Category: Uncategorized

                     

Understanding the Value of First Impressions

Research shows it takes under 7 seconds for someone to form an opinion about you. From job interviews to first dates, first impressions have the power to change the course of someone’s life. While physical attributes, like a good smile and a nice outfit, are crucial to first impressions, the concept can also be applied to cold calling. Here are some of the key psychological triggers you can use to nail any first impression.

Firstly, pay attention to the tone and energy in your voice. Studies show that people are more likely to pay attention to how you say things, rather than what you say. It is important to maintain a calm, confident, and warm tone when conducting a cold call. This will allow the other person to trust what you have to say, creating more of a conversation and not a sales pitch. Do not be afraid to smile while you speak. While it is considered cliché, smiling while you talk physically changes the tone of your voice, making you sound happy and credible. Also, try not to read off a script. Instead, focus on the pace and tone of voice. This allows them to connect with you and adds an extra layer of trust.

Secondly, be respectfully direct. Like money, time is a valuable resource, meaning people hate it when they feel like their time is being wasted. To avoid this, be upfront about who you are, why you are calling, and the value you bring to them. Do not make them feel like they are wasting resources by being on the phone with you. 

Next, establish social proof early on in your call. The idea of social proof is an extremely powerful psychological shortcut. If they hear that you work with people they recognise or trust, it lowers their guard. Being able to name-drop, while weaving in impressive statistics, establishes credibility and builds a sense of trust.

Lastly, make it about them and not about you. The biggest mistake is making the intro about your product instead of their reality. Understanding your audience and taking the time to do some quick research can set you apart from the dozens of spam callers who telemarket to them daily. Good cold openers and lead generators pivot quickly to something they care about. For example, adding “I noticed you recently expanded your team…” or “I saw your company is investing in…” shows them you are paying attention and are serious about what your product can do. This shifts the brain from ‘I’m being sold to’ to ‘This might be about me’.

A great first impression is not about magic; it is mindful psychology in action. Being able to master your tone in those first 7 seconds, while incorporating relevance, social proof, and respect, will enable you to move past reflex objections and into a meaningful conversation.

 

Hacking Our Human Nature

Successful cold calls do not solely come from successful scripts. It starts with understanding the why behind how people react when they receive an unwarranted phone call. Unfortunately, it is in our human nature to avoid answering cold calls because it puts our brains into ‘defence mode’. However, there are ways to work around this hard-wired behaviour. 

Most of us avoid picking up calls from unknown numbers because our brains are working 24/7. Since we are constantly in a state of cognitive overload from all of the thousands of micro-decisions we make every day, the brain naturally filters out the things it deems unnecessary. For example, you probably do not remember the colour of the car in front of you on the way to work this morning, or the hairstyle of the person sitting next to you on the train. This is because that is not information that is vital to remember. Unsolicited sales calls fall into that category as well. Your job is to make sure that your pitch is relevant enough to break through that mental barrier. In the end, if you sound generic, you will not be remembered as relevant.

The human stress response is another crucial aspect to consider when making cold calls. When we experience unexpected interruptions, it can trigger our basic fight-or-flight responses, causing people to sound annoyed or short on the other end of the line. On top of their limited attention and energy, their brain literally perceives you as a threat for interrupting their day-to-day routines. To bypass this natural response, you must make it known that you are not a threat quickly. It is important to sound respectful, calm, and primarily focused on them, not on making a sale. 

Stranger danger. We all know this phrase; however, this runs deeper than just your parents telling you “not to take candy from strangers”. As humans, our brains are hardwired to trust familiar people over people we do not know. This is known as the “mere-exposure effect”; the more familiar something seems, the safer it feels. When it comes to cold calling, you are starting at ground zero, with no pre-established trust whatsoever. If you do not work to combat this as soon as the call starts, their human instincts to dismiss you begin to take hold. To get around this defence mechanism, it is important to establish social proof or weave in any relatable context you have early on in the call. Mention a shared connection at their company or any relevant industry trends. This creates a sense of familiarity, in turn lowering their guard. 

As humans, it is our instinct to filter things out, and the same applies to potential prospects. Your role as a cold caller is to make them feel heard, safe, and respected enough to consider a call they did not plan to have. By utilising the power of basic human psychology, you will be able to start shifting your cold calls from intrusive to inviting. 

 

The Real Reason People Say “No”

No matter how prepared you are when taking on a cold call, rejection is inevitable and will eventually happen to you. Being prepared for that and understanding the psychology behind rejection can turn a cold lead into a meeting. 

Firstly, it is important to understand that an objection is not about you, and it is typically a defence mechanism. For one, they may be in fear of wasting time, money, or making a bad decision, making it likely for a potential lead to overemphasise potential losses and downplay potential gains. Harnessing the power of FOMO can be very powerful in this situation. For example, you could say, “We’ve got some specific insights we want to share with you.” 

