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Musings of a tech entrepreneur in the north west of england
I have an erratic relationship with email marketing tools. During the past, I have tried many products without total satisfaction. For my own sanity, I am writing this article so that I would have a source to check when my sanity is questioned once again by me.
Taken from (copyright with) Crains Manchester Business
Text payment service could be Yes man's biggest venture yet
Content Secure will allow customers to pay for services via their mobile phones
Keith Curran, the Manchester-based entrepreneur who built virtual network operator Yes Telecom before selling it to Vodafone, will next month launch a venture which he believes could be his biggest yet.
Contact Secure, a text-based payments service aimed at high street retailers, gambling firms and government agencies, is due to go live on May 28. Curran, who has been busy selling its virtues to major corporates, said two big retailers have agreed to sign up to a pilot scheme, but he declined to name them. The business is one of seven new ventures where he has taken stakes since Yes was sold in a £30m deal in 2006. Contact Secure will have four strands to it. The main one is a “Text and Buy” Service that allows anyone who sets up an account to instantly buy goods via text message. The second enables Contact Secure account holders to make instant purchases via the web without having to put credit card details on individual retailers' sites. “Abandoned baskets on websites have gone up considerably because retailers have had to build in more safety measures to prevent fraud,” said Curran. The third is a “Buy Text Collect” Service which supersedes the “Text and Reserve” service, used by Argos and others, as it takes away the need to queue in the store and retailers know customers will collect because they have already paid. Curran also said that the service could be used to transfer cash between Contact Secure account holders. This will include the ability to pay restaurants, takeaway firms, builders or any other service providers who have an account. He argues that this could replace portable chip and pin machines and thereby cut down on fraud. Contact Secure is targeting two types of customer — proactive and reactive. The former will engage in impulse sales by texting product codes that appear on billboards, shop windows, TV ads or anywhere else displaying the Contact Secure logo. “It taps into the "I want one' mode,” said Curran. “There's a lot of things you'd like to buy when the shops are shut.” Reactive customers will use it to pay utility bills. “We want to make the boring tasks like paying your electricity or car tax become a non-entity so you can do them in seconds.” Contact Secure will make its money by charging retailers, utilities and other clients a small transaction fee for processing payments. Curran is chief executive of the company but said he had assembled a “very credible” management team — all of whom are shareholders in the venture. These include ex-Macromedia software executive Steve Dobson as chief technology officer, ex-Arla foods operations chief Richard Mostyn-Jones as operations director, ex-Enterprise Plc director Peter Ahye as chief financial officer and Steve Dixon as head of marketing.Pioneering
Curran declined to say how much they had spent on developing Contact Secure, other than to admit investment was now “well into seven figures”. He also admitted that predicting likely revenues for its first few years would be difficult.
“It will change the face of retail,” Curran insisted. “When you go to retailers and utilities companies they all want to see 2-3 year results. We can't show them because this is pioneering.” Earlier this month, London-based mobile media consultant BuzzCity issued its fifth annual global survey on customer mobile behaviour. Of the 1,798 mobile users it interviewed, 90 per cent said they had used their mobile to purchase goods or services. Some 68 per cent of these were related to mobile usage (such as top-up airtime), but 23 per cent of customers said they had either bought from retailers, paid a bill or booked tickets though their phones. “The potential opportunities are huge but the diverse challenges faced by the global mobile audience must not be overlooked,” said BuzzCity's chief executive KF Lai. “Mobile consumers have money to spend, but they must be provided with the opportunity to do so.”
What Everyone Should Know About Website Statistics
It's important to track a few key statistics on a regular basis and not get lost in the sea of numbers. What are the most important? Read on...
1) Visitors (new and repeat). This is the number of people who have come to your website for the first time or who are coming back for a second time. This is important, because this is the size of the pool of people from which you are trying to get leads. The bigger the number of visitors, the more potential for you to get leads.
2) Leads. This is the number of people who self-select on your website and do something to give you their contact information. It could be signing up for a demonstration, requesting a whitepaper, or viewing a video, but there must be a form where they give you at least their email address and sometimes more information as well. This number is critical since your website leads are where your sales come from.
3) Conversion Rate. This is the percentage of your total website visitors who become a lead. So, if you had 200 visitors to your website today, and you generated 3 leads, that would be a 1.5% conversion rate. Most people will tell you that a 1-2% conversion rate is the average for a b2b website. The conversion rate is important because it is telling you how efficient your website is at turning visitors into leads. Remember, you can double your company's number of leads by either doubling your website traffic or doubling your conversion rate.
4) Website Grade. The free tool at www.WebsiteGrader.com gives you an excellent overview of the marketing effectiveness of your website, including things like your Google PageRank, number of inbound links and other key statistics. What is nice about the Website Grade is that it summarizes this all into one number from 1 to 100. You should know what your website grade is and track it over time to make sure you improve (or if you already get a good score, to make sure you don't slip.
