There are two sides to the manufacturing story in the UK. On the one hand, manufacturing is in structural decline. The CBI recording that it accounted for 15.8% of the economy in 1990 and has now fallen by a third to 9.6%.
The flipside to this is how the UK’s manufacturing base is undervalued, and that manufacturers still have a significant role to play in rebalancing the UK economy.
The fact is that the UK has many dynamic, specialist manufacturers and has had notable successes in the aerospace and automotive industries. But this dynamism could be further enhanced by accelerating sales cycles through the adoption of innovative technology.
Is Passion Enough, For Manufacturers?
“Sales can be a challenge, where your passion for the product won’t, in itself, put you in front of enough prospects quickly enough to ultimately boost your growth,” explains Tim Langley, CEO of digital communications innovators, CANDDi.
“Many specialist manufacturers have long sales cycles, requiring the nurturing of customers. These efforts can also be hampered by a too-narrow focus on the technical aspects of the product itself”
“We often find that while there is a clear focus on product innovation, there’s a lack of similar forward-thinking when it comes to how to communicate with customers,” observes Tim.
The CBI has called for a modern industrial strategy to help UK manufacturing advance. It notes that the UK currently ranks ranks 14th in the world for the adoption of new technologies, even though it ranks the 5th in the world for the digital availability.
“Change comes from demystifying the benefits technology can offer and looking at how innovative communications solutions can give manufacturers a sharper competitive edge”
Where is the Value in Visibility?
A key way of alleviating the pain of selling is giving businesses more information about their prospective customers. This is where innovative technology plays a key role.
“If you can find out more about your prospects before you even get to the conversation stage, this can speed up the process enormously”
Tim points out. “Essentially, the right technology enables you to maximise your online presence by giving you intelligence about who is visiting your website, and what they’re looking at,” Tim points out.
CANDDi’s innovative solutions can be fully integrated with existing software, enhancing the two-way element of digital communications. Where customer relations management (CRM) software can help to organise the sales process, this can actually accelerate it.
“Identifying and targeting the people that matter comes from first knowing who they are,” Tim concludes. “This prior knowledge helps sharpen the focus of sales activities, and streamline decision-making.”
To discover how CANDDi’s solutions can shorten and bring focus to your sales cycle, please call 0161 717 0688 or visit canddi.com.
Alternatively, to discover how CANDDi have generated sales for other businesses please click here.
