What do I need to do?

You don’t need to do anything at all! This is just a change of our twitter name, so you will still be following us, and  all other BT Tradespace info will remain as it is. We’ll still be sharing the same sort of business information, useful guides for SMEs, hints and tips and guest blogs from experts in their field and this will have no impact on your account.

 If you have any questions, do send us a tweet @bttradespace or @btmarketing4biz

 Look forward to tweeting with you very soon!

The experts in the team will talk you through what you need, from getting started, defining calls to action, adding functionality, payments & ecommerce and attracting customers.

“I didn’t know BT designed websites!” We hear you cry… Well,  you can find out all about the services on offer and check out their website design packages.

Snap up your free web review today.

These days, most of us are pretty familiar with making bookings online. We do it for our holidays including flights and hotels.  We use it to help our social lives by booking restaurants, film tickets and nights out at the theatre. And if you’re like me – if it can’t be booked online – I’m not booking it at all!

We also know most people surf the web for information in the evenings and on weekends but even while your customers are looking you up 24/7, who wants to be on call 24hrs a day to take bookings and enquires? That’s why we introduced BT Book it now. An online bookings tool, it’s designed to allow you to capture bookings 24hrs a day, 7 days a week in the easiest way. So whenever your customers are online they can see when you’re available for appointments, and take action right then to book a time slot.

If you haven’t done so already, you can get a taster of the simple free version of the tool simply by logging in, clicking on My Tradespace and enabling BT Book it now from your dashboard (if you have an enhanced Tradespace). This will allow you to load a single bookable service (of one hour duration) and you can promote it as ‘Book a time to discuss your needs’ to convert people browsing your Tradespace into new customers.

But if you really want to ditch the paper diary, and drive more business from both new and existing customers, then the BT Book it now Basic and Advanced accounts could be for you.  That’s why we’re now giving you the opportunity to use the advanced version of BT Book it now free for one month!

The advanced version of BT Book it now allows you to:

• Load multiple services, including details on their duration and price
• Accept full payment or a deposit for your services via PayPal when bookings are made
• Send text message reminders to customers before their appointment, so no-shows will be a thing of the past!
• Add a ‘Book Now’ button or calendar widget to your own website to capture bookings from both new and existing customers browsing your site.
• Add in details about all your employees and allow customers to select who they have their appointment with

And more! So whether you’re a sole trader or you manage multiple staff and other resources like rooms and equipment, BT Book it now can be tailored to fit your needs. Check out the product information page to see the full feature line up and experience a test booking on our demo site:

How to take up this great trial offer:

• To try the advanced version free for one month, start your free trial by registering here
• Once your account has been activated, check out the ‘Need Help?’ section within your bookings account for details on how to set up all the features of your new bookings service.
• If you’d like to have the bookings service on your Tradespace as well as on your own website, you’ll need to set up the ‘Services’ page on your Tradespace, and activate the bookings account, this connects everything together.
• At the end of your free trial you’ll have the option of continuing to use the upgraded account by paying the standard monthly rates online, or you can end the trial and downgrade back to a free account for continued use on your Tradespace.

So what are you waiting for? Start your free trial today.

Notes

If you do downgrade back to free, any information you load under options available only on the basic/advanced accounts (e.g multiple service detail, online payments etc) will be deleted and you will be returned to a single bookable service.

[Chair scrapes on the floor as she gets to her feet]

“Hello there, I…I’m a copywriter and a social media user.”

Phew, finally I’ve said it. Yes, I am a social media user and I’m proud of it.

It’s not only a great way of making new connections, finding new clients and generally interacting with fun people it also means you can network all the time. Face to face events are great but social media gives you the power to network 24/7 if you really wanted to.

There is one problem though – there are a lot of auditionees for Spamalot out there.

You see, social media and social networking isn’t about pushing your business all the time. Yes, they are effective marketing channels but not if that’s all you do. Some business users will just constantly tweet about their promotions, news, what they’re doing, a few more promotions and then they wonder why people have stopped following them.

The problem is constant self promotion is spam and social media is more about connecting with people than selling to them.

