Business Connections Live - The UK's Leading Online Business TV Channel

Understanding the Customer Journey

We often hear the mantra, Understanding the Customer Journey – From Sale to Retention. But what does it really mean? Is it just, customer care or is it a set of processes and procedures that can be applied to any business.

Matt will be talking about how to win more business but also do more business with existing customers, talking about the importance of having both a process for sales and one for customer retention. How people focus on the tools rather than the reasons for using them and the impact they can actually have

Who is Matthew Ruddle

Matt Ruddle has worked with over 5000 clients worldwide helping them build their sales processes and customer retention plans to achieve great success. Having won awards for customer satisfaction, he knows how to win business and keep it.

Working with a diverse and broad base of clients from huge sporting organisations through to new businesses just starting out, this has allowed him to learn the important lessons that businesses need for success and develop his own methodology for helping them achieve and understand the processes of the Customer Journey – From Sale to Retention

Your Slides Suck! Top tips for tip-top presentations.

When it comes to Professional Presentation visual ads, how do you design compelling slide decks? Have you ever sat through a presentation where you have been bored stiff? Too much information on each slide, cluttered and confusing. Its often called Death By Powerpoint! The sad fact is its not the tools (Powerpoint, Keynote) but the way they are used. David Hensen explains the key things you need to remember when creating a Powerpoint or Keynote presentation and what some of us forget.

David will cover the elements that make a professional presentation slide deck that will wow your audience. He will talk about some of the things that will help you present effectively when using slides such as when to use slides, the use of images and the effective use of animations.

Who is David Henson

David Henson is The Slide Presentation Man. He set up The Regent Slide Company in 1986 and spent 13 years producing and imaging thousands of 35mm slides for many and varied businesses. But it wasn't until he joined Toastmasters 6 years ago and the Professional Speaking Association 3 years ago that he realised that even good speakers produce bad slides. And now he's on a crusade to eradicate excruciatingly boring slide presentations and to teach people how to produce professional presentation slides that wow their audience and that make their talks memorable and effective.

He does this in several ways:

* Via his book entitled Your Slides Suck! * By going out and speaking about how to produce better slide presentations * Via training and workshops * And mostly by designing effective, impactful, and beautiful presentations for clients.

How to Take your Business to Organisational Excellence

Even well-established businesses can fail when it comes to Organisational Excellence. They don't plan to fail, but they often fail to plan. They concentrate on being good at what they do, but in the process fall foul of "blind spots" and don't have the time, energy or flexibility to take their organisation to the next level.

Paul Glynn from Sandler Training (Southern Counties) takes us through just some of those blind spots., He gives a whistle-stop tour through 6 stages (Planning, Positions, People, Process, Performetrics, Passion) and some of the 24 steps towards Organisation Excellence.

Going through these steps inevitably means asking some awkward questions like:

• "Have the business leaders updated the personal vision and shared it with all employees?"
• "Do we know who we need in each part of the business and do we have the right people there?"
• "How do we fill the skills gaps?"
• "Are processes reviewed for relevance and effectiveness?"
• "Are accountability and incentives working?"
• "Where are we on the scale of being an effective organisation?"

Lots to talk about; your business in 3 to 5 years' time!

Who is Paul Glynn

Paul Glynn is Managing Director of Sandler Training (Southern Counties) and has been running for almost a decade as part of the worldwide Sandler network.

Paul Glynn returns to Business Connections Live, not this time to talk about revenue generation but the broader picture of Organisational Excellence. Paul is recognized as a top trainer from the worlds' premiere Sales and Management training organization, Paul will ensure a challenging, thought-provoking programme.

The 3 Mistakes That Undermine ROI from Marketing

Most businesses, big and small, make at least 3 mistakes when it comes to ROI from marketing. These mistakes reduce the effectiveness of the marketing and therefore hamper the return on investment that comes from the expenditure.

Many spend their money on getting advertising in front of a broad, generic audience. What the fail to do is target specific sub-sets of prospects and then drive them to specific lead capture mechanism.

But the biggest cardinal sin is they don't follow-up consistently with prospects over an extended period of time. This means they are not front of mind when they are ready to buy.

They neglect the relationship with existing and previous customers.

Who is David Holland

Following an extensive career with Procter & Gamble, Kraft Foods and IBM, David Holland became a small business owner.

