Here are some of the books we like.  Click on the pictures for further details and reviews

Inspiring Good Business

In the nineteenth century,‘good’ business was mutual, providing homes, good food, education; lifting people from slums where an average death came age 14.In the twentieth century, ‘good’ business learnt marketing; running savvy, competitive operations, selling goods to tribes of unknowns.In the twenty-first century ‘good’ business is both mutual and savvy; attuning to social visions, creating reciprocal networks.

Now is the age for Mutual Marketing Now it is the time for
inspiring / market / thinking

The challenges

Customer relationship management, social networking, social responsibility - of both the corporate and personal kind - all are major market shaping forces in the private, public AND third sector. The business of business is getting far more social, far more collaborative, and if organizations are going to be sustainable, they need to understand their markets and respond with innovative new business practices. Inviting customers to collaborate in building their own ‘experience’; understanding how product packaging should be responding to trends in green consumerism; engaging employees in a unified corporate culture around brand values.

We used to work individually with clients on these issues, but found ourselves tackling similar problems with different departments. Very little was ‘joined up’; so much energy and resource was being wasted causing stress and frustration. Yet, all the time people were gamely trying to change things, be innovative and think differently.

A mutual response

We found that if we joined forces to entwine both our subject-matter expertise and business disciplines (research, strategy, facilitation, business design) together, we were much better able to support clients:-

• Explore the market trends in relationship marketing and social responsibility they needed to respond to
• Work together cross-functionally, recognizing inter-dependencies
• Face outwards and work in a co-ordinated fashion with stakeholders - customers, partners, community organizations and shareholders.
• We decided to call this way of working Mutual Marketing - drawing on historical precedents. The word mutual reflecting both the growing social response required of business, and the need for cross-functional, outside-in collaboration.

How it works to support you

Our research and client services are now co-ordinated and build on mutual principles; so developing a fresh and inspirational, yet pragmatic, answer to dealing with the complex business challenges we all face today.

As business analysts our ongoing research programme provides insight and thought leadership to inform the actions of our clients. We then act as advisors, facilitators and tutors, undertaking tailored client research if necessary, to help re-focus, re-think, and re-model business practices. By working on real business problems together with clients; integrating their business understanding with our subject matter expertise and experience, then together we inspire market thinking and develop innovative action.

This is not confined to the marketing department, corporate strategy or CRS manager. Through mutual practices we cross the functional and group boundaries that hold organizations back. We believe that marketing, the practice of anticipating and providing for customer needs effectively, is a discipline that everyone in an organization should have. Through our methods of skills development we help everyone to think about business problems and support the creation of inspirational ideas that capture market opportunity.

For a further understanding of who we are and what we do here are two other relevant sections; a flavour of how we can help and the Benefits of our services.

In the past few years we have worked in places as diverse as China, South Africa, and the UK. Our assignments have been with a range of companies, from not-for-profit to large multi-nationals, in a variety of industries. Thus, we help with the cross-fertilisation of ideas that leads to innovation.

Our clients include:-

Birmingham City Council British Telecom Camelot Carlson Marketing Clarity Blue CPM International De Montfort University Department of Trade and Industry Dow Jones Experian Gartner Greater China CRM HSBC IBM Inforte Business Consulting Institute of Direct Marketing Leeds City Council marcusevans (South Africa, Singapore) Microsoft National Association of Adult Placement Services Netsuite OgilvyOne Worldwide Ordnance Survey Peppers & Rogers Group Portrait Software Respond Software Sift Media SAS Software Yorkshire Forward Yorkshire Water (Loop) Technorati Tags: business clients

Mutual Marketing is a mutual organization, we blend our cross-functional business research and skills into unified business practices and training that help our clients.

Jennifer Kirkby specialises in market insight, marketing strategy, using narrative in cultural change, and customer communities.  She is well known as a leading analyst in customer relationship practices, advising Fortune 500 companies.  She is asked to speak at international marketing events, is Consulting Editor for MyCustomer, international advisor for Greater China CRM, authors numerous articles, papers and chapters, and runs a family history community.  She was previously Research Director for Gartner, and advised the UK Government’s modernisation programme. Linkedin profile.

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David Firth specialises in organizational change, stakeholder engagement and using narrative in cultural change.  He has enormous experience with international companies in solving complex, intractable problems where previous interventions have brought limited or temporary progress, and in difficult relationships.  He is a leading speaker on progressive organizational development, and has written 8 business books on the subject including ‘Corporate Voodoo’ and ‘Smart Things to Know about Change’. His new book, ‘Human 2.0: The Upgrade is Available’, is out in 2008. Educated at Oxford University he has run his own consultancy for many years, after a period of being an International Theatre Director .

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Annette Ashton-Redlin specialises in marketing research, customer insight, and consumer psychology and motivation.   She is a very well regarded  international marketing research director who has run a number of ground breaking studies to guide business strategy for companies such as Johnson & Johnson, The International Wool Secretariat and UK Financial Organizations.  Educated at the University of St Andrews, she has a wealth of experience supporting community organizations, and independent schools.

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Alison Zakers specialises in business design, systems thinking, customer service and operationalising customer experience.  She is a highly creative business analyst who has designed successful operations for many international companies.  She has extensive training and executive coaching experience,  authors many educational pieces, researches the use of thinking methods in business, and runs an art community.  She was previously a consultant with Accenture and has an MBA from Cranfield.  Linkedin profile.

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Frances Wells specialise in corporate social responsibility, creating sustainable communities with public/private collaboration, and stakeholder engagement. She is a very well regarded facilitator and events manager who has successfully led many high profile consultations for public and private organizations.   She collaborates with top thinkers in sustainability, is a feisty member of local community groups and exhibits her artwork   She was previously senior manager for a daringly ambitious charity promoting sustainability on a big scale.