Author: Martin Port

September – time to put the pedal to the metal

September Sales
Posted on by Martin Port

September is here, and that means one thing: just four months to go till the end of the financial year for many businesses. 

This is a critical time for leaders. Summer is fading and, as we move into the final quarter of the year, the focus shifts to sales.  

The topic of ‘sales’ often gets lost in the business conversation. It is easy to get distracted by other compelling subjects: innovation, marketing, CSR, company culture. But let’s not kid ourselves, sales are the lifeblood of any business. Without customers, revenue and cashflow, a business could not exist.  

Did you know that Warren Buffett, Mark Cuban and Howard Schultz all started in sales? Learning about the power of selling, listening to customers, and reacting to their needs, helped these top CEOs to become the success stories they are today.  

This is why September can be an interesting time. The decisions you will make now, as leaders, will impact whether you finish 2021 on target, or whether you lose momentum and experience dips in productivity and sales.  

Performance in the fourth quarter does not only impact this year’s numbers, it sets the tone for 2022. Will you go into next year on the back foot? Or will you start the new year on a high, confident that you have increased market share and delivered on all your objectives? 

The good news is that, come September, most of your colleagues will have – hopefully – had a break. It is up to us, as leaders, to ensure that when colleagues come back to work from their holidays, they bring renewed enthusiasm and energy. We need our people to feel fired up by the fourth quarter challenge, not bogged down by the post-holiday blues.  

The good news is that the spectre of the Covid-crisis appears to be lifting. We are not out of the woods yet, but business confidence is rising, hitting a four-year high according to data released by Lloyds recently. This means that opportunity knocks. Many businesses have been in survival mode for the past 18 months but it’s time to change gear.  

At BigChange, we remain focused on the fundamental pillars of growth. We know that this strategy is working because a third of new business still comes in through referral, which means we have a lot of happy customers out there, singing our praises. As a business, referrals reduce the cost of customer acquisitions, which is great for cashflow too. We recently won a £250,000 contract when an existing customer recommended us to a sister company within the portfolio. I love the quote from Tony Hsieh, the visionary leader and former Zappos CEO, about this approach to sales success: “Chase the vision, not the money. The money will end up following you.” 

There are many ways to put the pedal to the metal when it comes to sales. Yes, incentives and ambitious sales targets can be useful, as can a greater spend on marketing (we find that shouting about our customers is the best approach) but we believe that nothing beats making improvements to your product or service for winning new business, retaining existing customers, and increasing upsell.

How are you going to make the most of the final few months of the financial year? Share your tips below.

Chairman’s blog: There’s luxury and then there’s LUXURY

What is luxury?
Posted on by Martin Port

There’s luxury and then there’s LUXURY. What really defines a luxury brand? Is it all about heritage? Is it about price? Store location?

For me, the thing that truly defines a luxury brand is exceptional customer service. When you have a Leeds accent and you walk into a department store in London and they treat you as though you’re the most important customer in the building, that’s a luxury experience.  

Luxury is not a stale, overpriced shopping environment where staff are disengaged, and customers are made to feel like they are unwelcome intruders. 

Last week, I headed into Central London to visit the iconic department stores Harrods and Selfridges. I can’t tell you how different the two experiences were. When I walked into Harrods, I felt like I was walking into a stately home. There were few customers, there was no buzz. Staff behaved as though we shoppers should be grateful to be allowed into the hallowed halls at all.  

When I went to Selfridges, it was a completely different story. The whole store was humming with activity. Staff couldn’t have been friendlier. I wanted to buy a new shirt but my favourite designer did not survive the pandemic, unfortunately. The staff took me to another concession, where they fixed me up in no time. I needed something altered and the guy there said, “No problem. I’ll have it for you in half an hour.” I’ve never experienced such incredible service in a retail environment.  

The store director, David Jarvis, was walking the floor to check that everyone was happy. I was so impressed by the quality of the service that I introduced myself to offer my congratulations. I like to give praise where it’s due.  

Harrods’ history goes back to 1849. The name is synonymous with luxury, and it remains the largest department store in Europe. Selfridges is also a venerable institution, opening its doors in 1908. Yet despite their illustrious heritage, they are completely different entities today.  

