Local business expert, Wayne Lock, tells Frankston and Mornington Peninsula business owners that becoming a brand that’s as irresistible to customers as Google, Apple or Virgin, doesn't require multi-million dollar advertising budgets or expensive, complicated promotional strategies. In fact, Wayne says the answers to boosting profit can be low to no cost, and faster acting than you might think – 120 days to be precise.

“As an accountant, you might to shocked to hear me speak so passionately about the importance of getting ahead not by cutting costs or rearranging numbers, but by giving your business the X-Factor, the thing that all big brands have”, says Wayne, director of Achieve Business Solutions, the accountants Frankston business owners trust. “Through a reflection of one of Nic Clark’s most recently released books, we now have the ability to share with Frankston and Mornington Peninsula businesses just how to do that, by giving the 9 critical areas of their business a competitive advantage within our X Factor Marketing workshop.”

The X Factor Marketing workshop is based on the tried-and-tested strategies and systems of industry leaders that have been proven to work for any business. It employs a ‘work as you read’ format so that you can begin implementing the insights you receive, as you go. Unlike many other business development books on the market, 'The Marketing X-Factor' workshop is designed to give real businesses, real results, in real-time.

“Specifically, in the workshop you’ll look at how to X-Factor your brand, your USP, your customer experience, your average day sale, your sales conversions, your promotions and offers, your lead generation, your marketing copy and your customer loyalty,” says Wayne. “Best of all, X-Factoring each of these areas can be low to no cost, which is exactly the kind of action plan Frankston and Mornington Peninsula businesses need right now.”

Wayne says that The X-Factor Marketing workshop addresses the after-effects of the recent economic climate, where local business owners say they have no money to advertise or promote themselves. “Business owners are going to be pleasantly surprised at the incredibly powerful techniques the workshop will give them and create big results, but won’t hurt their back pocket,” he says. “What’s also important is that your strategies are contained within a solid action plan, which ties everything together for maximum impact – that’s what The X-Factor Marketing workshop does.”

How business owners can ‘X-Factor’ their brand:

Wayne says the fundamental key to being an X-Factor business is to build an X-Factor brand. A business's brand is the combination of all of the elements of your business that leave an impression on people. Brand touchpoints occur at every point where a customer interacts with a business in some way and it doesn’t matter whether you’re a one-person business working from home or a multi-national company, your brand does play an important role in your marketing and increasing your conversion rates, your repeat business and word of mouth. Branding is also hugely important for attracting the right team members.

Wayne’s tips for X-Factoring your brand include:

• Use your customer’s senses: A customer develops an impression of your company (and your brand) at every touch point – this experience is determined by; smells, taste, sound, sight and touch. How well are you appealing to your customer’s senses? For example, Harrods diffuses the scent of fresh laundry in their linen section.
• Use colour: Colour has a powerful effect on emotions and whether or not a person connects with your brand and how they perceive it. Make sure the colours you use have the impact you want. For example, yellow demands attention, grey looks professional and anonymous, navy blue evokes dependability and orange looks friendly. Assess the colours in your marketing material and determine whether they are in line with the effect you’re wanting to communicate.
• Brand and business intention: Why does your business exist? Develop your own intention statement and let it guide all your actions/interactions. Develop a vision statement also, which showcases your ‘big picture’ for the business, where you want it to head, how big you want it to be and the scope of the business. Finally, develop a mission statement which should reveal to your customers how you fulfil your vision and your intention.
• Get some personality: Write down the characteristics you want customers to associate with your brand. For example, do you want them to think you are; action-focused, fun, sincere, professional, relaxed, innovative, effective or trustworthy? It’s vital that your brand personality appeals to your target audience and appeals to your ‘A’ Class clients. If it doesn’t, it’s time for a brand overhaul.

Wayne Lock’s advice to all Frankston and Mornington Peninsula business owners is to take part in your local X Factor Marketing workshop.