The IT Experts Podcast

In this episode of the IT Experts Podcast - Break Fix edition, we talk about some proven and practiced tips that we have at the IT Experts community on how to prevent customers from canceling and postponing their services. You need to remember that retaining your current customers is as good as finding new clients in your IT & MSP business. But first, you need to understand what sales language is, and really set the truths and the facts from everything else. Now, what are the steps that you need to learn so you prevent your customers from canceling? Step 1: Acknowledge that they want to leave, and talk to them. It's always best to do this face to face. Step 2: Agree that they can postpone. Agree AND offer an alternative. Step 3: Find out what has changed. What really is the reason they are cancelling now? Ask HQQ (High Quality Questions) Step 4: Review the reasons why they invested in you to start with. Step 5: Re-establish some short-term goals. Step 6: Go back and re-close the deal. Step 7: Send them a confirmation email about your new course of action and deal. I hope that this episode helps you get some really good data on what's going understanding your client, how your business has performed and delivered to you your client, as well as help you see some areas for improvement from your team. You can access the other IT Experts Podcasts here – https://innovatetosuccess.com/itega-podcast/ If you haven't seen it yet, come and join our community in our own IT Experts App – you can check it out here – https://bit.ly/ITE-COMM If we're not connected already, let's connect on LinkedIn, YouTube and over our website at innovatetosuccess.com. Alternatively, you can drop me an email at [email protected] Until next time, you look after yourself and I'll catch up with you soon!

So, what are they? Step 1: Get All the Facts - What is going on? What is the effect of the issue that is being identified? Step 2: State the Issues Correctly - Look at the actual business impact of said issues objectively Step 3 - Ask the Right Questions - What is the issue's impact on the client and on the business? Hear and listen to these questions' answers. Step 4 - Agree on the Next Course of Action - Makes sure it is SMART! Step 5 - Implement - Promptly execute on the ideas that you and your team agreed with. Step 6 - Follow Up on Progress I hope that this episode helps you and your IT & MSP business. You can access the other IT Experts Podcasts here – https://innovatetosuccess.com/itega-podcast/ If you haven't seen it yet, come and join our community in our own IT Experts App – you can check it out here – https://bit.ly/ITE-COMM If we're not connected already, let's connect on LinkedIn, YouTube and over our website at innovatetosuccess.com. Alternatively, you can drop me an email at [email protected] Until next time, you look after yourself and I'll catch up with you soon!

Ayan shares how your digital marketing footprint can be compared to real estate -- how much are you investing in it? She also discussed how you don't necessarily have to hire a digital marketing agency for your IT & MSP business as there are many things that you can immediately do on your own such as: 1. Claim your Google My Business (GMB) listing 2. Get Google reviews She also talked about how even when you're not aware of it, your digital footprint can be easily checked. Ayan also discussed how important it is for MSPs to go LOCAL this 2021. We talked about how you should nail your niche, and make sure that you rank locally. We also tackled some basic yet effective SEO tips that you can use to help your IT & MSP business. I hope you've picked some helpful tricks from this episode, and if you did, it's time to implement! To learn more about digital footprint or amplifying your brand, you can get in touch with Ayan Adam here >> https://www.linkedin.com/in/ayanadam/ To learn more about Tech Tribe, click here: - http://bit.ly/ITE-TRIBE You can access the other IT Experts Podcasts here – https://innovatetosuccess.com/itega-podcast/ If you haven't seen it yet, come and join our community in our own IT Experts App – you can check it out here – https://bit.ly/ITE-COMM If we're not connected already, let's connect on LinkedIn, YouTube and over our website at innovatetosuccess.com. Alternatively, you can drop me an email at [email protected] Until next time, you look after yourself and I'll catch up with you soon!

In this episode of the IT Experts Podcast, we are fortunate to be joined by IT Rockstars' Scott Millar as we talk about how important is nailing your niche in your IT and MSP Business. Scott talked about how helpful it is in generating more business in your IT and MSP business to really figure out your niche. And once you have clarity of what your vertical is, you need to map out your customer journey and figure out how you move each prospect from one section to another. He also shared how targeted marketing works, and why you should use it in your IT and MSP business. We also discussed how important it is that you have confidence in your team and your business. We talked about how people buy from people, so it is also important that you build rapport with your prospect and your clients. These tips that we talked about today seem to be basic and you must already know them, but are you implementing them? If not, you are not alone, just make that change already and see how much it improves you IT & MSP business. To learn more about IT Rockstars and how they can help you generate qualified MSP leads without cold calling or networking, check them out here -- https://www.itrockstars.net/ To learn more about Tech Tribe, click here: - http://bit.ly/ITE-TRIBE You can also connect with Scott on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/scottmillar/ You can access the other IT Experts Podcasts here – https://innovatetosuccess.com/itega-podcast/ If you haven't seen it yet, come and join our community in our own IT Experts App – you can check it out here – https://bit.ly/ITE-COMM If we're not connected already, let's connect on LinkedIn, YouTube and over our website at innovatetosuccess.com. Alternatively, you can drop me an email at [email protected] Until next time, you look after yourself and I'll catch up with you soon!

Pete talked about how he came into the decision of selling his seven figure MSP business, even after swearing not to. We also tackled how the most important currency right now is TIME, and how important it is how and where you spend your time. Pete also shared his long journey taking his MSP business from founding it to selling it just before the Covid 19 pandemic hit the world last year. He says that he can't pinpoint a specific technique that he used in growing his business but says that the growth was slow and steady. We talked about how it takes more than a video marketing campaign, lead generation, or any sales technique to take your MSP business to the next level. You need to constantly adapt to the ever-changing market. Pete also shares how important it is to learn what your clients' problems are so that you can provide the right solutions for those. Doing so will help you build your confidence. He also talked about how important it is for any IT and MSP business owner to make an effort to improve. We discussed the importance of focusing on your people and your clients happy, and mental health. To learn more about Officevibe, a platform where you can send your team for mental health awareness courses or first aid courses, (and it will also tell you whether you are a good boss) click here: https://officevibe.com/ To learn more about Tech Tribe, click here: - http://bit.ly/ITE-TRIBE You can also connect with Pete on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/petematheson/ You can access the other IT Experts Podcasts here – https://innovatetosuccess.com/itega-podcast/ If you haven't seen it yet, come and join our community in our own IT Experts App – you can check it out here – https://bit.ly/ITE-COMM If we're not connected already, let's connect on LinkedIn, YouTube and over our website at innovatetosuccess.com. Alternatively, you can drop me an email at [email protected] Until next time, you look after yourself and I'll catch up with you soon!

We now exist in a time where most of our lives have been migrated online -- family gatherings, shopping, customer support, and business meetings. And as a business, there's only one thing that you can do, stand out from the crowd. And this is where putting out the right content comes to play. Creating content for your IT & MSP business can be challenging at times, especially when you're not used to it. And when it comes to it, we normally think that you have to set a certain time exclusively on creating content. However, Kevin shares that it doesn't have to be that way. Your content is readily available in every conversation you have with your clients, with your team, and with your network. Kevin shared some practical tips that you can use to put together your content, including recording a conversation that you have with your team or client, and having it transcribed. He also talked about the importance of using bullet points in putting together a piece of content. We also discussed how important it is to produce a diversified set of content. Kevin shares his 7 suggested forms of content for social media. They are: 1. Statistics 2. Facts 3. Anecdote 4. Poll 5. News 6. Tips 7. Quotes I hope this episode helps you in starting your content plan that will get you noticed, and make you stand out in the crowd. To get a 50% discount on Kevin's fresh stack content ideas, at MSP Spark - https://mspgrowthhacks.com/msp-content-spark/ . Just use the code : ITEXPERTS To learn more about Tech Tribe, click here : - http://bit.ly/ITE-TRIBE You can also connect with Kevin on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevin-clune/ You can access the other IT Experts Podcasts here – https://innovatetosuccess.com/itega-podcast/ If you haven't seen it yet, come and join our community in our own IT Experts App – you can check it out here – https://bit.ly/ITE-COMM If we're not connected already, let's connect on LinkedIn, YouTube, and over our website at innovatetosuccess.com. Alternatively, you can drop me an email at [email protected] Until next time, you look after yourself and I'll catch up with you soon!

We discuss the importance in having an appraisal system to measure your team performance. We also talked about the importance of you knowing that your team's job description is different from the appraisal system. Your Team Targets should be SMART: Specific Measurable Achievable Realistic Time-bound I hope that this episode helps you and your IT & MSP business team. You can access the other IT Experts Podcasts here – https://innovatetosuccess.com/itega-podcast/ To learn more about Tech Tribe, click here : - http://bit.ly/ITE-TRIBE If you haven't seen it yet, come and join our community in our own IT Experts App – you can check it out here – https://bit.ly/ITE-COMM If we're not connected already, let's connect on LinkedIn, YouTube and over our website at innovatetosuccess.com. Alternatively, you can drop me an email at [email protected] Until next time, you look after yourself and I'll catch up with you soon!

Chris shared with us that there is no perfect PSA tool, BUT there is a perfect PSA tool for your business. We talked about the importance of knowing what you'll be using your PSA tool is for, and that you use it right within your IT & MSP business. Chris reminds that your PSA tool should be used with your overall contract management, it is not simply a service desk (many business owners use it as such). Chris also talked about the parts of their PSA tools that IT & MSP businesses miss out on and normally not use. We covered the difference between a CRM and a PSA tool, as well as the pros and cons of each one. I hope that this episode helps you have a better insight on how you could make the most out of the PSA tool that you have in your IT & MSP business. To get a copy of Chris Timm's PSA Prfotability book, click here : https://www.psaprofitability.com/ To learn more about Tech Tribe, click here : - http://bit.ly/ITE-TRIBE You can also connect with Chris on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christimm/ You can access the other IT Experts Podcasts here – https://innovatetosuccess.com/itega-podcast/ If you haven't seen it yet, come and join our community in our own IT Experts App – you can check it out here – https://bit.ly/ITE-COMM If we're not connected already, let's connect on LinkedIn, YouTube and over our website at innovatetosuccess.com. Alternatively, you can drop me an email at [email protected] Until next time, you look after yourself and I'll catch up with you soon!

