One of the basic needs of a business is to market and sell its product or service. Long-term business success is based on the ability to build a growing body of satisfied customers. We give you a general introduction to marketing and selling in your business.

Understanding your customers

• Using input from customers to meet their needs and wants better
  Business is about selling. It is important to understand what your customers' needs are in order to be successful.
  
  
• How to find the customers, products and services that make you the most money – Part one
  This guide will help you identify your profitable customers and encourage them to buy more of your profitable products and services.
  
  
• How to find the customers, products and services that make you the most money – Part two
  Knowing your customers’ average lifetime value will help you decide how much you can afford to spend on marketing.

Setting the right price

• Understanding the benefits and effects of price changes
  Setting your prices low may lead to high sales volumes but you make more money by selling less at a higher price.
  
  
• Pricing your product or service
  One of the most important roles in a business is pricing products and services.
  
  
• Increasing profits – should I go for increased sales or higher prices?
  It is an age-old business dilemma: would I make more profit if I lowered my prices to sell more, or should I actually increase prices, accepting that I might sell slightly less?

Promoting your business

• How to get free media coverage to boost your business
  With clever use of some simple but effective public relations exercises, even small businesses can harness the power of publicity to boost sales.
  
  
• Advertising – getting more for your money
  How to make sure you get your message to the right people, in a way that engages their interest and encourages them to act on it.
  
  
• Drawing up a marketing plan
  This guide explains how to develop a dynamic marketing strategy to build your business and make sure it is focused.
  
  
• How to sell successfully to consumers using direct marketing
  Direct marketing is one of the most exciting, powerful and instant ways of marketing products and services.
  
  
• Raising your profile in the local community
  By taking part in activities in your local community you can do more to raise your local profile than any amount of paid advertising.
  
  
• Market research for beginners
  One of the most important factors in business success is a good knowledge of your market.

More effective selling

• Selling skills
  Being able to sell is an essential skill; this guide will show you some effective techniques to help you become more successful at selling.
  
  
• How to make your claims truly credible with testimonials
  Your most powerful sales tools are your satisfied clients. Here's how to harness their goodwill to sell more of your products and services.

Extending your product range

• Expanding your business by extending your product or service or range
  Expanding a business can be dangerous as you have to learn a new range of skills to make sure it's a success.
  
  
• Improve your ability to see and grasp opportunities
  Being successful is not just about introducing new products and services, but making old ones obsolete.

Exploiting a gap in the market

• Finding space in a crowded market – operating in a niche
  When surrounded by competitors in the same business as you, you need to find a gap in the market, and exploit it.

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