Trading internationally can bring huge reward, but if in unfamiliar territory it can be a daunting prospect.
As a UK Government Export Champion JMB have extensive experience in international trade, both for ourselves and on behalf of our clients.
So to help inspire you to take the plunge and enter new markets or increase your international trade activity here are just some of the reasons why JMB Managing Director, James Blakemore thinks #ExportisGreat.
Export activity accounts for 75% of our business and is vital to our operations.
It not only provides us with a distinct competitive advantage within the UK and international markets, but has given us the ability to capitalise on differing market opportunities; reducing our reliance on the a single markets economic performance alone.
When we established over 10 years ago, our original business plan was to work with UK manufacturing businesses helping them diversify from Automotive into other sectors.
However, within the first 6 months of business a number of overseas clients had approached us to support them in penetrating the UK market. This initial success gave us the confidence to explore the export market further and totally transformed our business model to focus on targeting international clients.
The opportunity to work with clients from all over the world can be very exciting and rewarding.
Working with global clients gives our team members the opportunity to experience the differing business cultures, whilst working with some of the world’s latest innovations to support them in entering the UK and international markets. And of course there is the added bonus of travelling to countries you may not of otherwise thought to visit.
It’s been great travelling the world working with companies from all four corner of the globe. It’s a fantastic feeling to know that I now have friends from all over the world I can catch up with when travelling.
Fear of the unknown. Exporting for the first time can take you out of your comfort zone.
I think there is also the misconception that exporting might be too difficult. However, in some cases it’s easier than selling to companies in the UK.
Currently JMB trade with and export our services to 23 countries, which span across 6 continents.
Countries we export our services to include;
Slight cultural differences can lead to some initial misunderstanding – however the benefit of visiting the countries you export to is that very early on you get a clear understanding of what these differences are and how you can counteract them.
This would be when we signed our 1st international client, who was from Spain. We signed the contract at Heathrow airport on his return to Spain.
It was at that moment we knew that we had an added-value service that international companies wanted and needed.
Australia and New Zealand – over a two-week period we signed 5 customers.
Absolutely – Without our export activity we would not have been eligible for the Queens’ Award for Enterprise in International Trade, which we won in 2016.
Although the Award recognises our contribution in the international trade arena, it’s widely recognised by UK companies as a stamp of excellence, which has enabled us to extend our reach within the UK market as a leading B2B sales and lead generation partner.
Get on a plane and visit the market face-to-face. By meeting partners and potential customers, you will very quickly know if a market is right for you.
As a one of the UK governments champion for export and international trade the JMB Partnership is committed to helping promote export to companies not currently doing so and support them in capitalising on the international opportunities available. Remember, it’s easier than you think!!
If you’d like to learn more about how to generate sales in international markets, let’s talk and see where it may take you.
The JMB Partnership is delighted to have been appointed as Government Export Champion in a bid to inspire and support more organisations explore export.
Announced at the Midlands Engine Trade Summit last week, the ‘Midlands Engine Export Champion Programme’ sees JMB Managing Director, James Blakemore, along with 27 other business leaders from across the region offering their expertise and advice to inspire companies to export and support existing exporters looking to expand into new markets.
Speaking at the Summit in Birmingham, International Trade Minister Mark Garnier said:
Export Champion and MD of The JMB Partnership, James Blakemore said;
Over 27,000 businesses across the Midlands Engine exported nearly £40 billion worth of products to over 100 countries in 2015 and the Midlands is responsible for 24% of England’s manufacturing output with particular strengths in automotive, motorsport, aerospace and rail.
The creation of the Midlands Engine Export Champions Programme swiftly follows the launch of the government’s Midlands Engine Strategy.
An ambitious strategy to help the Midlands reach its full economic potential, the strategy was published last week as the Chancellor Philip Hammond visited the region the day after delivering his first Budget.
It includes significant investment in skills, connectivity and local growth, while it sets out how the government plans to drive the region’s huge potential and promote it to the world.
Over 600 delegates attended the Midlands Engine Trade Summit at the Vox Conference Centre where they participated in specialist workshops and heard first-hand the steps they can take to export their goods and services overseas.
In addition to engaging with SMEs and local businesses, the Midlands Engine Export Champions will promote the Department for International Trade’s Exporting is GREAT campaign and digital tool www.great.gov.uk which helps UK businesses break onto overseas markets. This innovative new programme will provide practical advice and support to drive further growth in exports.
If you are interested to find out how you could benefit and the support available, please visit contact us directly or visit www.great.gov.uk
JMB regularly attend Ecobuild and 2017 was no different. The iconic event is the prime platform to meet with existing JMB construction clients as well as new organisations looking to accelerate their B2B sales and or generate strategic partnerships.
