7.16 am Woke up, fell out of bed, dragged a comb across my head …. Well actually, I did my e-mails for the day and phone calls as well ….

11.29 am Arrived at the HQ of Premier Christian Radio in London.  I had been invited for a bacon roll and coffee with no particular agenda.  On arrival, the marketing director said “Would you mind running a 90 minute creative thinking session for our people to help us formulate our next public fundraising campaign?  We have no money but will try to think of some way to thank you if it goes well”.  I said yes, assuming that he was talking about something for another occasion, to which he replied “Wait here, I’ll get them in”.  The session started 2 minutes later!  Much of my work is pre-planned and it was therefore refreshing to be asked to do a live session with no warning.  I’m pleased to say that the session went so well that Premier have offered to write me some PR and broadcast it widely.

Networking lesson: Remain open and receptive to surprises

1.37 pm Onwards to Lloyds of London for a coaching /  session / exchange with Alex, who works as a change agent there.  Nothing Rock’n’Roll about that I hear you say?  Well, Alex is also a talented singer with suburban blues band — Bastedo — http://itsbastedo.com/ , having had recording / writing contracts with Sony.  Turns out that Premier Christian Radio want to record a version of the Aretha Franklin song R.E.S.P.E.C.T for their campaign.  Alex is a follower of Premier and an extremely talented singer / songwriter.  Who would have thought of that piece of serendipity?

Networking lesson: Make connections between seemingly unrelated things

3.34 pm Arrived at the offices of Pricespective to meet someone who I last met on my 1st day at work 35 years ago.  How did we reconnect? Linkedin.  I think we will end up doing a number of things to our mutual advantage, some of them social (my friend has also turned into an author) and some of them business related.  Upon leaving his offices, I noticed a door in the Foyer marked ‘music room’.  I asked the guy at the desk what this was about and it turned out that the law firm in the building has a rock band, which he is part of.  Cards and book details were exchanged immediately.  I can’t wait to hear the Lawyers rock!

Networking lesson:  Open all your senses and be curious

5.23 pm Arrived at the offices of  The Halcyon Gallery to meet with their Finance Director, another long lost connection, found again via Linkedin.  Turns out that he is also interested in coaching and we’ve agreed to share our collective knowledge, skill and experience in the area via my master NLP practitioner.  He is also on the lookout to provide free coaching sessions to help him complete his coaching diploma.  Write to me here if you are interested?   The Rock’n’Roll connection?  Well it seems that Bob Dylan and Ronnie Wood are connections at the gallery and I am connected to Ronnie via some of his Hampstead ‘spiritual’ connections!  Some strategy work for the business may be in the offing as a result of our random reconnection.  It also turns out that the Halcyon may be interested in getting involved with The London Mapping Festival – A celebration of all things geographical and IT from now until the end of 2012.

10.28 pm Got home!

Networking lesson:  get up early, get home late, discover business!

Networking works, both face to face and online, but you have to work at it.  Contact me if you would like to make your networking work better for you.  Now, I know this really has nothing to do with the post, but I just found Jeff Beck playing ‘A Day in the Life’ in his inimitable style with the brilliant Tal Wilkenfield, so I will leave you with this:

Peter Cook is the Rock’n’Roll Business Guru, delivering exceptional corporate events and keynote speeches that blend business and music.

As your business grows you will become better equipped to manage your time as you are able to delegate to a trusted team.  But whether you are a sole trader, start-up, small business or trans-global business the opportunity to use promotional gifts as a way of self-promotion, should always be considered.

As with every marketing decision, the more inspirational you can be, the higher your possible return on investment.  For instance, I recently attended a trade show and every man and his dog was offering free pens, notepads, and the occasional mouse mats and mugs – all emblazoned with company logos and contact details.  And of those, only a few stood out as having a product quality that I would make use of, with or without the company advertising.

There are several things to consider when looking to giveaway promotional gifts.  Firstly, consider the quality when you are buying promotional products.  I’ve picked up promotional pens before that don’t work, let along write with a fluid ballpoint action!  Consider a bulk order.  This will always reduce the cost.  But equally don’t overcook an idea and be left for years to come with unopened boxes of promotional products no one is going to see, let alone promote your business.

Furthermore, consider how to make your promotional product giveaway stand-out from the rest.  Consider its worth, usefulness and above all, if not unique is it different to what your competitors are offering?

There are plenty of companies both off and online that cater for promotional company products but when you look at their catalogues you’d been forgiven for thinking it all comes from the same warehouse.  So look for something different, possibly new or think ‘would I use this, myself?’

ideasbynet.com is a promotional gifts company that offers a wide range of products.  Here’s a few things that, when I looking on their website, passed the ‘yes, I would use that’ test.

By selecting a quality metal pen over the cheaper plastic variety, your gift will instantly be preferred to a large majority of cheaper products and give the right signal about your company; and if your budget can afford, the added quality of a well known branded pen, such as Parker or Paper Mate will make an excellent impression to the recipient of the gift.  I recommend buying fewer pens of a better quality and being more choosey to who you give them to.  The return will always be greater.