5) Keyword Search Rank. For most business websites, the most efficient traffic and leads will come from organic search. This is the traffic that comes from people searching on Google, MSN and Yahoo and other engines and finding your website in the results. This traffic is not completely "free", since you need to work on your website to really maximize it, but it is usually much more cost effective than other sources. You need to know how you rank in the search engines for at least a few key terms related to your business, and you also want to know how that rank is changing over time - are you moving up or down - since that will determine the future success of your website visitors and leads.
Source:
| Kenmare scoops top dealmaker award Rob Kenmare from Moore & Smalley was last night crowned Dealmaker of the Year at the annual Lancashire Dealmakers Awards 2010, held at Ewood Park in Blackburn. It’s the second time in three years that Kenmare has scooped the award. The win capped a good night for Moore & Smalley, with the firm also picking up the Corporate Finance Advisory Team of the Year award. Kenmare and his team advised on nine deals during the year, including Enterprise’s acquisition of the power services division of Bethell Group, which was named Deal of the Year. Other big winners on the night included Pierce Corporate Finance, whose chairman Graham Boyes was named Personality of the Year and senior manager Tim Mills named Young Dealmaker of the Year. The firm also won the Turnaround Team of the Year award. 
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| The winners |
| Deal of the Year Winner Acquisition of Bethell Power Services by Enterprise Shortlisted Sale of Liquid Plastics to Sika; sale of Legion Group to Sectorguard; acquistion and float of Daisy Communications; acquisition of Wright Build by John Turner; acquisition of Teal Furniture by Senator International Despite the subdued market, there were a number of stand-out deals in Lancashire this year. Enterprise, based in Preston, added the power services division of Bethell Group to its expanding operations in July. The acquisition took Enterprise’s power division annual turnover to more than £100m and gave it the critical size to bid for larger, integrated contracts, now the norm throughout the utility industry. The deal also saw 450 Bethell employees transfer to Enterprise. Sponsored by Zeus Group |
Winner Development capital for Medalytix by EV Group Shortlisted Acquisition of TwoWay Gaming by NetPlay TV Daresbury medical screening company Medalytix, the brainchild of venture capitalists at EV in Preston, closed a £2m funding round and attracted new investors in the process. The company is backed through the RisingStars Growth Fund Sponsored by The Co-operative Bank |
Winner Acquisition of Safe Business Services by Danbro Shortlisted Fundraising of Plant Impact; development capital for Medalytix by EV; acquisition of TwoWay Gaming by NetPlay TV The criterion for the Small Deal of the Year is a deal done under £2m. Danbro, a specialist accountancy firm for contractors, based in Blackpool, acquired Safe Business Solutions in April 2009. The deal increased its client base to more than 2,700 active contractors. The company was advised by Daniel Milnes and his team at Forbes. Sponsored by Ashton Hoyle |
Winner Rosebud Fund, Lancashire County Council Shortlisted Rising Stars Fund, EV Both these funds are available to Lancashire businesses and demonstrate to other regions what can be done. It’s the third time in a row that the Rosebud Fund has scooped this award as it continues to support to small businesses that need that vital lifeline. Sponsored by RSM Tenon |
| The individual awards |
| Dealmaker of the Year Winner Rob Kenmare, Moore & Smalley Shortlisted Paul Spencer, Haworths; Carl Collett, The Royal Bank of Scotland; Ruth Coffey, Forbes Solicitors; Paul Stringer, Cowgill Holloway; Craig Richardson, Dow Schofield Watts; Kevin Hughes, Yorkshire Bank Rob Kenmare was back in the winner’s circle this year, adding to the Dealmaker of the Year award he won in 2008. Along with Steve Gregson, Kenmare and the corporate finance team at Moore & Smalley have advised on nine deals during the year. One of the biggest included Preston-based Enterprise’s acquisition of the power services division of Bethell Group. Sponsored by Forbes Solicitors |
Winner Tim Mills, Pierce Corporate Finance Shortlisted Charlotte Wood, Forbes Solicitors; Pauline Rigby, Forbes Solicitors; Shahin Akhtar, Haworth & Nuttall After narrowly missing out to Oliver Burton from The Royal Bank of Scotland last year, Tim Mills went one better this year, beating a strong line-up of corporate financiers from the Lancashire community. Sponsored by Handelsbanken |