To see the show highlights simply please visit Ecobuild.
Or if we missed you at the show and you would like to discuss how JMB can support you in generating B2B sales, simply drop us an email.
JMB were delighted to be formally invited by DIT Finland to present at the British Embassy in Finland.
Cloud computing is seen by the UK Government as a key technology enabler that underpins the continued development of emerging technologies and innovation for all businesses. Advances in internet of things (IoT), mobile applications, big data analytics and artificial intelligence (AI) are being driven forward by cloud computing infrastructure, which promotes speed and collaboration.
To support the growth of this sector, DIT Finland hosted an informative session advising Finish organisations on how to scale-up and capitalise on opportunities in the UK.
This was a great opportunity to contribute to the innovative discussion on current IoT trends, and to network with like-minded entrepreneurs interested in the UK market.
The event heard from industry experts such as DIT Technology sector specialists, whilst JMB provide insight into generating sales in the UK, which was followed by JMB client, Giosg.com, who spoke about their experience of the UK market.
Incredible isn’t it, here we are at the beginning of another year and rapidly heading toward the end of January. And undoubtedly, with a new year came the inevitable resolutions.
Although it may seem a distant memory, I’m sure as you enjoyed the festive break you will have had an opportunity to review, reflect and start to formulate what your 2017 sales success looks like.
You may have decided to improve lead quality, streamline your sales process, enter a new market, increase your market share or all of the above. Whatever your B2B sales objectives for the new year, research tells us that only 8% of you will achieve them – after all it’s all too easy to let these resolutions slip in just a matter of weeks. So to ensure you stay on track, take a look at a few tips to help you achieve your 2017 growth ambitions:
Understanding your prospect’s specific motivations is fundamental to the success of the buying cycle. However, no matter how many forms your prospects fill in or downloads they may make, nothing beats the art of conversation.
Having direct conversations with your prospects is vital to building meaningful relationships whilst enhancing your company’s creditability. It also enables you to learn more about your prospect’s specific needs, ensuring your proposition with resonate strongly with them and providing information which wouldn’t otherwise be accessible.
Direct conversations come in many forms; the effectiveness of which will differ depending on your industry and audience. But from traditional telemarketing to social sharing and commenting on forums, building personal conversations will enhance engagement, help refine your communication message and build your brands persona.
An effective sales team is one of the most valuable assets any company can possess and the catalyst to driving revenue growth. But to build an effective sales team and maximize their performance they must be highly engaged and driven. And with engagement comes empowerment.
So engage your sales teams with your company’s wider B2B growth plans, not just by department. Encourage them to share their thoughts – take them on-board and collaborate as a team. Make them accountable for their input – set new goals to motivate and value their contribution towards reaching the objectives in-hand.
B2B Sales processes and the tools and technology available are constantly evolving. Companies that have a formal sales process have an 18% revenue growth over those who don’t, so be progressive, critique your process and formalise.
Continue to empower your sales team by asking them what works, what doesn’t and where improvement can be found.
Invest time in exploring new solutions. Not only will this potentially enable you to explore new opportunities but also keep ahead with industry trends.
A “thought leader” is an individual or organisation that peers, prospects, clients and other stakeholders recognise and associate as being at the foremost of their field. It is not an unfamiliar term and is among the biggest buzzwords in today’s marketing jargon.
The fact is that those who are able to earn this status also gain huge awards, hence its importance.
The value of being a voice of authority in your target market has undisputed benefits. Including the competitive advantage through differentiation, increasing your profitability and not to mention the personal satisfaction. But as they say: nothing in life is for free, and in order to receive these benefits a true “thought leader” must invest in their communities, in both time and the transfer of their knowledge.
So, when commence your journey on the road to becoming a “thought leader” you may want to consider;
Yes – these tactics require investment of your resource and expertise, but the activity will also enable you to showcase these to potential clients seeking such solutions. As they say – you need to be in it to win it.
Following in the footsteps of Theresa May, early this month JMB embarked on a 4 day mission to India.
As part of our commitment to international trade, JMB often make in-market visits to clients and partners across the globe.
This trip was no different, spending time in Coimbatore conducting product training, followed by a brief visit to our friends at DIT in Mumbai.
There was even time for a spot of cricket. All we can say is well done India.
So we come to the end the year and 2016 was another one to remember.
And as we celebrate, we thought we’d share with you just a few of our highlights from the last 12 months.
Now let’s see what 2017 will bring!
Happy New Year!
As everyone is preparing for the Christmas break and daydreaming of mince pies round the tree, it’s no surprise you may feel your sales prospects may be seemingly hard to reach.