Before you start shouting, yes, social media is a marketing tool:

• You can encourage newsletter sign ups
• Promote eBooks and give-aways
• Promote offers and use a call to action to send them to your website
• Give information that points to particular products

But if that is the only way you use it, it won’t be long before you’ve really hacked off your followers. Lets face it, if you went to a networking event and launched into your sales patter without introducing yourself and asking about your conversation partner you’d become very lonely very quickly.

Think of it primarily as a tool to connect with people:

• Listen to what people are talking about, you might be able to help them
• Find out what they’re saying about you (great for customer research)
• Engage with followers to find out what they are looking for
• Build relationships with people you wouldn’t normally come across
• Give advice and ask for help

You can also use social media to promote other people. If someone’s helped you out tell people. If you come across someone who can help another follower, put them in touch.

Social media is about connecting, reciprocity and marketing

To get the most out of it, use it wisely, be generous with your information, connect and build relationships.

Sally is a freelance copywriter based in the UK. Through her business, Briar Copywriting, she works with a vast range of companies, from home businesses and SMEs to blue chip companies around the world to create eye-catching, compelling copy which boost their sales and market visibility. Also a prolific blogger and twitter, when she’s not working she’s being mum’s taxi to her 2 sons.

Charles Conway, web designer and editor of scam awareness website Scam Detectives doesn’t agree. He believes that small businesses are actually more at risk of being ripped off.  That’s why he’s launched a new book exposing the methods used by hi-tech criminals to part hard working business owners from their cash, giving practical advice and tips on how you can secure your IT systems, train your staff and arm yourself with the knowledge to outwit the scammers.

We had a chat with Charles about how he came to launch Scam Detectives, the idea behind the book, and some of the online risks faced by businesses in today’s Global online marketplace.

Scam Detectives has become a hugely popular website, what prompted you to build the website in the first place?

The website started, as many projects do, with a throwaway comment. My wife came home from work one day telling me about a colleague who had bought a load of Christmas presents online but hadn’t received them. It became obvious that her friend had no idea what to look for when shopping online.  “Why don’t you build a website to help people like her” said Christine.  A month later I launched Scam Detectives and the rest, as they say, is history!” We’re now attracting over 5,000 readers every week.

I’m sure many Tradespacers would like to know how you’ve attracted so many readers to a site that’s only been online for just over a year. What’s your secret?

There’s no “magic bullet” but I’ve been very lucky.  The media has taken a real interest in what we’re doing, and I’ve appeared on a number of radio shows talking about current scams and giving advice on how Internet users can stay safe. Back in July, Scam Detectives was shortlisted for a Nominet Internet Award in the “making the Internet safer” category alongside BeatBullying, The Vodafone Parent’s Guide, E-Crime Wales and the Business Crime Reduction Partnership, which was a fantastic achievement for such a new project.  We’ve also featured on the BBC news website and have loads of press clippings in our scrapbook!

The online community has also been fantastic, really getting behind Scam Detectives and featuring the content on their own websites and blogs. Twitter and Facebook have played their part too, along with BT Tradespace of course!

What are the major online threats facing business owners right now, and what can they do to protect themselves?

Whilst awareness of scams such as “phishing” and advance fee fraud is growing, people are still falling for them and losing significant amounts of money. Scammers are getting smarter and varying their approach drastically to catch people off-guard, so whilst a business owner may delete an email from an “exiled Nigerian ex-President”, an opportunity to help a foreign firm invest a large amount of money in the UK in return for a hefty commission could be very tempting.

Businesses are now quite used to receiving email enquiries from all over the world, so it’s quite commonplace to be approached by a potential client from the other side of the world, and it’s easy to be blinded by the chance of earning a quick profit and to take these emails at face value.

Corporate Identity Theft seems to be very much on the rise at the moment too, with hacked email accounts being used to place large orders with suppliers which to all intents and purposes seem perfectly legitimate, until the client queries the invoice at the end of the month.

Businesses also need to be very aware of threats to their IT security which could come from within, with naive members of staff accidentally downloading viruses or spyware from social networking websites like Facebook and Twitter, incorrectly using email in a way that could expose your business to a fine for breaching data protection, or even using seemingly innocent electronics like mp3 players, smartphones and digital cameras to steal sensitive Company data for their own ends.

