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The downward slide of Crude continues as a barrel of oil falls under $50 for the first time since 2009 and expectations it may reach $40!

Maybe the time has finally come to change the Diesel motor for a nice big petrol number

Hello Hamiltons 

A very short question for one of the worlds most controversial and hotly disputed topics!

I did a 101 guide for people new to the world of SEO which gives you the basics:

SEO 101 for newbies

I've just also posted a link to a superb beginners guide on Moz.com:

Beginners Guide to SEO

Between those two you should get a good grounding. When you have some specific questions, fire away

What is Search Engine Optimization (SEO)?

SEO is the practice of improving and promoting a website in order to increase the number of visitors the site receives from search engines. There are many aspects to SEO, from the words on your page to the way other sites link to you on the web. Sometimes SEO is simply a matter of making sure your site is structured in a way that search engines understand.

Search Engine Optimization isn't just about building search-engine friendly websites. It's about making your site better for people too.

The opening paragraph is taken directly from the Moz.com website, who if you are not familiar with, are renowned industry experts in the field of optimisation knowledge and tools.

The guide is completely free and well worth a read for those who are inexperienced or do have a grounding and fancy a refresher. Enjoy! 

moz.com/beginners-guide-to-seo

If you have any feedback or questions, feel free to discuss below.

I can't believe this scam still continues. This thread started in 2011, you would think by now they would all be closed down, but new ones spring up showing that there is easy money to be made and too many people pay up and fall for it.

There's little Trading Standards can do who are now stretched to the maximum, plus in reality these scams disappear then re-appear.

Just got to keep educating new business owners. Maybe it should be emblazoned on new shiny incorporation certificates, beware of charity and emergency service magazine scams!

It depends which is your primary medium you are using for marketing. The national appliance site sounds a bit like a company we used to work with called service magic, who charged you for leads. Customer calls go to the central number and leads are dished out, that's what you pay for.

Service magic didn't have a particularly good reputation and there are a variety of other subscription based lead finders out there, with varying reputations. Some people love them, some loathe them, but if they bring in business and still generates enough profit it doesn't matter.

To be frank though, you already know what the issue is if you are looking at using the online medium. Your website gives little customer reassurance who come to expect more than home made websites these days. 

Take a fresh look at your online presence. You don't have to spend loads of money, but you do need to craft an online reputation. Look at the places you are currently advertising, including us. Are you making the most of your listings? Reviews is a key element these days, shallow as it may sound to some. People skim read, look for shiny stars and want to hear how good you are. Images and a bit of blurb goes a long way as well, sell yourself. Keep it short concise, useful and visual.

Looking around, the only site you seem to have made a real effort on is freeindex, but you have switched off your reviews, no doubt because someone left a negative one. Trouble is a consumer will look at that and think "problem".

Everyone gets bad reviews from time to time, trick is to generate plenty of good ones, and across multiple reviews sites, including your own Google Local listing.

But I think your actual site will remain the main problem if it is to be a main form of generating custom. Spend a few hundred quid, get a simple but slick site, and if you can afford to spend £600 - 1000 a month, invest it in Google Adwords and drive leads direct to your website.

Or is it worth trying to go down the contracts route rather than generating new individual customers. ie local authorities, care homes, schools, doctors surgeries, large organisations etc and being their outsourced appliance support. Won't even need a website then

Just saw this Julia! How did it go? Hope you pointed the listeners this way 

That sounds very encouraging. So much more less hassle selling to people who already know you and use your services.

This is going to be the basis of our own growth strategy over the next 3 years, albeit with a different product to what we currently offer.

So if our big wannabe London office was to follow a new years health regime and I wanted to negotiate a corporate package price and offer 30 individual employees a one time use of your service, would this constitute a haggle? Or would it be a fixed price per person or already established business rate with no room to manoeuvre? With the prospect of possible missing out on 30 new clients?

I reckon I could charm a little haggle out of you 

Ahh am very experienced with that particular sales system

Here is a pic from my travels around India, displaying a more honest sales approach.

Works best when read in an local accent..

(which according to my Asian mates normally sounds Welsh when I do it.)

But I shall have to agree to disagree  For me haggling and negotiation are one of the same.

It might be a bit more sophisticated at the boardroom tendering process, but it's still both sides haggling and jockeying for the best position/margin/outcome.

Be quite impressive to get any haggling value out of a Tescos tin of beans, but go to the distribution centre and talk about damaged pallets and I bet you'll get a bargain.

Currys are always good for a haggle and never accept the initial ticket price. Sometimes they can't reduce the price of an item past a promotion point, but they can chuck in other stuff. eg start sniffing around a TV, get some money off, then get them to throw in a decent HDMI cable.

Markets of any description are good haggling zones if you can be bothered, but trade fairs are one of the best places to haggle/negotiate, just use ticket prices as a rough guide. Sales guys are under pressure to get results and ensure the event was a success, with sales figures not necessarily reflecting normally acceptable margins. But they can spin stats by telling the world how popular products are and drive demand.

I think Brits abroad on the whole aren't too bad at haggling from what I've seen, although they lose confidence at home. Compared to Americans who seem to have a built in total fear of haggling

Have spent numerous times wondering around MiddleEastern bazaars and Souqs telling owners I'm British not American, and the price is adjusted yet again for a special English price 

But can I get any discount on our rent or BT landlines? Nope

I got an email from MoneySavingExpert.com which I glanced through and they had done a top 10 ways to save money in 2015.

Number 9 got my attention:

9. become a haggler every time I renew a contract. Whether car insurance, broadband, home phone or roadside recovery, if you auto-renew you’re likely paying too much...

1) Switch. The best deals are usually reserved for new customers as firms push their marketing budgets into promos. For those see our broadband, car insurance, home phone, digital TV and cheap breakdown cover guides.

2) Stick but haggle. If you're happy with the service, haggle. The powerhouse trick is to threaten to leave so you get put through to disconnections, known internally as ‘customer retentions’, as their job's to keep you

So great advice and obviously aimed at the consumer. But what about the business owner?

We all have a lot of services that tend to roll from one year to the next, insurance, hosting, phones etc. Does anyone try haggling or had any success haggling with regular suppliers?

I do like a good haggle when I'm in the mood, but other than initial discounts when setting up with a supplier, I think it's hard to negotiate a discount in year 2+ when it comes to things like fixed business costs such as hosting, landline phones, office rent etc. Or do other people have more success?

Other costs like Mobile phones are a different case and you can definitely haggle, even with a business account. Then other suppliers seem to vary but you don't get if you don't ask!

Are you a natural haggler and relish talking to the disconnection department or doing battle with the sales bod? Or are you one of lifes auto re-newers which we all seem to fall victim to sooner or later