The lesson for me after that shopping trip was that a business can never rest on its laurels. Whether you’re in retail, finance or technology, customers expect a high-quality service; when we are disappointed, it is jarring. It doesn’t matter how old and established you are, even ancient reputations are not immune to modern headwinds.  

Harrods’ revenues hit £2bn before the pandemic. It is still a retail titan following the crisis with revenues of £1.04bn but growth will stall if it cannot tempt back shoppers, especially with international visitor numbers at record lows. Selfridges, in contrast, is clearly focused on growth, wowing visitors with a unique and fantastic experience. I know who I would put my money on to finish 2021 on a high. 

As BigChange grows and its reputation spreads across the globe, I know one thing for certain. I hope to become the Selfridges of mobile workforce management. Not the Harrods. 

Have a little patience

Have a little patience
Posted on by Martin Port

People sometimes ask me what it takes to be successful in business. Of course, there is no simple answer to that question, no magic bullet. But I do believe that one of the most vital qualities you need in order to build a thriving business is patience.  

I know this goes against the grain. The stereotypical entrepreneur makes lightning-fast decisions based solely on gut feel, and lurches from deal to deal, pivoting his or her business to meet new customer demands. And there is an element of that. Especially in the very early days of start-up life. But the truth is: to achieve lasting success, you need a more measured and considered approach.  

The old saying goes: “Good things come to those who wait”. If you don’t give great ideas and new strategies time to blossom, you may never realise their true potential. If you act impetuously, you are also likely to lose the respect of colleagues, partners, funders and customers. It takes a long time to build a great reputation, and just seconds to destroy it.  

Patient leaders foster a more tolerant and productive company culture. This makes the business more attractive to new hires and reduces employee attrition. According to a 2020 by the Harvard Business Review, leaders who demonstrate patience can increase the creativity and collaboration of their team by 16% and their productivity by 13%  

As I get older, I have learned the value of patience. It doesn’t always come naturally to me. I must consciously slow myself down and force myself to take a breath.  

For any founders out there who are like me, and want to know how I have strengthened my ability to be patient over the years, here are my five go-to tactics: 

Make sure you have all the facts

Before making an important decision, I assemble all the available information. In my head, or on paper, I’ll review all the data that I have, and try to spot any gaps. That process slows me down because it takes time to thoroughly assess everything and find any missing information, and that naturally creates space for my subconscious mind to process everything and reach a better, more thoughtful decision.  

Have a game plan

I always try to have a plan in place when executing new strategies or pursuing goals. This helps me avoid distraction but also promotes patience because, by having a plan, you are less likely to rush. When I was growing BigChange, I knew I wanted to reach a valuation of £100m within 10 years. In the end, I achieved that far earlier but, perhaps, only because I had set my course so firmly in my mind that I never deviated. 

Let others shine

This is absolutely crucial in business: you have to let the talented people around you work their magic and fulfil their potential. That can take time. When you bring in brilliant people, they can’t always revolutionise a team or introduce a new revenue stream on day one. They must learn the values and culture of the business and figure out how they fit into the team. I have learned that by giving individuals time to get to know BigChange, they make a far bigger – and better – impact.  

Get comfortable with change

Sometimes, one of the reasons we become impatient is because of change, which is making us uncomfortable. This is a natural reaction: human beings seek out routine and can feel unbalanced when major changes are underway. But it’s important to fight the negative impulse to force ourselves back into our comfort zones. We have to give ourselves time to acclimatise to the new environment, accept that transformation is positive and necessary, and try to be patient as new changes take hold.  

Be kind

When you are impatient, you can spend a lot of time criticising yourself and others for not getting things done fast enough. Sometimes, a bit of this can encourage progress but often it does the opposite, reducing morale – yours and the team’s. Patience and kindness go hand in hand because you listen more, talk less, and focus on problem-solving rather than knee jerk reactions and accusations.  

Remember that patience is a skill that must be honed. It doesn’t come naturally to all of us so some will have to work harder at it than others. But the benefits are manifold: better business decisions; a strong reputation in your marketplace; increased tolerance; a happy team and great company culture. Slow down and make patience your priority today.

