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You may not like what we're about to tell you this week, but we're going to say it anyway.

It's 99% certain that you are boring.

Now wait, don't get offended. This is nothing personal. What we're referring to is your business and the way you describe it to your customers.

And you're probably still scratching your head, or already pointing your cursor in the direction of the delete button, but let us explain what we mean before you condemn us to the recycle bin.

It's a sad fact that 99% of small businesses, and especially new start ups, make the mistake, innocently enough, of having a bland, boring and in some cases completely baffling business proposition and marketing message.

They have sales and advertising messages that are either incomprehensible, or are so dull, tedious and uninteresting that they are guaranteed to have their prospective customers nodding off within seconds.

And even if they do attempt to inject a bit of life and spice into their proposals or sales copy, they end up being a mirror of what every other business in their sector is doing.

These are what we call "me-too" marketeers, who promote themselves in the same way as their competitors, with supply-driven marketing messages based on product features; unfathomable, unclear websites; and bland straplines and statements about what their business does. They do this because it's easy. Business owner-managers know their products and services better than anyone else and, as a result, promote themselves in terms that they understand but their customers don't. They also do it because they lo ok at what their competitors are doing and fall into the trap of doing the same things instead of differentiating themselves and finding a unique proposition that will give them a real competitive edge.

Still with us? Excellent, and don't despair, because there is plenty of hope. It's almost certain that your business idea, your products and services and marketing plans are not boring at all. It's just your approach and the way you go about describing it all that need an overhaul.

The chances are that by following some easy steps you can make sure that your messages and overall business proposition aren't boring and you don't bore your customers and prospects into doing business somewhere else.

Start off by trying to answer honestly the following questions about your marketing:

• Are you selling to your INTENDED customers only?
• Are you making it EASY and CONVENIENT to understand your offer and to do business with you?
• Are you sure you are giving your customers WHAT THEY REALLY WANT?
• Does your marketing message explain the REASON WHY customers should do business with you?
• Do you explain the benefits and value of your offer IN DETAIL? Remember that "the more you tell, the more you sell".
• Do you regularly and RELEVANTLY COMMUNICATE with, educate and make contact WITH YOUR CUSTOMERS?

We'll guess that the answers to these questions are mostly no, so here are a few tactics you should be using to make your customers interested in your offer:

1. Make sure you have a compelling, attention-grabbing marketing headline. This is what people will look for first when considering buying from you.
2. Make it clear what your main 'promise' to satisfy your customers needs is. This is about concentrating on the one big benefit your business offers.
3. Keep your sales copy in the first or second person: use I or we and you.
4. Keep your tone and style personal and conversational, but always sincere.
5. Keep stressing the needs of your reader or target audience, ie describe the user benefits rather than product benefits.
6. Where possible, show your offer as well as tell it. Try to drive your offer home, for example by telling a story that illustrates it. You should aim to create a mental picture in the mind of your prospects that will hook into their emotional needs and decision-making.

This side of your business is as important as it ever gets, so above all spend enough time and thought on getting it right and don't make the mistake of boring your customers away from your door.

Weekly business tip

Meeting your obligations on equality

Employment law is complicated to understand, and this isn't made any easier by the fact that it seems to change or be updated every few months. An area of the law that has changed a lot recently relates to your obligations to equal opportunities and anti-discrimination policies when recruiting a new member of staff.

Below are a few familiar scenarios encountered by small business owners when they decide to expand their businesses and take on new staff. For each one, we've provided you with solutions and tips to try if you do find yourself in these positions.

1) You want to recruit a new employee and are planning to place an ad in the local paper. What are your legal obligations?

You'll have to comply with discrimination legislation, which makes it unlawful for employers to discriminate either directly or indirectly on the grounds of sex, race, disability, religion or sexual orientation. These laws make specific provisions for the recruitment process, including the statements made in job adverts.

Key pieces of law to bear in mind are:

1. The Sex Discrimination Act 1975 and 1986.
2. The Race Relations Act 1976.
3. The Disability Discrimination Act 1995.
4. The Employment Equality (Religion or Belief) Regulations 2003.
5. The Employment Equality (Sexual Orientation) Regulations 2003.

You can get more information about this by going to:
http://www.dti.gov.uk/er/equality

2) You're about to write your job ad, but your business is on the top floor of a building with no lifts. Can you specify that people in wheelchairs should not apply?

At the moment, if you employ fewer than 15 people, you're not legally obliged to comply with the Disability Discrimination Act 1995, which states that you must make physical alterations in order to meet the needs of all employees. However, from 1 October 2004 - yes, that's less than six months away - ALL employers will have to abide by this Act, regardless of how many staff they have. So you need to start thinking about this now if your business needs to make adjustments. And on the subject of job ads, it is illegal for ALL employers to specify that applications from disabled individuals are unwelcome.

You can get more information on the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 at:
http://www.disability.gov.uk/dda

3) You run a pub or nightclub that attracts young clientele, and you only want to hire people under 25. Is this legal?

Currently there is no legislation preventing discrimination on the grounds of age. But age discrimination law will be introduced in the UK by 2006, following an EU Directive on the subject.

You can find out more about this by clicking on:
http://www.agepositive.gov.uk/template2.cfm?sectionid=55

4) OK, so you've placed your job ad and received several CVs and letters of application. Can you keep hold of these for future reference?

You can, but you must let the prospective candidates know that you're planning to do this. And any information you do keep must be treated as confidential, which means storing and disposing of it securely.

