Top 10 Sales & Marketing Questions

How do I research my business idea and market?

What is the difference between sales and marketing?

How much should I spend on marketing?

Be realistic. As a new business your best resources are time and imagination. Begin your marketing on a small scale, test and look for areas where you can have some quick wins. Be prepared to stop and try different approaches and see which ones give you the best results.

As a guide allocate 4% of your turnover to marketing activities but plan to spend the money throughout the year not all in month 1. Decide how you will measure the effectiveness of your marketing.

How can I be sure my marketing is working?

Develop a tracking system so that you can measure the results of your marketing and set a target for each activity so that you can measure response, etc.

For example, every time you do business or have contact with a customer, ask them how they heard of you. This will give you feedback as to what is working. Keep a record of the replies and use them to evaluate the marketing tools you are using.

I saw an excellent example of this recently at a farmers’ market where a flip chart easel was used to ask people to put stickers next to the way they had heard about the market. Simple and very effective.

Remember some activities will take longer than others to produce results.

What are features, benefits and USPs?

Features are what manufacturers design in their products. Benefits are what customers buy - people buy things for what they will do for them.

For example:
- Canon do not sell cameras; they sell memories and nostalgia
- Lawn fertiliser companies are selling greener lawns
- Insurance policies are there for peace of mind, to sort out problems if things go wrong or the worst happens.
- Accountants ensure you are not paying too much tax

So ask yourself “what’s in it for me?” to decide on the benefits.

The USP is the 'unique selling point'. This is the thing that makes you different from all your competition. Ask yourself the question “customers will buy from me because?”

This can be a useful exercise to ask your customers and staff. Once you know, it can be included in all your marketing literature.

What is a marketing plan and what should I include?

A marketing plan is your route planner to guide you to the results you want to achieve. It is an on-going process that will need adapting and modifying as your marketplace changes, the business environment changes and competition enters.

It should include information on the customers you want, the products and services you will offer together, with their unique selling points, and the activity you intend to use such as advertising, PR, brochures etc.

All of this should include timings and costings. The plan should also include details of how you will monitor and measure the effectiveness of your plan

Do I need a website?

Knowing why people would visit your website and what they would expect from it are the key factors. This will help you to decide on the content and whether or not you need a site.

A professionally designed website can help increase sales and increase awareness of your services, but you must give people a reason to visit it.

People visit websites for many reasons but they fall into these main categories:
- To buy online
- To make contact
- To look for information on the company and its products
- To find you

Most businesses will benefit in some way from having a website, but you should balance the price you pay against the benefits you are likely to receive.

How do I check if the website domain name I want is available?

The address of a website – e.g. gapmanagement.co.uk – is known as its domain name.  Most businesses will want a domain name that is concise, memorable and relevant to their business, products or services.

Each domain name can only be registered to one business, so you need to check if the one you want is currently available.  Its important to note that a domain name with no website attached isn’t necessarily available to own – some are registered, but never used.

Most web hosting companies or domain name sellers have tools on their websites that allow you to check domain name availability.  We can recommend QBic (www.qbic.co.uk), but any reputable hosting provider will be suitable.

You can normally check availability with no obligation to purchase and you can try as many different domains as you wish, so you can look for all variations on a theme and then decide which is the best.

Once you’ve found an available domain name, you can register it directly with the hosting provider or get your web developer to register it for you.  Always ensure that the domain is registered in your business name, not a third party’s – this avoids any ownership arguments if your relationship turns sour in the future.

Prices for domain names vary between different providers, but you shouldn’t need to pay more than around £20 to register a .com or.co.uk domain name

Advertising and PR. What is the difference?

Advertising is where you pay for a set amount of space in a newspaper or other publication. You decide what you are going to say in the advert and also when the advert will appear.

There are two main types, Classified and Display. Classifieds are usually grouped together under a variety of headings. Display adverts are dotted throughout the publication and will need more design work including headlines, text and artwork.

PR on the other hand is free but relies on the goodwill of the journalist and an interesting story. Although you may send in a story, it may not get used in the time frame you expect. It is worth contacting journalists to discuss your stories and to find out their interests.

PR by itself is not a selling message but can assist the overall selling message and is often used alongside advertising.

Where can I find out if there are any grants available to me?

Visit www.J4b.co.uk and www.dti.gov.uk. Both of these sites will help you to identify any grants available to you. Also check out your local Business Link.