Stronger than you think: what actually makes a brand strong, and how to build it
A brand gets strong in four layers: recognised, understood, chosen, proven. A scorecard, a step-by-step check, a worked example and the usual mistakes.
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Insights
Useful thinking. No marketing noise.
Practical perspectives for business owners, managing directors and marketing leaders facing decisions that more activity alone will not solve.
Targeting the wrong customer? How to find the one your business is really for
Ads bring people who ask the price and vanish. A right-customer scorecard, a six-step method, a worked B2B example and the mistakes that keep it going.
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Business moving slowly? How to find what is holding it back, and speed it up
A two-week diagnosis for a business that has slowed: the five usual brakes, a symptom table, a worked example, and the mistakes that waste the most money.
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Marketing is an investment in the future, not an expense: what makes the difference
The same marketing money can be an expense or an investment. A four-question test, a six-step budget review, a worked example and the costly mistakes.
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Hello, how can we help? What happens in your first call with OG
A one-page prep sheet, the questions we ask and why, what good answers sound like, what happens next, and how to judge any agency on a first call.
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A first-year marketing plan for a new business: what it should decide
A first-year plan is a few decisions, not a post calendar. A one-page template, a step-by-step method, a worked example and the mistakes to avoid.
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A new business identity: what to build on day one, and what can wait
Which identity decisions cannot wait, which can grow later, a day-one kit table, a touchpoint audit, a worked example and the usual mistakes.
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The first 90 days after launch: what to measure, and what to scale
A 90-day plan for a new business: the few numbers that matter, how to run small tests, a weekly scorecard, a worked example and when to scale.
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Pricing a new product: how the way you present the offer shapes the choice
How to price a new product as a set of options: find the floor and the range, pick the option to lead with, build the menu and test it honestly.
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Love your business idea? How to test it before spending the first pound
How to test a business idea cheaply before the big spend: the evidence that counts, a five-step method, a worked example and the usual mistakes.
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Brand, identity or marketing? Each one solves a different problem
Brand, identity and marketing fix different problems. A symptom table, a five-step check and a worked example show which one your business needs now.
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Discounts are not always the answer: when they help, and when they hurt
When a discount earns its cost and when it trains customers to wait: the margin maths, a decision table, a worked example and better alternatives.
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Pricing your menu: between the cost of the plate and how the guest feels
How to price a restaurant or café menu: true plate cost, menu engineering, how guests read prices, a worked example and the usual mistakes.
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A new restaurant or café: six decisions to make before any decor
Six decisions to make before fitting out a restaurant or café: guest, concept, location, menu, service and identity, with a worked example.
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Selling on Facebook and WhatsApp: when it is enough, and when it becomes a ceiling
When selling through chat is enough, and the signs it has become a ceiling: four stages, a signs table, a worked example and what to change first.
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A campaign is not a strategy: the difference, and how to make campaigns add up
Why a run of campaigns is not a strategy: a six-question test, a one-page method, a worked example, and the mistakes that reset every campaign.
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A company profile that actually sells: why most are opened and closed, and how to fix yours
Why most company profiles get opened and closed, and how to build one around the buyer: a question map, a page test, a worked example and common mistakes.
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Can nearby customers find you? Local SEO and your Google Business Profile
Why a business can be on Google Maps and still not show up nearby: a scorecard, a six-step method, a worked example and the mistakes that cost calls.
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Is your website selling, or just watching? What the market needs from a company site
Most company sites describe the company and stop there. What a site needs so a visitor understands the offer, trusts it and takes the next step.
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A sales plan on one page: from the target to the customer you will call this week
A sales target means little until it becomes customers, activities and a weekly rhythm. How to build the plan on one page and keep it alive.
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Selling to companies: why deals stall, and who really decides
Company purchases are decided by several people with different worries. How to map the buying committee and give each person what they need.
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What does an agency cost? How to compare quotes without falling for the lowest number
Agency quotes differ because the scope differs. What drives the cost up or down, and how to compare proposals on what they actually include.
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The offer in one sentence: how a value proposition is written, and when it fails
Who it is for, the problem, what you offer and the difference. How to write the sentence in the customer's words, test it four ways and spot when it fails.
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