Registration: 9:00 am (if you haven’t registered on BGP yet)

Start Time: 9:30 am

You may know that the quality of your work is of an outstanding standard, but if your customers don’t understand how you can use your skills to help them achieve their goals, then you’ll never be able to win their custom.

This workshop will support you to explore and understand how to best bid for work from customers, especially when responding to ‘invitations to tender’ from them.

Agenda:

• Features vs. Benefits: understanding how your customers view you, and how to help your customers understand how you can help them (and so make it easier to negotiate a sale).

• Where to look to find customers who need your services.

• How to decide if a contract opportunity is right for your business.

Introduction to your Workshop Delivery Partner

Ruby Star Associates help businesses, social enterprises and charities of all shapes and sizes grow, build accountable teams, generate more income, and innovate. We help leaders free up their time, surround themselves with brilliance and focus on the stuff that really matters. We are all about enterprise, entrepreneurship and making a massive difference.

Adrian Ashton is our resident expert on finance, governance, not-just-for-profit structures and charities. He is a recognised, approved and accredited provider of advice, consultancy, training and research to various SMEs, social enterprises, charities, and sector bodies. Adrian brings great knowledge of the changing environment and policy context in which SMEs operate.

Eligibility

These workshops are for beneficiaries of the Cheshire & Warrington Business Growth Programme which provides 12 hours of fully-funded support through our workshops – if you are not yet registered on the programme you can still register for a workshop ticket and you will be contacted by our team to check your eligibility. For any queries please email bgp_new_enquiries@chester.ac.uk or call 01244 512 655. Please also contact us if the event is fully-booked and you’d like to be added to the waitlist.

To be eligible to apply for support from the ERDF-funded Cheshire & Warrington Business Growth Programme you must be:

• Small – your new business must be an SME. An SME has under 250 staff, turnover of £45 million and any ownership by a wider commercial group is below 25%. You may also be a pre-start business.
• Local – your business address (registered or trading) is within the Cheshire East, the Cheshire West and Chester, or the Warrington council areas.

Do I need to bring or prepare anything for the workshop?

All you need to bring is yourself, a pen, notebook and a willingness to learn. We will ask for some details about your business upon registration to the workshop – this will help us in tailoring content to your needs.

Refreshments

Light refreshments (tea, coffee, water, biscuits) will be provided throughout the workshop.

Parking

There will be parking available at the Warrington campus. Further details will be provided via email once your register.