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Small business is all about relationships. Heck! All business is about relationships so networking is the perfect way to build your business.

Let’s be honest here, at 6.00am or 7.00pm, probably all you want to do is sink back gratefully into bed or the sofa. So what’s it going to take you get you excited about using networking in your business growth.

People Buy People First

There are plenty of sales people out there who say ‘If I could just get in front of our potential clients, get to know them show them why they can like and trust us, the sales would fly in.’ Guess what, they’re not wrong!

Networking is the perfect solution to this. People have come prepared to do business and prepared to make recommendations. They’re off site so they won’t be disturbed by the day to day running of their business and they are more relaxed. The perfect time to have a meaningful conversation!

It Ain’t What You Do, It’s The Way That You Do It

Networking is about helping people. I go to every meeting thinking about what can I do or say to benefit the people I’m meeting with. It doesn’t have to be something huge or even business related; it could be as simple as pointing out the cheapest town car park or introducing them to the best tasting teabags this side of the Pennines! It seems,

when we are focused on helping other people, all the worry about talking to strangers about business seems to disappear and great conversations are had.

It’s Always the Same People, Talking About the Same things...

So you’ve been networking for some time and actually it’s all getting a bit dull and you’re not picking up any new leads, let alone business. So maybe its times to shake things up a bit and step outside your normal group. In actual fact, any kind of group is a networking opportunity. So whether it’s the Local Sports Club or Rotary Club give it a try. What have you got to lose?

The Fortune Is In The Follow Up

Networking becomes a whole lot more interesting when you get great contacts and new business from it. So are you capitalising on that big pile of business cards you’ve collected? Just a quick call or a short email can be the very thing that turns a nice conversation into a new client. The important thing is that you make contact as early as possible. I can promise you, most of your competitors are not!

With the right conversations, networking is a sure fire way to grow your business and find new customers. So why not take the plunge… I promise you, you won’t regret it!

David

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The People Behind the Businesses

Our New Achievers Club

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KEEP CALMAND

CARRY ON NETWORKING

TheVoiceOfEastbourneNov 2014 Bringing trusted businesses

and the community together

2 | The Voice of Eastbourne - Nov 2014 | thebestof.co.uk/eastbourne

The People Behind the Business Paul Muir - One Answer Insurance

One Answer Insurance was formed in June 2000 by Paul Muir based in a shop front location in Hailsham. Prior to this Paul had developed his career in the Insurance Industry over a period of 20 years with a broker based in South East London. Paul was instrumental in developing the chain of high street shops, which before it was sold included 9 offices. Paul had worked his way through the business to his role of area manager responsible for all 9 branches in terms of sales, service and profitability and successfully developed the company into a high street name within the area.Having taken the difficult decision to relocate his family to the south coast, Paul created his own vision of what a High Street broker should be to provide One Answer for all your insurance needs and this philosophy is still embedded within the company today. In June 2000, Paul opened the doors in Hailsham and although as most people are aware

starting a business from scratch was a tough ask Paul’s determination to succeed never left him and over the years the business continued to grow.In June 2005, Paul started another company called 1 Answer Network Ltd, which is where he employed Trevor Cutts as a Director to develop that business. After a couple of years Trevor was offered the opportunity to invest in One Answer Insurance and the partnership that still holds strong today was born.Trevor started his career with an insurance company in Brighton and over a period of 12 years worked his way through to Underwriting Manager. He then moved to a prominent claims company in Brighton and was promoted to Managing Director within 6 months. Having run that business for 5 years, this is when Trevor met Paul and joined the business.Since 2011 the business has continued to double in size meaning that the business had to relocate to Polegate into purpose built offices to accommodate the growth and increasing staff numbers. Following this relocation they have continued to expand and have offices in Polegate High Street and Worthing with a further office in Tunbridge Wells about to open.Across Head Office and the branches the company employ 75 staff including a senior management team of 5 Directors

consisting of Richard Hermida (Sales Director), Russell Tanner (Underwriting Director), Jamie Turner (Operations Director), Emma Bowles (Customer Service Director) and Rachel Sparkes (Accounts & HR Director). All of the Directors have exceptional experience in their field and have worked tirelessly to assist in the delivery of the business plan and growth developed by Paul and Trevor.The business today continues to deliver its core objectives to provide the local community with the ability to purchase insurance face to face at a competitive rate but with the proper advice to ensure customers are insured adequately whilst being delivered the best customer service.

