Learn from the Professionals

We are keen to raise the profile and recognition of the professionalism of CIM members by sharing knowledge and expertise with the small business community throughout Kent.  Using professional marketers and aimed at small and medium businesses, the ‘Simply Better Marketing’ programme will help people to make the most of marketing resources to grow their business.

A database of Kent-based Chartered Marketer professionals has been set up to deliver the programme.  The volunteers have experience across all sorts of industries and size of business with a number of them running their own companies, so they will be able to relate to the issues that small businesses face.  They will be available to deliver training across all aspects of marketing, from strategy and planning, market and product development, through to promotion and selling.

Organisations needing speakers to deliver marketing education programmes in Kent are invited to contact us by email at sharon@cimkent.co.uk to discuss how we can help. If you are a company with its own in-house marketing team, or a management board who are keen to develop a deeper understanding of marketing, we can also discuss visiting your premises to give practical tutorials.

Marketing on the menu for breakfast

The first Simple Better Marketing initiative to be launched is a series of business breakfasts offering practical marketing help and advice, organised in partnership with Business Link and Canterbury Christ Church University at Hall Place Enterprise Centre, Harbledown, just outside Canterbury.

These first three events are free to attend and will reveal the simple things businesses can do for themselves to improve their marketing - see dates and topics below.  Attendees will be given expert guidance into the basic principles of marketing and will also be offered a free follow-up consultation to get personal advice on their marketing challenges.

To register your interest in attending please email contact details to sharon@cimkent.co.uk.

Date: Weds 25 February 2009, 8.00 - 10.30am
Subject: Truly satisfied customers are the way to grow your business.
Are you confident your products delight your customers and keep them coming back for more?  Your existing customers should be your strongest asset, giving you a strong foundation and excellent market information.  Learn how to build on the value hidden in your current customer base to improve customer satisfaction and grow your business.

Date: Weds 25 March 2009, 8.00 - 10.30am
Subject: Does the lowest price always get the business?
Customers look for value for money, which the lowest price does not always deliver.  But it can be hard to resist pressure to drop your prices when times are tough.  What value does your product or service really deliver to the customer and how well does your pricing match up to that promise?  Learn how to focus your marketing and selling on value, and how you can use pricing flexibly to attract more business.

Date: Thurs 30 April 2009, 8.00 - 10.30am
Subject: Making a small marketing budget go further
If you view marketing simply as an expensive luxury then think again.  Marketing is essential to growing your business, and there are lots of ways to maximise your impact without it costing the earth.  Learn about the new online opportunities, the importance of integrating activities, and managing your lead generation and conversion strategies to get great results.

Chartered Marketers Directory for Small Businesses

We aim to publish details of our available speakers on this site shortly.  In the meantime, if you want to know more please contact sharon@cimkent.co.uk.  We would love to hear from you if you would like a CIM professional to help deliver your events programme.  And we are happy to work with you to create content that meets the specific needs of your audience.

We are also happy to hear from you if you are a Chartered Marketer who would like to participate in the programme.  Just get in touch!

If you want to find out more about Chartered Marketers follow this link: http://www.cimsoutheast.org.uk/site/cpd.php.