My favourite feature: Self-allocation of jobs helped MEDLEC boost worker productivity by 40%

Self Allocating Jobs
Posted on by Martin Port

We asked customers which features of the BigChange system have made a difference for them. We begin with MEDLEC

Electrical contractor MEDLEC has boosted worker productivity by 40% with BigChange, thanks largely to one feature – engineers being able to self-allocate jobs.

Christian Tonna, MEDLEC Managing Director says:

“As jobs come in they are instantly available to our engineers,”

Engineers can then pick up jobs that are nearby, convenient or which fill in gaps in their schedule. 

Tonna, whose firm works across southern England said:

“It means we can be more reactive and efficient with our time, therefore we’re around 40 percent more productive, allowing us to take on more work with the same resources.” 

This feature means field workers aren’t left twiddling their thumbs on site, or making unnecessary journeys. 

Field workers can access unscheduled jobs from several parts of the app: 

  • the ‘Job Lists’ view
  • the ‘Recent Job’ section within a contact 
  • the Contact itself.

Users can filter jobs to suit their location or skills.

To enable self-allocation, your administrators need to change a worker’s Resource Profile. An administrator should do the following:

  • Head to ‘My Account’ – ‘Settings’ – ‘Manage your resources’. 
  • Select the Resource you want to enable, and select Edit.
  • Under JobWatch Settings select ‘Resource can self-allocate unscheduled jobs’
  • Save. 

    From then on, that worker can self-allocate jobs, and your business can start winning a big productivity boost.

    Tracey Neville MBE explains how she drove English Netball to gold

    Tracey Neville
    Posted on by Martin Port

    With no time left on the clock, Helen Housby made her shot, the last play of the 2018 Commonwealth Games netball competition. An English team had never appeared in the final, let alone won the gold, until Helen’s shot went in and they beat Australia 52-51.

    Tracey Neville MBE, this month’s Motivational Monday speaker, was head coach at the time: “That one goal was something we’d been working towards for 20 years,” she said.

    Tracey is from a sporting dynasty: her brothers – Gary and Phil – made names for themselves with Manchester United and England before enjoying long footballing careers. 

    What makes Tracey stand out is the incredible journey she led the English netball team on, turning around a downtrodden, underfunded programme to create one of the greatest team triumphs of the last decade.

    The motivations that drove Tracey were what she came to share with BigChange audiences this month.

    Winning over the players

    When Tracey came into the coaching role in 2015, she saw how the consistent success of the Australian and New Zealand teams was in large part due to the professional programmes they ran for their players. 

    she said:

    “When you’re going against competitors, you can’t cut corners. We needed to step up if we wanted to compete against the top teams.”

    Launching a professional programme was a massive commitment that would ask a lot of the coaches and players – requiring them to commit to a full-time training regime, and step away from work and family commitments. 

    And while the governing board wanted Tracey to make these decisions quickly, she needed to win her players over and make sure they were committed to her vision. 

    Tracey and her team stayed in constant communication with every individual player in the run-up to the launch, listening to their hesitations and giving them all roles and responsibilities to make sure they knew how important they were to the journey. 

    she continued:

    “Our persistence and the hard work we put in at the start worked out, we had everyone on board and could start moving towards that gold.”

    Adapting to be the best leader for everyone

    Tracey also needed to take a hard look at her leadership style. 

    She brought in two advisors, one focussed on sport coaching and the other a psychologist. 

    Tracey Said:

    “He specialised in psychopathy, and apparently I’ve got the same mentality. Lucky we’re doing this over Zoom!”

    Since she answered to both the sport’s board of directors and her team, Tracey had to learn quickly not to carry the stress of one into the other. 

    She said:

    “You need to take on board decisions you don’t necessarily agree with, but I couldn’t put any negativity into my team, and relay those feelings to the girls.”

    She learnt to add protected time into her week, where coaches and players had a safe space to share ideas with her.

    “This meant there was an avenue to direct needy staff members to and a time to coax ideas out of the more independent ones,”

    Tracey worked with her staff around the clock during tours and competitions, so building these meetings into her workflow and keeping her behaviour consistent while her team rode the pressures of competition was crucial. 

