Talk Business Magazine - March 2021

HEAR FROM BUSINESS MINISTER AND MP, NADHIM ZAHAWI AS HE

LOOKS TO THE FUTURE We can finally start to cautiously begin to see a light at the end of the tunnel - hear from Nadhim Zahawi MP as he gives us a brief roadmap for the future.

TIPS FOR GREAT TESTIMONIALS

Testimonials sell your business, so make sure yours are top notch.

HOW IMPORTANT IS SOCIAL MEDIA?

For the past year, social media and online sales have been key for so many businesses across a number of sectors. How do you stand out from the crowd, how do you keep up to date?

LAUNCH OF

Baking has become a key hobby for a number of people throughout our many lockdowns! We want to feature your latest baking concoctions for some new inspirations. We are kicking off with Chocolate Cupcakes...

WHAT ARE THE OF VIRTUAL MEETINGS?

They have become a staple of our work for the past year - but are they here to stay? Are there risks to your operations, or to the welfare of your staff?

Find out here.

A MENTALLY HEALTHY HOW TO ACHIEVE IT?

Photography courtesy of Laurence Jones Photography

CAKE OF THE MONTH

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LETTER FROM A massive thank you to all those who have contributed to this issue of Talk Business Magazine.

Appreciate your time and the experience you have generously shared.

Talk Business UK has had a fantastic month with new members joining the network, joining all those businesses that enjoy the wealth of events being hosted, currently over 25 events every month! These include a current Marketing series for the Thrive on Thursday sessions. Thanks to this being a digital magazine you can watch the session on 'Sales Pipeline' from the link in this magazine!

What really hit home was the feedback from a Talk Business Local group on ''How does the group make you feel?'' Answers were.... ‘Rounded, Valued, Connected, Inspired, Motivated, Focused, Happy, Respected, Supported.’ This really sums up what Talk Business is all about. How can we best describe it?

'We're in the 'Business Community' building business' This month's issue also sees a supporting comment for Talk Business from the Business Minister and gives insight and ideas around well being in your workplace, receiving testimonials, encouraging improvisation and risks around virtual meetings.

One feature that did carry a few surprises was from Sarah Brewster at Fresh Seed on the value of the Freelancer community numbering over 1.7million and contributing over £125 billion to the economy, that’s more than aerospace, automotive, life sciences oil & gas combined!

Hopefully you will enjoy this issue and share the link with your friend and colleagues. If you feel you have an article in you, then please send it in. You can also support the production costs by taking out one of the advertising or Directory listing options.

Thank you again for the support.

JONATHAN SMITH DIRECTOR AT TALK BUSINESS UK

TABLE OF None of us is an island, let’s keep it that way ... 06 Accepting the unexpected ... 08 Keeping your name in the frame with social media ... 10 Are freelancers the lifeblood of our economy? ... 12 Nadhim Zahawi - Looking to the future ... 15 Cake of the month - Chocolate Cupcakes ... 16 Developing a mentally healthy workplace ... 17 Welcome to ProfitCLUB ... 19 7 tips for great testimonials ... 21 Thrive on Thursday ... 25 Charity begins at home, or work?! ... 26 What are the risks of virtual meetings? ... 29 Exit planning: Perspectives on the big picture ... 32 BBQ: Uniting the division ... 34 Talk Business Members Directory ... 37 No material may be reproduced in any way, or translated, without written permission of the publishers.

COPYRIGHT © 2021

Disclaimer: Every effort has been made to ensure that adverts and articles appear correctly, but Talk Business Magazine cannot accept responsibility for any loss or damage caused directly or indirectly by the contents of the publication.

Talk Business Magazine is published by iPlus Media.

The views expressed in this magazine are not necessarily those of its publisher or editor.

Editorial & Advertising: hello@talkbusinessuk.co.uk Telephone: 01789 330 003 | Website: www.talkbusinessuk.co.uk

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NONE OF US IS AN ISLAND,

LET’S KEEP IT THAT WAY. Home working has now been a feature of many of our lives for far longer than we envisaged.

For some, taking advantage of having no commute, and the ability to fit in life admin around work and seeing more of family has been a positive to come out of a very tragic situation.

Some people have established a new routine that works well for them, such as longer in bed each morning, working in comfies and fitting in more home workouts.

Sadly, that it not the reality for all, especially those with young children to home-school, those living alone, those living in dysfunctional homes and those who need the stimulation of those around them in order to stay motivated and creative.

Our clients have seen a significant dip in mood, energy, and motivation recently and they admit that they have lost momentum on a lot of the support they temporarily put in place in the first lockdown. So, we felt that a reminder of some of the key factors in keeping those relationships strong with your team members would be useful.

For more information about developing an effective wellbeing strategy contact Lisa Whittleton, Director at Illuminate: lisa.whittleton@illuminatevr.co.uk 07784 558552 | www.illuminatevr.co.uk

Be transparent - Try to keep people up to date on updates even if you don’t have all the information.

Remember you are all in this together.

Have empathy for all of your team - People have very different levels of resilience and some are able to adapt quickly to change, while others take quite some time.

- You may believe someone’s anxieties are trivial, but take the time to listen and reassure people that feeling anxious is natural, and ask if there is anything you or they can do to manage these feelings.

- Also, expect people’s tolerances to change day-to-day in response to family, friends, news etc. as well as work.

Provide clear guidance on expectations - Emphasis on keeping well, encouraging staff to take breaks regularly, stick to normal working hours, establish healthy routines which incorporate activity and to contact you for support / advice – manager to lead by example!

- Discourage people from working at home if they are unwell, checking in regularly on staff to find out how they are feeling. Many individuals will not want to take the day off while at home anyway so it is important to be aware of individuals who feel unable to switch off until everything is done who may place themselves at risk of burnout.

- Set clear objectives to provide structure, but allow autonomy on how this is completed.

- Give clarity on how work will be monitored e.g. through a daily email, weekly team call, or verbal feedback after deadlines.

- Reassurance again that distractions such as pets and children, other people on the phone is OK, we are only human.

- Offer flexible working, or where you can, state you do not expect full working hours where this is not practical.

Try to be open with your team - Show that you are vulnerable too, and what has helped you manage any anxieties e.g. things you do to keep well day-to-day - remember to try and practice what you preach (however tricky sometimes).

