1.     The Lead Generation Scam

One of the most insidious scams targeting small businesses involves fraudulent lead generation services. In this scheme, companies approach small businesses, promising to boost their customer base through targeted leads. However, many such companies deploy bots to spam contact forms on various, often irrelevant websites. The consequence? Not only does the business waste precious resources on ineffective services, but it also risks a tarnished reputation by inundating potential customers, and often random people, with unwanted spam. Worse still is that unsolicited business communications to private inboxes carries the risk of a GDPR violation, and a potential fine.

2.     SEO Deception

Small businesses eager to enhance their online presence frequently fall prey to SEO scams. These scams typically involve companies offering Search Engine Optimization (SEO) services at enticing rates. However, rather than employing legitimate strategies to improve website visibility and organic traffic, many unscrupulous entities resort to deceptive tactics. They spend a fraction of the budget on paid advertising, such as Google Ads, and pocket the rest. As a result, small businesses may experience a temporary spike in traffic, but the SEO service hasn’t done anything the small business could have done itself. Moreover, such practices undermine the trust of small business owners in legitimate digital marketing services.

3.     Phishing Attacks

Phishing attacks remain a prevalent threat to small businesses, often disguised as emails or messages from trusted entities such as banks, suppliers, or government agencies. Unsuspecting employees may inadvertently divulge sensitive information, such as login credentials or financial details, believing they are responding to legitimate requests. These attacks can have devastating consequences, ranging from financial loss due to fraudulent transactions to compromised data security and reputational damage.

4.     Fake Invoice Scams

Another common ploy targeting small businesses is fake invoice scams. In these schemes, fraudsters send bogus invoices for products or services never ordered or received. Small business owners, juggling numerous invoices and payments, may inadvertently process these fraudulent invoices, resulting in financial loss. Moreover, falling victim to such scams can erode trust between small businesses and their legitimate suppliers or service providers.

5.     Tech Support Scams

Small businesses reliant on technology are particularly vulnerable to tech support scams. Fraudulent individuals or companies may cold-call or send pop-up messages claiming to provide technical support or security services. Unsuspecting employees may grant remote access to their systems or divulge sensitive information, believing they are receiving assistance. However, instead of resolving issues, these scammers may install malware, steal data, or extort money under the guise of fixing non-existent problems.

The ramifications of falling prey to these scams extend far beyond financial losses. Small businesses risk irreparable harm to their reputation, loss of customer trust, and even legal repercussions due to compromised data or fraudulent activities. 

In the face of such threats, small business owners must remain vigilant and proactive in safeguarding their operations. It is essential to fully vet any unsolicited offers of services, no matter how enticing they may be. Additionally, double, even triple-checking that a communication is legitimate before actioning it can save you considerable headaches. Implementing robust cybersecurity measures, educating employees about common scams, and verifying the legitimacy of service providers before engaging with them are crucial steps in fortifying defences against fraudsters and schemers.

The prevalence of scams targeting small businesses underscores the importance of awareness, vigilance, and proactive measures in safeguarding against exploitation. By staying informed and adopting a cautious approach, small business owners can protect their enterprises from falling victim to the deceptive tactics of fraudsters, and ensure the longevity and success of their ventures.

The post Beware of Common Scams Targetting Small Businesses appeared first on Robin Lines Associates.

Originally developed by Spotify, the popular music streaming service, the Spotify AGILE model has transcended its origins in the tech world to become a widely adopted framework for organisational agility across various industries. Let’s delve into what the Spotify model entails and explore how it can benefit businesses.

Understanding the Spotify AGILE Model

At its core, the Spotify AGILE model is an agile framework designed to foster collaboration, autonomy, and continuous improvement within organisations. It draws inspiration from agile principles, lean thinking, and the Scrum framework while incorporating Spotify’s unique organisational culture and structure.

The Spotify AGILE model is characterised by its emphasis on cross-functional teams, known as squads, which are organised around specific missions or areas of focus. These squads operate autonomously, with the freedom to choose their own working methods and tools. Additionally, squads are grouped into larger units called tribes, which share a common mission or business objective. Chapters and guilds provide additional support and opportunities for knowledge sharing and collaboration within the organisation.

Key components of the Spotify AGILE model include:

1. Squads: Small, cross-functional teams responsible for delivering specific features or components.
2. Tribes: Collections of squads aligned around a common mission or product area.
3. Chapters: Groups of individuals with similar skills or interests, regardless of their squad or tribe affiliation.
4. Guilds: Communities of practice focused on sharing knowledge and best practices across the organisation.

