BikeBiz Bicycle and cycling retail news
What bikes do you own?
I’ve just fitted a RockShox Reverb to my Carbon Commencal Meta 5.5 and am loving it. I’ve also got a Titanium Airborne road bike that has done everything from the Etape to a Sprint Triathlon. I’m not a bike hoarder. Get bikes that fit you and you enjoy riding and you shouldn’t need a stable of them.
Tell us a bit about your business background:
I left university and cut my teeth in London with international PR agencies working on multi-national corporate reputation accounts. From there I went in-house to the likes of Halfords, Berghaus and Future. Then I set up BS&T.
Tell us a bit about BS&T and its services:
I’m about PR first and bikes second. Passion for a sector is important, but having the basic skills; writing, strategic understanding, creativity, etc is essential. Professionalism is key, as is knowing your onions.
Who’s on your client list?
Halfords and all its specialist bike brands, Royal Racing, EBCO, Memory-Map and some other outdoor industry clients.
What are your plans for the business going forwards?
Cautious expansion. There’s a need for specialist PR operatives that have been properly trained, not just keen cyclists who’ve turned their hand to ‘marketing’ as a way to feed their bike-obsession.
If you could give one tip to retailers on marketing a business effectively, what would it be?
Engage with your customers as much as possible. People part with their cash on trust; they trust brands, they trust journalist reviews and they trust their peer-to-peer recommendations. If you can create a ‘believable trustworthy environment’ whether online, or in-store, people will feel comfortable about spending money with you, whatever you’re selling.
How can firms get in touch with BS&T?
Start at www.bloodsweattears.co.uk for a bit more background information, or email me on david@bloodsweattears.co.uk.