The biggest threat however is complacency. The moment a business owner starts to think “But it couldn’t happen to me” is the moment that they become most at risk of being targeted by cybercriminals intent on taking them for a ride.

There’s plenty that business owners can do to protect themselves but the key is education. If you and your staff know what “red flags” indicate a scam, how to recognise dodgy links on social networking sites and what subtle indicators they should be looking for when placing (or receiving) an order online, that’s half the battle.

You’ve just launched a new book aimed at helping businesses to stay safe online. What’s it all about?

The book’s called “Scammers, Spammers & Social Engineers: A Scam Detectives guide to keeping your business safe online”. Basically, it’s the culmination of a year’s work investigating scams and social engineering techniques, talking to victims and scammers alike, to get an inside look at how businesses are targeted, how the scams work and what businesses can do to protect themselves.

Over 8 chapters, the book explores the threats that could emanate from within your own organization, looking at how your own staff could use your IT systems to steal money or sensitive data, or accidentally infect your systems with viruses and malware, the risks of allowing your staff unrestricted access to social media websites, other ways that viruses and malware could infect your systems and some of the scams that could lead to your business losing hard cash or goods to criminals who have no intention of paying you for them, or even land an unwary entrepreneur in serious trouble with the authorities. As well as explaining the techniques used by scammers and hackers, I’ve outlined some practical, inexpensive steps that any business can take to protect their systems and train their staff to be more security conscious.

Now you’ve got the book launched, what are your plans for developing the Scam Detectives project over the next year?

We have a lot of exciting stuff in the pipeline.  I’m already writing my second book, which will look at scams that target consumers, and we’re very close to launching a suite of resources for primary schools to teach kids about how they can use the Internet safely, which has been trialled successfully in one school already.  I’ve had some discussions with a couple of TV production companies and have just agreed to write a regular column in Spain’s largest English language newspaper, Euro Weekly News.

Links:
Clear as Crystal Web Design
http://www.clearascrystal.we.bs
Tradespace: http://clearascrystalwebdesign.bttradespace.com/
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/crystalweb

Scam Detectives
http://www.scam-detectives.co.uk
Tradespace: http://scam-detectives.bttradespace.com
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/scam_detectives
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/scamdetectives

Through its diligence, consumers have been able to buy in confidence. But the emergence of the internet and online marketing was threatening to thwart its good work. Online marketers couldn’t be touched by the ASA and were able to make all sorts of outlandish promises.

But that’s all about to change.

From 1st March 2011 marketing communications on websites will be covered by the ASA

What that means to you

The ASA’s new powers cover all your marketing communications on your website and other non-paid-for space under your control if you operate from the UK.

Its extended remit will cover:

• Your company’s own marketing messages on its websites
• Your company’s marketing communications in other non-paid-for space which is under your control (such as social networking sites line Facebook and Twitter)

So if your website guarantees the delivery of goods within 24 hours you must do that. If you offer a service, your claims must be genuine and truthful unlike the recent exaggerated broadband speed claims.

The ASA and social media

The incorporation of social media into the remit is where things get tricky.

Basically, any claims published by you on your Facebook pages or Twitter accounts must be adhered to as they will come within the realms of the ASA ruling.

Now as you know, one of the main aspects of social networking is encouraging user generated content – things like comments and tweets. So how does this new ruling affect them?

Well if they’re generated by the public they won’t fall within the new guidelines but if you adopt them as part of your marketing campaigns, they will. For example if you use photos of customers enjoying your product, they will fall within the remit of the ASA. If you, as a company, re-tweet a comment by a follower on Twitter (e.g. regarding the availability of a certain item in store that day), it will fall within the ASA’a remit.

Why you need to know this

This new ruling will affect all online businesses and will have far reaching consequences for you should you fall foul of them.

So it’s well worth taking the time to visit the ASA website for more information to make sure all your marketing communications comply.

Don’t let your company be the one to feel the wrath of the ASA.

Sally is a freelance copywriter based in the UK. Through her business, Briar Copywriting, she works with a vast range of companies, from home businesses and SMEs to blue chip companies around the world to create eye-catching, compelling copy which boosts their sales and market visibility. Also a prolific blogger and twitter, when she’s not working she’s being mum’s taxi to her 2 sons.