In this episode of the IT Experts Podcast, we are joined by The Nigel Moore from Tech Tribe. Previously, he built a 1.5M AU$ MSP business, and exited in 2016. And today, we are going to be talking about how perfect pricing works in your IT & MSP business. We talked about the importance of confidence in building and growing your IT & MSP business. You need to know and trust yourself to do what you need to do; only then can you take your business to YOUR next level. Nigel shared one of the mistakes of many IT & MSP business owners, and that is perfectionism, wanting to design the perfect system, however, he notes that there is nothing perfect, all you need to sell is a system that delivers good service to your clients while being profitable to you. He adds that, especially when you are a starting IT & MSP company, you can start with a basic pricing model, the most important thing is that it works -- and you know and understand the pros and cons. Gradually, the model matures, the market matures, and so do you, as a business. We also talked about the basics of what you need to know to get your pricing right. I hope that this episode helps you have a better insight into MSP pricing and help you be more confident in you and your IT & MSP business. To learn more about Nigels Tech Tribe, click here : - http://bit.ly/ITE-TRIBE You can also connect with him on Linkedin @ https://www.linkedin.com/in/nigelgmoore/ You can access the other IT Experts Podcasts here – https://innovatetosuccess.com/itega-podcast/ If you haven't seen it yet, come and join our community in our own IT Experts App – you can check it out here – https://bit.ly/ITE-COMM If we're not connected already, let's connect on LinkedIn, YouTube and over our website at innovatetosuccess.com. Alternatively, you can drop me an email at [email protected] Until next time, you look after yourself and I'll catch up with you soon!

And in today's episode, I share with you 5 key business growth strategy elements that you can easily adapt in your IT & MSP business. We cover the model that we use here at IT Experts, and that is the IT Experts MSP Profit Builder System. This system is broken down into the five elements that we cover today. They are: 1. The Profit Builder Blueprint 2. The 5 P's Sales System 3. People Performance Programme 4. MSP Profit Maximiser 5. The Powerful Performance Plan I hope that this episode helps you in your journey to taking your business to YOUR next level. You can access the other IT Experts Podcasts here – https://innovatetosuccess.com/itega-podcast/ If you haven't seen it yet, come and join our community in our own IT Experts App – you can check it out here – https://bit.ly/ITE-COMM If we're not connected already, let's connect on LinkedIn, YouTube, and over our website at innovatetosuccess.com. Alternatively, you can drop me an email at [email protected] Until next time, you look after yourself and I'll catch up with you soon!

As an IT & MSP business, closing a deal and conversion is key in keeping the business going. Cold calling allows you to reach out to your dream client and the best way to engage with them, get to know what needs they have and how exactly can you help them. John shares with us that as an IT & MSP business owner, you can sit down and wait for the phone to ring, or up your game and make that call. John also talked about the cold calling process; how important it is that you know how to approach the call. We also discussed the importance of knowing your message. What do you want to tell your prospects? What is it that your providing? How are you providing that to them? John also covered three main fundamentals in cold calling. They are: 1. Be Prepared - Know who you want to talk to. 2. Be Polite - Especially to the gatekeeper as they are the ones who can help you reach the right person. 3. Be Consistent - Set a time aside for cold calling, and put consistent effort into it. We also covered some effective tips that you should consider doing before, during, and after the call. These include: 1. Before the Call Who do you want to call? Make a list of your prospects, and narrow down to your ideal customers. Know your prospects. What does their company do? Who are the people that you need to speak with? Plan a call flow. 2. During the Call Be polite to the gatekeeper. Apply your call structure. 3. After the Call Maintain good CRM practices. Set alerts for follow up actions. I hope that this episode helps you make use of a fool-proof lead generation tactic in your IT & MSP business. You can access the other IT Experts Podcasts here – https://innovatetosuccess.com/itega-podcast/ If you haven't seen it yet, come and join our community in our own IT Experts App – you can check it out here – https://bit.ly/ITE-COMM If we're not connected already, let's connect on LinkedIn, YouTube, and over our website at innovatetosuccess.com. Alternatively, you can drop me an email at [email protected] Until next time, you look after yourself and I'll catch up with you soon!

We all agree that the current world situation (even when this is too far from ideal) has opened opportunities to the IT & MSP industry. Yes, you might have added a few clients, you needed to recruit new people, and the cashflow is doing good. However, the biggest challenge for you as the head of the organisation is making sure that you can maintain and improve the good things happening in your organisation right now. More than ever, you need to step down from being a manager, and step up and become a better leader in your IT & MSP business. In order to do that, there are five key steps that we use at IT Experts - they are all integrated as part of our MSP Profit Builder System in our leadership section called People Performance Programme. The 5 steps are: 1. UNDERSTAND YOU AS A BUSINESS: Have a clarity of where your business is going. Know your Vision, Mission, and Values. 2. UNDERSTAND YOU AS AN INDIVIDUAL: Learn the art of "The Shadow of the Leader", and lead by example. Understand the difference between being a manager and being a leader. 3. COMMUNICATION: Understand the importance of communicating with your team. This includes expectation exchange and having 'that difficult conversation'. 4. EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT: Ask your team what went right, and what could have done better. Seeing things from their perspective could be refreshing. 5. TOTAL LEADERSHIP PROCESS: How often are you meeting with your team? How often are you getting their feedback, and giving them your feedback? I hope that this episode helps you to better understand the things that you can do as an effective leader in your IT & MSP business. You can access the other IT Experts Podcasts here – https://innovatetosuccess.com/itega-podcast/ If you haven't seen it yet, come and join our community in our own IT Experts App – you can check it out here – https://bit.ly/ITE-COMM If we're not connected already, let's connect on LinkedIn, YouTube, and over our website at innovatetosuccess.com. Alternatively, you can drop me an email at [email protected] Until next time, you look after yourself and I'll catch up with you soon!

Ben shared with us how even with the current world situation, roles in the IT & MSP space are still highly in demand, and it would be a challenge to attract a good candidate especially when you think that the market is depressed, and you can under offer. Jon pointed out that with the skill scarcity in the IT & MSP space now, if you are looking at hiring a high-calibre talent, it is important that you adapt a mentality of "We need to work harder than before to attract the right talent". We also discussed the two (2) types of talents in the IT & MSP space, they are: 1. Active Job Seekers - they are actively searching for jobs to apply to 2. Passive Job Seekers - relatively happy with their current jobs, and generally someone who fits your need, as they are most likely already doing the job that you need to be done. Ben talked about the cost of a bad hire being three times of that hire's basic salary, so it is important that you nail the job description and specifications before recruiting someone. Ben also shared the top key points of recruitment in the IT & MSP space, which includes the clarity of your hiring process, as there are times when a good candidate walks away because of a bad experience during the interview process. Jon discussed about the difference between the recruitment process within the IT & MSP space and in the general corporate world. We also covered the different recruitment methods for IT & MSP businesses and their pros and cons, i.e., working with recruitment agencies, job boards, LinkedIn. I hope that this podcast has given you a better idea on how to recruit the next talent for your IT & MSP business. If you need a hand in your next recruitment, feel free to contact the guys at JLA Resourcing Ltd, you can get in touch with them through LinkedIn: Ben Leeds - https://www.linkedin.com/in/benleedsrecruitmentdirector/ Jon Martin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonmartintechnologyrecruiter/ If you enjoyed this podcast, it would be great to see you in our IT Experts Community. This is where we help you build that profitable IT/MSP Businesses you desire. You can access it by downloading our amazing free App by clicking here – https://bit.ly/ITE-COMM If we're not connected already, let's connect on LinkedIn, YouTube and over our website at innovatetosuccess.com Alternatively, you can drop me an email at [email protected] Till next time, you look after yourself and I'll catch up with you soon!

We all agree that 2020 had been a challenging year and not only for us but for our business. Many had to endure through struggles and challenges and had to adapt into the NEW normal, which heavily relies on the digital world. This shift was an amazing opportunity for IT & MSP businesses, especially if you have a plan figured out on how to capitalise on your growth planning. Today, I'm going to share with you the four (4) pillars that you can use in your IT & MSP business which can definitely help you conquer 2021. They are: 1. Growth Planning – Setting out your structure and your growth foundation, otherwise you will never build and scale a great business. 2. Team Building and Leadership - Make sure that you find, recruit, and retain the right people. Remember your people are your most valuable asset. The right team will help you scales your successful business much easier. 3. Marketing - Be on point with your marketing plan, keep up with the trends and adapt. 4. Business Performance Reporting - as I always say at IT Experts, what gets measured, gets done! If you don't understand where you're coming from and going to, how will you know what you need to do? I hope that this show helps you to STOP for a minute and reflect on what matters to you, so you can take the best course of action to take your IT & MSP business to YOUR next level this year! You can access the other IT Experts Podcasts here – https://innovatetosuccess.com/itega-podcast/ If you haven't seen it yet, come and join our community in our own IT Experts App – you can check it out here – https://bit.ly/ITE-COMM If we're not connected already, let's connect on LinkedIn, YouTube and over our website at innovatetosuccess.com. Alternatively, you can drop me an email at [email protected] Until next time, you look after yourself and I'll catch up with you soon!

Helga shares the importance of a leader's impact and influencing skills and that if you don't have INFLUENCE, then you can't LEAD. We talked about the difference between corporate and personal branding, the power of PERSONAL BRAND, and how useful it is for you as an IT/MSP business leader. We also discussed how being self-aware you are of your own personal brand can help you in your business. Helga also talked about the three purposes that a good brand serve. They are: 1. Authentic to You 2. Your brand should reflect the business you're serving. 3. Your brand should be of service to your clients. She also shares how your personal brand should reflect in your behaviours, specifically in your VVV (VISUAL, VOCAL, and VERBAL) It is so important that you are able to control your brand by choice rather than by chance as this will enable you to have a brand that honours you rather than dilutes the impression and the impact that you want to have. Helga also shares how your brand will ultimately feed into your reputation and your legacy. She says, "Without influence there is no leadership, as it's through influencing that leader's lead." I hope you start implementing these tips and you'll find how these can help you become a better leader in your IT/MSP business. You can access the other IT Experts Podcasts here – https://innovatetosuccess.com/itega-podcast/ If you enjoyed this podcast, it would be great to see you in our IT Experts Community. This is where we build profitable IT/MSP Businesses. You can access it by downloading our amazing free App by clicking here – https://bit.ly/ITE-APP If we're not connected already, let's connect on LinkedIn, YouTube and over our website at innovatetosuccess.com Alternatively, you can drop me an email at [email protected] Till next time, you look after yourself and I'll catch up with you soon!

