CHAMBER NEWS a marketing tool to help us to find more customers. Love it or loathe it, it is here to stay and it is a vital weapon in the marketing arsenal. We already run courses on Twitter, LinkedIN and Facebook but shall be looking at our programme to try and increase our range of courses on these topics. Although the results to Question 1 are shown as a combined percentage of those
who listed the barrier as a major impact, or impact, there are some interesting results among the “minor impacts”, with “personal leadership” identified as one area where perhaps people could do better. Could it be that respondents find it hard to accept that their leadership skills or lack of, in fact have a major impact and would we get a different response if we put this question to the workforce! Watch out for some new
partnership work with The Leadership Factory, which might just produce some useful findings on this topic. Thanks to all who responded and remember, you can contact us any time to give us your thoughts and suggestions as to services which you would like us to deliver.
Q1. To identify the barriers to growth which they had encountered and the impact these barriers had had on their business. Finding appropriate premises; 4% Personal leadership skills; 5% Training staf; 7%
Credit Control system; 1%
Overseas competton; 1% Finding customers; 16%
Customer follow-up and care; 8%
Use of social media; 16%
Obtaining fnance; 8%
Increased regulaton; 14%
Personal health/wellbeing; 9%
Trading online; 9% Working capital/Cash-fow problems; 11% Accessible business support/advice; 9% Strategic planning; 11%
Fig.1
Recruitng staf; 9%
Local competton; 11%
Q2. Which topics they would like to see delivered by us as masterclasses. Using Survey Monkey; 7% Efectve Telephone skills; 5% Marketng & PR; 22% Efectve Telesales skills; 7% Top Tips - beter use of SAGE; 8% Trading Online - advanced; 9% Social Media - advanced; 22% Trading Online - beginner; 9%
Raising Finance; 9%
Managing the Sales Process; 16 %
Family Business Issues and Planning; 9% Social Media - beginner; 16%
Employment Law Update; 9%
Health and Safety; 11% Presentaton Skills; 15% Customer Care; 11% Improving Negotaton Skills; 12% Protectng Intellectual Property; 14%
Lean Thinking; 14% Organisatonal Development/HR; 14%
FORTH VALLEY • SUMMER 2013
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