Today, he works with business owners to help them systemise their marketing and sales. This releases them from the pressures of needing to work in their business to earn a living. In 2006 he bought Infusionsoft to run EXELA. By 2011 EXELA was the leading Infusionsoft training company in the UK.

Done right, particularly in today's climate of growing awareness of our rights to privacy and data protection, GDPR etc., businesses can use strong security as a differentiator.

Who is Darren Chapman

CyberScale was set up in 2017 by Darren Chapman to deliver pragmatic IT security support and solutions to businesses large and small. CyberScale offers Cyber Security assessments, Data Protection and GDPR data security support, Advisory services and Awareness Programmes. Its particular aim is to enable businesses to prepare and protect themselves without getting in the way of doing business, hence Pragmatic IT Security.

How do Google AdWords/Ads work? How to advertise on Google a guide for business

Should you advertise on Google? Without doubt, Google advertising is a great marketing strategy for business owners of all sizes. You can show an ad for your business to people who are actively searching for your products or services at that very moment. This type of targeting alone makes Google a very attractive option for SME's.

For many years, the best way to advertise on Google has been through Google AdWords now known as Google Ads. Google Ads is the paid advertising feature offered by Google themselves, allowing business to run targeted ads to their users. This, in turn, helps to increase website traffic and leads to a higher conversion rate. When Google is the highest-ranking search engine in the world, Google Ads is, without a doubt, the most cost-effective way of getting your business out there.

Who is Dominic Renshaw

Dominic founded AdExtra in 2011, as a way to support his passion for online marketing. But he didn't start out as a marketer. In fact, Dominic began his career with a degree in Law from Staffordshire University, before moving into retail. There, he gained extensive and in-depth knowledge of both marketing and general business operations, working for brands such as Selfridges, Harrods and Shell UK. In 2004, he decided to take the plunge and become self-employed, running an events company for many years before he realised his dream and created AdExtra a Google Ads specialist. Since then, he has qualified as a Google AdWords expert and Analytics Certified Partner and is the driving force behind AdExtra's success.

On this edition of Business Connections Live,Dominic explains:

• Knowledge of how to create a Google Ads campaign.
• The importance of keyword choice.
• An understanding of where ads are shown.
• An understanding of which types of ads to use for your product or service.
• An understanding of working out how much your Ads will cost.
• An understanding of how to track your ROI.

Learn the Google fundamentals on using Adwords and Google Ads:

• What happens when you search on Google.
• How do I determine the keywords to use?
• What gets entered into Google Auctions.
• How does Google determine which ads are shown and where?
• How does Google determine what you pay?
• How to track your ROI.

How to improve your pricing and increase your profits Strategies and advice that any SME can use

So how to improve your pricing strategy? For many businesses, they find themselves in the dilemma of how to price the product and services they offer. Getting this wrong can have a catastrophic effect on the profitability of the business. On this edition of Business Connections Live, we explain the basic principles that any business can apply to their pricing strategy to increase profits and help their business grow.

The Pricing Coach and How to improve your pricing strategy

Mark Peacock, The Pricing Coach, will be talking about why pricing is the most important part of your business mix, and he will be offering simple tips and advice that any business can use to improve their prices and increase their profits.

Who is Mark Peacock

Mark has had a 25-year career with large brands in marketing, product and business management, and has run a +£20m business with over 100 staff, growing its bottom line by over 250%. Pricing has always played a part in Mark's approach and his passion is now helping SMEs to increase their profits through better pricing strategies that deliver greater customer value.

On this edition of Business Connections Live, Mark explains

• Why pricing is the most important lever for achieving higher earnings
• The 5 main reasons why businesses don't spend enough time on pricing
• How to increase your prices (50 different pricing strategies)
• The psychology of pricing and how to use this to your advantage
• How to communicate your prices with confidence
• My 6 key principles of pricing (which have nothing to do with cost!)

Learn the business fundamentals on how your business can achieve:

• Learn new strategies that anyone can use to increase your prices
• Achieve higher earnings and deliver better customer value
• Confidently sell and market your prices knowing that you have a well thought out pricing strategy

How To Deliver Successful Business Outcomes

How To Deliver Successful Business Outcomes. Steve Hyland talks to Jim McLaughlin, Chair of Vistage – the No 1 Peer Advisory Group with 2000 UK members. Dun & Bradstreet research demonstrates that Vistage member companies grow 2.2 times faster than non-member companies. We'll explore how and why.