Most IT and MSP business owners find the topic of business performance less than exciting, BUT, if you want to take your business to YOUR next level, you need to take this bull by the horns and you'll soon realise the power of this exercise and how important and interesting this can be. We run this exercise in our IT Experts Mastermind and I encourage members to do the same every 3 months. It really makes you think about what has happened and also get ready for the next period. Today, we will dissect your business according to three metrics, the 3 Ps: Business Performance, Business Process, and People Planning. Business Performance - you need to know your KPIs (Key Performance Indicators), KRAs (Key Results Areas), and see how your business is doing. In this area, we cover 8 easy steps, which are: Step 1: List Down Your Biggest Successes in the Last 3 Months Step 2: What Did You Learn in the Past 3 Months? Step 3: What are Your Biggest Internal Strengths? Step 4: What are Your Biggest Internal Weaknesses? Step 5: What are Your Biggest External Opportunities? Step 6: List Down Your External Threats Step 7: What are Your Priorities for the Next 3 Months? Step 8: Assign Accountabilities. Next, you need to review your processes. You need a tangible and measurable way of doing things in your organisation. To better understand and see whether you have your processes in place, you need to think of the following: Step 1: Are they documented? If you weren't there, would people have a reference guide on what to do? Step 2: Who owns each process? You will have to delegate these processes. Step 3: How do you know it works? How are you reporting on your processes? Step 4: How does your escalation process looks like? What do you do when things go wrong? Step 5: Review Process Regularly Lastly, you need to look at your people's performance. Is your people adding value to your business? In this section, let's take a look at these steps: Step 1: Align your objectives and targets to your KPIs. Step 2: Departmental objectives. Set a target for each department. Step 3: Review your leadership team's performance. Step 4: Measure your team's performance, i.e.. appraisal system. Step 5: Peer Review. When you're doing your appraisal schemes, involve the team, and the other departments. I hope you start implementing these steps and you'll find how these can help you improve your overall business performance. You can access the other IT Experts Podcasts here – https://innovatetosuccess.com/itega-podcast/ If you haven't seen it yet, go and check out our App and take the IT Experts Test you can download by clicking here – https://bit.ly/ITE-APP If we're not connected already, let's connect on LinkedIn, YouTube and over our website at innovatetosuccess.com Alternatively, you can drop me an email at [email protected] Till next time, you look after yourself and I'll catch up with you soon!

Shiny Ball Syndrome happens when you lose focus on the tasks that matter because you find something else more exciting and interesting, you get distracted and fall off your plan. Next thing you know, you've abandoned your original plan altogether and are back to square one. So, today we will talk about 7 important tips and tricks that would help you ensure that you don't fall victim to the 'Shiny Ball Syndrome' and simply get more of what matters done! Step 1: Set up a Plan - Make sure it is SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, realistic, and Time-bound, ). Also, have it reviewed by your management team. Step 2: Break Down Plan into Monthly and Weekly Targets - Break your plan down into bite-size chunks of activities. Step 3: Assign Accountability - Hold the right people accountable. Make sure that you are assigning tasks to the people who have the capacity to do it. Step 4: Block Time in Calendar - Book a meeting with yourself to make sure you have the time to work ON your business rather than IN your business. Step 5: Turn Off Distractions - Whether it is your phone, email, or apps, when you are in your meeting with yourself or with your team, make sure to avoid all kinds of distractions. Step 6: Give Yourself a Reward - When you are achieving your goals, don't forget to reward yourself and your team. Step 7: Get Yourself Some Accountability - There is no better way to get something done in your week than holding yourself accountable. I hope you start implementing these steps and you'll find how these can help you improve your overall productivity and results. You can access the other IT Experts Podcasts here – https://innovatetosuccess.com/itega-podcast/ If you haven't seen it yet, go and check out our App and take the IT Experts Test you can download by clicking here – https://bit.ly/ITE-APP If we're not connected already, let's connect on LinkedIn, YouTube and over our website at innovatetosuccess.com Alternatively, you can drop me an email at [email protected] Till next time, you look after yourself and I'll catch up with you soon!

Many IT, MSP and Tech businesses don't pay much attention to their website's SEO, especially when they're generating clients offline and through referrals. However, Dave shares with us how supercharging your SEO can help you take your business to the next level, beat your competitors and stand out in a crowded market place. Dave also shares with us how important it is that businesses keep up with the ever-changing search engine algorithms. These are sometimes seen as a dark art and that's why it is important that we connect and have people like David in our networks. We talked about the importance of rankings and keyword optimisation, as well as curating your content around your industry keywords. Dave also talked about how Google My Business (GMB) can help you build a better presence online and in driving traffic into your website, as this links to many other channels, like YouTube, your CRM, Facebook and other social media etc. He also shared with us some effective tactics, and tips that you can use on your website right now, i.e. right images, adding a phone number, PDFs, etc. He says, don't be afraid to give out information and add value on your website. To learn more about how Dave and his business Loud Crowd Agency can help your website perform better you can visit his website https://loudcrowd.agency/ or call them at 01302 965482 for a FREE audit. That's it from me today, hope you enjoy this show! You can access the other IT Experts Podcasts here – https://innovatetosuccess.com/itega-podcast/ If you haven't seen it yet, go and check out our App and take the IT Experts Test you can download by clicking here – https://bit.ly/ITE-APP If we're not connected already, let's connect on LinkedIn, YouTube and over our website at innovatetosuccess.com Alternatively, you can drop me an email at [email protected] Till next time, you look after yourself and I'll catch up with you soon!

Today, I share with you the steps that I take with my clients to help them understand, create and share their own company values with their teams. Once you have identified your own values, then it will help you to create and build your own company culture and this will also help build employee engagement and performance. In addition to this, it also helps your prospects and clients identify what type of organisation. Probably the most powerful part of identifying your values is that you can then measure and call out individual team members' performance against each value and. This could be for rewarding good behaviour and also addressing when things aren't going quite right. Years ago, no one really talked about Company Values, but as we develop through the latter years, people are starting to understand how our values help to create a culture and strengthen our people strategy. Amongst other things on the show that I've talked about (H2H) Human to Human Communication The IT Experts Company Values Steps to create the Company Values These steps are : Step 1 - Create Between 3-7 Core Values Step 2 – Understanding your own values Step 3 - What are the Company values Step 4 - Cloning Employees Step 5 – Select the ones that suits better for your Business Step 6 – Define the Company Values Step 7 – Involve your Team Step 8 - Chat with your team and ask if we have missed anything out Once you have mastered your Company Values, you can use these to help support the vision that you are aiming for in your business in the future. This can impart to your team to help your people perform more for your Business and making sure that whatever it is that you are doing it should align to what the company stands for. So that's pretty much it for me today. You can access the other IT Experts Podcasts here - https://innovatetosuccess.com/itega-podcast/ If you haven't seen it yet, go and check out our App and take the IT Experts Test you can download by clicking here - https://bit.ly/ITE-APP If we're not connected already, let's connect on LinkedIn, YouTube and over our website at innovatetosuccess.com Alternatively, you can drop me an email at [email protected] Till next time, you look after yourself and I'll catch up with you soon!

In this episode of the IT Experts Podcast, we talk to Yusuf McNulty, who is an absolute Email Warrior and we lovingly know him as Mac. He is a former Teacher turned Copywriter. In today's show, we talk about the Fundamentals of Email Marketing, which is exciting because as we all know, emails lead to leads. So, the purpose of the show, the reason that we've put this together today is to help the IT, MSP and Tech community when it comes to nurturing leads, nurturing your prospects, even delivering value to your clients through Email Marketing. And we hear a lot of people talking about EMAIL IS DEAD, don't worry about the email it just doesn't work anymore and this simply isn't true. So in today's show, Mac's going to help us to understand what we should be doing when it comes to email marketing, what we should be writing, how often we should be writing, all this and more and I know this can be a real value set to all IT and Tech Business owners. According to Mac, he helps people get a grip on Email Marketing, because there's a lot of misconceptions about it. There is also a lot of abusive email marketing out there, like people doing it wrong, spamming and also not getting any effective results with it. He added that the first thing to understand with email, is to remove any kind of previous assumptions you have about it. The reality is that literally everyone has an email address, and the beauty of email is that it's something you have some form of ownership over. So, for anyone running a business, it's very important to not just look at, revenue and turnover and things like that, but looking at assets that you own. I mean, business really is data. And I completely agree that Social Media Marketing is important, and we should be doing it. But I'm very big on owning your own data. And one of the best ways of earning data is building your own email list. Once you have your own email list, that's something that you can export, you can back up, you can put it on a hard drive, you can put it in the cloud, you can put it in multiple places, and you can keep it up to date. Moreover, the fact Mac reminds us that that email is an extremely private form of communication, its basically a one to one conversation with someone who could be your potential client. Amongst other things on the show,we talked about; 1. The fundamentals of Email Marketing, what are the top three things that people need to consider. 2. What else are the key points that we need to understand from an email marketing point of view. 3. What are some of the key steps to know when building your CRM and nurturing your leads. 4. What are the types of content that we should put out there that adds value to the recipeint. 5. What's the difference between Email Automation vs Broadcast Emails 6. What different Email platforms are out there. It's only a short podcast, but its full of Value Bombs as usual! all to help you get a better understanding on how Email Marketing works and how it can definitely help your IT, MSP and Tech Business. I hope you enjoy the show You can contact Mac by joining his email list "bit.ly/join-MacMail" you can also find him on Facebook by searching for Yusuf McNulty

So, what is a peer support group and how does it work? Business Owners' peer groups have been around for many, many years. I first heard of them while I was reading Napoleon Hill's book Think and Grow Rich. It's basically where business owners come together, build trust, build rapport, and share with each other the challenges and successes in their businesses. This powerful combination of connection and knowledge helps them to grow their businesses and to make business not such a lonely place. In this episode, I run through some of the key elements of a good peer group and how they work. Among other things I talked about: Growth and Giving mindset and how it had a big impact towards the business. Different types of peer groups. Peer Group format Overall Peer group concept The Shiny Ball Syndrome The importance of staying on track and having that accountability My own peer group "The IT Experts Mastermind" So, it's only a short podcast that I just wanted to just explain a little bit more about peer groups and how they work. I would absolutely love for you to come and experience how the IT experts Masterminds work. I would absolutely love for you to come and experience how the IT Experts Mastermind work. All you need to do on this is just click the link HERE (https://innovatetosuccess.com/mm-experience/) and you'll see there the brochure and you'll be able to learn more about how IT Experts Mastermind can help you take your business to your next level. And that's pretty much it for me today. I'd love for you to go and check out some of the other podcasts over on the podcast page on the website https://innovatetosuccess.com/itega-podcast/. And if there's anything that you'd like to see if there's anything you'd like to hear, see whether you're on YouTube https://youtu.be/1cIFVb3ck2E or whether you're on an audio version, then just drop us an email at [email protected] or put us a message through the website. And we'll be more than happy to put some content together to help you out. You can also download our E-book How to Grow Your IT & Tech Business by clicking this link – http://tiny.cc/ITE-Ebook19 That's it for me today. I hope you've enjoyed the show.