But if you’re thinking of easing off the accelerating your sales campaigns because you think your contacts are harder to reach, then the chances are so are the competition.
Christmas holidays and the “call me back in the New Year” responses are objections that sales teams far and wide will be hearing.
But the challenge is that if you or your sales team fail to overcome this age old objection and maintain prospect engagement over the Christmas period you risk;
There is no denying that the success of landing a telesales call with your decision makers during the lead-up to Christmas can be reduced. And of course there could be a genuine reason why key stakeholders cannot commit.
However, by adopting a strategic approach to your telemarketing and lead generation campaign you can maintain sales momentum and capitalise on the all the positives of the Christmas season (mince pies included).
Let’s be honest, it’s not only your sales prospect that may be enjoying the holiday season, but your sales team. Therefore, to maintain sales targets your remaining resource should be highly-focused for optimised results.
It’s not only a great sales pipeline you need to achieve this, but insight.
In today’s day and age your sales targets engage and consume promotional information in different ways, including self-educating through content such as blog and whitepapers.
They are all too often bombarded with meaningless communication messages, so it imperative to cut through the ‘white noise’ and create strong prospect engagement. And even more so during the lead-up to the Christmas break when availability is limited.
Wouldn’t it be nice to know who is engaged, available and opening their emails and hasn’t taken extended leave until the end of January? Well you can. By adopting IP Tracking or Marketing Automation tactics you can see in real-time who is highly engaged and automatically be alerted to your hot leads; optimising your telemarketing team’s resource and dramatically increasing your hit rate by over 50%.
Following the holiday season, it will be time for your sales prospects to start implementing next quarter’s activity.
In fact, in Q3 many B2B companies are tasked with finding solutions and engaging with suppliers to address their project needs in readiness for completion in Q4. Or seeking solutions for a project to be budgeted for in Q1 of 2017.
If you have utilised the winter months to do your research and made an initial outreach with a strong value proposition, the chances are you will be ahead of the competition and a candidate for the sale.
In addition, the Christmas break is often a time for senior decision maker’s to reflect and review their plans for the New Year. So if they have your offer in hand you are in a strong position for consideration.
Humans by nature crave consistency – in message, in service and in communication. It is not only your prospects that need consistency to build trust and recognition with your brand, but your sales process.
In fact, Harvard Business Review indicates an 18% increase in revenue growth between companies that have a defined and consistent sales process to those which peaked and troughed.
So, if you say you will call back in two weeks – call. If you send a fortnightly blog-send it.
If you have the luxury of time, use it to take stock. Analyse your most successful sales journey. Review the messages which are creating most market traction. And collaborate.
Unlike sales, marketing never slows down. And it’s no surprise that organisations who proactively align their sales and marketing team on average see a 36% higher customer retention and 38% higher sales win rates.
As the age old saying goes; two heads is better than one. So use your time wisely to refocus and prepare and align your objectives, enhance strategy for the coming month, review your buyers’ journey and ultimately drive your sales conversions.
Now you need to be a bit of a “bah humbug” not to be jolly about the festivities ahead. Which means your prospects will have that feel-good factor too. So capitalise this. You may find that those leads you do reach are more open to dialogue and willing to provide free information and prospect insight which will strengthen your communication and personalisation of the conversations in the New Year. They may even wish you a Merry Christmas!
In formal recognition as Winner of the Queens Award for Enterprise, The JMB Partnership was presented with the highly coveted crystal bowl by Her Majesty’s Lord-Lieutenant of Warwickshire, Tim Cox, during the celebratory event held on 20th October.
The Queen’s Award is one of the UK’s highest accolades for British business success and is presented upon the Prime Minister’s recommendation. SME, The JMB Partnership has been presented with the Award for outstanding contribution to International Trade.
The JMB Partnership was one of only two organisations from the Warwickshire region to successfully receive the Queen’s Award for Enterprise in International Trade, the other being retailer Holland & Barrett.
Awarded to only those who demonstrate the highest levels of excellence within their field, JMB has received the award in recognition of their substantial growth and commercial success in the international business arena and year-on-year growth in overseas sales and export activity.
During the formal presentation, which also celebrated JMB’s 10th anniversary, the highly coveted crystal bowl was presented to JMB Managing Director, James Blakemore by Her Majesty’s Lord-Lieutenant of Warwickshire, Tim Cox. Other dignitaries in attendance included the Chairman of Warwickshire Council, Councillor Bob Hicks and fellow business leaders.
James Blakemore, MD, commented, “It is a true honour to receive such an accolade and recognition for the hard-work put in and the successes achieved over the last few years. I am immensely proud of the whole JMB Team for their commitment to driving both our own and our clients’ businesses forward. It is the pinnacle of achievement in terms of recognition for our proactive, dedicated approach to championing local, regional and international business growth.”
