Word of mouth

I was invited to participate IN a Conference on PPP-Private Public Partnerships, organised by Libertad y Desarrollo, Chilean Think Tank, recently elected the most influential Think Tank in Chile.  The key speakers were the former Chilean Minister of Health and Ignacio Sanchez de Ocaña Ruiz de la Prada, Spanish consultant at IESE Business School Universidad de Navarra.

The reason why I would like to share this event with you is because although there was no direct British presence, all the presentations highlighted the expertise of British companies in this field and the importance of having an organisation like Partnerships UK assisting in the process.  This was excellent publicity for the UK PPP sector, especially because it came through opinion leaders and it is clear example of the power of word of mouth. Word of mouth is one of the most powerful marketing tools at the moment especially since we are all bombarded with information.  We have had several activities on PPP to facilitate the adoption of the model and to facilitate market access in the past. So, it is refreshing to see that the message is expanding through word of mouth.

Last August, I had the opportunity to assist a presentation by Phillip Kotler, one of the world's foremost experts in the marketing field. He considers that "The 21st century is going to be the century of 'word of mouth,'" and companies and organisations should consider using more effective public relations campaigns and word of mouth to promote their products.  Do you agree?

Posted at 20:21 22 November 2007 by Maria Pia Gazzella  |  Comments[2]

Day-to-day Work: The OMIS (Overseas Market Introduction Services) System

UKTI's new core strategy places special emphasis on OMIS (Overseas Market Introduction Services). OMIS is a flexible tool enabling direct communications between the companies and the commercial teams in Embassies. It provides assistance offering a broad and creative range of activities to suit companies´needs (http://www.fco.gov.uk/Files/kfile/UKTIOMISLeafletUpdateJuly07.pdf).

I am currently working on three OMIS, focused on three different sectors:
1. Transport, underground – assistance on PR and support with the tendering process;
2. Public-private partnership (PPP) in hospitals – market overview, market entry strategies and programme of meetings; and,
3. Agriculture - the introduction of new varieties of berries in Chile and identification and assessment of potential clients or agents.

I really enjoy working on these OMIS.  I have done OMIS for a wide range of sectors from pest control systems to power generation, railway sleepers, plasma by-products and, consultancy services. Obviously, these areas have little in common. However, on a personal level, three key elements or capacities enable me to efficiently formulate these differing activities simultaneously.

First, in the context of offering the best feedback to the client, it is essential to acknowledge that focusing on unrelated areas makes it impossible to become an expert in each. Thus, it is important to have the capacity to contact relevant sources of information and clients in the local market as quickly as possible. To do so successfully, it is vital to have access to an established network of contacts that will enable a quick response to the varying interests of British companies.  The personal contact with people from different sectors is what makes my work refreshing.

Another key aspect is a quick understanding of which parts of an offer made by a British company actually add value to the Chilean market, and can thus be appreciated by the latter.

Finally, keeping constantly up to date with world developments is also a key factor to understanding and tapping into the opportunities that the Chilean market has to offer to British companies. For example, public-private partnerships have developed successfully in Chile. The British Embassy in Chile has worked in conjunction with the Chilean government, especially with the Health and Public Works ministries, in order to promote the British model.  In this way, we also act proactively; creating market opportunities that didn’t previously exist.  This presents distinct advantages for British companies that have already developed their expertise and are now exporting it to Chile (http://www.fco.gov.uk/Files/kfile/fco_blogMPG3english.doc).

Posted at 15:22 12 October 2007 by Maria Pia Gazzella  |  Comments[1]