Benefits for Businesses

Now, let’s explore how the Spotify AGILE model can benefit businesses of all sizes and industries:

1. Enhanced Collaboration: By organising teams into small, autonomous squads, the Spotify AGILE model encourages collaboration and communication across functional boundaries. This fosters a culture of teamwork and collective ownership, leading to higher levels of productivity and innovation.
2. Increased Flexibility: The decentralised nature of the Spotify AGILE model allows organisations to respond quickly to changing market conditions and customer needs. Squads have the autonomy to adapt their priorities and processes in real-time, enabling faster decision-making and more efficient resource allocation.
3. Improved Product Quality: With a focus on continuous delivery and feedback loops, the Spotify AGILE model promotes a relentless pursuit of excellence. By releasing smaller, more frequent updates, teams can gather feedback from users and stakeholders early in the development process, allowing them to iterate and improve their products rapidly.
4. Empowered Teams: In the Spotify AGILE model, teams are given a high degree of autonomy and responsibility. This autonomy empowers individuals to take ownership of their work and make decisions that drive business outcomes. As a result, teams are more motivated, engaged, and accountable for their success.
5. Cultural Transformation: Adopting the Spotify AGILE model requires more than just implementing new processes; it entails a cultural shift towards agility, collaboration, and continuous learning. By embracing these values, organisations can break down silos, foster a growth mindset, and create an environment where innovation thrives.

Conclusion

In an era defined by complexity, uncertainty, and rapid change, the AGILE model offers a compelling approach to navigating the challenges of the modern business landscape. By prioritising collaboration, flexibility, and empowerment, organisations can unleash the full potential of their teams and drive meaningful results.

While implementing the Spotify AGILE model may require time, effort, and a willingness to embrace change, the benefits far outweigh the costs. Whether you’re a startup looking to disrupt the market or an established enterprise seeking to stay ahead of the competition, adopting agile practices inspired by the Spotify model can help position your business for long-term success in an increasingly dynamic world.

This new way of working also means that potentially everyone in the organisation needs to develop crucial leadership skills, both to lead and influence, but also successfully manage projects and design bespoke programmes to support their colleagues. Those looking to adopt the AGILE Model may also consider a tailored Leadership Development or Academy programme as part of their organisational change.

The post Understanding the Spotify ‘AGILE’ Model appeared first on Robin Lines Associates.

1. Do Your Homework

Before you even set foot in the office, do your research. Delve into the company’s website, social media channels, and any other available resources. Understand their mission, vision, and values. This will give you a head start in aligning your work with their overarching goals, values, and ethics.

2. Dress the Part

First impressions count. Take cues from the company’s dress code and aim to blend in. If it’s a corporate environment, donning a suit might be appropriate. For a creative agency, smart casual attire might be more fitting. Reflecting the company’s dress culture shows you respect their norms while ensuring that you don’t stick out as an ‘outsider’.

3. Observe and Listen Actively

Be a keen observer and an even better listener. Pay attention to how people interact, the tone of conversations, and the general atmosphere. Absorb the unspoken rules and cultural norms that govern the workplace.

4. Embrace Open Communication

Don’t be shy to ask questions. Seeking clarification shows you’re proactive and eager to understand the company’s operations. Engage with your colleagues and clients to foster a sense of belonging.

5. Mirror Communication Styles

Every company has its unique way of communication. Some prefer formal emails, while others may opt for quick Slack messages. Adapt to these preferences to ensure your messages are received and understood effectively.

6. Respect Hierarchies

Recognise and respect the hierarchical structure within the company. Understand who holds decision-making power and who needs to be consulted on various matters. This will help you navigate through the chain-of-command smoothly.

7. Embody Company Values

Demonstrate a commitment to the company’s values in your actions and work. If integrity and innovation are important to them, incorporate these principles into your approach. It not only showcases your alignment but also reinforces your dedication to their ethos.

8. Seek Feedback and Be Open to Change

Regularly check in with your client or supervisor for feedback. Be receptive to their suggestions and be willing to adjust your approach if necessary. This not only demonstrates your flexibility but also shows that you’re invested in the success of the project.

9. Offer Constructive Solutions

Don’t just point out problems; offer solutions. This proactive attitude shows that you’re not just there to identify issues but to actively contribute to their resolution.

10. Participate in Company Activities

If the opportunity arises, participate in company events, meetings, or social gatherings. This allows you to connect with employees on a personal level and further integrate into the company culture.