    Learning to love winning

    Tracey said:

    “We had never made the final, at best it was third or fourth, that was the expectation of our team,”

    Tracey continued:

    “We began to celebrate success in team meetings, we tried to push the mentality that ‘It’s good to win’ as an entire group, in units and as individuals.”

    This began to break down barriers between newer and older members, as everyone’s strengths and achievements were known and celebrated. It also developed a solution-focused team, who used individuals’ strengths tactically. 

    Becoming a team at every level

    Tracey came into an environment she felt was judgemental. She aimed to create a more collaborative and understanding way of working, which began with clearly understanding the ways in which people worked best. 

    Her relentless focus on creating a committed, proud, passionate team who understood and respected each other helped pave the way for gold in 2018. Her strong spirit and free-thinking took her to heights no other England head coach had reached. 

    She ended by saying:

    “When you go to a job, it’s not about running along with everyone else, it’s about what you can do. I wanted to go in there and change the face of England netball.” 

    And she did. 

    Tracey was joined by Ash Razzaq, CEO of community-action charity CATCH. Over the past ten years they’ve been working to create positive spaces and outcomes for children in Leeds. During lockdown, they have operated food banks to help people isolating, shielding or struggling. BigChange audiences helped raise £500 for this cause.

    Next month, we will welcome Donna Fraser OBE, a former Team GB Olympian and advocate for diversity and inclusion, who will speak alongside the cancer support charity Macmillan. You can sign up to this Motivational Monday here. We hope to see you then.

    Win Leeds United tickets

    Win Leeds United Tickets
    Posted on by Martin Port

    BigChange is giving away tickets for all of Leeds United’s remaining home games in the 2021-22 season. 

    This month saw the start of Leeds United’s second year back in the Premier League, and the first in front of home crowds. 

    To celebrate, BigChange is giving away more than 100 tickets. Lucky fans can win a chance to watch any of the Elland Road games from the BigChange corporate box. Some highlights coming up include:

    • Leeds United – Liverpool 12/09
    • Leeds United – Manchester United 19/02
    • Leeds United – Chelsea 16/04
    • Leeds United – Manchester City 30/04

    As well as league matches, any cup matches played at home will be added to the giveaway, so keep your eyes on the BigChange social pages to stay in the know.

    This competition is open to all members of the BigChange Network and anyone who may be interested. Therefore, we invite all leaders to share this message with their local network and get others involved in this fantastic opportunity. Just follow the link below to see how to be in with a shout. 

    Click here to enter and win seats at Elland Road this season.

    A surge at the end of last season saw Leeds finish in the top half of the table. We hope you join us to find out how 2021-22 goes.

    BigChange named a finalist in two categories at the Lloyds Bank Business Excellence Awards 2021

    Bigchange finalists
    Posted on by Martin Port

    BigChange, the revolutionary mobile workforce management platform, has beaten off stiff competition to become a finalist in two categories in the Lloyds Bank Business Excellence Awards 2021. 

    The Lloyds Bank British Business Excellence Awards (BBEA) celebrates and showcases the resilience, innovation and creativity of British businesses. BigChange is a finalist in The Technology Innovation and The Business Enabler of the Year awards, which recognise the contribution of digital transformation to drive growth and competitive advantage.

    Almost 1,700 businesses worldwide use BigChange software to support sustainable growth, streamline operations and enhance customer experiences. The company tripled turnover between 2017 and 2020 as small and medium-sized companies in service sectors including construction, facilities management and waste management moved from legacy systems and laborious paper processes to more advanced, cloud-based digital technologies.

    BigChange’s global potential was recognised earlier this year when it secured the backing of private equity firm Great Hill Partners to fund further innovation and international expansion.

    Richard Warley, BigChange CEO, said:

    “BigChange has transformed mobile workforce management and the sectors in which it operates. We are delighted that our contribution to digital transformation, business growth and operational excellence has seen us named among the top businesses in Britain in these very prestigious national business awards.”

    Event Director of The Lloyds Bank British Business Excellence Awards (BBEA), Sarah Austin said:

    “Our awards are a national platform to showcase, celebrate and honour the very best of British business. Becoming a finalist is a very impressive accolade; all our finalists stood out as truly creative and innovative during a turbulent year for British businesses; they have proven their companies to be resilient, entrepreneurial and really are best of class.”