Another psychological factor is reflex rejection. Just like a knee-jerk reaction, we as humans tend to decline offers before our brains have processed what we are being offered. In this situation, it is important to refrain from arguing with the person. Instead, interrupt their pattern of thinking by re-engaging them with a question. A simple, respectful question powers on their thinking brain rather than that automatic refusal part. 

Lastly, rejection may be a reflex to maintain their ego. If someone feels unreprepared or uninformed, they do not like it. In this situation, it is important to speak on their level, by using their language and asking them questions to make them feel like the expert. You could throw in a few questions like “What’s been working well for you so far?”. Instead of taking that overly salesy approach, it is important to feed into their ego instead of threatening it. 

The real secret is to think like the prospect. They are not rejecting you; they are protecting themselves. Being able to show that you respect them will set you apart from the hundreds of cold calls they get a day.

 

Managing your Mindset in a Cold Call

While understanding the psychology of your lead is important, it is also imperative that you study yourself as well to maintain your confidence and energy. 

One of the biggest mental traps is taking a “no” personally. As mentioned before, rejection is not about you; it is about their timing or state of mind. In these situations, treat each call as an experiment. Did you learn something about that type of prospect? Did you spot a pattern? This mindset shift can turn rejection into useful feedback instead of a confidence blow. 

Secondly, cold calling should not be turned into a numbers game. When you are constantly fixated on closing deals and meeting your pre-set quota, it can be easy to feel deflated. Instead, focus on goals that you can control. For example, focus on the number of dials you made, the number of quality conversations you achieved, or the information you have gathered throughout the day. Celebrating the micro-wins instead of putting all your emphasis on the huge achievements can help you to reframe your mindset to a more positive outlook, instead of beating yourself up over things you cannot control. 

Next, it is important that you are able to manage your fight or flight responses. When your brain feels threatened by rejection, it is in our human instinct to respond with fight or flight. You may feel like you start to talk too fast and ramble on, or you might feel like all of your cognitive functions completely shut down. To combat this, it is important to calm down your nervous system. Try to remember to take a deep breath before each call in order to calm down your physical systems. Smiling is also a useful tactic to remember, as this physically relaxes you and makes your voice warmer. Another tactic is standing up or walking while you talk. Incorporating movement can naturally lower your stress levels, making it easier to land those meetings.

Lastly, start to incorporate pre-call anchoring rituals into your daily routine to subconsciously trick your mind into performing with confidence every time you pick up the phone. In sports, the highest performing athletes create routines that help to trigger confidence and success. There are a lot of ways to start implementing this. For example, take 30 seconds to visualise a successful call before you pick up the phone.

Tools like this eventually start to condition your brain to associate the start of a cold call with positive energy instead of dread. In the end, your mindset is just as important as your script. By understanding your own psychological triggers and building habits to manage them, you start to make your calls less stressful and more productive.

 

Ultimately, cold calling is not just about the words you use or the script you have formulated. It is about understanding the psychology behind the way people think and react in order to protect themselves. It is also about mastering your own psyche. By shifting your mindset, you can start turning your objections into opportunities. Cold calling is an art that takes repetition and reflection, and the more you start to understand the psychology behind it all, the more likely you are to turn a cold lead into a real relationship.

Here are just 3 of the signs that your lead generation strategy might need a refresh to ensure you’re optimising your leads in the best way possible:

1. Your B2B leads aren’t converting 

Even if you’re bringing in a steady stream of leads, it can cause a deeper issue if these leads aren’t converting into opportunities or business. This is also a sign that you could be targeting the wrong audience or conveying an inaccurate message to prospects who aren’t interested in your business. It’s important to know who your target audience is and create a strategy that would accurately apply to problems they may be facing. As a lead generation agency, we value and take time to understand our clients’ USP, differentiators and offerings to ensure that we create chances in our outreach to properly display the solutions they can offer to match different prospects’ needs. 

2. You aren’t using data effectively 

Data is an extremely important part of lead generation and business development. It can be used to guide strategic decisions and ensure that you’re making smart choices for successful improvements in areas of the business that may be lacking. Data can also be used to understand what is working best for your business as well as what could be improved further. 

For example, setting clear KPI’s in place allows members of the business to track their progress towards both individual and company goals which underpins how well various individual strategies may be performing, even if they are successful or not. Furthermore, the insights gained from these KPI’s can be used to monitor and anticipate upcoming trends and the performance of how different resources in the business are being used. As well as this, internal KPI’s can also be used to communicate success to the wider business, which allows every employee to understand what’s working and what isn’t, encouraging improvement in a data-backed way that lets you see progress efficiently.

