Month: September 2012

charity money boxHaving worked for a charity before, I’ve written my fair share of funding bids.

And along with that I’ve made my fair share of mistakes and learnt from these.

Funders are becoming increasingly overwhelmed by charities and third sector organisations wanting funding.

So being able to submit a successful application is difficult and you will meet some tough competition.

Which is why you need to be able to write something that really makes the funder want to provide you with the funding and makes them believe in you as a charity.

Below are some top tips for writing an effective funding bid.

Continue reading

internet shopping trolleyThe internet is becoming increasingly used for sales as well as for information. 

The internet has revolutionised the way we buy and sell and is rapidly becoming the most used method for transactions.

Traditionally a salesperson was needed for most businesses. 

Businesses needed that face of the company, someone who is out there selling and getting people to buy the product or service.

Continue reading

The Euro is in crisis, England is in a recession, so what are Bristol traders doing about this? Creating their own currency.

Businesses local in Bristol have started trading in Bristol Pounds, which has been set up as an online currency as well.

By having their own currency, Bristol is encouraging money circulation within Bristol itself.

If someone walks into a shop and pays for something in Bristol Pounds, they cannot go and pay a national supplier using this as it won’t be accepted. Instead they will have to use it to pay local suppliers or pay staff.

By doing this they are keeping money circulating within Bristol and promoting the use of local traders and suppliers.

Continue reading

I’ve read various posts across the internet with reasons as to why you should or should not outline fonts when sending artwork to printers or clients for approval.  The basic answer from myself is that yes you should outline your fonts.

Why Do We Need Fonts Outlining?

When we open artwork on our systems here we need to have the same fonts in our font library that you have used in your document in order to open the file.  If we don’t have the font then Illustrator will give us a popup warning telling us which fonts are missing, and it will reset the font to the default system font.

Generally we will then do a brief search on the internet to see if this is a non commercial and freely available font.

If it is then we will download it and reopen your file.   Happy Days problem solved!

Continue reading

Customer Feedback is importantFeedback is important because it gives you an idea what your customers think of you.  Depending on the type of feedback you get will depend on how accurate this is but in most cases you are likely to get a clearer view of how you are doing.

Without is you are just driving blond – you are just selling and not finding out what peoples thought are.  You will soon find yourself with not only a bad reputation, but only with a limited number of new sales and no repeat business which is what you are aiming to build.

But it isn’t just about gaining the feedback its about using it to become more efficient, using it to change and develop as a business and being able to take negative criticism and turn it into a positive.

Continue reading

So your business is booming, your managing to keep yourself well and truly afloat during the recession but you’ve now got to make the decision about taking on new members of staff.

For small businesses this is often a tricky task – there are so many things to consider.

What do you need?

Businesses often focus on their sales, they will employ more and more sales staff, increase their sales in line with this but at the same time not have the HR procedures that govern the personnel that are employed.

It’s just as important to have these functions in place when expanding than it is to keep employing sales staff.

Continue reading

There is a lot of confusion about what insurance you need to have and what you should have.  Some types of insurance you are legally obliged to purchase.  Insurance is there to protect you and protect your customers so it’s important you make sure you have all your basis covered.


What is insurance?

You should already know this but insurance gives you protection against a certain event that might happen.  You pay a monthly or yearly sum and for that you get peace of mind cover that if certain events do occur you will be compensated.  Amounts vary as does whats included so buying insurance can be a complicated process.  Your insurance policy will outline what’s covered and what’s not so make sure you understand this.

Continue reading

Direct mail is mainly used by charities and not-for-profit organisations as a way of communicating with potential funders.

But businesses should also consider using direct mail as it provide a targetted approach to marketing services and products.

Having a database of customers and potential customers and being able to analyse these to target specific subsets of customers will allow you to reach potential customers and not waste time targetting customers who won’t be interested.

Its easily measurable as well in whatever form you choose to direct mail – the easiest being via a special offer mailout.

But to get that added extra with your direct mail you need to be a bit creative.

Many businesses or customers receive marketing letters through the post all the time, so most of these are overlooked and thrown away.

But make your direct mail stand out and your in with a good chance of it being opened and read.

Continue reading

What is Facebook?

You should already know the answer to this – this era of business has grown up on facebook yet some businesses still aren’t embracing it.

But for those of you who haven’t sussed out what facebook is yet here you go:

Facebook is a social network, allowing people to interact and share with each other.

It allows you to connect with the people around you in whatever way you want, sharing photos and videos, sharing your thoughts, setting up events, playing games, joining common interest groups and endless amounts of other ways of interacting with the world around you. 

Continue reading

  • 1
  • 2

         


Merchandise Ltd + 44 (0)1895 438459 - 63 Fairfield Road - Yiewsley - West Drayton - Middlesex - UB7 8EZ
GB Reg No. 6270341 - VAT No. GB919738969

SSL Secured | © Copyright 2017 Merchandise Ltd | All Rights Reserved | Powered By ProMart 3.0
Our Accreditations