Scott looks back on the day he almost didn’t make it, a drained Dermot looks forward to the finish line and it’s an emotional end as the entire trek team complete their epic journey.

The celebrity team’s incredible efforts will raise money to help people living unimaginably tough lives both across Africa and the UK,  and just £5 could pay for a sight-saving operation for someone in Africa. So Please donate now.

Forging on across the vast desert plains, with temperatures soaring to 48 degrees, emotions run high on the penultimate day of the trek. It’s been the hardest day so far, by far – but with the final push still to come, will they all make it to the end?

The team are heading towards a sight camp where tomorrow they will meet people living within the desert region who will be able to get treatment for the conditions that are causing them to lose their sight.

The celebrity team’s incredible efforts will raise money to help people living unimaginably tough lives both across Africa and the UK, and in particular they will be highlighting the issue of sight. Money they raise will go to Comic Relief projects which include those that help to prevent thousands of people in Africa from going blind or contracting terrible eye conditions like trachoma, something which affects many people living in the region where the trek is taking place.

Every minute, a child goes blind somewhere in the world and the effect is truly devastating. Tragically, up to fifty per cent of all children who lose their sight will die within two years. What makes these figures even more astonishing is that eighty per cent of all blindness is preventable and just £5 could pay for a sight-saving operation for someone in Africa who’s suffering from a debilitating eye condition called trachoma. Please donate now.

The team have been spurred on by Monday’s announcement that the BT Chat For Change Day on Friday 18th February has so far raised a whopping £203,000 for The BT Red Nose Desert Trek. On behalf of its customers, BT donated 1p to Comic Relief for every call made from a BT home phone line as well as every call made from a BT payphone. Plus they donated 25p for every call to BT’s Directory Enquiry Service 118500 from any landline or mobile.

The brave trekkers are aiming to raise money for Comic Relief to help people living unimaginably tough lives in Africa and the UK. Just a small amount of money can make a huge difference – so please sponsor our BT Desert Trekkers now!

Scott Mills and Craig David discuss sweltering quiche while Lorraine Kelly reveals she’s so hot you could fry an egg on her head… confirming her status as one of the nation’s favourite breakfast faces.

The brave trekkers are aiming to raise money for Comic Relief to help people living unimaginably tough lives in Africa and the UK. Just a small amount of money can make a huge difference – so please sponsor our BT Desert Trekkers now!

After waking bright and early at 5.30am, the courageous team of celebrities got off to a dramatically rocky start as day one of The BT Red Nose Desert Trek began. The first feat they had to overcome was a steep climb over a 4,000 ft hill in 35 degree temperatures.

The brave trekkers are aiming to raise money for Comic Relief to help people living unimaginably tough lives in Africa and the UK. Just a small amount of money can make a huge difference – so please sponsor our BT Desert Trekkers now!

BBC Radio 4 presenter Peter White and singer Craig David visited a Sightsavers clinic in Samburu on Sunday afternoon to find out about the kind of work they do in Kenya preventing and treating eye diseases like trachoma and cataracts. The BT Red Nose Desert Trek will be helping raise money to support similar projects across the barren Marsabit district where the trek is taking place. Peter White has firsthand experience of what it’s like to be blind, but was shocked at just how tough life can be for people living in such a remote and poverty isolated area of Africa.

Our brave trekkers are aiming to raise money for Comic Relief to help people living unimaginably tough lives in Africa and the UK. Just a small amount of money can make a huge difference – so make sure you sponsor our BT Desert Trekkers now!

Day 0 – The Acclimatisation Walk

A day before the BT Red Nose Desert Trek begins in earnest, our celebs (and a few faithful donkey companions) warm up with a deceptively gentle stroll through the Samburu bush. They know that soon they’ll be crossing the mountain range in Marsabit on their way to the Kaisut Desert.

What’s it all for?

The celebrity team’s incredible efforts will raise money to help people living unimaginably tough lives both across Africa and the UK. In particular they will be highlighting the issue of sight. Money they raise will go to Comic Relief projects which include those that help to prevent thousands of people in Africa from going blind or contracting terrible eye conditions like trachoma, something which affects many people living in the region where the trek is taking place.