Provide clarity on what support is available - Whether this be through HR, you as a manager, peers, in-house Mental Health First Aiders, national helplines or delivery of webinars / online training.

Maintain regular one-to-one connections with your team - Having one-to-one time with your manager is important, as many will not want to share their concerns with the whole team on a video call. Have these scheduled in to give people permission and space to talk about how they feel rather than feeling anxious about whether they should call you. This is especially important for new starters.

Bring some fun to the workplace - Can we bring back some of the fun and spontaneity that we saw in the first lockdown?! Your team may be sick of Zoom quizzes, so can you mix it up? There are plenty of team games that can be played online, as well as activities such as cooking, origami, pottery, playing X-box or whatever floats your teams boat!

- New starters will not have had the opportunity through lockdown 1 to do these activities – so keep them going to help build relationships.

TALK WORK PL AC E

ACCEPTING THE APPLIED IMPROVISATION:

I can’t do improvisation… I’m not clever, quick or funny enough…

If I asked you to make up a story or come up with a creative idea to help your business right now what would you do?

The usual response is to freeze, go a bit wide-eyed and feel every ounce of imagination and creativity drain out of you to be replaced by a blank horror and sweaty palms. This reaction is the major obstacle when you try to tell businesses about the benefits of using Applied Improvisation with their teams…

“I’m not a performer and I hate role play…”

People get hung up on the idea that improv is inextricably linked to comedy, performance and acting, when the reality is that every part of every day is an improvisation. There is no script for any conversation or interaction from the

moment you get up to the moment you go to bed. You get a cue, you react. That’s it.

Improv is the same. Everyone can do it.

Applied Improvisation allows people to share human reactions without fear of being judged - as we like to say “no one will be killed, ostracised, judged or eaten” - and the only role you play is yourself. It could be described as group generated, spontaneous storytelling.

“I’m no good at things like this…”

Many people have a blind spot around their ability to be imaginative and creative even though as children they did it all the time.

Unfortunately, education and work condition us to fear the consequences of failure and to

run everything we utter past an internal panel of judges that decide if it is suitable, likely to attract criticism or – cripplingly if you are trying to develop an innovative idea – “good enough”.

If you combine this feeling of only wanting to say and do things that are perfect with an adult’s desire to put forward and hold onto a personal agenda, creativity doesn’t stand a chance. All you are left with is an empty head and sweaty palms.

However, with the right encouragement and a few simple rules everyone can discover what they can achieve when they allow their imagination free rein, always say “yes” and have the support of their colleagues. That’s not to say that you won’t make mistakes or suddenly find yourself stuck. In fact, failing is part of it, but it’s not only OK, it’s actively encouraged. It’s hard to be afraid of something you are encouraged to do.

How can Applied Improvisation help me, my team and my business?

If you want to be more comfortable with uncertainty, faster to adapt in changing environments, and more willing to suggest and try new ideas and build on the suggestions of others, Applied Improvisation is for you. It reinforces the value of supportive networks, the power of imagination and demonstrates that concepts of “failure” and “not being good enough” limit a team’s ability to collaborate, communicate and find novel solutions to the problems they face.

All you have to do is say “yes”…

Thanks to Howard Karloff from Colour; Noun for this great piece, if you want more information, head to: www.colournoun.co.uk, or talk to Howard 07973 209144 | howard@colournoun.co.uk

HOW IMPROV CAN IMPROVE YOUR BUSINESS SKILLS..

Listening: - Listening skills are vital in business. Only by listening can you understand your clients goals and objectives, and form a solution.

Body Language: - Non-verbal clues like posture, facial expressions, eye contact can all speak volumes, especially in business.

Understanding approachable, friendly and professional body language is key to great business and improv is the perfect vehicle for that learning.

Team Building: - A happy, well connected team is a strong one. Applied improv is an excellent team building session to help bond your employees.

IDEAS TO TRY: Alphabet Game: - Two people are given a couple of elements with which to build a scene and each sentence has to start with the subsequent letter in the alphabet.

One-Sentence Story: - The group aims to build a scene around a given stimulus — a famous person and an object or destination, for instance. Participants take turns building the narrative, each adding one sentence at a time.

Last Word Spoken:

- Two people have a conversation and person B has to start a sentence with the last word person A said, and vice versa.

TALK M AR K ETING

KEEPING YOUR

NAME IN THE FRAME WITH SOCIAL MEDIA

Using social media for your business has never been more important than during the last 12 months.

Many businesses have embraced using social media to promote their products and services and have done very well out of it.

But those businesses that decided that footfall was sufficient have really suffered during the Covid-19 pandemic as shops and premises were forced to shut due to lockdowns.

Suddenly all their clients disappeared and trying to reach their old customers became almost impossible. So they realised that maybe social media was the answer.

there are always new platforms to consider.

Would you be better talking to your clients on WhatsApp, Messenger or the new kid on the block Clubhouse?

To be honest the possibilities are endless.

But the big question then was which platform to use?

If you have products then that is fairly simple - Facebook or Instagram as both these platforms are image driven.

Another point to consider before you choose a platform is “Where is your ideal client hanging out”.

There is no point in using a platform if your audience is not there. To find this out you will need to do some research by looking at what your competitors are doing.

So what are you waiting for? Let’s get social!

If you have a service then LinkedIn is most definitely the place to be - you can give hints, tips, advice and sell yourself and what you do very effectively.

However it is not just as simple as doing a post here and there. My mantra is quite simply - CONSISTENCY, CONSISTENCY, CONSISTENCY. Yes you do have to show up every day, you do have to post something but more importantly you must engage with those you follow.

Engagement is the sweet spot of social media - after all the clue is in the name!

Many people make the mistake of just posting or broadcasting, as it is known in the trade, and whilst it is important to showcase what you do it is just as important to engage with those you follow.

But social media is not as simple as you think - you have to consider when to post, what to post, what hashtags to use (these are extremely important on Instagram) and then

If you need any help then please get in touch with Sandra Ashford at Footprint Social Media: www.footprintsocialmedia.co.uk 07877760411

ARE

FREELANCERS THE

LIFEBLOOD OF OUR ECONOMY?

If, like me, you work in the Creative Industry you’ll know just how important freelancers are; so imagine if you will, a world without freelancers and all that they bring to our industry.