What is Vistage

If you are willing to talk candidly about the tough decisions you face, fellow members will rally around you, listen, ask tough questions and bring to bear every resource they have to help you grow as a leader and improve the workings of your business. When our members have access to new perspectives – whether from fellow business peers, their Vistage Chair, or expert speakers – they expand their view beyond their company walls in a way that traditional executive leadership training just can't offer.

Who is Jim McLaughlin

Jim has a background as a leader in business development for blue chip organisations including Reed International and Racal Group, culminating in a six-year stint as International Sales Director for online information at the Financial Times. With 20 years subsequently running his own businesses, he has a profound understanding of what it takes to achieve success. He knows from personal experience the frustrations and difficulties that can accompany the quest to achieve business goals without sacrificing a healthy work/life balance.

On this edition of Business Connections Live, Jim explains

• How a group works
• The power of the Peer Advisory model
• How it delivers better decision making
• Why continuous learning matters
• Why Vistage member companies grow 2.2 times faster than their competitors

Learn the business fundamentals on how your business can achieve:

• Better business outcomes
• More satisfying work life
• Better work/life balance

How Will GDPR Affect Sales

How Will GDPR Affect Sales – Train your sales force to use GDPR as a benefit when promoting your product. The whole purpose of GDPR is to engender trust. Trust in your business. Trust in Your product; Trust in your people.

You B2B customers will want to know that you are demonstrably GDPR compliant as part of the contract that they enter into with you, especially if you are a third party processor. Being able to assure them that you have been GDPR audited and can provide them with a copy of your GDPR policy and Privacy Notice means that your customer know that they can deal with you safely and securely and also lets them know that you take the protection of their personal data very seriously.

And what about prospecting and finding new customers? Telephone Calls – Emails – Networking – Social Selling – Third Party Lists – Cold Calling – Referrals

Now is the time to use GDPR to increase sales – not mourn their passing!!!

Linda Bazant is a Barrister and GDPR Auditor/Assessor, Trainer & Speaker. In addition to being available to audit/assess your business for GDPR, Linda can also offer bespoke Employee Awareness training courses for your in-house team from Board Level down. She is also available to speak at events, conferences and team briefings.

On this edition of Business Connections Live, Linda Bazant will explain

• How to sell using GDPR
• Safe prospecting
• The resurgence of cold calling
• Introductory emails

Learn the business fundamentals on how your business can achieve:

• A sales platform built on trust
• A re-motivated sales force
• A culture of GDPR in your business
• Enhanced reputation of your brand

What is a Blockchain

What is a Blockchain – Whats the difference between Bitcoin and Blockchain? This is the quick explanation you've been waiting for.

On this edition of Business Connections Live Steve Hyland talks to Troy Norcross, Co-Founder of Blockchain Rookies who will explain "What is Blockchain?" using simple explanations and real-world examples. Troy will also help to separate blockchain from bitcoin. Based on Troy's experience as CEO of Opengoods, he will explain how blockchain can be used to create incremental business value. Troy will also discuss Initial Coin Offerings (ICOs) from the perspective of regulation, asset class and as a means of raising capital.

Troy runs through the best use for blockchain technology and why. The big question lies in DATA. Namely, ownership of that data. Bitcoin has no corporation behind it. It is run, owned and managed by the community with no single point of control, which is why it is a poster child for Blockchain. Shared, transparent access to data is the centre key of Blockchain technology. The Data belongs to the community, the Business provides the access.

Who is Troy Norcross

Troy runs his own strategy consultancy firm SER Team and has been working in the blockchain and cryptocurrency space for the past 2 years. Troy was CEO of Opengoods – a blockchain company building a platform to tokenise securities and is co-founder of Blockchain Rookies, a platform to educate enterprise clients on what is blockchain and how can it be applied to business.

On this edition of Business Connections Live, Troy explains how After watching this interview you will:

• • Be able to describe Blockchain to anyone
  • Understand the key aspects of distributed ledger technology (DLT) and what makes a blockchain different
  • Have a better understanding of ICOs and have a guideline for investing in ICOs
  • Be able to cite real world examples of Blockchain beyond cryptocurrencies
  • Know 2 of the most important dates in bitcoin history

Learn the business fundamentals on how your business can achieve: After watching this interview you will:

• • Look at your own industry and see where blockchain projects may disrupt your industry
  • Be able to speak to your board, team or customers about the fundamentals of Blockchain
  • Engage in a more sensible conversation about ICOs as investment and/or as a means of raising capital
  • Win at the Bitcoin Pub Quiz