The law governing this issue is the Data Protection Act 1998, which is clarified for employers by the Employment Practices Data Protection Code. You can find out more about this by downloading:
http://www.informationcommissioner.gov.uk/cms/DocumentUploads/SMALL%20BUSINESSES%20V1.2.pdf

The Government is proposing a new umbrella Commission for Equality and Human Rights, which will replace the existing Commission for Racial Equality, Equal Opportunities Commission and Disability Rights Commission. This will hopefully provide a resource for clear and relevant information on complying with anti-discrimination law for small businesses. The DTI has published a white paper that provides more details of the new commission and proposes to consolidate all the UK's laws on race, disability, sex and so on into a single law, but we didn't think you'd want to read all 140 pages of it, so watch this space and we'll keep you posted on its progress.

For dozens more scenarios, frequently asked questions and tips on complying with your legal obligations and understanding the laws that apply to small businesses, why not check out the Red Tape BUSTER? It can also provide you with regular alerts telling you when the law will change and give you plain English guidance to every single major piece of business legislation that affects UK firms. Click on http://www.ukredtapebuster.com for details of how the Red Tape BUSTER can help you.

New business idea

Each week we provide you with summaries of some popular or emerging business ideas in the UK.

Here is this week's idea:

• Personal Chef

Just one word

Regularly improving your vocabulary is not just about learning a new word and its meaning. It will improve your general knowledge and make you feel and act smarter in all sorts of personal and business situations.

Do you know what the word 'indemnify' means?

a) guarantee
b) begin legal proceedings
c) merge with another organisation
d) protect or compensate for a loss, or against legal responsibility

Answer at the end of Bulletin.

Did you know?

More trouble for Microsoft ...

Microsoft has issued a security patch to cover yet another flaw in Windows. The new flaw affects Windows XP and Windows Server 2003, and could make computers vulnerable to attackers remotely installing a malicious code that allows them take control of your system. Microsoft says the problem is "important", and urges business owners to download the new patch from its website as soon as possible.

To access Microsoft's monthly security bulletin, where you can download the new patch, go to:

... but the future could be brighter

After a first quarter that has been plagued with security flaws, viruses and hastily released new patches, Microsoft has pledged to address future Windows security by announcing an update to its XP operating system. The new product should be released this summer, and will contain built-in protection against spyware and other malicious software. This could result in almost half the world's computers being safer in the future, as just under 50% of machines currently run Windows XP.

For more about Windows XP for small businesses, go to:
http://www.microsoft.com/smallbusiness/products/os/winxp/detail.mspx

Web users are satisfied

According to a survey published at the international Usability Conference 2004, business websites are improving their navigability, and generally enable users to get what they want. The surveyors 'mystery shopped' on UK and US websites, and concluded that, in terms of facilitating simple tasks like buying something or finding a bit of information, websites are much better than they were in 1997, when a similar study was carried out. However, the researchers found that website search engines ar e not meeting the mark. People are increasingly relying on searches rather than site navigation tools, and the survey revealed shortcomings in this area in some of the websites tested.

For more information, and tips on improving your web search facilities, click on:
http://www.pcworld.com/news/article/0,aid,116060,tk,wb051004x,00.asp

Worth a visit

Top 20 government websites announced

Web monitoring group Hitwise has announced figures that show the most popular central and local government websites, by market share of visits. The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP)'s Jobcentre Plus site comes in top, followed by the Inland Revenue, but the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) site comes in only at 19 out of the 20. While this didn't really surprise us - have you ever tried navigating round the DTI site? - we thought we'd investigate some of the government sites to see which ones are really useful, easy to navigate, and - best of all - do exactly what they say on the tin.

Over the coming weeks we're going to start reviewing these government websites in more detail, and we'll let you know what is, and what is not, worth a visit.

For more details of the Hitwise survey, go to:
http://www.egovmonitor.com/features/hitwise0504a.html

Guide to your business status

A new guide to improve small business owners' understanding of the complexities of legal status has been released by Barclays. 'Make the Most of Your Business Status' is intended for those moving from sole trader to limited company status. You can get it free from all branches or by calling 0800 515462.

For more about the new guide, click on:
http://www.newsroom.barclays.co.uk/news/data/936.html

Health and safety questions answered

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has updated its list of the top 20 frequently asked questions (FAQs) that baffle small business owners. The questions include whether a person can be left alone in their place of work and how to carry out a risk assessment, and they're all backed up with plain English answers and free downloads.

To check out the FAQs, go to:
http://www.hse.gov.uk/contact/faqs/index.htm

Environmental law guidance

A new website to help small businesses understand their legal obligations to the environment has been launched. NetRegs is a free service providing general guidance on regional, national and EU environmental legislation both in force and pending, as well as specific advice for different business sectors. The launch of the new site coincides with a warning to small businesses from the UK's environmental regulators that they must observe environmental legislation or risk hefty 'green' fines.

To access the new website, go to:
http://www.netregs.gov.uk

Worth a read

This is a really inspirational read for budding entrepreneurs. A how-to guide for starting a business that steers clear of complex financial terminology and gloomy warnings about your tax commitments, the book covers how to tell if your business idea is really as good as you think it is and how to price your product or service. Check out:

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Good luck

The EnterQuest Team

This information is meant as a starting point only. Whilst all reasonable efforts have been made, the publisher makes no warranties that the information is accurate and up-to-date and will not be responsible for any errors or omissions in the information nor any consequences of any errors or omissions. Professional advice should be sought where appropriate.