Latest Guides & Tips
Your company in 30 seconds
‘What do you do?’ is a question that can put even the most seasoned business brain under pressure. Craig Fisher, founder of business consultancy The Sales Expert, explains how to put together a concise and compelling elevator pitch.
Naming your price
Setting the right price is crucial, but using it to win business often demands a subtle touch. Three company directors tell SmallBusiness.co.uk how they use pricing in sales negotiations
How to make more sales
SmallBusiness.co.uk spoke to Grant Leboff, self-titled ‘most pessimistic salesperson in Britain’ and author of Sales Therapy: Effective Selling for the Small Business Owner, for some tips on generating sales.
A guide to pricing
Pricing your goods or services can be the most complex part of the whole marketing process. What are you worth? What is your product or service worth? How do you justify your rates or prices? There is a lot to think about.
How to ask for business
Many of us are nervous about asking for business but the truth is that if we don’t ask then it will go to someone else. It’s often the reputation that pushy sales people have that puts the whole process in a bad light. These tips from SmallBusiness.co.uk should help to point you in the right direction.
Increase your profits fast
Independent retailers are going through a bumpy time at the moment. Fortunately there are proven ways to increase profits which can be implemented quickly and easily. Using these tips can help.
Top 10 ecommerce tips
Online auction websites such as eBay and Amazon have spawned a generation of online entrepreneurs setting up their own ecommerce sites. These top ten tips may help you follow in their footsteps.
Tips from the top – finding your niche
SmallBusiness.co.uk caught up with Tim Slatter, co-founder of speciality cake-maker www.thecakestore.co.uk, a company that took on the larger stores and, in the face of strong competition, has now achieved sales of around £1.5 million.
Top retail tips
Securing shelf space for your products in the fast moving consumer goods world is tough. A handful of big names control the majority of the market and margins can be slim. Read our top tips for getting your product on the shelves.
Guide to effective selling
Many people regard salespeople as liars, cheats and commercial vultures. Some salespeople may be like this; while others can be more successful by being honest and responsible. Either way, you will have to become a salesperson if your business is to survive.
There’s life in a cold call yet
In the business-to-business world, a well-executed cold or unsolicited call could be a fast and cost effective route to new business. Yet most people never learn to conduct them properly and many alienate callers with clichés and impersonal techniques.
Essential guide to presentations
Just thinking about giving a presentation can make you feel nervous but for a small business owner, presentations are an excellent marketing tool that tell potential customers what you do and why they should use your business. Here are some tips from SmallBusiness.co.uk and procedure and training specialist Sarah Dobson to help you prepare.
Get your customers to buy more
Sales form the backbone of any business, whether you provide a service or sell products in a retail outlet, you can’t survive without customers. Enticing those customers in can be a challenge. SmallBuiness.co.uk and Kathryn Lennon, managing director of Tangerine Trees Business Consultancy have these marketing tips to help you boost sales.
Sales & Marketing tips
Building a reputation for your business can be difficult and time consuming; smallbusiness.co.uk's Top Ten Sales & Marketing Tips give advice on getting the message across and building a customer base, among other issues.
