Networking really pays off for Somerset business IT solutions company, Ylem, has hit £1 million turnover through networking with Somerset Chamber of Commerce and other local business groups. Networking in Somerset has brought many rewards including financial ones.

Breaking the sales myths “People don’t like being sold to, but they like to buy”; so goes one of the oldest myths in sales. This fallacy ignores the fact that, as buyers, we have real fears. Unless companies understand these fears, they are likely to miss issues that can become a real barrier to the purchase being made. Here sales expert Grant leboff talks about these myths and how to break them down

Increase your sales with no extra cost Companies are continually looking for ways to generate quality sales leads and find new customers. A considerable amount of time, effort and money is often spent in this area. Yet, perhaps one of the easiest and most effective business generation avenues is often overlooked.

New survey reports 90 percent of online businesses fail A review of the state of online business has revealed the startling statistic that nine out of every 10 fail. Fortunately, there are ways of ensuring that your operation is the one in 10.

Advertising will work on Twitter, says report If, or more likely when, Twitter introduces ads to its service, users of the social networks will not hold back from engaging with them, according to new research.

Successful Selling 2009 Business Matters is proud to be one of the media partners in The Institute of Sales & Marketing Management Successful Selling conference to be held next month in Birmingham. As the UK's only professional body for sales people we are proud to be involved to help our readers get great ideas and guidance on how to boost their sales as we enter 2010 with a renewed impetus and for greater return. We are able to offer two lucky readers FREE tickets worth £230 each to attend the conference.

Why Your Cold Calling Isn’t Working…. In this article, leading Sales Expert Andy Preston explains why you’re not currently getting the results from your cold calling that you could be…..and what you can do about it to get the results you deserve……..

Why you are failing at word of mouth? Grant Leboff looks at the fact that when we look for a new product or service today, we probably only undertake two activities and why we forget the obvious option of Word of Mouth marketing.

So what is Twitter really all about? - Here are ten ways to get more from your Tweets Love it or hate it, Twitter has become something of a social media phenomenon. The idea of telling the world what you had for breakfast might fill you with horror, but there's no denying that any channel that helps you identify emerging trends and engage with huge numbers of people has to have some potential as a business tool. We asked ntl:Telewest Business's John Cunningham for his top ten tips on how you can use Twitter to benefit your bottom line.

A beginner's guide to selling on Twitter The rise in popularity of Twitter is partially due to its adoption by celebrities such as Stephen Fry, Jonathan Ross and Lance Armstrong. Yet as a communications tool that allows you to talk to huge networks of people, and track what’s being said about topics in real-time, Twitter has enormous potential as a business tool.

New online system launched to help cut marketing spend A new advanced online artwork creation and web-to-print system has launched with major customers, including leading leisure business, Tattershall Castle Group (TCG). The system is entirely free to set-up for any business, large or small, and provides users with 100 percent flexibility, whilst reducing marketing spend by up to 20 percent.

Hitting the phone & getting results Andy Preston explains why you’re not currently getting the results from your cold calling that you could be….. and what you can do about it to get the results you deserve……..

Can you sell with integrity? Leading sales expert Grant Leboff looks at how, regardless of the economic conditions, you can boost your sales by selling with integrity,

How to get the most from your sales staff in difficult times When economic conditions are hard, leading a sales force can seem like the most difficult job in the world. One of the main ingredients to achieving outstanding results is to ensure the team is motivated. Grant Leboff says that the key to motivation is recognition, as ultimately, everyone wants to be appreciated and their hard work acknowledged.

What Do You Really Sell? Many people in commerce are familiar with the idea of a “USP” or “Unique Selling Proposition”, that is, a benefit which is unique to your product or service that will attract new customers. Grant Leboff, principal of The Intelligent Sales Club, looks at how coming up with a “USP”, in today’s market place, is not easy when the competition is so fierce.

Five Questions Every Sales and Marketing Director Must Answer If sales are slow, or the uptake on a new product or service is not as good as expected, it is not always easy to discern where the problems are. One area in which you need to be sure, is that the Sales and Marketing strategy is right. Here Grant Leboff, principal of The Intelligent Sales Club, suggests that unsatisfactory answer to any of these questions may indicate where the issues lie.

CONNECTING IS NOT ENOUGH: The Trouble with Networking Events……. A little while ago a member of the Business Matters Magazine Facebook Group posed a question:

“Networking events…….do they work?”

The questioner went on to explain, “Over the past year I have been overwhelmed by the volume of networking events that have been shoveled through my letter box but I have had a busy time so attending has not been a priority.

Tweet your way to a better business profile Want to increase your business profile using Social Media and the new comer on the block Twitter. Media140 will be the UK’s first micro-blogging event, bringing together the worlds of print, broadcast, online and social media together to debate and discuss the impact of new micro-blogging services such as twitter and how they are changing how news is being sourced and consumed.

How to speak Twitter The micro blogging social website has become a huge business phenomenon with businesses really utilising the site to increase their marketing reach.

But can you speak Twitter? Here we explain some of the phrases in a handy glossary

‘World wide rave’ trumps ‘viral’ in the new age of online marketing The internet’s ability to spread ideas across networks of users rapidly remains one of the most powerful forces in marketing, according to digital marketing innovator David Meerman Scott.