Zambia: updates

Lots of little updates; kit has been begged, borrowed and even bought in a few cases. There is a huge stack in our house of all the items we need to take. I'm not sure we can fit it all on our backs. Weight testing on Tom and Anna has shown the level os moans rises proportionally to the weight they are carrying and that if you push them over with their packs on they can't stand up again. Not helpful in a busy airport.

The most expensive item and curiously the smallest has been the anti-malaria tablets - they've cost a small fortune. Anna's been practicing the art of swallowing tablets, vitamins I hasten to add, but hasn't cracked the technique yet. Any advice?

We have our fetching yellow Bookbus t-shirts now. Jo the Bookbus coordinator flew out last week to get the bus up and running again after the rainy season. She's also going to the north of the country to establish a route up there for later this year.

The Hopkin's are a wonderful family who read about our adventure in the local paper and get in touch. They've spent a lot of time in Zambia and recently spent 6 weeks there with their 3 children. They came round to visit last week which was great for Toma dn Anna to quiz their children about Zambia, food, snakes, people and camping. Really helpful for all of us to hear first hand experience.      

We're going to do our first packing dry-run this week. Plus we've found we've got a weight limit for the internal flights of 15kg. yikes. More posts soon.

Jim

Effective Pricing in a Recession

We spotted an excellent and thought provoking article in Management Today about how to price products and services effectively through a recession. Here are some of the key points they raised and you can read more by visiting www.managementtoday.co.uk

- Price should reflect the value of your offer and not be discounted

- Lure people with incentives like free delivery, extended warranties and monthly instalments rather than cutting price

- Ensure clients see the value by delivering prompt, reliable and trustworthy service

- Do not enter a price war even if competitors significantly cut their prices. Trade instead on your added value

- Investigate who is spending what and how quickly they pay and focus on providing loyalty rewards for them

Think about what the customer is buying rather than what you are selling. These tips apply whatever the economic climate but as Management Today points out, it is ever more important when the going gets tough and there's pressure to take your prices in a southerly direction in an attempt to feel competitive.

We also believe it's vital not to do something like pricing by sitting in a vacuum... the best thing is to talk to your customers. Find out what they value most about your products and services. Build up your marketing around those things and remember it's those things that will help you to maintain or even increase your prices... whatever the financial climate.

This blog was inspired by www.managementtoday.co.uk/

The Importance of Market Segmentation

We have been banging on for ages to our clients about the value of market segmentation, the breaking down of all possible customers and prospects into bit-sized chunks so that marketing can be closely focused on messages they'll each understand. Lo and behold market segmentation has been picked up by the Chartered Institute of Marketing's magazine 'The Marketer' with an in depth article focusing on this essential marketing technique. They advise that:

- Ensure everyone agrees it’s needed and get buy-in across the organisation

- Find specialist segmentation professionals as usual research agencies may not have the skills

- The data may not give all the answers so have a strategy about what you are trying to collect and understand

- Statistically correct answers may not exist in segmentation so expect variations

- Segmentation is as much an art as it is a science

- Ensure your outcomes and segments are simple and usable

- Survey data relies on producing averages but make sure they are meaningful

- Bring your segments to life with names and images

- Segmentation is the start of the journey to deliver better value for customers

Market segmentation is not just something that you do when you are creating your marketing plans it should be a mantra for all successful communications people. If you aren't quite sure what we mean by market segmentation or you would like to explore how you might start to do it for your organisation please get in touch because it's something we can help you with and you'll never look back and generalise about your customers again.

Zambia: Sticky Back Plea

Hello!

We're only one month away I am on the hunt for Book Bus supplies! So here is my plea! Besides books we really need art supplies - crayons, paper, tissue paper, pva glue, funky stickers, tape - pretty much anything you feel you can give.

If you know somebody who works in a stationery store, art store or any where else which sells sticky, arty supplies then tell how lovely The Book Bus is!! As part of the deal - we can have an art day dedicated to the donor. Every contribution is valued and even if you want to send in just a pack of crayons then please do to:

The Book Bus Foundation
64-66 Marketplace
Iron Yard
Warwick
CV34 4SD

Let us know your details and we'll let you know how your donation was used! Many thanks for your time! Jim

Online Social Networking - It Doesn't Bite!

Finally it happened. Viper fully embraced the concept of Online Social Networking. Some of the team have been involved in the web since 1994. Yes really! And yet it's taken until early 2009 for us to practice what we preach every week in our e-Marketing training courses, distance learning programmes and recommendations to our clients for their marketing plans and campaigns.

Isn't that just typical though. Companies like ours always spend their time telling everyone else how great things are to do and yet don't find the time to do it themselves. We hold up our hands and drop our heads in shame!

