Tuesday 19 March 2013

The front line in business development – quite literally, for some

As we warmed ourselves by the log fire in the boardroom during a breakout session at last month’s business development seminar, we had another chance to find out more about each other’s businesses.

Paul shared the virtues of his print business; Gemma explained why she had taken the leap of faith to set up a recruitment business specialising in automotive trade positions; Mark subtly checked to see if we had each made a will; and Steve Wisbey told us more about his fascinating business, industry and world.


Steve runs NIC Instruments Limited in Folkestone - www.nicltd.co.uk - and has been amongst the regulars attending intime PROFIT’s seminars over the past several months.

NIC manufactures and sells EOD and IEDD equipment – that’s Explosive Ordnance Disposal and Improvised Explosive Device Disposal equipment … bomb disposal gear to you and me.


Protecting the lives of the brave folk on the front line in Afghanistan and throughout the diverse war zones and terror cells that litter the world with IEDs is a noble business to grow. But it is still a business, a business with prospects and products that benefit from technique to efficiently converge.

Steve’s goals include increased sales and he said of the last seminar: “…another very good session with focus on the tasks that need to be done to increase sales.”

Tony Huggins, QA Manager at NIC (who attends with Steve) simply said: “Effective, Efficient, Manageable” which is just what the seminar delivery intends.

Like all research, a background search for this article was done in Wiki-land where Bomb Disposal was described as “the process by which hazardous explosive devices are rendered safe”. The word ‘hazardous’ is particularly evocative in this sense.


However fascinating a product, industry, audience – sales still boil down to the need to generate enquiries; work those prospects through an effective CRM; convert them to optimal value sales; retain and nurture the clients generated to maximise lifetime valuesbuilding sales, profits and generating sustainable business growth.

Steve has applied a lot of what he has gleaned and is already seeing a difference, generating additional sales by employing the techniques each seminar develops. By working his database with innovative e-mails and mailings, such as lumpy mail (a recent seminar topic), he has honed his USPs, refined the proposition, made his product and service ethic noticed, captured attention and stimulated action.

It is so wrong to pre-judge. Either by pre-judging a fellow delegate at a business seminar, or pre-judging a prospect on your database opportunities are missed. Take nobody for granted because you just don’t know where your next referral or joint marketing opportunity is going to come from.

The bottom line with intime PROFIT’s Dramatic Business Growth Programme is quite literally – you have to be in it to win it … whatever your business, service, or product.


To find out more about intime PROFIT:
our One-to-One,
our Seminars and
our Marketing support services –
call us on 08456 437 497.