    All finalists will present to the judging panel in September, then the winners will be announced at the awards ceremony in November. Tickets to attend the ceremony are available to purchase through the website: https://britishbusinessexcellenceawards.co.uk

    Don’t lose your humanity in the race to automate

    Humanity over Automation
    Posted on by Martin Port

    I’m on holiday this week. Yes, I actually did it! I took some time off. I’m down in London because my wife Mandy bought me a spa day at a swanky hotel for my birthday.

    I went to have my massage yesterday. I thought I was going to relax for an hour and forget all about work; instead, life served me an extremely valuable business lesson.

    Before my session, I tried to go for a shower. The only one available was broken. So I went to leave my things in the locker room and wrestled with one of the keypads for a few minutes before a lady came in and said, ‘Oh, don’t use that one. It does not work.”

    “Right,” I thought. “This isn’t a very good customer experience.”

    But then I had a massage, and the lady was excellent. Afterwards, I went for a pedicure and the gentleman who took care of me was exceptional. Then, finally, when I left, I got chatting to the receptionist, who was friendly and accommodating and made me feel so welcome.

    Even though all the hotel’s attempts at automation had failed, the human interactions I had in that spa made the whole experience positive and uplifting.

    It got me thinking about the power of automation – and the fact that the secret lies in knowing what to automate.

    At BigChange, we have automated many of our processes. Take our sales team. Even though we have increased revenues over the past year, we haven’t increased the number of people it takes to do the sales admin because our technology does it for us.

    When an order is created by a salesperson, they don’t have to touch a process after that: the BigChange system creates the contract, sends it out, generates the customer communications, orders any stock that’s needed, sets up the billing, and starts the onboarding process. But, if that customer has a question, they can pick up the phone and reach a human being immediately. The automation doesn’t extend to customer service.

    These days, that’s rare. I’ve noticed that so many tech companies have taken all the phone numbers off their websites. Customers have to interact with bots and, if their query isn’t answered, they get siphoned into a complex and long-winded ticketing system. Our Roadcrew customer service is available to all our customers, and human beings are there to solve problems 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

    This is the other thing about automation: it should free up your people to do the high value tasks. But it shouldn’t be an enabler of Parkinson’s Law.

    I was reminded about Parkinson’s Law this weekend when I read an article in the Sunday Times by James Timpson, CEO of nationwide key cutter Timpson https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/the-law-that-explains-why-companies-get-fat-nzvz5z8km. I have been an admirer of James and his father John for many years. Their fantastic business model, and their ethical and pragmatic approach to leadership, are truly inspiring.

    “Parkinson’s Law, written by C Northcote Parkinson in 1955, explains why ‘work expands to fill the time available for its completion’,” he wrote. “Using his experience in the civil service, he calculated that a department grows in size, on average, by 6 per cent a year. This isn’t due to more responsibility but simply people making more work for each other.

    “Many business leaders, including me, have learnt about Parkinson’s Law too late in life. Covid forced us to dust off the book and start understanding how we can run a company with much lower overheads, without affecting the service we give our customers and colleagues.”

    We must all guard against the effects of Parkinson’s Law in our organisations. Automation can be a catalyst for lethargy as well as action. This is why it’s so important to have a plan and to strive for efficiency in all the things we do. Many people talk about change and extol the benefits of automation – and then fail to take any action. Some people take action but fail to protect the human interactions their customers crave. Others automate, provide excellent customer service when it’s needed, and are thriving.

    Let’s all make sure we stay firmly in the latter camp.

    BigChange appoints Claudia Munn as CFO

    Claudia Munn new CFO
    Posted on by Martin Port

    New finance chief has extensive experience working in both private equity backed scaleup businesses and large corporates

    BigChange, the revolutionary mobile workforce management platform, today announced the appointment of Claudia Munn as Chief Financial Officer. Claudia brings a wealth of international financial and commercial experience to her role at BigChange, where she will be responsible for global financial strategy and its execution.

    Claudia joins BigChange from venture-backed training provider Avado.  Prior to that she has held CFO and Finance Director roles at CitNOW, Volvo and Tesla. She has also worked in senior finance roles within Honda and Johnson & Johnson.

