BNI

I’ve been a member of the Blaze Chapter for 18 months now and this is the third opportunity I have had to give a 10 minute presentation to my fellow members and visitors.

When thinking of what I could talk about I remembered something I was told when I first joined the Chapter. ‘Its like having up to 40 sales people working for you’. I thought that this was a really powerful message so I have decided to focus on this today.

So if you are all in my sales team, I thought it would be good to give you some feedback on how we are doing and maybe share some thoughts on how we can be even better.

So how are we doing? Well I can sum that up easily. We are doing a fantastic job! Just to put some numbers on that, in recent months we have grown our sales by over 30%…and much of that growth is a direct result of referrals from this Chapter.

This is a great opportunity for me to thank all of you for your support. It is greatly appreciated and I will do my best to work hard as a member of each of your sales teams!

So we are doing great, but how can we do a little bit better?

Well I think I can help here by being a bit more specific about the kind of clients we are looking for and the work we do. I can also put forward some ideas on when people may want to talk to an accountant.

So starting with the clients we are looking for, there are 3 broad categories – existing businesses with annual sales of up to £5m, start up businesses and individuals who need help with their tax returns. What we do is provide accounting and tax solutions for each of these groups. We will tailor what we do to suit their requirements. So that’s pretty simple!

For two of these groups, the business start ups and people who need help with their tax returns it is relatively straightforward to refer them to us. Both will benefit from speaking to an accountant and may already be looking around.

For existing business owners/managers who already have an accountant, it is more difficult to refer them to Base52. There usually needs to be some reason for them to think of changing accountants – maybe they have relocated, maybe there have been other changes in their business. A dialogue can sometimes establish if there is a desire to change and we are always happy to have a discussion with no obligation.

So that covers what I wanted to say. We’ve talked about how we are doing as a sales team – well above expectations is one way of putting it! Thinking about the three groups of potential customers – existing small businesses, start ups and individuals (for tax) might help you to find referrals. People who already have an accountant will generally only change if there is a problem. If you can find out what that is, they may be willing to chat to Base52.

Thank you for listening…

The UK’s regulator, Ofcom, has decided to change the rules that apply to 0870 numbers. Operators will be required to charge callers no more to call an 0870 number than it costs them to call a “geographic number”, with a dialling code starting with 01 or 02. As a result, the amount callers will be charged will reduce substantially, essentially eliminating the chance for organisations using 0870 numbers to generate revenue.

How this change affects your business;

From July 2009 the cost of calling 0870 numbers will be dramatically reduced and all revenue sharing will cease. This means that ‘Number Providers’ will lose their revenue stream and therefore will start charging you for your incoming calls in order to make their revenue.

Your business will soon pay to receive incoming calls on your 0870 numbers

 Why the changes?

Initially 0870 numbers were charged to callers at the same rate of the cost of calling an 01 or 02 number, around 7p + vat. More recently, the cost of calling 01 & 02 numbers has been significantly reduced, and they now cost closer to 3p + vat. The price of 0870 numbers did not change, which meant that they became viewed by customers as premium rate calls. In response to complaints, OFCOM have decided to reduce call costs to 0870 numbers, to bring them into line.

Express Telephony can guide you through the following options;

Option 1 – Keep your existing 0870 numbers

Keep your existing 0870 numbers. From July 2009 you will be charged a ‘pence per minute’ rate to receive calls/faxes. Each month your ‘Number Provider’ will bill you for your total calls received and you will have to pay this bill.

Option 2 – Change your numbers to 0871

Costing 8.5ppm to call (excluding VAT), 0871 again has all the benefits of 0870 is ideal for generating a higher revenue stream from incoming calls, due to the call cost. Please be aware that ICSTIS the governing body for premium rate in the UK will be governing this code and this presents further problems.

Option 3 – Change your numbers to 0844

These cost 4.25ppm to call (excluding VAT), almost half the current cost of calling 0870 but with all the benefits, including a rebate dependent upon call volume. Many companies have already changed to 0844, making this option a popular choice.

Option 4 – Change your numbers to 0845

Your callers will only pay local rate charges. Calls are charged at 3.5p per minute (excluding VAT) to the caller and local rate 0845 has been used in the UK for over 10 years and is well established.

