Sales tips, planning, business development & lead generation
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This is the part of business that most people dread. Finding leads, qualifying them, selling to them, and closing the deal. It’s tough, it’s tricky, and it’s full of lessons to learn. This section is packed with actionable tips from an experienced sales veteran.
Office Hygiene Standards: A Plain Guide for Business Owners and Facilities Managers
Office hygiene standards explained for business owners and facilities managers: what a clean workplace really needs, the spots that get missed, and when to bring in a commercial cleaner....
LinkedIn will let you charge for advice. Here's the catch.
Understand LinkedIn Advice Sessions, current eligibility and how to make a paid consultation clear, useful and easier for the right customer to buy....
AI built the website. Where are the customers?
Learn how to sell AI websites by finding a useful business problem, defining the offer, testing the customer journey and handing over a site that works....
Free CRM Software (2026): 10 Tools Compared
Free CRM software comes as either a hosted tool with a free plan or an open-source programme you host yourself. This page lists ten options in no particular order, then covers what to look for, the questions to ask first,...
How to Use Microsoft Teams Sales Call Transcripts to Write Better Follow-Ups and Close More Deals
How to get a Microsoft Teams transcript, what to pull from it, and how to use the prospect's own words to write sales follow-ups that get replies....
HubSpot vs Salesforce (2026): Which CRM Suits Your Team?
HubSpot vs Salesforce comes down to size and complexity. HubSpot is quicker to set up, friendlier to use and combines marketing and sales in one platform, so it suits small and growing teams. Salesforce is far more customisable and suits...
How to Start a Clothing Line: 9 Steps From Idea to First Sale
To start a clothing line, pick a narrow niche, test demand before making stock, choose a production route such as print on demand or a small manufacturer, order samples, set up your brand and legal basics, build a simple shop...
7 Best European Fintech Software Development Vendors [2026 Comparison]
Our 7 Best European Fintech Software Development Vendors [2026 Comparison] ranks The Software House first for compliant payment platforms, digital banking, and embedded finance delivery....
Client Portal Software (2026): 10 Tools Compared
Good client portal software makes it simple for clients to see files, messages, invoices and approvals in one branded place. Look at logins, permissions, branding, exports and the free plan or trial. This page lists ten options in no particular...
Best Funnel Builders (2026): 10 Tools Compared
The right funnel builder depends on what you sell and where the customer pays. Look for the checkout you need, built-in email, an editor that works on phones, and a free plan or trial. This page lists ten options in...
Best Cold Email Software (2026): 10 Tools Compared
Cold email software should connect your mailboxes, schedule follow-ups, pause on replies and protect your domain. Choose by how many mailboxes you send from, how personal the emails must be and whether you need contact data. Ten options are listed...
Apollo.io Alternatives (2026): 10 Better-Fit Prospecting Tools
The right Apollo alternative depends on why you're leaving: coverage in your region, email accuracy, a wish to separate finding from sending, or compliance needs. This page lists ten options in no particular order, with guidance on testing data quality...
How to Start a Subscription Box Business: A 10-Step Plan (2026)
To start a subscription box business, choose a box model (curation, replenishment or access), pick a niche with an active community, cost out one box, line up suppliers, build on a subscription-ready platform, pre-sell before buying stock, and plan for...
How to Open a Bar: Licences, Rules and Checklist (US and UK)
To open a bar you need permission to sell alcohol before you commit to premises. In the US that means state and local licences, and in England and Wales a premises licence plus a designated premises supervisor. Check your local...
Securing Your Digital Communications: Privacy Strategies for Modern Entrepreneurs
How entrepreneurs can protect business email with end-to-end encryption, zero-knowledge architecture, phishing defences and better daily security habits....
Selling on Vinted: A Practical Guide for Small Sellers (2026)
Selling on Vinted is simple: take clear photos, write an honest title and description, set a price you're happy to negotiate from, then post the parcel with the prepaid label Vinted gives you once it sells. It works well for...
Markup vs Margin: The Difference, Formulas and a Worked Example
Markup is your profit divided by what the item cost you. Margin is your profit divided by the price you sold it for. The profit is the same, only the base changes, so markup is always the bigger number: something...
Ecommerce KPIs: The 8 Numbers a Small Store Should Track (2026)
The ecommerce KPIs most small online stores need are sessions, conversion rate, average order value, revenue, cart abandonment rate, customer acquisition cost, repeat customer rate and refund rate. Check them once a week, compare each one with your own last...
Shopify Alternatives (2026): The Right Platform for How You Sell
The best Shopify alternative depends on how you sell. WooCommerce suits businesses already on WordPress, BigCommerce, Wix and Squarespace suit owners who want an all-in-one builder, Etsy and Big Cartel suit makers, Gumroad and Podia suit digital products and courses,...
What Is 3PL? Third-Party Logistics Explained for Small Sellers
3PL stands for third-party logistics. A 3PL is a company that stores your stock in its warehouse, then picks, packs and ships your orders for you, and often handles returns too. You keep running the store, the products and the...
HubSpot vs Pipedrive (2026): Which CRM Fits Your Business?
Pick HubSpot if you want marketing, sales and customer service in one platform and a free CRM to start on. Pick Pipedrive if your priority is a simple, visual sales pipeline that your salespeople will use every day. The right...
Ecommerce Conversion Rate Optimization Checklist, Page by Page
Ecommerce conversion rate optimization means finding the points where shoppers drop out of your store and fixing them, so more of the visitors you already have go on to buy. Work through your store page by page, from the homepage...
How To Grab Attention To Your Stall At Winter Events
How to plan, design and display indoor and outdoor banners for Christmas markets, fairs and trade shows that still work in dark, wet, windy winter weather....
How to Test Payment Failover and Retry Logic: Declines, Reroutes and Recovery
How to test the failure side of a payment integration: soft and hard declines, retries, reroutes between providers, idempotency and failed-payment webhooks....
Best Customer Feedback Tools for Business (2026)
The best customer feedback tool depends on the feedback you want. Typeform suits engaging surveys, SurveyMonkey suits all-round surveys, Google Forms suits quick and simple forms, Hotjar Surveys suits feedback on your website, Qualtrics suits in-depth research, Canny and UserVoice...
How Do Dental Referrals Work in the UK? A Plain Guide for Patients and Practices
How dental referrals work in the UK: when your dentist refers you, what a referral practice does, whether you can self-refer, and what dental practices can learn from it....
Where Your Host's Security Stops and Yours Starts on a WordPress Site
What your web host secures on a WordPress site, what stays with you, questions to ask your host and a 30-minute monthly security checklist....
How Much Does Cookiebot Cost? Consent Pricing Explained
How much does Cookiebot cost for a small website? Here's the real pricing by page count, plus what it doesn't cover....
Trust Signals Every Online Store Needs on Product Pages
The trust signals that convert hesitant shoppers on a product page: reviews, return policy, delivery costs, contact details and payment options....
New Builds in Cheshire: What to Look for Before You Buy
Thinking about new builds in Cheshire? What sets them apart from resale, how to judge the location, and the questions to ask before you reserve a plot....
Diwali Wishes Messages for Clients and Customers
Diwali wishes messages for clients and customers, with real templates, a segmentation method, and the timing mistake that undoes most of them....
Why Poor Incident Documentation Can Become a Major Business Risk
A customer slips near the entrance of a store. An employee helps the customer up, someone wipes the floor, and the workday continues. Six months later, the business receives notice of an injury claim. Now the details matter. Was the...
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