Marketing to the unspoken

The key was knowing the audience and developing a strategy that appealed specifically to them.
"Never ignore the emotional side of anything you are selling."

There are 12 clear points in any venture capital pitch that all need to be addressed, he says. These fall under three headings: what is the opportunity; does the company have the ability to realise the opportunity; and what are the benefits of realising it?

The key to success is understanding the needs of the audience, or as Mr Flett says, "where their heads and hearts are".

The most common mistake is failing to clearly understand the audience. You also have to speak their language, not your own.

recognise the key is maintaining strong customer relations and effective marketing and so he is constantly looking at things like online messaging, email marketing and loyalty programs.
It's not all about traffic though, it's about the quality of the customers.

Horne eschews traditional advertising outlets as he feels they are of limited value for online retailing. Television, for example, is competition while online but he is considering radio as it can be turned on while customers are on the computer.

"You try and shake yourself above the rest, so we want to talk to people. We do lots of emails and follow-ups and closely monitor customer satisfaction."

"It's difficult to compete directly on price as we don't have the purchasing power of the big guys so we have to offer value and customer service as a point of difference,"

Working with management, the unions and other interested parties, he identified the opinion makers; those people regarded as the peers in their field. He involved all levels of the company in dialogue and created decision-making processes that were driven by the people at the coal face.

Often they cannot afford to pay for formal training so they teach their employees on the job. To be a successful teacher you have to be an effective coach.