Yvonne Hemmings – the ‘Automation Queen’!

She’s the co-owner of Automation Made Simple and an Automation Consultant, and today we chat with Yvonne Hemmings, the ‘Automation Queen’. Yvonne works with service and product-based business owners online or offline to streamline and simplify their business with automation, saving time so they can work on increasing their earning potential.  They transform businesses so they are guaranteed to save time and increase productivity.  They also see immediate results in the amount of time saved which correlates with the amount of money saved too.  Yvonne is passionate about automation and she knows her stuff – she knows what will work best for each business all while ensuring the personal touch is never lost.

Q1.  Did you always want to become a consultant or did you fall into the role?

No I definitely fell into the role.  I’d previously worked as a personal assistant before moving into operations and Health & Safety.  It was in the operations role that I first got involved with automation on an industrial level and I worked with my now business partner on two large-scale automation projects which saved the business we worked for thousands of pounds.  When we set up Automation Made Simple we looked to work to our strengths.  My strength is consulting and marketing and my business partner works on the technical side of the business which we find works really well for us.

Q2.  What makes a good consultant?
You definitely need to be a good listener.  If you don’t listen to the needs of potential and current clients you are not going to be able to recommend the best service to them.  You need excellent communication skills and the ability to gain trust with the people you are potentially going to work with is so important.

Q3.  Do you feel you manage yourself well or is it a case of ‘the cobbler’s shoes’?
I manage myself very well.  I’m also a qualified life coach so the skills I have gained from learning this skill, in particular listening and questioning skills enable me to find out exactly what a client is looking for so I can provide the best possible service for them.

Q4.  Are there enough hours in your day?
There are definitely enough hours in the day.  I think if I said there wasn’t we wouldn’t be very good automation consultants and integration specialists.  If we find ourselves doing repetitive time-consuming tasks and they don’t need that all-important personal touch we automate the process so we save ourselves time.

Q5.  If you could magically stop your clients from making one mistake – what would that be?

The biggest mistake business owners make is wanting to automate everything at once.  We advise new and existing clients to start small with a process or task with will give a big win in terms of saving time straight away.  By starting small we can then gradually increase the automation as we look at their processes which allows us to streamline and remove bottlenecks so our clients end up with a simplified automated system that not only saves them time but helps them to increase earning potential.

Q6.  What do you find is the best way to market yourself?
We market ourselves through regular networking which leads to 1-2-1 meetings, posting, and engaging daily on Linkedin and past client referrals. 

Q7.  What do you do to unwind?
I love being outside so when restrictions allow you can often find me walking in the Peak District which feels like a second home to me. 

Q8.  What advice would you give a starting consultant?
Know your product or service well.  You should become known as the expert for the service/product you are offering.  I did this by posting and commenting daily on Linkedin, offering to carry out guest expert session in various Facebook groups so I could talk about advantages of automation and why every business owner needs automation in their life.  Be confident and network regularly.

Q9.  What’s your guilty pleasure?
I’m not sure I even have one but if I was pushed I would say binge-watching a series that’s grabbed my attention in one day or afternoon, just because I can. 

Q10.  What’s your goal for next year?
As a business our goal is to help more business owners to understand the benefits of automation, that’s it’s not too expensive, that they won’t lose the personal touch if it’s done right and that it’s for any size business from a one-man band to a corporation.  And of course increase our turnover.