Everything you wanted to know about marketing to small businesses (but were afraid to ask)

Targeting small businesses? Then tread carefully, because they’re a whole different animal.

We’ve produced this booklet to help you navigate the small-business minefield – 36 insight-jammed pages that reveal, once and for all, how small businessreallybuy.

All based on interviews we conducted with 18 small businesses owners across England.

Consider it your indispensable guide to building stronger rapports and dodging relationship-ending pitfalls.

Here are just some of the pearls of wisdom inside.

Stop selling, start helping

Probably flies in the face of everything you’ve ever taught your salespeople, but it’s a vital message. Because truth is, small business owners feel swamped – help solve their problems and the sales will follow. We explain why.

Go beyond firmographics

It’s time to explore alternative segmentation techniques. Things like psychographics, which delve into the more human stuff. We take a look at the Personal Investment approach and Earnest’s very own Significance-Urgency-Ease (SUE) model.

Know what’s at stake

Corporate life can be tough. Running a small business is tougher (when did you last go to work and put your whole world on the line?). We reveal why a little empathy goes alongway.

Work at networking

A tight-knit network is everything to small business owners. Trouble is, they’re wary about corporates getting involved. We reveal how to break through.

Instant Fail! 10 Ways to Make Small Businesses Hate You

A tongue-in-cheek checklist of “don’ts” to help you avoid the things thatreallygrind the gears of small business owners.

If you’re a marketer with small businesses in your sights, download the full booklet and bump it to the top of your reading list. It’s a ten-minute read, cover to cover – and it might just make all the difference to your campaign.