3. You’re reusing the same leads

If you find yourself reusing the same leads from the same sources without any success, this could be another sign that your lead generation needs a refresh. Lead sources grow stale over time, and if you’re not utilising the right strategy and staying on top of emerging trends, it could cause your business to fall into a rut. This also relates to the use of cold leads who may have lost interest, moved to different job titles, or weren’t the right fit for your business in the first place. Continuing to push for the same leads every time slows down your lead generation and risks the quality of your content as well as losing out on bringing in more high-quality prospects. 

 

If any of these signs sound familiar, it may be time to step back and refresh your B2B lead generation strategy. A successful approach focuses on not just quantity but quality and relevance. By targeting the right audience, using data effectively, and refreshing your lead sources, you can drive real growth in your business. Investing in a smarter, more strategic lead generation process that reflects the needs of your prospects will always pay off.

 

Written by,

Shees Dawood | She/ Her

Team Assistant

Carbon Global

For instance, I recently spoke at Streamtime’s event about the wellness structure Carbon Global has put in place. It had the rather snappy title: How Can Ensemble Thinking Guide Leadership in Designing and Implementing Wellness Structures? I told you it was snappy.

What do I mean by coming out of the shadows? Over time, we’ve gained deep insights from making 400 calls a day. With that experience, we should also have our say in the ongoing LinkedIn debate. There are plenty of people selling courses, books, and ideas about what works and what doesn’t. I fully agree that we need to move with the times, but I strongly disagree with the notion that the methods we’ve refined over the past decade are now obsolete.

Ensemble thinking in Lead Generation can promote the sharing of ideas, whilst multidimensional innovation, the idea that we have employees with very different backgrounds and experiences. This doesn’t just create better results because of the sharing of ideas between each other. It also helps strengthen the connection between us and therefore improves different, more holistic aspects of business, whether that’s allyship, trust, contentment levels, productivity, desire to improve etc.

In business, especially in lead generation, careful handling is crucial. The human aspect of developing business can’t be replicated, as we say time and time again, people buy from people. Quite simply, AI isn’t up to the task yet. I don’t know about you, but I can sniff an AI-generated LinkedIn introduction from a mile away. And what does that do to your brand reputation? It crumples it up and throws it in the bin. Sure, you might land a couple of meetings from 1,000 automated emails or bot-driven LinkedIn messages, but what about the 998 other people who now associate your brand with automations?

For us, it’s about helping agencies—whether they need our services or not—by offering them a 101 into our philosophy. I was always taught that when people have a problem and you have a solution, it may not be their solution, but it is at least an option. That’s what social media, especially LinkedIn in a professional capacity, should be about: sharing knowledge for the benefit of others. Because let’s be honest—this is how you build relationships, gain friendships, establish credibility, and ultimately, how you sell. Give, and you will receive in return.

Okay, cards on the table, I’ll tell you why there’s another reason I want us to step out of the shadows. I am fed up with the disinformation in the growing belief that phone-based lead generation is obsolete. I’d love them to take a look at our stats for the week.

For now, I want people to enjoy, think about and absorb our content, and if it helps people along the way, brings us some extra clients and supports healthy outlooks on business, then I’m all for some vitamin D.

 

Written by,

Henry Regan | He/ Him

Managing Partner

Carbon Global

Operations and Admin are valuable and key branches of a business that extend support across the entirety of a company. These departments handle tasks that are essential to growing the business sustainably while making sure that every process is running smoothly and every employee is able to focus on their specialised area.

Here are 3 different aspects of Operations and Admin and how they contribute to business development:

1. Goals and objectives 

Setting clear objectives and goals for employees to strive towards contributes to a cohesive working environment and improves performance. 

One of the key attributes of the operations team is their ability to assist in developing strategy plans and to set KPIs which are a crucial part of running a business and driving growth. 

They also utilise their admin skills in data entry to communicate and make sure relevant information is up-to-date, which helps create a streamlined relationship between operations and admin to identify growth opportunities within the business. Along the same lines, operations also automate different processes, such as data transfer, to help further the goal of Account Managers, to become more efficient and minimise errors. 

Aligning the goals of individuals with the business goals of the company further emphasises the purpose of what the company is achieving. Carbon Global prides itself on its strong sense of purpose; we believe in the service we’re providing to our clients and we utilise our operations and admin branches to ensure the smooth running of business.

 

2. Networking 

Networking encompasses a variety of things, including Lead Generation. Being able to make use of LinkedIn and other sources to generate leads and begin the process of facilitating collaboration is especially important to a Lead Generation and Business Development agency like Carbon Global. Admin teams are able to stay informed about developments in different industries and share information with others in the business regarding job titles and emerging trends.

