Talk Business Magazine - June 2021

IS EMAIL MARKETING REALLY DEAD? A GUARANTEE IS A GREAT WAY TO

8

Give this article a read, and learn how a simple guarantee can help you increase your sales revenue.

TO OFFICE,

OR NOT TO OFFICE

THAT IS THE QUESTION!

With times changing every week, the decision to office, or not to office is up and down!

TIPS TO A

SUCCESSFUL

PROCESS

LETTER FROM Winner, winner, chicken dinner!

With the Euro's under way and summer nearly upon us and with all the sporting events returning, winning is back on the mind.

This month we highlight the benefit of entering Awards as well as featuring one of the regional Awards programs with the 7th Leamington Business Awards which Talk Business UK are delighted to be organising for 2021.

Personally, I am also heavily involved with the first Foodie Awards (https://foodieawards.co.uk) and with both these winning opportunities we look to showcase and celebrate ingenuity, inspiration and enterprise.

As ever the Talk Business Magazine has a fantastic spread of articles covering a wide range of business topics and interests and I'm especially pleased to have Heart of England Mencap featured in our Business Showcase. They might be a charity but they are also a multi million pound business!

Branding is also covered with the 8 tips to a successful rebrand and a feature on the recently rebranded Three Counties Christmas!

Finally, our Book Club feature of Louise Armstrong's 'Change how you see yourself TODAY'. As Louise says ''Be the creator of your own future.''

Have an amazing summer and look forward to returning with the next Talk Business Magazine in early Autumn.

JONATHAN SMITH DIRECTOR AT TALK BUSINESS UK

TABLE OF How could the kickstart scheme benefit a small business? ... 05 A wave of support for Community Connexions ... 07 July’s Business Showcase ... 09 8 tips to a successful rebranding process ... 10 Why winning an award could help your business ... 15 To office, or not to office ... 17 12 questions to help deepen your relationship ... 20 Is email marketing really dead? ... 24 June Book Club ... 27 Name change for ‘Mr and Mrs Christmas’ ... 28 A guarantee is a great way to convert leads ... 29 Thrive on Thursday - The Predictive Index ... 32 What’s on ... 33 Talk Business 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

TALK O PERATIO NS

HOW COULD THE KICKSTART SCHEME

BENEFIT

A SMALL BUSINESS? Following on from my article about the Kickstart Scheme last month I thought that I would talk a bit more about the benefit of taking part in the scheme.

There’s been a lot of talk about the scheme and how it will help young people on universal credit but that’s all very well, small businesses that have been through a lot in the last 12 months. They need more reason than a warm fuzzy feeling from helping someone get work experience so they can go and work for someone else at the end of 6 months.

A quick reminder, what is the Kickstart Scheme?

The Kickstart scheme is an idea that the UK government put forward in September 2020, the idea is to help 16 to 24 year olds, who are on universal credit and at risk of long-term employment, to gain relevant work experience and employability support

to help them get into long-term work as soon as possible. The scheme runs until December 2021 at present but it is expected that the scheme will be extended beyond that date due to the significant take up so far.

What can you get out of it?

First of all, the obvious, each Kickstart placement lasts 6 months, and the DWP will fund the Kickstart employee’s salary for 25 hours per week at the appropriate minimum wage for their age. This means that you will get a part-time employee for 6 months at no cost to you! If you need some help in the office, the warehouse, doing your social media, making deliveries etc. but don’t have the money to employ someone, a Kickstarter could be the solution you need. At the end of the 6 months you an replace them with

another Kickstarter or, maybe, your business will now be in a position to take them on permanently.

What if you don’t have a desperate need for help but are trying to decide whether to expand the business and take on your first member of staff?

Again, a Kickstarter would be a great way to dip your toes in the water. At no cost to you, you get to find out what it’s like to employ someone. Do they take up too much of your time or do they free you to go out and get more business? This could be the start of growing your business, building a team and taking the next step in your business journey.

Don’t forget the PR aspect either! Look at the free publicity these companies are getting for taking part in the scheme.

This sort of advertising can cost a small fortune but the Kickstart scheme turns your advertorial into a news story so news outlets will include it for free!

IT’S FREE! Whatever your reason for taking on a Kickstart employee, it shouldn’t cost you a penny as the salary is paid for by the HMRC and the £1,500 grant should cover the costs for training, uniform and equipment.

You can also outsource the employability training to companies such as The Job Guru

so you don’t have to spend time on something that doesn’t directly benefit your business. This means that you can focus on your business and the benefit that the Kickstarter is bringing to it.

What support can you expect?

As the Kickstart scheme has matured, the support has matured as well. The potential Kickstarter is supported by their Work Coach but you are also supported by an Employer Support Team with a dedicated contact.

They will work to make sure you are getting the right applicants for your vacancy and encourage the Work Coaches to refer more candidates to your vacancy.

Companies like The Job Guru will also provide support through the process from applying to the scheme to finding your Kickstarter as well as providing the mandatory training. All this is covered by the Kickstart grant so it won’t cost your business any money.

For more information about the scheme, why not join our next webinar https://thejobguru.eventbrite.co.uk

If you are interested in learning more about this scheme, you can: Visit www.thejobguru.co.uk/kickstart-scheme/ or email kickstart@thejobguru.co.uk or call 02142 644344

TALK

PR E S S R E L E A S E

WAVE OF SUPPORT FOR

COMMUNITY

CONNEXIONS Community Connexions welcomes a new addition to its fleet. Thanks to the generosity of Tidal Training Ltd and Tidal Training Direct Ltd, Community Connexions now has an additional accessible minibus to help transport the most vulnerable in Gloucestershire.

CEO of Community Connexions, Paul Riddick, said

This additional vehicle will allow us to assist more people to attend vital health appointments, to get essential shopping or to visit loved ones. Many of us take transport for granted but older, disabled or those who are socially or rurally isolated rely on our charity for their basic needs, especially now with the vaccination programme. Demand for our services is increasing and this vehicle will allow us to serve more people, which is fantastic news. We are very grateful to Colin Frensham and Clare Seed of Tidal for their very generous donation.

