This Wednesday, is our November networking event in Manilva from 18.30-20.00 at the Wine Museum. This is becoming a very popular event in the local community and attendees have already got business from it, as well as making personal and professional contacts in their local...
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Before and after Nordica’s styling trial
We are all looking at the Costa del Sol property market with interest and are pleased to see that there are definite signs of recovery, particularly with buyers coming from Scandinavia with money to spend. I recently spoke to the team from Nordica, a Real Estate Agency specialising in sales and rentals in the Nueva Andalucia area, with over 20 years’ experience about their experiences to see if we could learn anything about the market and the way it’s responding.
They noticed that even with the improving market there were properties in good locations, with attractive features but which were not selling, so started to look at the influence of design and property dressing and how they could increase the chance of a sale with a few simple design changes. They undertook a trial with one of these problem properties, offering the owner a free furniture package and makeover to help it sell, rather than dropping the price. This property had been on the market for one year, but following the styling, there were three buyers competing for the property and it sold in just one week at full asking price.
This compelling evidence made Nordica decide to expand their service and launch Nordica Interior Design Group and open a dedicated office in Aloha Gardens. They believe that with this service they can style properties to sell, help sellers get the price the property deserves and create a home which buyers will love to live in.
This Friday there's a fantastic fashion show and delicious lunch being held at MC Cafe from 13.00, with the fashion show starting at 14.00. These lunches are very popular and a great way to combine socializing, delicious food and viewing (and buying) the latest trends. This month...
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To support World Diabetes Day on the 14th of November and raise awareness of the issues related to diabetes and blindness, Specsavers Opticas is joining forces with local diabetes associations to offer customers free healthy snacks and information about diabetes and how it affects the eye. They are also offering free eye tests throughout November, which are able to detect the signs of Diabetic Retinopathy. This condition affects vision when the blood vessels in the retina are damaged by the changes in blood sugar levels and can cause permanent sight loss. If these signs are identified during an eye test, patients are referred to a doctor for further tests and treatment.
Specsavers in Fuengirola will be holding a free diabetes screening event in store on 14th November from 10am to 1:30pm, in association with La Cala de Mijas Lions Diabetics Support Group. This is open to all and totally free of charge. During the event, a qualified nurse will be conducting a simple finger prick test to detect the signs of diabetes and an appointment is not necessary. Results will be given immediately and if positive, patients will be referred for medical advice.
Email marketing is one of the most effective ways of direct marketing and highly cost-effective, but most small businesses don’t know how to get it right. This informative and practical session will give delegates an overview of how email marketing works, top tips to getting the...
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Cafe Lab is open to everyone for meetings or to use the wifi and get some peace and quiet
We were at Andalucia Lab again yesterday for our Marketing Planning workshop (look out for our webinar coming soon) and once again I was amazed by the fantastic facilities, the incredible prices and the lack of people taking up the opportunity! There must be thousands of small businesses around the Costa del Sol who would like to get out of working from home and have a modern office space, with printer, photocopier, high speed internet and meeting rooms, but most can’t afford it. At Andalucia Lab you get all of this for a crazy 30€ per month, yet there are loads of empty desks, which doesn’t make sense to me at all.
Marbella Town Hall's radio network RTV Marbella launched its first English language radio programme "Mi Marbella" back in June to share invaluable information on local laws, legalities, news and events for residents and tourists of all nationalities. There are weekly interviews with Jose Luis Hernández, the...
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In 2014 I gave a speech at the Costa Women International Women’s Networking event. Based on this presentation, here are my tips for protecting yourself and your business during hard times and how to take full advantage when things pick up as I believe they now are.
Reducing Risk & Capitalizing on Your Skills
Plan & Grow
Discount retailer Dealz in Plaza de la Nogalera Torremolinos will be holding a fun Halloween event and fashion show on 18th October from 11.00-14.00. As well as showcasing their freaky fancy dress costumes at 13.00 with a spooky fashion show, there will be a face painter,...
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To plan or not to plan… if this is your question, then there’s only one answer – MAKE A PLAN!!
This is true for almost all areas of business, as a good plan gives you focus, direction and a calm determination to tackle things in the correct order at the right time. I am a great lover of lists, so every day I like to make a new one, but behind all the lists is a solid plan which can be referred to, checked and modified as things change and we move forward.
However, I know not everyone does like to plan and do reports and lists, and I also know that when you’re busy it’s tough to be able to find the time, or be motivated enough to make time to put a plan in place. None the less, the busier we are, the more important it is to plan, as having this behind us stops the panic and the chaos and gives you a clear path to follow, making you more effective and efficient. It is also important for any team members you may have, as it enables them to make sure they are following the right lines and working towards the same objective.
Marketing plans are hugely important for any company spending money on promoting themselves, but sadly very under-used. Most companies we deal with and meet respond to marketing needs in a knee-jerk way, panicking when they don’t have enough business coming in, throwing money at the problem in the short term. This is often expensive and ineffective, as it does not really meet the company’s objectives and because it’s rushed, the materials, offer and response are often not as good as they should be.
Having a strong marketing plan avoids this, as it sets clear and achievable objectives, forces you to analyze important things about your company such as strengths and weaknesses and requires you to look at what you are currently doing. This analytical approach to your company objectives and vision is really beneficial, especially when done with a team as you can discover some surprising inconsistencies of mission and belief which may have been working against you within the company. It is also a great way to bring staff members into the loop and get them to understand the thinking behind some management decisions which they may have resisted in the past. It can also take you down a new path and push you towards improving materials which you haven’t looked at for a long time, but may be letting you down.