Terry emphasises that your website is and should be at the center of your marketing efforts. If your website isn't fit for purpose, no matter how much you spend on ads, Google, social media -- they all go to waste. We also discussed how in this day and age marketing is no longer one job. Marketing is now all about being a good writer, good designer, having lots of social media skills, SEO, email, Pay Per Click video, HTML, event, etc. Terry also talked about the only two reasons why people buy, and that is to increase their sales, or reduce their costs. He also shared with us his winning marketing methodology which is the ATTRACT, ENGAGE, NURTURE, CLOSE method. It follows: 1. Attract - How to Attract attention by increasing online activity and social interaction 2. Engage - Turning Visitors into Leads by creating Interest and capture new contacts 3. Nurture - Educating and building credibility. Moving leads to awareness and creates sales leads 4. Close - Essentially closing sales deals, creating new customers and building incremental sales We also covered the different online marketing channels -- each organisation's target market may be on different social media platforms and we need to focus on the ones that matter when growing your IT, MSP or Tech Business. If you are looking to scale your IT, MSP and Tech Business and don't know where to start, then check out the IT Experts Growth Accelerator here http://bit.ly/ITEXPERTS You can also download our E-book How to Grow Your IT & Tech Business by clicking this link – http://tiny.cc/ITE-Ebook19

You will learn, how do business strategies work in the tech space? What are its key elements? and also, if it is really as much HARD work as most would believe? (Nope!) Get your notepad ready for this episode that's full of useful tips and tricks that you can easily follow and use in your IT and Tech business. But before anything else, let me just remind you that your people are the main engine of your organisation. No matter how good your business strategy is, if you're people are not aligned, not focused, not sharing the same directions as you, and you're not supporting them, your business strategies won't do much. That is why we have developed the People Performance Programme to share with you what you can do to have a better team. Here are my top tips on this: 1. Have Strong Leadership - Be a strong, consistent leader. 2. Only Quality People - Hire people that supports and works hard for the business. 3. Efficient Systems and Processes - You need to have clear systems and processes that help your team to work efficiently. 4. Robust Reporting - Helps you monitor that everything in your organisation works! To better understand how business strategies work in your IT and Tech business, I've broken it down into 5 bite-sized chunks, they are: 1. Strategy is a methodology - Look at your values, vision, and mission statements. 2. Have a Growth Mindset - unless you have a mindset to grow, all strategies won't necessarily work. 3. Employee Engagement (Culture that you set!) - Understand how important leading people is rather than managing people. 4. Have a Planning System - Set a compass for where you want to take your business. 5. Measurement - What gets measured gets done. What gets measured and reported gets done even quicker and in a higher quality. Once you've understood these steps, you'll have a better handle on what you're doing on your business and you will realise that taking your business to the next level isn't as complicated as you thought it was. If you are looking to scale your IT, MSP and Tech Business and don't know where to start, then check out the IT Experts Growth Accelerator on our website http://bit.ly/ITEXPERTS You can also download our E-book How to Grow Your IT & Tech Business by clicking this link – http://tiny.cc/ITE-Ebook19

In this episode of the IT Experts Podcast, I share with you a few secrets on How to Build a High Performing Remote Technical Team. This will help you to increase their productivity and employee engagement and when you master all this, you will ultimately see an increase in your profitability. It has been a few difficult months in business since the Covid-19 pandemic hit, and most businesses have had to adapt to the new normal very quickly, which for most involves social distancing and working remotely. I have spent the past 20+ years developing leadership roles in the business that focus on making sure that members of staff feel included, important, and productive. What's critical here is that by adopting a few Leadership fundamentals when leading your teams, you can now have a high performing team that can also be remote. Here is the main elements to this show: 1. Have a Clear Structure - Everybody must know where they stand in the business and who they report to. 2. Performance Management - You need to have a way of recognising brilliance, who is working hard at propelling the business forward. You also need a way to address the other end of the spectrum when things aren't going well and performance dips. 3. Training and Capacity - Develop a competency matrix and identify what skills your team has and what training they need. 4. Get the Right Tech - This can boil down to their internet speed, their hardware, software. Make sure that the tools they are using work and promote a productive workspace. 5. Employee Engagement - This is the one sign of a great leader, make sure your team is engaged and wants to drive the business forward because they have a purpose. 6. Empower Each Other - Make sure that your team knows what they are doing right and give them a platform to provide feedback. 7. Have a Social - Have a regular social meeting to help build your team's relationship and keep them in a positive mindset. 8. Mental Health and Wellbeing -Working remotely can have an effect on an employee's wellbeing, identify when things are not going well and set up mechanisms to deal with issues as and when they arise. I hope you enjoyed this episode; let me know which sections you are already adapting in your own business, and which ones will you be adapting soon. If you are looking to scale your IT, MSP and Tech Business and don't know where to start, then check out the IT Experts Growth Accelerator on our website http://bit.ly/ITEXPERTS You can also download our E-book How to Grow Your IT & Tech Business by clicking this link – http://tiny.cc/ITE-Ebook19

These days, everybody seems to be busy which is great, but the real question you should be asking is are you busy taking your business to the next level? Or are you being consumed by working too much IN the technical side of your business? That being said, It is very important that you have a good grasp of key revenue-generating activities in your business right now, as this will give you the best chance of surviving any difficult times that lay ahead. One thing that all successful business owners have in common is that they are all productive! So, let me share with you my eight time management tips for IT, MSP, and Tech businesses: 1. Have a business and personal vision - Whatever you're doing, visualise your end goal. 2. Understand the Pareto Principle (80-20 Rule) - 20% of the work you do delivers 80% of your results. 3. Delegation - Have a clarity on your £10 - £100 - £1000 tasks and delegate accordingly. 4. Work Your Calendar - plan out your week in advance, book your diary ahead, and stick to it. 5. Automate Your Bookings - use a system to make setting an appointment as easy as possible, while letting you choose when you allow to get distracted. 6. Eat That Frog! - Avoid procrastinating on the tasks that you don't love doing. 7. Avoiding Distractions - make sure that people don't disrupt you when you don't want to be disrupted. 8. Get an Accountability Buddy I hope you enjoyed this episode, it would be great to hear what is working well for you right now and your own Time Management productivity hacks. If you are looking to scale your IT, MSP and Tech Business and don't know where to start, then check out the IT Experts Growth Accelerator on our website http://bit.ly/ITEXPERTS You can also download the e-book by clicking this link – http://tiny.cc/ITE-Ebook19

In this IT Experts Podcast, I talked about the tried and tested model that we use to generate quality leads for our IT & Tech Clients. We help you to connect with people who need your services. Why use LinkedIn? Simply put, LinkedIn is where professionals go to level up and connect in business. Basically, it helps you generates high quality and qualified leads. Hence, if you were to focus on only one channel for your company's lead generation, it should be LinkedIn. This is the best place for B2B marketers. LinkedIn has over 500 million total users, and over half of them actively use the platform every month. That means that you have the opportunity to connect with thousands of your potential leads that are engaging on this amazing platform a regular basis. More importantly, if your business offers a solution to their needs - Linkedin is the place to be. Listen to the full Podcast to learn the 9-key elements to Lead Gen success that we help our clients with every day. They are: Have a Killer Profile (5:15) – A good quality profile that it explains a little about what you do and how you help. Have a clear Target Market (8:22) – Have absolute clarity who your target Avatar is. Content (10:50) - Give your Target Market quality, regular, value-based contents. Engagement (14:15) - Engage and position yourself as an expert to build up your credibility. Focused Outreach Strategy (15:17) - Find the people you want to connect with, start a conversation to build up your network. Personal vs Company Profile (17:30) - Vary the content content that you post on your personal profile against your company profile for your prospects. Call to Action (CTA) (18:52) - It has to be clear and it should resonate to your target market so they would clearly understand what you want them to do next. Social Selling Index (SSI) (20:30) - A LinkedIn Algorithm that rates your activities. Check it out at Linkedin.com/sales/ssi Bots (21:34) - Organic Leads has much better conversion rates than using bots in generating your Leads. If you are looking to scale your IT / Tech Consultancy Business and don't know where to start, then check out the IT Experts Growth Accelerator on our website http://bit.ly/ITEXPERTS You can also download the e-book by clicking this link - http://tiny.cc/ITE-Ebook19

In this episode, I talk with Fisayo Olusegun, Creative Content Creator of Anointed Words and we will be talking about "Copywriting Essentials." By learning how to make a well-written copywriting is very essential because it drives profitability, earns a Return on Investment (ROI) and achieves your business' goals by convincing your target customer that your product offering will solve their need and offer them value. With that, we will be sharing with you today, some tips and tricks of massive value into the community and help you write better web pages, write better content, write better copy, so that you can resonate in a kind of a non-technical way. The purpose of this episode is to shed some knowledge and some light on some practices that will help anyone listening, especially IoT and Tech Business owners. By understanding the basic knowledge of copywriting, this will help them with their content and help them put the material out there in ways that will draw more customers to them and draw people who need their solutions to that. According to Fisy, IT & Tech businesses shouldn't necessarily always write their own material. Why? because they are too close to the work, so they don't see it from the external point of view which is basically very important. And that is to see things from your customers perspective. And copywriting has one purpose and one purpose only - to sell a specific product or service to your target market. Ian added, the key takeaway for him and what he learned so far in his business journeys is that we can't do everything, we can't be all things to all men and women. Here are the important topics they talked about: The Basics of copywriting. Types of copywriting Different methods/approach used in copywriting. Some of the fundamental mistakes made in doing the copywriting. Copywriting structure. How to construct the perfect headline to attract your target market. How google interprets/analyze your copy. ITS Quick Fire Round If you are to bottle one part of your business journey and sell it. What would it be and why? Skill of copywriting – Copywriting sells itself. It is great in good times. And it's even better when things get rough. For example, during this period of COVID, and all that, I've been the busiest I've ever been as a copywriter. What is your biggest learning / regret about scaling your business? You can't do it all alone – So, yeah, it's quick and easy, maybe corny to some people but the hardheaded always have to feel it to believe it. So, I did it last year, try it by myself. got to the point where you can't do the marketing and do the work at the same time while you're doing the work if the market is not happening a couple of weeks later, you have no more work because no marks no marketing, it's been gone. You can't do it. You got to delegate. Get people in that you trust, build a team around you. What is your favourite app on your phone and why? LinkedIn. the reason being is I don't have a website I don't have anything else. I do social media marketing. Guest Details To contact Fisayo, you may connect with him through Linkedin at https://www.linkedin.com/in/fisayo-olusegun/ If you are looking to scale your IT / Tech Consultancy Business and don't know where to start, then check out the IT Experts Growth Accelerator on our website http://tiny.cc/ITEXPERTS You can also download the e-book by clicking this link - http://tiny.cc/ITE-Ebook19 Quotes You can't do it all alone. You can't do it. You got to delegate. Get people in that you trust, build a team around you. – Fisayo Olusegun

