The story
Rather like Bassett Allsorts Sister Snog started more by accident than design. The result of a throw away comment.
'Wouldn't it be nice to be ladies who lunch?' said Hela
'Wouldn't it just' said Annie
Chronology
2002: Ladies who lunch
2003: Join the club
2004: www.sistersnog.com
2005: Business with a twist
2006: The face of face-to-face marketing
2007: London-by-the-Sea
2008: From infancy to adolescence
2009: Square the circle
2002: Ladies who lunch
Annie and Hela ran a branding consultancy. Snog The Agency. A young company. Very much in its infancy. Finding its feet. The previous year they'd been on the beauty parade circuit. Playing the pitching game. A game with a rather strange set of rules. A game they no longer wanted to play. There had to be a less soul destroying way of getting business.
This was the year to hit the networking circuit.
A new BRE (now BRX) group was starting in Westminster. As good a starting point as any. They joined as Founder Members and networking became an integral part of their business development strategy. Initially they'd turn up to the opening of an envelope. Over time they became far more discerning.
In February 2002 they hosted their first ever First Friday lunch. At Citrus. Annie and Hela. Two clients. Two prospects. It became a regular date for the diary.
Every first Friday of the month they'd head for Citrus. Never a lonesome twosome.
To their amazement the numbers increased as the word spread.
Annie kept the details of all the guests who attended. She's like that. Left-brainer. And sent out a monthly email. Nothing fancy. Just a reminder about the next lunch.
As the number if guests attending the First Friday Lunches increased so did the number of doors that opened for Snog The Agency. They'd stumbled on an effective channel to market for their branding consultancy.
The year ended in style. They booked out the restaurant and hosted their first Christmas lunch. Dress code. Purple and silver.
It became evident they'd unwittingly created something with legs. That was gaining momentum. It needed a name. Something memorable. Unconventional. A name that captured the essence of 'the-smart-stylish-sassy-working-woman's-lunch'. Hello Sister Snog.
2003: Join the club
The following year they moved from Citrus to Bank Westminster. 35 business women attended. However, despite the fact they were in a private room the intimacy and sparkle of the year before had disappeared. There'd been an unspoken etiquette at the First Friday Lunches. No heavy selling. No elevator pitches. Heaven forbid. No one would have dreamt of wearing a name badge or sitting there with a box of business cards in front of them. Business was done on a more subtle level.
A post mortem made Annie and Hela realise if they didn't tell guests what was expected, how could they really hold them accountable for certain behaviours that were totally acceptable, even the norm, at other 'networking' events.
The only way to avoid the cattle market syndrome and maintain the intimacy was to restrict numbers. Introducing the idea of membership meant there was buy-in to a more subtle way of networking as well as creating a sense of belonging.
The thought of extending the Snog brand was both appealing and daunting. The idea fermented for a few months until they came across the handbag.com Business Plan Awards celebrating enterprising women and targeted at embryonic businesses. Sister Snog ticked the boxes. To enter all you had to do was submit a business plan. So that's what they did. There's nothing quite like a deadline to focus the mind.
Of course the real purpose of entering was to put together a route map that would take Sister Snog from an informal monthly lunch to an events based group that puts the twist into networking.
2004: www.sistersnog.com
Flash sites were the hot potato of the day so we followed the trend. Nine months later www.sistersnog.com launched. One URL. Two lounges.
The public lounge where non members (Virgins) get a taster of Sister Snog, dip into the events calendar, book this month or next month's events and apply for membership.
The VIP lounge for members (Sisters) saw this season and next season's events, book ahead, make referrals and feedback to Sister Snog.
Looking back the project was a challenging experience. This was not a me-too proposition. More niche than mass in terms of appeal, etiquette and target audience. Sister Snog was looking for fans. A bit like marmite. And they found them. Or rather they found Sister Snog.
2005: Business with at twist
Sister Snog was now hosting more events. As well as the monthly First Friday Lunch, Sisters could book a Brainstorming Breakfast, Afternoon Tea or Divine Dinner.
Numbers at each event fluctuated. Without any particular rhyme or reason. Hmm! Were they missing a trick? They hit upon the idea of giving each event a theme, which could work laterally or literally. Or a dress code. It was another point of difference. Added a splash of colour. Still business focused but business with a twist and a touch of fizz.
