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Business Briefings from Business Link
in the East of England (and partner organisations) could be right up
your Cambridgeshire street - and best of all, they won’t break your
recession-hit bank.
Business Link has harnessed the
skills and expertise of organisations such as The Chartered
Institute of Marketing (CIM) and HM Revenue & Customs UK to
strengthen the delivery of their new timetable of must-attend
events.
Today’s economy may have raised
concerns for the region’s small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs)
about Employing Staff and as a result, Written terms of
employment, but support and advice on these sorts of issues (and
many more) are now on your doorstep. Circumstances such as
streamlining the workforce can only be made easier by further
Developing management skills and honing Appraisal skills
and what better place to do so than at a venue near you, with
Business Link in the East of England.
With purse strings tightened over
the past few months and an increased focus on Book-keeping and
accounts, it is refreshing to know that the only cost to your
business of attending these events is time. So, if you’re struggling
to know How to pitch for finance for example, don’t pay out
for training, or if you want to explore the PR potential of your
product or service, PR for virgins is for you. Business Link
has workshops on a whole host of skills, free of charge.
IT and e-commerce are the hub of
many businesses. For pre-start and start-up businesses, Planning
and developing a website may be the first step towards
exploiting the technical opportunities of the modern business world.
For established businesses the spotlight may be on Growing IT in
your business and Getting the maximum benefit from your IT
systems. Ensuring your IT is effective saves time, and time is
money.
As Time management is of the
essence in the increasingly fast-paced market place, let the World
Wide Web work wonderful wisdom on your business. Have you considered
How to attract customers using free/low cost internet marketing
or How to turn you website into a customer magnet?
Marketing your business, on and offline, has never been such an
essential aspect in Making projects happen. Marketing
materials, with a reliance on Copywriting – the art of
persuasion, and strong Communication skills, coupled with
polished Practical selling skills and Excellent customer
service, will undoubtedly help in Dealing with difficult
customers. And if it’s Influencing skills you’re lacking,
Assert yourself – (learn) how to be seen, heard and
influence decisions.
Developing and nurturing your
business assets will strengthen your competitive advantage. Using
the intellectual property system to protect and grow your business
will ensure that the creativity and innovation that differentiate
your business from its competitors remain yours, and yours alone.
And as ‘people buy people’, look after your own - Motivating the
team is likely to lead to Business resource efficiency:
protecting your bottom line, and ultimately Increasing your
sales in a challenging economy. For further streamlining of your
business, consider Practical eco design: designing out waste and
reducing your costs.
Staying abreast of changes in
legislation is critical to the region’s SMEs. Do you know What’s
new for businesses? Fire regulations – are you hot on the
topic? Are you au fait with Health and safety for small
businesses? For businesses in the region that are Planning
for growth and analysing the potential for trading across the
Channel, consideration should be given to legislation relating to
Your business and Europe.
Reaching new markets, and certainly
new customers, may be facilitated by Smart networking. Fully
capitalising on new business opportunities may be dependent on your
Presentation skills but will be achieved by knowing How to
write a winning tender. And no challenge is too great.
Tendering for public sector contracts is not out of reach even
for SMEs but, before embarking on such a pitch, An introduction
to public sector tendering will be invaluable.
MORE your business! Make MORE of
your business opportunities with the new programme of events
from Business Link.
Visit
www.mybusinesslink.co.uk
for further information on events, times and locations.
So, to ensure Personal
effectiveness – work smarter not harder!
Any small business looking for help
and advice can contact Business Link on 08457 17 16 15 or visit
www.businesslink.gov.uk/east.
About Business Link in the East of England:
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Business Link provides information, practical advice and
support to help people to start, run or grow their businesses
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Our clients fall in to two main categories:
- Those running or working in
established small and medium sized businesses
- Those who want to start their own
business
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Both client groups can access independent, impartial and, in
most instances, free help and support from Business Link in the
form of:
- Free one-to-one help from an
experienced Business Adviser (established businesses) or
Enterprise Awareness Manager (start-ups)
- Workshops and briefings on a range
of business subjects such as business planning, sales and
marketing, legislation, developing people
- Telephone and online support through
our Regional Information and Intelligence centre
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Business Link in the East of England works with businesses
and entrepreneurs in the 6 counties in the East of England:
Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Essex Hertfordshire, Norfolk and
Suffolk
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Business Link is a government initiative to promote
enterprise, funded in the East of England by the East of England
Development Agency
October 2009 -
Peterborough UK Community Website
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