- PAUL RIDDICK

Colin, Founder Director of Tidal Training Ltd and Clare, Founder Director of Tidal Training Direct Ltd said, “We are delighted to support Community Connexions in providing these essential community services and facilitating connections for those in need in Gloucestershire. In addition to supporting

key medical appointments and basic needs such as shopping, Community Connexions has offered a lifeline during Covid-19. All at a time when fundraising and raising awareness is most difficult. We hope that Community Connexions continues its beneficial and impactful services with the support of the local and business community.”

Community Connexions, a Gloucestershire charity, tackle physical, mental, social and rural barriers to provide reliable, safe and accessible transport. Their team is made up from qualified drivers and trained volunteers, dedicated to providing transport to help enable independence, inclusion and participation.

As a registered charity with over 30 years’ worth of experience, they offer community transport at its best.

If you want to discover more about Tidal Training Direct, you can: Visit Tidal Training Direct Ltd, Cheltenham Call us on 01242 371 999 Head to tidaltrainingdirect.co.uk Or email on firstaid@tidaltraining.co.uk

WE INTERVIEWED HELENA WALLIS FROM

TALK S U PP ORT

HEART OF ENGLAND MENCAP What does your company do?

We provide care and support to people with a learning disability or autism, empowering people to live their most fulfilling life.

What changes or challenges do you foresee for your company in the next three years?

The ongoing lack of funding for the delivery of care services to enable us to deliver the ‘best’ care and support is something we will continue to face. As a population we are living longer with more complex conditions, so we will need to attract the right skills and resources, with the right values into the care sector. We already face these challenges and I don’t see them disappearing soon.

The acceleration of digital approaches to care delivery and management is something we should embrace, as this will have positive outcomes for people as more time can be spent on the delivery of care and less on administration.

How many staff does the company have?

A team of 10 paramedics and first responders Are you optimistic, realistic or pessimistic about 2021?

I think I hover between all three each day! I always try to find the positives though, as I feel it is so easy to spend time, energy and resources on just the challenges and negatives, we have to remember to celebrate the successes!

What is the most important task you carry out each day?

Ask myself WHY? If I can’t identify why I should do something and understand the outcome or purpose – then it’s probably not something I should be doing!

What is your company’s most important KPI? Enabling people to live their very best life!

Measuring this is difficult – but fundamentally that’s what we all want and people with a learning disability deserve the same opportunities as everyone else.

What positive effects has your company experienced during lockdowns?

Teamwork, adaptability, innovation and kindness. We continued delivering care services throughout the pandemic, whilst managing positive cases of Covid and keeping staff teams safe as much as possible. People and communities came together to support each other – I hope this continues and I’m so proud of all my team for their achievements.

What causes you the most stress in your business?

Ambiguity. We’ve had lots of this in the care sector, not just with Covid – but from a regulatory and compliance perspective. But our leadership team are great in adapting, responding and making decisions based on the best interests of the people we support.

If you could instantly change one area or thing about your business, what would it be?

Parity in the treatment of the health and social care workforce. Until this happens, healthcare will remain the Cinderella of the system – and our ability to recruit and retain the best people will remain challenging.

How would you rank the following in order of importance (1 most, 5 least) 1 - Team communication | 2 - Sales pipeline 3 - Strong financial data | 4 - Environmental 5 - Social media

What do you do to unwind?

Walking. I find the morning walks before work the most important, it helps me connect, reflect and prepare for the day ahead. Then the longer weekend walks, often through mud and the occasional getting lost and definitely with some liquid refreshment at the end as a celebration!

www.heartofenglandmencap.org.uk

JULY’S

BUSINESS

8

TALK

M A R K E T IN G

TIPS TO A REBRANDING PROCESS

Sometimes the rebranding process can be an overwhelming task that can be perceived to be expensive, time consuming and ultimately not deliver what a board or business owner desired. Below are eight tips that should help your business make the process beneficial.

ONE

Set objectives, why are you doing this?

Might seem like a rather obvious one, but when we first start taking to a client about rebranding our first question is ‘Why are you doing this, what’s changed?’ This question can be really telling, is your brand holding your business back, has the business grown or merged with someone? Or do your competitors seem to have the edge on you? Going back to basics and really asking what is motivating a rebrand will help you to create a clear objective.

Sometimes clients think they require a massive change when actually an evolution is more appropriate to deliver on the business objective.

TWO

Engage with your staff

Understanding where you are in the marketplace and what people think of your business is crucial to any rebrand. This can take many forms, for larger businesses this could involve significant research. Let’s start inside your business: It’s very easy when at the top of a business to assume you understand what your staff think or believe.

But remember they are on the ground, dealing with the day to day, taking to customers: what do they think is good or bad about your brand right now? What have they heard customers say? What do they think should change? Not only will you get some valuable insights you will also involve them in the process. As a result, they could well start to feel ownership of the challenges, excited about the future and be more engaged to embrace changes.

Find out what your customers think At the same time talking to your customers by running a survey or incentive for comments will reveal information that could give you valuable knowledge about what they think of your business and what it stands for. If you’re a smaller business getting a friend to call some of your customers to get a more objective view is another good method to finding out what your customers really think.

Again, if you involve your customers in your rebranding process in some shape or form this could result in them feeling more valued and build on your brand loyalty. At Glued we work with a consultant who calls some of our customers on a regular basis which feeds into our review of our offer and our brand proposition, we see this as an ongoing process not just when a rebrand is on the cards.

FOUR

Create an inventory Planning out what you need to apply your rebrand to upfront can save lots of time later. You may discover new places you need to communicate and have a brand presence that previously wasn’t required. You may also find that much of what you currently use for marketing is no longer used on a day-to-day basis.

By really understanding what you need will help you to budget for the work, plan to fit the work in and have a simple list of what’s been done and what is still to be achieved. A rebranding can sometimes be seen as complex to complete and this simple approach helps to priorities tasks and see key milestones.

