Is your IT holding your business back without you even realising it?

Today's episode covers how to get control of your IT infrastructure before it starts controlling you.

Joe McAuley from Tech First IT Solutions Ltd joins me to share practical advice for business owners who are firefighting IT issues rather than managing them.

We look at four aspects:

➡️ Control - how to get a clear picture of what you have, identify your critical systems, and make sure someone in your business owns the relationship with your IT setup.

➡️ Assess - how to identify your risks and gaps, from backup testing to security, and why you need to plan for where your business is heading, not just where it is now.

➡️ Leverage - why bringing in an external IT partner often works out cheaper than managing it in-house, and what good external support actually looks like.

➡️ Maintain - how to stay on top of your IT proactively, what monthly reporting should cover, and why quarterly reviews with your IT partner make a real difference.

It's not just a conversation however.

We've taken our chat a step further by creating a quiz to accompany the conversation.

Take the quiz and you'll receive a bespoke report with advice from Joe that you can implement immediately.

Get bespoke advice from Joe

This podcast will give you an insight into the expertise offered by Joe. If our conversation has you thinking about vulnerabilities in your IT system, Joe can help. Joe can give you the support you need to ensure your IT systems are built to support your business with the backup you require.

Links

Check out Joe’s website

Get in touch via LinkedIn

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Our podcast is designed to bring you interesting and valuable conversations with trusted, expert suppliers and advisors who provide a wide range of services that you might need in your business. I want to spend time chatting to these experts because there is so much expertise across our supply chain that we can all learn from.

We're using our C-A-L-M acronym because the podcast will cover everything from sales and marketing to IT, professional services, property and FM, net zero, utilities, business support, and HR, so you can expect a wide variety of guests and topics.

I've set up The Independent Buying Group to help small and medium-sized businesses find the suppliers they need to grow. If you need support with sourcing, negotiating contracts, or managing suppliers, we can help your team build a supplier strategy aligned with your business goals. Get in touch and see how we can help

Is conflict in your team costing you more than you think?

Well, Malcolm is here to give you some pointers on how to address team conflict.

This episode covers how to resolve workplace disputes before they do lasting damage to your team. Malcolm Currie from Strathesk Resolutions is an expert in workplace mediation and he covers four practical steps to manage conflict and get your team back on track.

➡️ Curiosity - Malcolm shares why the most important starting point is not stopping the difficult behaviour, but understanding what is driving it. The behaviour is usually a symptom, not the problem.

➡️ Adaptability - find out why handling conflict well means adjusting your approach to each individual, and how getting to know people as human beings rather than just colleagues changes everything.

➡️ Listening - how to go beyond hearing the words and pick up on what is really being said, including tone, body language, and the emotional signals that tell you what actually matters to someone.

➡️ Mediation - how to know when to bring in structured support, whether internal or external, and why solutions that people reach themselves are the ones that stick.

It's not just a conversation however.

We've taken our chat a step further by creating a quiz to accompany the conversation.

Take the quiz and you'll receive a bespoke report with advice from Malcolm that you can implement immediately.

Get bespoke advice from Malcolm

This podcast will give you an insight into Malcolm's experience at supporting businesses resolve a wide range of conflict that can develop within your teams. If our conversation has made you think about an issue in your business that really does need to get fixed, get in touch with Malcolm. Malcolm's external support can help resolve any team issues you may be facing in your business.

Links

Check out Malcolm’s website

Get in touch via LinkedIn

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Our podcast is designed to bring you interesting and valuable conversations with trusted, expert suppliers and advisors who provide a wide range of services that you might need in your business. I want to spend time chatting to these experts because there is so much expertise across our supply chain that we can all learn from.

We're using our C-A-L-M acronym because the podcast will cover everything from sales and marketing to IT, professional services, property and FM, net zero, utilities, business support, and HR, so you can expect a wide variety of guests and topics.

I've set up The Independent Buying Group to help small and medium-sized businesses find the suppliers they need to grow. If you need support with sourcing, negotiating contracts, or managing suppliers, we can help your team build a supplier strategy aligned with your business goals. Get in touch to see how we can help.

Are client negotiations leaving you feeling like you gave away too much?

Well, Florence can help with that!

Today's episode covers how to approach client negotiations with confidence and come away with a deal that actually works for your business.

⁠Florence Rolland⁠ from ⁠Negotiate Limited⁠ is an expert in negotiation and she covers four practical steps to get better outcomes with your clients.

➡️ Confidence - Florence shares how to prepare properly before any negotiation, including why writing down your position and practising out loud makes a bigger difference than most people expect.

➡️ Asking - find out how to ask the right questions to understand what your client actually needs, and why asking is a sign of strength, not weakness.

➡️ Leverage - how to identify what you have to offer and use tradables effectively, so you can push back on price pressure without damaging the relationship.

➡️ Movement - how to decide before you sit down what you will and will not compromise on, so you are never pushed past a point that stops the deal working for you.

It's not just a conversation however.

We've taken our chat a step further by creating a quiz to accompany the conversation. Take the quiz and you'll receive a bespoke report with advice from Florence that you can implement immediately.

Get bespoke advice from Florence

This podcast episode gives you a glimpse of Florence's expertise in objectively looking at any situation which needs to be negotiated and developing a strategy to support it.

If our conversation has you thinking of any difficult negotiations coming up, do get in touch. Florence can help you develop a strategy to help with client negotiations & understand where your boundaries are on what's an acceptable outcome.

Links

Check out Florence’s website

Get in touch via LinkedIn

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Our podcast is designed to bring you interesting and valuable conversations with trusted, expert suppliers and advisors who provide a wide range of services that you might need in your business. I want to spend time chatting to these experts because there is so much expertise across our supply chain that we can all learn from.

We're using our C-A-L-M acronym because the podcast will cover everything from sales and marketing to IT, professional services, property and FM, net zero, utilities, business support, and HR, so you can expect a wide variety of guests and topics.

I've set up The Independent Buying Group to help small and medium-sized businesses find the suppliers they need to grow. If you need support with sourcing, negotiating contracts, or managing suppliers, we can help your team build a supplier strategy aligned with your business goals.

Get in touch and see how we can help