Conclusion

Adapting to a client’s company culture is the cornerstone of a successful third-party working relationship. By doing your homework, being an active listener, respecting hierarchies, and embodying company values, you’ll not only seamlessly integrate into the workplace but also become a valued member of the team.

Remember, the more you align yourself with the company’s ethos, the more fruitful and productive your relationship will be now and in the future.

The post Navigating Client Culture: Ten Tips for Seamless Integration appeared first on Robin Lines Associates.

It’s a staggering achievement in terms of technological accomplishment and video game design, but perhaps more astonishing is that less than a decade ago, Larian was facing bankruptcy.

Founded in 1996 by Swen Vincke, Larian is a Belgian video game developer best known for its Divinity series of RPGs. While producing relatively successful and well-received games for much of its existence, Larian struggled to make a name for themselves and make money. This was partly due to unfavourable deals with publishers, who took the lion’s share of the revenues and left Larian with little to show for their efforts.

Knowing the Audience

However, that wasn’t the only issue. Swen understood his audience as a video gamer, but his publishers often did not. In a candid interview in 2013, Swen spoke of his frustrations with dealing with executives who had never played video games and relied entirely on market research to determine what people did and did not want.

For example, Swen was told that audiences did not like the turn-based strategy approach to combat that he favoured, nor would they appreciate certain other elements of narrative and design. Consequently, Larian were effectively ordered to make inferior products due to the over-reliance on self-selecting data. After all, if nobody is making turn-based RPGs because executives believe there is no demand for them, then nobody will buy turn-based RPGs because there are none to buy. The data might support the claim simply because the sample size is virtually non-existent.

Cutting Out the Middlemen

Realising that his company could not survive without significant changes, Vincke made the decision to break free from the shackles of publishers and do things his own way. As he tells it, the decision to start doing things his own way was little more than a shower thought. The realisation that his publishers were demanding that he sacrifice his vision to try and compete against heavyweight studios that Larian simply did not have the resources to compete against. He’d had enough.

What followed that decision is one of the most remarkable success stories in the video game industry. Larian went from a small company of 30 or so employees forced to cut a deal with the Belgian government to delay tax payments to a global operation with 400 people in offices worldwide now on the brink of launching one of the largest and most ambitious video games of all time.

Praise Where It’s Due

Much of this can be attributed to Swen’s leadership, although, like all good leaders, he would be the first to tell you it’s his people who deserve the credit. Indeed, in every interview, Swen is quick to praise the efforts and contributions of his team. He regularly supports his team members publicly, and many of those team members have offered public endorsements of both Swen and Larian in turn.

Swen Vincke is also a decisive man with the confidence to take risks that many would not. Even with the shadow of bankruptcy hanging over the company, Swen made the risky decision to pull resources from one game to make another, believing in his vision for Larian’s future. That game, Divinity: Original Sin, a classical RPG with turn-based combat, was both a critical and commercial success that secured the immediate future of Larian Studios. More than that, it was Larian’s best-selling game at that time, and because Larian published the game themselves, they no longer had to share the revenues with the executives that had held them back.

Humility

Swen is also a humble man and accepts that he’s not infallible. That’s why he listens to his customers, sometimes making huge and costly changes to a project to better fulfil the wants and needs of his audience, and he engages with that audience regularly. Through live-streamed behind-the-scenes panels, early access feedback, forums, and more, Swen offers potential customers the opportunity to weigh in on all aspects of the games he’s making. When something isn’t working, he addresses it to give the customer the best possible experience. In doing so, he cultivates a fanbase willing and eager to engage with Larian, which converts to more sales. Larian now sells millions of units in a niche genre where most competitors could only aspire to a fraction of that.

Enthusiasm and Love

Perhaps, however, Swen’s most significant leadership trait is his infectious enthusiasm. He makes games that he wants to play and has surrounded himself with people that also want to play those games. He’s spoken about how many times he’s played through Baldur’s Gate 3 as it’s been in development and how many times he’s been astonished by the creativity that’s gone into the game. In a recent tweet, he even said that reaching the end credits of the game and seeing the names of his team members who have been part of this project brought a tear to his eye.

Such devotion to his team and their work has led to a culture where people are genuinely invested in the quality of what they do. When your boss loves what you’re doing and is excited by what you’re bringing to the table, when you know your boss spends hours enjoying what you do, it’s hard not to share in his enthusiasm.

Larian Studios is a modern-day, real-life, rags-to-riches tale starring a man who knew that his company could be so much more than it was. It’s a story of perseverance, determination, calculated risk, and self-ownership that are often themes of the games they make. Mostly, however, it’s about leadership and having the confidence, people skills, enthusiasm, attention to detail, and humility that brings the right people on board and makes them want to follow you.

