Content

Love it or hate it, sales is essential for growing your business. Without savvy sales you will struggle to gain the clients you need to survive in todays competitive marketplace. But it is a constant challenge because sales has changed a lot in recent years, mainly due to the use of technology and the way customers now make their purchasing decisions. So it is important that businesses don’t fall behind by using outdated, old-school sales tactics.

There are four key ways that selling has changed. Here are my thoughts on how you can adapt.

1. Selling is now about people buying you, before they start to buy into your business, products and services. That means personal brand is everything! It is vital that you do not leave this process to chance and work to create the best first impression you can. You can influence how people perceive you, those working with you, and your business. Talking about industry insights that are relevant to your customers and selling your personal differentiators will help you stand out in the crowd. Think about how you can apply this in your business and how it will change how potential new customers perceive you. Ask yourself…would my competitors be so professional?
2. Selling is no longer about pushy cold calls. It’s about helping and finding solutions to problems. Having an understanding of your customer’s industry will help, but you need to get under their skin and find out what problems, issues, frustrations and challenges they have. Find out what the negative impact might be if these things are not addressed. Making each sales conversation about the customer’s agenda, not yours, will enable you to sell solutions to problems in a way that customers see the real value of your products or services.
3. We all know that there are new touchpoints that a customer will explore before deciding to buy. These might include social media, email, print adverts, brochures, websites, comparison and review sites. In fact the average sale requires 7 to 10 touches with brand before a potential buyer converts into a customer. We need to remember that customers are not just giving you their money, they’re also going you time. So it is vital that you create positive touchpoint interactions. And don’t forget content marketing, the use of which is on the rise. It shouldn’t be trying to make a direct sale, rather position your brand as a helpful resource during the decision making process.
4. The one size fits all approach no longer works and there is now a need for individualisation. The sales process has not really changed, but the emphasis on a hard close has long been replaced by the strong opening and the need to understand your customer’s agenda. It is essential to be flexible in your approach and use different strategies for different clients. Make the conversation relevant and about ‘them’. Asking meaningful open questions that have impact will help you uncover needs, pains, issues, frustrations and challenges that you can match with the benefits of your products or services. Only then will you be communicating real value to the customer.

With the world having a surplus of similar companies, employing similar people with similar educational backgrounds, working in similar jobs, coming up with similar ideas, producing similar things, with similar prices and similar quality, the need to stand out in the crowd is more important now than it has ever been. Essentially your customers need to understand 3 things:

1. WHAT are the benefits of using your business?
2. HOW can you help solve their problem?
3. WHY they should use you instead of a competitor?

This means that everyone within your business who has direct contact with customers, potential new and existing, needs to understand your sales value proposition. Your SVP shows how your products or services create value for a specific customer segment and it has four essential elements:

1. Seeing things from the customers perspective
2. Telling them what is in it for them, i.e. the benefits and value that show why they should care about your solution
3. Saying why they should choose to buy from you, i.e. how you differentiate from your competitors
4. Giving some proof by using reviews or testimonials to create trust

Remember though that your sales value proposition is of little value unless it connects with the customers business issues or objectives. 

Many businesses have found that word of mouth, having a website or printed material has been enough to attract new customers. However, the goal posts keep moving and will continue to do so with BREXIT. From a sales point of view this makes the need to differentiate your business in order to generate more business even more essential. BREXIT will make it more important for companies to come across as trusted advisors or partners. Building up relationships with customers is going to be more vital than ever to sustaining continued growth, both in terms of winning repeat business and in getting referrals to convert to sales. 

Need help? andrewdennyconsulting.co.uk/support-packages

The Tudor Lodge Consultants team is happy to announce we will begin to work with Calming Blankets, who provide the best-weighted blankets on the market today. We will begin collaborating with the firm to help boost their SEO presence online and increase their Google ranking through our tried and tested reliable SEO methods.