If you are rebranding the process could take a while, the larger the business the longer it can sometimes take. To keep on top of the process appoint a champion in the business to keep track of progress. When it comes to rolling out your updates it’s important that someone is the authority on progress.

Appoint a champion to manage the process

If you are the business owner appointing a champion to manage the day-to-day progress will help you focus on the big picture. It’s also great that your staff have someone to go to with ideas or feedback. That person might be you but sometimes your staff might not want to bring up issues about core business values directly with you, but what they have to say could be of real value to the process.

Involve your team at every stage

SIX

Sometimes staff can become a bit cynical of the whole rebranding process. Over the years we’ve heard it all, things like ‘well they did that a few years ago and I didn’t like it then’…

‘What’s wrong with what we’ve got’… ‘I don’t like that colour anyway’… ‘What’s the point of this’ … ‘it’s a waste of money’ …as you can tell the process can disengage staff and create a culture of negative thinking, the precise opposite of what you’d hope for. Try building in feedback into each stage of your process: so perhaps show teams some of the design options to get feedback, ask them if ideas reflect what the staff feel is important. Ask them to help shape your vision or values. Helping people see the progress of your rebrand and adjusting things following feedback is likely to avoid some of the common negative comments. You’ll build staff engagement, take them on a journey with you and ultimately your staff are more likely to be brand ambassadors for your business.

Be inspired When it comes to rollout, rebrands often result in brand values and brand guidelines. Often these seem to be seen as rules and restraints on what you can’t do with your marketing through your brand rather than an inspiration to achieve great brand communications. Your brand guidelines should be a platform for great future growth not handcuffs that limit everyone’s thinking. If you end up saying to yourself ‘well the guidelines say you can’t do that’ then you might want to review why that is.

EIGHT

Continue to measure performance and adjust Your business is a living thing, people with like-minded values coming together with a shared vision for delivering what your business does. Your brand should reflect that and be able to evolve over time.

Going back to your objective that I mentioned in point one, if you are clear on that you can then devise ways of measuring that and decide if further work is required. Normally adjustments are needed as your business is always changing. The whole rebranding process should be a cycle of adjustments, tweaking what works in your current market sector and having a process that allows for flexibility.

These are just eight tips that I believe will help you get more from your brand. Every brand has a value, it represents something which normally has a value to those that engage with it. Be mindful not to throw away elements of your brand that might actually be of critical value to your business success.

Glued create compelling creative marketing campaigns which engage your customers and prospects. We do that by using insight to express your valuable difference. To chat about your branding and marketing challenges and questions contact David Wilson: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidwilsonglued/ davidwilson@gluedlimited.co.uk | www.gluedlimited.co.uk/

TALK P U B L I C RE L AT I O N S

AWARD

CAN HELP YOUR BUSINESS Entering awards is often something many businesses feel they ‘should’ do, but beyond a shiny trophy and a moment in the spotlight, do they actually help your business?

Journalist and PR consultant Ellen Manning, creator of the award-winning blog Eat with Ellen and one of the organisers behind the Foodie Awards for Coventry and Warwickshire, explains how winning an award really can help your business.

Business awards come in all shapes and sizes - from global recognition to locally organised programmes designed to promote a region’s businesses or a specific sector. Either way, you’ll hear lots of people tell you, you should enter them.

After all, you get a nice trophy or certificate and a bit of time in the spotlight - not to mention a swanky awards ceremony too.

But beyond a night of glitz and glamour and an ornament to either put in a display cabinet or gather some dust, what do awards do for your business? Given the amount of time and effort you might put into entering some awards, it’s important to ask whether you’ll get some real value out of those awards and the answer in most cases, is yes.

In fact, there is a whole raft of reasons for why and how awards can help your

business. Using the Foodie Awards as an example, here are just some of the ways that an award really can add value to your business.

AWARDS GET YOU NOTICED

Growing your business is often about standing out from the crowd and the recognition from winning an award goes beyond that particular moment in time.

Awards programmes like the Foodie Awards are about shouting about entrants, finalists and winners - and not just on one day.

For many similar awards programmes, the whole process can be used by you to raise awareness of what you do. From being nominated or entering, to becoming a finalist and even winning, the extent of the awareness you can get in some ways can go as far as you take it.

Winning an award is likely to get you some great PR, as well as recognition from your peers and competitors, not to mention all the potential customers who want to buy your product.

Increased awareness might also get you noticed by suppliers, vendors, and investors - all of whom could help you grow your business and take that next step.

AWARDS ARE A SIGN OF EXCELLENCE We like to think we’re buying the best, but if everyone’s saying they’re the best, who do customers believe? The great thing about awards programmes is they mean that your product or business is deemed the best by credible judges who know their stuff. Take the Foodie Awards - its judging panel includes some of the most esteemed and experienced names in the region’s food and drink scene, from Michelin-starred chef Glynn Purnell to chef/restaurateur Andreas Antona, Aubrey Allen MD Russell Allen and more. When experts in your field decide you deserve recognition, everyone else tends to sit up and listen.

AWARDS OFTEN PROVIDE PRACTICAL HELP Many awards programmes include practical help for finalists and winners, with prizes often including ‘money-can’t-buy’ assistance, advice and experiences. For example, the Foodie Awards’ Express to Success Award, sponsored by digital wholesale supply platform Comesto, offers a whole host of benefits to the winner. They include a promotional article in Comesto’s magazine, a free tune-up and advice session form a top local social marketing expert, free storage of products, a place on the Comesto website and a chance to take part in live tasting events and promotional videos. An invaluable prize for a small business or start-up.

category - the perfect opportunity for a manager or owner to shout about a key member of their team. When it comes to building and encouraging a team, something as simple as entering an award or nominating a member of your team can lift everyone’s spirits when they need it most.

AWARDS ELEVATE EVERYONE They say a rising tide lifts all boats and that’s the same for awards. Shouting about individual businesses doesn’t just help each of those one by one, but adds to the improvement of a sector or area. Awards such as the Foodie Awards don’t just showcase winners and finalists, but create a picture of a thriving sector and region to rival any other in the country - raising its profile on a national stage.