In this very special edition of the IT Experts Podcast, I talked with John Allard – founder of The Video News Factory Ltd in Milton Keynes. Today, you will learn the importance of using the right video for your Marketing strategy in making your content marketing, website brand building and all other different elements to help you through with your IT and Tech Business. The purpose of this episode is to explain and share with you why videos are important and effective in the whole marketing strategy and how videos boost customer acquisition. In our modern world, video is king. Online video consumption continues to rise at an astonishing pace because people are watching videos on the internet all the time. As video marketing becomes more affordable and widespread, it's becoming easier for smaller businesses to leverage the power of video and acquire more customers. With a smart, focused video marketing strategy, you'll be able to engage with potential leads more effectively, increase conversion rates, and drive more sales. According to John, a new era has evolved, allowing each brand to become a broadcaster. You've got to know your audience, program schedules and most importantly you must be consistent in you content. If you've got listeners and viewers, you'll want to keep and grow them. ALWAYS CREATE A HOOK – a contract between you and your viewers promising to deliver them value by offering them something powerful and interesting if they keep tuned in for the next 10-20mins because if not what's even the point of being there. You must have that Wow Factor, the sense of empowerment. Having a powerful media presence that affects the beliefs of your viewers. Delivering the right values or message to your clients. Other topics we've talked about are: Most common type of video use in Marketing. When should people used animation on a website instead of a video? What are some of the mistakes people make when making a video? What are some of the things the people need to do to get it right? Furthermore, John Allard said you only need one marketing & content plan and sales strategy. The more you think about integration, the more effective it's going to be. Combine this with the right marketing and growth plan it will help your IT and tech Business succeed. ITS Quick Fire Round If you are to bottle one part of your business journey and sell it. What would it be and why? Start with an agile mentality. In business, you got to have a plan so you will have flexibility, agility and a strategy whenever there is a disaster in which you can flip around and turn it into an opportunity. What is your biggest learning / regret about scaling your business? Partnerships – I think when you are a small business, keep partnerships going. The best partnerships are the ones maintaining its integrity. What is your favourite app on your phone and why? Liver view - It allows me to see on my app what is going on with my body. Guest Details To contact John Allard, connect with him on Linkedin at https://www.linkedin.com/in/thevideonewsfactory/ We work on partnership; we offer very low entry to know what is like to work with us. If you are looking to scale your IT / Tech Consultancy Business and don't know where to start, then check out the IT Experts Growth Accelerator on our website http://tiny.cc/ITEXPERTS You can also download the e-book by clicking this link - http://tiny.cc/ITE-Ebook19 Quotes It's a new ball game/era that's evolved allowing each brand to become a proper broadcaster. You've got to know your audience, program schedules and most importantly you must be out there regularly. If you've got listeners and viewers, you want to keep and grow them. – John Allard

In this episode, I talk about "Surviving Major Business Disruption and beyond" As Business owners, we are continually faced with challenges, difficulties and temporary setbacks. They are unavoidable and inevitable. By learning stress management and how respond with a positive attitude to each challenge, will help you grow as a person and continue moving forward. We must be optimistic, this can help with coping with the daily affairs of life and business. I'm going to be sharing with you some tactical tips and tricks to help you get through during this difficult time, so you can emerge out of this ahead of your competitors. The purpose of this episode is to talk about the Corona Virus Pandemic and the worldwide disruption it has caused. We can survive and thrive and in this podcast, I share with you how to deal with business disruption and change in general. There's been a lot of hype and noise going on, Constant negativity in the press can be so stressful. I know it's very sad and devastating, but I believe, now is the time that we should all step back and just take a little bit of time to put things into perspective. Remember, we can never grow whilst in a negative mindset, not just in business but in all aspects of life. With that, it is very important to adapt and change your mindset into a positive point of view. Look for opportunities from an entrepreneurial point of view and find a way on how we can serve the client better. We should also understand and know when people are struggling. Thus, having a PLAN and maintaining your profit margin by knowing where your cash flow is coming from is very important. Listen to the full podcast to find out more about the five-key element of our IT EXPERTS MODEL. Personal Development Business Development People Planning Finance and commercial Business Performance Using these 5-key elements will certainly help you achieve a positive outcome with your IT and Tech Business. Details If you are looking to scale your IT / Tech Consultancy Business and don't know where to start, then check out the IT Experts Growth Accelerator on our website http://tiny.cc/ITEXPERTS You can also download the e-book by clicking this link - http://tiny.cc/ITE-Ebook19 Quotes You can never grow your business when you are being negative - Ian Luckett

In this episode, I talked with James Burtt, who is an awesome brand performance expert. You will learn what you need to do to get your brand out there, how you standout on a crowded IT marketplace which will ultimately help you generate more leads. The purpose of this episode is to give you a clear understanding on how having and building a solid Brand makes a huge difference and impact into your business. First off, we should know what Brand is? According to James, Your Brand is your reputation – nothing more, nothing less. Your brand is built to be a true representation of who you are as a business, and how you wish to be perceived. Having a strong brand will distinguish yourself from your competitors, it will also make memorable impression on consumers and it allows your customers and clients to know what to expect from your company, making sure that your company offers the best choice of products, services and solutions. Ultimately, you must make sure that all messaging is always be about them not about you. Having said that, this allows you to stand out from your competitors! Other important things that we also talked about are; The difference between Branding and Marketing The Basic of USP'S The biggest mistakes that people make when branding their business Business niche – ideal target market Understanding Brand proposition How to stand out from your competitors Productizing ITS Quick Fire Round If you are to bottle one part of your business journey and sell it. What would it be and why? 5AM Club – I love getting up early. I get so much more stuff done. What is your biggest learning / regret about scaling your business? My biggest learning is the power of being around with the right people. What is your favourite app on your phone and why? I love WhatsApp. I think it's brilliant, I build business and connected with some of the biggest influencers on the planet. Guest Details To contact James Burtt, connect with him on Instagram at @jamesburttofficial If you are looking to scale your IT / Tech Consultancy Business and don't know where to start, then check out the IT Experts Growth Accelerator on our website http://tiny.cc/ITEXPERTS You can also download the e-book by clicking this link - http://tiny.cc/ITE-Ebook19 Quotes Your Brand is your REPUTATION – James Burtt

In this episode, I talked with a very special guest, Mark Matthews CEO, Leader and Visionary owner of ATG-IT in Bromsgrove, UK. Mark has an amazing and inspiring story of how he transformed his business using his inspiration from a crisp packet. He took his IT business from 0 to £2.8m, making him one of the most successful IT/MSP business owners I know. In today's podcast, you will learn a great deal about the non-technical side of Business. It's all about leadership, systems, processes and company culture. We also talk about how to engage properly with your staff, how to get more out of them, how to step back and use self-awareness to become a better leader and most importantly you will learn how Mark developed his IT and Tech business. The purpose of this episode is to explain and share some of the amazing successes that Mark has had growing ATG-IT and how that relates to having a deliberate and systemise growth plan. Mark also shares how a crisp packet changed his life. Back in the day, Mark didn't have a process to lead his business, which probably led him to become a control freak. Spending his time focusing more on money, because everything was all about money and not about the people. He said, ATG wasn't going anywhere, they had flatlined, he's working 70 hours plus a week, unhappy and not knowing what his purpose was. Mark added, since that epiphany, he was gone from being lost with no direction to being clear about his purpose and the professional and personal journey he is on. Because he realised, it was him all along. According to Mark, he had never told his staff at work, what GOOD looked like. Therefore, if you don't explain to your employees what good looks like, then they will just do what they think they should. Hence, they will use their own version of what good looks like as a guide and if they do and you haven't helped them understand what you wanted, then getting it wrong can't be their fault if you haven't supported them. Mark soon realised that it was his fault then he decided to change the way he dealt with employees. He added that having a system is the overall key element to business growth success. Other important things they talked about are: The Traction business model from Gino Wickman The steps they need to define core values The core values of the company How he set boundaries and use "The 5 questions of clarity" Model Mark said, having these 5 questions of Clarity can put boundaries for people, boundaries for money and boundaries for time. ITS Quick Fire Round If you are to bottle one part of your business journey and sell it. What would it be and why? It's always the owner's fault – get out of your own way. What is your biggest learning / regret about scaling your business? There are so many learning points but for me, it is to develop a system and to work on yourself. What is your favourite app on your phone and why? Waterminder. – It helps me to remind myself to rehydrate as I go through the day. Guest Details To contact Mark Matthews, connect with him through Linkedin and Twitter or email him at [email protected] or check out his website at https://www.crispleadership.com/ If you are looking to scale your IT / Tech Consultancy Business and don't know where to start, then check out the IT Experts Growth Accelerator on our website http://tiny.cc/ITEXPERTS You can also download the e-book by clicking this link - http://tiny.cc/ITE-Ebook19 Quotes If you don't explain to your employees what good looks like, then they will just do what they think they should, using their own initiative based on their own experience and values, and not yours. – Matt Matthews

In this episode, we had a great time talking with Kevin Lowe, he is an absolute expert when it comes to finding and training the right apprentice and making sure that the apprentice offers value back to you and your business from day one. Today, you will learn not just to find the right candidate that fits to your business needs but knowing whether it is the best time for you to hire an apprentice. The purpose of this episode is to help business owners understand the benefits and/or advantages of having the right apprentice for their business, understanding the whole apprenticeship scheme bringing your business to the next level - helping them grow and develop their organisation. Research has shown that apprenticeship offers myriad of benefits. By investing in talent development through apprenticeship, employers gain a pipeline of loyal skilled workers, increase productivity, and improve the bottom line however most business owners often overlooked this and is often battling out the whole idea of bringing in an experienced staff rather than an apprentice. Oftentimes, business owners don't want to hire apprentice simply because they don't have the time nor the resources to train or probably it's not just easy for them and they don't have the right support to do so. Moreover, as companies, whether to bring on apprentices yet most of them have the same question in mind: What if I invest all this time and money training an apprentice, only to have them jump ship when it's done? According to Kevin, that's a possibility, as it is with any employee. But advocates argue that the benefits outweigh the risks. Hence, they talked about important topics such as. The benefit of apprentices to the business owners? The benefit to the actual apprentice themselves? How they kind of work and how you can help? Kevin added, when he seeks for the right apprentice, he always asks; What do they like to do in their spare time? Through this, it will help him identify and find out the type of people that he is working with. Kevin believes, those young, enthusiastic, hungry, passionate apprentices are like a sponge that they are going to suck all the information that you are giving them. They will just do, follow and complete all the task that you want them to do. Other topics they talked about: What in the pre-qualification process do you look out for? How do you choose the right apprentice for your business? What are your criteria to make sure that you match to the right candidate with the job role? What additional support you can provide to the business owners? ITS Quick Fire Round: If you are to bottle one part of your business journey and sell it. What would it be and why? My advice would be to work hard, be honest, work with integrity and have no regrets. What is your biggest learning / regret about scaling your business? Don't look for apprentice that has more experience instead bring in someone who is young, enthusiastic, hungry, who is ready to do what they are told to do. What is your favourite app on your phone and why? Spotify because I always listen to music. Guest Details To contact Kevin Lowe, connect with him through LinkedIn or you may call his number at 07984 962 865 to ask for a FREE consultation. If you are looking to scale your IT / Tech Consultancy Business and don't know where to start, then check out the IT Experts Growth Accelerator on our website http://tiny.cc/ITEXPERTS You can also download the e-book by clicking this link - http://tiny.cc/ITE-Ebook19 Quotes You can't teach people attitude manners and/or beliefs, but you can support them with their knowledge. – Ian Luckett You must teach someone making sure that they have a mentor who is teaching them doing what is right. They need someone to support them, look after them and making sure that what they are doing is right and that they are guided through with all those kinds of support. – Kevin Lowe