Operations keep communication flowing between clients and employees, ensuring everyone is on the same page as well as being the centre of any concerns and new ideas. The operations team participate in inter-department and client meetings to continuously improve processes and therefore support better decision-making. 

 

3. Organisation 

Organisation is the centre-piece to keep things up-to-date and flowing efficiently. Admin and operations utilise the skill of prioritisation to keep processes running smoothly and efficiently. 

While admin includes tasks such as inbox management and sending invites and emails, operations has a wider responsibility that includes aspects such as strategy planning and decision-making within both Lead Generation and Business Development.

Updating processes that are out of date, by ensuring that employees stay focused without having to sort through unnecessary details, and allocating resources effectively are aspects  that fall within operations and admin and are crucial to improving Business Development. Furthermore, the effective running of the business through operations and admin reduces the stress levels of the workplace, minimising overwhelming feelings and ensuring tasks remain manageable. 

At Carbon Global, we are continuously internally auditing our systems and processes to ensure the smooth running of the business. Innovation and feedback from our clients are key in making sure our services fit their needs and, in turn, support their continued choice to work with us.

 

Written by,

Shees Dawood | She/ Her

Team Assistant

Carbon Global

Neurodiversity is a word that describes the unique way that people’s brains work. Christmas is a Christian festival commemorating the birth of Jesus, usually with lots of tinsel and a lot of mince pies. However, although Christmas is widely celebrated, and while each family may have their own traditions, it can be a time of great stress and struggle.

Sensory Overload

“A sensory overload usually occurs when the brain is unable to process all of the information being received by the five senses.” An overload can be caused by many different things, including loud sounds, strong smells, big crowds, physical discomfort and bright lights, all of which can happen/ are present during Christmas. 

It’s important to remember that everyone celebrates Christmas differently, and there is no shame in having a toned-down celebration with fewer decorations or even none. Designing it to suit individual needs and not conforming to traditional practices can help the holiday stay enjoyable while being stress-free. Maybe a Christmas spent without inviting all the extended family might be less anxiety-inducing, forgoing traditions further, enjoying the time with a good book cosied up and practising self-care is also a valid way to celebrate. 

Along the same lines, thinking of your loved ones who might also be having the same stressful experience, extending a ‘get out of jail free card’ by starting celebrations early rather than into the night with small children is another method to consider. By doing this, you’re able to take away the stress of Christmas Day itself and make it a little bit easier to manage. 

Socialising and Managing Expectations

From office parties to family gatherings, our social batteries can take an incredible toll during the Christmas period. During this time, it’s especially important to remember to do self-check-ins. Asking yourself if you’re going too fast or if it’s time for a break can be a really good way of regulating your social battery and preventing it from depleting before you find yourself struggling to catch up with everyone else in the room. It’s equally as important to ensure that we’re not comparing ourselves to others in terms of socialising; you shouldn’t feel bad for needing to take the backseat and let others lead the conversation.

Christmas is also a good time to practise managing the expectations of the people around you. This can include managing the expectations of your family, letting them know what and what not you’re comfortable with doing, as well as your coworkers with excusing yourself early from the office party or communicating your work-related needs. 

Ending Thoughts

However you choose to celebrate this festive season, prioritising yourself and ensuring that you’re not under any unnecessary stress is valid. And although it might garner some side eyes from others, as long as you’re enjoying yourself, why compare? Let comparison not be the thief of our joy but the reason we can come together to share our happiness in the way we celebrate during the holidays. Equally, keeping an eye out for others and checking in on them can also make a big difference during this time; helping to maintain a safe space allows everyone to feel comfortable expressing their needs, which contributes to keeping the happy Christmas spirit alive!

At Carbon Global, we understand the stress of the holidays and support a culture of encouragement and positivity. As a lead generation and business development agency, it’s part of our collective responsibility to understand the human experience and needs of others. Cold calling and lead generation during the holiday season is difficult; having to try to converse with someone while knowing that the conversation is probably the last thing they want before they’re off on annual leave can naturally create a struggle. As mental health is a vital part of our company values, we utilise this time to focus on business development, positively looking into next year so that we can all breathe a little easier when it comes around.

Written by,

Shees Dawood | She/ Her

Team Assistant

Carbon Global

How does someone who suffers from depression balance a work life that feels like it might only be weighing them down further? And what if the workplace is the reason why they’re suffering from this condition?

Depression is characterised by increased sadness, loss of interest in previously enjoyable hobbies, and poor concentration for long periods of time, to name a few symptoms. However, in the workplace, depression can show itself as a nastier creature that incites a person to feel less motivated or passionate even if they’re working the job of their dreams. So why would someone with this condition even work in the first place? The reality is that depression, like many illnesses, is an octopus that has its tentacles in all parts of a person’s life, including work. It’s an unavoidable feeling that reaches across one’s body and mind to often become the primary thing driving their thoughts and actions but, for most people, working is equally as unavoidable.