Option 5 – Change your numbers to 0800

Free phone numbers mean that you pay for your customers’ calls. This option is a powerful marketing tool as it tells your customers that you value their business. The rate you pay depends on the volume of calls you receive and is typically around 3.5p per minute.

Giving you time to make the change

CUT; We can run newly connected number/s side by side with your existing number/s to give you time to change your marketing and advertising material. For example you could set up a new 0844 number today and have this pointed to your office phone, and keep your 0870 number pointed there also. Customers calling on either number with both get through allowing you ample time to implement the changes.

By July 2009 when the charges start your customers will be contacting you on the new number/s instead of the old 0870 number/s and therefore you will not be charged to receive calls. At this point you can disconnect the 0870 number/s if you wish.

If you are concerned that some customers may still call the 0870 number/s we have a facility to put a personalised message on the call directing them to your new telephone number. The message facility can cope with up to 5000 simultaneous calls a minute and can be activated when required.

Your course of action;

Think about the impact that the above options might have on your business.
Act now and give yourself time to implement the changes
Call Express Telephony to discuss your requirements and the implications.
Be assured that you will be ready for the deadline of July 2009

OFCOM documents

The following are web links to the Ofcom website which explain the 0870 changes:-

Summary

http://www.ofcom.org.uk/consult/condocs/nts_forward/statement/#2

Full Document

http://www.ofcom.org.uk/consult/condocs/nts_forward/statement/statement.pdf

Express Telephony can provide you with all the Non Geographical Number support that you require, call us to discuss the options for your business.

Martin Adams, TNL Communications

“With almost 25 years of specialised experience in the telecommunications industry, TNL Communications Services strive to provide the highest quality possible advice, assistance and support to help your business thrive in a highly competitive market place.

We recognise that efficient communications are pivotal for every business or organisation to flourish. We also understand that no two businesses are the same, neither do they have the same business communication needs. What all businesses do have in common though is the need for reliable, good quality products at economical prices.

TNL Communications Services are a small, approachable company and we welcome calls from businesses and organisations who are looking for advice—we appreciate that, with the vast diversity of available products, systems and services, looking for the right one for your company/organisation can be perplexing, time consuming and stressful!

If you are not sure what your business needs to help improve your ability to communicate with your customers, call us and we will be happy to help.”

If you have any further questions about VoIP Hosted solutions or any communication and phone system requirements please contact Martin Adams of Express Telephony either by phone: 0800 018 2522 or email: Martin@expresstelephony.co.uk

Click Here for Martins full profile and contact details

EXPRESS TELEPHONY LAUNCH ONLINE DATA BACKUP SOLUTION

For many years Internet Service Providers (ISP’s) have offered the ability for SMEs to back-up their data over broadband to a central storage facility but only recently has this really taken off. So what’s changed? Andrew Dickinson, Sales and Marketing Director at Griffin Internet one of our Broadband wholesale partners, investigates Online Backup and the potential benefits to resellers and their customers.

Express Telephony in conjunction with Griffin Information systems will supply their ExpressBackup product to anyone needing a reliable backup solution. This will provide a fully resilent off site supported backup solution that conforms to all disaster recovery regulations and for a little over £7.00 per month for up to 25gb of data it’s great value and offers peace of mind in event your systems crash and you need your data in a hurry!

Andrew Dickinson Wrote Recently; 

Ever over-written a document by mistake because you forgot to save with a different name; worked all night on a presentation only to find the file corrupt as you stand up to speak; lost a laptop or had critical files deleted by mistake? The traditional protection against data loss was to make a daily copy of data and store it off-site or in a fireproof safe. However the need for real-time, hassle free back-up and guaranteed instant restoration has made this approach virtually redundant.

Online back-up has been around for years but it has been too difficult for the end user to install and use, too expensive to go mass market but not expensive enough for resellers to justify putting a lot of resource behind it. Most importantly resellers have had to sell it whereas what they need is for their customers to buy it – preferably ‘off-the-page’.

Generic advertising by multinationals like BT has helped encourage the ‘pull’ demand from SMEs and some of the better ISPs have developed products designed to be sold through the channel. The best of these work in any environment, need no specialist hardware or complicated set-up routine and operate in the background without the user having to do anything. The end user should be able to easily restore individual documents or entire files without having to have in-house IT expertise or needing to call their service provider.

