Nicki Kinton, Confident Cashflow’s Story
Nicki Kinton set up Confident Cashflow in 2017 following a long career in finance. During her work in credit control she became more and more keen to give advice to firms she could see struggling to pay her employer. As one of the few people in the country with a First Class Honours Degree in Credit Management, Nicki now does exactly that, helping a wide range of clients with everything from writing terms and conditions to agreeing a strategy for offering credit. When Nicki met Julia, it meant an exciting coming of age for Confident Cashflow as Blake Consultants set to work creating a bespoke CRM and setting up Mailchimp for better automation across the business.
Business Boost / Business Builder / Business Mastery / Sales Pipeline Management / Productivity Boost / CRM for success
The Challenge
Confident Cashflow had seen steady growth since the business was formed but Nicki had realised that more business meant more admin tasks and, like many startups, she was operating using a combination of informal processes like flagged emails, hardwritten notes and any leads consigned to a pile of business cards in her top drawer. Lead times were a problem and conversion rates weren’t as high as Nicki would like. A more robust approach was needed, and quickly. Having investigated several CRM solutions online, Nicki found they didn’t quite do what she wanted.
The Approach
Blake Consultants and Confident Cashflow have taken a collaborative approach to determine the best solution for Nicki’s business. Julia’s experience in creating bespoke CRMs meant she knew just what questions to ask, eliciting the key activities that Nicki needed her CRM to perform. A new, bespoke CRM was created which achieved everything on Nicki’s list of requirements. To address the issue of conversions further, Julia also set up a fully integrated Mailchimp email system.
Nicki’s Story
”Like any business owner, I knew I needed to make improvements to my back office processes but finding the time to invest in this was proving really difficult” says Nicki. “Julia was able to take a more pragmatic view of my business, ask the right questions and so all the detailed clever stuff that I would have taken forever to work out.” Nicki goes on to explain that the implementation of Capsule has had immediate results in her business. “It’s worked” she says. “My follow ups are automated so I always remember to do them and conversions have increased because of this. One of my other requirements was to set up and start using an email list. Julia knew her way around GDPR to enable me to do this properly and Mailchimp has been fantastic. I’ve now sent out over a dozen newsletters and they’ve all been well received.”
“Capsule is fantastic for smaller businesses, where manpower is at a minimum” explains Julia. “In owner-managed businesses, automation is key to being able to grow and Capsule has enabled Nicki to focus on the delivery of her business with continual reminders about the administrative tasks that can so easily be forgotten. The really nice thing with Capsule is that business owners tend to see an immediate link between their actions and a result within the business. For example, by introducing a consistent follow-up process, Nicki has seen her conversions rise.”
Julia is very clearly passionate about making a difference to people and their businesses. She’s easy to work with, asks the right questions and doesn’t just churn out a generic solution. As a result, Capsule paid for itself in about 2 months.
Nicki Kinton
As well as being the perfect way to track and monitor workflows, Capsule introduces structure into a business and removes procrastination. Because it’s so visual, business owners can see the result of their action – or inaction – which incentivises them to work towards growth.
Julia Blake
How could Blake Consultants help you?
If you run a small to medium sized business and would like future growth and success, here’s how Blake Consultants can help:
1. Experiencing overwhelm? We will reduce your workload and increase your revenue by making you more efficient;
2. Experiencing high success? We’ll set up your business to enable you to cope with high levels of delivery and have time to plan and grow;
3. Reached a growth milestone? Our CRM solution will enable you to recruit and maintain consistency of approach;
4. Struggling to convert opportunities? We will help you find the time to nurture your business and segment your activities and messaging;
5. Forward thinker? As a very early start-up who recognises you need a business structure to grow in to, we should be your first stop.
If you’re a coach, consultant or other service-focused business owner, ambitious for growth, contact Julia on 01635 592020 or Julia.blake@blakeconsultants.co.uk for an initial free consultation.