This shift gave an added dimension to the events, bringing complementary businesses together and creating opportunities for them to connect with other businesses that could prove to be useful partners, ambassadors or allies.
First Friday in Bloom was followed by the Big Necklace Lunch. The Let's Talk Rhubarb breakfast attracted mistresses of the written word while the Inside Out breakfast brought together women from the world of property. Mortgage advisors, interior designers, conveyancers, landscape gardeners, declutterers and purveyors of beautiful things for the home. As well as Sisters who understood that each event was always an opportunity to connect with a selective audience made up of an eclectic mix of businesses and brands.
2006 : The face of face-to-face marketing
This year Sister Snog introduced the Wonderful-One-Off to the events calendar. A prestigious business event. With headline potential and book-me now appeal. They were set to be wonderful-one-off-never-been-done-before occasions. Somewhat extraordinary. Anything but ordinary.
They kicked off with a dinner with the Doyenne of British Fashion in her penthouse suite. Over dinner on a beautiful balmy summer evening, guests had the chance to find out all about Zandra Rhodes' love affair with fashion and textiles.
Then they started to hit the headlines. Director Magazine wanted their thoughts on networking.
It takes time to define who you truly are in business. Sister Snog was evolving and changing direction. Sister Snog actively distanced itself from the networking label and gravitated towards being seen as the face of face-to-face marketing. There was a strategic shift. From events based group to selective business club.
2007 : London-by-the-Sea
To date all Sister Snog events had been in central London. It was time to dip a toe in another pond. They found the perfect venue in Brighton. Blanch House.
Another learning curve. Had its moments. Generated new members. But not enough. Delightful as Brighton was, the pond was just too small. After 10 months Annie and Hela came to the conclusion Sister Snog was a capital proposition. And the metropolis is Sister Snog's playground.
However our ever growing membership base proved there was a market that wanted what Sister Snog had to offer and liked the mix of strategy, creativity and attention to detail at each business event. Crunch time.
Since 1999 branding had been Annie's and Hela's bread and butter business. Sister Snog was a pet project. Working with clients on their brand was exhilarating. It was also exhausting as each project took a bit of their soul with it.
In January they'd been appointed by a firm of solicitors to work with them on the rebrand of their firm. This was to be their swansong and they gracefully retired from the consultancy world to put their heart and soul into their very own brand, Sister Snog.
The year with their most ambitious lunch yet in the Danziger Suite at The Mayfair Hotel. Christmas amongst the stars was an extravaganza. The dress code was inspired by Truman Capotes Black and White Ball. A magical mix of 120 seriously stylish business women attended.
2008 : From infancy to adolescence
In order to assist in the transition from infancy to adolescence Sister Snog brought in a fresh pair of eyes. Annie and Hela appointed a business coach to work with them to take the Sister Snog of yesterday and turn it into the Sister Snog of tomorrow. Here are the key changes they implemented as Sister Snog became a teenager.
They defined their target audience. Developed a membership criteria. Became far more selective. Screened all Virgins before they came to an event to make sure they fitted the profile. Established they were seriously shopping and that membership of Sister Snog was on their radar before booking an event.
Events are a stepping stone to membership. An opportunity for serious shoppers to get a flavour of the type of business women Sister Snog attracts. And a chance for Sister Snog to meet potential new members before inviting them to join.
One of the best business practices was to introduce the seven day window. Now, everyone who is invited has seven days to accept the invitation to join. Which means they have to apply and pay for membership within that time frame.
After that time the invitation lapses. For 12 months. The result? Commitment. A membership base of decision makers who make decisions. Members who embrace Sister Snog.
Not surprisingly recommendations are always the best source of new members. So, the Sister-get-Sister referral programme became even tastier. With a £100 thank you to all Sisters who make a referral that results in a new Sister.
Then Annie and Hela took the idea of paying a commission for referring and recommending membership one step further with the launch of Boadicea's Army.
So now there's a team of Sisters who use their down time to screen and sell in Sister Snog to a prequalified audience. The ultimate win-win scenario.
