Dear Dorset Eye, it is great news that a service like yours is now available in Dorset. We hope that we are able to work with you towards offering businesses and residents in the area more awareness and more opportunities. As sadly for too long the main local newspaper has not been accessible to many of us. Day to day issues sometimes needs to be addressed by ordinary people, for ordinary people, and not a mouth-piece for the council or big businesses which usually seems to dominate this certain paper. From our point of view very little has been done over the years for small businesses, as a small business we understand the struggle of simply surviving. We appreciate any service that is independent, however being independent or a new business in today’s economic environment is challenging, publicity and creating awareness can be costly when relying on larger media sources, no point in relying on support from the council as they have problems of their own. Our answer is networking, not arranging committee meetings or a business breakfast get together as the majority just do not develop into anything long term, (we know we have been to many) also why pay over £150 which certain organisations ask from you to join them, with no word from them as to how they will promote you or your business.
To us it’s going back to the basics, traders helping traders, traders are customers if you like to call it a business circle. If a customer gains a discount or a benefit by using or going to a service which is in a promotion, the customer is happy . . . the business is happy by gaining customers through publicity, equally that business gains the same benefits of the customer, gaining discounts from other businesses. For example a van or car hire company has flexibility to offer a discount, but generally if a person on their own asks for a discount the answer maybe sorry no discount available to you or we will offer you 10% providing you hire far a longer period of time. However, if SAVECARD approaches the same car hire company and say we represent 500 people if we promote your car hire company and gain more new business for you would you offer 30% discount to our card holder the answer would be yes! That’s the power of numbers. Multiply this idea throughout two hundred different businesses this is networking our way while each business can also gain not just in customers but by becoming customers themselves.
Cost only £30 for up to 18 months advertising for the business to join, however they must offer a discount throughout this period, equally they can gain discounts throughout the same time period and also benefit by gaining new customers. This is how SAVECARD operates. Behind our business comes 25 years of marketing on incentive schemes that were promoted within the tourist industry, union membership incentives and being part of the team who launched “Air Miles” for British Airways.
Simon Holt