Have you made great progress with thebestof? We’d love to hear about your

success and share your story here

ThePeople

Behind theBusiness

thebestof.co.uk/eastbourne | The Voice of Eastbourne - Nov 2014 | 3

of the monthThe £500 PBX Telephone system scrappage scheme is backDue to the Success of the Samsung scrappage scheme last year we at Telecom direct have decided to bring it back and offer it once again to all.Get £500 for your old system when purchasing a new Samsung System from Telecom Direct. This is an offer not to be missed and will end on the 30th November 2014.

OfferSpecial

OF THE MONTH

Call 0800 090 1552 to discuss further

Our New Achievers ClubAwarding outstanding businesses locally…

Jason’s Garden Landscaping & Design - “A reputation you can count on”It was great news to hear that Jason and his team has received over 100 reputation checks. It was even better to hear that his overall satisfaction rating stands at 9.8 based on 103 reviews. Be sure to follow them on Facebook for photos of projects as they develop.

Recruitment South East - “The best that recruitment can be”It was great news to hear that Jason and his team has received over 100 reputation checks. It was even better to hear that his overall satisfaction rating stands at 9.8 based on 103 reviews. Be sure to follow them on Facebook for photos of projects as they develop.

ACHIEVERS

4 | The Voice of Eastbourne - Nov 2014 | thebestof.co.uk/eastbourne

Working Well

We are looking for...

Want to shine in our next newsletter? Share your successes and let us know what bits of thebestof are working for you!

Employing the power of Social Media in partnership with thebestof

Mandy Brook, Managing Director of a very successful recruitment agency in Eastbourne - Recruitment South East Ltd joined thebestof Eastbourne in 2011

Being a very busy lady, Mandy knew that she needed support with marketing her business, and often did not have the time to do so. Mandy recognized the value that working with David Ruddle and thebestof Eastbourne would bring to her business.Mandy really values her membership and provided this quote to showcase how well membership is working for her: “David works tirelessly to promote our business as a Best Of Eastbourne member. He is like our silent social media partner working nearly 24/7 promoting who we are and what we do to the greater good of our company and raising our profile for little cost. He actively shouts about how good we are and this in turn has resulted in work being put our way, it is refreshing to have a business partner that works as hard on your business as you do to make sure its a success. Recommended wholeheartedly!”

Getting marketing to be picture perfectlPhil Burrowes is a successful Eastbourne based photographer, and has been a member of thebestof Eastbourne for around 9 months.

In that time, Phil has valued the knowledge and advice received from David Ruddle which has been priceless in building his business.

“I wanted to build relationships with local companies with the backing of good reviews and recommendations. I saw thebestof Eastbourne as being the ‘go-to’ place to raise my profile locally. I have not been disappointed.

David is tireless in his efforts to shout, promote, jump up and down, and thrust members of thebestof Eastbourne in front of people he knows would benefit from their service”.

Phil has been given incredible advice of how to optimize his Social media, website and email marketing to maximize it’s effectiveness and his business has grown as a result.

thebestof Eastbourne has boosted his business profile locally with great success!

At thebestof Guildford we are on the lookout for other great members. This month we are looking for...

If you know a business that fits the bill, please contact the team: 01323 458 123 | eastbourne@thebestof.co.uk

• Accountant • Beauty Salon • Florist • Solicitors

thebestof.co.uk/eastbourne | The Voice of Eastbourne - Nov 2014 | 5

Making that offer special!We’ve all heard the horror stories about well known voucher companies. That offer, that seemed like such a brilliant idea at the time, that then turned into a profit drain of epic proportions. You would not be on your own if those stories had put you off special offers for the rest of your life.

