Friday 6 February 2015

Blue Branch Plan to Evolve Sales Techniques by Attending Conference in Glasgow

Blue Branch is set to attend an exciting direct marketing conference this weekend and plans to evolve their sales techniques after the event.

Direct marketing specialists, Blue Branch are set to attend a sales and marketing conference being held in Glasgow this weekend on the 8th February. The outsourced sales and marketing experts are hoping to learn effective new sales techniques at the event so that they can initiate a plan to evolve their sales strategies when they return to their office in Edinburgh.

Blue Branch is particularly looking forward to the section on sales techniques at the conference and expects the talk to be extremely valuable for their new plans. The firm hopes to implement some of their new findings into their business model.

More topics at the event will cover sales and marketing tips, interviewing techniques, how to train a sales force, leadership skills and how to effectively manage a workforce. Blue Branch believes that these skills are important for every business leader to master and looks forward to learning new skills at the Glasgow conference.

The conference is going to be held at the Hilton Glasgow. The Hilton is one of Glasgow’s most prestigious venues and is located within easy reach of the Glasgow Science Centre, Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Glasgow’s West End. The venue boasts 15 large meeting rooms which all have the latest technology and can hold up to 1,000 guests. This makes it the perfect location for the sales and marketing conference.

Blue Branch is an outsourced sales and marketing firm based in Edinburgh. The firm specialises in alternative event marketing strategies on behalf of their clients’ brands. The firm connects with consumers on a face-to-face basis as they believe this is the most effective way to create long-lasting and personal relationships between brand and consumer. In turn, this often leads to increased customer acquisition, brand awareness and brand loyalty for their clients.


Tuesday 23 December 2014

Blue Branch On Why New Year's Resolutions Fail




The tradition of New Year’s resolutions dates all the way back to 153 B.C. and although the tradition is still popular, according to an article by Forbes only 8% of people actually achieve their New Year’s resolutions. Year after year people set themselves up for failure.  A google search generates over 24 million results for New Year’s resolutions.

An article by Ben Lee on Digital Spy revealed the top 10 UK New Year’s resolutions in 2013;

1. Read more books

2. Save more money

3. Lose weight

4. Redecorate

5. Take better photos

6. Go travelling

7. Sell old unwanted stuff on eBay

8. Buy a tablet

9. Organise photos

10. Do something for charity

So why do most resolutions fail?

1/ Goals are too big

92% of people fail to achieve their resolutions because their goals are too big. Setting yourself a goal that is considerably unattainable is one sure-fire way to guarantee you won’t follow through, goals need to be tangible, as we explained in our previous blog; How to set S.M.A.R.T goals:

2/ Making too many at one time

Having too many things to concentrate on at once means your focus is split.  To give yourself the best chance of achieving a goal it’s important to focus on one thing at a time, allowing you to put all of your concentration and effort into that.

3/ Bad Timing

For many people January can be a hard month, trying to get back on their feet after over spending at Christmas and coming off the back of the holidays, it’s back to the harsh realities of the world.  Most importantly though, why wait for one particular day to make a decision, when there are 364 other equally great decision-making days available to you. If someone is waiting till New Year to set themselves a goal then it’s probably not one they are overly concerned about fulfilling.



Blue Branch is an events-based marketing company based in the Haymarket area of Edinburgh.   We specialise in promotional events marketing campaigns that have been specifically designed to raise brand awareness and increase market share for our clients. Since we opened in September we have gone from strength to strength and we’re looking forward to the year ahead.

Thursday 18 December 2014

Blue Branch Top Gun / Rising Star Event



At the beginning of the December, we held our first Top Gun / Rising Star event. The top gun being someone we have worked with for a while and who has been a consistent top performer, and the rising star being someone who recently started and who has shown great promise early on. The purpose of holding the event was to recognise and reward the people we work with, for their hard work and effort over the last couple of months.


Competitions always brings out the best in people, it provides an incentive and something tangible to work towards. The success of this event was proven before it was even held, as since the competition was announced, Blue Branch became the number 1 office in the UK for our client in the telecoms sector.