Every minute, a child goes blind somewhere in the world and the effect is truly devastating. Tragically, up to fifty per cent of all children who lose their sight will die within two years.  What makes these figures even more astonishing is that eighty per cent of all blindness is preventable and just £5 could pay for a sight-saving operation for someone in Africa who’s suffering from a debilitating eye condition called trachoma. So make a donation now and make a difference!

We’ll be following all the ups and downs of their journey right here on BT Tradespace so tune in again tomorrow for the next days adventures and see how the team cope with their first day on the trek.

* Special case studies as Featured Tradespacers
* Our newsletter articles
* Other BT marketing pieces…

So here’s your chance to get featured, get noticed, and get more business… In 2011, we’re looking to feature some business trends on and off BT Tradespace. So, if you’re a budding online retailer using our new Tradespace Storefronts, or a community addict who loves chatting in the Tradespace community, we want to hear from you. Maybe you think you’ve got the best looking Tradespace around? Or you could be a social entrepreneur and have a unique story to tell – if this is you, don’t hesitate to get in touch by commenting below (don’t forget to give us your Tradespace URL) and let us into your world, because it’s all about you!

Update 22nd July 2011:

Tradespace Storefront is currently closed to new registrations. If you already have a Tradespace Storefront you can continue to manage your shop as normal.

The beauty of BT Tradespace is that as well as offering the powerful ecommerce tools available in your Tradespace Storefront, your customers can also get to know you through your business profile.

Creating an eye-catching Tradespace is a great way to engage with your customers. And one way of achieving that is through the product carousel on your Business Homepage.
First things first, you’ll to have set up enhanced business profile on BT Tradespace and registered for Tradespace Storefront

How do I activate my product carousel?

Your product carousel will automatically appear when you have at least 3 valid products in your store (see below).

How many products can I have in the carousel?

The product carousel will hold up to 9 products in total.

How can I determine which products will be displayed?

The product carousel will display:

• Items you have selected as featured on your shop homepage
• Items currently on sale
• Your 3 most recently added products

But I have lots of products, how will I know which will appear?

If you have a lot of products that fulfil the above criteria, the product carousel will display the most recently updated items in each category.

Therefore your carousel will always display:

• 3 featured items
• 3 new items
• 3 sale items

What if I don’t have enough in each category?

That’s not a problem. If, for example, you don’t have any items on sale we’ll fill up your carousel with either featured or new items.

How frequently will the items in my product carousel change?

The items displayed in your product carousel with change automatically as and when you update your products. So the more frequently you add new items to your store, the more often the items in your carousel will change.

Update 22nd July 2011:

Tradespace Storefront is currently closed to new registrations. If you already have a Tradespace Storefront you can continue to manage your shop as normal.

Setting up your Our Shop Home Page

Here’s our step by step guide to making your Tradespace Storefront homepage look fantastic.
First of all you’ll need to be logged into Seller Central, which you can access via your ‘My Tradespace‘
Once in Seller Central, the Categories & Pages section is where you can create and customise your home page. The Categories & Pages section provides options that enable you to:

* Provide the introductory text your customers will see when they open the home page
* Add products to the Sale Item Section of the home page
* Add products to the Featured Item Section of the home page
* Choose a highlighted category of products that you would like to show on your home page
* Choose a display image that corresponds to the highlighted category you have selected

To open the Categories & Pages page:

Click the down-arrow next to Store Design and then click Categories & Pages.

To add introductory text to your shop homepage and category pages:

1. Click the down-arrow next to Store Design and then click Categories & Pages.
2. Click in the Introduction text field and enter some text that introduces your site to your customer. Your introduction must be in plain text. You cannot use HTML

3. To format your text, use the formatting buttons located above the text field.

You can add products that you want to feature as sale items by adding products to the Sale Item Section of the home page.

To add a product to the sales items selection:

1. Click the down-arrow next to Store Design and then click Categories & Pages.
2. Under the Sale Item Section, click Add Products. The Assign Products list appears.
3. Use the search tools at the top and bottom of the list to locate the correct page.
4. Select the desired SKU for the product and then click Assign Selected Product

You can add products that you want to show in Tradespace Featured Product results by adding products to the Feature Item Section of the homepage.

