It has to be said, I am sorry, but it does have to be said.
Brexit has made a difference and will make further differences to business.
Things are changing and there are more changes to come.
But, I am not one of the doom-mongers as I believe it offers us interesting and useful opportunities. I say ‘offers’ as it is up to us whether we take those opportunities or sit back and just hope.
Whatever happens there will be change, and we need to be prepared as best we can. But prepared for what? I believe there are four indisputable facts:
- Brexit will happen!
- Markets will change
- There will be greater focus on domestic markets
- We will find ourselves competing with more UK companies as larger providers seek to replace off-shore business.
This is what happened to Salient in the last 18 months:
- Five larger prospects, (£1M turnover+), were reasonably secure in my sales pipeline.
- As the Brexit vote loomed, happened, and shocked the markets, these five companies retreated, not wishing to ‘spend money when the market was so unpredictable.’
- My cash-flow forecast dropped considerably!
- I initiated my contingency, my Plan B, and targeted the smaller businesses that tend to ‘get on with it’ no matter what the market is doing.
- I had to replace one large opportunity with ten smaller ones.
- It was successful, and I have now progressed to Plan C where I develop the new smaller company market, while attracting new larger opportunities.
But what of the larger companies? What will they do in this Brexit uncertainty?
I believe they will do very much as I did and look to smaller domestic markets to fill the gap in their turnover.
In other words, those who rely on domestic markets for the majority of their turnover will start to find more competition from larger suppliers.
There is another side to this. Those seeking your products or services are less likely to look off-shore for suppliers as these are likely to become more costly. Therefore, they will actively seek domestic suppliers. It could be you, if you are ready! Another point is that if they previously sourced from larger companies, they are likely to spend more than your present customers.
To summarise, this could mean for your business:
- New domestic markets are likely to open up
- Competition will increase for home-grown opportunities.
- The new opportunities have different expectations and spending levels
Are you ready?
Is your sales team and/or your sales process the best it can be?
Your sales effort needs to be at its best; sharp; focussed; forward-thinking.
Don’t miss the boat.
If you fail to address this, others will get there first and will win the lion’s share of the new opportunities.
If you are successful in this, your business growth could be double what you would anticipate for 2018.
If you would like to discuss your experiences of this, please be in touch; call or email Andy