In this episode, I had the privilege to interview AJ Yager of Praxis Metrics Data from Austin, Texas. He will be sharing with us loads of tips on how you can learn, understand and implement Data Analysis that will help your clients grow and succeed their IT and Tech Businesses which will add value to your organization. The purpose of this episode is to help business owners understand how Data works. Why Data is important and how a deeper understanding on how we can analyse it in terms of Data Analysis can help Business owners succeed with their IT and Tech Businesses. Ian shared that for most of the business owners apparently don't understand or have an idea what data they've got and how to use it. According to AJ, Data is simply information. This will help business owners become well-informed. Moreover, Data is the key to gaining information, knowledge, wisdom and that helps you scale your business and do your job better. He added, it is extremely valuable to know your numbers and of course, to take action. As business owners, you are constantly making decision and with that why not use that learning and use it to become better. Data will help Business owners make better and right decision. Thus, it's all about taking action with the data that you have. With this, you must ask your clients "What are your biggest Problems?" from there you can build relationships and drive bigger opportunities by knowing how to solve their biggest problems. Apparently, there are lots of ways to use the data but the number one thing that we used it for is to drive a better decision. This is to really change the behaviour within the organization. Other Key points we talked about are: Typical types of Data and how to use it. Steps that you need to ask and know to help your Business grow. Lifetime Customer Value ITS Quick Fire Round If you are to bottle one part of your business journey and sell it. What would it be and why? Our Knowledge/Brains. In a way to teach people to think about this, understand and to take action with the data that they get. What is your biggest learning / regret about scaling your business? Hiring team members – where we had the most mistakes and a biggest learning. What is your favourite app on your phone and why? AJ: Prime Mind & Do Not Disturb App – if I want to focus on my life and my business. Guest Details To contact AJ, visit their website at praxismetrics.com If you are looking to scale your IT / Tech Consultancy Business and don't know where to start, then check out the IT Experts Growth Accelerator on our website http://tiny.cc/ITEXPERTS You can also download the e-book by clicking this link - http://tiny.cc/ITE-Ebook19 Quotes Data doesn't need to be complicated. This means that by understanding your data, knowing your numbers, and by knowing your business can then help you implement your business growth. - Ian Luckett Every business is one data away from exponential growth hence know your numbers. – AJ Yager

Today I talked with Tiffany Kemp – CEO and Founder of Devant Limited. We share some business saving tips and tricks and strategies all around Business Contracts that you need to know that will help your business grow and run smoothly. When talking about Contracts, people generally use this as some sort of weaponry or an Insurance policy. When really it should be treated as a relationship that guides and helps both you and your customers to do the right thing. According to Tiffany, when Business owners know how to approach the conversation and then do it the right way, this will help your business grow rather than running into unforeseen risks. She added that, Devant had a mission to help businesses use the right contracts to help them build great value to their customers. It is so important that you are being transparent with your Contract to your customers so that both parties can set a proper expectation with one another. Other key topics we talked about are: Getting the best contract for your employees and how to protect yourself from others who try to poach your key staff. Termination of Contract by Clients. Do's and Don'ts that you need to consider in setting up contracts. Contracts in terms of Cyber Security. Protecting your IP. ITS Quick Fire Round 1) If you were to 'bottle' one part of your business journey and sell it, what would that be and why? Having the courage with your convictions to say what you believe to be true. 2) What is your biggest learning/regret and advice to listeners when scaling their business? To hangout with other key people who knows stuff that you don't. 3) What is your favourite App on your phone and Why? Waze and voice recorder on my phone. Guest Details If you need some help on anything contractual, you can contact Tiffany Kemp at Devant Limited for FREE 30 minutes of support. You can find out more about Devant at https://devant.co.uk LISTENER OFFER! Devant are running a Negotiation Skills Course that you can find out more about here on the link below and Tiffany has kindly given a 20% discount off of any TiffCo Contract Law or Contract Negotiation course: find out more here https://tiffanykemp.com/shop/ Just enter the code IAN2020 now up until 30th of April 2020. Links and Resources If you are looking to scale your IT / Tech Consultancy Business and don't know where to start, then also check out the IT Experts Growth Accelerator on our website http://tiny.cc/ITEXPERTS You can also download the e-book by clicking this link - http://tiny.cc/ITE-Ebook19 Quotes It is very important that when you are growing your business, you have to be clear understanding about what you are bringing to the party and also what your customers are bringing to the party. Then you can work out how to serve them better – Tiffany Kemp

Today I talked with Ian Benjamin from DigitalExecs. He is a digital recruiter and an expert in head-hunting, recruiting and finding the right people in IT and Tech Businesses. In this episode we will help you to not only find, attract and interview the right candidates but also learn the huge impact of getting the right people in your organisation. One of the biggest issues amongst business owners is a matter of whether to recruit contract employees versus getting full time employees. According to Ian, unemployment in the IT Sector is at its lowest in UK because of a shrinking pool of talent to hire, attract or engage with. As to the question of whether or not to hire people for full time or contracts would still depend on the size of the business, although majority of the hires are contracts only. Essentially some of the companies feel that contractors are the best option depending on what sort of project they are working on. However if they are looking into longevity and long term growth then he would recommend to bring someone in long term employee and to develop them and make the person part of the journey of the growth of the company. Only then the employee will be more committed to the success of the company. Other key points that we talked about are; The Do's and Don'ts of the typical Tech Company when recruiting. What are the best things to do when conducting an interview? What questions that are asked to in terms of selecting the right people? The structure of the actual interview. The timeframe of the feedback after the interview. The Key Steps that we need to consider when interviewing/selecting new candidates? The importance of transition and the on boarding process. ITS Quick Fire Round 1) If you were to 'bottle' one part of your business journey and sell it, what would that be and why? I value the massive impact of my learning and development experience development in shaping me as a young adult. 2) What is your biggest learning/regret and advice to listeners when scaling their business. Regrets – when I missed an opportunity to join into a big business partnership. 3) What is your favourite App on your phone and Why? Linkedin and my Health app. Guest Details To contact Ian Benjamin, connect via Linkedin or visit his website at https://digitalexecs.com/ Links and Resources If you are looking to scale your IT / Tech Consultancy Business and don't know where to start, then check out the IT Experts Growth Accelerator on our website http://tiny.cc/ITEXPERTS You can also download the e-book by clicking this link - http://tiny.cc/ITE-Ebook19 Quotes You have to get it right – recruit the best people otherwise people will leave. – Ian Benjamin

Today I interview a great friend of mine, Matt Elwell – founder of Elite Closing Academy. In this episode you will learn the difference between Selling and Closing, and more importantly how the different elements of this process to help you close more business, convert more sales and help more people. All we did today was talk about the Ancient Art of Closing Sales. Essentially, Sales is an important process but understanding how we close is crucial for any business owner. Matt's point of view is that his learning came from a very young age. He had a great Sales training when he was working for others and this has put him in good stead. Also, He added that during that time when he was working he knew that his company didn't have a process or a system for closing business. He soon realised that he needed a "way" of creating a better human to human connection. The power of voice, the way we speak, the words and language that we use has a huge impact in closing sales. Matt mentioned that People don't want being sold to because of previous horrible experiences. Most sales people don't listen and they don't ask great questions. Being able to close doesn't mean taking money of people. It means the logical next step on the journey – once you master the logical next step on the journey on the prospecting cycle that's when the process becomes much easier and more natural Matt has 2 key teaching on the subject; Prospecting journey – "Understanding the caterpillar egg into a beautiful butterfly." Understanding the lifespan of your prospects and/or customers. How long it takes somebody to go from cold to sold- from caterpillar egg to beautiful butterfly and most importantly, understanding how to nudge your prospects through the process and knowing how many contacts you need to have before they are ready and you've earned the right to ask a closing question. Understanding the Serve Sell/Close Cycle – A lot of business get that wrong because they are serving so much that they forget to sell and forget to close. This can be really frustrating particularly in Consultants. I find them full of information, full of strategies and techniques, experience and knowledge. All the things that they want to tell people about but actually that is the real problem because if you are telling - you are hard selling. The power of the serve sell/close circle is to understand how to serve sell and close at the same time and understand this key concept. The highest level of serving a prospect is to sell congruently and sell well and close somebody that needs what you do. Closing is serving on a high level. Ian asked about the clients and the prospects that are fighting on price. According to Matt you have to look at your own beliefs around money and price before you can master this part of the system. He added, the thing that is very helpful and interesting to consider in 2020 is to replace the word "Price" with "Investment". If you really want to increase your conversion in 2020 and grow your business then you must go towards the pains and the problems and the challenges that your prospects are having that your service or product solves. In many cases, if you use the word price it will always be too much and if your sales or your process is around money then you're really going to struggle. The System we use is the PUNTq system for serving: Pain – You must solve problems and pains and challenges Urgency – if there are no promises there are no urgency Need – find out what they need to solve that problem Trust - asked question to build an enormous amount of trust Matt said, if there is really a solution to a problem then people would really consider investing. When you are the solution to the problem; money is never an issue because they can see the value to their money. The Q is then the high quality question that you ask. He added, there's always an investment for time, money, thinking, energy, mindset, and attitude – but my advice is to focus on results because people pay for results. Moreover, you have to position your price at the very beginning of the prospecting journey and then ask these powerful questions that linked to pain, urgency, need and trust. Other than money/investment/cost/price give me 5 of the reasons why us working together would benefit your business? What are you criteria other than money can make you decide to use our product or services? Ian asked what is it on the prospecting journey that people aren't going buy you or aren't going marry you that we need to understand when nurturing the brand new prospect. Discipline Certainty Process They also talked about the difference between Selling and Closing. Selling is getting to the point where they want to buy and Closing is when they actually buy the product. However, Matt believes all the selling is done on an individual contact prior to a written proposal. Like a caterpillar and butterfly system - It's a game of two halves; Understanding and asking powerful questions,

