
4 minute read
Patron News
Reboot Your Sales After Lockdown
by Susan Holme
The last 12 months have been incredibly tough for business owners, particularly those who have had to close their doors due to lockdown restrictions.
The good news is that finally, there seems to be a glorious light shining at the end of the tunnel, with the government’s announced “roadmap out of lockdown” that could see us returning to something like normality by the end of June.
Fingers crossed.
Where do I go from here?
Think about your customers, their priorities and ask how your product or service can align with their new goals.
You need to get out there and talk to your customers to find out what those goals are, but here are some ideas that they will likely centre around:
• Looking for new business opportunities, more customers and leads
• Reducing operating costs to make the business lean
• Reducing staffing levels • Looking to automate more parts of the business
• Introduce collaborative working and shared roles
• Implement continued remote working
Now come the big questions. Can you show customers how you can help them win more opportunities and attract more leads? How to help save them money? How to reduce costs? How to reduce their staffing levels and automate more of their business? Can you come up with interesting ideas on how they can introduce collaborative working?
After answering these questions, try to align the benefits of your product or service with the new priorities of your customers.
Opportunities are out there, it’s just a question of how you approach them that needs to be different.
Coronavirus has well and truly turned everything upside down and it’s not surprising that most sales teams are in a state of flux.
Your customers aren’t buying, or, maybe they are, but not in the same way as they used to do. Sales strategies are out of the window and teams are trying every trick in the book to survive the here and now. Teams have shrunk, some colleagues are still furloughed and others have been moved around the business to focus on day-to-day operations. Connect with me on LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com/in/susanholme-75974173/
Here at Face For Business, we provide remote telephone answering, virtual receptionists and managed live chat services to businesses across the UK. If you are interested in how we can help you automate and reduce staffing costs, please contact Susan Holme using susan.holme@ffb.co.uk 01704 898 400.

Three numbers
for you to consider?
26% 44 shiny pounds a week 66% of workers plan to WFH saved, that’s over £2k of workers say they’re from home permanently a year average saving more productive when or occasionally* per annum for reduced WFH* commuting and lunches*
Support your staff after lockdown and optimise business growth. It is vital to be ready for the new workplace, wherever and whenever that is.

Change for employees and business is here, and it’s permanent. Having the right people is everything. The last year has shown that WFH is a viable option for all, with multiple benefits. Time, money, productivity – what’s not to like? Happy employee’s means improved output and better results. Flexibility post lockdown to support employees will be expected, and implementing it successfully shows your business is serious about their wellbeing.
At BT Local Business Liverpool, our teams have been WFH from the first lockdown. Like many businesses, we will be carefully considering our return to the office policy and consulting with our teams on an individual basis. We wish to remain agile and flexible in our approach to modern work life balance. With the average staff replacement cost £12K in the SME market*, it’s vital to not only retain your employees, but attract the right candidates from a wider geographical area, and additionally take note their expectations have changed.
But it’s not for everyone, and many people want to return to the office partially or fully. But what is certain is that it’s going to be different, and with employees having a legal right to request flexible working, a holistic approach is needed from your business to meet your employee’s personal circumstances.
When considering the costs, it’s worth noting that inflation (CPI) is forecast to rise from 0.9% to 1.8% in 2022, meaning pressure on salaries is likely in the near future. Rather than incur this, you can invest now in flexible working arrangements and directly save your employee’s time and money, with the bonus of improved productivity, rather than just increasing costs for the same output.
At BT Local Business, we are seeing increased demand for flexible working solutions. For a free demo or to discuss how we can help, please call us on 01704 898210.
*Source: https://www.finder.com/uk/working-from-home-statistics