The JMB Partnership was officially announced as award winners on 21st April on Her Majesty the Queen’s Birthday. In recognition of the award, earlier this year JMB Managing Director, James Blakemore and Account Director, Sarah Kingston were invited by the Queen to attend a formal reception at Buckingham Palace.
Effective B2B sales and lead generation is a skill. It is a communication and marketing tactic which requires a reactive approach, an attentive listener and a hunger for success. It takes a special kind of person.
Like any other business, at JMB we too are a prospect and a target for new business. So it’s no surprise we receive telemarketing and lead generation calls. We’re no different. What does make us different is that fact that lead generation is our business. So we often find ourselves critiquing and wincing at those ‘bad telemarketing’ and sales calls that give the industry and the skill of effective lead generation a bad rep.
So to vent our outsourced sales frustrations, the JMB Partnership Team is standing up to those who give professional telemarketing a bad name and highlight our top irritations and examples of bad B2B telemarketing.
One of my favourite questions, “Do you know what we do?” then comes the silence…. An unprepared sales person is like a lamb to the wolves. Not only does it demonstrate a lack of understanding of your prospect’s business, sector and operational needs, but it’s careless. What happened to their brief? A quick flick to their website should immediately indicate whether a manufacturer, farmer or developer. In short, if you don’t know what your prospects do, how can you possible present an offering to them that will resonate or will be relevant.
How can you expect your audience to be engaged your sales rep’s aren’t? Lead generation consultants should be engaged, enthusiastic and professional. Now, I’m not suggesting we burst into song, however your outsourced telesales teams should be an extension of your internal staff, which begs the question ‘would you employ someone directly who wasn’t passionate out your offering or engaged with your business?’
Effective salespeople know that listening is the most important part of their job. The higher the listening skill, the higher the quality of conversation and ultimately lead handover. Why is this so important? Because when the lead generation consultant has listened, they will have understood and interpreted the prospects business needs so that the offering and response can be highly relevant and will ultimately resonate with them.
Remember the B2B telemarketing conversations you are having with your prospects should be relevant, informative and fluid – not a mini lecture.
Sorry? No Email Accounts?. We live in a digital age. One of the challenges of increasing your market share is the ability to effectively build credibility with your client-based, not only through proof of concept, but by accessibly and visibility. If you are unable to provide your sales prospects with a simple email or additional information you will be falling at the first hurdle.
Agreed, face-2-face meeting is one of the most powerful relationship building tools – we are human after all. However, we operate in an age where decision makers are time lean and a face-2-face meeting is an investment. ‘Time is money’. The option to have an initial conference call shouldn’t be deemed as a failure, yet viewed as a stage of the lead nurturing cycle prior to the prospect investing in both resource and financially.
If you refuse to accommodate or provide the option of a conference call you could potentially be losing a lead.
Would you send your intern into a pitch alone with a CEO? I’m guessing the answer’s no. So why is it ok to have inexperienced telemarketers reaching out to your most valuable prospects?
Understanding the industry landscape, jargon, the processes and pain points – this knowledge only comes from sector specific experience, but is fundamental when making early engagements with potential prospects. And will ensure your brand is conveyed in a professional, credible fashion.
Now I’m not suggesting you need to a recruit a telemarketing team with PHDs. But selecting an outsource sales team or internal team, that have experience of the market is invaluable. It means the sales team understand how and what your prospects will engage with, meaning greater cut-though and high quality dialogue. Quite simply, your telemarketing team will be speaking your prospect’s language.
A telemarketing caller that fails to introduce or reveal themselves is really up there. If telemarketing to senior decision makers or enterprise organisations, it is highly unlikely your call will land directly the desired DM. You may reach their PA or colleague. Failing to introduce yourself is not only rude, but misses an opportunity to gain free information which has the potential to enhance the efficiency of your telemarketing campaign and gain prospect insight, but also to gain a rapport with a potential stakeholder or advocate. Every call should count.
“I spoke to you earlier in the week”… a little bit pantomime, but “Oh no you didn’t”.
Outsourced sales and lead generation a fundamental to the success of your sales strategy. But the point is it should never be perceived as outsourced. The dialogue should be seamless, the engagement high and representation professional.
These are just a few of our telemarketing frustrations. But let’s not be negative, the JMB Team have plenty of great examples of how to conduct a compelling and highly effective telemarketing campaign. So next time you are looking for outsourced sales, we would love to talk and show you what great telemarketing looks like.
So enough about us. Let's talk about you.
Whether looking to increase sales, enter a new market or find your perfect business partner, we can help you achieve your B2B growth objectives.