From Digital Marketers, UX designers, UX researchers, photographers, Creative Directors, Graphic Designers, Screen Skills Directors, dancers, actors, Marketing & PR you’ll understand how they operate and why they function as they do. The industry just operates with them and it works; they bring talent, creativity and ideas that you simply don’t get from a permanent employee; perhaps borne from the uncertainty of it all, their ideas are truly the lifeblood of the industry.

Freelancers take the hit on holiday and sickness pay that a permanently employed person gets. They take the risk of being dropped with little to no notice on a project and they take the hit on being out of work for a period whilst waiting for other work. Yet despite all this, and despite their known importance across the industry they are still seen as the underdog to the wider world.

And especially it would seem in the recent Government support following the Covid-19

pandemic. In a recent report by the Creative Industries Federation Andy Harrower, CEO, Directors UK said that the majority of Screen Directors are freelancers and as production halted due to the virus, their work has ceased. With the Creative Industry bringing £111.7 billion to our economy – that’s more than aerospace, automotive, life sciences oil & gas combined [Our World without Culture Report June 2020 Creative Industries Federation] – why are we still overlooking the community of freelancers?

As the Creative Industry has grown over the last 20 years we are now, more than ever able to demonstrate how we have managed to adapt and grow, despite the banking crisis of 2008 and the following global recession. Perhaps now, in the face of

THE STATS

- For the majority (1.77 million), working on a freelance basis is their main occupation.

- Freelancers are extremely valuable members of the UK economy, currently contributing approximately £125 billion.

opportunity and provide freelancers with financial and personal resilience.

Our secondary focus has been to shift the understanding at local and national government level, which we’re achieving through reporting and challenging the decision makers of local strategy to really truly understand why freelancers are so vital to our local and national another recession that will inevitably follow the Covid pandemic, wider industry will look to us once again to help them respond as their businesses unfold. But in order to do so, they need to ask not ‘what we can do to be more like them’, but ‘what can they do to be more like us?’ There are currently over 2 million Freelancers in the UK. Not only do they bring financial value it is their wider breadth of knowledge, creative perspective and a deeper understanding of the creative process that is truly immeasurable. They adapt, and integrate whilst maintaining a holistic view that brings so much to the ecosystem of our Creative Industry.

If you are looking to adapt for the post Pandemic world, then it is this talent that may well help you do so. The beauty of freelancers after all, is they are not headcount and they’d prefer not to be but they are colour and diversity where you may otherwise lack it.

In Coventry & Warwickshire our focus has been supporting freelancers in two ways. Our primary focus has been to develop a programme of networks, collaborations with wider business to increase

economic picture.

The ecosystem for freelancers is powerful, from OpentoWork.uk, to the amazing help of recruiters in the freelancer industry like Beyond the Book, to Grant fund advisors like Amy Dalton Hardy and us, at Fresh Seed, providing commercial support and training, aswell as amazing books available by Sarah Townsend and Alison Grade, we feel now is the best time to be a freelancer and a great opportunity to share the advantages they offer to the world.

If you’re a freelancer in need of HR help during this time, contact Sarah Brewster at Fresh Seed. www.freshseed.co.uk or call on 01926 357355

NADHIM ZAHAWI:

LOOKING

TO THE

FUTURE

Despite the closures and restrictions that have dogged our economy since March last year, the superb vaccine rollout is putting us on a path to better times.

businesses navigating their way through the unprecedented challenges of the past year and I have no doubt that it will continue to be so. It’s also a fantastic forum for me to get feedback directly from business and relay it into the heart of government. This magazine is another example of Talk Business’ good work and I encourage everyone to make use of it.

I look forward to catching up and meeting in person with as many of you as possible very soon!

We now have a clear roadmap detailing our gradual return to normality, giving businesses the certainty, they need to reopen and rebuild. And top of this, we now have the financial certainty provided by the 2021 Budget, confirming that substantial economic support will continue right through to the Autumn.

This is all cause for great optimism, and I can’t wait to see businesses bounce back. I wish everyone the very best for the months ahead in this effort.

Talk Business has been an invaluable source of support, networking and advice for

Thanks to Nadhim Zahawi, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for COVID-19 Vaccine Deployment for this piece.

To keep up to date with Nadhim, follow him on Twitter and Facebook - @nadhimzahawi

CAKE

OF THE

MONTH

TALK B AK I NG

MARCH 2021

CHOCOLATE

CUPCAKE FROM ANNA NEWMAN SUGAR BOWL BAKES WWW.SUGARBOWLBAKES.CO.UK

The Ingredients (makes 12): For the cake batter -

- 150g Caster Sugar

- 1tbsp golden syrup

- 150g Baking butter/ Stork

- 1 tsp vanilla extract

- 3 medium eggs

- 110g self-raising flour

- 20ml Vegetable oil

- 40g cocoa powder

For the icing - 250g unsalted butter - 1 tsp vanilla extract - 500g Icing Sugar - Splash of milk (optional)

The Method: To start, pre heat your oven at 160 degrees (electric).

In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar together until it becomes light, fluffy, and lighter in colour.

Weigh out all wet ingredients and mix together in a separate bowl before slowly adding it to the butter and sugar mix.

Sieve the flour and cocoa together in a bowl, then add to the cake mix a spoonful at a time, ensuring your mixer is set to the lowest setting. Having the mixer on a low speed prevents air being knocked out of the cake batter, and therefore giving you light a fluffy cupcakes.

Scoop your cake batter into your cupcake

cases until 3/4 full. I use an ice cream scoop and two dollops is enough to fill a case.

Smooth over the mixture so it is laying flat in the cases, using a teaspoon.

Pop in the oven for 20-25 minutes.

Leave to cool for an hour before decorating.

For the icing, beat together the butter, sugar and vanilla until the mixture is light and fluffy.

You can add a tablespoon of boiling water or milk if you want to make a loser texture.

Now you can pipe onto your cupcakes in any pattern you wish, if you don’t have a piping nozzle and bag, simply spread on top with a knife.

Have you been baking in Lockdown?! We want to feature your favourite recipe, send yours to hello@talkbusinessuk.co.uk.

DEVELOPING A

MENTALLY HEALTHY

WELLBEING AS AN ECOSYSTEM The pandemic has brought into sharp focus the relationship between mental health, wellbeing and the workplace.

As we begin to navigate our way out of the lockdown restrictions over the next few months, it will be more important than ever that we create working spaces which can support peoples mental wellbeing and respond to distress in ways that are supportive and helpful.