    Claudia’s appointment at BigChange comes at a crucial phase in its growth journey. In February, the company secured a £75 million investment from Great Hill Partners and has hired 45 people in the last three months to support expansion into new sectors and territories. 

    Claudia Munn comments:

    BigChange is expanding rapidly, and it is exciting to be part of that journey. This is a visionary, forward-thinking company with an incredible product, great people and a huge opportunity. I’m thrilled to be part of driving the next phase of growth at BigChange.”

    Richard Warley, BigChange CEO, comments:

    “I am delighted to welcome Claudia to BigChange. Her commercial acumen, experience and strategic approach will be hugely valuable to guide our growth ambitions in the UK and internationally.”

    My first week as chairman

    CEO to Chairman
    Posted on by Martin Port

    First of all, I’d just like to express my thanks to all the people who have sent well wishes over the past week. As any CEO will tell you, moving into a chairman role is exciting but also daunting – it’s a step into the unknown – so it means a lot to see so many of you reach out.

    I’m now most of the way through my first week as a chairman of BigChange so I thought I’d share some observations. Hopefully, these will be useful whether you’re a CEO considering moving into a chairman role or you’re just interested in the dynamics of such a transition.

    At the start of the week, I’ll be honest, I felt a little lost. I spent time with my incredible PA removing myself from recurring sales meetings and catch-ups. Suddenly, my diary was looking emptier than ever before. Change is always challenging. I am so used to being involved in the day-to-day operations that, at first, it felt uncomfortable to move into more of a supporting role.

    But it’s only when you step back that you give the brilliant people around you room to step up and be their best. This week has confirmed what I already believed: that Richard, our new CEO, has everything it takes to lead the company day to day. I’ve really enjoyed watching him take the lead on everyday decisions, and I continue to be inspired and delighted by his passion for this business.

    So, what am I doing with my time now I’m not booked into meetings from 8am till 8pm? I am preparing to go to the US to drive BigChange’s expansion across that vast and incredible territory. We are targeting an aggressive expansion through acquisition as well as organic growth, so I have been looking at various exciting companies out there. I hope to have something to announce imminently!

    Making progress on my plans for the US hasn’t been entirely straightforward, however. I’m in the midst of applying for a US visa but my son tested positive for Covid last weekend so the whole family is self-isolating. Luckily, the world is used to conducting high-level meetings via Teams and Zoom these days, so I’m not letting quarantine slow me down.

    One of the best things about moving into a chairman role is that I am able to be so much more strategic about my planning for BigChange. It’s taking some getting used to, but I’m shifting my focus beyond the next quarter’s sales targets to a longer time frame – the next two to five years. I am having conversations now that may only bear fruit in 18 months. It’s a thoughtful and interesting approach to growth that I’m learning to love.

    Getting out of back-to-back meetings has other benefits too. I recently met an impressive entrepreneur who sold his media business and has become an angel investor. We had 30 minutes in the diary for a quick chat and we ended up talking for two hours. Two weeks ago, that would have been impossible. As a result, he was able to tell me quite a bit about his portfolio companies and their challenges. This far-reaching conversation may help steer our product development while also generating some new customers for our platform.

    When I was looking at moving from CEO to chairman, I read a lot of research about what it takes to make this transition successful. Many people believe that it’s impossible to successfully move to a chairman role in a business that you founded. Never attempt the move until you’ve held at least three non-executive director positions to learn the ropes, said one. Well, you know me, I love an impossible challenge. Instead, I’ve been surprised at how easy it has been to adapt to a new way of working and a new set of responsibilities.

    But I have taken some advice on board. Other entrepreneurs, such as Ben Jones, co-founder of Bitwala, have said that it’s really important to give yourself some downtime once you become chairman. It’s the only way to truly get perspective on the business and work out the best application of your skills and time day-to-day. So I have booked a fortnight’s holiday – my first break of that length for as long as I can remember. I’m really looking forward to enjoying that downtime and giving my mind time to wander and explore new ideas. Who knows, I may even be able to train myself out of sleeping just five hours a night on that trip… But I doubt it.