About Calming Blankets

Calming Blankets sell weighted blankets that help people get a better night’s sleep, by providing comfort through the use of their premium fabrics. These blankets have been proven to help people with insomnia, children with autism and those affected by sleep disorders. So far, the company has sold over 50,000 in Australia, and they are now launching in the UK under their new website: https://calmingblankets.co.uk

What we are doing for Calming Blankets

Meta-data

Meta-data is very important when it comes to search rankings. We are helping Calming Blankets clean up their metadata, by ensuring all information listed is relevant, as well as removing duplicates on the site and making sure meta descriptions are the right length so that they are properly indexed by Google (under 165 characters).

Site clean-up

We will be carrying out a thorough clean up of the website to ensure that the site can be indexed by Google as efficiently as possible. For Calming Blankets, our team will put in every effort to ensure that all titles, descriptions, internal links, response codes and image-alt text have all been optimised and fixed. This will allow for smooth indexing of the website by Google, which will boost the firm’s online presence.

Backlinks

We will make sure that Calming Blankets has strong backlinks, and we will achieve this by having only reputable websites linking to the business which passed on authority to the website. We have already started approaching any partners for links including designers, stockists, accountants, outlets and many more. We are submitting a number of different press releases to different websites relating to business, startups, lifestyle and homes, creating relevancy and positioning the brand correctly.

Although early days, we expect to see the website rank in the top 10 pages of Google within a few weeks and gain a page 1 position within 3-6 months to competitive keywords including weighted blankets and sensory blankets.

In an ever-competitive job market, candidates are pulling out all the stops to stand out from the crowd. If you’re hoping to go up the career ladder, securing the role of your dreams will take time, preparation, and perseverance. Doing all that you can to beat other candidates is crucial, so here are 5 quick tips that will help you get hired fast.

Create a Strong CV

Employers see dozens upon dozens of CVs when finding candidates for a role, so it’s more important than ever to take your time to build a CV that catches the employee’s eye. Instead of relying on a generic format, you may be interested in visiting myperfectcv.co.uk where you can use a CV builder. My Perfect CV has a range of pre-written examples to help you build a CV that is interesting and relevant.

Tailor Your Cover Letter

When applying for your dream role, it’s only natural that you will want to do all that you can to impress employees. Instead of sending a generic cover letter, try and tailor it towards the role you’re applying for. For example, if you’ve applied for a business position, you should have a look at the job specifications of the role and incorporate it into your cover letter. Employers want to know you’ve taken the time to do research, and as they will have seen thousands of others before yours, they will be able to tell if it’s generic or not.

Dress the Part

If you have been given an interview for a role, dressing the part can be the make or break when it comes to securing the job. First impressions count, so from the moment you walk into your interview, you will want to feel confident and prepared. Before you go for your interview, make sure that you have a good night’s sleep and shower before heading out the door. It goes without saying that when we look good, we feel good, too, so make sure that you are well prepared.

Stay Consistent

With so many jobs being posted online every day and so many candidates fighting for the same position, it can be disheartening if you don’t land the role. However, you need to be realistic in your efforts. You’re not going to get every job you apply for, so if you stay focused, committed, and consistent with your job search, your hard work should pay off in the end.

Get Your Name Out There

The more people who see what you have to offer, the better. The internet is a powerful tool, and with so many job boards to check out, you may want to go one step further by creating your own LinkedIn account, enabling you to build and engage with your professional network.

No matter what sort of field you’re hoping to go into, it’s crucial that you have a CV that stands out from the crowd. Your cover letter should also be tailored towards the role you have applied for in order to impress employers. Dressing the part for your job interview, researching into the company, and staying consistent are all quick tips that will help you get hired fast.

Certain means of contact such as telephone calls and emails aren’t always the most reliable. For instance, emails have limited access, requiring Wi-Fi or an internet connection. What’s more, businesses may be too busy or unable to answer a phone call. This can often represent a missed opportunity if the customer forgets to ring back or leave a voicemail. Admittedly, texting would cover a few of these implications as it can be sent whenever and sits in the receiver’s phone until they look at it. However, texting isn’t deemed professional in the working world and this is where Google My Business’ new messaging feature could step in…

What is the new Google My Business messaging feature?