In the workplace, having a positive attitude, attention to detail, and multitasking are skills that are highly valued. For a person to be chosen for a job, they must display such skills through their interactions with their future employer and colleagues to make a good impression. Let’s suppose a person with depression has gotten the job they applied for and has now started to work. Their next responsibility is to keep the octopus’s tentacles as far out of their work life as they can. But when the symptoms start to show in their actions, and their work becomes disorganised, their disinterest becoming clearer in their day-to-day tasks, the decision to seek help could ward the octopus back to the ocean, where it really belongs. One of the other possible reasons for suffering in the workplace could be organisational toxicity, something that is out of a victim’s control.

Organisational toxicity stems from micromanagement and blame culture as well as other related unethical behaviour. It can cause a person to feel burdened and pressured unnecessarily, placing upon them an impossible expectation they may feel the need to meet. This type of toxicity is not uncommon in the workplace, and many people who are suffering from depression find themselves also suffering in their work, a place they might previously have thought of as being a safe space. The decision to leave here again or to seek help is daunting but ultimately necessary. Choosing not to suffer under unfair management is a brave choice more people should find easier to make. 

As a company, Carbon Global understands this and looks actively into better supporting its employees, anchoring itself as a fisherman’s boat to help guide its staff into understanding that asking for help isn’t taboo. Regular check-ins with employees, unlimited therapy, 1-1’s and company-wide discussions around mental health help provide a safe space at Carbon and allow us to establish ourselves proudly as a company that values its employees emotionally outside of the workplace as well. 

In conclusion, whether it takes years, a month, a day or a week to ward the octopus away and heal, it can be done. In my opinion, more people should feel secure in this fact, especially in the workplace, where sometimes balancing your mental health and working is just not plausible and therefore shouldn’t need to be. Depression is an octopus, but you can take the small steps to still work and have that safe space without feeling the need to compromise your mental health.

Written by,

Shees Dawood | She/ Her

Team Assistant

Carbon Global

Our (not-so-little) company is growing! 

In the last year, we have grown almost twice in size, and we have now finished recruiting a new Customer Success Manager who has joined the Carbon Global team. But recruitment is often daunting, even this time, we combed through 240 applications, all to find the best candidate for a single role at Carbon Global.

With one foot over the finish line, one of our Managing Partners, Henry Regan, discusses our recruitment process. 

What steps do you take to align the recruitment process with our company culture and values? This can be through the job description or during interviews.

I think it’s really important that if a company has a set of business values; you start there. 

For us, it’s important that we focus on the first pillar of our values, which is multi-dimensional innovation, the idea that different people from different walks of life and backgrounds come together to try and solve the same problem that instils, if you look down into our company, we have a culture that manifests itself into an ensemble. We have that. We are all moving together as one, but at the same time, individuals working together for the same goal. 

So when we look at who we’re trying to employ, we ensure to try to champion diversity. Now, diversity is put out there a lot by companies in terms of gender, ethnicity, and religion, but it doesn’t stop there. A person’s diverse background actually informs diverse thinking.

During this recruitment period, we tried to make our job description very clear. I think that’s important: we make sure the pay was on there, the benefits were on there, the synopsis of what the company does, as well as who we are and what our values are. We also aligned the KPIs for the job and tried to make it a little bit different. We put a twist on a regular CV, putting some funny things in there to highlight certain aspects. It was interesting to see the people who picked up on that because they tend to be the people we want to work with. That doesn’t mean they have to get our humour; it’s just picking up things that aren’t the ‘norm’ and highlighting them. That’s the personality we’re looking for, especially for this Client Success role, we wanted somebody who could pick up the things that a client may say offhand, and remember that.

More than anything, people had to align with our values. Following that, we looked at who they are and what they could bring to the organisation.

Can you describe our approach to diversity, equity and inclusion during the recruitment process?

I’m not sure many companies go far enough because equality is not enough, there has to be a sense of equity. A great example of this is our Business Development Manager role. This is not a sales role, but it can be seen in the job description as a sales role. Therefore, we get about 90% male applicants, and that’s hard because what we want to do is give the best candidate the job, and it’s very, very difficult to do that from a 90% to 10% split, for instance, in gender. 

We have to give some equity: we have to ensure that we are propping up the more disproportionate groups. Of course, no matter what, if they’re the right candidate, we put them through but sometimes it takes a lot of brainpower to go through 200 applicants, so trying to prioritise the disproportionate groups, by say looking through them first, can help. That doesn’t mean you don’t look at every single applicant, but I think it’s important that they start the list.

