At BizVision, we're delighted to announce our new brand FreeLearn and with it comes a collection of online learning and skills hubs giving every business total free membership with access to 100's of learning videos and resources. Here's the FreeLearn launch news.

Free online learning for all businesses

"FreeLearn Leadership and FreeLearn Sales Training are now live," says Malcolm Gallagher of BizVision, " And launching on the 23rd August will be FreeLearn Supplier Training," he added

Mr Gallagher went on to say that FreeLearn will help thousands of small businesses who cannot afford to take time out from work for training and struggle to pay seminar fees.

"With public sector funding cuts, many businesses now find they have to pay for workshops that used to be free, or there just aren't any around, " continued Malcolm Gallagher, "with FreeLearn, which is online learning, all businesses can learn as they want, anytime, anywhere", he said.

FreeLearn Leadership focuses on developing entrepreneurial leadership skills whilst FreeLearn sales Training has videos in the three zones of Find, Winning and Keeping customers. FreeLearn Suppliers Training is aiming to be the flagship of the FreeLearn collection as it will have nearly 100 videos and resources to help SMEs bid for a win public and private sector contracts and encourage them to go global and export.

FreeLearn skills hubs are open to anyone. Each hub requires a separate  but free, membership sign-up. For details go to FREELEARN - free membership

On the 16th May I’m proud to be giving a short talk at the celebrations of the Chartered Institute of Marketing’s 100^th Anniversary event in Newcastle.  I’ll be looking forward and not tback as I believe that the UK recovery can come from a Sales & Marketing Driven Economy.    We’ve been too much focused on financial management – and look where the banks have got us – and, in doing so, let other countries come steaming past us.

But we need to sell us and the UK better and sharper. And some of that starts with being proud to be a sales person. Tell the bean counters they’ll have no beans to count if the business doesn’t generate sales!

Okay, as always that’s my feelings and not necessarily yours!    But I hear one alarming comment the other day.  

A company finance director told its export sales manager that “our domestic sales are not reaching our budget targets so we are closing the export department!"   And that’s a true story told to me by top UK export sales director, Keith Lambourne!!

Keep your  public sector contract momentum
says Malcolm Gallagher

Whilst filming the success story of a Third Sector organisation this week (we'd helped them win a £250,000+ contract) we chatted between takes about the impact of the public sector cutbacks. The CEO told me that the local authority were seeking a whopping 40% saving on her contract whilst asking for the same quality and quantity of service. Come on!! Someone is trying to take advantage of the so-called "austerity" time. That local authority KNOWS the service cannot be delivered for such a lower cost otherwise it was in error when it first comissioned the contract!!

The truth is that local authorities, even in times of cut-backs, have a legal obligation to deliver their services and to a high standard. That means there are contracts around and opportunities for all with public procurement. Don't be misled by the doom and gloom and the apparent current inertia. Keep your own momentum with prospecting for opportunities at places like www.competefor.com  and www.supply2.gov.uk.

Also keep sharpening your ability to win public sector contracts and your skills in bid writing. Download some free help at www.bizvision.co.uk/procurement_downloads where I've posted some videos or join our Suppliers Academy. You can get a deal if you hurry by joining our 100 Group which gives you £1500 Total Support package for winning contracts and growing your business for just £97 - if we have any places left by the time you read this. Details at www.bizvision.co.uk/100Group

Above all, no matter what you do, don't just sit and wait for gloom to become darker - keep the momentum to win the contracts

Get More Referrals

If you are like most firms then the majority of your business will come from word of mouth referrals. Well not really. There’s a fundamental difference between word of mouth and referral. Word of mouth is not intentional, it’s almost accidental referral. Yes you want it as its usually good news about you and you’ll get it by doing a good job and have a great product or service. But lets’ focus on true referrals. It’s here that you need a formal and systematic approach to get those referrals. Here’s a few ideas.

1.   Referral Links
Get your web site listed on other sites – it’s called referral linking and Google loves them!  It makes your site more important in its eyes and that puts you further up its ratings. You can find out which sites link to yours by going to Google and putting the following in the search field:
Site: (your domain e.g. bizvision.co.uk)

2.   Referral price
In this tactic you have a standard price say £140 but you offer a referral price of £97 if your new customer will give you 3 warmed up leads. If you have the margins then this is  a good strategy.

3.   Get Linked In
Linked In is a vastly under used yet great networking tool. Don’t just sign up but join a few group and be active in commenting within those groups. You’ll soon get referrals. Link in with me at www.linkedin.com/in/spotlearn

4.   Give out referral cards
This one is an oldie but goody! Get some specially printed referral cards that your customer can give out. Always include an offer preferably for both the giver and the receiver.

More referral ideas in another issue

This week will likely see another round of rash cost slashing as people and businesses react to the Budget. But the question you need to ask, or consider, is one that hangs over every cost-cutting phase and that is are you cutting enough or even too much? You need to aim for the right level of expenses or overheads. Those expenses should be for only three purposes. If you question your expnses or map them against these 3 purposes then you should be on the "right overhead" track.

In our SpotLearn Business Performance Academy we've been looking carefully at how nthese three purposes can give you a gauge or guide in cost cutting

The three purposes are:
1. Expenses that you have to incur as a result of your companies activities. These include payroll, accounting and so on. Question if those expenses are inflated by comparing them     against your leanest competitor
2. Expenses that increase your effectiveness and efficiency. Draw the line where the improvement in effectiveness doesn't pay for itself
3. Expenses that lay the basis for profitable growth. Question the level of anticipated growth.

So don't just knee-jerk react to cost slashing. Use the "three purposes" as your gauge.

Ever day we see more news stories about public sector cut-backs and the state of the UK economy. I feel that those that will struggle are the mediocre businesses, the ones that have not invested in finding new markets, new products or services. Actually you meet them most days as you do business with them and then think you won't go back!! The frightening thing is that they likely don't know your feelings.

So now, more than ever, take time to know your customers thoughts about you. If you are in B to B then go and see them as a "listening day" - don't try and sell them. Instead find out their challenges, where they are going to, how they are going to get there. Also ask them which suppliers they admire and why - that will give you a good benchmark for your service levels.

This should all be part of what I call the "2 Win Factor" . It's that extra resolve to win THEIR business instead of just winning any business.

Don't just Express Interest in their contract. Instead express Serious and Enthusiastic interest. What do you think? Do you know a business that has the "2 Win Factor" ???