The post Larian Studios: The Successful Leadership of Swen Vincke appeared first on Robin Lines Associates.

The Power of Data

AI thrives on data, and understanding its significance is fundamental. By leveraging AI algorithms, businesses can extract valuable insights from vast amounts of customer data. This lets you know your customers better, anticipate their needs, and tailor your selling approach accordingly. Gathering and analysing data can provide a competitive advantage, enabling you to make informed decisions, identify trends, and predict market dynamics.

Personalisation is Key

AI empowers businesses to deliver highly personalised customer experiences. You can create individualised product recommendations, targeted marketing campaigns, and customised offers through machine learning algorithms. By tailoring your selling approach, you enhance customer satisfaction and foster long-term relationships. Customers are more likely to engage with brands that understand their preferences and provide personalised solutions.

Automating Repetitive Tasks

AI excels in automating repetitive tasks, freeing up valuable time for your sales team to focus on building relationships and closing deals. Chatbots and virtual assistants powered by AI can handle customer inquiries, offer product guidance, and assist in purchasing. By offloading routine tasks, your sales team can prioritise high-value activities requiring human expertise, increasing productivity and efficiency.

Predictive Analytics

One of AI’s greatest strengths is its ability to predict outcomes based on historical data patterns. By harnessing predictive analytics, you can identify potential leads, anticipate market trends, and forecast customer behaviour. This valuable information empowers you to make data-driven decisions, allocate resources effectively, and optimise your selling strategies. Accurate predictions allow you to stay one step ahead of the competition and seize opportunities before they arise.

Ethical Considerations

As AI becomes deeply integrated into selling practices, addressing ethical concerns is essential. Transparency, fairness, and privacy must be at the forefront of your AI implementation. Ensure that algorithms are unbiased, avoid discriminatory practices, and prioritise customer privacy. Taking a proactive approach to ethical considerations builds trust and safeguards your reputation in an era where data protection and algorithmic accountability are paramount.

Continuous Learning and Adaptability

AI technologies are constantly evolving, and business leaders must foster a culture of constant learning and adaptability. Stay informed about the latest advancements in AI, attend industry conferences, and encourage your teams to upskill. By embracing a growth mindset and encouraging innovation, you can harness AI’s full potential and gain a competitive edge in the ever-changing selling landscape.

Human Touch Remains Crucial

While AI can enhance selling processes, it is essential to remember that the human touch remains invaluable. Building genuine connections, empathising with customers, and providing exceptional service are elements that AI cannot replicate entirely. Nurture the human aspect of selling by empowering your sales team with the necessary skills to complement AI technology effectively. You can create memorable experiences that set your organisation apart by striking the right balance between automation and personalisation.

Artificial intelligence is revolutionising how businesses approach selling, presenting opportunities and challenges. As a business leader, understanding the impact of AI on selling and adapting to mitigate potential risks is crucial. You can unlock AI’s transformative potential by leveraging data, personalising customer experiences, embracing automation, and staying ethically conscious. 

Remember, while AI augments selling processes, the human touch remains indispensable. By combining AI technology with the art of human interaction, you can create a winning formula that drives sales growth and customer loyalty in the ever-changing world of selling.

The post Embracing the AI Revolution: 7 Key Insights for Business Leaders in the Evolving World of Sales appeared first on Robin Lines Associates.

Added to this is the ongoing cost-of-living crisis, putting considerable strain on household budgets that impact childcare and may lead to somebody seeking employment closer to home or with variable working hours to create some much-needed wiggle room in the family finances.

Most of us are familiar with exit interviews, but in such times, exit interviews are, to coin a phrase, closing the stable door after the horse has bolted. It’s all well and good to uncover why a crucial team member has opted to move on, but it doesn’t change the fact that they’re gone. Nor does it truly help prevent the next critical departure because people are individuals, and one person’s needs will not necessarily tally with the next.

Leaders have known for a long time that it costs more to hire a new employee than to keep an existing one, and we also understand that any disruption not only risks our ongoing projects but risks damaging morale, which harms productivity. In a worst-case scenario, a handful of key people moving on can lead to a snowball effect where many more people begin considering their futures. It’s, therefore, vital that leaders start to get ahead of this situation.