AWARDS ENCOURAGE COLLABORATION While awards recognise individual businesses, they also encourage collaboration. From businesses discovering each other and working together, to being put in the same room as experts and organisations that can help and champion them, they provide an invaluable networking opportunity. In the Foodie Awards, entrants and finalists are put in front of restaurateurs, industry experts, and organisations such as Coventry and Warwickshire LEP, which is sponsoring the Newcomer Award, allowing them to maximise those connections and opportunities.

AWARDS DON’T JUST HELP THE BUSINESS OR THE BOSS Winning an award is always great for a founder or owner, but they also help everyone who makes a business what it is.

Awards entries give you the opportunity to recognise your staff and supporters.

Take the Foodie Awards Best Chef/Cook

If you want to discover more about Eat with Ellen, you can get in touch here: www.eatwithellen.com

SSD

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TALK O PER AT I O N S

OR NOT TO OFFICE In March 2020, everyone abandoned their offices to work from home for what we all thought would be a few weeks, while the new virus that was sweeping through the country was brought under control; we genuinely thought schools would be deep cleaned, office spaces would be sanitised and there would be a quick return of pasta to the supermarket shelves!

The prospect of working from home with laptops at the kitchen table or managing on smart phones didn’t seem too awful, as it was only for a couple of weeks and then we would be returning to the office to continue as normal. That didn’t happen!

Over a year later, when many of us have had to adjust to home-working and businesses have made huge changes their processes to accommodate the prohibition of face-to-face contact, we are told it is now safe for us to start returning to ‘normal’.

BUT WHAT IS NORMAL THESE DAYS!? IS IT STILL THE SAME AS IT WAS PRE-COVID?

Many businesses in Gloucestershire are like us. SMEs with a relatively small team, who have managed to survive, and even thrive, in a period of lockdown home working. Has it been the WFH dream for everyone? No. Are there some people for whom home working is beneficial? Yes. Do

the majority of employees want to find a new way of working that blends the two? It seems that way.

From speaking with candidates, when recruiting for roles recently, for some it is not the salary or benefits package, but the option for flexible working that is becoming the biggest dealbreaker, especially those that have been wanting a more flexible approach to work for a long time. This lockdown period has enabled them to prove it can work and work well!

On the total flip side, there are also lots of young single professionals who do not have a comfortable home-working space, or any other interaction and who long to return to an office!

So as a business-owner, how do you find a

owners, there is adapting to the school of thought that office spaces that once were considered essential, no longer are. For some the size of the space that is now required to adhere to social distancing measures means larger space is now needed, which ultimately comes with a higher price tag.

solution to keep your entire workforce happy, without having to splurge thousands (that you might not have at this current time) on yet another new setup?

Shared office space and co-working is becoming more and more popular. Mandy Sibley, Centre Manager at FigFlex Offices in Gloucester has approached this with some new solutions.

“There is no one size fits all. The world is changing, and we need to change too. I meet with all prospective new Clients and discuss with them their plans for now and the future, to make sure I can help create a bespoke solution to their office needs. For us, it’s not about making a quick sale and tying clients into long deals that aren’t really suitable, but more about a long-term partnership, giving our clients the confidence in our services to flex up when they need to when the time is right for them. If that means talking through and changing their office solution to suit their business model, we can do that too, as the long-term outcome will be much more successful for all of us.”

With their new offering of more flexible serviced office space, Mandy takes a consultative approach to office working and is enjoying the challenges of working with local businesses to help devise an individual solution to each business requirement.

There is a dilemma on every corner with the return to an office. For some business

Many businesses have taken a hard hit in the pocket during the pandemic yet play a vital part in the grand scheme of Gloucestershire’s local economy, as consumers, renting office space and services.

HOW WILL SERVICED OFFICES AND BUSINESS PARKS FARE IF A LARGE PROPORTION OF BUSINESSES FAIL TO RETURN?

Technology is also a key factor to consider. Some businesses have made the switch to a VOIP based telephony system, whilst others invested in mobiles. What happens to those contracts now if we all go back to office-based working?

Furthermore, there’s the dilemma over PCs & other hardware. If your business deployed your office equipment to employees so they now have their desktop PCs at home, how do you mobilise them now to offer a blended office and home-working environment? Did you invest in technology to get through the lockdowns, meaning your staff are easily mobile? If not do you have a budget for investment into additional computer equipment and the necessary

infrastructure that goes with this?

Of course, it is not just hardware but software to consider. Did you find yourself investing in new technology or apps or systems to ensure you could keep working effectively through the lockdowns? If you invested in hardware or software equipment at the start of lockdown, are you now on the treadmill of making sure it is all kept up to date and relevant? Do you still need all of this if you are to go back into an office?

We asked Neil Smith, from Reform IT in Cheltenham for his thoughts:

There was an understandable panic last year when lockdown was imposed and with a shortage of laptops on the market pretty much any device that could be dusted off and pressed back into service was better than nothing!“ As a semblance of normality begins to return now is a good time to take stock of IT assets and home working environments.

Who is using what equipment? Is it patched with the latest updates? Does it have working and current anti-virus on it?

Is it compliant and encrypted?

might only be connecting to a VPN or perhaps just accessing their email with it, if it’s the same laptop the kids use to access the internet unsupervised every night, that’s a considerable risk for any employer to consider. Is their home WiFi and router secure? Are they using a password or biometric protected smartphone? Your BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) policy comes into play here if you have one. How you enforce that policy is also just as important. For example, if your BYOD policy says that ‘Any computer being used to access the company IT systems must have up to date anti-virus software installed’ how are you checking that is always true on a privately owned laptop?”

There are so many choices to make, and no single one can be right for every business. The one thing we are sure of here, is that we are standing strong with our fellow Gloucestershire businesses, and if we can all support one another, be it sharing information, utilising one another’s services, or just networking to promote one another, we will be doing it!