We often define wellbeing as ‘a state of being comfortable, happy or healthy’ often measured by life satisfaction levels, whether what we do is worthwhile, our happiness, anxiety levels and overall mental health. To some extent this definition is helpful, but this positions most of the responsibility within an individual and pays less attention to the importance of and quality of the environment which

supports an individual. Perhaps it’s time that employers recognised that employee wellbeing and resilience is a sum of interrelated parts that spans across time and is largely supported by the environment and the quality of relationships and social supports this affords.

Business resilience is not about managing performance solely but embracing

increasing demands without the resources to meet these demands and lack of meaningful progression will be essential in retaining employees’ key to the success of any business. Recent research by Benenden Health has indicated that how an organisation supports mental health and wellbeing will be an important decision-making factor in terms of an employee’s choice of employer.

complexity, uncertainty and recognising the inter dependent nature of people and their environment. Organisations whose values are embedded, widely understood and recognisable in the day to day operations seem to be more agile and decisive at times of crisis and have an ability to pivot and manage uncertainty well.

There will be much uncertainty as we move forward and employees will need to feel that they work in a place of psychological safety at work where they can speak about their concerns and have those concerns listened to and attended to with care.

Flexibility and communication will be key to keeping staff motivated, engaged and creative. Some conversations in the workplace may well be challenging in terms of the variety of different opinions on vaccines, ways of working, shared spaces and it is vital that line managers feel they have the confidence and competence to manage these conversations well. Investing in good people management is key especially as evidence suggest that employee wellbeing is largely mediated by the relationship with the line manager.

Developing and sustaining cultures which tackle the unhealthy work habits of long, excessive working hours,

Organisations who see wellbeing as an ecosystem with many interrelated parts will no doubt have the edge over those who abdicate responsibility to the individual solely. The provision of mental health support runs alongside providing physical and emotional safe spaces to work, financial planning and debt management support, mediation services when conflict arises which it naturally does between human beings especially during times of stress and an emphasis on good quality relationships. Developing trust within an environment and a culture of collaborative support will sustain businesses through the choppy waters ahead.

Kirsty Lilley is an experienced and award-winning mental health trainer, coach and mindfulness teacher.

If you want to know more about Kirsty, head to her LinkedIn page for her latest updates.

Connect with her today: https://bit.ly/3qz3fyE

TALK O PERATIO NS

WELCOME TO

Running a business takes ambition, determination and a passion for the products and services you offer.

Being an entrepreneur or small business owner is an exciting journey, and often the fruition of a dream turned to reality.

However, entrepreneurs frequently find themselves tackling challenges they didn’t expect, and don’t have the skills or experience to overcome by themselves.

It is for this very reason that business growth specialists ActionCOACH Warwick are launching ProfitCLUB – an innovative coaching programme designed to help business owners maximise their potential – so you will no longer feel alone in the world of business.

Business Coach Kath Cleary will teach you how to develop a unique selling proposition and market your business so that you can surpass your competition.

During online group coaching sessions, you will benefit from Kaths 26+ years of commercial experience, plus the shared learnings from other business owners in a “think tank” environment.

Essential concepts including increasing your turnover, growing your profits, taking control of your finances and delivering predictable

service are just a few of the topics you will master. You will receive guidelines and practical advice for developing systems, yourself and (if required) a high performing team to ensure you poise your business for long term, sustainable success.

Entrepreneurs who work alone in their business or have 1 employee are invited to join a free of charge taster session on Wednesday 24th March or Wednesday 7th April (09:30 – 11:30am) to learn how ProfitCLUB will benefit their business.

You will then receive two coaching sessions a month (2nd and 4th Wednesdays) starting on Wednesday 14th April for an investment of £100 + VAT per month.

ProfitCLUB comes with a 6 month guaranteed return on investment, giving you peace of mind that your business will generate more income as a direct result of engaging in this coaching programme than the cost of the programme itself, or we will refund the difference.

What have you got to lose?

To register for ProfitCLUB, please visit www.warwick.actioncoach.co.uk/events or contact Lizzie Roberts on 01926 942144 | lizzieroberts@actioncoach.com

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TALK O PERATIO NS

7 TIPS FOR

GREAT

Let’s be honest - selling isn’t easy. Unless you can convince your prospect that your product or service will give them the result they’re seeking, you won’t get the sale.

And what you say is often taken with a pinch of salt. After all, we’re all sceptics these days.

So how can you almost instantly prove to the prospect that you can deliver on your promises?

It’s actually much easier than you may think - you use Social Proof.

Although there are other good options for social proof (which you should also use), customer testimonials are the most common and often the most powerful form.

What surprises me therefore is how often I see businesses trying to sell and market their offering without the use of testimonials. You make your life very difficult if you don’t use them.

Testimonials add credibility to your marketing materials and the ‘story’ you’re telling becomes far more believable. Your reputation is enhanced, and a new prospect will know that other buyers have received the benefits you’ve promised.

So, what are the key elements to a great set of testimonials?

Here are my 7 recommendations…

- Identify the person giving the testimonials by their name, their title, what they do and where they’re from. Add a photo if possible.

2

If you can’t put the details of the person providing the testimonial, you’re better off not using it – people may suspect it’s a fake!

1

- Make sure the testimonials are specific. For example: “I’m delighted to say this workshop has made a significant difference” - a difference in what?! This type of generalised testimonial is weak, so it’s best to use a more precise description of what has been provided and the difference it has made.

Better still, giving exact facts and figures can be really effective, such as “our business made £24,900 more profit after using ABC product!”

- Make sure the testimonial is written in a positive way. Rather than saying “not a waste of money” (which could do more harm than good), it should be turned around to “every penny spent was well worth it”.

4

3

- Obtain 3-4 paragraphs if possible, with each paragraph vividly describing one major benefit.

You can then use one testimonial for up to four different circumstances.

- Obtain a range of testimonials. Variety is important as you can use each to highlight specific benefits of your offering, or even to counter the objections of potential customers.

5

7

6

- Get testimonials from a diverse group – from both sexes for example to avoid alienation (unless the offering only applies to one sex of course).

- Request video as well as written testimonials. Video testimonials are fantastic because not only can you share the video on your website and on social media, they’re also versatile - you can transcribe a written version for other uses.

