Welcome!

With Spring just around the corner, the March issue of our e-letter looks at how to help grow your business.

Below you can read advice on how to boost sales by attracting new business from outside your established market sectors, as well as the steps you can take to make sure you get that all important new business pitch right.

If you have any comments or feedback on the service provided by The Seed please click here and let us know.

The Seed team

Be persistent!
Don't be disheartened if you don't win that new client first time around. People who identify themselves as prospects do want to buy. You may have lost the pitch this time, but the relationship is only just beginning. Keep in contact and work towards building the relationship. When the opportunity to pitch arises again, be ready and prepared to try again. And remember, statistics show that a prospect is exposed to a new brand an average of seven times before they switch. So be persistent and keep on pitching!

Developing new markets to attract business from outside your present client base is a great way to achieve growth in a challenging climate. If you want to get ahead, you need to start looking beyond your established markets. So what are the first steps that SMEs should consider in order to develop new markets profitably? And how can this be done without wasting thousands of pounds on expensive national and international marketing campaigns?

Get in shape to go national...and international

An enterprising Merseyside plumber once displayed the following on his van: "International Plumbers, New York, London, Paris, Sydney, Johannesburg, Liverpool (but mostly Liverpool).” Possibly stretching things a little but the point is: if you are going beyond the backyard make sure you look like a national or international player.

Sorting out your web presence is a cost-effective way to make sure that you appeal to both the national and international markets. Check the content for parochial references. Use case studies relevant to a variety of UK regions and offer translations of your web pages into European languages. Take advantage of online advertising methods such as Pay-Per-Lead (PPL) and extend your searches to wider geographical areas. Online marketing provides a cost-effective and measurable means of getting your name out there into the international field.

Try out new vertical markets

You've looked beyond your geographical backyard, but what about your sector backyard? Break the boundaries by addressing new markets. Business services can be applied across many sectors if you take the trouble to learn the industry jargon and get to know the key players. The presence of the Internet has made targeting new markets even easier, without having to spend a fortune. Adapt your online Pay-Per-Click (PPC) advertising to direct potential new clients to sector-specific landing pages on your website - this way businesses feel that you understand their market from the start. It's all about creating the right impression. As you start to expand make sure you support the different markets with sector specific communication and support, such as e-letters, newsletters, and online support. This way you'll build confidence in your services and enhance your presence in the market.

Spin yourself into new markets

Advertise selectively by choosing the leading publication in the new sector you are addressing or in the national business magazines, especially where there is a regional variant that covers the region you are targeting. Then make the most of editorial in those publications by offering news or case study articles as appropriate. A good PR company should be able to help get you started and don't forget, links back to your site from news media will enhance your website's ranking, as will PPL and PPC which can also be an easy and effective way of getting into new markets and helping you attract even more business from beyond the back yard.

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Below are a selection of sample leads generated over the last month. These example leads should give you a taste of the type of leads you will receive if signed-up to TheSeed.com.

Direct Marketing
Monday 5th of March 2007 17:31

We are enquiring about finding an additional data supplier for our outgoing sales team. We currently work with a number of data suppliers but we are looking to expand our supply line. We would require data marketing lists of SKY TV subscribers in order to contact regarding their system. We would require a substantial amount of data lists in order to fulfil the requirements of our large sales team

Additional notes from TheSeed.com:
Telephoned by Phil on 2007-03-05 at 18.25. Phil spoke with Richard who advised that this company currently has over 300,000 customers but is always looking for new suppliers of customer lists. Their existing suppliers are providing lists which have increasing amounts of NTL customers which are no good to them - they only require Sky customers. As such they would like to add additional supply lines to their books.

Virtual Office Services
Friday 2nd of March 2007 17:00

I am currently starting a recruitment business working from home and I am looking to have an office address in Glasgow and London, I would be looking for a mail forwarding service and also a call answering service, can you please inform me of the approx costs involved please
Thanks
Alex

Additional notes from TheSeed.com:
Telephoned by Phil on 2007-03-02 at 17.30.
Spoke with Sue Betts who is Alexs partner.She advised that on top of the requirements listed above they would also like to have the use of an office at each location so that they can conduct interviews/meetings when required. They will be making a decision early next week (Mon/Tuesday) so please contact them as soon as possible.

Event Management

Tuesday 6th of March 2007 08:38
We are a leading supplier of plumbing materials to the mechanical and plumbing trade both in Ireland and the UK. We are planning a number of conferences for both Irish and UK Companies where we plan to take our top 100 customers for a week away of golf etc. We have a number of locations which we would like our conference to take place i.e. Sun City, South Africa. I can provide more details regarding this upon your response.
Kind Regards,
Timmy
Marketing Manager

Additional notes from TheSeed.com:
Telephoned by Liza on 06.03.07 @ 13.52
Timmy organised the trips himself last year but felt that he didn't get the most out of them, so this year he would like an event company to do everything for him. There will be 2 trips around aug/sept time next year each for a week. Their ideal location would be South Africa, he would like the days events arranged i.e. golf, fishing. Timmy would like a brochure put together of all the events that will take place and all about the holiday in order to show to his customers, he would like this done by 1st April if possible.

When it comes to winning new business, you don't get a second chance to make a good first impression - it's one strike and you're out. Getting your pitch right is vital to help you have a chance of beating your competitors and winning new clients. So what can you do to differentiate yourself and your offer from all the others? Time spent researching your potential client is time well spent. Taking an in depth look at who your prospect is, what they do, who their competitors are and where they sit in the market will give you a good insight into the company dynamics. This preparation and understanding will enable you to prepare a strong bespoke pitch for your prospect, and stand you in good stead for winning the deal.

Equally, take a good look at your competition. Who are you pitching against and what do they do differently to you? What do you do better? Competitive intelligence is an important part of any pitch, so remember to check out rivals as part of your research and give yourself that vital competitive edge.
Try to create a new bespoke proposal for each new prospect rather than recycling old material. Don't run the risk of your pitch becoming out of date. Take your time and check everything carefully. And remember, no typos! Rushed or poorly researched pitches will create the wrong impression and could blow your chance, so take the time to get it right first time around, and win yourself that new deal.