Summary This is about helping others to benefit from your expertise and experience. It involves clarifying what people need, and explaining issues and concepts, making sure you recognise the limits of your expertise and knowledge. What you need to show You must make sure that your practice meets the following requirements. a Encourage the person […]
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Summary This is about building a rapport with people, helping others to develop their trust and confidence in you and reviewing the progress of your relationship with them. It involves communicating effectively so you can find out what you need to know, listening, reflecting and getting your point across clearly. What you need to show […]
Summary Why is this important? Money is the life blood of any business. Without it a business would be unable to pay its suppliers, staff or invest in the future and could quickly cause a business to fail. Understanding the principles of cash flow management will help you design and plan the financial processes a […]
Summary Why is this important? For a business to be successful it needs to have a plan of how it will get there. To achieve success a business needs resources including money, skills, and tools (for example, an effective IT system). Understanding the importance of planning how a business will get the resources it needs […]
Summary Why is this important? There is a lot of advice and support available for businesses, much of which is free, so it is important to take advantage of the resources available. Knowing what is available and where to find it can help you in planning, starting-up and growing a small business. Support can range […]
Summary Why is this important? Making successful deals in business is crucial in helping a business become competitive and achieve its goals. Businesses negotiate and make agreements with a variety of different parties including customers, suppliers, staff and financiers. Valuable lessons can be learnt from understanding how successful entrepreneurs have effectively negotiated deals. Who might […]
Summary Why is this important? When considering a future business it is important to know that there is a market for the product or service it offers. Having established what the market is you need to plan how to reach it. Once a customer base is secured you need to plan how you are going […]
Summary Why is this important? Being able to identify business opportunities and their potential for growth is one of the keys to business success. When considering a potential opportunity it is important to take the time to assess the strengths and weaknesses of the proposition and be aware of any risks that may be involved. […]
Summary Why is this important? When deciding what type of business to set up in the future it is important to consider what business will best suit you. This will depend on your own skills, talents and attributes, what you enjoy and what you would like to get out of a business in the long […]
Why this is important If you are thinking about starting in enterprise, you need to be able to promote both yourself and your ideas to others. You will need to be able to present yourself in the right way for the people, market or sector you are in and communicate effectively so that other people […]
Summary Why this is important If you find that there is too little time or you have not got all the necessary skills, it may help you to delegate or pass things on to other people. To do this you need to know how to ask others to do work for you in the way […]
Summary Why this is important You may well feel that there are just too many things to do and too little time to do them. It may be that you need to look at how you manage your own time and work out how to get things done more efficiently. This will help you to […]
Summary Why this is important There are many instances when you may need to get some advice or support to help you in your business. There are lots of different people, agencies and organisations that can help you in your business. They may provide general advice and information about setting up or running a business […]
Summary Why this is important You need to make sure that your skills meet your business needs and keep pace with your business as it grows or changes. Improving your skills will help to keep your business successful. Who might do this You might do this if you: are just starting a business or social […]
Summary Why this is important You are the most important thing in your business, so you must know what you are good at doing. It’s also important to look at how you can get better at the things you don’t do so well. This will help you avoid problems later. Who might do this You […]
Summary Why this is important You are the most important thing in your business so it is important to make sure that your business is supporting your chosen lifestyle, you are getting what you want from it and are enjoying what you are doing. Who might do this You might do this if you: are […]
Summary Why this is important To make sure that your customers are satisfied with the service you provide, your business needs to be meeting and exceeding their expectations. However, even if your service to customers is excellent, some customers will experience problems. How you respond to problems is particularly important because many customers judge the […]
Summary Why this is important Good customer service makes a business successful. Whether you are a sole trader or you employ staff your business can benefit from good customer service. Satisfied customers are more likely to use your business again. Who might do this You might do this if you: are concerned about the quality […]
Summary Why this is important You may need to make presentations to win work, sell your products or services, get funding or support, promote your business or promote changes and new strategies to staff or board members. Making successful presentations is important as it may help to boost your sales, bring more investment to your […]
Summary Why this is important Businesses are often asked to prepare bids about the products or services they can supply to customers. Presenting a proposal of work with a quotation may be necessary when customers want to get the best deal by comparing proposals from different businesses. Who might do this You might do this […]
Summary Why this is important A website is increasingly becoming an important part of any business. The functions that businesses can now build into the website and the use of the system can often be a large part of business processes. Through the website, many businesses have developed a virtual ‘shop front’ and use the […]
Summary Why this is important Businesses use the Internet to carry out business, market, and buy and sell products or services to a wider audience. E-commerce, e-business and e-trading are terms used to describe business on the Internet. The Internet provides a valuable form of communication and is a valuable source of information that can […]
Summary Why this is important There are many things that are different about trading abroad than trading locally or in the UK. It is important to identify these differences and make sure that the effects on your business are positive. Who might do this You might do this if you need to: widen your range […]
Summary Why this is important No business can survive without selling its products or services to its customers. The selling may take place on your business’s premises, the customer’s or any other environment. Who might do this You might do this if you are: setting up a new business or social enterprise; expanding your business […]