In this episode, I will be sharing with you my 5 keys steps to New Year Success process. Last year was a very successfully year at Innovate to Success and I put this down to having a solid plan that I adjusted and measured throughout the year. I always have some kind of plan because it helps me keep out of and also manage unnecessary stress and changes that happen in and around the business. Today, you will learn the 5 key steps to New Year's success, that I used in 2018 to help achieve my 2019 business growth targets. Also in this episode I have shared with you your own action PDF workbook, that will help you go through each step, note down your actions and also set up a plan of your own so you can set your priorities and goals. You can download is HERE. In this show, we go through each step in detail. As mentioned before the important element about business planning is setting your goals and making sure you have the correct team around you to help you keep on track. You can go through this process all in one sitting or you can stop the podcast and spread it over 5 days. Then you will have chance to reflect and add details to your plans while you think and maybe involve others in the process. Here are the 5 key steps to New Year's Success: Step 1: Review your business performance last year. Step 2: Look at the bad. Step 3: Look at the good things that went right. Step 4: Set out your goals/targets. Step 5: Map out and measuring it. (6:00) STEP 1: DAY ONE Review your business performance last year - Have a look and review at what exactly happen last year. Look at what went well? Look at the things that didn't go well? Look at projects that didn't get completed? (10:10) STEP 2: DAY TWO Looking at the bad - Look at what went wrong and also at things that we can potentially improve. This is where we learn and this is where we grow, as you don't learn unless you made a few mistakes. When I learn something new, I can't help but to share it (if relevant) to my clients, to my company and to my team. This helps us all grow, develop, learn and grow our different businesses together. So, have a look at: What are your weaknesses? What are the things that are holding you back? What are your New Year threats? What are you doing about those threats? (16:18) STEP 3: DAY THREE Look at the good things that went right - When things go well we want to magnify them. Quite simply doing more of the things you do well is a sure-fire way to add to your bottom line, so let's take a look at: Identify your strengths. Identify other opportunities. Maximizing new opportunities Right in the middle of this Podcast I gave you a few Tips on how to prioritise and delegate your tasks, This is through the £10, £100 and £1000 test! Here is the detail. 3 different types of task you have in your business: £10 (Admin task) - room bookings, calling clients, admin task – social media posting, email, etc. £100 (Management task) – creating content, manage, supervise and delivering client and/or customer satisfaction. £1000 (important task) – strategic thinking, pitching to clients and generating leads. (24:00) STEP 4: DAY 4 Setting out your goals/targets - What are the things that you need to achieve next year – what are your new KPI's. (Key Performance Indicators) Set up your new 2020 targets (Overall for the year) Break them down into quarterly targets Monthly review/KPI's. (28:40) STEP 5: DAY 5 Map out and measure – Quite simply, What gets measured gets done. One of the best ways to ensure success in your personal and business life is to measure, test and recalibrate your plan as you travel through the year.Therefore: How are you measuring your business? Make sure you assign owners to those actions and that they take accountability. Have a clear vision for what winning look like for you? The last page in the action tracker, helps you to pull all of this together. This helps you take the key things that you've just written down on each of the individual day steps and create your own plan. I urge you to complete this exercise, go through this podcast either all in one go or across the next week and share your findings with your team so that they can feel engage with the business. Complete the sheets, have a think, go back to it next week, have another think and very soon you will have your vision set up for the next year ahead. Links and Resources If you are looking to scale your IT / Tech Consultancy Business and don't know where to start, then check out our IT Experts Growth Academy Group on LinkedIn - a collaborative and safe environment to learn the foundations to IT and Tech Business Growth - click here to request access - https://goo.gl/weymKj You can also download the e-book by clicking this link - http://tiny.cc/ITE-Ebook19

In this episode, I bring Anna Heim, the Head of Cyber Security and Data Protection Consulting at ARES Risk Management to the podcast. . Today, you will learn about the different elements of the current Cyber Landscape, how it is evolving and how you can respond to it. More importantly, what IT companies can do to integrate cyber into their value offerings and how to identify different malicious threats to different companies and how to prevent it. In This show we talked about 2020 Cyber Security Essentials. The importance of understanding the Cyber security Landscapes because according to Anna the basic mantra of Cyber Security is - it's not the case of "IF you get hacked but it's more of WHEN you are going to get hacked." She added that the level of security you are getting should enhance your security not burden them. Every day our businesses are evolving and every day we see that there is new software coming out to deal with our security. However we need to understand that what's right for each company and "A" is not necessarily right for company B,C,D,E,. Moreover, knowing how to identify what your business needs and what types of threats that may potentially attack your business is very crucial because once you are aware, you will then know how to prevent it. Anna and Ian talked about the different types of attacks; According to Anna, the biggest threat in 2020 and beyond is 5G and IOT. Malware, or malicious software, is any program or file that is harmful to a computer user. It could be a worm, a Trojan, a virus, a rootkit or a back door. Malware is a Blanket across the business world so it doesn't matter what type of industry you are in or how big you are because It's something that could attack us all either as an individual or as businesses. Ransomware on the other hand is a type of malware (malicious software) that cybercriminals use to "Kidnap" your data. And then hold you to ramsom. It blocks access to your computer system or data and then encrypts it, until the victim pays a fee to the attacker. In many cases, the ransom demand comes with a deadline. If the victim doesn't pay in time, the data is gone forever. And these are the different types of Industries / business sectors that needs to be aware as are more prone to different types of hacks or ransomware attack: Gas company Financial Sector Healthcare Retail Utilities Ian states, that the best way to prevent this ransomware attack is to have a Backup which Anna agrees with and that backing up is the big solution to overcome ransomware attack very quickly. Hence, the important thing is to understand that Cyber security and data protection is not just about your computers and your networks but more about what lives in the cloud. It's about your mobile phones, your laptops and your tablets. Everything has to be secured. You lose your phone you lose your life". So, making sure that your phone in particular has a good level of security is absolutely critical in your business. ITS Quick Fire Round 1) If you were to 'bottle' one part of your business journey and sell it, what would that be and why? I think my curiosity and my research skills. I spend a lot of time asking awkward questions and looking at things from an analytical point of view. That's what keeps me ahead of the curve from the cyber intelligence perspective. 2) What is your biggest learning/regret and advice to listeners when scaling their business. I would get into coding. There is an absolutely outrageous shortage of cyber security penetration testers out there and I love this part of my work 3) What is your favourite App on your phone and Why? I've got to favourite apps - Wickr Me https://wickr.com/ and Signal. https://signal.org/ Both are communication apps with end to end encryption. Guest Details To contact Ana Heim, email her at [email protected] or call her at 07465 932099. Links and Resources If you are looking to scale your IT / Tech Consultancy Business and don't know where to start, then check out our IT Experts Growth Academy Group on LinkedIn - a collaborative and safe environment to learn the foundations to IT and Tech Business Growth - click here to request access - https://goo.gl/weymKj You can also download the e-book by clicking this link - http://tiny.cc/ITE-Ebook19 Quotes "Backing up your whole system is one of the best steps any business owner can take against ransomware." --Anna Heim

In this episode, I interviewed the amazing Sam Rathling – the "Queen" of LinkedIn. And today, you will learn how the online Lead Generation process works and how you can help your message get out there and stand out from the crowd, which ultimately means that you will help more of your customers and clients. After listening to this show you will have the process that you need to generate more leads, more profit and get your brand out. In This show we talked about: The importance of understanding the whole Lead Generation and sales process; In which according to Sam, the main challenge is, most business owners does not understand the basics of Social Selling. They try to sell everything to everyone and by doing this, they are just simply selling to NO ONE. Therefore, it is critical that you identify your target market, because It's not just about getting the leads but it's about getting quality leads that will convert and that only comes by understanding who you serve. The first step we take is to narrow down your target market. And to do this we use the I-D-E-A-L framework: Industry – What type of businesses that you want? Demographic – Size of the company? How much revenue they are generating? Experience – Who exactly do you want to talk to? Attributes – Cultures, ambition, values of the company etc. It helps create the identity of your own company which will then attract like-minded clients. Location – Where do you want this people to be located? Ian and Sam also talked about why LinkedIn is the best B2B platform and what to look out for in 2020. Sam believes that LinkedIn is dominating right now because of its organic free reach available. Business owners, specially the small ones, don't need to invest a lot of money into LinkedIn, unlike other social media platforms. These are some of the features that'll be soon available on LinkedIn: LinkedIn Live Newsletter feature Changes in terms of Groups & Communities Content Creation – algorithm Top Tip: Don't get caught up with likes, shares, comments, engagements etc instead be consistent with what you are doing and just know that there are people out there who are watching. Ian asked - What do people need to consider in terms of setting up their profile and what people need to do to generate leads? The SSI or Social Selling Index is key – (selling without selling) (25%) Orange score – establish your professional ground. (25%) Purple score - Find the right people – building network with your target market, building a relationship. (25%) Engage with Insights – engagements and interaction and how much research you are doing. (25%) Green Score – building trusted relationships. Ian and Sam also talked about another tool of LinkedIn – Sales Navigator. Ian asked if people need Sales Navigator for their Business. Sam said, it won't be necessary unless otherwise you have fully understood the basic or the free version first because it won't make sense to upgrade if you don't understand and know how to use LinkedIn properly. Do's and Don'ts Build Relationships – Don't go in there to sell and take, but go in there to give, help and build trust. Be an original content creator - come up with a strategy, think what your target market needs to see and do content consistently that is aim to your target. Tip for content: Ask a question on your post which will drive answers and conversation underneath. Consistently prospect – find people, start a conversation and reach out to them consistently. Have an effective profile – make sure that your profile is effective to the market. Don't be passive – don't just sit there and watch everybody else but be brave and courageous and just start posting. Don't ever sell to people because it only screams desperation. Don't spam people Don't use automation Strategies in reaching out to corporate clients – your content, profile and your strategy should be targeted to whoever your target market is. ITS Quick Fire Round 1) If you were to 'bottle' one part of your business journey and sell it, what would that be and why? I would bottle resilience and bounce back ability. If we have complete resilience and bounce back ability then we can survive anything, particularly in Business. 2) What is your biggest learning/regret and advice to listeners when scaling their business? You must be around the people who are playing a bigger game than you are. Invest in your own personal development. 3) What is your favourite App on your phone and Why? My favourite app is Author. Guest Details To contact Sam Rathling, check out below; Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/samrathling-linkedinexpert Email: [email protected] Book her Masterclass: linkedinbound.co.uk Youtube: youtube.com/samrathling Links and Resources If you are looking to scale your IT / Tech Consultancy Business and don't know where to start, then check out our IT Experts Growth Academy Group on LinkedIn - a collaborative and safe environment to learn the foundations to IT and Tech Business Growth - cl

