Paul Watkins

Former Head of Tourism Waikato when it won several awards. Paul has a background in relationship marketing and sales.

Paul Watkins was a double winner in the 1996 NZ National Tourism Awards for “Best Marketing Campaign” and “Best Regional Development “ and was the Chief Executive at Tourism Waikato for nine years. After leaving University Paul was employed in retail, sales and sales management for several consumer goods companies. He then made the move into owning and franchising a chain of video retail outlets, selling out to his partner in 1989. Since starting his own business consultancy in 1998, Paul Watkins has helped a number of corporations in their marketing strategies, with a direct result on bottom line sales for numerous companies.

Paul is a graduate of Waikato University in marketing and psychology, holds a Certificate in Direct Marketing and tutors in Direct Marketing. He covers various aspects of marketing, with a strong focus on relationship marketing. Examples from personal experience and successful companies are used to back up the methods explained.

Paul recognises the growing trend away from SALES towards PARTNERSHIPS in business, and this is where his relationship marketing skills come to the fore. The principle is to recognise customers/clients as business partners. Paul works with companies that have previously only paid lip service to this without understanding what it really means or how to implement it. He has written books on marketing for National Mutual and the BNZ for use by their business clients. He was a Winston Churchill Fellow – having studied retail and tourism development in the USA and England. Paul also advises on how to write effective and informative newsletters that are designed to strengthen the relationship with clients, which helps to sell more products, and creates an obligation towards the company that is adding value through their newsletters.

His presentations are filled with practical marketing tips and hints. They are loaded with suggestions to increase customer loyalty and to overcome the use of price or the need for a unique product.

Presentations:

Topics:

Why growing your business is like finding a new wife (or husband)Relationship MarketingDatabase MarketingBrandingService as a competitive advantage

Keynote/Workshop Topics:All Paul’s presentations are totally personalised to the client and their specific circumstances. Below are some examples of keynotes and workshops, which act as the basis of Paul’s presentations. Paul has a fast-paced, dynamic delivery style, filled with humour and elements of audience interaction. 1. FOR RETAIL OWNERS:“Your next new customer is the one standing in front of you right now”

Retail must have a strategy for each of the three areas that make up the critical growth formula for retail as shown in this diagram. The take-aways from this presentation will include: - How to compete with the big box discount houses by becoming the local guru in your field, not having to compete on price.- How to implement ‘4-Walls Marketing’ i.e. get the inside right before shouting about it outside. This is through good store layout, merchandising, staff sales and service skills- How mass media is a waste of time and intense local area marketing is the most successful approach- How to implement successful loyalty programmes including social media- Loads of low-cost, easy-to-implement ideas to take back to the stores and immediately put into action.

NOTE: This can be delivered both as a keynote and an interactive workshop BOOK authored by Paul in support of this presentation: ‘How some retailers make more money than others’ 2. FOR RETAIL STAFF:“How may I fix that headache for you?”

A fun, interactive workshop on how to determine the customer’s true needs. This can significantly raise the value of the sale, position the store as the ‘guru’ in that field and generate highly profitable loyal, referral-generating customers.

Just smiling and giving the right change is not service. It’s not even 2% of what constitutes “good service” I the eyes of today’s demanding fickle customers.

3. FOR PROFESSIONAL SERVICE PROVIDERS: “How growing your business is like finding a new wife or husband”

How do you get clients to choose you ahead of others in your field? The take-aways from this presentation include: - How to develop a professional brand- How to stand out in your chosen field- How to generate high value referrals- Practical client retention and growth strategies

BOOKS authored by Paul in support of this presentation: ‘How to be a Big Fish’‘How some financial advisors make more money than others’