Services

Business Leaders are defined by the decisions they make. Decisions made in isolation are never as effective as those which are informed and reflective of an overarching strategic plan, one which sets the direction a business must follow. 

Strategic Planning, whether to achieve business- wide objectives, or specific to an operational area,  is key to the successful performance of any organisation. Strategic Solutions that are focused and measurable, with stakeholders who share the commitment and belief in objectives, when combined with appropriate implementation, are the very foundations of success. 

 If your business model is based upon submitting, and, subsequently winning, tenders responding to either private or public sector procurement, the margins between success and failure may be negligible, but the impact of winning or losing is profound. Consistently winning tenders is a puzzle few companies can say they have solved. Whilst there will be many variables that will determine the outcome of a tender process, the companies that succeed most often, are those that focus on the variables they can control. With more than 20 years experience bidding and winning private and public sector procurements, across multiple industries, geographies, and procurement platforms we know what it takes to put the right pieces in the right place to win and have the proven experience to assist your tendering operations.

  All organisations are 'living' entities that must adapt and evolve to their operational environments. Each entity is a sum of its parts, all of which must work in harmony and synchronisation with each other. If a fault develops with one, it impacts the others. Change it, and the dynamic of how it relates to the others also changes. Knowing what is working and what is not, and in turn, making informed decisions to your organisational structure or operational model can transform your business. We provide our clients with targeted advice and information enabling them to create flexibility and agility to respond to challenges and opportunities as they arise.

Revenue - Costs = Gross Profit.  Once expenses are deducted, what remains is net profit.  Simple to understand.  Difficult to achieve, even more so to not only sustain but increase.  88% of businesses in the UK operate on a profit margin of less than 10%.  Very few of these businesses can survive on less than 100% of revenue.   As businesses grow, so do their costs. Understanding the effectiveness and the efficiency of your resources is key to not only maximising profits but sustaining them. Not all revenue streams will be equally profitable, some bring a strategic benefit. However, some do neither. We help our clients to identify which revenue streams are which, advising on the appropriate resources to allocate for-profit and strategic gains.

 All businesses must grow to survive and succeed.  Whether this is through product and service innovation and diversification, or market and territory expansion, knowing how to do this effectively and efficiently, aligning all the necessary elements, can be daunting. Get it wrong and it can lead to a weakening of position in your current markets, increased costs with insufficient returns. But get it right, this growth increases opportunities to develop and invest in your business, creating a wider revenue platform, mitigating competitor risks, and market shocks. We have a proven track record in creating and implementing growth strategies, realising increased revenue for businesses both within existing domestic markets and international market entry, where results are reflected where it matters most, the balance sheet.

  Who is your targeted clientele? How well do you know them, and what they need? How well do they know you and what you can provide to them? How well do you, and your clients, know your competitors and what they can offer? Are your sales targets, conservative and underwhelming, ambitious and realistic, or aspirational and unachievable? Do you have a compelling, persuasive, and reasoned message why your target market should choose your products or services and not those of your competitor? How effective is your sales team in conveying this message? Are they reactive or proactive to capitalise on opportunities? When successful in winning business, do they know why? And when they are not? Is Customer Relationship Management embedded throughout your organisation or just the remit of a select few? Effective Sales & Marketing rises and falls on asking not only the right questions at the right time but repeatedly doing so. If you wonder why your competitors are more successful, it is because they do.

 As a result of the pandemic, many organisations have had to adapt to remote working practices. For some, this has been a challenge. For others, an opportunity. The fact is, remote working, full or hybrid, will continue for many organisations even after lockdown restrictions are lifted. This will only serve to magnify both the challenges and opportunities businesses have faced since early 2020. For business leaders, the challenge of managing a remote-based team can be significant, where tried and tested processes and procedures become less effective or even obsolete. For employees, creating work-life balance tests even the most proficient in self-management. Creating an effective, efficient, and robust operational model will be key to the success of a remote working environment. ATO has managed remote teams, and individuals, for more than 15 years. We know, through experience, what works and what does not and share this knowledge with our clients to enable them to create the most effective solution for their business needs.