When ‘hitting the wall’ is not necessarily a bad thing…

For a while now we’ve been looking at a variety of ways of helping unleash our creativity here in the office. The latest of these initiatives is the formation of some creative ‘wall spaces’ around the office, using the amazing ‘IdeaPaint‘ product.

As Idea Paint put it:

IdeaPaint turns virtually anything you can paint into a high-performance dry-erase surface, giving you the space you need to collaborate, interact and fully explore your creativity.

It’s a pretty complex, three-part product that needs a fair bit of skill and care to administer, but once applied and fully dry (up to 7 days!) it has resulted in some, otherwise redundant, spaces in our kitchen and boardroom areas being converted into extremely useful spaces for group discussions, simple list making or an integral part of the design / creative process.

Here are some photos of the substance in its rather elegant packaging:

Idea Paint

And here’s a photo of it being applied to a wall in our office (a far more complex job than it seems!).

Applying the paint

After a mere 7 days drying time (!) it will be ready for use, so we’ll put a photo of our first creative results up asap. . . The anticipation is, literally, like watching paint dry!

Rachael goes to the dogs (well, wolves actually!)

Earlier this month our team administrator, Rachael Squires, embarked on a three month break from work to fulfil a lifetime ambition – to look after orphaned wolves in New Mexico at the Wild Spirit Wolf Sanctuary.

Rachael has swapped lovely Luton to spend 90 days cutting up elk carcases with a chainsaw, feeding raw meat to a number of wolves, clearing out the pens and taking them for daily exercise – not much different to what she was doing here then!

We have been receiving regular email updates from Rachael and she certainly seems to be having the time of her life! Here’s a couple of recent photos from her:

Rachael and the Wolf

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

and again. . .

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To see the sanctuary and meet the wolves for yourself, click here to visit their website >>

Rachael will be back with us in mid-December.

Wild Spirit Wolf Sanctuary

Who let the bulls out?

In July, encouraged by my family and colleagues at work, I set off to do probably the most stupid thing in my life so far – running the bulls in Pamplona.

When I had raised the idea with a few close friends whilst in the pub last year I really hadn’t expected anyone to agree to coming with me! And it wasn’t until I was standing in the middle of a boarded up street in downtown Pamplona at 7am one July morning did I really believe we would do it. 

Whilst I stood there waiting for something to happen I started talking to other brave fools who had also decided being chased for over 1km by 12 adult bulls through a narrow cobbled street was a good idea.  

Isn’t it amazing the things we learn when arguably it’s too late to do anything about them?

Things I found out:

• The course in Pamplona is mainly up-hill 
• Bulls have shorter front legs so run faster up hills than on the flat
• Bulls can run 100m in 6.4 seconds. Usain Bolt can only do it in 9.58 seconds
• I am not Usain Bolt
• Bulls are very big and very scary
• Adrenalin is one serious natural high

Anyway I survived, had the time of my life and am on the hunt for the next challenge. So if anyone has any bright ideas please let me know!

Ed (far left) in Pamplona

Fun run

Last month, Rachael Squires and Rachel Tucker took part in The St Albans Healthy Hearts Jog at Verulamium Park, St Albans.

The run was part of a day of events which included the St Albans Half Marathon. The Healthy Hearts Jog consisted of a 1k lap that joggers were free to run up to five times – both Rach’s went for the whole 5k and both of them finished it in less than an hour,  despite the blazing sunshine and stifling heat.

Run in aid of the British Heart Foundation, The ‘Terrible Twins’ collected sponsorship money from many generous individuals, and the total is just in.

Well done Rachael and Rachel!

'We Took Part' medal

StockdaleMartin celebrate 8 years in style. . .

We at StockdaleMartin are delighted to have just celebrated our eighth year of successful trading! Coming as it does in the midst of what has so far proved to be a very strange economic year for the whole world, we are doubly pleased that things here are continuing to go from strength to strength.

To mark our Anniversary – bronze, linen or lace, depending on how one marks these things - in style, we decided to do something a little ‘different’ and took a day trip to Lille (a town which bizarrely none of us had ever visited before!).

