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| | | Hello and welcome to Network News, the monthly update for members of Service Network. | | |  | Service Network
Network News
talk@service-network.co.uk | | | | | |
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| | | | |  | | 1. Service Network Update | | | | | | Picture the scene. It is a balmy summer’s evening. The stage is (quite literally) set. Over 200 people are gathered at Northern Stage in their best finery. It must therefore be the Culture for Success Awards 2010. Last Thursday saw Erica Whyman of Northern Stage host the Culture for Success Awards, one of the key calendar dates for Service Network. There was a neat symmetry to Erica hosting the Awards, given Northern Stage won one of the Awards last year. Businesses employing from four people to 4,000 people entered the Awards and there were record entry levels and the fiercest competition we have ever seen. Service Network is not about an awards ceremony for the sake of an awards ceremony. The Culture for Success does exactly what it says on the tin and celebrates the culture of businesses and the impact they make on people and the region. Congratulations to the Hilton Newcastle Gateshead for winning the overall Award on the night, but as importantly congratulations to every company which took part. Despite the worst recession in living memory and the spectre of spending cuts in next week’s Budget, there was a genuine sense of optimism at the Awards. If the atmosphere at the event can be used as a litmus test for the regional economy then there is a real “can do culture” emerging. Not a sense of false optimism, more a sense of creativity, innovation and getting on with the task in hand of improving the economy of the North East. Here’s looking forward to next year’s Awards. Neil Warwick
Chair of Service Network
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| | | | | | | 2. Culture for Success Awards 2010 | | | | | |
Service Network’s landmark Culture for Success Awards received a record number of applications from companies eager to demonstrate the vital role employees play in their success.
After weeks of consideration by a panel of judges, who commended the level of commitment to organisational culture, the winners were announced at an awards ceremony held at Northern Stage. Overall Winners, Hilton Newcastle Gateshead, were considered by the panel of judges to be an outstanding example of a prestigious international brand that has personalised its procedures and service offering for the benefit of its staff and the region it serves. All entrants are judged against four key criteria: staff development; customer service; business growth; and contribution to the region, and judged in categories according to the number of employees. The Awards have three categories based on the size of the organisation: small (0-50 employees); medium (51-250 employees); large (more than 251 employees) and one overall winner. Category winners recognised were CCS Mobile, Cintra HR & Payroll Services, and Orange. Highly Commended by the judges were BL Hairdressing Training, Explain, NCFE and Nexus. Neil Warwick, Chair of Service Network said: “These are great Awards; they are about the people who make companies work. In such difficult economic times it is those companies who recognise the impact that good employees have on customer service and profitability, that will not only survive the recession but accelerate out of it. The companies shortlisted have demonstrated the key ingredients required for a successful culture and we should be extremely proud to have them on our doorstep.” To view the photographs from the Awards please click here to visit the gallery on the Service Network website.
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| | | | | | | 3. How will you win more when there’s less around? | | | | | | There’s every likelihood that with public sector cutbacks there will greater competition for few contracts with smaller budgets, writes Malcolm Gallagher of BizVision’s, The Suppliers Academy. At the “Bid 2 Win” Service Network event we asked delegates, using the Zing system, how the inevitable cuts will affect their business. Answers were thoughtful and forthright ranging from a reduction of turnover of between 15% and 30% to the spot-on need of becoming more competitive. It’s the competitive bit and having a “ 2Win” ability that we were addressing at the Bid 2 Win event. From the event, here are four top things to consider when you are bidding for either private or public sector contracts. 1. RISK is in the back of the mind of buyers in today’s economic climate. Consider the different types of risk, beyond just cash, such as political, image, capability and include a risk matrix. 2. COMPLIANCE in the form of embedded policies and certifications needs to be taken much more seriously. Don’t think what you can get away with, the basic policies, but be the smarter business and think how you can get a competitive edge by having exemplary policies. 3. COMPELLING needs to be the watchword in the way you write and review your bid. Have you written it in the vein that you want to win their business, or do you just want to win business? Your bid has got to be compelling by giving confidence that you should be the chosen supplier. 4. DELIVERY of the contract and the management of the contract are so often overlooked by businesses writing bids. Don’t assume the buyer knows you will do a good job. Clearly demonstrate what will be delivered, along with the how and when. Next time you are bidding keep in mind the above four “ 2 Win Factor “elements. Malcolm Gallagher, BizVision.