In the words of the search engine giant themselves: “Google My Business messaging allows customers viewing your listing to message you directly. Respond to questions, share information, and quickly connect, for free.“

What industries would this feature work best for?

This feature will work best for small businesses who interact personally with their customers and clients. This includes businesses such as hairdressers, taxi services, and car garages.

Typically, businesses such as these will benefit most as they’re able to answer customer queries relating to the business and find out more detailed information about what the customer needs. Instant contact also means their less wasted time that comes hand in hand with the delayed back and forth of email and missed phone calls.

On top of this, small businesses target clientele in their local area for the most part and will have the scope to answer questions from customers who live or are visiting the area. National companies may not have the knowledge of everyone’s local area to answer their questions accurately, so this could well present a golden opportunity for smaller businesses.

What is required to do this?

With this being a Google product, for the time being it’s only available to Android users. If you do own an Android device, the first requirement is to download the Google My Business app from Google Play or the App Store.

From here, it’s simple. All you need to do is open the location in your Google My Business account that you wish to manage messaging through, tap the ‘Customers’ tab and select ‘Turn on’ under ‘Messages’. You can also turn these off here, as well as delete or block any unwanted messages.

Once you’ve turned on this option for your Google My Business location, users will be able to see the ‘Message’ button within your listing. It can be found close to the ‘Call’ and ‘Website’ buttons.

Upon setting up this feature, there are various aspects to bear in mind:

• You will receive notifications whenever a user contacts the company, so there’s no need to worry about missing messages.
• It is possible to create an automated welcome message to ensure customers are aware that you’re active and likely to respond when given the chance.
• Anyone who has access to your Google My Business location will be able to respond to messages – make sure you’re happy for everyone who has access to do this.
• Customers will be able to see the profile name and photo of whichever Google account user responds to their message – ensure everyone has a professional and appropriate selection for these.

What does this mean for your other means of contact?

Whilst many customers, particularly younger audiences, may be quite taken with using this approach, there will be customers who prefer to speak to someone about their query or who need to carry out research on your website first.

Although it certainly seems that Google is constantly introducing new features to Google My Business that could make some aspects of your website redundant, your website is still the best platform for users to find out more information about your services and products. Once a user lands on your website, they’re unlikely to return to your Google My Business listing in order to contact you.

For now, we would look at the messaging feature on Google My Business as an addition to your current means of contact, helping to improve your response time and customer relationships.

Managing your finances can be tough, and sometimes you may need immediate assistance to help provide some relief. Some may consider taking help from friends and family to make ends meet or taking up a second job, but this is not a good idea. If money is not returned on time, then it can change an amicable relationship into a sour one, and undertaking a second job will only exhaust you of energy and be an added burden to the already present concerns in life. On occasions when money is direly needed, you can always take out a personal loan.

In this article, we will discuss some important reasons that should compel you to take out a personal loan instead of reaching out to other options. In case you are new to loans, you can always apply for a loan with Smart Loan.

1. Pay Off Credit Card Bills

On advantage of taking out a personal loan to pay off your card debts is that you will get lower interest rates. With lower interest rates, you can lower the amount of interest you pay, and the time it takes to repay off the credit card debt. This will allow you to pay off credit card debt as soon as possible.

2.      Pay for a Wedding

We all know the expenses that accompany a wedding, such as paying for a photographer, flowers, food, cake, etc. It’s not easy to manage a wedding and taking out a personal loan can prove to lessen the burden of having to take care of the expenses on your own.

3. Remodeling Your Home

If you are planning to remodel your home, either a specific area of the house or the whole home itself, then taking out a loan would be a good option. Refurbishing your home can be pricey, but it will be beneficial in the long run.

4. Funeral Expenses

It’s sad losing a loved one, and we all would love to pay one last act of kindness. The funeral home services, casket, burial plot, and other expenses can add up to a few thousand dollars. Cremation can be expensive too. Taking out a loan in such a case will bring you happiness that you could help someone out one last time.

5. Go On Your Dream Vacation

Carrying out the same mundane routine can be a real bummer and have a bad effect on your health, thereby reducing productivity. Therefore, taking out a loan to go on that one dream vacation would prove to be wholesome and invigorating.

