Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in business development but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Fred Copestake, Founder of Brindis, located in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, UK.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
Brindis a specialist sales training consultancy dedicated to Collaborative Selling. By having direct interaction with stakeholders, we are better able to deliver the required outcomes more effectively. We are all about 'performance enhancement' for the people we work with, and all over the world, Brindis has worked with clients to improve the results of both individuals and teams. By identifying the things to change to achieve maximum impact, Brindis can help deliver the outcomes desired by salespeople, managers, and the organisation in general. Our work concentrates on championing 'Collaborative Selling,' which we deliver through the 12-week Accelerator programme and ongoing Academy.
Tell us about yourself
Over the last 22 years, I have traveled around the world 14 times, visited 36 countries, and worked with over 10,000 salespeople. This has been a privilege and a lot of fun. It has also allowed me to understand the challenges that salespeople face today and inspired my book 'Selling Through Partnering Skills' which looks at the evolving world of sales and sets out what people need to do to refine their approach. It explores how they can take it to the next level through understanding partnering intelligence (PQ) and using the innovative VALUE Framework. This launched in 2020 at the same time as the pandemic, and while this did not make the book any less relevant, indeed arguably more so, it was clear that salespeople would face other challenges due to the increased speed of change. So I quite quickly wrote my second book, 'Hybrid Selling,' to address how sales professionals need to keep in touch with the latest trends to stay relevant and further their careers. It does not just cover the clever use of tools and technology: it defines the way salespeople can adapt to a future that needs a multi-faceted approach to drive success. These ideas form the basis of my work now.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
Probably the longevity of the business. This has been down to hard work and being flexible. Generally, flexibility has been about being able to adapt to deliver projects in different countries. More recently, though, it has been about distilling the content of the books into a coherent and valuable offer. This has taken a huge amount of focus and a degree of risk in making the decision to stay post-pandemic with essentially a virtual model. I believe the acceptance of virtual working means we can offer a better training solution. We use 10 different elements to drive the results customers are looking for, from instructor-led training to a buyer enablement platform, a community, and a 'robot coach.' It is extremely satisfying to have been able to make these changes and restructure the business.
What's one of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner?
There is so much to think about. The value we offer is through keeping abreast of the latest changes in selling; This is a task in itself. But with being the owner of the business comes all the other responsibility. Training sales and making sales are different modes. Marketing also seems to be in constant change, and I believe the owner must act as a figurehead Financial, legal, and all the other elements also need focus. One of the best decisions I made was to involve my wife as General Manager. Many people thought I was mad, but she is genuinely the best person to do this varied role as she is skilled in so many areas.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
I'm going to make a single recommendation - develop your partnering skills. Understand your PQ and use your partnering intelligence. And I'm not just talking about selling. I'm talking in general. If we think of these things as a means for better collaboration, then we can work on them so we can work together better. And that would be a great thing. I use them regularly because I'm talking about salespeople working better with a customer. And if they can do that better happy days. But it can go way beyond that. Organisations can use them internally, so their people collaborate better. People partner with their colleagues on projects and initiatives. Imagine if we can generate this mindset so that we come together more effectively, and as a result, we can achieve so much more. That could really make a difference. That is the recommendation I would make - get people thinking more about partnering and deliberately using partnering skills to work together better. Collaboration rocks!
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://www.collaborativeselling.co.uk/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FredCopestakeAuthor
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fredcopestake/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/fredcopestake
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/fredcopestake/
If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.
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