Who really has the ear of SMEs in the UK? Who do they turn to for advice?

Question

I'm thinking of companies with 1-25 employees, so micro-companies really. Several bodies (FSB, high street banks, Intellect...) clearly reach out to small companies, but I wonder how successful they are.

If you are a small business owner and I want you to notice me, who should I foster a relationship with so that they might recommend me?

Answer 1

Business owners listen to the recommendations of other business owners.  Banks, FSB and FPB (Forum of Private Business) all have links with companies who pay for those.  All our business life we've been FPB members but we don't use any of the companies that they "recommend".

I have a lot of time for FPB as they lobby well on behalf of private SME's.  They've given us press coverage and they've had some impact on government legislation that affects us.

If I'm going to pay any attention to your company, I'll either approach you direct, provided I can find you, usually through an internet search, or I'll ask my network for recommendations.  For example, I wanted an accommodation address for one of our businesses.  I found it through someone in my network.  Similarly, it was through that network that we found a better way of conducting our foreign currency transactions.

To be recommended you have to work hard at building a relationship of trust with the people who are going to recommend you.  The service you deliver needs to be outstanding and consistent.  Nobody can wave a magic wand that drives people to your door.

Work out in greater detail who the people are that you want to target.  There's a lot of companies out there with 1 - 25 employees.  Are your products or services particularly relevant to a group within that - accountants, architects, photographers, for example?  Where do these people gather, physically or virtually?  Get yourself known there or to people who have contacts in those areas.

For example, one of our target markets is the holistic practitioner.  I, therefore, network on and off-line with groups of practitioners.  I'm approached to speak to them, I write on-line to them and when I'm holding an event for them, they recognise me and attend based on the worth that they've derived from what I've done to date.

Good luck!

Answer 2

Business  Link and the FSB aren't bad, but thanks to Brown, there's no real investments going to SME's :-(