Praetorian Outsource Marketing Pleased Business Confidence Increased

Praetorian Outsource Marketing was pleased to learn that business confidence in the West Midlands has steadily increased since the beginning of 2012.

As a direct sales and outsource marketing company Praetorian Outsource Marketing has been riding high this year. So they were delighted to learn that their business partners around the West Midlands are sharing the optimism that they feel. The report released by Lloyds TSB Commercial called Business in Britain, showed that business confidence around the country has improved since January 2012 and no more so than in the West Midlands.

The overall business confidence balance in the West Midlands is 20 which is a 12 point increase from January when it was down at 8. The managing director for Praetorian Outsource Marketing is unsurprised by the confidence. “You only have to look around Birmingham and see small and medium sized businesses managing to stave off the recession. Our own field of outsource sales and marketing has been booming as companies have been looking to cut their costs and outsource to a specialised sales team like us. It’s been a trying time but I think that the fact that so many have ridden out the problems is testament to the support, forwards planning and hard work of so many businesses in this region.”

Of course there is still more to be done, “There are still some worrying trends” he continued. “Companies are still keeping major investment on hold and the report suggests that the long-term effect of this is that we will lose out to global competitors.” Praetorian Outsource Marketing understands from the report that 46% of businesses state that their investment will stay the same, 21 % intend to increase and 16% feel that they will need to cut investment before the year end.

John Robson who is the director for Lloyds TSB Commercial in the Midlands and North is more positive about the findings. He said, “It is encouraging, after a tough first half, to see that SMEs are exhibiting a lift in confidence and that they expect to see improved sales and orders over the next six months. Businesses have proved resilient in a tough economic climate and this is exactly what is required to see the UK economy grow.”

With confidence on the increase Praetorian Outsource Marketing is certain that the West Midlands and Birmingham in particular will continue to be a hotspot of business development and primary and secondary homes for major companies from both the UK and abroad. Exciting times are ahead. 

Praetorian Outsource Marketing Pleased as UK Jobless Rate Falls

Praetorian Outsource Marketing was thrilled to learn that the UK jobless rate has fallen to a nine month low.

In the quarter through May the UK unemployment rate has fallen by 65,000 to 2.58 million according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS). Praetorian Outsource Marketing has been reporting on the wavering jobs market for some months and believe that while this is encouraging there are still some underlying problems.

The ONS figures show that that the number of people in employment is now 29.35 million, a rise of almost 181,000. Economists believe that the holding of the Olympic Games is currently providing a boost in employment but warn that this could be temporary and there could be relapses within a year. The north east of England still has the highest unemployment rates at 10.9%. Praetorian Outsource Marketing, a Birmingham-based outsource sales company, was pleased to see that the West Midlands was faring better even than London with figures at around 8.6%. The South West of England once again seems to be holding out against unemployment best with only 5.9% of people out of work.

Praetorian Outsource Marketing has been discussing the plight of graduates and young people in the job market for some time and were pleased to see that unemployment among 16-24 year olds fell by 10,000 to 1.02 million. The managing director of Praetorian Outsource Marketing said, “This is really very encouraging. We hope that as people graduate and look for jobs over the next quarter that this improvement can be sustained. There is still a lot more work to do but we’re pleased to see things moving in the right direction for young people.”

Also incredibly interesting to Praetorian Outsource Marketing were the figures that showed that the number of self-employed people had risen by 32,000 accounting for nearly half of the jobs created during the period. “We’ve often spoken about how people have been taking matters into their own hands and starting their own small businesses to fight back against unemployment. These figures are fantastic news, being self-employed is a great way to take control of your own career and is incredibly rewarding. We’re pleased to see people being so resourceful."

Employment Minister, Chris Graying feels that there is still work to do and that unemployment figures were “still much too high.” He did continue however, “But, I’m at least encouraged, in what are difficult times economically that we’re seeing improvements, across the board.” Praetorian Outsource Marketing hopes that this pragmatic approach will mean that the government and private sector continue to work hard to make long-lasting improvements to help people into work. A spokesperson for the company said, “Business in our sector is still booming as companies continue to outsource their sales to specialist teams like ours. This continues to be a very confident and fast-moving industry that we’re fortunate to play such a prominent role in.”

