Tony Shepherd shares his story to help support you with your business journey, looking at the importance of choosing the right technology and social media platform for your business!
A snapshot of how Christian Doppler Consulting came about:
As a managing partner, transformation coach and mentor, Tony has developed Christian Doppler Consulting over the last 6 years.
His business is helping Enterprise and SME businesses seeking to achieve accelerated growth in sales and business development skills and methodologies, and he works with business leaders and owners seeking to develop and advance their own leadership skills.
Tony has a background of relevant experience having worked in the corporate world for over 25 years for several global Telecommunications and IT Security companies before embarking on the development of Christian Doppler Consulting. This breadth of experience gave him great working knowledge of businesses, learning what makes them succeed and grow.
Some of the first steps Tony took to get his business up and running:
Tony launched Christian Doppler Consulting from his home in Salzburg, Austria, where he was living at the time, with a focus on the UK and German marketplaces. The selection of the name was a key step in seeking to attract businesses in those countries.
Following the selection of the business name, the next key step was selecting the technology platform so that the business could be run from anywhere. Google was selected for its ease of use, compatibility with Android devices, email and website options and costs per user, but it is important to check the operating system and any social media platforms you use are the most suitable for your business. Tony has become an advocate of the Chromebook! Marketing the business was also done using Google Ads, Hubspot and LinkedIn Sales Navigator which enabled a cost-effective launch which was easily scalable.
The need to pivot.
With the onset of the lockdown in March 2020, the business moved completely online.
Tony’s existing business adapted to this very well but found that the prospect funnel dried up! Fortunately, he was able to successfully deliver the remainder of his existing contracts online but found demand for new contracts disappeared due to the coronavirus. Identifying new areas has been challenging as most businesses have cut back on awarding new contracts. So, like many businesses, Tony has had to work really hard at identifying new potential clients. This has involved a lot of research and reaching out to potential businesses rather than rely upon connections within the industry, and so has spent time working on this.
Tony was recommended to the City Business Library (now called Small Business Research + Enterprise Centre) by a friend who had been using the service for a number of years, as he was looking to expand his prospecting into London, and subsequently become a member. He has found the resource very helpful and useful in identifying new potential prospects.
…and a few words of advice for those setting up in business…
Do as much research as you can into your chosen sector, paying particular attention to your marketing plans, i.e. where will you find your new customers after your friends and family have either bought or rejected your business offering? Have a plan, written down, refine it and use it as a working document. Don’t overextend your offering. Watch the numbers.
To find out more about Christian Doppler Consulting, have a look at Tony’s LinkedIn page.
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