The term ‘stay interview’ has emerged recently, but we at RLA are not particularly fond of that term. Inviting an employee to a stay interview carries a connotation that they need to justify why they’re there. That’s certainly not what we’re trying to do. We prefer to think of them as simply ‘1-2-1s’, where we can have productive, mutually beneficial meetings with our people and allay any fears or doubts about their future with us.

For these 1-2-1s to be effective, there needs to be a strategy in place.

Identify Who Might Be Considering Leaving

It’s not always easy to spot someone who might be looking to move on. Many people like to keep these matters to themselves. They may be embarrassed if it were revealed they were looking for a new job, or they may fear reprisals from up high if they could not secure a new position. However, there are often tell-tale signs that might hint that an employee sees their future elsewhere.

If a worker well-known for their smart casual dress sense suddenly starts turning up to work in a suit, there is a good chance they’re interviewing for other positions during their lunch hour. Similarly, someone who starts using their contracted holiday for several one-off days may also be interviewing elsewhere. Someone who starts to ‘wrap up’ projects may also be trying to prepare the way for their departure, as might someone who displays a lower level of interest in long-term projects.

Try to Identify Possible Reasons Before the Meeting

A good leader knows their people, and that knowledge can help identify potential reasons someone might be thinking about leaving before you sit down to talk with them. Of course, some people are less inclined to share details about their lives outside of work, but you don’t need to have pre-identified the exact reason.

What you want is to be able to approach the meeting with some small insight as to what might be the motivating factor behind a potential departure, which will enable you to better manage both your expectations and the employees.

Identify What You Can Offer

Understanding what the problem might be is vital to determine what you might be able to offer as a solution. While it may not always be possible to offer everything an employee wants, it might be possible to offer something that makes them rethink their decision. Sometimes, even the smallest concessions can build up a sufficient balance in the goodwill bank account that a more tempting offer from elsewhere is rejected.

However, it’s worth remembering that anything offered that others within the organisation may learn of any offer made. That can lead to others demanding the same, which may not always be possible. While it’s always a delicate balancing act, reserving your most enticing offers and concessions for your most valued people is crucial.

Listen

During the meeting itself, listen. Don’t jump straight to suggesting that you believe the other party may be thinking of leaving, because they might not be. Instead, ask them how they are, how they’re getting on, is anything bothering them, what do they feel the business could be doing better, etc.

Use their answers to determine whether they’re truly thinking about leaving, or whether they might be thinking about leaving in the future. If there are any immediate concerns you can address, invite them to work on an action plan with you to ensure their needs are met. Treat these meetings as a collaborative exercise, but at the same time, encourage the other party to take the lead during the discussion. You’ll gain far more valuable insights by letting them speak, than if you do.

Make 1-2-1s a Regular Thing with All Your People

In the short-term, it makes sense to have 1-2-1s with the people you think may be looking to move on, preferably in order of value to the business. In the medium-term, it’s a good idea to have meetings with everyone, even those you haven’t identified as potentially looking to move on.

Beyond that, in the long-term, regular 1-2-1s should become part of your company’s culture. This way, you are much more likely to receive forewarning of anyone looking to move on and have more time to take control of the situation by identifying how best to keep your best people happy.

Outside of Meetings: The Suggestion Box

Sometimes, the age-old ideas are still worth putting into practice. There will always be people who are reluctant to share every thought they have with management for fear of reprisal or even ridicule. The anonymous suggestion box gives everyone an opportunity to share their ideas about how to improve the workplace, and quite often, you’ll learn of relatively easy-to-implement suggestions that can have a marked positive impact on workplace morale and productivity.

Often, simply by being seen to be taking your people’s wants and needs into consideration, you can engender a greater sense of loyalty to your organisation and encourage some people to stick with you.

The post Overcoming the Great Resignation With 1-2-1 Meetings appeared first on Robin Lines Associates.

Much of our life is spent working in teams, but all teams are comprised of individuals, and all individuals have their own unique strengths, weaknesses, needs, wants, motivations, etc. A great head coach at a football club improves a team’s performance by identifying how best to harness the potential of individuals. When we watch a movie with fantastic acting performances, what we’re watching is the result of a casting director identifying the right people for the roles, coached on set by a director who knew how to get the very best out of them.

For the individual, working with and learning from great coaches instils traits, attitudes, and practices that remain with them for life, offering a considerable advantage in competitive fields.

The same very much applies to one-to-one coaching in the business world. Those who invest in coaching are making an investment in their future, and one which will provide them insights and opportunities that can give them a significant head start over peers who haven’t benefitted from those experiences. Why?