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| | | | | | | 4. Wasted – Are you wasting vital marketing spend or getting best R.O.I? | | | | | | Following on from the Service Network 'Wasted' event, presenter Jackie Wade sums up the importance of ensuring your marketing budget is getting the right returns. Drastic cuts, more for less, budgets slashed, over-stretched resources – familiar headlines…yes we’ve gotten the message - tough times ahead on all fronts – thanks Mr(s) Politician!
In terms of business, what a great time for you to radically look at your investment in marketing and ask whether you’re wasting vital spend and resources. I’m not suggesting slashing marketing budgets at a time when its more important than ever to differentiate yourself from your competitors in a crowded aggressive marketplace but rather I want you to really question: “Are you getting the best R.O.I ?” (return on investment). Are you confident that every pound you invest delivers maximum return or is there a danger you’re just doing half the job? For me, there has to be real synergy between marketing and sales if you’re going to get the best return. Is your marketing focused on talking to the right people, about the right things, in the right way and is your team focused on ensuring this ends up in a meaningful transaction i.e. a sale? If you’re not getting the right results from your marketing activity, you need to question: 1. The Audience – am I targeting the right people – existing, past, new customers? 2. The Venue – are you at the right gig? Is the place where you’re choosing to communicate actually where your audience hangs out? 3. The Song – Is my message clear – unique and compelling or same old, same old? What about the words, tone and body language – are they in sync or is it like a bad X-Factor audition? It might be time to ask the audience and get real feedback. 4. The Microphone – Does your audience get it, hear it, understand and want to sing along, come on the journey with you or are you a muted annoying background noise? 5. The Band – does everyone know their job, role and contribution in order to get the best result – an unforgettable sound, memory and a purchase(s)? 6. The Fan Club: Are you building a loyal fan base, who will come back time and time again and talk passionately about you to all? Otherwise … WASTED! Jackie Wade – Winning Sales
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| | | | | | | 5. "Your Hired" - Apprenticeships in the Region | | | | | | A recently created apprenticeship training company based at the Baltic Business Quarter in Gateshead is poised to make a substantial impact on the region’s economy by helping employers to make their businesses more productive, competitive and attractive to customers. The North East Apprenticeship Company (NEAC) aims to place more than 400 apprentices in business across the region a year, particularly within the SME sector. Each apprentice will be employed by NEAC, which means that employers can benefit from an extra pair of hands-or two- without the headcount, HR and payroll function from as little as £115 a week. NEAC will conduct the interviews and find the best match as well as organising the latest and most innovative government funded training to equip the apprentice with the right knowledge and skills for the job. If, for whatever reason employers cannot continue with the placement, NEAC will support the apprentice whilst securing them another placement provider. It is an ideal opportunity for employers to address any of their current skills gaps whilst taking advantage of business development opportunities that may arise once the economy improves, as NEAC’s employer engagement manager, Judith Jackson, points out: “When 81% of employers say that apprentices make their workplace more productive 81% of customers favour using a company which takes on apprentices, there has probably never been a better time for employers to take advantage of our service. “If the region is to prosper economically, we need apprentices to join the workforce now since they will become the skilled workers of the future. Indeed, if you ask employers who have worked with apprentices about their impact within the workplace, the majority will tell you that they lead to a more motivated and satisfied workforce. With our service, hiring an apprentice could not be easier.” It is not just the traditional manufacturing and engineering sectors which can benefit from this service. Many apprentices can now be found in areas such as the arts and media, leisure and tourism, finance, IT, retail and horticulture. To find out more, whether you are an employer or a young person looking for an apprenticeship, go to the NEAC website at www.neapprenticeship.co.uk. or call Judith Jackson on 0191 490 2453.
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| | | | | | | 6. Ten things you didn’t know about… | | | | | | Ten things you didn’t know about the Investments & Pensions Team within Dickinson Dees Wealth Management Department...