But here’s the thing! Offers, when used correctly, can not only find you more customers, but can also increase your profitability dramatically!

So how do you come up with a killer offer without breaking the bank? Here’s how?

1. Give something away that has low monetary cost to you but high value to your target customer.

One of the most successful offers via thebestof was ‘Free Won Tons & A Coke’ with every main meal On Wednesdays. The cost of the won tons and coke are negligible, but that’s a starter and a drink in the eyes of the consumer and the average spend per customer went up!

2. Use offers to increase footfall/orders at typically low times

The Won Tons and coke offer was for Wednesday’s only; a typically quiet time for this Chinese Take Away. However, the kitchen was open and the staff were being paid whether there were any customers or not. This meant that any extra meals bought on a Wednesday put profit straight on the bottom line!

3. Be different

The days of people getting excited at a 10% off offer are gone! If you can give something away for free (again, low cost to you) that will always grab attention. Don’t forget, an offer doesn’t have to be something you normally do. Recently a photographer and cosmetics company got together so they could offer a make over and professional photography session together, just in time for Christmas! The idea behind it is that this offer will be bought for Christmas presents (and has been positioned as such), which will then be claimed in January, typically when both companies’ orders drop off.

4. Test your offers

To make sure your offer is delivering what you hoped, don’t forget to test it. Use either a voucher or code that people give you to claim the offer so that you can see whether it’s working or not. If you can capture your new clients data at the same time, even better!

We know it’s not easy to come up with killer offers, so here’s just a few of the most successful ones featured with thebestof:

Low Fat Meat Pack - Just £35 (Butchers) Extra lean lamb steaks, pork steaks, gammon steaks, frying steaks, chicken breasts, diced chicken, stewing steak, minced steak and Ale and Mushroom Casserole Sauce - Over 250 page views

Buy One Get One Free On All Drinks Including Wine! - Over 235 page views

Free Bottle of Wine for every table of four or more - Over 160 page views

Half Price Back, Neck & Shoulder Massage with every Reflexology treatment over 120 page views

Free Home Wiring Safety Check Over 80 page views

1 months membership of Our Health & Fitness Club for a £1 - Over 70 page views

Don’t dispair if you’re struggling to come up with offers, we’re here to help. Give us a call and we can talk you through the ways to use offers to attract new customers without breaking the bank.

6 | The Voice of Eastbourne - Nov 2014 | thebestof.co.uk/eastbourne

Meet The Members We’re consistently uncovering hidden gems. Say a big hello to our local heroes.

Give them a call and say hello!

Breeze School of MotoringLocal driving school, helping you get on the road!

Call Paul Cater on 0800 1116113

One Answer InsuranceAs the name suggests, one call for all your insurance requirments!

Call Brooke Baker on 01323 458 127

Chatfields JewellersAll the services you would expect from a jewellers along with their bespoke in store design service.

Call James Chatfield on 01323 459 792

Petersens Independent Estate AgentsLooking to move into the area or looking to sell your property? The team will help make moving as simple a process as possible.

Call John Mullan on 01323 459793

Henry’s BistroFrom Global Street Food to the delicious grill menu! Booking in advance recommended.

Call Lee Field on 01323 458 229

Telecom DirectFrom cheaper calls to a more efficient telephone system Telecom Direct. They also offer great mobile phone deals.

Call Derek Rochford 0800 090 1552

Jason’s Garden Landscaping & DesignFrom small to large garden projects Jason will help guide you through the possiblities.

Call Jason Cornes on 01323 459 069

Want to be featured on our Meet The Members page? Call us on 01323 458 123 and let us know!

thebestof.co.uk/eastbourne | The Voice of Eastbourne - Nov 2014 | 7

Community Partners For people who go out of their way for the community.