At this point you might be wondering how you can fulfil all of these recommendations…

How can you make sure that they’re specific, for example?

Well, in my experience, customers are often happy for some adjustments to be made as they want the testimonial to be useful to you.

You can modify the testimonial to make it snappier and more specific, and then get approval for the change. Do it diplomatically of course!

And don’t worry if you don’t have any testimonials available yet - one of the great things about them is that your satisfied customers will usually be more than happy to provide one, if you just ask. Requesting a testimonial straight after you’ve completed the work is the perfect time.

Once you have testimonials, I recommend placing them in all your marketing communications. But don’t stop there - put them in every place where your prospects will see them, such as in your offices, in your reception areas, on your walls. Blow them up and parade them!

If you’re not using them already, or the testimonials you have are poor, you’ll see a fast and measurable improvement in your sales and profits once you start using great testimonials.

Chrysalis Partners knows how important testimonials can be for your business, and know you know how to create the best ones. If you want more great tips, contact Kevin Robinson: www.chrysalismidlands.co.uk | 01926 717911

BE THE LEADER your eight-year-old self would want you to be

“Working with Anna grew my knowledge around leadership exponentially, enabled me to recognise my existing values and strengths and build on them – it has transformed my perception of leadership and of myself.”

VP of finance, global manufacturing company

LEADERSHIP COACHING

LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT

LEADERSHIP CHARACTER hello@jester-consulting.com

jester-consulting.com 07802 294 857

TALK M E E T I N GS

THRIVE ON THURSDAY Thrive on Thursday talks have been created to help you and your business take advantage of the knowledge of leaders in their fields and to grow in your business.

The sessions will cover such topics as marketing, customer retention, brand awareness and how to use social media to help your business.

We recently had the pleasure of being joined by Phil Coley, CEO at iPlus Sales, and he spoke about his expertise in pipelines and prospects. As Phil will tell you, there is no business without sales so ensuring your sales pipeline is always full and thriving is step number one in ensuring business success and longevity.

You can view Phil’s presentation in full below.

TALK

CHARITY

BEGINS AT HOME

(OR AT WORK..?)

CHARI T Y

READ OUR TIPS FOR GREAT CHARITY WORK How easy is it to choose a Charity of the Year for your business, it needs to be a good fit for all and is a year enough?

With over 169 thousand charities in England and Wales there are a lot to choose from and it can be a very difficult decision unless something has happened to a work colleague which often makes the decision for you. Fundraising is a win-win situation for all concerned.

The business should shout about their involvement and use it to promote their company in a positive way especially if the charity is a local one, and the charity benefits from the coverage and ultimately the funding.

Here are some tips!

CHOOSING YOUR CHARITY - You really want to choose a charity that your business can get behind. The ethos, the values and the amount of people that are affected by the money raised.

- How well do you feel you can work with the charity. Is the charity fundraiser easy to deal with, approachable, helpful with ideas and supportive with your events?

- Decide what you are going to fund if possible and get pictures etc for everyone to visualise what you are all aiming towards.

- Will the charity help with merchandise to put in your foyer, on your notice boards & help to push on social media with you and for you?

- Is one year enough to take a charity on?

By the time you get used to working with the charity you will need to get to know another one. I would advise that a 2 year stint is valuable on a relationship level and you will raise more money enabling you to possibly fund something bigger and more effective for the Charity.

Finally, enjoy the process of fund raising. It is a great way to bond groups of people together either in a challenge, organising an event or in some sort of healthy competition!

At the end of the day anything raised is better than nothing and you should all gain the good feeling of helping others, positive team building & making a difference. Good Luck!

If you are needing some help choosing your charity, Julie Kent can help you out.

Keep up to date with Julie on her LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/3rBXYYqGloucestershire

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TALK O PERATIO NS

WHAT ARE THE

OF

VIRTUAL MEETINGS? “Shall we jump on a Zoom?” “You’re on mute.” “Can you see me?” These are all things we have all heard a lot more during the last year.

But as professional solicitors who are used to meeting clients all the time, like everyone

else, we have had to quickly adapt to the changing times.

The risks of virtual

Zoom and Microsoft Teams have allowed us to continue to meet clients and attend networking events, albeit virtually. However, have you truly considered the risks that this could bring to you and your business? Do you know what privacy settings there are in Zoom? Have you considered what could happen if something you say on Teams was recorded and used against you, or released into the public domain?

Furthermore, I’m pretty sure that most people would rather avoid becoming the next viral sensation. I certainly would not relish attending a virtual trial and having to make representations to a Judge that I am definitely ‘not a cat!’

Avoid Zoombombers

If Zoom is your preferred video conferencing software, then setting up a meeting is simple. You ask other parties to dial in to your meeting using a randomly generated ID number between 9 and 11 digits long.

Zoom’s default settings don’t make you generate or set a password for someone to gain entry to the meeting. This has resulted in cases of ‘Zoombombing’, where uninvited participants enter your meeting by guessing an active meeting ID.

Some reports suggest that meeting IDs are in fact susceptible to brute force attacks and there have been many reported cases of Zoombombing in the UK and the USA. Businesses need to consider whether they are potentially allowing privacy and confidentiality breaches to occur by arranging Zoom meetings without a password. After all, how sure can you be that without a password, the only participants will be you and those whom you have invited?

Protect your privacy

My advice would be to password protect your meetings. This way you will keep the password private between you and attendees. I would also advise you to enable the private meeting setting, use a waiting room allowing you to check the participants into the meeting and disable screen sharing for participants to avoid any potentially embarrassing situations.

To keep the information shared in your virtual meeting confidential, you might also want to consider the following: - Ensure that anyone who is planning on sharing their screen hides other information and disables any reminders or applications that may appear on their screen for the duration of your meeting.

- Make sure to request that participants do not record or screenshot any part of the meeting (unless they have been authorised to do so) and even consider requiring the participants of your meeting to sign a confidentiality agreement beforehand. I would urge you to really considering this one. Jackie Weaver may have had the authority to chair a meeting without the chairman present (I still can’t tell whether she did or not), but who had the authority to share a recording of that meeting? The answer is probably simple. All participants had the authority to share it because there was no agreement on the point beforehand.

Watch out for breaches and leaks!