To add a product to the feature items selection:

1. Click the down-arrow next to Store Design and then click Categories & Pages.
2. Under the Feature Item section, click Add Products. The Assign Products list appears.
3. Use the options at the top and bottom of the list to navigate to the desired page.
4. Select the desired SKU for the product and then click Assign Selected Products

You can also highlight a particular category that you want to show on your homepage. This includes adding an image to highlight the category you have selected.

To choose a highlighted category:

1. Click the down-arrow next to Store Design and then click Categories & Pages.
2. Under the Highlighted Category section, click Choose a Category. The Select Browse Nodes window appears
3. Select the desired category, and click select node, and then click OK

NOTE: Clicking on the Go to Categorybutton takes you to the Category Page list.

To choose an image to display for the highlight category you selected:

1. Click the down-arrow next to Store Design and then click Categories & Pages.
2. Under the Highlighted Category section, click Choose a Product Image or Upload an Image to choose an image you have previously uploaded or to choose a new image that is stored on your computer. Images display best if they are 160 x 160 pixels. If you want to replace an existing image, use the Remove button to remove the image you currently have displayed for your highlighted category before you add a new one.

3. This module will also display the introductory text for the category you have selected. To add introductory text to a category, select the category from the left hand list and enter text as described above for the Shop homepage

Select Save changes to save the changes you have made.

Then, once you’re happy with how everything looks, you’ll just need to ‘Publish’ your site to make your changes live.

We’ll be rolling up our sleeves behind the scenes to make sure that site is down for no longer than absolutely necessary and we hope you understand that it’s because we want to make things better. So, all we ask is that you hang in there with us and you’ll see – it will be worth it!
If you have any concerns or questions, of course, we’re on hand to help – just let us know in our customer service community. But in the mean time, why not have sneak peek at what we’re all buzzing about!

A special extra note for new Tradespace Storefront customers:

If you’ve taken advantage of the early registration period and are in the process of setting up your new Tradespace Storefront, the good news is that you’ll still be able to access Seller Central while we’re working on the Tradespace site. So you can continue to load products and set up your shop pages ready for the big reveal on Monday.

To access your Storefront over the weekend, simply log in to Amazon Seller Central

I want one. How do I register?

Early registration is now open, so if you simply can’t wait to get your hands on a new Storefront nows the time to get started. Your first step is to check out our how to guide on the registration process Then log in to your Tradespace to begin the set up.

During this early registration period, any changes and updates you make won’t be visible to the public until launch day, 15^th November but you’ll still have access to all the tools to load your products and create your categories so you’re ready to go.

What will happen to my old PayPal shop?

If you already sell on BT Tradespace, the service that is available to you is about to made bigger and better by harnessing the power of Amazon. But to make room for your new Tradespace Storefront your old PayPal shop will be closing so here are a few things you need to know:

• You will be able to use your existing PayPal shop until right up until we switch things over, but after 12^th November it will be switched off.
• All the content you’ve loaded into your PayPal shop will no longer be accessible once we launch the new Storefronts.
• Don’t worry all the information about transactions made through your PayPal shop will be safe and sound. All you have to do is log in to your PayPal account to access it as you’ll no longer be able to link to it from your Tradespace.

But I want to keep a shop. What do I do?

We also want you to stay with Tradespace so you can benefit from the new and improved tools on our Amazon powered Tradespace Storefront. To set up your new shop you’ll have to register for your Tradespace Storefront.

It’s really easy and you have time to get everything moved across before your new Tradespace Storefront goes live.

Please note, the new Tradespace Storefronts will go live to the public on 15^th November, If you register during the special early registration period your shop won’t be visible to the public, and not all of the preview features will be available. But we wanted to give you the opportunity to be get started as soon as possible.

If you’ve got any questions or feedback about the new Tradespace Storefronts we’d love to hear from you.  And you can take a sneek peek at what will look like once everything’s live here

Update 22nd July 2011:

Tradespace Storefront is currently closed to new registrations. If you already have a Tradespace Storefront you can continue to manage your shop as normal.

Registering for your new Tradespace Storefront is easy.

It’s best to have your business information to hand before you start along with a few product details to get you started.

1. Log in with your username and password.

You’ll need to have an enhanced business profile to add a shop to your Tradespace. This is quick and free to set up, plus we’ve step-by-step instructions to guide you through.

