Read on to discover how it has helped advance the solutions that FASTSIGNS® Manchester offer.
Delivering visual communications solutions goes way beyond simply having a list of products and services. The appropriate skills, confidence and knowledge is needed to become one of the best signage companies in Manchester. And the annual FASTSIGNS Outside Sales Summit is essential to enhancing our abilities.
Now in its eighth year, 2018’s summit took place in Texas with the theme ‘Ignite Your Game’. Read on to discover how it has helped advance the solutions that FASTSIGNS® Manchester offer…
Touching base with the wider team
Whilst we have regular conference calls with our colleagues across the pond, it was fantastic to have the chance to catch up with them in person. Our Business Development Manager, Nicky, met with the teams from Michigan and Texas. They shared their experiences, successes and challenges, and were able to discuss best practices to help each other improve further.
Being inspired to take action
There were a variety of keynote speakers at the summit, including FASTSIGNS’ CEO Catherine Monson. Her inspiring words gave Nicky four pages of tangible action points, all based around the idea of ‘stop talking, start doing’. This is something we are going to integrate further into our strategy at FASTSIGNS® Manchester . Whilst there’s plenty of words spoken in our in-depth consultations, we make sure they don’t go to waste by presenting clients with valuable ideas to help with their communication challenges.
Remembering the importance of value
Meridith Elliott Powell, President at MotionFirst, spoke about value and risk. She reminded the team of the importance of demonstrating all the wider benefits that a communications solution offers, and how not having it can hold back a business. ‘Value’ doesn’t always equate to price either – what’s perceived as ‘valuable’ varies from one customer to the next.
Making good on your promises
Taking ownership of your tasks was the lesson of the day from Kevin Burgess from Burgess Solutions. If you say that you’re going to do something at a certain time, ensure that it happens, rather than making excuses. This is something we are proud of at FASTSIGNS® Manchester – living up to the ‘fast’ in our name, but also making sure that we stay responsive to our customers’ developing needs.
Discovering what makes a suitable client
A talk from John Boyens, Sales Productivity Expert at Boyens Group, Inc., discussed not just the ultimate strategies to land big accounts, but qualifying what you want from an account too. We learnt about the importance of the word ‘no’ – whilst it’s not a word that often leaves FASTSIGNS® Manchester’s lips, we know when we’re not able to meet a customer’s requirements.
Thinking towards the future
We also heard from Dakota Meyer, a military man who revealed his hard-hitting tales of Afghanistan. He was awarded the medal of honour at the age of 23, and having triumphed so young, Dakota initially struggled with figuring out the plan for the rest of his life. His message was, rather than resting on your laurels, think about the present and continuously improve upon it.
Learning to give back
The FASTSIGNS Cares Community Giveback Breakfast allowed us to support a local Dallas charity. Arlington Alliance for Children is a children’s centre that protects young people from child abuse through teamed investigations, healing services and community education. The FASTSIGNS team put packs together containing colouring books, stress balls, bubbles and crayons, which will be distributed to the kids.
A win for FASTSIGNS® Manchester
These insights and highlights weren’t the only things we took away from the conference. Nicky scooped Bronze at the FASTSIGNS awards night for the second year running, having hit an impressive £250,000-plus worth of business! She was amongst only two UK FASTSIGNS employees to do so.
Now with another award under our belt and a more advanced skill set, we can work on providing even better visual communication solutions. We’ll never take a ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach; FASTSIGNS® Manchester get to know your business personally, and we’ll collaborate together to implement a strategy that works.
Request a free consultation today, and FASTSIGNS® Manchester will create a viable proposal tailored to your needs – from sign design to large format printing.