But away from the ubiquitous pens, mouse mats, coasters, calendars and mugs, how about sports bottles, desktop mobile phone holders or a promotional umbrella?

Whatever you choose, be sure to have recipients think of the word ‘quality’ when they receive your company promotional gifts.

Fraser Doherty runs Superjam, having got his taste for entrepreneurship at the age of 14, whilst watching his gran cooking jam in a pan in her kitchen.  Fraser started selling his own jam in his village.  He subsequently set out to make a sugar free jam.  After appearing in a local Scottish newspaper, his company ended up on the shelves of all the major supermarkets via a media storm.  His story is enthralling, not least because of the many setbacks he faced  At the age of 21, Fraser is already considering what he wants to ‘give back to society’ via his free jam, scone and musical afternoons for elderly people.  That’s some going!

Unlike many entrepreneurs who hit such early success, what really appealed to me about Fraser Doherty is the fact that he has not acquired an ego to match his net present value.  He has humility and soul that many business owners could learn from.

Fraser’s talk was followed by my own input about jamming and innovation.  I had not realised the links between Fraser’s input and jamming until I had heard him speak.  But the links are clear:

•    Be clear on your aim
•    Master your own expertises
•    Learn to work with others with expertises that you don’t have but need in order to succeed
•    Listen as much as you play
•    Take advantage of unexpected deviations from your plan

The mini video below shows the results of NORIBIC’s Jam, Jamming and Innovation event.  It’s only innovation but it seems they liked it!

I’ve since acquired a copy of Fraser’s book of jam recipes, which is beautifully illustrated with fantastic recipes.  I will shortly get hold of his new book, Super Business.

Peter Cook leads The Academy of Rock, delivering exceptional corporate events that blend business and music.

These companies will be in the process of organising presentations and booking slots at career fairs up and down the country to attract the younger generation. After all, It is coming up to that time of year when students are doing their GCSE’s and A Levels soon to move in to full time education or employment.

Most people would argue that advertising on the internet would be more effective than careers fairs as more students use the internet with the excessive use of social networking. However, is this really the case?

A lot of colleges and schools make it compulsory for students about to leave education to attend careers fairs to show that there is a wide range of options for them to look into when they finish their exams. Such as:

• Going on to college or university
• Working part time and studying part time
• Learning on the Job
• Army/RAF/Marines

Businesses who attend the fairs find display boards for exhibitions effective because you can display a whole range of information on them but they are so much more versatile than that.

Posterboards can be easily assembled without the need for tools. They can also be configured to suit different spaces and areas and can be accompanied by a range of products and accessories, which include:

• Full size doors – these can be lockable.
• Lockable cupboards and lockers – the company can store their possessions.
• Acrylic panels
• Curved panels – for a creative feel.
• Shelving
• Table Tops
• Lighting – this can be a range from track lighting to gantry lighting.
• Flooring – flooring, if needed, can be metal, laminate or even carpet for a homely feel.

Most companies that offer shell scheme or exhibition products will have the ability to use whatever colour scheme you require to create corporate zones, also adding gantry across the front of your booth to create a company fascia.

If you don’t have the time to install the panels yourself you can arrange for an installation service. This will significantly cut down on installation times and breakdown times at the end of the exhibition, leaving you with more time to prepare.

So, if you have vacancies in your company or looking to take on interns, consider attending a careers fair rather than taking the unsociable route of the internet.

Using dump bins as a method of advertising is cost effective and a valuable way of getting products on to the sales floor quickly. Used in retail or trade fairs more than offices and call centres, these items are ideal for sale items, seasonal offers and limited edition products. They grab the shopper’s attention and you can place wherever you need them.

There are many other reasons to choose to use dump bins:

Any product, anywhere
Dump bins can hold any product within reason and can be places anywhere you need them on your shop floor. Place them next to the tills to encourage customers to impulse buy.

Any size or shape
Dump bins don’t just have to be the classic square or round shape, they can now be shaped specifically for your product. For example, you could use different shapes for books, bottles, cans, lollipops and biscuits.

Any colour or style
Bespoke dump bins are readily available from most companies. They can be self branded for your company or be specific to the product you wish to place in them. There are no limitations on the creative aspect of the item.

Strong and versatile
If you need a solution for bulky or heavy products drop them straight in to the dump bin and let the customers buy away.

Smartly designed and strategically positioned dump bins can create the perfect opportunity for you to deliver effective sales messages in key locations. Most retailers, you will notice, have two key locations to place the bins; in the first aisle so it is the first thing the customer sees or next to the checkout.

Don’t be afraid to experiment with the products you can place in the bins. They work all year round and can be successfully used for all kinds of products. The most popular are:

• Magazines
• Newspapers
• Clothing
• Confectionary
• Beauty and skin products
• Beverages

So, if you own a shop or attend trade fairs with your company to promote products think about investing in some dump bins, you will be surprised at just how effective they can be. Don’t forget to be creative and a personal touch either to your business or to the brand name you are promoting.