Trade shows and exhibitions Introduction Trade shows and exhibitions are specialist market places that allow exhibitors to promote their products and services, reach new customers and generate new sales. They also give visitors the opportunity to find out about the products and services on display. Trade shows and exhibitions can also provide business people with the opportunity to network and make useful contacts with other people working in their industry.… Read More »Trade shows and exhibitions

Six tips for exhibiting at trade shows Exhibiting at a trade show can help you generate new leads and build business relationships. There can be substantial costs involved, so it is important to get things right. Follow these tips to make the most of exhibiting at trade shows. 1. Do your research – it’s important to pick a trade show that will attract your target market. Find out demographic information… Read More »Six tips for exhibiting at trade shows

Ways to find out about your customers Once you have identified what you need to know about your customers you can start gathering the information together. There is a huge amount of market information available that you can tap into. Much of that information is available free of charge and is readily available. For example, your customer records will tell you which customers have purchased from you, what they purchased,… Read More »Ways to find out about your customers

Understand your customers’ needs What do you know about your customers? The more you know about your customers, the more effective your sales and marketing efforts will be. Find out: who they are – including individuals in other businesses who are responsible for the decision to buy from you what they buy why they buy it how they use your product For information on targeting decision-makers, see the sales process.… Read More »Understand your customers’ needs

Learn about customers’ needs from competitors Chances are your potential customer is already buying something similar to your product or service from someone else. Before you can sell to a potential customer, you need to know: who the customer’s current supplier is if the customer is happy with their current supplier if buying from you would offer the customer any benefits – and, if so, what those benefits would be… Read More »Learn about customers’ needs from competitors

How you can use retail design   Retail design involves creating a space for selling your goods. This could be in a high street shop, shopping centre or department store concession, but increasingly is means selling online too. Retail design principles Retail businesses have one primary goal – to get the customer over the doorstep and influence them to buy their products. The layout of your retail space is arguably… Read More »How you can use retail design

The design audit   A design audit is a systematic review of all the different elements that your company uses to interact with customers and the public. How to carry out a design audit When you carry out an audit, you should think about: The materials that you use to communicate with your customers – are they printed, delivered via email or in one-to-one presentations? How often do your customers… Read More »The design audit

Maximise the success of your design projects   For every design project you undertake, you should set clear targets for measuring its success. In many situations, customer response will be a crucial factor. For instance, if you design a new product, the key benchmark of its success will be its performance in the market. You may also need to consider a wide range of additional factors when judging the success… Read More »Maximise the success of your design projects

How you can use workplace design   Workplace design isn’t just about choosing the paint colours for your office space. Your work environment can directly affect staff productivity and creativity. If clients regularly visit your workplace, it can also affect how they see your company. There are many things to consider when designing your workplace, such as: architecture functional layout appropriate lighting furniture materials technology meeting rooms an open and… Read More »How you can use workplace design

How you can use service design   Service design is a way of helping you improve your services by making them more useful, efficient and desirable for your customers. What is service design? Service design involves planning and creating the infrastructure, communication materials and levels of service delivered by staff. You can use service design at any point where customers interact with your business to: improve their satisfaction enhance your… Read More »How you can use service design