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May 24, 2013 2:23 pm |
One of the best ways to market your business and raise awareness is to interact with your potential customer. It’s an age old saying, people buy from people, and it’s still just as true as ever, if you want to build up your contact and customer lists, the best thing you can do is get yourself to a networking event, or even better still, a business exhibition or trade show.
These events are put together so that a huge number of business owners and users are all put together under one roof, doing a lot of the hard work for you and thousands of potential customers are effectively placed right on your doorstep (or stand).
Choose carefully
There are loads to choose from but you need to ensure that the show you choose to present your business at is relevant to your product and, more importantly, that the people there are going to want to buy your product. You should spend time researching the credentials of the various shows, looking into the expected footfall and the kind of level of seniority, and decision making powers, that the visitors have.
Remember, the people who go to the shows and exhibition go with the intention to network and buy products, so as long as you’re selling something they want or need, your sales are guaranteed.
Be Prepared
It’s vital that you prepare your pitch. In the run up to the event, make sure you network your business as widely as possible, to raise awareness that you’ll be there and why people should come and find you. Once you’ve started to generate interest, make arrangements to meet up with contacts to promote your business further!
Decide what you’re going to take, if you have a stand, make sure you have branded banners and marketing material to be able to give out to make sure you’re remembered by the people you speak to once they’ve left your stand.
Network, network, network
During the event, make the most of every opportunity to interact with the people around you. There’s no point put all the effort in to go to the show, and then just sitting back and expecting everyone to come to you. The more people you speak to, the more likely you are to get sales on the day or a potential lead for future reference.
08Direct will be exhibiting at the Business Startup Show in London on 6th-7th June, make sure you come along see us at stand 788, we’d love to meet you!
May 17, 2013 9:53 am |
You may already be using an 0844 number for your business, but are you taking advantage of the benefits that this number can give?
By now you should be enjoying the increased number of enquiries and the nationwide image that an 0844 number provides. You should also be benefitting from a rebate from every minute of your calls BUT are you getting the best deal?
Our 0844 service lets our customers receive some of the best rebates throughout the UK, earning up to 4p per minute. No matter how many minutes you generate, this revenue stream will help to give your business an extra boost, something every business is looking for in this economic climate!
What’s more, you can rely 100% on our outpayments, so that you receive your call generated revenue always on time!
Not only will you receive the UK’s best rebate, your service will also be complemented by a free call management package, worth over £200. Your dedicated account manager will help you develop and tailor your call management system, so that every call you receive is handled professionally and efficiently.
Call us today on 0844 504 4000 to find out how you can port your number over to us and ensure you are receiving all of the benefits available from your 0844 number!
May 10, 2013 3:45 pm |
The UK’s small businesses have been given a boost in support after new research says investors could lose out if they ignore small companies.
In a report released by FundExpert, investors have been urged to turn to the small business sector as they could prove a beacon of hope for the future of the UK’s economy.
Brian Dennehy of FundExpert says that the UK’s SMEs ‘represent a rich vein of UK potential in this time of economic gloom.’
The report found that after a growth of 22.6 per cent, the smaller companies sector was the most profitable of the Investment Managers Association in 2012, showing promise on the horizon for the small business sector.
Mr Dennehy added: ‘While easy money was made in 2012, the key to investment returns in 2013 will be finding the exciting British businesses that are growing profits despite the economic backdrop, and identifying the funds that invest in them.’
The sector has been given a further boost by recent good news from the economic sector according to Mike Prentis of BlackRock Small Companies Trust, ‘In the past, UK smaller companies have tended to do well coming of recession and going into periods of growth.’
May 9, 2013 4:28 pm |
It has been predicted that mobile handsets are going to outnumber the amount of people in the world by next year.
In a report released by the International Telecoms Union, the agency has said that mobile subscriptions will pass the seven billion mark within the early part of 2014 to be on a par with the worlds 7.1 billion strong population.
Over half of current mobile subscriptions are in Asia but the Commonwealth of Independent States currently has the highest numbers of subscriptions per person at 1.7. Africa has the lowest amount of subscriptions with 63 per 100 people.
‘Every day we are moving closer to having almost as many mobile cellular subscriptions as people on earth,’ says Brahima Sanou, director of the ITU Telecommunication Development Bureau.
‘The mobile revolution is ‘m-powering’ people in developing countries by delivering ICT applications in education, health, government, banking, environment and business.’
The report also revealed that over 40% of the world’s population is online, with Europe having the highest online penetration at 75% of its population having online capabilities.
May 3, 2013 8:18 am |
Imagine the scenario: you call a potential customer, they answer, you start your pitch and once they realise it’s a sales call, they cut you off, dead.
When it comes to sales calls, it’s easy to get it wrong but reassuringly, it’s also very easy to get it right, as long as you follow the golden rules. As long as you plan what you’re going to say and how you’re going to say it you’re already starting off on the right foot. How you speak to the customer, how you react to their questions, your knowledge of the product, all of these things could be the difference between a sale or no sale.
‘As a company we make and receive a lot of sales calls every day. The ones we receive are often executed badly and it’s rare that we stay connected to the call for the full duration, especially at busy times. From this experience we know the importance of ensuring every call we make is interesting and engages the customer and we’re proud of the feedback received from customers about our sales team,’ says Adam Brett, 08 Direct’s Senior Account Manager.
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May 1, 2013 4:29 pm |
NHS England has vowed to tackle the controversial use of 0844 numbers for GP surgeries following repeated calls for the use to be stopped.
Rules were introduced in 2011 which stated that calls to GP surgeries must not exceed the cost of local calls, but it has been confirmed that a number of practices around the UK are still using expensive 0844 numbers.
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May 1, 2013 11:51 am |
In today’s day and age, a lot of UK SMEs are finding it difficult to be able to fund marketing and advertising campaigns so need to find new, cheap and standout ways to raise brand awareness. One way to do this is by creating a charity affiliation, sponsoring a charity of your choice and, as a result, raising your business profile.
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April 26, 2013 3:53 pm |
A lack of managerial support has been credited as the main contributor to employee’s losing interest at work, it has been revealed today.
In a poll taken by Webrecruit, it has been shown that up to 30% of the people surveyed attributed their lack of motivation at work to a lack of support from their bosses, which was then supported by 28% of respondents said that their job satisfaction level affect their productiveness at work.
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April 19, 2013 3:30 pm |
Over 25,000 young disabled people are benefitting from Government schemes to get them into work, according to figures released today.
As part of the Government’s Get Britain Working initiative, which is made up for a number of schemes, disabled youngsters have been helped to gain skills, find employment and start up their own businesses.
The initiative was introduced in 2011 to try and close the gap between the number of disabled and non-disabled people in employment. The number of disabled people has increased from 44 per cent in 2011 to almost 50 per cent in 2012.
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April 16, 2013 8:13 am |
Telecoms regulator Ofcom has confirmed that they plan to change the way some non-geographic numbers are charged, making it clearer for consumers to understand call charging rates.
As it stands, the current charging system can be unclear for consumers to know how much it would cost to call various non-geo number ranges, so these changes aim to ‘tackle consumer confusion’.
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