In this episode, I had the privilege to interview Gavin Page of Excelerate360 Ltd. He is an experienced sales and marketing leader, and runs a leading UK outsourced sales and lead generation company. He also works with VCs and Incubators advising start-ups and mid-tier software and technology companies on scaling sales operations. Furthermore, Gavin has a track record in creating new strategic revenue opportunities, developing sales teams into new markets, restructuring sales teams for revenue growth and regularly exceeding those targets. Today, you will learn how to resonate with your target market better, how to sell more products, services and solutions. In This show we talked about: That Sales is all about building relationships, trust and having a fair exchange of service and a solution. Thus, it all boils down to understanding your target market and what problem you actually solve. Gavin then shared that first, you must ask these questions yourself; Are you ready for the market or is the market ready for you? What are the things you need to do to understand your Market? How Market Analysis can help you identify your potential customers? We then went on to explain that for you to understand your own Market Analysis further, you need to start with again, 3 basic questions; What clients might buy from you today? What vertical Market do they fit in? Where have I had that success before and why? Then once you have these questions answered, you need to start looking for what relevant actions you need to focus on and analyse where those customers are coming from. The best and easiest way to do this Analysis is; To go out and talk to the customers and understand why they bought from you in the first place. Secondly, talk to new prospects and just get on the phone get to understand more about their market. Understand whether or not there is an opportunity and If we are offering this out, what would they expect to see in return. Then you can start to analyse: Is the Market ready for my product? Is my product even ready for the market in your chosen vertical field? Other than the Market analysis, Ian and Gavin also talked about the important element that people need to know about in terms of Sales Process. How does it work and why it is so important to enable you to scale your business. We then discussed Lead Generation and understanding your target audience (an avatar or persona) and knowing their personas, as they fondly call it, and all to understand their pain points. Speaking of which, Gavin also talked about the Pain chain - One person's problem/issue could potentially be the the reason for another person's problem/issue. This can then cascade to cause many challenged in business. Ian also then discussed the 2 areas around who you are actually selling to: Are you selling to individual business owners? Are you selling to a larger group and middle management within a larger organisation.? Finally we shared some key topics such as what you need to do with your CONTENT and how it works to build relationships, your USP and more importantly how to stand out from your competition,in which according to Gavin you have to deliver great customer service and really understand their need and your competition. The best way for you to stand out is to be PREPARED at all times most specially during product presentation. Always remember when you present a proposal it's always about them and not about you...Focus on the value and the proposition on how to meet the customer's requirement. ITS Quick Fire Round If you were to 'bottle' one part of your business journey and sell it, what would that be and why? Spend more time eating my own dog food. Most of the time, we always tell everyone else how to do it but sometimes you have to do a bit of looking inwards yourself. What is your biggest learning/regret and advice to listeners when scaling their business. FIRE people faster Getting external input from other Experts, Coaches and people who have done before. What is your favourite App on your phone and Why? Wordscapes. Guest Details To contact Gavin Page, visit his website at www.excelerate360.com or contact him through his email at [email protected]. Links and Resources If you are looking to scale your IT / Tech Consultancy Business and don't know where to start, then check out our IT Experts Growth Academy Group on LinkedIn - a collaborative and safe environment to learn the foundations to IT and Tech Business Growth - click here to request access - https://goo.gl/weymKj You can also download the e-book by clicking this link - http://tiny.cc/ITE-Ebook19 Quotes Sales is all about building relationships, trust and having a fair exchange of service and a solution. Thus, it all boils down to understanding your target Market. – Ian Luckett Focus heavily on the value and the proposition on how to meet your customer's requirements. – Gavin Page

You will learn how to build your confidence so that you can increase your leads, how to increase your profit margin, and how you can make your business a nicer place to work. In addition to the 5 Step DRIVE for business program that we understand in the previous episode, this week I get to test you out by giving you actions after each step to help you get your very own growth plan together. In the show notes below, I repeat the actions that I talk about after each step in this episode, we have also included a link below where you can get your hands on a copy of the ebook as well. Here we go! :- Step 1. Why Grow Your IT & Tech Business? Action: Take an A4 Sheet of paper and on it write down WHY you started your business? What was the reason, the purpose, FOR YOU? Then note down WHAT winning looks like for you and what you want to get out of growing your business – Is it more spare time? Is it flexibility or is it more money to invest elsewhere? Step 2. Defining Your Business Purpose Action: Take another A4 sheet of paper and make some notes and have a good think about your ultimate business purpose. What are your values? What are your products and your solutions? Who are you fixing with those products and services? Then look at your structure, your organisation and people and check to see if they all align to enable excellent customer service and efficiencies. Step 3. Who Do You Actually Help? Action: Your action for this page is to make a note of your key clients with whom you have a great relationship and that you can just phone up over the next week. Schedule it out day by day and ring them. Call them and ask them how they are and if there is anything you can do to help them. Ask them about THEIR Business and then match their issues to your solutions. Step 4. Connecting with Your Clients Action: Your action for this page is to make a note of your key clients with whom have a great relationship and that you can just phone up over the next week. Schedule it out day by day and ring them. Call them and ask them how they are and if there is anything you can do to help them. Ask them about THEIR Business and then match their issues to your solutions. Step 5. Know Your Numbers Action: Your action in this section is to take your top FIVE costs and your top FIVE Clients and have a look at each one of them. Identify ways to decrease each cost and increase the value and potential income in the weeks and months ahead. Step 6: Plan Out Your People Action: The key thing here is to sketch out your organisation chart. Colour in the people that are good and worth developing, and colour in (in a different colour) the ones that require additional support and development. Then highlight the critical ones that you class as risks. Immediately put together a People Plan to mitigate your risks and develop your team. Step 7: Be Accessible Action: Make a list of how people can get hold of you and your business and what issues they can help your customers with. Is it via your website, e-mail, telephone, post or even messenger bots? Then look at how reliable those systems are and who mans them when you are not around. Understand your pinch points and deal with any issues. Step 8: Work Your Plan Action: Let's test this out. Take a relatively complex plan that you are working on right now and break it down into smaller tasks over the course of the next two or three weeks. Identify what you want to achieve each week and of those weekly tasks, what you want to achieve each day. Look at that plan every morning when you get up and see how you get on. Step 9: Your Business on One Page Action: Take an A4 sheet and identify what key elements you could measure in your business, i.e., cash in, cash out, number of new clients, number of client presentations, advertising, marketing etc. Map this out over the next six months and monitor on a monthly basis whether you had a good or bad month. Don't make it too complicated though and focus on revenue-generating tasks! Step 10: Rinse, Review and Repeat Action: Now is your time! Make sure that you plan your strategic thinking time on a monthly basis, schedule it in your diary whether it be during the week or over the weekend to review your business performance. Have an honest look and see what you could have done to make it better, to make it more efficient, and to make it more profitable. Then make actions, assign owners and agree when to follow up progress. Guest Details To contact Ian, feel free to e-mail him at [email protected] Links and Resources If you are looking to scale your IT / Tech Consultancy Business and don't know where to start, then check out our IT Experts Growth Academy Group on LinkedIn - a collaborative and safe environment to learn the foundations to IT and Tech Business Growth - click here to request access - https://goo.gl/weymKj You can also download the e-book by clicking this link - http://tiny.cc/ITE-Ebook19 Quotes You IT and Tech business owners are absolute bri

We have been in the space of helping IT and Tech business owners increase their sales, profit, and productivity over the last few years and as you may or may not know, I am a systems and processes guy. The Model that we use at Innovate to Success is called the DRIVE for business model. This model has delivered many clients amazing results over the past three years, and I want to share the fundamental building blocks with you today in this podcast. In this episode, I go deep into the individual components of the DRIVE for Business model, and explain how it can help you out once implemented correctly. In this episode, I share with you 5 essential strategies for each of the 5 steps of the DRIVE for Business model. Personal Development Step 1: Having a vision. Step 2: Creating a plan. Step 3: Upskilling your skillset. Step 4: Getting fit for business. Step 5: How to be more productive. Business Development Step 6: Identify your USP. Step 7: Identify your Lead Generation Process. Step 8: Defining your Customer Journey. Step 9: Figuring out your Sales Process. Step 10: Delivering excellent customer Service People Planning Step 11: Recruiting the right people. Step 12: Assigning accountability. Step 13: Improving productivity. Step 14: Communicating with your team. Step 15: Performance Management Finance and Commercial Step 16: Understand your accounts. Step 17: Increase your income and decreasing your costs. Step 18: Increasing your value. Step 19: Deal packaging. Step 20: Developing your proposals. Performance Management Step 21: Setting up your KPIs. Step 22: Setting up your dashboard. Step 23: 360 Reporting Step 24: Measuring your business performance. Step 25: Celebrating your success. Best Quote : All price is made up! – Ian Luckett To contact Ian, feel free to e-mail connect with him on Linkedin or at [email protected] http://www.innovatetosuccess.com/itexperts We are going to be coming out to you weekly with some content – information, interviews, and more value to help you to focus time to work ON your business, rather than being consumed working IN your business.

Helping IT and Tech businesses owners increase sales, profit, and productivity has always been our goal at the Innovate to Success IT Experts Growth Academy. And I am very excited to officially launch the podcast. We had been in the podcasting space for a few years now and has always been getting very good feedback on how much our podcast has helped business owners take their businesses to the next level. So, now we have a show exclusively for IT and Tech businesses. In this launch episode, I share with you the purpose of the podcast and what it is all about. Essentially, we are here to help you to get confidence to get better at working ON your business rather than been consumed IN your business. In this episode, we share with you our DRIVE for Business model, our very own tried and tested model which revolves around five (5) steps. They are: Personal Development – your vision of you and your business, where do you want to go and what do you want to do. This section helps you to scale your business. Business Development – learning how to thrive as a business and increase your sales. People Planning – this is all about understanding your people and getting more out of them. Finance and Commercial – here we include packaging your deals, and making sure that you are getting paid, ultimately increasing your profits. Business Performance – Finally it's all about KPI's and measuring your performance because "What gets measured, gets done". We also cover off who we are helping, why we are helping them, and how we can help you. So basically, we aim to achieve three things for you with in this podcast. They are: Increase your sales. Increase your profit. Making yourself and your teams more productive. To contact Ian, feel free to e-mail connect with him on Linkedin or at [email protected] http://www.innovatetosuccess.com/itexperts This is the first episode in the IT Experts Growth Academy Podcast. We are going to be coming out to you weekly with amazing content – information, interviews, and more value to help you to focus time to work ON your business, rather than being consumed working IN your business