2. Open the shop set-up wizard to begin selling online.

You’ll find this in My Tradespace.

• Click on ‘Manage my Tradespace’.
• Go to ‘Our shop’.
• Click on ‘Set up yout Tradespace Storefront’.

3.  Amazon registration.

The next screen you will see will look like this:

If you already sell on Amazon Marketplace (a subscription based service from Amazon that allows you to see on Amazon.co.uk), sign in with your existing username and password. If not, complete the registration section.

4. Complete your business details

Then all you have to do is complete a few business details as prompted on the screens

You’ll need a credit card to register for Tradespace Storefront

This is for two reasons:
1) It helps to verify your identity so we can ensure everything is secure
2) The credit card is used to bill any Final value fees you may have through sales via Tradespace.

You only pay when you make a sale. Storefront is free to set up, with no monthly fees and no listing charges, just a 10% final value fee is applied to all successful sales. But there is a special offer on between now and the end of the year and you will pay no fees at all until after December 31st 2010.

Once you’ve entered all you business details, the next step is to start loading your first products and categories. It can up to 7mins for the Set up wizard to load, so please be patient.

5. Complete the set up wizard

• Add information to your Shop homepage
• Load your first few products
• Create your first categories

You’ll be able to edit these details and add additional information later as well, but it’s a good way to get your shop started. Once you’ve completed the wizard your shop will be created! This can take 15 – 30minutes

6. Ready to launch?

You will receive an email from Amazon confirming your registration with a link to the Seller Central platform from where you can continue to customise your Tradespace Storefront, upload products and create additional categories.  One key thing to do before you launch your store is to set up your Shop homepage.

There are plenty of help documents and tutorials, in ‘Help’ section of Seller Central, you’ll find link to help in the top right of all the pages.

Once you’re happy with the information you’ve loaded you then just need to ‘Launch’ your Shop to ensure it appears on the Tradespace site as soon as we go live. You’ll find the buttons to launch your store on your Seller Central homepage, and also in the ‘Publish’ section.

For more information on categories, product loading and publishing, see the ‘Help’ section within your new Seller Central account.

7. You’re done!

We’re sure you’ll like your new Tradespace Storefront, but if you have any questions please just drop us a line in the BT Tradespace customer service community

And that’s why there’s something new on the way…

Harnessing the power of Amazon

That’s right. BT Tradespace has established a unique relationship with Amazon to launch the new Tradespace Storefront

What is Tradespace Storefront?

Tradespace Storefront is powered by Amazon WebStore technology and will offer an impressive range of retail tools such as:

• Bulk uploads
• The creation of products with variations such as colour, or size
• Display multiple images of your products with a zoom feature
• Secure payment processing through customers’ Amazon accounts
• Robust platform powered by Amazon

Plus, it’s free to set up with no monthly fees and you’ll only pay when you make a sale (10% final value fee applies to all transactions). But, we’re giving you an early Christmas present and you’ll pay no fees at all until after 31st December 2010.

What happens now?

If you already have a BT Tradespace shop, the new Tradespace Storefront will replace your existing PayPal shop so you will need to register for a Tradespace Storefront – but not yet.

We’ll be sending all BT Tradespacers an email when it’s time to register so keep an eye on your in box.

If you don’t have a shop at the moment but want one, again you’ll receive an email telling you when you can register. But you must have an enhanced BT Tradespace. So while you’re waiting to register why not log in to your Tradespace now and click on the Enhance your Tradespace button to make the most of your profile.

What will it look like?

Want a sneaky peek? Thought you might, so follow this link to see what’s new.

A little about the event and the charity -

Afrikids is a multi award winning Child Rights Organisation, which works alongside indigenous communities in Ghana to improve the quality of life for rejected and vulnerable children. On 4th December 2010 Augustine Asare, Finance and Accounting Manager at Sony, will be climbing Kilimanjaro as a part of a drive to raise money to support their amazing work. You can read more about their work here: http://afrikids.org/

The event on the 23rd September is a great opportunity for Tradespacers to network and promote your products and services with professionals from companies including Sony, Proctor & Gamble, Barclaycard and more.

We’ve been given a special discount of 15% on any ticket you purchase. All proceeds go to Afrikids. Just use this exclusive link set up for BT Tradespace to purchase your tickets.