Boarding the trusty Eurostar we found ourselves in the heart of the city in just over an hour, leaving us lots of time to walk the streets in the glorious French sun, see the main sights, take in some culture at the Museum, have an excellent lunch (including sampling the traditional local dishes!) and spending some quality time sitting in the town square cafés soaking up the atmosphere of Lille at its best.

Here is a photo of us on our travels, standing in front of a rather strangely-named pharmacy!:

The StockdaleMartin team in Lille

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Many thanks to all our clients and suppliers who have travelled with us throughout our business journey so far – we look forward to many more successful years in the years to come.

Rachel Tucker develops her skills set. . .

Part 1 – Rachel takes (and passes) the BDTA Certificate – Introduction to Dentistry

Rachel T (newly-promoted to Senior Account Executive here at StockdaleMartin) has been studying hard for the first part of the The BDTA Certificate, titled ‘Introduction to Dentistry’.

 

This is a modular educational course for the dental industry, designed to provide a fundamental understanding of all aspects of dentistry. The course may be studied either as a self-learning exercise, or as a supervised course with training.

 

The course comprises 10 modules including Oral and Dental Anatomy, Oral Health and Disease, Restorative Dentistry and Infection Control, to name but a few. When all 10 modules have been studied, these are assessed by means of a multiple choice examination.

 

A pass with Distinction will be awarded to those candidates who achieve 80% or over – Rachel got 80%! Phew!

 

Part 2 – Rachel investigates the murky world of copywriting

To further develop her skills, Rachel has also recently attended the Institute of Direct Marketing’s (IDM – Europe’s leading body for the professional development of direct, data and digital marketing) ‘Introduction to Copywriting’ training course. 

 

This one-day training course is designed to teach people how to write and review copy that will elicit  a positive ‘call to action’ response. 

 

Rachel says:

I found this a fun yet informative course and I came away with some great tips on how I can improve the copy that I am currently working on. It was also full of exercises to put what we had learnt into practice.

 

Team building exercise – ‘StockdaleMartin under canvas’

No, we are not going camping if that’s what you were expecting. . . !

Here at 728 we have been conducting a small team building exercise, centred around each of us crafting a canvas picture that expresses something about our personality. This may take the form of how we see ourselves, how we feel about our work, a representation of a special area of  interest – whatever takes our fancy, really! When completed, as well as seeing what they say about us as both individuals and as a team, these canvasses will be hung on display in the new office (possibly in our kitchen ‘break out’ area).

Each of us has been presented with an identical blank canvas (as seen in the photo below – a small 24 x 30cm, 12mm thick affair) and given two weeks to decorate/adorn/mutilate it as we see fit! There are no rules or guidelines as to what can/can’t be done to the canvasses – the only constraint is our collective imaginations. . .

Blank canvas

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

With construction having been conducted in the strictest secrecy (to avoid anyone being influenced by the direction taken by others) the grand unveiling occurred earlier this week. Here are the results, along with a brief resumé of what each one represents.

As suspected, even in a relatively small team such as ours, there was a surprisingly wide range of approaches and styles. Here are photos of the completed works – guess whos is whos?

Printed graphic on paper

Printed graphic on paper - fingerprint is composed of words/phrases

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mixed media

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

MIrror board and paper

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

printed paper/collage

 

 

 

 

 

mixed media

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

cut out paper

Mr Knott discusses the lessons learnt from his College reading list. . .

As part of my MA Course, I have been brushing up on my reading. One book that I have been dipping into is a publication called “T-Shirts and Suits, A Guide to the Business of Creativity”, by David Parrish.

In it is a case study on an industrial design company founded by Jonathan Butters. He is quoted as saying:

“Good design cannot be the ego-centric creation of the designer working alone. Design is a process… The design process involves a dialogue with the client to address the needs of various communities of interest including the end user and those responsible for the products sale, maintenance and disposal.”

This statement is in accord with our own company principles, particularly in the way we approach design projects. As instigators of ideas it is important (when appropriate to the brief) that we ‘reach for the stars’ conceptually – it is often all too easy to fall in-line with conventional standards of thought.

Without applying such ‘five star’ thinking we would possibly be doing a disservice to the needs of our clients. Unless this thinking is conducted in the context of the real world however, we would not be able to effectively implement any of the resulting ideas.

The main thrust of my MA course is the development of creativity through external review. Sharing our thoughts with a wider audience allows for a level of development that could not be achieved if we work in isolation in our cubicles all day.