As we approach broadband saturation in the UK SME market, run-rate has slowed, margins have shrunk and competition is fierce with suppliers trying to steal customers from each other. 

So what should you be looking for in selecting your supplier of online backup?

• The right price; for just £7.00 per month it has to be pitched at a competitive price that is affordable.
• Financially and technically secure. If you are going to trust your data to a third party they need to be offering 100% reliability and have a strong balance sheet.
• It needs to be easy to buy set-up and manage.
• SOURCE: Andrew Dickinson – Griffin information Systems Limited & Comms Dealer July 2009

For more information on the best backup solution for your data contact martin@expresstelephony.co.uk

BNI VISION CHAPTER VISITORS DAY INTERVIEW – PHIL BERG AREA DIRECTOR BNI HERTS AND BEDS

CAN YOU HANDLE MORE BUSINESS??

Click link to find out….. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nbCz6hbfm2s

Phil Berg is an International Speaker as well as a successful businessman in his own right and amongst his many roles he is our BNI AREA DIRECTOR for HERTS and BEDS. In this video which is showing on Youtube Phil is interviewed about the many advantages members enjoy being part of BNI the NUMBER ONE IN THE WORLD - WORD of MOUTH BUSINESS REFERRAL ORGANISATION.

In this video Phil is interviewed at the BNI Vision Chapter’s recent successful launch day.

So spend a few moments of your time listening to Phil and the interviewer Michael Cuschieri of Vision Chapter and make your own mind up if BNI BLAZE is for you and if you think it might be, why not come to our next meeting and see what it’s all about for yourself?

You’ve got nothing to lose and lots of potential new business contacts and future business referrals to gain!

If your business is based locally in or around Hitchin then Visit Blaze Chapter this Thursday and have a look at how being part of this great group of like minded business people could help grow your business!

So ask yourself this simple question?

CAN YOU HANDLE MORE BUSINESS?

If you can, why not contact martin@expresstelephony.co.uk or Phone 0800 849 3366 today to discuss coming to our next meeting!

We promise…………you won’t be disappointed!!

Martin Adams

BNI BLAZE TELECOMS MEMBER &

BNIBLAZE WEBMASTER

Blaze make the news after the success of the Trade Show.

Come and have the opportunity of meeting upto 200 local businesses for this free networking event.

There will be a guest speaker, a free cold buffet and cold drinks.  Plus the opportunity of you winning a 42″ Flat Screen Plasma TV.   It’s a must!   For more information please call Vanessa Kaye 01462 481005 for further details or click here to let us know you are coming.

Applied IT wins SME Business Growth Award

Friday, March 26, 2010          The Swan Hotel Bedford

Last night at the Conquest Business Events Annual Awards Evening, organised and run by Pam Woods,  Applied IT scooped the hotly contested SME Business Growth Award 2010.

In front of a packed audience of local business people at the Swan Hotel, the awards ceremony was opened by Alistair Burt MP who in his speech stressed the important contribution made by SME business to the recovering economy, he made it clear that the quality of entries had been very high and the judges had had to work hard in their deliberations.

The SME Business Growth Award was presented by Councilor Ken C Matthews, the Portfolio Holder for Economic Growth, Skills & Regeneration. He highlighted the impressive and consistent track record of Applied IT over the three year period and attributed their success to a straightforward business model that aligns the interests of the customer with that of their IT provider. He went on to explain that Applied IT charge a fixed fee on a rolling monthly contract, for which they provide the complete service normally enjoyed by companies with an in-house IT department, including unlimited help desk, same day equipment repair or replacement, advice on IT, hardware and software at the right price and 24/7 system monitoring. He was impressed that their strategy of business networking had been the source of a stream of referrals from satisfied customers and business partners.

The award was accepted by Stewart Peart, MD of Applied IT and Mandy Andrew the Operations Director.

In an interview conducted later by Judy Oliver for Local News TV, Stewart said that the award was recognition of the hard work put in by Applied IT’s skilled and enthusiastic technical team who go beyond the call of duty to deliver great customer service

Applied IT Solutions Limited
Unit 6, ARC Progress
Mill Lane, Stotfold
Hitchin
Hertfordshire
SG5 4NY

phone: 01462 732020

email sales@applieditsolutions.co.uk