Barbara Fischer is the founder and hands-on Director of Trendhaus, a Sydney-based boutique marketing agency. Her expertise covers a broad spectrum of industries including leisure, IT, FMCG and lifestyle categories. With a natural aptitude for cost-effective marketing solutions and a genuine passion for
avant-garde design, Barbara has helped growing business organisations for more than a decade. She brings this kind of strategic and tactical execution to every project at Trendhaus and believes that her agency's success is based on delivering premium service consistently as well as sourcing and maintaining the best talent to deliver top results.
Best networking experience: The ABN women's conference last year. Made five new contacts with businesses that needed marketing and obtained long term clients as a result.
Phone: 02 9357 3973
Email: barbara@trendhaus.com.au
Website: www.trendhaus.com.au
Melissa Pye has been working in the automotive industry since the early 1990s and established her consulting business in 2004, focusing on improving the auto experience for women in Australia. Melissa has implemented a twofold strategy to achieve this.
The first is to empower and educate women about buying, owning and selling a car through her website HerCar.com.au - the longest running car website for women in Australia. The second is to educate the industry on how to effectively engage with women consumers through sales training and marketing consulting.
With clients including Volkswagen, Hyundai, Kia, Renault, Lincorp Automotive and Goodyear Autocare, Melissa has received national media exposure for her initiatives and is passionate about making a difference for women in the male dominated auto industry.
Favourite networking tip. The more functions you go to the more comfortable you will be. Remember, it is difficult for many people to talk to strangers, especially when you're trying to promote yourself and/or your business. Some people you'll click with naturally, others you won't, so make sure you have some topical items to discuss when the click doesn't come naturally, and I don't mean the weather! Books and movies are always a good one to break the ice.
Phone: 02 6021 4448
Email: melissa@hercar.com.au
Website: www.hercar.com.au
Melissa Whitby has worked in the marketing industry since 2000 and served on the executive committee of the Australasian Promotion Marketing Association for two years. In April 2007 Melissa started Umbrella Risk Management, specialising in providing financial solutions for promotional marketing activity.
Umbrella ensures budget maximisation and an increased promotional reach - good news for the consumer! Melissa works solo and believes that having written goals is the key to staying motivated. She also has pages from her business plan pinned up in her office to ensure she stays on track with her strategies, and that the plan is kept top of mind.
Favourite networking tip: Always hold your drink in your left hand so that when you shake hands with a new contact your right hand isn't cold and/or wet from your glass!
Phone: 02 9966 5458
Email: mwhitby@urma.com.au
Website: www.urma.com.au
EquityVision is based in Lane Cove, and provides personalised lending solutions to people who have finance needs.
Clients can visit at a time and location convenient to them, during the day, before or after work, or alternatively at a location during their lunchbreak or even at weekends.
Referrals and repeat business are the lifeblood of my business, so to me, the provision of exceptional, confidential and professional customer service is paramount. Caring about clients, makes the business grow.
EquityVision also provides a planning service, helping clients to work out their property ownership goals and how to save and plan for their purchase. It is quite gratifying to help First Home buyers, especially.
Two things set Equity Vision apart from other finance brokers. Firstly, a donation is made to clients' preferred charity whenever a loan application is successfully settled. Secondly, the Director is a Certified Professional Accountant (CPA) and although this is not an accounting practice, it has all of the training, expertise and ethics that are required to maintain the CPA designation.
Networking Tip: Two things that really help me at networking events are some points that I learned from attending a Robyn Henderson seminar:
- act like you are the host
- be prepared with at least three topical issues to discuss (not the weather)
Phone: 1300 553 969
Email: michele@equityvision.com.au
Website: www.equityvision.com.au
Australian businesswomen's network, members, profile, marketing, agency, Melissa Pye, HerCar, women, educate,Melissa Whitby, Umbrella Risk Management, networking, Michele Druery, EquityVision