Focus, Direction, Clarity

Work is stressful and often challenging. It’s stressful because so much of what we do feels out of our hands. Businesses that were performing well a few years ago have been hit by the double-whammy of a global pandemic and record inflation. Now many of those businesses are struggling, and those struggles trickle down to the individuals. When our employer feels the pinch, we do too, which manifests in fears and anxieties.

In some respects, these outside factors feel “bigger” in the modern age. Technology makes it difficult to switch off. We live in a world that is so much more aware of what’s going on minute by minute that our downtime often becomes more work time. We don’t take a break, and instead spend our supposedly private time glued to our phones and laptops, trying to find our way through the fog.

An experienced coach, one who has lived through boom-and-bust periods before, can help you switch off. They can teach you strategies for coping with unknowns, dealing with stresses, and encourage you to focus on the things you can change, not the ones you can’t. They’ll help you focus your efforts in a positive direction and aid you in finding an achievable way forward.

Accountability

It’s much easier to accomplish something when somebody else holds us accountable. While some people are phenomenally self-driven, many of us struggle to realise our goals when the only person we’re accountable to is ourselves. Life is short but offers the illusion of time. Putting something off until next week or next month doesn’t seem like a big deal when we have so much time left. It’s also very easy to make excuses to ourselves. Something else came up, we didn’t have time, we weren’t feeling our best, we needed a rest, etc.

That’s not to say there isn’t some truth in the excuses we tell ourselves, but excuse-making and procrastinating are habit-forming. When you’ve put something off once, and there was no immediate penalty, there’s no compelling reason not to put it off again, and again… And again…

However, that illusion of time eventually catches up with you when you realise how much time you’ve wasted. When months or even years have passed by without taking genuine steps towards your goals, the consequence is often demoralising. Maybe you try and rush it through, or more likely you try and convince yourself it wasn’t that important anyway and give up.

Those who work with coaches are less likely to waste time and more likely to succeed at their goals. Undertaking coaching is an investment, and we all tend to do a lot better when we make such commitments. Moreover, a coach will help you identify where you can find the time to make those little changes that snowball into real changes.

Learning For Yourself

Almost anyone can teach something, and almost anyone can learn something from them. However, there is a difference between learning by receiving information and learning for yourself. Think about the subjects you are most interested in and compare how much you know about those subjects to the ones that you’re not that interested in.

Chances are if there’s a particular subject that interests you, then you seek out more information about it regularly, and often without realising it you learn about other subjects at the same time. For example, somebody with an interest in the space programme likely knows more than they think about physics, astronomy, engineering, evolution, Cold War politics, etc., because of the way all of those subjects intersect.

When we take the time to learn about something for ourselves, we end up with a much more expansive knowledge about both the subject we’re interested in and related subjects. When somebody just tells us a fact, we gain less overall knowledge because the focus is so much narrower.

A great coach knows this because that’s how they’ve learned so much themselves. Consequently, a coach isn’t there to give you all the answers. They’re not there to solve your problems or tell you what to do. What they will do is teach you how to find answers, how to solve problems, and how to work out what to do for yourself. In doing so, you gain a substantial advantage over those whose knowledge is limited by only learning from being told.

Interested in Coaching?

If you want someone who has the experience to help you see through the fog in these trying times, to offer the benefits of accountability, and to set you on a path of exponential self-motivated learning that will benefit you throughout your life, Robin Lines Associates provides a complete, tailored programme of bite-sized coaching sessions that can equip you with the skills, knowledge, and traits to outperform your peers and achieve your goals.

Visit Robin Lines Coaching for more information.

The post 3 Major Advantages of One-to-One Coaching appeared first on Robin Lines Associates.

We have found that many Account Managers and Sales Professionals find this both stressful and uncomfortable. Increasingly, these conversations are late, and may not even be delivered in person, with organisations often choosing the weak option of informing their customers through email, and crossing their fingers that there will not be any reaction.

Inevitably the customer pushes back, possibly threatening to take their business elsewhere. The result is that the Seller caves in ‘to keep the customer happy’-rarely a text-book ‘Win-Win’ outcome.

At RLA, we have developed a robust Negotiation Skills programme which will equip your team with the tools and techniques to both maintain profits and harmonious relationships with customers.

So, what are our Top 13 Tips for Account Managers/Salespeople?