Praetorian Outsource Marketing Unsurprised at University Application Fall.

Praetorian Outsource Marketing has learnt that applications to universities have fallen by 7.7%.

Praetorian Outsource Marketing has frequently reported on the difficulties faced by graduates entering the job market. It now seems that going to university at all is becoming increasingly difficult as tuition fee rises have made going to university an unobtainable dream for some. The Universities and College Admissions Service (UCAS) says that the total number of applicants to all British universities has fallen by 7.7% with a 10% drop in the number of English applicants.

UCAS believe that about 15,000 English 18 year olds who might have previously applied for universities have not done so this year.  Universities hardest hit include Sheffield Hallam, Manchester Metropolitan and Leeds Metropolitan universities. The University of Derby saw applications figures fall by 25.4% and the University of Surrey say a fall of over 20%.

A representative from Praetorian Outsource Marketing said, “The government’s argument that anyone who wants to go to university will be still be able to is just not true. Yes of course people can access student loans that will cover their fees but this is just a quick fix. The reality is that most students will be left with at least £30,000 in debts from tuition alone and this figure is not something that young people want to be facing when they enter a tough job market.”

With graduates finding it harder and harder to find jobs when they do complete their degrees, many feel disillusioned. With experience now the biggest requirement for many employers many young people are wondering whether they would be better off entering the jobs market after school and getting the experience they need whilst they are earning as well.

Despite their disappointment in the figures Praetorian Outsource Marketing believe that some good may come out the fee rises. “There is a case to be argued that the fee-increases will put off people who are not entirely committed to going to university. The purpose of university is not simply to have a great time but to also gain academic, employment and social skills that will help you in later life. Unless people are 100% sure that a university pathway is right for them they should look at the wealth of other viable options available to them. Apprenticeships, internships and entry-level jobs are all fantastic ways to learn the skills to have a great career and people should give serious consideration as to whether university is worth the investment.”

Praetorian Outsource Marketing is a outsource sales and direct marketing company based in Birmingham and Southampton. They offer world-class, cost-effective sales solutions to companies in a wide-range of industries. To find out more please visit: http://www.praetorianmarketing.co.uk

Praetorian Outsource Marketing Learns Gadgets waste £1.3bn on Energy Bills

Praetorian Outsource Marketing learnt recently that Britain’s households waste £1.3bn simply by not turning off everyday gadgets.

Praetorian Outsource Marketing works with a number of clients who provide utility funded home insulation schemes. Consequently they’re all about helping their clients' customers to reduce their home energy bills. So when they learnt that such a huge sum was being wasted each year because people leave them on, they decided to spread the word!

Research from the Energy Saving Trust and two government departments has revealed that every year homeowners a wasting a combined £1.3bn of their hard-earned money by not fully turning off computers, televisions and other electronic devices. The study worked out that homes were spending between £50 and £86 a year on gadgets that are on standby. This is equivalent to 9%-16% of the average electricity bill.

A spokesperson from Praetorian Outsource Marketing said, “That is a huge figure, not just as a whole but as a percentage of people’s bills. Our clients provide solutions that help people to get their houses properly insulated which is the biggest cause of energy wastage in the home. What we hadn’t realised was that this is also a huge factor, and something so easy to rectify.”

What the research further showed was that single-person households were using as much, and in some cases more, energy to run appliances such as ovens and washing machines as the average family. It calculated that a washing machine and tumble dryer costs on average £80 of energy a year to run and £35 is spent on powering computers. Shockingly to the team at Praetorian Outsource Marketing if you own a home cinema style set-up you could be spending £300 a year to power it!

This research certainly throws preconceptions on their head. At Praetorian Outsource Marketing we can definitely understand that it would be frustrating to fully switch off the TV and computer throughout the day but it’s very easy to turn them off fully at night when they’re going to be on standby for 12 hours. If you’re not convinced why not do a test, suggests Praetorian Outsource Marketing? Take a meter reading at the beginning of the week and carry on as usual, take another meter reading at the end and then have a week where you make an effort to switch everything off. When you take the reading at the end of that week you’ll be able to see if your usage has gone down!

Praetorian Outsource Marketing is a national outsource marketing and sales company based in Birmingham with offices throughout the West Midlands and in Southampton. For more information please visit http://www.praetorianmarketing.co.uk