Knowledge has to be improved, challenged,
and increased constantly, or it vanishes.
- Peter Drucker
Business Development Event for SME Owners
We would like to invite you to attend a business event featuring experienced consultants from a variety of specialist sectors.
The purpose of the event is to give business owners an insight into how they can adapt and use the current market conditions to capture market share and emerge from the recession as market leaders. Topics covered include:
- Effective low cost methods to increase your customer base
- Maximising the benefit of your existing customers
- How to turn your competitors' difficulties to your advantage
- Strategies for improving productivity and reducing costs
- Achieving the best performance from your staff
- Help your staff adapt to the new environment and learn new skills
- How to improve your cash flow and release funds for investment
The event takes place at The Manchester Airport Marriott Hotel on Thursday 2nd April, 2pm - 5:30pm.
Tickets are £75 (unless you have accepted a complimentary invitation from one of the Event Speakers)
Please click here to reserve your place.
Speakers include:
Frazer Fearnhead, Senior Consultant, Alchemy Business Development:
Frazer will speak about how you can use low cost marketing techniques and in particular strategic alliances effectively to build your customer base and increase profits. Frazer is a senior consultant with Alchemy Business Development, part of the international consultancy organisation The Alchemy Network. Alchemy's proven systems have been adapted, from those practised by the world’s biggest corporations, for use by SMEs to increase profitability and implement efficient systems. Amongst other things, Alchemy specialise in franchising and brokering joint venture deals.
Roger Collins from The CRM business:
More than ever, when trading is difficult you need to make sure you make the most of opportunities with existing customers. CRM systems are supposed to help you do this but have often been seen as over-engineered, too complex to use and not cost-effective -so what are the options for Small & Medium size Businesses now? Roger Collins from the CRM Business will outline the range of Microsoft solutions and describe how some of their customers are using these to radically improve their customer service and reduce their administration costs.
Paul Halliwell, Partner, The Urquhart Partnership:
Business Performance is all about the performance of the people within your business. Looking at everything from recruitment to development and management, Paul will present a range of innovative strategies and tactics to deliver real bottom line benefits.
Stuart Smith, Founder, 3 Sheep Technologies:
The power of mobile technologies has rapidly increased in recent years. This, combined with the power of Internet connectivity and location based services on the mobile phones many of us carry everyday, offers business a huge new potential for creating and maintaining relations with customers in new cost-effective ways. The presentation will also explode some of the myths surrounding the mobile web and consider how a worldwide market can now be accessed by businesses on the devices in everyone’s pocket. Stuart Smith has developed an international award winning mobile system and worked on a variety of innovative mobile technology projects.
James Crawford, Director Touchpoint Change:
Businesses often search for inspiration during difficult times, but many of the practical ideas are to be found right in their own offices. Between them, customers and front line staff have a wealth of insight. They are well placed to identify and implement improvements quickly and cheaply. Giving them the space and permission to develop and trial these ideas is a starting point for Continuous Improvement. Over time the results can be dramatic in terms of productivity, profitability and morale. But it does not happen by itself - it needs leadership and a good method to enable it to flourish. This session will introduce some of the practical techniques behind Continuous Improvement for better customer satisfaction, more efficient processes and more focused staff.
James is an interim director and business transformation consultant who specialises in performance improvement and change management. Having served on the boards of United Utilities ICS, eXstream Networks and Cheshire County Council, he now heads up Touchpoint Change Consulting which helps organisations turnaround, grow, manage complex change and continuously improve. He is a passionate promoter of better management practices when working in the private, public and not-for-profit sectors. He graduated from Bristol University and is an accredited Project Manager.
Julian Llewellyn, Managing Director and Co-Founder, Optima:RM.
Julian has extensive financial, commercial and operational management experience in both fast growth SME and multinational PLC environments. Has held a number of Finance/Commercial Director roles with SurfControl, BAESYSTEMS, Premier Brands and Hillsdown Holdings. Member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales; member of the Association of Corporate Treasurers; Director of SME Connect, a North West organisation supporting SME business growth, and past member of the CBI Regional Council for the North West. Optima:RM is a specialist provider of international credit management, outsourced sales ledger collection and debt recovery services. Designed specifically to support SME businesses, services are accessed on a ‘pay as you use’ basis - put simply Julian will show you how to manage credit risk and ensure your customers pay your invoices on time.
Ian Bottomley from Alchemy Business Development will host the event and summarise the lessons to be learned at the close.
If you have a been given a promotional code for a complimentary place by one of the speakers please enter it in the appropriate box.
Space is limited and places will be allocated on a first come first served basis.
To reserve your place, please click here.
Complimentary food and beverages will be served. Guests will have the opportunity to meet the speakers and network with each other at the end of the event.
