Tell me about your business...

• What do you do?

• How do you do it?

• Why did you start your business?

• What does your company stand for?

• What’s your dream goal?

• What makes you different?

These seem like straightforward, easy questions to answer on paper. When we drill down deeper and ask clients to be more specific about their responses, however, most businesses struggle to respond.

Anyone could give me a one-sentence response as an answer, but could you write three paragraphs, or even a page, on each of the six aspects?

• What do you do?

For example: I’m a strategic marketing consultant, and it’s my job to help companies grow by helping them to effectively market themselves.

• How do you do it?

For example: No matter the size of the organisation, it all starts with a conversation. In that conversation, I learn about the vision of the business, i.e. where they eventually want to get to/what they’re looking to achieve. I then see where they are in the market and what they’ve done in the past, and I find out what has and has not worked for them. By doing this, I know where they stand as of now. It’s then a case of creating a marketing plan that will allow them to realise their goals.

I either work with the organisation, i.e. delivering the marketing strategy to their internal team, or my team of specialists implement and facilitate the marketing plan on their behalf.

• I’d like you to tell me why you started your business

For example: I found that I have a natural talent for analytical thinking and spotting patterns, as well as having a key interest in psychology. This, combined with my natural passion for marketing, made me want a career in the industry. As I researched the market, I found that a lot of marketing agencies were doing the same thing for each customer, regardless of the client’s industry and audience(s)—and they charged a small fortune for the privilege. This was something I wanted to change, as a ‘one size fits all’ approach doesn’t work.

• What does your company stand for?

For example: My company stands for help, knowledge, honesty and value. When people think of Novus Marketing Solutions, I want them to think that, no matter who they are or what size business they have, we will always be able to help them. I want people to know that we will always be honest to everybody, even if that means we point you in the direction of another provider, as our services may not be the best fit for you at this moment.

When people think of Novus Marketing Solutions, I want them to agree that we are at the cutting edge of the industry, with a deep understanding of marketing practices. The main thing I want people to associate with Novus is value. We may not be the most expensive or the cheapest; however, the value you will get from us is second to none.

• What’s your dream goal?

For example: My dream goal is to buy an old farm with lots of land. This will hopefully involve converting an old barn into a state-of-the-art building that will allow me to host large seminars. It will also house offices for my employees as well as incubator offices for aspiring start-up companies.

I have a multitude of plans for Novus Marketing Solutions. I’m also a passionate dog trainer; my goal will also provide land for my dogs to enjoy as well.

• What makes you different?

For example: One of the things that truly sets us apart from our competition is that everything we do is tailored to our customers. Regardless of the size of their business, we have a service that will help them grow.

Our ethos as a business is: ‘If we help you to grow then, one day, you will help us to grow’. Every single one of our clients knows that they can pick up the phone for any help or advice they may need; they also know that we know what we’re doing.

We’re not afraid to make clients accountable. When working with us, you’re not just investing your money, but also your time and trust—we want you to enjoy the maximum value we can provide.

If you work through this same exercise, you will have begun to create your corporate goals, your brand’s values, your vision and your USPs.