1. The Investments & Pensions Team are fully integrated within the Wealth Management Department at Dickinson Dees LLP. A department that consists of over one hundred employees including lawyers, chartered accountants, tax advisers and diploma qualified financial planners. 2. The Investments & Pensions Team has been providing quality fee based, independent financial advice for over 10 years within the Wealth Management Department at Dickinson Dees LLP. 3. The team boasts eight regulated individuals, authorised by the Financial Services Authority to provide holistic financial advice to clients. The whole team consists of twenty four team members in total, including regulated individuals, analysts, a highly experienced administrative team and secretarial support. 4. The eight regulated individuals posses in excess of 140 years combined industry experience. 5. All aspects of financial advice are catered for within the team, including Investment, Protection and Pensions advice as well as all aspects of objectives based planning. 6. The team has recently helped launch two new Dickinson Dees LLP services. 'Protecting your Business' is aimed at helping business owners and shareholders identify and then mitigate the risks of an unexpected death or critical illness. 'Elevate' offers an alternative to traditional rewards packages for executives and key individuals. 7. The team were shortlisted for “IFA Team of the Year” in 2009 by STEP. 8. The team is headed by David Dale, who is also the head of the Wealth Management Department. 9. As well as forming a core part of Wealth Management’s integrated financial and legal offering, the team also has strong links with many professional intermediaries, including national stockbrokers and accountants, working closely with them in relation to mutual clients and one off projects. 10. The fee based charging structure is extremely competitive. Prospective clients can benefit from a free, non-obligatory introductory meeting. For more information please feel free to contact Richard Clark on 0191 279 9265. Dickinson Dees are regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority. Authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority.
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| | | | | | | 7. Welcome to new members... | | | | | | Service Network is delighted to welcome to the network this month… Regional Language Network, Invert Architecture, Piccmi Media and Coco Moon.
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| | | | | | | 8. Marketplace - New business opportunities | | | | | |
Access new business opportunities by clicking on the links below... Marketing
Advertising material
Nexus is looking to appoint a specialist media planning and buying agency to work with for a three year period, with the option to extend to five years subject to satisfactory performance.
Built Environment
Construction work
Narec plans to develop an offshore wind farm demonstration site in the North Sea, comprising 2 0 pre-consented "pods", at which tenants may deploy their prototype or demonstration turbines and foundations. Narec is seeking a contractor to undertake the design and build contract for the monitoring platform contract.
Major refurbishment of Crown House, Middlesbrough
Supreme Knitwear Manufacturing Company proposes to carry out a major refurbishment of Crown House Middlesbrough. The successful contractor will be required to provide a comprehensive, effective, efficient and economic service for the refurbishment of an existing five storey office building located in the centre of Middlesbrough.
Construction work
Tynemouth Station - restoration of glazed cast iron canopies and associated works. Estimated construction works' cost is 3 600 000 GBP.
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| | | | | | | 9. News in the Network | | | | |
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As excitement mounts around the World Cup, employers should consider strategies to manage the impact of the tournament on their organisation.
Daniel Benjamin from Newcastle has secured a Sales Support Consultant role within the Financial Services Team at Haines Watts Chartered Accountants' Newcastle office.
Explain was commissioned to carry out regional research about what people think makes 'A Good Death' with the objective of ensuring that 'the voices of individuals, groups and organisations across the North East are given an equal opportunity to be heard'.
A BIOMETRICS reader - capable of scanning fingerprints at temperatures as low as -20 degrees and through some latex gloves - will go into production after its North East developer received a £150k cash boost.
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| | | |  | | Managing Talent: Staff Stuff – Employee Engagement
A Service Network Event | | | | |
 Service Network is working in partnership with Savile Group plc to bring you the next stimulating event in our Managing Talent series.
Did you know that... - Demotivated and disengaged employees take more sick days per year than their motivated counterparts?
- Engaged staff are 43% more productive than indifferent staff?