I believe that regular dialogue is vital to help us achieve exciting and original ideas that not only fit the brief but exceed it, and yet are consistently deliverable in the current climate where budgets are getting tighter and tighter.

Mr Knott

Ed’s Marketing Genius – Part 3: Winning new customers (getting them to respond!)

In the last two Marketing Genius posts we have looked at the four sources of new business and the likely amount of business that comes from each of them. To remind ourselves:

• Bluebirds     5%
• Referrals     15%
• New names     20%
• Old contacts     60%

We have dealt with attracting Bluebirds, so what about Referrals? Is it possible to have an established procedure for obtaining business from referrals? 

Of course it is!

We have found that referrals can come from both existing customers and also, surprisingly, from business that you HAVEN’T won – but only if you actually ask for it!

So let’s start with the easiest source of referrals – your existing customers. 

Given that they are, and continue to be, your customers we could safely assume that they are satisfied with the product or service that you provide [if they weren’t it is safe to assume that they would shop elsewhere!].

So why not use this satisfaction to get you new business?

You can do this in two ways.

Way 1: Ask them outright – simply ring your best customers and ask them the following questions:

• “Are you happy with the service we provide you?” 
• “Given that you know what we do could you suggest three other people who could benefit from our service?”

Amazingly you will find that each of these people will suggest at least one person for you to contact. In fact in many instances they will manage the introduction for you! 

And what better introduction than from a satisfied customer who is proactively recommending you and endorsing you to another potential customer? You can’t pay for leads like that!

Way 2: Use satisfaction surveys

All businesses should have some form of satisfaction survey to ensure that you service/product provision remains up-to-scratch, and this can be a valuable tool for harvesting referrals. Especially if you feel a bit awkward about asking face to face!

Within the satisfaction survey ask for referrals – and maybe offer an incentive such as, a free meal at a local restaurant for every person referred! And if each one of your customers puts you in contact with a least one new potential lead you have the opportunity to significantly grow your business! 

However one word of caution – a referral is NOT guaranteed business. You still need to convert that lead!

And if you don’t believe that this approach can work, try it – I did and the first person I asked put us forward for a contract worth £2k per month without hesitation. So I stand to gain a potential £25,000 p.a. of new business for a 2-minute phone call, cost 20p!

The second area for referrals is amongst your prospects where you have perhaps been unsuccessful. THIS TIP IS DYNAMITE IF YOU ARE A SERVICE PROVIDER!

So next time you are following up on a new business meeting to find out if you secured the business remember that regardless of the outcome “You are going to get something out of this”!

Again try this – it works every time! For best results do it over the phone, but it will work in a letter too!

When you contact your prospect and they tell you that, unfortunately, you were unsuccessful in securing the project simply say the following:

• “I am terribly sorry to hear that – we were really looking forward to working with you on the project. 
• Given that you know what we do could you think of 3 other people who could benefit from our service?”

Then sit back and wait – they will make some contacts for you! I guarantee! Why? Because they feel GUILT – and the best way of ridding themselves of this guilt is to help you!

So if you want to find business cost effectively try these techniques – I guarantee that they will deliver new business. And the best thing is – it won’t cost you more than the price of a phone call or stamp!

This is a form of direct marketing that you can practice easily!

Exemplars of Great Design #1: New UK coinage

Welcome to the first instalment of our new ‘interesting graphical moments’ feature, where each time we’ll highlight some examples of top quality design that have caught our attention, often taken the everyday world around us.

In this first instalment, André has chosen to highlight the recent revision to our UK currency:

“I find the new designs to be a very tasteful mesh of both tradition and modernism. A shield motif has been applied to all of the coins in the range – individually the coins only reveal small parts of this. Once the denominatins are arranged in a group however, the whole shield concept is revealed.

It’s an incredibly satisfying piece of design, that nods its head to other great monetary design such as the Swiss Franc or the Lost Dutch Guilda. It’s a shame that eventually we may be stuck with the slightly bland Euro instead of the lively and interesting designs presented here:

The £2 coin has not been updated, but it still works well within the general suite.

The new designs are the work of 26 year old graphic designer Matthew Dent, who won a national competition organised by the Royal Mint. Clever boy!