Are you a Sales & Marketing Professional? Have you got great experience in developing marketing plans for clients? Are you as comfortable in front of the client as you are working from your desk? Do you have a good understanding of the sales and business development environment? Are you fed up being a cog in the chain and are looking for a role where you can make a huge impact?

If you can answer yes to the above then RPL wants to hear from you. We are a small home based business that provides sales and marketing services for businesses and social enterprises around Scotland. The ethos is to take sound professional practices into clients business to help them develop a commercially successful business and compete effectively in the market.

You would be required to assess a clients business issues, recommend clear, achievable and realistic plans. You would occasionally be required to work collaboratively to put it into action. You may be required to work within the client’s premises so being able to travel is essential.

A professional qualification in Marketing is desirable but not essential is you have a strong commercial background in a marketing role. Sales experience is desirable but again not essential if you can demonstrate experience of a high level of client interaction and sales training. An ability to express yourself and your ideas clearly and eloquently is essential. You should be willing to fully contribute to the team, as working in a small business means you will gain invaluable experience of all aspects of business.

If this role sound exciting and motivating, please contact Laura Molloy directly on 0141 637 9359, or send a CV with an introductory email to info@rpl-uk.co.uk. Flexible working patterns and freelance applications are welcome. We look forward to hearing from you.

by Laura Molloy, Director of RPL Sales and Marketing

Are you on Linkedin but feel you are not quite utilising it’s potential? Do you have a profile page but are not sure what to do next? You are not alone! I ran a seminar today on how to create a contact strategy for Linkedin and it was packed! I am guessing the crowds were not there to see me (although I can pretend!) but that they felt the same way about not getting the best out of this incredibly useful tool. So here is a quick run down of the seminar and my hints and tips.

1. Before you attempt any connections or complete your profile, have a clear marketing objective; what are you selling to whom? Sounds easy but getting this right is essential and requires research, time and effort.

2. What do you want to people to think about your ‘brand’. Ok so you may be a small business and not Coca Cola but the same principles apply. If you could distill what you do down to three words, what would they be? Is this what your communications project to the buyer?

3. When you populate your profile page, ask someone to look at it and get real, honest feedback. What does it say to them? This is an enlightening and extremely valuable exersize.

4. Create a searchable profile using your job title and skills and expertise sections. This is how others will find you.  

5. Tell your target market that you are there. Find them by using the advanced search tool or create a search based on your knowledge of the target market. Save this search and Linkedin will helpfully let you know when someone new fits your criteria, to save you time and effort.

6. Engage them by talking about the common interests, location, groups, passions or expertise you can see in their profile.

7. Convert them by actually picking up the phone or inviting to meet face to face. Social networks are on the whole keen to get out and meet in real life, so arrange meet-ups for groups, one to one chats, and opportunities to discuss the mutual benefits of your businessess.

8. Think about Linkedin paid for services such as Inmail that allow you to connect with people outside of your network or their click on adverising, it represents good vaue for money.

If you would like RPL to help your Linkedin performance or any other sales and marketing issues within your business, please get in touch info@rpl-uk.co.uk or call 0141 637 9358

RPL is a member of the Board of Directors for East Renfrewshire Chamber of Commerce, and the Sales and Marketing ‘Expert at Hand’ for the Supplier Development Programme.

RPL’s Director Laura Molloy presented a practical workshop to Digital Enterprise Glasgow’s  (new website coming soon) businesses today in the Cardonald College Business Centre.

The workshop was split into two parts. the first focussed on a step by step guide on how to create a personal profile that enables you to be found on Linkedin. The second part focused on practical steps to utilising Linkedin as a tool to build business.

Everyone was encouraged to log onto their profile and build it as the workshop progressed, to really maximise the impact it will have after the event.

If you would like to connect with Laura, see her Linkedin profile here.

Look out for further practical workshops on the RPL Twitter and Facebook pages and on the DEG website.

This week I completed 2 days core sales skills training with a small group from a large production company. Quite a big commitment from both them and the management to take the group ‘off the road’ for that amount of time.

I was thinking through the evaluation of the days and it occurred to me that of all the benefits, the most important business benefit to come out of the days was the sheer luxury of having that amount of time to really think through what their business, and they personally, fulfilled for the customer – to put yourself in their shoes and see what you do from their eyes.

The group consisted of a mix of  production and technical managers as well as customer support staff. It was an interesting mix. The production people had the perception that the sales teams were inept fools who drank coffee all day and placed any order the customer wanted with no consideration of lead times or technical complexity. The sales support team had a perception that the technical teams were obstructive so often had to fire fight with both the customer and internally. Spending time in the same room discussing issues and resolutions created an awareness and, dare I say it, empathy for each others roles.

