Being smart makes all the difference

Being smart makes all the difference

It doesn’t matter what you look like in business as long as you’re smart. This year’s keynote speakers at the Bizzone Business Expo couldn’t appear more different but they’re all smart.

There’s the long haired Davey Hughes, founder of Swazi NZ; the short-haired flamboyant Raymond Henderson from Raymond Salon de Coiffure; and the more conventional but extremely successful David Johnson, chairman and founder of Trends Publishing International – all have built thriving businesses employing smart marketing.

Davey Hughes, who has successfully cultivated a niche in outdoor clothing, says the smartest marketers are those who put their customers first – not themselves. “Many companies talk about putting customers first but our whole
company is truly customer focused. They are our experts; they own our brand and we are the guardians of that brand.” He will expound more on this during his keynote address at the Bizzone Business Expo National Bank Seminar series on 27 May at 1pm.

The secret to smart marketing for top Auckland hair stylist Raymond Henderson is providing great service. “Whether you’re a hairdresser, painter or plastic surgeon, you’re only as good as your last facelift. Our best form of marketing is always the last client who walks out the door,” he says. He will discuss ‘Everybody loves Raymond’ at 1pm on Thursday, 28 May.

Being smart for media entrepreneur David Johnson means really knowing what your business is about and who most wants your product - whether they are in Te Awamutu or Montreal. “It has been particularly rewarding to expand Trends globally – we’re now in 70 countries,” he says. “It goes to show that a media company based in quiet Ellerslie, Auckland, that holds kiwi ingenuity and a smart and determined attitude, can stand strong against the global media industry.” His topic, ‘Keep your eye on the plan’, will be at 1pm on Friday, 29 May.

Smart marketing is a concept Bizzone Managing Director Sarah Trotman believes has yet to be fully exploited and understood by many small businesses in New Zealand. It is essential that companies, both large and small, learn to get ‘smart’ and market ‘smart’ given the challenging economic times she says.

On the back of this she has instigated ‘Smart Marketing’ as the theme for this year’s Bizzone Business Expo. Everyone visiting the 2009 Bizzone Business Expo will be in to win a smart marketing prize worth $100,000 simply by stepping through the doors. The ‘Smart Marketing’ prize will comprise marketing mentoring, expert advice, design services, education courses, and advertising. The prize, one of the largest ever to be offered by a New Zealand business, will be drawn from everyone attending the Bizzone Business Expos in Auckland, Wellington or Christchurch.

“The Bizzone Business Expo will provide business people with a host of smart marketing ideas and The National Bank Seminar Series, free to all expo visitors, will have a dedicated smart marketing morning on Thursday, 28 May. People can also get advice from some of the country’s top marketing experts at the new New Zealand Herald Smart Marketing zone at the expo. A smart marketing school comprising smart marketing workshops will open each day of the expo from marketing expert Dave Wild, one at 11am and one at 2pm. Attendees can register for this by emailing office@bizzone.com

To register for the Bizzone Business Expo, this year’s largest event for business, and The National Bank Seminar Series go to www.bizzone.com

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