During this interactive session we will be exploring and discussing the challenges and successes of employee engagement. It has been a difficult period recently for many companies who have had to make redundancies and other cuts; and these changes may have left remaining staff demotivated and therefore less productive. However, a defined employee engagement strategy could help an organisation clamber out of recession more easily. We will be hearing from two businesses who will describe their own employee engagement journeys. They will discuss what engagement means to them, what they are doing and how they have achieved their successes. In doing so they will provide you with some creative and cost effective ways in which to implement engagement practices in your own teams and businesses. In this session Gerry Peyton from Hammonds, a leading international law firm, will be exploring and sharing what employee engagement really means and how this can be ‘measured'. He will discuss what interventions are effective for achieving and improving a more engaged workforce and the key foundation blocks that might be relevant to your organisation. Paul Swain from Freemans Grattan Holdings, a mail order catalogue firm, will then present a case study on the subject of employee engagement. He will talk about the recent history of the organisation and how employees became disengaged, the challenge of being on the verge of bankruptcy and the huge restructure that took place. He will present the strategy they have to engage their employees to enable them to achieve their business goals and return the company to profit. We do hope that you will be able to join us for this ‘engaging' event! Date:
1st July 2010
Details:
Time: 08.30-13.30
Venue: Newcastle Falcons, Brunton Road, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE13 8AF
Cost: Free to Service Network members, £30 + VAT to non members
Registration:
To register for this event please contact Alexis Towell on 0191 244 4031 or email a.towell@entrust.co.uk
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| | | | | | Summer Social: 10 Rules for Taming Tigers
A Service Network Event | | | | |
What is the barrier to innovation, to change, and to moving forward rather than stagnating? It's the Tiger. The thing that roars at us and makes us back down when we move outside of the safety zone at home, in our communities or at work. Join us at our annual Summer Social event to find out from Jim Lawless, one of the most inspirational and sought after business speakers in Europe, how to tame these Tigers. ‘Taming Tigers' is a unique way of understanding the ongoing battle that takes place within to enable us to take risks, to develop, and to make the right decisions for us as individuals, our teams and for our organisations. The Ten Rules for Taming Tigers are a highly practical set of tools to help win the battle against the Tiger. The Rules for Taming Tigers were originally developed as a tool for creating cultural change, building teams and helping people make the leap to leadership. It was then tested by Jim himself in the sporting arena during his journey from overweight, non-riding business consultant to his first televised race as a jockey in just twelve months. Taming Tigers will inspire you with a new set of possibilities and responsibilities, change your ideas about what you can achieve and send you away excited about making a difference. The Rules inspire peak performance - at work or at home - and bring a fresh approach to personal and business communications. Throughout the afternoon there will be plenty of opportunities for networking and we will also be using Zing technology to gather your views on the shape of the service industry in the North East; to gauge business confidence in the region; and to hear what you'd like from Service Network in the future. Why not bring a friend?
Service Network members can invite a friend* to this entertaining and compelling afternoon event. Simply provide details of your friend(s) when registering your own attendance. Date:
14th July 2010
Details:
Time: 13.15-17.00
Venue: The Baltic, Gateshead Quays, South Shore Road, Gateshead, NE8 3BA
Cost: Free to Service Network members, £30 + VAT to non members, *£1 (including VAT) to guests/friends
Registration:
To register for this event please contact Alexis Towell on 0191 244 4031 or email a.towell@entrust.co.uk
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| | | | | | Managing Talent: Happy by Design
A Service Network Event | | | | |
- Are you fully in control of your life and career?
- Do you have a vision and mission?
- Do you have a set of principles and core values that are aligned to your vision and mission?
The next in our series of Managing Talent events looks at personal development and how you can ensure that you are the best you possibly can be. In this session Bobby Paterson from Metta Minds, coaching consultancy and culture strategists, will be exploring personal and professional growth. Bobby will discuss his experiences and share his insights from the past 18 years as a professional football coach and performance director. Driven by the idea of being ‘the best I can be' and witnessing the successes and failures of a multitude of varying people, Bobby has identified some commonalities between those who succeed and those who don't. Bobby will share his programme that features a set of ‘12 Principles' and ‘9 Happy Habits' for living our lives to their full potential. Get passionate about being the best you can be. We will explore what it takes to be successful and more importantly, happy. Happiness and success don't happen by accident! Highlights of the morning will include: - Creating your personal constitution.
- Building your own winning culture.
- New thinking leadership.
- Empowering, essential habits.
You'll leave the event: - Understanding personal ‘belief systems' and ‘operating systems'.
- With ideas to get your innovative genius on!
- With an action plan to build your winning model and culture for success.
- Happier by design!!!
Who should attend? Anyone who has an interest in personal and professional development and leadership. Date:
21st July 2010
Details:
Time: 08.45-11.30
Venue: Maersk Training Centre, Stockbridge House, Newcastle, NE1 2HJ
Cost: Free to Service Network members, £30 + VAT to non members
Registration:
To register for this event please contact Alexis Towell on 0191 244 4031 or email a.towell@entrust.co.uk
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| | Supported by: | |
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| | Service Network (NE) Limited, Portman House, Portland Road, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne & Wear, NE2 1AQ.
T: 0191 244 4031
E: talk@service-network.co.uk
W: www.service-network.co.uk
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