92 % of Consultants unclear on Business Link future
92% of consultants unclear on Business Link future – calls for more specialist advice for SMEs
Consultants believe that more specialist, tailored advice would serve SMEs better than the current Business Link model offered by the government, reveals a recent survey by Skillfair, the UK’s largest online marketplace for consultants with over 10,000 members.
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Skillfair calls for radical reform to government business advice services
Skillfair, the UK’s largest online marketplace for consultants, has called for radical reform to the government’s business advice services in the wake of its recently announced plans to review Business Link.
In a letter to Small Business Minister Mark Prisk, Skillfair MD Gill Hunt proposes that the government draws on existing experienced, professional business advisors to offer a more specialist service to businesses, according to their needs, size and sector focus. ‘The current generalist, one-size-fits-all approach offered by Business Link has resulted in businesses with limited growth potential sapping resources, while more sophisticated, often larger, concerns have not had access to specialist help that may take them to the next level.
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Newsletter - Advising Small Businesses
Following last week's budget there seem to have been endless announcements about cuts in a whole range of government activities - so you may not have noticed that along with the scrapping of RDAs it appears that regional Business Links will be closed and their contracts wound down. I know that many of you have used Business Link for advice or deliver your own services through this route - which makes this a significant step, although probably not a great surprise. We've written to Mark Prisk, the Minister in charge, essentially pushing for greater use of the independent business advice and consultancy sector to give small businesses tailored advice rather than the current 'one-size-fits-all' approach.
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The Future of Small Business Advice Services
Letter to Mark Prisk, Minister for Business and Enterprise on the Future of Small Business Advice Services
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Newsletter - Are you user-friendly?
I normally try to give only positive advice in this newsletter, but I was asked this week for my thoughts on the top mistakes consultants and freelancers when dealing with new clients. That got me thinking about some of the things that we all sometimes do with the best of intentions but that result in mis-understandings and losing business. You can see my top mistakes, along with other people's contributions here, but I think the positive message we can take from all of the negatives is the need to listen carefully to what your client is saying, however daft it may seem, and try to look at things from their point of view - rather than pitching straight in with our own opinions.
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