1. Have the conversation as early as possible. There should be no surprises. Give your customer time to ‘come to terms’ with the price increase.
2. Have the conversation face to face (ideally at their venue), rather than virtual/telephone and definitely not by email. Visiting the customer tells them that they are important, and demonstrates both respect and professionalism.
3. Plan and Rehearse what you are going to say. Don’t assume the customer will understand why you put your prices up without a robust explanation and justification.
4. Forget about ‘Aiming High’ and starting off with an inflated price, planning to meet the customer in the middle. Your audacious initial price may scare them off and blow your credibility and trust.
5. When you visit them, get to the point quickly and concisely. Don’t waffle and waste their time. Look and sound confident. Look them in the eye when you present the price.
6. Don’t imply that the price is open to negotiation by saying things like ‘We need to agree on the price’, ‘we need to discuss the price’, ‘we need to negotiate the price’, etc. All of these suggest that the price is already movable. State ‘Our price is £XXXX’ not ‘it’s in the region/ballpark of £XXXX’. Be firm from the outset.
7. Once you have explained and justified the price increase, Shut Up! Let the other party digest what has been said.
8. If the customer reacts, remind them of the value they are getting from you. Don’t forget your Unique Selling Points if they mention your competition. Rarely are they comparing apples with apples.
9. Think about your Bargaining Chips. Negotiating is all about trading concessions/bargaining. Think about what is low cost to you, and potentially high value to your customer (such as value-adds like credit terms, enhanced service levels, training, support, lead times, etc.) and what is low cost to your customer and high value to you (such as payment in advance, longer contracts, referrals, a bigger share of the wallet, etc.) The Golden Rule is that if you offer something, make sure you ask for something in return.
10. Another Price = Another Package. If we must reduce our price, we need to change the package in some way (i.e., take something out)
11. Don’t be afraid to ask for some time to develop a creative solution.
12. Be prepared to walk away if you feel that you can’t find a mutually acceptable solution/compromise.
13. Hold your nerve. Maintain an aura of calmness. Focus on your breathing if you are feeling any anxiety.

RLA Sales Negotiation Masterclass builds a Negotiating Toolkit guaranteed to help your team improve their revenues and profits. 

‘In life, you don’t get what you deserve; you get what you negotiate.’ – Dr. Chester Karrass.

The post Negotiating to Win: Our Top 13 Tips to Succeed! appeared first on Robin Lines Associates.

Part of the reason is that New Years’ Resolutions encourage a narrow focus on a goal without a plan to achieve that goal. While it’s possible to achieve something by ‘dumb luck’, most of the time, that isn’t how the world works. We need more than a goal but a roadmap for getting there.

If you were planning a road trip from New York to Miami, you wouldn’t just set off from Manhattan and drive south hoping for the best because that approach introduces all sorts of potential problems. Without planning such a journey, you could easily find yourself fifty miles from anywhere without food, water, or fuel. You’d also likely find the trip incredibly dull because you wouldn’t have established any milestones to afford you a sense of accomplishment along the way.

When most of us adopt a New Years’ Resolution, that’s effectively what we’re doing; setting a destination but making no plan for how we get there. Without a roadmap, the best we can do is try to ‘wing it’, which rarely results in success. Such resolutions also lack specifics, such as a deadline; even if we set a deadline, it becomes too easy for us to keep shifting it further away.

Ultimately, our New Years’ Resolutions lack accountability. It’s easy to tell yourself you’re going to do something, but it’s even easier to come up with a hundred reasons not to do it and to make excuses for ourselves.

Let’s imagine, for example, that you set a goal of reading twelve novels by the end of the year at a pace of one novel a month. By the end of January, you’ve read a couple of chapters. You can tell yourself that’s fine; you were busier than expected and didn’t have the time, so you’ll catch up in February. Once February is finished, and you’re even further behind your goal, you’ll just tell yourself the same thing again until, eventually, you’ll reach a point where the goal seems unobtainable. Still, it doesn’t really matter because you’re only accountable to yourself, so you can make an extra effort next year instead.

When it comes to a simple thing like reading more, it doesn’t particularly matter whether you reach the goal or not. However, some people set career goals. How many times have we said, “This year will be my year!” and by the end of the year, it wasn’t really your year? On December 31^st, you’re still in the same position you were on January 1^st. We can, and we do, make the same excuses: ‘I was busier than I expected’, ‘I didn’t have the time’, ‘Things didn’t click for me’, ‘I’ll do it next year’.

Once again, that early burst of determination and excitement hits the wall of reality, and because you’ve not planned ahead, you haven’t got a ladder to help you get over it. Similarly, because you’re not accountable to anybody else, you can reason yourself into acceptance of the situation even if, deep down, you know that you’re missing out on something that could improve your life, well-being, and happiness considerably.