Dates For Your Diary Some important dates coming up in the calendar!

Eastbourne Rangers 3-1 Little Chelsea makes them CHAMPIONS!Rangers deservedly lifted the Eastbourne Junior Cup trophy in a heated game under the lights.

Rangers took the lead when a Julian Waters freekick wasn’t dealt with be the Chelsea defence or keeper, with a defender heading the ball into his own net. Rangers rode their luck at times as Chelsea rattled the rangers bar but the red and blacks stuck to their game plan which saw them go in at the interval with their noses in front.

Little Chelsea then hit the post early on in the second period and rangers had a great chance to double their lead from the spot when Benjamin Jesson rattled the bar with a penalty.

Rangers were not put off and continued to push for a further goal which came when Sean Hardie scored a delightful goal from range to give rangers that all important breathing space.

Rangers then found themselves in dreamland when Connor Sullivan hit a rocket of a free kick which burst the Little Chelsea net only to see Little Chelsea awarded a dubious penalty after a debatable foul on the edge of the rangers area, which saw the impressive Tony Derese pick up his second yellow card of the night.

The Chelsea player smashed the ball into the net to give the experienced campaigners a glimmer of hope but the red and blacks saw the game out to deservedly lift the trophy.

Everyone was exceptional tonight but both rangers centre halves deserve many of the plaudits, with Dave Bennett-Tomlin awarded the MOM award chosen by the Eastbourne FA.

Superb, just superb - this win ensuring that rangers have won trophies for the last four seasons.

Our thanks to all the supporters including club sponsors who cheered the lads to victory.

The EBtweetup at the Afton HotelOur FREE social networking event from 5:00pm until 7:00pm. Where you can mix with fellow business owners and local residents that are active or looking to become better connected through social media. There will also be an opportunity to hear from a member of thebestof Eastbourne and one of our community partners.

The LAST EBtweetup of 2014, come along and get into the festive season with fellow social media users and keep in touch via our chat hours leading up to Christmas! Though the meeting is normally 5:00pm until 7:00pm we might stay of for a few festive drinks! All local business owners are welcome to join us for this end of year celebration.

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Nov

3rd

Dec

Did you know...At thebestof we love nothing more than helping our members identify what is working and what is not. With so many figures and things to think about what is the best way to determine if something is getting results... Well, a phone call from a prospective customer is always good and that is why we love call tracking!

This allows us to work with our members testing different ideas, offers etc as everything done through thebestof can be monitored and measured. Our marketing support members can “test” offers online before committing to print or other fixed “advertising” This means when you commit to a printed offer you know it is more likely to generate a response.

So why not give us a call on 01323 458 123 and see if our multi award winning marketing service can help you.

David Ruddle recently changed his title from workaholic to work-enthusiast. Referred to in thebestof network as the man that does not sleep all this effort has really been paying of as thebestof Eastbourne. Earlier in the year David picked up the award for Community Focus but not letting success go to his head he continued to drive hard on behalf of his members at a local level to rewarded a second time with the Community Engagement Award! There really is no stopping the 2014 success train that is thebestof Eastbourne!

Bringing trusted businesses and the community together

/bestofeastbourne

Call 01323 458 123www.thebestof.co.uk/eastbourne

David_Ruddle

At a glanceAt thebestof we go out of our way to provide our members with all the marketing tools that will help them grow locally.

We pride ourselves on being committed and dedicated in working with only thebest local businesses that are recommended by local people.

Focussing on 4 key areas, thebestof has a proven track record of ensuring our members get;

Local Exposure Connections Marketing support Brand Building

We do this through 17 core elements including our reviews facility, our consumer app, our dedicated feature pages for each member and through social media, not forgetting direct email campaigns to our ever growing local database - plus much much more!

Everything we do is about bespoke, results driven marketing, ensuring that our members get what they need, at the right time for them and the good news is that we can tailor everything we do, to your local budget.

We really do what we say we will do;

Bringing trusted businesses and the community together