If you are in the unfortunate situation where

someone has recorded your meeting and confidential information has now been leaked to the public domain, or perhaps someone is threatening to use that recording against you as evidence, you may wish to consider whether there has been a breach of confidence, a breach of privacy or even a breach of the Data Protection Act or GDPR. If you ensure participants of your meeting have signed, or agreed to a confidentiality agreement, it could then potentially be successfully argued that by leaking the recording or the information to the public domain could give rise to a breach of confidence. Simply put - to establish a breach of confidence the information leaked must be confidential in nature, imparted in circumstances where confidence would be expected and disclosed in a way that is detrimental to the person imparting the information.

Under the Data Protection Act and the GDPR, personal data includes ‘any information relating to an identified or identifiable natural person.’ This means that depending on the nature of the recording, it could be considered personal data and covered by the Data Protection Act and the GDPR.

Evidence in legal proceedings

You should always bear in mind that recordings obtained without someone’s consent can be used as evidence in legal proceeding. However, under Civil Procedure

Rule 32.1(2) the Court may use its power under this rule to exclude evidence that would otherwise be admissible. This means it is possible to make representations to the Court that a recording of you in your virtual meeting, where you specifically requested no one records the meeting and, even, potentially the fact that a confidentiality agreement was in place, could help to protect you from this eventuality.

Top tips for virtual meeting safety and security - Ensure you know the privacy settings of Zoom, Teams, or anything you use and make sure you know how to use them.

- Inform the participants at the beginning of the meeting that the information discussed within the meeting is confidential and should be treated as such.

- Consider using Confidentiality Agreements and asking meeting participants to read and confirm or sign the Agreement beforehand.

- Specifically request that your participants do not record the meeting, unless you have given them express permission to do so.

- If you are going to release information from a virtual meeting, make sure you have the authority to do so.

And finally, and perhaps most importantly… don’t be a cat!

FED UP OF ZOOM MEETINGS?

TRY OUT SOME OF OUR GAMES INSTEAD..

Lightning Scavenger Hunts Each team, or person comes up with a list of items, which is then shared with the rest of the group over Zoom. Then it's up to the players to find the listed items and show them to the group before time runs out!

There are a number of examples online if you are struggling to think of objects!!

“Conference Call” Bingo To play Bingo games over Zoom, distribute the game board and then encourage your co-workers to track their progress throughout the virtual conference call. The first player to complete a row gets a prize.

You can create your own bingo worksheet, or use one of the 100’s you will find online!

Guess That Movie Prior to the game starting, curate a YouTube playlist with movie scenes. Then, when playing Guess That Movie, mute all participants and play the movie scene without revealing which film the clip is from. Then, ask the players to submit the name of the movie in Zoom’s chat box.

Virtual Murder Mystery Players can work in teams and use breakout rooms to swap clues and unravel the case together. A facilitator can guide the game and entertain attendees while moving the story forward.

You can find a number of different murder mystery games online - this is a great team building event.

Read my Lips

If you need any help or advice on anything discussed in this blog then please contact Ben Chase Solicitor, Dispute Resolution Department: ben.chase@alsterskelley.com | www.alsterskelley.com

To play, one participant will mute the mic, and then speak a word or phrase. The other players must try to guess the word or phrase correctly. Players have one minute to figure out the message.

The turn-taker can also give clues by using the chat box, if necessary.

TALK PL A NNING

EXIT PLANNING: PERSPECTIVES ON THE BIG PICTURE According to research by Legal & General, nearly 60% of family businesses in the UK don’t have a succession plan in place. It is often a task shelved for ‘some other time’, until it’s too late.

It is important for business owners, therefore, to consider the ‘big picture’ when it comes to succession planning. Should a key director retire, or crucial personnel suddenly depart, how would your organisation cope? And how can you prepare in advance to minimise the impact on your business should this happen, whether expected or otherwise?

Three succession planning experts, from Legal 500-rated law firm Willans LLP, run through the key considerations for business owners…

Start early

from Chris Wills, partner & head of corporate & commercial “There are, fundamentally, two types of exit: one brought about through choice (a trade sale or listing, or perhaps a management buyout or family succession) and one brought about through necessity (death or incapacity, or another change of circumstances). This makes it essential for every business leader to give some thought to what a planned exit may look like and how they would hope that a forced exit might look, no matter what stage they are at

in the business lifecycle. Early planning coupled with appropriate professional advice will help any business leader to ease this process and maximise the potential (or minimise the impact) of any exit.

“Exit planning can take three to five years, so having a target in mind as soon as possible will enable a business leader to put measures in place that can steer the business in the desired direction with maximum impact.

No matter what exit route is most desirable, three key ingredients to success are to invest in appropriate professional advice; to communicate with key stakeholders (such as the management team, if a management buyout is the desired option, or any family member that may be identified as a potential successor); and to keep all documents and records safe and in a well-organised manner. This way, any issues with the business can be readily identified and addressed at the earliest opportunity.”

Manage retirement

Plan for the unexpected

“A healthy succession plan avoids ‘blockages’ at the top and encourages up and coming new talent to move fluidly through the business. Managing the retirement of older workers is an essential and often-overlooked part of this strategy, but it can present a challenge; it has been reported that nearly a quarter of businesses are unsure of how to do this, and nearly 70% have no fixed retirement age (according to a CBI/Accenture study).

“It is not uncommon for the founding members to remain involved in the running of a business into their later years.

Something that is rarely considered is the potential for a lack of capacity or even unexpected death of key individuals.

“In each case, most people assume that their partners could manage without them or that their family could take their place. However, this may not necessarily be the case: business accounts may be frozen, leaving your partners unable to operate the simple every-day tasks of paying bills and salaries.

It may be months before the account can be accessed, by which time it is possible that the business will have suffered irreparable damage.

from Matthew Clayton, partner and head of employment law & data protection

“The default retirement age was scrapped in 2011. Since then, employers have had to make their own decisions as to whether to have a fixed retirement age, and if so, whether this is limited to certain roles. Some employers have decided not to adopt one at all, reasoning that most employees want to retire at some point, and most will do so before their abilities have declined to the point when the employer needs to take action on performance grounds.

“In terms of workforce succession planning, there is no obviously legitimate point at which to have a discussion with an older worker about their future plans and when they might finish working for the business.