How do we ensure a positive candidate experience throughout the recruitment process?

First and foremost, as actors, we know what it’s like to not know what’s happening. We make sure everyone knows what is going on throughout the process: we give them clear guidelines on the day of their interview and when they’ll hear back either way. If they want feedback, they can absolutely request it. Typically, we give more and more feedback the further along the process they get. I think that’s incredibly important. Unfortunately, it’s impossible to do when you have 200 applicants, so the first cap tends to be “I’m sorry, you didn’t get the job this time; please look for more opportunities in the future.”

One thing that we do get praised for is our recruitment from a candidate perspective. I think people appreciate us being open and honest throughout the process. There has to be a good synergy and that has to work both ways. We want them to have a good experience because it could be the crucible moment for them to have a positive career with us. Everyone gets treated as a human: they spend a lot of time applying to us so we want to make sure that we give them the best possible opportunity to succeed during the interviews.

What would you like to see during future recruitment processes, either from our company or others?

I think it’d be nice for companies to represent themselves in the way they are rather than what they want to be. 

There’s no problem speaking about your vision during the process, but you have to be honest with who you are and what the role will entail. Some have boring elements that aren’t fulfilling, and that’s okay. There will always be a yin-yang. 

I think companies try to paint a beautiful picture of themselves when that might not be the case. From our point of view, we try as best to be as honest as we can. This isn’t the company for you if you want to make loads of money because corporations will always have that draw, but you don’t get treated as a person; you get treated as a number. Therefore, we get a lot of people who want a good work-life balance: and we still pay very well for the size we are.

We’re not a bell-ringing company that puts heavy loads on our colleagues’ shoulders. For every person that comes through the door that wants to understand who we are as a company, we try to be honest. I want to be more and more honest. I think that is something we do well.

As a growing company, our processes are something that we’re always working on. I think one thing that can definitely get better is our guidebook for recruitment, as our recruiting process is very good. It’s very tight; we know what we’re doing. But it takes a huge amount of work, so how do we make it less work for us?

Do we have any unique or ingenious aspects of our recruitment process that set us apart from other companies in the industry?

What we did this time, which was interesting, was we got all the CVs in and decided to get everyone to send a voice note. They also had the option to write their answers but unless there is a good reason, sometimes that is telling enough. It’s important that we hear them, their personality and their quirks; that’s super interesting for us as we work within a sphere that focuses a lot on psychology and rhetoric. We asked them ten questions, such as “would it be okay for you to come to the office twice a week in a hybrid work environment?”, “are you okay with the wage?”, but also, “why did you apply to Carbon Global?”. 

We had somebody who looked like a very good candidate, but they started talking about carbon offsetting: they hadn’t looked at our website. So, they applied for us, sent this voice note, and then hadn’t even looked at our website. We can use that to look at who wants the role and who doesn’t, who’s picking up on those tiny little things that we put in the job description, who’s really invested in us. I think that was a great thing that we did, and a lot of people said, “I’ve never had this before and it’s great.” 

What KPIs do you track to understand how effective our recruitment process is, for example, employee retention?

Since 2017, when we incorporated, we have been relatively reactive in the ways that we have run recruitment, especially within tracking operational recruitment. Recruiting is one thing that we’re very proud of: we have a great team but our process is still quite reactive. We’re in a three-month consolidation period as a company, where what we are doing is plateauing in terms of the number of clients rather than trying to grow. We try to make sure that we understand all of our clients and our client’s needs to make sure that everything is sailing as it should be before we start another growth period.

It also allows us to do whiteboard sessions with operations to understand where the cracks may be in our process map. One thing I identified is we don’t know much about our recruitment process past the point of giving somebody the job. We obviously care about our staff: we do three monthly reviews and monthly one-to-ones, and we understand who they are and what they’re doing. But we don’t understand the lifetime employment of each person, and how we can make sure that we, from a process point of view, number one, retain our staff and get the best candidates possible.

If you’re interested in working for us, please check our LinkedIn for vacancies.

 

Gee Stencel | They/Them

Strategic Operations Manager

Carbon Global

Artificial intelligence has made tremendous strides in recent years, with breakthroughs in machine learning and natural language processing. One of the most impressive examples is ChatGPT, a large language model developed by OpenAI. ChatGPT is a cutting-edge AI system designed to mimic human conversation, using its vast knowledge base to generate responses to user queries. With its ability to understand natural language, ChatGPT has the potential to revolutionize the way we communicate with machines and provide new insights into how humans process language. In this blog post, we’ll explore the ins and outs of ChatGPT, including its development, capabilities, and potential impact on our daily lives.

