Business

Still Going Strong...

Issue 98

Just Williams launched in 2015 as a Sales Consultancy business, nine years later we are still going strong and like many, have diversified, evolved, and enhanced our offering. We now provide Sales and Marketing solutions to business looking to grow. In 2021 we launched our second business, The Just Williams Sales Academy to bring to life our desire to professionalise the sector and create an industry standard in Sales.

Recruiting and retaining salespeople is a battle many of us face… that’s one of the many reasons we exist and continue to. I believe that Sales is a profession that remains under-invested in and overlooked and so often, failing.

If you are looking to grow this year, you are more than likely looking to hire a full-time Business Development/Sales Professional as a result, at a significant cost and risk to your business. Yet there is another way – one we have developed and been delivering for almost nine years. Sales however, cannot work alone and without support the cost and risks will be high and both parties are often left with a bitter taste. Sales has to be supported by marketing to achieve the best possible results and provide that crucial ROI.

Our Vision is to be the leader of purposeful sales and marketing solutions: facilitating change in businesses and communities, for sustainable growth across the globe.

I founded JW with a different belief, to professionalise the sales industry and provide an alternative solution with less risk, cost and stress while delivering a sustainable and strategic sales solution. Enhanced five years ago with our marketing department, working in partnership with the sales team. Sales and Marketing both carry broad job descriptions and role remits, yet we hire these individuals with unrealistic expectations and then are surprised when they don’t deliver. Generic sales roles can comprise of data analysis, strategy development, process development, account management, lead generation, new business development, pitching, presenting, proposal generation to mention a few. There are a few exceptional individuals out there who can achieve all of these but in my experience of managing salespeople for 20 years, they are like hen’s teeth. Yet this is our expectation time and time again as our budgets don’t stretch to hire mutliple people within these roles. Similarly in the field of marketing we expect content creation, social media management, SEO, PR, graphic design, award applications, tender writing to name a few. Again, is this really the role of one person?

We hire people to deliver results ultimately – to help achieve the organisations strategy and goals, yet do we really give them the tools, support and structure to achieve this?

Our Why is to help create responsible, sustainable businesses through encouraging a local supply chain, supporting the local community and making a difference at every encounter. Why – because we believe in using our business as a force for good. We believe in challenging the status quo and providing outsourced sales and marketing in a purposeful, accessible and sustainable way. 2024 is looking even stronger with huge ambitions for both businesses.

The Just Williams Sales Academy launched in 2021 has now trained over 3000 individuals online and face-to-face in customer service and sales and like Just Williams, is a certified B-Corporation business. As the only training business in the NE with this certification, we adopt the highest standards and continue to work with SMEs, Colleges, Universities all with a mindset of delivering exceptional customer service, enhancing their market position, increasing retention, and generating new opportunties.

We are looking forward to another bumper year for us, our clients and our stakeholders.

Late last year we launched our latest Impact Report, which saw us;

Become a certified B-Corporation scoring 100.1

Raise and Donate over £6000 to local charities

Reduce our landfill by 25%

Win the best business community impact award

Plant over 250 Trees

Increase our local supply chain by over 50%

Work with freeelancers, local businesses and fellow organisations passing over 30K of projects

Support the local B-Corp community by hosting the first B-Social on Teesside.

This year across both businesses we will continue to offer a range of opportunities to all our stakeholders including access to our wellbeing training series, community litter picks, and why not join us for our Just Williams CEO Yorkshire 3 Peaks Challenge in June 2024; if you too like a goal, a fitness challenge whilst raising money for charity. (Contact me asap for more info via Linkedin)

Our Charity Partner for both businesses in 2024 will be Catalyst – a not for profit organisation supporting and working with the VCSE sector to innovate, evolve and thrive. Winning their Business Community Impact award in 2023 and seeing firsthand the impact they have, spurred us on to support them further. Through volunteering, donations in kind and raising funds, we will be working in partnership with Catalyst to drive change in our local community. Find out more: www.catlyststockton.org

As a self-confessed adventurer and lover of a physical and mental challenge, this year will see me complete my first Ultramarathon in February and later on in the year Everest Base Camp. Following five marathons and Mont Blanc in 2023, this year had to be ‘next level’ and help us achieve our aim of raising £50,000 for charities by our tenth birthday next year. Running has for the last six years been my ‘thing’, my headspace, my love, and given me the ability to demolish more cheese boards, drink more red wine and devour more pasta than ever before. Finding the thing that keeps me mentally and physically fit I know without a shadow of doubt, has kept me focused, taught me grit and keeps me progressing forward. It also allows me to go on some wild adventures and enables muchneeded headspace in our busy challenging lives, so be able to do this whilst raising funds for our local communities is in itself an achievement and a focus for 2024.

Last year was challenging for so many, and I like others had to dig deep at times. With 2023 over and as ever I am looking at the horizon of a new year with hope, determination and my favourite characteristic of all – grit. I am proud of all we have achieved to date and proud I continue to challenge myself physically and mentally, and being a huge fan of both reflection and continuous learning, I have a few recommendations for you that have been a beacon for me in the last year:

Book recommendations:

The Great Game of Business -Jack Stack, Bo Burlingham

Doughnut Economics – Kate Raworth The Responsible Company – Yvon Chouinard

Podcast recommendation:

Business without bull****/On Purpose/Feel Better Live More

Event Recommendation:

TEDx Newcastle (Nov) and Manchester (March)

We are looking forward to another year of Northern Insight publications and hope you’ll join us over the next 12 editions of our thoughts, tips, recommendations, and maybe the odd promotional push too (we are in sales and marketing after all!)

Here’s to a healthy, happy and fulfilling 2024 for us all!

Just Williams –

Sales and Marketing www.justwilliamsltd.co.uk

Just Williams Sales Academy –

Sales and Customer Service Training

www.justwilliamssales.academy

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