This may lead to discussions about when someone might retire (or vary their working patterns) not taking place at all. It is important that employers keep the lines of communication open with older workers about their future plans, and have effective procedures in place to deal with any health or performance issues that may arise.”

from Rachel Sugden, senior associate solicitor, wills, trusts & probate

“Therefore, it is vital that all business people put in place lasting powers of attorney for their business interests and choose sensible and competent attorneys to take the reins. In fact, in some industries a business partner who fails to put such provision in place may be non-compliant with their professional regulations.

“It is also important to make sure that the provisions of your will are sensible and suitable to the needs of both the business and your family. The correct combination of cross-option agreements and insurance policies can offer business partners the comfort of retaining control of the business following the death of a partner, whilst also ensuring that the cash benefit of that interest ends up in the hands of the bereaved family.

These documents need to be drafted carefully to ensure that any available inheritance tax relief is not inadvertently lost in the process.”

Willans’ legal experts are on hand with practical, clear and commercially-sound support, whatever challenges your business may face in the months or years ahead, for more information: Visit www.willans.co.uk or email law@willans.co.uk, or call 01242 514000

BBQ:

UNITING THE DIVISION.

In a little over a year, and during a global pandemic, Suzuki’s Motorcycle, Marine and ATV division have transformed themselves, significantly turning around their engagement scores, changing their culture and adopting a brand-new name. How did they do it? Let us tell you…

First, go back to summer 2019. Suzuki’s Motorcycle, Marine and ATV division had

undergone a re-organisation, there had been a change of senior leaders and they were facing several challenges. There was a lack of clarity around vision and values, managers weren’t all working as a team and employee engagement was at an all-time low. An employee engagement survey confirmed this – with only 17% of employees actively engaged and 22% actively disengaged.

So now let’s fast forward to October 2020. A subsequent employee survey showed that in just over a year, the ‘actively engaged’ score had increased nearly four-fold to 61%, and ‘actively disengaged’ had dropped to zero.

Paul de Lusignan, Division Director, picks up the story.

“When the June 2019 results came out, we were shocked. Everyone in the team was passionate and hard-working, but it was clear that we weren’t working as a team. We had plenty of technical expertise and experience, but we’d lost sight of the importance of how our people felt. We knew we needed to find a solution – and we needed it fast.”

Paul contacted Freddie Guilmard Managing Director at The Red Thread Partnership. “We already knew Freddie, who had worked previously with Suzuki on developing our company values. He suggested we start on The Red Thread’s High-Performing Teams programme, and after some thought, I decided that was the way forward.”

Over the next few months, Freddie worked

with the team’s six senior leaders. In early sessions, the team reviewed their current state of play, created a visual map of their division and ways of working, started to build deeper trust among themselves by understanding their strengths and blind spots, and crafted a powerful new vision statement – ‘We are a united team, working in partnership with our customers to deliver commercial success, with fun, passion, courage and pride.’

Along with the new vision, the leaders decided they also needed a new identity for the team. As Paul explains: “Within the division we have three distinct product ranges, which tended previously to act as separate businesses. To help unite us, and give us an identity that was both memorable and fun, we came up with the name BBQ (Bikes, Boats and Quads).”

So, BBQ now had an identity and a clear vision – but then suddenly the whole country went into lockdown!

Not being able to be physically together was a setback for the team but, as Paul says, “In that enforced break from business-as-usual, we had weekly, rather than just monthly, coaching sessions with Freddie, and we created a lot of new materials.”

In some ways, remote working actually helped what BBQ were doing. Regular team-wide meetings and socials online were established and became the norm. Above all, the leaders continued to work towards the BBQ vision.

Freddie comments: “That first lockdown was the point where many managers would have cut the budget and held back. But that’s not what Paul did. Instead, he asked, ‘how can we go on with the journey?’.”

The division’s leaders held an online launch event for Team BBQ, to engage the whole division in the journey so far, and this was followed up with a launch to the whole company. Paul comments: “Our immediate team had already seen and felt change happening, and they were very positive

about our new identity and approach, but some in the wider company questioned why we were doing this during a pandemic.”

The team also decided to refresh their working environment and put up a set of framed posters in the streamlined office, proudly displaying the new team name, vision and products, and creating a clear ‘home’ for the team. The new identity and vision were well received and got the attention of people in the rest of the organisation.

Equally important was to monitor how the whole division was feeling and engaging with the change. So, the management team introduced Officevibe, an online engagement tool that asks team members a random assortment of five questions every week to gauge how they are feeling. Initially, the team’s ‘Wellness’ scores were low, prompting BBQ’s leaders to look at practical ways of increasing wellbeing – such as getting away from home-desks for a walk at lunchtime.

Head of Motorcycles, Jonathan Martin, reflects on the change journey so far: “It’s been challenging – especially finding the time to look at new ways forward and making this an integral part of the day job.

But it’s been worthwhile. We’ve all adapted, and we’re proud of that.” Jonathan says the team is now viewed far more positively from outside. “In the past, people saw my part of the business – motorcycles – as scary and hard to understand. Now they see BBQ as a united team, and they’ve started to see and feel the changes we’ve made.” Jonathan adds, however, that the whole team is aware that the journey has to go on. “We’ve achieved a lot, but we can’t take our foot off the pedal. To sustain the changes, we need to really live by them.”

BBQ team member Scott Farmer describes the transformation journey from the point of view of the wider team: “It’s been a massive turnaround. We feel we now have a clear structure and direction, and every team member feels valued, which means there’s an increased feel-good factor around the team.”

In his role as Business Support Specialist, Scott is well placed to understand the positive effects of team engagement on business performance. Just as importantly, as an employee forum representative, he has seen at first hand the increase in team members’ personal engagement levels.

He comments:

All the challenges of the past couple of years – including the restructure and working through the pandemic – have brought us closer. We’ve all learned together how to use remote-working technology, to have virtual team meetings and hold regular socials online. All this has helped make us more of a united force. And, considering the very difficult market, our business results have been phenomenal.”

Scott also speaks highly of BBQ’s senior managers for continuing to drive forward

the change they want to see. “It’s very refreshing and encouraging that we have come this far, and it’s fantastic to feel that team BBQ as a whole are really committed to moving forward.”

Denis Houston, Suzuki’s Director of Aftersales, gives an external view of the team’s transformation. He is impressed with Paul for driving forward his vision and culture change, and with how the wider team has engaged with the process. “People who saw the division as it was 18 months ago wouldn’t have believed they could do it.

