Sales

No business can survive without selling. Our overview of planning your sales strategy and recruiting, training and managing sales staff.

How to work out whether telesales is right for your business, and make it work for you with effective planning and staff training.

Our overview of how to choose and use sales agents, wholesalers and other distributors to access new markets, and how to manage the relationship.

A good sales strategy will help you identify prospects, manage relationships and convert leads to sales. The basic things you need to know.

How to find new leads and convert them to sales - from making your initial list to qualifying leads, making your approach and managing contacts.

Our guide to basic techniques to help you make a success of selling, including solution selling, getting past gatekeepers and dealing with objections.

Sales people need hands-on support and guidance to help them succeed. Our overview of how to get the best out of your sales staff.

Our guide to planning, structuring and delivering a sales presentation to get across your key points in a persuasive way - and make the sale.

How to identify opportunities to tender, work out which ones are the most promising to pursue and write a winning tender document - the basics.

Customer data management and mobile tech are vital in today's sales landscape. Our guide to the basic tools available to improve sales success.

This checklist will help you to deliver a presentation, and includes advice on body language, covering the key points and dealing with questions.

Many people hate cold calling, but sometimes there is no alternative when you need to attract new customers. Expert Andy Preston provides advice.

The buying process is hindered by fears and doubts. It’s up to the salesperson to allay the buyer’s fears. Grant Leboff explains how you can do it.

Small firms need to concentrate on niches that are either too small and specialised for the big boys or too new for a large firm to catch on to.

What makes a great salesperson? One thing's for sure, it's not about having the gift of the gab. Two top sales gurus reveal the secret to selling.

If you need investment in your business, you will need to pitch your business. These tips can help you hone your pitch and convince investors you’re worth investing in.

Recruiting skilled and motivated salespeople is vital to help your business bring in new customers and grow. How to attract and keep the right people.

Making presentations: a step-by-step guide to preparing for and giving successful presentations that keep your audience engaged and get results.

There are so many ways to keep in touch with customers or approach new prospects. But a well-written sales letter still has the power to persuade.

Successful selling means showing customers how your product meets their needs. Highlight its benefits rather than just describing it.

Keeping sales flowing is a big challenge when people are spending less. Rather than chasing new customers, it can be economical to revisit old leads.

Networking can help you generate new sales leads, deepen connections with existing contacts and learn useful information about your markets.

Even if you're flat out, generating sales leads allows you to be choosy about which jobs you take on. Ben Dyer looks at how to increase your leads.

Sales expert Ian Cochrane explains how to recognise buying signals, overcome objections and close a deal when selling to customers face-to-face.

Businesses survive on their sales. So how do you motivate a sales team to ensure you maximise its potential and get the best results?

Sales promotion aims to provide a short-term boost to sales. While a price cut is one option, we look at alternatives that are more cost-effective.

Many businesses use telephone marketing to communicate with customers. Any firm that sells direct usually handles enquiries and orders over the phone.

From posture to hand gestures, your body language speaks volumes about you. Improve the impression you make and learn the body language of others.

Just because a rival has slashed their prices doesn’t mean that you should. They might not have the same reasons as you for considering a price cut.

If you can't afford to employ a dedicated sales person but want to target new markets, a commercial sales agent could offer the solution.

Having the right information about your customers can help to seal a deal. There are four key types of information that can help you make a sale.

Good networking generates sales leads and contacts who can help you develop your business. But how do you get your employees to network effectively?

Sales forecasting is essential for short and medium-term business planning. An accurate forecast can help you manage your cashflow.

Many firms have them, but few managers know what to do with them - the uninterested employees who contribute little or nothing to your business.

An agent will act on your behalf to negotiate sales of your products or services. They are often used when selling products in overseas markets.

Websites like Rated People, Checkatrade and My Builder put homeowners in touch with tradespeople. Ben Dyer investigates the power of referrals.

There’s nothing more powerful than a face-to-face meeting when trying to win a new customer. Sales expert Andy Preston reveals how to prepare.

There is almost always a better deal to be had, but how do you go about finding it? Bryan McCrae of Cognitive Sales Consulting offers advice.

When a customer wants to buy from you, make it easy for them to complete the purchase. But are things really that simple?

Podcast with Grant Leboff introducing techniques you can use to attract customers to your offer

There are no quick tricks when it comes to selling expensive products. But with the right marketing you could seriously improve your sales.

How Wilfred Emmanuel-Jones, managing director of The Black Farmer, pursuaded supermarket chains to stock his sausages and other products.

A guide to customer relationship management - CRM - and how can it help your small business

If you really want to be successful in developing your business-to-business operation, here are five smart things you should do now.

While many businesses put a lot of effort into trying to attract new customers, they risk missing the chance to sell more to existing customers.

In order to make sales, we have to understand our customers then ensure we target the relevant potential customers with the right sales messages.

Sales meetings demand many skills and being mindful of the basics can go a long way to ensuring a positive outcome. Read these top tips.

Cross-selling and upselling can make a huge difference to your sales figures. Find out how customer service plays a vital role in making more sales.

Reliable customers are the lifeblood of every business. However, it can be risky to rely on them - if their business flounders, so might yours.

The idea of networking fills many people with fear. But what are the skills you need to be a good networker and how can you improve your performance?

"It's not what you say, but how you say it." How often have you heard that phrase? It might be over-familiar but it's well-used because it's true.

Many firms don't know who their most profitable customers are or how to retain them. In difficult times, customer loyalty may be your greatest weapon.

The key to successful negotiation is to understand your customers. The more you know about them, the stronger your position will be. Read these FAQs.

Many firms have found agents to be a cost-effective way of accessing sales expertise, contacts and customers. But you need to choose the right one.

Andy Preston of sales performance training company Outstanding Results explains how training can help you improve the performance of your sales team.

Body language expert Robert Phipps explains how understanding non-verbal communication can help small firms to increase their sales.

Human beings have two major motivations; to gain reward and to avoid loss. There will be plenty of times where both motivations influence a decision.

Sales promotion is a method of increasing sales over the short term: usually a special offer which is available for a limited period only. 10 FAQs.

Benefits often prevent a salesperson from engaging with the real motivations of the buyer. In fact benefits are no more than an abstract idea.

Winning a contract to sell to a big company can be just what your business needs, but getting your foot in the door is hard. Here are some tips.

Presentations are crucial in business communication - from industry conferences to pitching to potential clients. Here are seven ways to get them right.

CRO (conversion rate optimisation) is a process of website testing and improvement to make it easier for customers to buy so you make more sales.

FAQs on all aspects of telemarketing for small businesses

Cold leads are difficult to convert into buyers. So how do you approach a cold lead to give yourself the best chance of making a sale?

The public sector spends billions of pounds directly on orders with SMEs. How can you improve your chances of getting a piece of the action?

Being sensitive to the body language of prospective customers is a useful skill for salespeople if they want to capitalise on selling opportunities.

It's not all cheap toys: merchandising can be a valuable means of connecting with customers, raising awareness of your brand and boosting sales.

How to write a quality statement when tendering for a contract that will demonstrate your skills, experience and expertise

The difference between winning and losing a contract could be down to the quality of your initial proposal: saying the right things in the right way.

We're not all natural-born salespeople, so we share some simple steps that can help you negotiate better sales.

Competing on price threatens your margins and your reputation. Ben Dyer explains why small business owners should avoid price-cutting.