Tickets include: A free drink on entry (18:30 to 19:15), Food Feast (with complementary wine, assorted juice, still/sparkling water)

•             Come along and chat to Ghanaian High Commissioner who is attending
•             Bid in the silent auction: Sony has donated several HD products including their latest HD camcorder
•             Buy a ticket and be in for a chance to win a bottle of Veuve Clicquot champagne on the night
•             Enjoy a game of poker at the Super Casino on the night

More information can be found here along with contact information of the organisers.

Enjoy!

Let’s face it, I’m a contender.

Now please don’t go thinking that I’ve strayed into life coaching territory with this particular blog.

I haven’t.

I was inspired to write it after spending a couple of days last week with a group of very talented women.  My role was to empower them with some gutsy direct mail and telephone cold calling techniques, on a shoestring as you would expect.

I opened up the first day by asking each delegate to share a little about themselves and what they were hoping to gain from our time together.  With things nicely warmed up on the second day, I asked them to share what they most liked about themselves and the more things that they could come up with, the merrier.  It was an eye-opening exercise. These chatty, enthusiastic women were, with the exception of one lady, struggling to say something positive about themselves.  And that got me thinking about how reluctant we can be to praise ourselves and to boost our self-esteem by carrying out a regular stock take of our assets. Is it perhaps because when we were children we were told that discussing our achievements was boastful or an act of showing off?

I don’t know.

But what I do know, is that I’ve been able to push out of my comfort zone on more times than I can remember, simply by telling myself just how far I’ve come, what I have achieved and what a talented human being I am.

And it works.

For example when public speaking, I know that if I don’t “big myself up” before the compere finishes introducing me, then I won’t stride towards the stage feeling fantastic, with a big beam on my face, ready to face the audience.  I would not have written a book and had the temerity to push it under the nose of many influential people had I not told myself that I was a brilliant writer.  It doesn’t stop that little voice creeping in occasionally, trying to sabotage things by reminding me of my flaws.  However, the more I keep on introducing myself to my positive self-esteem, the more I seem able to achieve.

So I would like to ask you one thing. Are you reminding yourself regularly of how great you are, and of the talent you possess?  Because if you’re not, you could be seriously short-changing yourself.  Tell me, how do you nurture your positive self-esteem? And scouts honour, I promise that after this fluffy aberration, I will be back on the marketing track.

About the Author

Dee Blick of The Marketing Gym is a multi-award winning Chartered Marketer with 26 years marketing experience gained working with blue chips and home-based businesses.  Dee is also the author of the bestseller Powerful Marketing on a Shoestring Budget for Small Businesses (currently there are 22 5 star reader reviews on Amazon!)  In addition to being an active blogger and twitter, Dee is the weekly marketing columnist for the Financial Mail

If you’ve missed any of  Dee’s previous blogs for BT Tradespace, we’ve added them below for you:

Great News! You Don’t Have To Be Unique to Be Brilliantly Successful

So Just What is Marketing?

Prawn sandwich or pierced earrings?

Hook, Line & Sinker

Inspire me and I’m yours!

Is traditional marketing on its knees?

Speak up..Is it time you took to the stage?

We’re in a generous mood here today at BT Tradespace Towers. We’ve been given a ticket to The Mumpreneur Conference that is taking place in Birmingham this Saturday, 18th September 10am – 4.30pm.

It’s super simple to get your hands on the ticket, just send an email including your full name and contact number and we will be giving the ticket to the first entry we receive today.

As soon as we’ve received our winning entry, we’ll update the blog to let everyone know.

Now to the nitty gritty stuff -

The give away is for 1 ticket only to The Mumpreneur Conference In Birmingham.

No travel costs will be included, the winner will have to arrange all travel & assosiated costs themselves.

There is no cash alternitive for this prize.

The winner will be notified by email on Tuesday 14th September by 5pm

If the winner cannot be reached by 4pm on Tuesday 14th Septmeber, the prize will be offered to the next entry.

Good luck!

Come and join the discussion in our Christmas Community and you never know, you may even pick up a few ideas  and some new contacts while you are there!

If you’d like to create your own community, take a look at our help guide here ‘How to create a community that works’ and get chatting.