We spent a great deal of time thinking about the pressures and business environment theircustomers were coming from, getting into the nitty gritty of particular situations, why they occurred and how it could have been addressed. By extending how they thought about the customer, they had a completely different attitude and set of parametres with which to approach the situation.

The most rewarding and productive outcomes were  that they created a new set of actions, with innovative objectives and tactics with which to proactively build business, and not simply deal with the reactive. With the luxury of time they got into the head space of the customer and their landscape, and created new, future business benefits.

This article featured in The Herald published 29th Nov 2011.

RPL has been on a roll this week, with the Director,Laura, featuring in East Renfrewshire’s place campaign ‘A Place to Grow’ and in this article.

East Renfrewshire showed what a great place it is for visitors, business and the people who live here, at the launch of its ‘A Place To Grow’ campaign today at Whitelee Wind Farm. Here is the video

The kids and I feature in the promo materials (roped in by the Chamber). It was pretty strange to walk into the room and see my massive face on the posters.

We moved here about 5 years ago after living in London for years. I absolutely love it and here is why.

 The parks are fantastic. Rouken Glen has a Victorian boating pond that looks the same as it did 100 years ago. The whole park is really well kept and on a sunny day you cannot beat it.

I can be by the sea in 25 minutes or in the centre of Glasgow.

I can walk or take a 5 minute bus journey into Shawlands for a night out if I can’t be bothered going into town. The best night out EVER is at ibop is in Shawlands (first Friday of the month at the Pollock Ex Servicemens Club… its a secret shhh dont tell anyone). Also Beir Stube’s 2 for 1 pizza is pretty hard to beat.

It is small enough to get involved. I did not know anyone when I moved here. Now my business has grown, I’m on the board of the local Chamber and been on the committee of my toddler group. I know all the people who live in my street around my house and loads of the families around here.

There is a newsagent, bakers and cracking bistro within 2 minutes walk.

Finally when I walk home I can smell the unmistakable smell of a peat fire burning. It takes me straight back to visiting my Granny as a child and I love it.

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 BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT & SUPPORT EXECUTIVE

The post is funded for 1 Year. The potential total contract value is c£24,000, subject to negotiation.

Engagement and support to businesses based or operating in the rural areas of East Renfrewshire (Neilston, Uplawmoor, Eaglesham, Waterfoot).

Provision of information, sign-posting to further support, canvassing of economic conditions and company health among businesses. Production of two events for rural business.

Liaison with local authority and other stakeholders in support of outcomes.

Closing date: 21st November.

RPL has had more good news this week with the unbelievable news of a place on the semi final of the prestigious Glasgow’s Got Business Awards.

The awards are part of the Glasgow4Business week, taking place all over the city from Mon 7th November 2011. The awards focus on tecnical innovation ideas and are hosted by Digital Enterprise Glasgow and Strathclyde University Incubator.

The semi finals will take place in the beautiful Glasgow Central Hotel in a dragon’s den syle on Monday evening from 5pm and you can book a seat or table at it here.

Check out the huge number of events across the week, many free, aimed at to helping you grow your business.

There must be something in the air this week as RPL is having an amazing run of great news and business wins.

We have been awarded a tender, pending contract, for the Supplier Development Programme’s ‘Expert On Hand’ starting in 2012. This will mean RPL will be available to offer low cost sales and marketing consultancy for their members.

I am particularly pleased about this as I have been on their ‘Love Me Tender’ workshops. This is a wonderful 4 day programme to help SME’s get tender ready, and it has obviously helped RPL. I recommend it to anyone interested in winning public sector tenders – and it is free!

Keep checking our blog for the latest news on progress and start date. This is a really proud moment for RPL.

Laura Molloy of RPL

Exciting and stimulating role with fully flexible, part time hours based from home.

We help businesses grow with a range of sales and marketing services for the small business and social enterprise sectors in Scotland.

To meet a growing demand we are looking for 2 new members of staff to manage our growing client base.

We want to speak to you if you have corporate/ FMCG experience within a marketing role, ideally with some additional sales experience. An understanding of brand building, the commercial processes of business and how to manage customer relationships are crucial to the service we provide for clients.

Candidates will be comfortable in a changeable working environment, quick to learn, and be a confident communicator both face to face and in all written communications.

RPL is managed both on and offline line, so a high level of competency in IT, social media and office packages is essential.

Duties will include;

• Management of online tools such as CRM and social media.
• Collation of market research and reports, and relevant information for input into client reports.
• Collate and create bespoke training plans from existing RPL training materials.
• Basic marketing duties such as email marketing
• Client interaction to present RPL material

Must be able to travel to the South of Glasgow. Salary in the region of £8 per hour.

Get in touch if you think you’re the right person and pass this on if you know someone who might fit.  Thanks Laura