Explore motivation, marketing at B31 week three events

MOTIVATION, according to Psychologist Ellen Jackson, is what drives us towards whatever we’re trying to achieve.

Ms Jackson said people need to move away from the traditional consequences and rewards method of motivation as it is now old hat.

She will present Six Steps to an Engaged, Motivated Team on Tuesday, 20 August, during week three of the B31 Ballarat Business Festival.

The session will explore current scientific models of human motivation with participants engaged in interactive tasks and conversations.

“We need to tap into what intrinsically motivates us,” Ms Jackson said. “It is about understanding who we are as individuals and what particularly excites and motivates us in the workplace.”

Ms Jackson said the B31 festival offers great learning opportunities to business people although at times it can be a challenge to attend events.

“Increasingly we are getting more experts and specialists who are based in Ballarat who are available to help our business community,” she said. “I think this is wonderful and it’s part of what drives and motivates me.”

Customers research businesses before they approach them, so it is only natural for businesses to do the same when it comes to their customers, contends Dr Moulik Zaveri, lecturer at Federation Business School.

In his Are you still with me? Checking the Pulse of your Market before it Flatlines workshop, on Wednesday, 21 August, targeted at SME and SOHO businesses, Dr Zaveri will give them tools to explore their own customers motivations and needs “I will show them how to conduct research in inexpensive ways and choose their marketing communications more appropriately as small business doesn’t have the same level of resources of larger business,” he said.

“So they sometimes neglect research and this can cost them more.”

Dr Zaveri said small business needs to know the attitudes and behaviours of their customers so they can come up with robust strategies to retain the existing customers and attract new ones.

“These small businesses can do this themselves however I will also suggest other options they could use if they want to get expert professional help,” he said.

For information on all events go to commerceballarat.com.au.