Getting your sales and marketing right is crucial to the success of your business.

The set of activities described below provides an introduction to practical advice and information on establishing successful sales and marketing methods and policies - from pricing and advertising to sales techniques and a profitable Internet presence.

Reading the set of activities described below pulls together and presents an overview of all our guides to sales and marketing. It gives you a taster of what to expect along with links to each individual guide.

• An overview of marketing
• An overview of pricing
• An overview of advertising and branding
• An overview of effective selling
• An overview of customer management
• An overview of online marketing
• An overview of selling and marketing overseas

The sales process - from the initial approach to long after the sale is completed - is governed by a number of important legal requirements designed to protect your customers.

Playing it by the book can help your business build and maintain an honest and trustworthy reputation.

The set of activities described below will help you identify which laws apply to your business including online selling rules, distance-selling regulations and data protection rules. It will help you understand how to comply with these rules.

It also provides a brief introduction to general trading rules and the special rules for retailers or specialized sectors.

It also looks at late-payment legislation that could affect you if you are considering taking action against late payers or if you tend to pay invoices after their due date.

·         Supplying satisfactory and safe goods and services

·         Customers and data protection

·         Paying your bills and getting paid on time

·         Rules for businesses that don't sell to customers face-to-face

·         Special rules for businesses that sell online

·         Special rules for businesses that sell electronic and electrical goods

However good your product or service is, the simple truth is that no-one will buy it if they don't want it or believe they don't need it. And you won't persuade anyone that they want or need to buy what you're offering unless you clearly understand what it is your customers really want.

Knowing and understanding customer needs is at the centre of every successful business, whether it sells directly to individuals or other businesses. Once you have this knowledge, you can use it to persuade potential and existing customers that buying from you is in their best interests.

The set of activities described below tells you what you need to know about your customers, how to use this information to sell to them more effectively, and how to win business from your competitors.

·         Why do your customers need you?

·         What do you know about your customers?

·         The customer's current supplier

·         Ten things you need to know about your customers

All successful businesses need to have a close understanding of potential and existing customers and the marketplace they work in.

This understanding allows you to target customers, sell effectively, compete with other suppliers and spot new opportunities. Performing market research on potential customers and your competitors will help you to gain this vital knowledge.

You can build a picture of general trends using published market information - from free government statistics and data to paid-for market reports from commercial providers. Your own contacts and sales records can also be a great resource.

You can add to your knowledge by using field research - from surveys and discussions to product tests - to investigate customers' attitudes and examine questions specific to your business.

The set of activities described below explains what you need to know about market and customer research, how to build your knowledge and how using field research can fill in the gaps.

·         Customer research: what you need to know

·         Information on market trends and competitor intelligence

·         Using market reports and other data

·         Interpreting market information

·         The basics of quantitative and qualitative field research

·         Planning field research

·         Tips for successful field research

·         Should I use a market research agency?

Marketing is a key part of business success. You need to decide which customers to target. You need to work out how you will reach and win new customers. You need to make sure that you keep existing customers happy. And you need to keep reviewing and improving everything you do to stay ahead of the competition.

Your marketing plan should be the reference document you use as a basis to execute your marketing strategy. It sets out clear objectives and explains how you will achieve them. Perhaps most importantly it looks at how you can ensure that your plan becomes reality.

Remember that marketing in itself will not guarantee sales, but by adopting a well-researched and coherent plan, you have a much better chance of building long-term, profitable relationships.

The set of activities described below outlines the key areas to look at and what to include in an effective marketing plan.

·         Marketing plan summary and introduction

·         External and internal analysis for your marketing plan

·         Your marketing objectives

·         Marketing strategy for your marketing plan

·         Plan your marketing tactics

·         Implementation of your marketing plan

·         Tips for writing a marketing plan

Accurately forecasting your sales and building a sales plan can help you to avoid unforeseen cash-flow problems and manage your production, staff and financing needs more effectively.

A sales forecast is an essential tool for managing a business of any size. It is a month-by-month forecast of the level of sales you expect to achieve. Most businesses draw up a sales forecast once a year.

Armed with this information you can rapidly identify problems and opportunities - and do something about them.

While it's always wise to expect the unexpected, a well-constructed sales plan, combined with accurate sales forecasting, can allow you to spend more time developing your business rather than responding to day-to-day developments in sales and marketing.

The set of activities described below shows you how to put together a sales forecast and a sales plan.

·         A basis for sales forecasts

·         Your sales assumptions

·         Developing your forecast

·         Avoiding forecasting pitfalls

·         Creating a sales plan

Knowing who your competitors are, and what they are offering, can help you to make your products, services and marketing stand out. It will enable you to set your prices competitively and help you to respond to rival marketing campaigns with your own initiatives.

You can use this knowledge to create marketing strategies that take advantage of your competitors' weaknesses, and improve your own business performance. You can also assess any threats posed by both new entrants to your market and current competitors. This knowledge will help you to be realistic about how successful you can be.

The set of activities described below explains how to analyze who your competitors are, how to research what they're doing and how to act on the information you gain.

·         Who are your competitors?

·         What you need to know about your competitors

·         Learning about your competitors

·         Hearing about your competitors

·         How to act on the competitor information you get

·         Here's how competitive analysis gives my business an edge

The accounting needs of your business will vary according to its size, type and sector. As the business owner, it's your responsibility to make sure your business keeps accurate records and accounts.