Those effective and permanent beneficial changes to your career path are rarely a case of saying, ‘I’m going to do X’ and then just doing it. To overcome this cycle of ambition giving way to acceptance, you might want to consider investing in yourself by investing in individual coaching services that will not only provide encouragement and support but help you with drawing up a roadmap for achieving your goals. Importantly, a coach offers accountability. You’ll have somebody there for each step of your journey to question and challenge you positively so that you can’t simply brush off each setback with a comforting but defeatist line.

If you’ve noticed that you struggle to find the ladder to help you get over the various obstacles life throws at you, and you’re tired of simply settling then consider contacting us, or visiting robinlinescoaching.com to see whether we might be able to offer some vital assistance along your career path.

Don’t feel the need to settle when a simple investment in yourself today can reap huge rewards in the coming years.

The post New Years’ Resolutions: Planning Ahead for Success appeared first on Robin Lines Associates.

Unfortunately, while email is easy, and virtual meetings certainly have their place, salespeople who don’t push to meet clients in-person may fail to build key relationships, lose valuable insights, and perhaps even become a little bit lazy. There are several significant reasons for salespeople to step away from the comfort of virtual meetings and make contact with customers directly.

Building Relationships

People like to do business with people like them. For the longest time, one of the critical tools in the salesperson’s kit was the ability to connect with customers on a personal level. Finding common ground, demonstrating understanding, and even sharing experiences helped build client trust. While it’s not impossible to develop key relationships over a video call, the nature of such calls leans towards brevity.

The formal nature of such meetings skips past the pre-meeting chit-chat, the conversations over coffee, and the post-meeting walk to the elevator. People expect video calls to be concise and, consequently, purely a business talk or presentation with little leeway for those organic interactions that help foster a sense of personal connection. A sale boils down to hard numbers when everything is purely business, whereas the personal touch can overcome obstacles such as slight variances in fees.

Gather Insights

A considerable advantage to face-to-face meetings is the ability to gather insights into the customer. Those coffee-break chats and walks to the elevator often result in the salesperson being furnished with a bit of extra information that they might not have otherwise received. When people are at ease, they’re a little less guarded and more inclined to offer information that could help the salesperson spot further gaps in the client’s business.

Identifying gaps is crucial to developing a relationship beyond a mere sale or two. It offers opportunities to cross-sell, upsell, find further pain points, and provide even more solutions. Salespeople should aim to be more than just a point-of-contact on a single project, but a trusted partner who can add value above and beyond the initial sale.

Become a Contact Point

Trust isn’t built at a distance. Many people can’t even remember the salesperson’s name a few weeks after the sale is complete. As a result, when they need something else, they’re more inclined to shop around, which risks them taking their business to a competitor next time. However, when they’ve met you, like you, and they have your card, they now have a direct line back into your business, which essentially offers you the first chance to do business with them again.

Furthermore, by offering them a direct line into your business, you can start building more direct lines into theirs. By adopting a team-selling approach, you can create links between different departments and organisations which will give you a considerable advantage over competitors in the future, particularly when looking to identify potential key accounts.

Proactivity With a Purpose

Cold calling is a necessary evil in business. None of us is particularly fond of receiving cold calls, but we understand that sometimes we have to make them, and sometimes we have to receive them. We also understand that when we’re making them, the success rate is very low. For every hundred calls we make, we’re lucky to get five leads and even luckier if we can close two or three of them.

Part of the reason cold calls fail so often is that people simply don’t trust them. Consequently, if you reach out to a past client who only knows you from a fifteen-minute video call or a brief email exchange, you’ll struggle a lot more with the call than if you reach out to someone whose hand you’ve shaken and with whom you’ve shared a coffee or a joke.

You might not get the sale each and every time, but your calls are much less likely to be dismissed as just another cold call. They’re much more likely to be taken seriously, considered genuine, and even when unsuccessful, to give you a few extra crucial minutes that you likely wouldn’t have otherwise had.

While the days of travelling salespeople popping in for a cuppa and a chat might have passed, the importance of these direct interactions hasn’t changed. Salespeople need to meet people, they need to get facetime with key decision makers, they need to gain valuable insights into customers, and they need to position themselves as trusted advisors.

Salespeople who are content to sit behind a desk all day, waiting for customers to call them, or sending out a hundred unsolicited messages trying to arrange a call are, in the long term, going to be left behind by those salespeople who still understand that business is actually personal.

The post Why Salespeople Need to Pursue Face-to-Face Meetings appeared first on Robin Lines Associates.