That was ChatGPT, one of the many AI systems taking the world by storm. A simple prompt can effortlessly generate essays, reports, and even blog posts within seconds. It’s hard not to be tempted. But with the rise of AI, should we encourage businesses to ditch their humanistic DNA to be heard by the masses?

Whatever your feelings on AI, it’s clear that it will play a massive role in our lives, personal and professional. However, it is up to business leaders to decide whether they use it for the greater good of their companies. As we step into this brave new world of artificial intelligence, it’s imperative that businesses, especially business leaders, approach AI with both caution and thoughtfulness, understanding its potential and implications. However, it would be naive to stay behind the curve of technological advancements, especially with business development. If you’re still hesitant, here are some ways leaders can use AI systems like ChatGPT to improve their business.

Crossing Language Barriers

The Internet has allowed companies to reach other businesses and customers in every corner of the globe. While this is incredibly valuable, the ultimate challenge is overcoming language barriers.

In the UK, only 6% of the population can speak a second language and on a global scale, just 43%.

Internationally expanding a business can be a perfect opportunity for growth, but this can be a challenge, as companies need to integrate into each country they operate in. Translators are hard to come by, and manually translating websites, brands, and other company materials can take time, effort and money, hindering a smooth and seamless integration. However, AI systems can quickly and accurately translate multiple documents within seconds, giving you time to keep up your Duolingo streak.

Content Creation

While some people may use these systems to take over content creation, AI can be a valuable source of inspiration for a business’ marketing and can even get the public to engage with your brand. Companies like Innocent Drinks recently published a Twitter marketing campaign asking the public to vote on their favourite advert, with one written by ChatGPT and the other by a human.

It’s important to remember that directly duplicating from ChatGPT can implicate your business. But it can be excellent for streamlining brainstorming sessions and creation processes. Equally, these systems can monitor the engagement your marketing campaigns receive and thus provide accurate reports on their overall success, ultimately assisting in improving future postings and ROI on paid promotions.

Of course, it may be easier to take a back step and let AI run your next marketing campaign, but unlike an actual human, AI cannot know your business inside and out.

Meeting Management

Systems like Otter.ai and ChatGPT can help streamline business meetings by summarising the discussion, making it easier for business leaders to share information with employees who couldn’t attend. Pre-meeting,  these systems can create specific agendas from a short prompt and can go so far as to identify action points post-discussions. Ultimately, it can optimise everyone’s time and productivity during important meetings. The pressure to quickly write everything down alleviates, allowing all attendees to focus on the speaker, so no more sore fingers.

Whilst we may be years away from ‘the singularity’, the point when AI-based technology becomes smarter than humans, it’s vital to recognise the impact these systems have. Artificial intelligence holds immense potential for business growth and innovation. By harnessing it as a strategic enabler, leaders have the ability to complement human capabilities with technology, helping to drive sustainable and successful business growth in an ever-evolving digital society.

Gee Stencel | They/Them

Strategic Operations Manager

Carbon Global

“Do you hate your job, and you’re thinking about quitting? Well, maybe try being lazy instead.”

– Byran Creeley

It all started with a YouTube Video and a TikTok trend in March 2022 by a man called Byran Creeley, a career coach based in the United States. One reshare after another, the term ‘quiet quitting’ became a sensation, even being featured in the Collins Dictionary’s top 10 words of the year for 2022. 

Since the term went viral, many have said goodbye to the hustle and hello to coasting culture. A phenomenon which has seen workers across the globe reassess how they find meaning and understand their worth in the workplace. 

So what is ‘quiet quitting’? 

In simple terms, it’s quitting your job without actually quitting your job: essentially putting a boundary in place to preserve both physical and emotional energy in the workplace that may have never existed. It has been coined as a passive-aggressive way of communicating workplace dissatisfaction. Quiet quitting can come in many forms: for some, it’s starting and finishing on time, not volunteering for extra work, or even becoming isolated from the team and working social events. But with more than 50% of employees in the United States quietly quitting, what once was a TikTok trend is now becoming a terrifying reality. But long before the term was coined people were quietly quitting. 

With COVID redefining where and how we work, even transparency on mental health, there is little room to question why quiet quitting has become so popular. There is less pressure on defining worth based on career success, which had previously resulted in frequent burnouts in the workplace. 

 For businesses, quiet quitting presents severe consequences, with the number of unengaged employees rising by 68%, resulting in low productivity and employee morale. Quiet quitting can also hugely impact the business’ profitability: employees who are more engaged with their work are 23% more likely to improve their business’ profitability comparable to those who aren’t. Quiet quitting is a pandemic within itself: it’s contagious. Once one employee begins, it spreads like wildfire amongst your team. After some time, it can lead to high employee turnover, which ultimately stunts your business’ growth.