There are two types of accounting information - financial accounts and management accounts.

Financial accounts describe the performance of your business and have to be filed at Companies House - or Companies Registry for businesses in Northern Ireland. Management accounts are aimed at helping you to plan your business and make decisions about key areas such as sales, margins and stock.

The set of activities described below will explain the basics of both types of accounts and what they should include. It outlines your financial accounting obligations as well as how management accounting can help you run your business more effectively.

·         Financial accounts

·         Filing financial accounts

·         Management accounts

·         Uses of management accounting

·         Analytical accounting tools

Once your business is operational, it's essential to plan and tightly manage its financial performance. Creating a budgeting process is the most effective way to keep your business - and its finances - on track.

The set of activities described below outlines the advantages of business planning and budgeting and explains how to go about it. It suggests action points to help you manage your business' financial position more effectively and ensure your plans are practical.

·         Planning for business success

·         What to include in your annual plan

·         Budgets and business planning

·         Creating a budget

·         Key steps in drawing up a budget

·         What your budget should cover

·         Use your budget to measure performance

·         Review your budget regularly

Getting the right insurance is essential for any new business. 

You're legally required to have some types of cover - such as motor insurance or employers' liability compulsory insurance if you have staff.

It's a sensible business decision to insure your premises, fixtures, fittings, equipment and stock against disasters such as fire, flood and theft which could prove highly damaging to your operations.

Some businesses may also want to consider insuring against legal liabilities and buying life and health cover for staff.

The set of highlights described below sets out the insurance required by law and the other types of cover a new business may require. It also explains how to get advice from a broker and gives details of insurance for home workers.

·         Get the right insurance for your business needs

·         Insurance you must have by law

·         Insure against common business risks

·         Liability and professional indemnity cover

·         Protect your people with insurance

·         Insurance for businesses set up from home

·         Reduce your risks and premiums

Stock control, otherwise known as inventory control, is used to show how much stock you have at any one time, and how you keep track of it.

It applies to every item you use to produce a product or service, from raw materials to finished goods. It covers stock at every stage of the production process, from purchase and delivery to using and re-ordering the stock.

Efficient stock control allows you to have the right amount of stock in the right place at the right time. It ensures that capital is not tied up unnecessarily, and protects production if problems arise with the supply chain.

The set of highlights described below explains different stock control methods, shows you how to set one up and tells you where to find more information.

·         Types of stock

·         How much stock should you keep?

·         Stock control methods

·         Stock control systems - keeping track manually

·         Stock control systems - keeping track using computer software

·         Using RFID for inventory control, stock security and quality management

·         Stock security

·         Control the quality of your stock

·         Stock control administration

Each business has its own particular transport needs. These depend on the nature of the business and the type of products or services it buys and sells.

The set of highlights described below will help you decide on the most appropriate transportation for your business needs and assess the tax implications and costs to your business.

It also tells you what licenses, insurance and training you or your staff will need to operate business vehicles.

·         Distribution and logistics

·         Using carriers or buying or leasing business vehicles

·         Couriers, haulers, freight forwarders and logistics services

·         Pros and cons of different modes of transport

·         Vehicle licenses

·         Business vehicle insurance

·         Transport management training courses

If you plan to operate motor vehicles in your business there are a number of things you need to do.

The set of highlights described below outlines which licences, insurance and training you should consider and any tax relief you could claim. It explains the advantages and disadvantages of buying, hiring or leasing motor vehicles.

The guide also explains some of the main differences between UK and European Union rules governing drivers' hours and record-keeping.

·         Operational overheads

·         Methods of acquiring vehicles

·         Tax implications

·         Tax relief

·         Driver management

·         Safety and economy

·         Driving within or outside the European Union

When you're setting up your business it's essential to think about how you'll ultimately end your involvement with it.

A well thought-out exit strategy can help you to maximize the value you get from your business, successfully market your business to potential buyers or investors and ensure you end your involvement with as little disruption to the business as possible.

Regardless of whether your exit occurs to a planned schedule or you are forced to make a move for unexpected reasons, the decisions you make when setting up can affect how easy it is for you to eventually exit your business.

The set of highlights described below provides an overview of how some decisions can affect your ability to exit the business successfully, and shows you how to prepare and manage your business to maximize its value. It also covers the different exit options available and outlines their advantages and disadvantages.

·         Why you need an exit strategy

·         What do you want from your business?

·         Decisions that could affect your eventual exit

·         Exit option: family succession

·         Exit option: selling your business

·         Exit option: float your business

·         Exit option: close your business

·         The exit process

·         How can I plan an exit strategy?

Choosing the right supplier involves much more than scanning a series of price lists. Your choice will depend on a wide range of factors such as value for money, quality, reliability and service. How you weigh up the importance of these different factors will be based on your business' priorities and strategy.

A strategic approach to choosing suppliers can also help you to understand how your own potential customers weigh up their purchasing decisions.

The set of highlights described below illustrates a step-by-step approach you can follow that should help you make the right choices. It will help you decide what you need in a supplier, identify potential suppliers and choose your supplier.

·         Thinking strategically when selecting suppliers

·         What you should look for in a supplier

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