If you want to learn more about anything you’ve read here, or need help with your recruitment, you can get in touch with Truly Tailored via:

If staff are using their own personal tech to access company data and resources, consider the risks involved. Although they

www.trulytailoredrecruitment.co.uk or email us on info@trulytailored.co.uk

12

TALK

PE O PLE

QUESTIONS TO ASK YOUR PARTNER TO YOUR RELATIONSHIP

Is it really possible for your marriage to get better and better? Absolutely – & these questions here will help you gain some insight into the steps you can take right now.

Sometimes I wish I had a magic wand in my office drawer as I so often get asked this in my couples counselling is – ‘How can we make our relationship even better?’ We live in a society that expects quick fixes, there is an urgency to have everything right now on a plate, and we want to shed layers of emotional baggage in one afternoon. We’d much rather cut corners than put in any hard work.

That’s where the secret lies…work; relationships are work, there are NO short cuts, there are no half measures, there are no quick fixes – we have to dive in their hook, line and sinker. Ian and I have been married for almost 30 years, we’re in for the long haul, and have just returned from an amazing little breakaway and I hear these words, ‘I think we’ve just hit a new level in our relationship, life really does get better’. Where did that spring from, I ask myself?

That is what happens when you dive that much deeper into your relationship. Once you’ve healed your own emotional wounds so you feel whole and complete you can start to fill each other’s emotional love tanks allowing you to speak the love language that your partner responds to – you’ll both be feeling emotionally loved at a much deeper level.

So let’s look at some questions you can ask each other, as you crave that need to go deeper into the relationship –

What do you find most difficult to put into words and how can I help you with this?

This is a very powerful question as you are asking what makes your partner feel vulnerable. Showing your vulnerability tells your partner it’s okay to do this and can lead your relationship to a much deeper place. Perhaps it’s about sex, the relatives, being on your phone, not supporting him when in company or feeling inadequate in some area – we all have our own triggers for this. Taking through this and sharing your difficulties will help your partner to voice there’s, so you can find a way of helping each other.

Would you like to be physically touched more often?

I’m not talking sexually right now but I love to be touched and Ian does (most of the time anyway) so perhaps you could ask your partner if they want to hold hands when you’re out, if they’d enjoy a shoulder rub now and again, or a gentle pat on your bottom when you’re out with company? Ask them what specific touch they would like and try it. All these things lead to feeling loved if physical touch is one of your love languages.

What are your feelings about our sex life?

Following on from touching we can look at your intimacy. This is always a big one as it’s one of the areas (along with money) that are rarely discussed in an open way. The best way to approach this is to start with what is working for you and then what isn’t and what you’d like to try. Then gently ask them their views and work out when and how you will implement these. This gets easier over time as you get more used to each other’s needs.

3

Have I offended you in any way recently?

Now you might not be ready to hear the answer to this but it’s good to get it out in the open. I have done this many times in the past and it’s been a struggle at first because I always wanted to defend myself and give my reasons. BUT hear them out without interrupting and just listen – it’s how they saw it and felt. Then comes the hard bit…. accepting it. Follow this with, ‘How do you think I could behave differently next time?’. Now you have your answer to exactly how your partner feels about the event/behaviour – this really takes the relationship deeper. I know this won’t be easy for you to hear but it also isn’t easy for your partner to say these things, as they will probably not want to upset you. The more you do this, the easier it gets.

What will make coming home at the end of the day even better for you?

Never assume your partner wants a cup of tea as soon as he comes through the door and to hear about your day. I’ve learnt over the years that Ian likes to tell me about his day as soon as he enters the house – so I down tools for 15 minutes and I just listen, not to fix anything, not to judge just to hear about his day. Then it’s my turn. It works for us. Then we both go off and carry on with whatever we’re doing. So ask your partner what works for them, maybe they want a lot of physical affection straight away or perhaps no communication at all. There’s no right or wrong, it’s finding out what works for you both.

What are you stressed about right now and can I help you in some way?

This is a question that I ask Ian regularly and generally get back the reply, ‘No, there’s nothing you can do, it’s way out of your depth’.

But here lies the ‘golden nugget’, once we start the conversation he can then see the situation in a different light and mentions something small I can do to help alleviate the stress. Here again, showing I do care, even though I can’t resolve it all.

7

Would you like more time alone or more time together this week?

A question I’ve struggled with in the past as I didn’t like the answer when it came back to me, “I’d rather have some time to myself this week as I have a lot on and space helps me with clarification’. I used to find this very hard NOT to take personally but when I take a step back to be objective I realise it’s not about me but it’s about what Ian needs right now. This is a question I ask weekly; perhaps you could get into this habit too?

8

This is a question to ask yourself –

Have you had an argument this week that hasn’t been resolved?

I know the first thing that will come to mind is…I don’t want to bring up those bad feelings again. But the trouble is, if you leave resentment, it festers and grows and will rear; it’s ugly again once another trigger displays itself. So as hard as it is and you know you feel uncomfortable, ask the question, get it out in the open. You will both be glad in the end – this is a real relationship strengthener.

Is there something I can do to make you feel more loved?

This is a great question if you are together in a quiet moment – he may well want more peace and just enjoy being there with you, he may want to be touched more, he may want to have some positive words said about him, he may want you both to start planning your future together or perhaps he just wants more quality time with you. The important thing is to ask the question and just let it go.

What’s one thing you feel our relationship is lacking?

This is one you can ask perhaps on a monthly basis and work towards – if you have it written down you’ll be able to perhaps brainstorm some steps if you can’t see the answer the straight away, especially if it’s a big issue.

What’s your biggest fear for our relationship?

Perhaps get clear on explaining your fear first to put him at ease then it will give him the go ahead that it’s ok to be vulnerable and share. This really will start opening up channels that will help to cement your relationship further. Don’t expect much at first, it’s hard to put into words and also to be totally honest.

Finally, ask them, how they would describe love to you?

This is a question few of us ask and the answer might well change as the relationship grows and you both have deeper feelings towards each other; it’s a great question to ask on a regular basis. Before you launch in with the question as yourself first what it means to you.