I give them 10 out of 10.”

Freddie describes the next step for the team as ‘Equip’ – equipping managers to achieve a lasting transformation. In some ways, he says, this will be the hard part. “It’s not enough just to have a great culture – you need to embed and sustain it. Don’t be afraid to keep challenging yourselves – that’s what leads to continuous improvement.

Being a high-performing team is a job.”

Paul adds: “The recent company survey shows how we’ve dramatically changed our team dynamic and improved the working lives of every one of our team. But we didn’t need a survey to tell us that; you can feel it every day. There were initially doubters across the company, but we’ve shown that establishing a great culture and driving for a high-performance team can be achieved even in the midst of a global pandemic. In fact, it’s a credit to the whole team that we’ve emerged stronger after so many months of uncertainty and remote working. I couldn’t be prouder of what’s been achieved.

If you are interested in anything you’ve read here you can get in touch with the team at Suzuki to learn more about BBQ. 01908 336750 | pdl@suzuki.co.uk | www.suzuki.co.uk

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Web

Serviced Offices

Footprint Social Media, Stratford Upon Avon 01676 532 414 www.mikerobertsproperty.com

Public Marketing Communications , Leamington Spa

office@mikerobertsproperty.com

YouNeek Productions, Warwickshire

Social Media

Media

We design and devekop WordPress website that show the world how awesome your business is. With over 10 years experience, we are commited to supporting local Warickshire businesses.

07877 760 411 www.footprintsocialmedia.co.uk sandra@footprintsocialmedia.co.uk

Business portraits, headshots and product photography by a commercial photographer covering Warwickshire, Birmingham, Worcestershire, and the Cotswolds.

01527 313 250 | laurence@ljonesphotography.co.uk www.ljonesphotography.co.uk

MATT MADDEN PHOTOGRAPHY

01789 330 270 | hello@encode.agency www.encode.agency

BLUE SQUIRREL SOFTWARE

Solicitors

www.blue-sq.co.uk - 01386 800 350 - james@bluemarblestudio.co.uk

01453 847200 www.wspsolicitors.com marketing@wspsolicitors.com

Wellbeing 07784 558 552

Speakers

www.illuminatevr.co.uk lisa.whittleton@illuminatevr.co.uk

www.mattmadden.photography - 07876 022 498 - matt@mattmadden.photography

juliekentmbe.com

SAM STEVENS MEDIA

Charities

www.samstevensmedia.co.uk - 07989 301 213 - sam@samstevensmedia.co.uk

Avon Studios Photography, Warwickshire Lorentz Gullachsen Photography, Warwickshire

Photography

GOODWILL AND GROWTH FOR AFRICA UK www.gaga-uk.org - 01789 414 088 - claire@gaga-uk.org

Training

HEART OF ENGLAND COMMUNITY FOUNDATION www.heartofenglandcf.co.uk - 024 7688 3266 - marketing@heartofenglandcf.co.uk

EVOLVE GLOBAL SOLUTIONS LTD 07813 137009

hello@sallycrane.co.uk

www.sallycrane.co.uk

JOHN CLEARY PHOTOGRAPHY

heartofenglandmencap.org.uk - 01789 298 709 - support@heartofenglandmencap.org.uk

UP FRONT TRAINING AND COACHING

THE LEUKAEMIA AND INTENSIVE CHEMOTHERAPY FUND

www.uftraining.co.uk - 07795 474 074 - info@uftraining.co.uk

www.lincfund.org - 07900 433 166 - claire.charlton2@nhs.net

First Impressions Training, Stratford Upon Avon

Join our Directory

Travel 01789 294831

GRANTCF LTD

www.speartravels.net

www.grantcf.co.uk - 01789 730 380 - sales@grantcf.co.uk

beverly.clarke@speartravels.net

MIKE ROBERTS PROPERTY

mikerobertsproperty.com - 01676 532 414 - office@mikerobertsproperty.com

Hygenie Ltd, Nuneaton

THE MYTON HOSPICES

www.mytonhospice.org - 01926 838 815 - sarah.stallard@mytonhospice.org

Purple Monster, Leamington Spa

johnclearyphotography.co.uk - 01926 271 128 - talkbusiness@johnclearyphotography.co.uk

Property

HEART OF ENGLAND MENCAP

evolveglobal.co.uk - 07496 548 382 - afshan@evolve-global.uk

By joining the Talk Business UK directory, you will be featured in our magazine every month. With purchasing options to suit all budgets there is something for everyone. Take a look below:

NOT JUST TRAVEL bobgrace.notjusttravel.com - 07484 284 877 - bob.grace@notjusttravel.com

Lighting Solutions Plus, Stratford upon Avon The Rosconn Group, Warwickshire

Utilities RH Utilities Ltd, Warwickshire

The Gardensmith, Gloucestershire

Join our directory, and be featured in our magazine every month. We have a number of options and you could have this headline listing for £40 a month.

Vehicles

Recruitment 01242 300 288 www.hoorayworks.co.uk

dan@hoorayworks.co.uk

02476 158 448 www.electriczoo.co.uk

hello@electriczoo.co.uk

01789 330 003 | hello@talkbusinessuk.co.uk www.talkbusinessuk.co.uk

THE JOB GURU

www.thejobguru.co.uk - 01242 644 344 - steve@thejobguru.co.uk

Sales

For a highlighted listing with your logo and contact information, prices start at £25 a month.

Virtual Assistant 01788 521 970

FOR OUR BASIC LISTING prices from £10 a month

www.elitepasolutions.com

hello@electriczoo.co.uk iPlus Sales are experts in sales lead generation through both online and offline activity in B2B and B2C. As a company we are agile and adaptive to the needs of our clients, our approach a blend of sales and marketing to provide a comprehensive solution.

01242 312 121 | hello@iplusgroup.co.uk iplussales.co.uk

Or this listing is Free, with no web link

0773 895 1211 info@nbusinessservices.co.uk

www.nimdabusinessservices.co.uk

TAYLORMADE BUSINESS SERVICES www.taylormadeservices.org.uk - 07969 433 590 - louise@taylormadeservices.org.uk

MEMBERS

THE STORY OF THE IMAGE.

Talk Business members Electric Zoo with one of their electric cars outside the iCentrum Business Centre, Coventry.

Laurence Jones photography Talk Business member www.ljonesphotography.co.uk