Despite its controversy, quiet quitting provides business leaders with a unique opportunity for company growth. By listening to what your employees need, rather than ignoring the problem at hand, you’re increasing workplace transparency, which has been previously proven to increase employee morale and engagement. Asking for employee feedback on current processes and expectations highlights their value in the workplace, which can help tackle the need to quietly quit, you’re providing them with a safe space to voice their dissatisfaction. Your employees should understand that their legacy is valued in the company, especially when 65% of employees feel as though their work goes unrecognised. 

It’s also vital to prioritise the well-being of your employees since that is a key deciding factor in whether someone does or does not quietly quit. Weekly check-ins or coffee mornings can go a long way in improving employee well-being, and again, helps your workplace become more transparent. Even being flexible with working arrangements can be highly beneficial in tackling quiet quitting.

Quiet quitting is a huge learning curve for business leaders. But, by being transparent with employees, you are not helping them feel valued and improve their employee experience, you are also helping your business grow. 

Your employees will thank you, even if they do thank you quietly.

Gee Stencel | They/Them

Strategic Operations Manager

Carbon Global

Over the last few years, sales strategies have drastically changed. From cold calling to LinkedIn prospecting, there is a “no one size fits all” approach to marketing. 

But, 50% of business leaders consider lead generation a top priority for their marketing campaigns. 

Despite this, many seem hesitant to integrate lead generation into their business. For some, it’s simply a lack of knowledge; for others, it’s wanting to remain with tried and tested methods that have been working for years. However, there seems to be some discourse on the effectiveness of lead generation, with the term often shrouded by misconceptions.

As a result, lead generation is often misunderstood and utilised in the wrong way. Here are some popular myths surrounding lead generation:

Myth 1: All Leads are Good Leads

The quality of your leads can either make or break your business’ ROI.

Unfortunately, all leads may not necessarily be good leads. In the same breath, more prospects do not equal more revenue. Here, leads represent an opportunity but never a guarantee; it takes time to generate a winning lead. 

Equally, it’s not sustainable to have an over-saturated leads campaign. In fact, that can do more harm to your business than good. It’s important to differentiate between a lead that is relevant to your campaign, to the one that isn’t. Regardless of the approach, sales are only made with qualified leads. 

At the same time, it’s crucial to utilise leads your business already has rather than trying to obtain new ones, as your business may be losing out on a game-changing opportunity. As the saying goes: a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.

Myth 2: Lead Generation Companies Aren’t Worth It

The term “outsourced” seems to be enveloped in negativity, but that certainly is never the case. 

We may be biased, but lead generation companies are valuable assets with your prospecting campaigns. After all, they are the experts in generating the right leads that win work. 

Lead generation companies have the means and experience to develop precise targeting campaigns, saving time and allowing you the freedom to focus on other projects. They are masters of customisation, adapting your campaigns, and can dedicate enough time to calling, emailing, and Linkedin to the individual prospect. In fact, 44% of businesses struggle to find the time to follow up on leads, which is why outsourcing a lead generation company can be incredibly beneficial for your campaigns. 

Generally, in-house teams are used as a “one size fits all” for business and lead generation, whilst preparing and delivering pitches. Even if the pitches are good, they may not necessarily have the time to maximise the leads coming through. Using six people, for example, cutting between jobs is the most agile and efficient way of using time wisely as you can compartmentalise the attributes of each person to achieve a well-thought-out, repeatable and efficient process.

Whilst they incur a small cost, lead generation companies produce invaluable results.

Myth 3: Social Media is Not Effective

When used right, social media can be a powerful tool for lead generation. Many business leaders have avoided utilising social media as part of their prospecting campaigns, yet, 68% of businesses have said that social media has helped them to generate more leads.

With 4.76 billion people using social media, your sourcing pools are infinite, allowing you to pursue more opportunities. It’s no lie that social media has high rates of engagement, so dismissing its versatility and usefulness in lead generation would be essentially throwing away business opportunities. 

Myth 4: Cold Calling is Dead

Whilst marketing methods have evolved over the years, cold calling has remained a stable figure in prospect outreach. As previously mentioned, it’s the backbone of B2B and B2C sales.

With the rise of social media campaigns, it is easy to see why many would argue that cold calling is essentially “dead”. However, according to a survey by RAIN Group, cold calling is the second most popular way to contact potential leads following email outreach. Over the years, cold calling has evolved to be more personable and engaged with the prospect rather than reading the same lines from a script, and still are highly successful in finding those quality leads.

Lead generation is nothing to be cautious of with B2B marketing. In fact, it might even be the best fit for your company. Sometimes, taking a leap of faith into the unknown can help your business flourish. 

Gee Stencel | They/Them

Strategic Operations Manager

Carbon Global