So I hope you will take the time out to strengthen what you already have – it doesn’t happen by itself. Remove all distractions, phones, computer, TV, children and pets – create a clear space and half an hour purely for each other.

Happy, healthy relationships that have great meaning take work but they can also be the most amazing part of your life. Your relationship could become the best thing that’s ever happened in your life.

If you are looking for some more help in your relationship, or looking to creating positive change in your personal or working life contact Louise Armstrong. www.louise-armstrong.com | or get in touch via email info@louise-armstrong.co.uk

TALK

IS

SA L ES

EMAIL MARKETING Phil Coley shares his sales knowledge with you in this months Talk Business Magazine.

DEAD?

There has been much talk that email marketing is dying or dead, but is that really true? The world of sales has not really changed, but the world of marketing has been turned upside down over the last 15 years. In the 1980`s you could only grow your business nationally by print media, both print advertising and print direct email or tv advertising, the 1990`s added radio to that mix, then came the new millennium.

Email was actually the precursor to the internet, sending a communication from one computer to another via an email. For me I really became focused on emails in the early 2000`s and could see the power of reaching out to an individual through this medium as a cost-effective direct sales tool. Many people have recently said that email marketing is dead and digital marketing should fully focus on paid advertising through Facebook and Google.

For me personally I don’t agree that email marketing is dead, I believe, it is growing for those who are forward thinking and prepared to commit for consistent email marketing. So, let’s look at some of the ways that you can use email marketing for your business. I want to share my experience and methods that I use for our own customers at iPlus and for those I work closely with when consulting.

Email marketing is the quickest and easiest

way to reach thousands of people within seconds, done right it is the most powerful tool to use, used wrongly it is the quickest way to lose customers or potential customers. Email marketing is the use of email addresses and reaching out to those people through an email or an email form.

The use of email forms are the most common for email marketing campaigns and people are familiar with Hubspot, Mailchimp, Constant Contact or other email marketing tools.

To do any email marketing campaign you need: - Email Addresses - Targeted Data - Personalised - Clear Message - An Offer - No images - PS - Opt Out Let’s look at each of these and explain why.

Email Addresses The most obvious thing, but you need email addresses to run a campaign, but it doesn`t matter if you have 5 or 50,000 email addresses, so quantity s not the number 1.

Targeted Data You need as much information as possible on each person on the email list, you need to be able to segment the data to be even more targeted.

Personalised The best emails are personalised and not only using the person’s name but are written and signed off by the sender.

Clear Message A clear message comes from what you want to achieve from your email being sent out, do you want more opens, more clicks, more responses or more unsubscribes. Messaging begins with the email subject through to your sign off.

An Offer It is important to have an offer, it does not need to be a give-away, but it needs to give the recipient something of value, be it a case study, and discount, a video but giving information or educational to the person.

No Images Many people will argue that you need to have imagery, I disagree and will always say words over images on an email campaign, unless the recipient is an ongoing customer.

Images can lead to spam; images can make a message very long on a mobile device.

PS A PS is hugely powerful if you personalise your emails, over 60% of people will read a PS before the main message.

Opt out When you have an email list, the most important figures to get to are high open rates, high click rates and low unsubscribes.

To achieve the above you need to get rid of those who never open or never engage – the best way is to ask people to unsubscribe.

Never ever get upset if you get unsubscribes, they will never buy from you!

Check out the free Sales Bootcamp available here – https://bit.ly/sales-boot-camp

Phil Coley is a Director of iPlus Group and heads up the iPlus Sales and Lead Generation division. Phil has vast experience in direct and telephone sales having worked in both B2B and B2C. Phil works closely with clients in outsource sales solutions, sales training and speaking.

Find out more at iPlus Sales.

www.iplussales.com | hello@iplusgroup.co.uk | 01242 312121

TALK

B OOK C LU B

TALK BUSINESS

BOOK CLUB

TITLE:

Change How You See Yourself Today

AUTHOR:

Louise Armstrong

DATE PUBLISHED:

8 May 2020

RATING:

CATEGORIES: Mental Health Self help Non-fiction

SUMMARY: Start creating feelings of joy, happiness, and peace right now. Effectively understand that you can change your thoughts, behaviours and emotions.

No one has any power over you.

Psychotherapist and Emotional Intelligence Expert, Louise Armstrong, wrote this life-changing book to give you the hope of having a happier, healthier life regardless of your childhood or your current situation.

Everything is learnt behaviour, which means you can unlearn it!

You can create thoughts, behaviours and emotions that serve you.

REVIEWS: “I love this book! I find the author to be incredibly honest as she talks of personal experiences which people can relate to, this helps to put the kind of assistance offered in each chapter clearly into perspective.” - AP

“I bought this book as I wanted to change the relationships in my life. The relationships in my life have completely transformed and I have never been happier.” - Monika

“It's a good self help therapy book, with useful excercises and links to hypnosis programmes which are very good. This book helps you let go of the past and look forward to the future.” - Diamond Girl

TALK

M ARKETING

FOR ‘MR AND MRS CHRISTMAS’ After 5 years of trading as The Christmas Decorators, Paul and Ali Chester are delighted to announce that they are rebranding.

Their family business will now be called Three Counties Christmas.

Going forwards, Three Counties Christmas will still be offering the same bespoke designs of Christmas decorations and lighting displays that they always have but have also got some exciting new additional services which they will add to their future offering. These will be announced over the coming weeks and months.

Ali Chester, Director says “We love the new branding and are looking forward to sharing it with everybody. I'm still leading our talented team of decorators and our products and presentation remain the same high standard as always, but we can now offer additional brand-new designs and decorations on top of our current range” Paul and Ali are excited for the future of their company and have chosen a business name that embraces the local nature of their business. More than ever, they will be championing and supporting fellow local businesses, charities and events around the Three Counties of Worcestershire, Gloucestershire, and

Herefordshire. More will be revealed around this very soon.

Director, Paul Chester says “It’s a really exciting time for our family business as we look to grow and develop in the future.