6. Pay for Your Medical Bills

This is another great reason to take out a personal loan. In present times, looking your best is probably something people are most concerned about due to which shows by the great increase in the rise of cosmetic and dental procedures each year. If you are interested in looking your best and feel that a surgical procedure will do the trick, then taking out a loan will help.

Conclusion

Taking out a personal loan should not be a deterring factor, especially when it’s something you can benefit from in the long run such as, renovating your home, getting a cosmetic or other medical procedure, going on vacation, etc. Investing in yourself is something you will not regret, so go for what you wish to do now; don’t let money hold you back.

Preparing for a no-deal Brexit

HMRC have already provided guidance on certain steps that will help businesses prepare for a no-deal Brexit. These include making sure you have a UK EORI number (businesses already importing or exporting should already have one of these, but those who are only involved in intra-EC trade may not have). If you haven’t already got an EORI number, you’ll need one to ensure movements of goods into and out of the UK can continue uninterrupted post Brexit. In addition, if you’re going to continue to import goods in the EU post Brexit, you’ll need to apply for an EU EORI number as the UK number will no longer be valid for EU imports once we leave the EU. HMRC have recommended applying for an EORI number in the member state with which you do most business. You should be aware that HMRC have recommended businesses apply now. However, a number of member states have refused to issue an EORI as the business only requires one EU EORI and the UK number already satisfies that requirement (although certain member states have agreed to provisionally issue numbers, which will only have effect in the event of a no-deal Brexit).

HMRC have also suggested importers (and businesses that will be importers post Brexit) apply to use Simplified Transitional Procedures regarding imports and import taxes in the event of a no-deal Brexit. Businesses will also need to be aware that the EU member states may not introduce reciprocal simplified procedures, which may result in import VAT and duty needing to be paid before goods are released into free circulation, creating both a delay and cash flow impact on goods sent to the EU.

Both of the above steps are relatively straightforward, but they provide limited or no benefit if a Brexit deal is negotiated. However, the next steps are good practice regardless of the outcome of negotiations.

Preparing for Brexit with or without a deal

Understanding the supply chain and where goods originate from and how they reach your business is both good practice and crucial in understanding the potential impact of Brexit. We would recommend reviewing your supply chain to understand where goods originate, at what point they are brought in to the UK, the potential additional tariffs which would become due and where any potential shortages may arise.

Whilst we’re aware of a number of businesses stockpiling goods to mitigate the risk of shortages, this can tie up working capital at a time where businesses may need cash most. In addition, this may require additional warehousing and is unlikely to work for businesses trading in perishable goods.

We would advise any business directly involved in moving goods cross-border to review the commodity codes being used on declarations (either customs or intrastate declarations) to make sure the code being used is current and accurate. Thereafter, we would recommend businesses compare the commodity codes against HMRC’s list of post Brexit tariffs (with approximately 87% of tariffs set at 0% for a transitional period) and World Trade Organisation rates to understand the potential impact of additional, irrecoverable duty charges.

Any businesses who are moving goods within the EU, without the goods entering the UK, may be benefiting from simplified procedures such as triangulation or an intra-EU cross-border refund claim. If the UK leaves the EU without a deal, then simplifications such as triangulation may no longer work and EU VAT registration requirements may arise. Similarly, the process for EU businesses making cross-border refund claims is currently more straightforward than the process for non-EU businesses, which may result in changing deadlines and processes of which businesses will need to be aware.     

Finally, we would suggest reviewing agreements with EU customers/suppliers to understand who is responsible for the delivery of the goods. If your business is arranging collection or delivery, you’re likely to be the one who is responsible for the cost of additional declarations and taxes arising from the cross-border movement of goods.

Need help?

Our VAT team has worked with a wide range of businesses in preparing for Brexit and discussing their cross-border transactions. We’d be pleased to talk to you about any issues or concerns you may have. In addition, we have access to customs duty and VAT specialists throughout Europe and the rest of the world through our national network, MHA, and our international network, Baker Tilly International.

Call 0330 024 0888 or email enquiry@larking-gowen.co.uk