Well actually it's not quite as bad as it seems. In many ways we have been like the vast majority of companies across the UK in a whole host of different market sectors. We have struggled to see the link between the fun of Facebook and the harsh commercial reality of generating new business and clients. Well in recent months with the huge explosion of interest in particularly Twitter and LinkedIn we could suddenly see how regular interaction with our friends and contacts in this online social world could bring us new business opportunities. Not just nice chatty and friendly opportunities but a real opportunity to promote our brand, our services and the great work we are doing for all our clients.

Yes the time has arrived when online social networking has hit the premier league of marketing and communications tools. We saw it rising through the lower leagues over recent years and months but in the latter stages of 2008 and now certainly in the first quarter of 2009 it's vying for a champions league place next season.

Here's the opportunity then. You either embrace the change and see this as an unknown but exciting and very cost effective way of developing your business or you sit on the fence or worse still, shy away from it as something not relevant to you or your organisation and too technical for you to think about.

For those willing to find out more and jump in now you will be glad you did. If you don't then there's a huge danger that by the time you do (and believe us, you will at some point in the future) your competitors or peers will be so far ahead of you that you'll never actually catch up.

If you are curious to learn from others who have made mistakes and learnt some good things just ahead of you then get in touch and we'll tell you what works and what doesn't for us. And don't worry, it really doesn't bite!

CLIC24 2009 News Update

This amazing weather must have got you thinking about those late spring dusty trails. The bluebells will have just gone, the warm evenings will be lengthening, the smell of barbeques will hang in the air and if you haven't already, you'll be looking for every excuse to ride your bike.
Well this year we have the perfect excuse and it's called CLIC24 2009!

As you'll know by now, this year has a special significance for me, and by the countless messages I have received, for many others too. So this is why we are going to make this year's CLIC24 extra special.

If you've ridden CLIC24 before you won't need reminding about the special atmosphere, the laid back campsite, the top quality facilities and THAT course... You'll be pleased to hear it's all back again this year plus a few special extras.

By popular demand we have increased the amount of live music this year. On the Friday evening you can ease yourself into the weekend with some great food and an acoustic set in the main marquee from Alfie Kingston and James Buckingham. Then on the Saturday night whilst you chill out in the warm moonlight you can enjoy the sounds of CLIC24 regular and headline act Mark Venus, joined this year by feature drummer Tony Howard.

This year we will be totally based in the main event field so you can get your food and drink from the main marquee without needing to go over to the Centre. All the usual favourites from the hot meal on Friday evening through to breakfast on Sunday. You won't need to bring your own food if you don't want to. We've got that covered.

We've also set up some room service, well 'tent service' too, so that if those poor little legs of yours are all achy and sore we'll deliver your food to your tent or camper van! How about THAT for service!

And if that's not enough to soothe those aches and pains then Sarah Redpath and her sports massage team will again be on hand in the main marquee and you can follow that with a visit to our block of hot showers to freshen up. If your bike is feeling worse for wear as well, then pop over to the Bike City marquee where you can get hold of spares and accessories of leave your bike for a service if it all seems too much to do yourself. This service will again be open throughout the event.

I've also had some enquiries about how suitable CLIC24 is for families with children and those looking for some great camping and a relaxing weekend without too much riding. Well CLIC24 is just that sort of event. It can be whatever you want it to be... so bring family and friends and make a weekend of it. The campsite opens at 5pm on the Friday evening and closes at 2pm on the Sunday and the camping and facilities won't cost your support team (family, friends, whoever) anything at all.

For those taking things a little more seriously Lumicycle will be supporting us again with that excellent light charging service to keep you going all night.... and you never know, we might even have some demo bikes and lights for you to try out. Watch this space.

If you want to keep up with everything going on around CLIC24 then tag me and/or the CLIC24 Facebook page and you'll be the first to hear.

I'll keep you posted about the course and things we are adding to the weekend in the coming weeks.... and just to remind you that if you haven't already, get that entry form in before this amazing weather convinces everyone else to enter before you do and then there are no places left :-) You can download an entry form from www.clic24.org.uk today.

Keep riding.
Regards, Neil

1SW Offroad Cycling Initiative

The 1SW Off-Road Cycling Initiative, run by the Forestry Commission and Sport England commissioned Viper to produce an 'emblematic' logo and website. Viper are also on the executive board for the project thanks to their rural communication and mountain biking experience. The project is well on its way too securing £8million from the Rural Development Programme for England. Five new hubs for mountain biking well be created with the money. The sites targeted through the funding bid are Forest of Dean, Ashton Court, Haldon Forest, Moors Valley, Plym Bridge and Cardinham. The South West Lakes Trust, the South West's AONBs and National Parks are joining forces to make the the region the number 1 destination for mountain bikers of all abilities. To find out more visit www.viperrural.co.uk