We have lots of interesting new projects and ideas that we look forward to sharing with everybody soon. With less than 200 days to go, we have already started planning for Christmas 2021 to be our best Christmas yet.”

Three Counties Christmas will also be launching a brand-new website, coming very soon in the next few weeks. So please keep an eye on their social media platforms for that to be announced.

Paul and Ali would like to say a huge thank you to all their family, friends, clients, and business associates who have supported them through the last 5 years and with the formation of our new company and they look forward to many more years of working with you all.

If you would like to make a great impression with your christmas decorations this year, get in touch with Three Counties Christmas: www.threecountieschristmas.co.uk or phone on 01905 469 220

TALK SALES

A GUARANTEE

IS A GREAT WAY TO CONVERT

MORE LEADS

INTO CUSTOMERS

Everyone is aware of guarantees but it’s surprising how few businesses use one.

But that’s great news, as it can give you a substantial competitive advantage, leading to increased sales and profits…

SO WHY DO THEY WORK SO WELL? The benefit of your product or service is gained after the sale is made.

Sometimes this can be weeks, months or even years after the initial transaction.

This, in itself, places an enormous risk on the shoulders of would-be clients or customers. It’s this risk that often prevents them from buying.

However, if you lower or eliminate the risk, building trust, then naturally people will be more inclined to buy from you.

That’s the secret of creating a powerful guarantee – or risk reversal.

Your risk reversal is simply a method to take away some of the key ‘barriers’ that are stopping the prospect from progressing with the sale.

As soon as you add a risk reversal or guarantee you automatically differentiate your business from your competition. As explained earlier, very few of your competitors will have one in place.

What’s more, a risk reversal adds perceived value to your offering.

Sales is not about selling anymore, but about building trust and educating.

- SIVA DEVAKI

Prospects will automatically assume your product or service must live up to expectations - why else would you be confident enough to provide a guarantee?

This pest control company was able to charge 10x the rate of their competitors and grew rapidly. Although I don’t know for certain, it’s easy to assume several things about the company from this guarantee: - They are very, very good at pest control.

- They understand the concerns of their clients with regards to hygiene.

The result is an increase in leads and a far higher conversion rate.

Creating An Effective Risk Reversal The purpose of the risk reversal is to guarantee the result or main benefit of your offering and add a ‘penalty’ should your service or product fail.

Without adding a real penalty to your business for failing to deliver, customers will assume they are just meaningless words. Obviously, you must be prepared to pay out when required.

I saw the following risk reversal a few years ago from a pest control company in the United States. I think it’s one of the best I’ve ever seen. Their guarantee is aimed at hotels and restaurants.

THE GUARANTEE: “You don’t owe one penny until all the pests on your premises have been eradicated…if you are ever dissatisfied with our services, you will receive a refund for up to 12 months of the company’s services…plus fees for another exterminator of your choice for the next year.

If a guest spots a pest on your premises, we will pay for the guest’s meal or room, send a letter of apology, and pay for a future meal or stay…and if your facility is closed down due to the presence of roaches or rodents, we will pay any fines, as well as all lost profits, plus $5,000.”

- They are probably providing similar services to their competitors. However, they understand risk reversal and their profits will reflect this!

You may be worried about paying out large sums to customers if you don't live up to your guarantee. But if you know you can deliver on your promises, then a guarantee costs you nothing.

It'll be very rare that you have to pay out (if at all). But in the process, you will gain many extra customers, at a price premium, which more than offsets any risk. There aren’t many marketing methods that can deliver that kind of return.

Isn’t it time you started to use a risk reversal or guarantee to grow your business?

If you’re frustrated that you’re missing your growth targets, or disappointed with the low volume of leads into your business, now could be a great time to contact Kevin Robinson from Chrysalis Partners to discuss your challenges and options for business growth support: www.chrysalismidlands.co.uk or phone on 01926 717911

iLEAD by iPlusSALES

KEY FEATURES

LET THE LEADS COME TO YOU TARGETED LEAD GENERATION Using our in-house iLead system is a great way to ǽPXIV ]SYV MHIEP TVSWTIGXW ERH VYR XEVKIXIH campaigns to help boost your company sales.

IN-BUILT ANALYTICS See detailed analytics of all your campaigns and review over HMǼIVIRX XMQI WGEPIW

POWERFUL MULTI-STEP CAMPAIGNS Create intuitive, personalised campaigns YWMRK GSQTPI\ ǾS[W [MXL TPEGMRK WXITW ERH XMQI HIPE]W FIX[IIR XLIQ EW ]SY WII ǽX TIME SAVING AND COST EFFECTIVE Run multiple campaigns at once to better understand what works best for you, A/B test your approach and cover more ground. Check out the in-built analytics see to see how well each campaign is performing.

FULL HELP AND SUPPORT Make the most of our chat helpline during business hours for any issues or questions you may be having about any of your campaigns or leads.

SEE ALL YOUR CONVERSATIONS Receive and respond to any and all message in SRI TPEGI

SEE YOUR STATS Compare all of your stats for current campaigns to see what is working best JSV ]SY

ADD-ONS AVAILABLE In addition to our standard packages, there are a number of add ons including CRM integration, telemarketing follow ups, E-newsletter campaigns, interactive brochures and more.

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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.

David Kelham, from Excelerate recently talked through his resource ‘ The Predictive Index’. This is an interesting tool for both businesses and inderviduals to use in order to see how they work collectively as a team David took 50 Talk Business Members to conduct a sample survey of using PI, the results are very informative and thought provoking. To discover more about this tool, watch below as David explains the ins and outs.

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO COMPLETE YOUR OWN FREE PERSONAL ASSESSMENT ,CLICK HERE.. https://assessment.predictiveindex.com/bo/03r/TalkBusiness

TALK

EVENTS

WHAT’S

LEAMINGTON BUSINESS AWARDS NOW OPEN TO ENTER Nominations are being invited for the seventh Leamington Business Awards which, this year, sees the introduction of two new categories. Established in 2014, the LBAs champion and celebrate the work of local businesses, individuals and organisations while also raising vital funds for local charities, culminating with a glittering black-tie ceremony, on November 18th.

