STUDY BUSINESS
- Develop knowledge, Experience and a raised Awareness of what is possible in the world of Business
- Learn to Manage a business
- Start your own business; buy into an existing business; or get a job in business.
- Earn a Diploma, but more importantly know how to take fewer risks and Optimise your Opportunity to Succeed
The world has changed. Unemployment has been on the rise; and Career Options in the future are more likely to be strongest in the business sector.
Being Different Makes all the Difference.
This course is designed and delivered to produce unique graduates with a different, innovative and creative approach to modern business.
Modules
Note that each module in the Qualification - Associate Diploma In Applied Business is a short course in its own right, and may be studied separately.
CONSIDERING YOUR COMPETITION
Businesses often succeed ore fail through their ability to compete.
- Find a place to be seen where your competition is not seen
- Find a product to offer which competitors cannot offer
- If you can be seen to be different in a good way; then you may have an advantage that makes all the difference to your success
Sometimes a business may not be performing well, because it is in an industry that is not performing well. On other occasions; the industry may be fine; and it may simply be that you are not managing your business as well as your competitors.
Look at the competitors who are doing well, but also look at those who are not doing well. We can learn from the good examples set by others, but we can also learn from what others are doing badly.
Things to consider:
- How are they marketing their products? Look at their advertising – is it traditional, modern, controversial, friendly, cute, or perhaps mysterious? Do they make people feel special, valued, or maybe important?
- Observe what they do. Are you doing the same? Could you do better? A recent trend in television advertising has seen references to bizarre things or songs song which appear to have nothing whatsoever to do with the product. BUT because such adverts are so bizarre, they make people remember them because they don’t make sense. This is an approach that can be risky. But how many times have you watched an advert that related directly to a product and you forgot what the advert was intended to promote within minutes of watching it? Advertising can be a tricky balancing act. Advertisements need to strike the right balance between attracting attention and turning this into customer sales. Pay careful attention to the words you use in adverts. Reviewing the successful advertisements of competitors can really help.
- Where are they marketing their products? Paper media, social media, online, TV advertising, radio advertising, press releases, and so on.
- What products are they selling?
- Do they have a wide product range?
- Do they change their products or services regularly or stick to the same products and services?
- Have they rebranded their products recently? Did this work?
- Are their products new and innovative or traditional and welcoming?
- Where do they sell their products? In a shop, online, by catalogue, through the websites of other people, by making sales calls.
- Do they offer discounts, special offers, two for the price of one, buy one get one free offers, loyalty cards, or some other form of incentive?
There are many factors to look at. You do not have to be the same as your competitors. In fact, being a little different can help to give you an edge – to help you stand out from the crowd. Many coffee shops now offer a loyalty card. For example, buy nine cups of coffee and get the tenth cup free. There are so many coffee shops doing this, that customers could quite easily get bored. So, if you are the owner of a coffee shop, why not think of something different? Perhaps offer a free upgrade to a more fancy coffee, a larger sized drink, or maybe give a free cake or pastry one morning a week.
- A milk bar could give away a bar of chocolate with every milkshake purchased.
- A coffee shop could do the same.
It doesn’t have to be an expensive chocolate, biscuit, or cake that you offer for free, most people will consider it to be a warm gesture regardless of the cost. However, doing something like this can just make you that little bit different from your competitors. If people have an enjoyable experience they are likely to recall it and revisit when in the vicinity.
WHO IS THIS COURSE FOR?
- Business Owners
- Business Managers
- Start ups - If you are considering starting a business at some point in the future
- Staff Training - if you want your staff to build their capacity to perform
- Anyone with a passion for business