The two people we selected for the event were Blaid Wright and Jonathan Allan. We hosted a joint event with our business associates here in Edinburgh. We travelled to Newcastle to battle it out at laser-tag. The fun, competitive game was a great opportunity for relationship building away from a work environment and proved to be a big hit! We are looking forward to hosting many more of these events in 2015.





Blue Branch are an events-based marketing company based in the Haymarket area of Edinburgh.   We specialise in promotional events marketing campaigns that have been specifically designed to raise brand awareness and increase market share for our clients. Since we opened in September we have gone from strength to strength and we’re looking forward to the year ahead.

Tuesday 16 December 2014

Blue Branch On Why Outsourcing Is Good For Business




Firstly lets clarify what outsourcing is; In business terms, outsourcing is described as the contracting out of an internal business process to a third party organisation. In layman''s terms, rather than companies doing the work themselves, they hand over the reigns to a company which specialises in that area.

As an outsource sales and marketing company, Blue Branch are paid to create marketing campaigns, on behalf of our clients, specifically designed to raise brand awareness and increase market share. Our expertise lies in customer acquisition and our clients can be assured of great results along with customer satisfaction.

So why is outsourcing good for business?

With the UK economy slowly recovering from a triple-dip recession, many companies are extremely cautious of their budgets and are looking for more cost-effective solutions. Many corporations, small and large, are looking for ways to slash their budgets while maintaining high levels of productivity. Most companies are now understandably cautious about spending large sums on traditional advertising and marketing methods, and are therefore turning to companies like Blue Branch to conduct the sales & marketing of their products through cost effective, measurable methods.

The practice of contracting out a business process rather than staffing it internally is a common feature in the modern economy. There are financial advantages that come from outsourcing.

1/ Outsourcing can offer greater budget flexibility and control.

2/ It lets organisations pay for only the services they need, when they need them

3/ It reduces the need to hire and train specialised staff

4/ Reduces capital and operating expenses.


Outsourcing strategies can be broken down into three broad categories that meet different goals:
  • Efficiency – the first step in an outsourcing strategy is to achieve cost savings, typically through process efficiencies
  • Enhancement – once cost savings have been realised the next stage is to achieve operational improvements related to business objectives such compliance and meeting availability expectations
  • Transformation – business transformation is the end goal for an outsourcing strategy, where an outsourcing relationship is used to drive business performance improvements

It's no coincidence that Direct Marketing / Sales has been the fastest growing industry in the world for the last 5 years. It's a recession proof industry that's going from strength to strength and here at Blue Branch we're excited to be a part of that. Our more personalised approach and tailor-made marketing strategies have made our business model highly attractive for many blue chip corporations looking to explore new avenues.

Blue Branch are an events-based marketing company based in the Haymarket area of Edinburgh.   We specialise in promotional events marketing campaigns that have been specifically designed to raise brand awareness and increase market share for our clients. Since we opened in September we have gone from strength to strength and we’re looking forward to the year ahead.


Monday 15 December 2014

Blue Branch Countdown to Christmas




With the festive season in full swing, at Blue Branch we have started to reflect on the last few months and we have started to look ahead to next year.


Since we opened at the end of September it's been a whirlwind. We started out with a core of 5 people who shared the same passion, enthusiasm and vision and since then we have tripled in size. Our biggest achievement so far is becoming the number 1 office in the UK for our telecoms client, an incredible feat as we opened less than 3 months ago. Our early success has really set the bar high going into 2015.


Looking ahead to 2015 we are planning a trip to New York in the first half of the year, to visit with some of our business associates over in the US. Our main objective for next year is to establish the Blue Branch brand and become a market leader in the UK as we look to expand into 3 new cities next year.


In May we will be attending an industry awards ceremony in London and we're hoping to be among the award winners. Our theme for 2015 is teamwork and effort. With those 2 core values we believe we can achieve anything we set our minds to.


To celebrate an amazing first year, and the hard work and effort of everyone we work with here at Blue Branch, we are hosting a Christmas Party / award ceremony. The event will be held on December 27th . We will be giving out awards to the top performers and people who have shown incredible commitment and dedication in helping to get Blue Branch to where we are today.



