The Personalisation Agenda and New Business.…
by Glen Crosier
The personalisation agenda’s mapped out in Putting People First and local authorities are moving forward across the country. Here’s a few thoughts about how the personalisation agenda relates to new business for smaller providers. Ok these ideas are untested – just ideas at this stage but perhaps useful if you’re thinking about taking advantage of opportunities as they arise…
A fundamental idea to think about if you’re developing new services to fit with the personalisation agenda, looking for new business (or even just thinking about it) is this…
It’s never too early to start thinking about how you’ll market your services directly to your service users, (customers) their families, (significant others in decision making process) and commissioners (market facilitators, purchasers, strategic influencers, regulators)
It’s important to make this point at a time when many people will be creating new services, starting up new businesses in response to the changing personalisation market.
What I’ve found over and over again in the consultancy business is that many client problems could have been avoided if they’d have planned how they were going to market themselves earlier – preferably at the beginning – at the research and development stage.
Marketing as an after thought or as a ‘crisis intervention strategy’ to repair a failing business is mostly a costly and difficult game to play…
So that said here’s some ideas and questions to help you think about how to grow something new within the personalisation agenda as its unfolding in your area…
Start On Your Own Doorstep…
Do some local research – when I say ‘research’ I’m not talking about anything too methodical or scientific to begin with…
I mean more of a ‘scan’ of what’s happening in the areas you work in or are thinking of developing in…
Here’s how to do a ‘local scan’…
Assess the state of play in your chosen area(s) by finding out the following:
1. Key decision makers responsible for personalisation and market development
2. What model is favoured? Are the priorities on brokerage? personal assistants? rolling out Individual Budgets? all the above?
3. What kind of help from providers does your local Council need right now?
4. Is there any kind of support available to help with start up costs of new personalised services?
5. What relevant training is available?
6. What pilots are running and/or planned? How can you get involved?
Find Out What Your Customers/Service Users/Residents/Patients/Clients Want…
If you can think of your local scan as external research there’s also some valuable stuff you can do internally with your service users…
- Educate your customers and their support network on how you’re thinking about personalisation – offer suggestions of the kind of personalised services you may be able to offer
- Gather your feedback so you can evaluate and talk with confidence about what your customers’ preferences are. Any consultation-based evidence which indicates preference and possible demand for specific services will be valuable ‘market intelligence’ for you as an organisation.
- Share your findings with local influencers (aka commissioners) who may well value your proactive approach and will begin to see you as a potential partner bringing new ideas and solutions to the table…
There’s a few ideas to get the ball rolling – why not share your story in the comments section below ?
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