are determined to ride out the recession with the best possible standards.

Morag Welham, Head of Special Interest and Media at the KM Group and Project Manager for KEiBA said :

“The awards ceremony will celebrate all those who play an essential part in maintaining the Kent economy and the local business community. This also highlights how KCC and the KM Group can help local businesses by promoting their success.”

All of the entries went through a rigorous judging process, which rated entrants against pre-set criteria to select a shortlist for each category.  The judges then visited the short-listed entrants to carry out a more in-depth investigation through face to face interviews.

The awards ceremony will be held at Leeds Castle on Thursday 2 July, Winners will receive a trophy and it’s hoped that the awards will also boost staff morale and help attract new staff. Winning an award will also help businesses raise their profile in Kent. Tickets for the ceremony can be ordered from the KEiBA website at www.keiba.co.uk/awards

KEiBA is staged and produced by Kent County Council and the KM Group to recognise and reward excellence in Kent’s businesses.  The 11 categories, recognise companies of all sizes as well as individual awards.

The finalists are:

Maidstone
Courtyard Studios (Hollingbourne) – Best Business from the Creative Industries
The Wonderful Creative Agency – Best Business from the Creative Industries
Leeds Castle – Best Leisure and Tourism Business
RBLI (Aylesford) – Customer Service and Commitment Award
Steve Martin/ Xmo Strata Ltd (Marden) – Entrepreneur of the Year

Thanet
Meltdowns (Ramsgate) – Best Business from the Creative Industries
Beech Tree Total Care Ltd (Margate) – Best Social Care Business

Medway
Chatham Historic Dockyard Trust (Chatham) – Best Leisure and Tourism Business
MHS Homes – Business Commitment to the Community, Customer Service and Commitment Award and Employer of the Year
BACTEC International Ltd (Rochester) – Large Business of the Year
Shumi Hair and Beauty Group (Chatham) – SME Business of the Year
Optimum Fitness Software (OFS) – (Chatham Maritime) – Start Up Business of the Year
Bradley McLoughlin/ Trading4U (Strood) – Young Entrepreneur of the Year

Weald
English Wines Group (Tenterden) – Best Leisure and Tourism Business and SME Business of the Year

Tunbridge Wells
Halliwell (Elizabeth Finn Homes) – Best Social Care Business
Cripps Harries Hall LLP – Business Commitment to the Community

Dover
Home Service Complete Care (Deal) – Best Social Care Business

Swale
Denne Construction (Sittingbourne) – Business Commitment to the Community, Employer of the Year and Large Business of the Year

Shepway
Holiday Extras (nr Hythe) – Customer Service and Commitment Award, Employer of the Year and Large Business of the Year

Ashford
Gerard Coleman/Artisan du Chocolat Ltd – Entrepreneur of the Year
The Woodley Coles LLP (Challock) – SME Business of the Year
Red Alert Telecare Ltd – Start Up Business of the Year
Kate Austen/ Podplus – Young Entrepreneur of the Year

Sevenoaks
Guy Whitehead/ Armourcoat Ltd – Entrepreneur of the Year
Owen Hunnam/ Vine Media – Young Entrepreneur of the Year

Canterbury
Shake Shed Ltd – Start Up Business of the Year

The new social marketing standards will help marketers use marketing tools to promote a healthier society. The standards provide an accurate description of the performance required of those working in the increasingly important field of social marketing and of the knowledge and skills that they require.

The standards will also provide a useful tool for many human resource and organisational development processes, and are already being used for course design, recruitment, accreditation and benchmarking.

Speaking about the new standards, Dr Chahid Fourali, Head of the MSSSB said;

Over the past few years there has been an explosion in social marketing and it is now a recognised area of expertise. The new standards will help marketers implement best practice, and help organisations understand how social marketing can and cannot be used. The standards will also help build a new image of marketing as a socially responsible discipline.

The new standards have been the result of sustained consultation with social marketing practitioners in the UK and abroad and therefore reflect best practice at world-class level.

For more information on the new standards please visit the MSSSB website.

By opening access to the library catalogue up to the wider public, The Institute is fulfilling part of its obligations under its Royal Charter, to ‘increase public awareness and understanding of marketing as a vital factor in business success and prosperity.’

The catalogue has bibliographic reference to over 200,000 articles, research papers, conference proceedings and other marketing material that has been built up over more than 25 years.

David Thorp, director of research and professional development at The Institute said,

This magnificent resource for marketers and the general public has been tucked away for far too long. Easy access to marketing information and knowledge has never been more important, particularly in these difficult times, and I hope marketers, business owners and people around the world make full use of our catalogue to gain a greater understanding of marketing and its vital importance in improving business performance.

All entries in the catalogue are indexed using a thesaurus that has been developed from the London Business Classification, enabling tailored searches across different media types. To facilitate easy access, a range of pre-decided searches have been placed on topic pages (see related links to view the marketing resources area).

This is a great resource if you are studing. It is also useful for researching any projects at work, so why not impress colleagues, visit cim.co.uk/libraryservices

The new website has an improved look and feel, with cleaner lines and a clearer layout, making navigation around the site’s 1,000 pages easier, and helping site visitors find what they want quickly.

Commenting on the launch, David Thorp, Director of Research and Professional Development at The Institute, said:

In these challenging times intelligence and solid research is key and we have a duty to make the extensive knowledge and information we hold more readily accessible. Up until now our website has been a hidden treasure trove, but with navigation that made it hard to find what you wanted. Our new website will enable visitors to quickly find what they are looking for and access the tremendous breadth of knowledge, information and advice that we offer.

Why not view the new site and see what you think at,  cim.co.uk