Blue Branch are an events-based marketing company based in the Haymarket area of Edinburgh.   We specialise in promotional events marketing campaigns that have been specifically designed to raise brand awareness and increase market share for our clients. Since we opened in September we have gone from strength to strength and we’re looking forward to the year ahead.

Tuesday 25 November 2014

Blue Branch On How To Set S.M.A.R.T Goals




Learning how to correctly set goals is one of the most important tools any businessperson can master.  Goal setting allows you to visualize where you want to be and motivates you to put in the work to reach the goals you set.  Setting goals gives your life direction and puts you on a path for success.  Knowing how to set S.M.A.R.T goals is one of the foundations for success whether it is in business or your personal life.  Top athletes, successful business people and achievers in all fields all set goals.

Here Blue Branch explains how to set S.M.A.R.T goals;

Specific

A specific goal is much more easily achieved that a general one.  Knowing exactly what you want and putting all you energy into reaching that will give you accomplishment and self-confidence once reached.  EXAMPLE:  A general goal would be, “Get in shape.” But a specific goal would say, “Join a health club and workout 3 days a week.”


Measurable

When you set a measurable goal it allows you to keep track of your progress along the way, keeping you motivated if you’re meeting the goals and spurs you to take action if you’re falling behind.  To determine whether the goals you set are measurable ask yourself questions such as; How much? How many? How will I know when it is accomplished?

Attainable

An attainable goal is one that can be achieved.  While almost any goal you set is attainable it required properly planning and the necessary action to be taken.  These steps make goals that may have seemed out of reach eventually move closer and become attainable. 

Realistic


You have to be realistic when setting goals.  Your goal is can be defined as realistic if you truly believe that it can be accomplished, there isn’t room for maybe or possibly, and you must be 100% convinced you can achieve it.  A goal must represent an objective toward which you are both willing and able to work towards.  A high goal is often easier to reach than a low one because we are more motivated to achieve it and often try harder because a low goal exerts low motivational force.


Timely

Every goal you set should have a specific time frame, without this there is no sense of urgency.  For example, if you want to lose 10 lbs., when do you want to lose it by? “Someday” won’t work.  By setting a goal such as December 25th, anchoring your goal to a timeframe sets your unconscious mind into motion to begin working towards it. 


Blue Branch are Edinburgh's newest and fastest growing company.  We have multiple customer service / events sales opportunities to be filled immediately. With our office based in the Haymarket area of Edinburgh, Blue Branch specialise in customer acquisition through face-to-face promotional marketing and sales campaigns. We offer our client’s tailor-made, cost-effective and measurable marketing campaigns.  We guarantee high profile exposure and ROI.  

Friday 7 November 2014

Blue Branch On The Gender Pay Gap




This week the rise in the gender pay gap has hit the headlines. News showed that women effectively worked for free for 57 days of the year, from November 4th to December 31st. 3 days longer than in 2013 and this number is set to continue to rise year on year.


Women currently earn, on average, £2.53 less per hour than men do. That equates to 80 pence for every pound a man is paid. The gender pay gap closed by a third between 1997 and 2010 in the UK but has since plateaued and is now back on the rise. The UK has fallen out of the top 20 countries globally for gender equality. dropping from 18th to 26th, mainly due to female earnings and a rise in the gender pay gap,


The news got us thinking here at Blue Branch. Being your own boss, your turnover isn't dictated by your gender, it is directly related to the only things that should matter in business;


a/ Your Attitude


b/ Your commitment levels


c / How hard you're willing to work


Thanks in part to shows like The Apprentice and Dragons Den, entrepreneurship is more in the spotlight. Entrepreneurship is on the rise in the UK. The number of active businesses in the UK is 2.82m, up from 2.73m in 2013 according to, the latest Entrepreneurs Index report from Barclays and Business Growth Fund has found.


Being a business owner is a sure-fire way to guarantee that you determine what you make regardless of whether you are male or female.


Blue Branch are an Event Promotions company based in the Haymarket area of Edinburgh. Formed due to the ever growing demand for alternative marketing strategies, at Blue Branch we specialise in Event Marketing campaigns. We send clear messages directly to consumer without the use of high cost commercial marketing strategies. Each marketing campaign is delivered on a face to face basis, letting our representatives build relationships with customers from the first point of contact at event venues.