Winner Graham Boyes, Pierce Corporate Finance Graham Boyes joined Pierce in 1982 and became partner a year later. He was the senior partner of the practice from 1992 and is now chairman, following incorporation in June 2004, and has been instrumental in the substantial growth of the business. Although working in all areas of general practice, Boyes specialises in corporate affairs, and has instigated, led or advised on the many deals that Pierce has been involved with over the years. Sponsored by Freshfield |
Winner Mohsin Issa, Euro Garages Shortlisted Nigel Haworth, Northcote; Ilyas Khan, Accrington Stanley; Stephen Richards, Fast n Fresh; Matthew Rilley, Daisy Communications; Steve Jackson, Recyling Lives Mohsin Issa co-founded Euro Garages in 2001 with his brother Zuber from a single forecourt in Bury. It is now the UK’s fastest-growing operator of petrol forecourts and convenience retail outlets and the second largest independent chain, with a 78-strong portfolio of sites based in the North West and Midlands. Issa has led a number of ground-breaking developments within the sector, including innovative partnership agreements with SPAR distributor James Hall & Co, Subway and the UK’s leading bakery retailer, Greggs. Sponsored by Napthens Solicitors |
| The team awards |
| Turnaround Team of the Year Winner Pierce Corporate Finance Shortlisted Harrison Drury, Moore & Smalley, RSM Tenon, Begbies Traynor This is a new award for 2010. We sought nominations from teams around the region that have provided advice to be businesses in various states of distress. Pierce has really gone back to basics this year, helping clients on a range of different strategies. Sponsored by Downtown in Business |
Winner Moore & Smalley Shortlisted PM&M Corporate Finance, RSM Tenon, Cowgill Holloway, Dow Schofield, Watts, CLB Coopers The team at Moore & Smalley has done nine deals over the qualifying period, including acting on Enterprise’s acquisition of the power services operations of Bethell Group. Judges praised they way the team identified opportunities and managed some tricky negotiations. Sponsored by Marsden Rawsthorn |
Winner Forbes Solicitors Shortlisted Napthens Solicitors, Brabners Chaffe Street, Harrison Drury Lancashire is full of legal talent, but Forbes emerged victorious in what was one of the most fiercely contested categories. It’s the third year in a row the firm has scooped this award. Clients include Danbro Accounting based in Blackpool. Sponsored by PM&M Corporate Finance |
Winner Yorkshire Bank Shortlisted The Royal Bank of Scotland/NatWest, Handelsbanken Yorkshire Bank, led in Preston by the winner of last year’s flat cap award Sean Williams, has been active in the region over the past year. It now has more than £1bn under management. Sponsored by Pierce Corporate Finance |
Corporate Finance Advisory Team of the Year
PM&M
Moore & Smalley
Tenon
Cowgill Holloway
Dow Schofield Watts
CLB Coopers
Corporate Law Firm of the Year
Napthens
Forbes
Brabners Chaffe Street
Harrison Drury
Corporate Banking Team of the Year
Royal Bank of Scotland/NatWest
Handelsbanken
Yorkshire Bank
Fund of the Year
Rosebud Fund
Rising Stars Fund
Rapid Realisations Fund
North West Business Investment Scheme
Small Deal (under £2m) of the Year
Acquisition of Safe Business Services by Danbro
Fund raising of Plant Impact
Development Capital for Medalytix
Acquisition of TwoWay Gaming by NetPlay TV
Turnaround Team of the Year
Pierce
Harrison Drury
Moore and Smalley
Tenon
Begbies Traynor
Technology Deal of the Year
Development Capital for Medalytix
Acquisition of TwoWay Gaming by NetPlay TV
Deal of the Year
Sale of Liquid Plastics to Sika
Sale of Legion Group to Sectorguard
Acquisition and float of Daisy Communications
Acquisition of Bethell Power Services by Enterprise
Acquisition of Wright Build by John Turner
Acquisition of Teal Furniture by Senator International
Lancashire's Entrepreneur of the Year
Nigel Haworth. Northcote
Mohsin Issa, Euro Garages
Ilyas Khan, Accrington Stanley
Stephen Richards, Fast n Fresh
Matthew Riley, Daisy
Steve Jackson, Recycling Lives
Young Dealmaker of the Year
Charlotte Wood, Forbes
Pauline Rigby, Forbes
Shahin Akhtar, Haworth & Nuttall
Tim Mills, Pierce
Lancashire Dealmaker of the Year
Paul Spencer, Haworths
Carl Collett, Royal Bank of Scotland
Ruth Coffey, Forbes
Paul Stringer, Cowgill Holloway
Craig Richardson, Dow Schofield Watts
Rob Kenmare, Moore & Smalley
Kevin Hughes, Yorkshire Bank
I am the founder and CEO of http://edocr.com (help make your documents work harder for your businesses: UK's No. 1 Document publishing, distribution and interactivity platform), http://techcelerate.org (ecosystem for UK tech companies)
This is just a collection of what I am reading or received through e-mail. Almost for my own consumption. But happy to share and discuss.
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