The awards have been opened out across all categories, giving people the opportunity to nominate for: New Business of the Year – sponsored by Lodders Solicitors Business and The Community Award Customer Service Excellence Award – sponsored by The Box Factory Young Person of the Year Award Employer of the Year – sponsored by Leap People Solutions Innovation of the Year Outstanding Achievement of the Year Independent Business of the Year, sponsored

by Harrison Beale & Owen.

Warwick District Charity of the Year The People’s Choice Award

This year also unveils two new categories – South Warwickshire Freelancer of the Year sponsored by Beyond The Book Creative Business of the Year sponsored by FreshSeed

Sarah Brewster, Managing Director for Fresh Seed, said: “We are proud to be sponsoring the Creative Award for the Leamington Business Awards. Through our work as the go to HR and training agency to the Creative sector, we feel passionately about the wonderful work the sector produces in this region and are delighted to see it get the recognition it deserves at this event.”

Emma Head, of Beyond The Book, said: “We have been supporting businesses with creative, digital and marketing freelance resource for 13 years, and we know how incredibly important it is to have a diverse, talented and professional resource in the region. This award will raise awareness of a much-needed market, and the great talent that exists for businesses to tap into.”

A winner from all the categories, as well as those directly entering for this award will be selected for the prestigious Judges’ Choice Award – Business of the

Year, sponsored by Action Coach Warwick.

Organiser Jonathan Smith, of Talk Business UK, said: “It is a real pleasure to have a positive outlook for the year ahead and through the Leamington Business Awards we can recognise and applaud the fantastic achievements local businesses have made.

“We are especially delighted to introduce the new award categories to highlight the contribution the creative and freelance sector make to the local community and economy. Once again, the 3D Design students at WCG have designed and produced an innovative

award trophy unique to these awards!’’

Proceeds from fundraising on the night will be divided between the finalists in the Charity of the Year category.

Businesses interested in sponsorship are invited to contact Jonathan Smith at: leamingtonbusinessawards@gmail.com or jon@talkbusinessuk.co.uk Further details about the awards and how to nominate are available at: www.leamingtonbusinessawards.co.uk Nominations close on Friday, September 30th and finalists will be contacted by email and via the website and social media.uts.

Learn how to nominate:

www.leamingtonbusinessawards.co.uk

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Photography

Virtual Assistant

Social Media

01788 521 970 www.elitepasolutions.com

hello@electriczoo.co.uk

I am a very experienced Advertising, Commercial and Portrait photographer working for advertising agencies, designers and direct clients. specialising in portraits, lifestyle and tourism .

01608 695050 | lorentz@gullachsen.com www.gullachsen.com

0773 895 1211

Footprint are experts in social media.

Through bespoke training and careful management, we work with you to heighten your business profile.

07877 760411 | sandra@footprintsocialmedia.co.uk www.footprintsocialmedia.co.uk

info@nbusinessservices.co.uk

www.nimdabusinessservices.co.uk

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

Wealth Manager

07813 137009

DAVIDSON PERT FINANCIAL ASSOCIATES LTD

hello@sallycrane.co.uk

www.sallycrane.co.uk

A Senior Partner Practice of St. James's Place Wealth Management

Solicitors

JOHN CLEARY PHOTOGRAPHY

01453 847200

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

www.wspsolicitors.com marketing@wspsolicitors.com

Property

We work closely with all of our clients, building a relationship based on trust and an in-depth understanding of their personal finances.

07966 388 808 | www.davidsonpert.co.uk gerry.slora@sjpp.co.uk

Speakers

GRANTCF LTD

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

07770 428439 www.juliekentmbe.com

MIKE ROBERTS PROPERTY

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

hello@juliekentmbe.co.uk

Web

Hygenie Ltd, Nuneaton Lighting Solutions Plus, Stratford upon Avon The Rosconn Group, Warwickshire

Training

The Gardensmith, Gloucestershire

02477 752 772

www.firstsafetytrainingservices.co.uk

Recruitment

alison@firstsafetytrainingservices.co.uk

EVOLVE GLOBAL SOLUTIONS LTD www.evolveglobal.co.uk - 07496 548 382 - afshan@evolve-global.uk

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.

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

UP FRONT TRAINING AND COACHING www.uftraining.co.uk - 07795 474 074 - info@uftraining.co.uk

Excelerate Resources finds people for people.

Through our partnerships we work locally and internationally in all sectors. We have long-term relationships with employers and candidates, supported by our networking. A small and experienced team always happy to chat.

01926 747 606 | david.kelham@excelerateresources.co.uk www.excelerateresources.co.uk

First Impressions Training, Stratford Upon Avon

Wellbeing

Purple Monster, Leamington Spa

07784 558 552

Travel

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

01789 294831 01242 300 288

www.speartravels.net

www.hoorayworks.co.uk

beverly.clarke@speartravels.net

dan@hoorayworks.co.uk

Sales

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

THE JOB GURU

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

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

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

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

HEART OF ENGLAND MENCAP www.heartofenglandmencap.org.uk - 01789 298 709 - support@heartofenglandmencap.org.uk

Utilities

THE PIED PIPER APPEAL

www.piedpiperappeal.co.uk - 0300 422 6119 - office@piedpiperappeal.co.uk

RH Utilities Ltd, Warwickshire

THE LEUKAEMIA AND INTENSIVE CHEMOTHERAPY FUND www.lincfund.org - 07900 433 166 - claire.charlton2@nhs.net

Vehicles 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 www.iplussales.co.uk

THE MYTON HOSPICES

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

02476 158 448 www.electriczoo.co.uk

hello@electriczoo.co.uk

MEMBERS

THE STORY OF THE IMAGE.

Our cover image this month is from Talk Business Director, Jonathan Smith.

A slightly different image this month and dare I say, taken on a mobile phone! An exciting project launching across the region at the moment is Airdeska and the promotion of all the space and places where people can work.

Look up www.Airdeska.club to find a welcoming workspace near you.