Barclays is launching a series of free seminars to help SMEs weather the recession.

The seminars will allow owners to take a step back from their business – looking at where they are going, who their customers are and how they can market their business in the current climate.

The Let’s Talk More Profit and Let’s Talk Bright Marketing seminars kick off from 6th May 2009 until late November with the first ones happening in Nottingham and Stratford-upon-Avon.

Research from Barclays Local Business showed that despite the importance of customers, pricing and staff to businesses, these were areas which hadn’t had the priority.

By giving business owners the key skills the majority went on to make changes to their business:

· Seven in ten had confidence to approach new customers

· 43 per cent sought out cheaper suppliers

· 43 per cent changed the way they charged for a service

John Davis, Barclays local business marketing director says, “Our innovative seminars to support the SME sector give businesses key tactics to make fundamental improvements even during these testing times.

“We know from our last programme of Let’s Talk Profit and Marketing seminars that after attending seven in ten business owners had the confidence to approach new customers, one of the most important elements to any business.

“The skills and networking opportunities that business owners pick up at these seminars will certainly help them to go on to survive and thrive in this climate.”

The seminars have been developed by Barclays and are being delivered by leading business gurus who have worked with organisations across diverse sectors and size, helping companies face the challenges of business by implementing strategies and processes that focus on customers and profitability.

Let’s Talk Bright Marketing makes businesses re-think how they get and keep customers, helping them focus their marketing activities more effectively and profitably, see their business and products through their customers’ eyes, to take control of their sales and marketing activity.

Let’s Talk More Profit makes businesses re-think how they make their money giving them tools and techniques to improve profits in their business, improve cashflow and how to make it all happen by getting more customers, more sales, more profits and more cash.

The first 18 are happening in the following areas, the next 17 will be happening from September with dates and places to be confirmed nearer the time.

Date	Venue	Town	Seminar
06-May	The Village	Nottingham	Profit
07-May	Stratford Manor Hotel	Stratford-upon-Avon	Profit
14-May	Ramada Bristol City	Bristol	Profit
20-May	Hilton Wembley Plaza	London, Wembley	Profit
03-Jun	Oake Manor Golf Club	Taunton	Profit
04-Jun	Marriott Speke	Liverpool, Speke	Profit
09-Jun	Hall Garth Hotel Golf & Country Club	Darlington	Marketing
10-Jun	Newcastle, Holiday Inn	Newcastle Upon Tyne	Marketing
11-Jun	Hilton Avisford Park	Arundel, West Sussex	Profit
16-Jun	The Village	Warrington	Profit
17-Jun	Best Western Tillington Hall Hotel	Stafford	Profit
18-Jun	West Ham FC	London, Upton Park	Profit
23-Jun	Glaziers Hall	London Bridge	Profit
24-Jun	Hotel Novotel London West	London, Hammersmith	Marketing
25-Jun	Marks Tey Hotel	Colchester	Marketing
30-Jun	Swallow Hill Top	Carlisle	Marketing
01-Jul	Hatherley Manor Hotel	Gloucestershire	Profit
02-Jul	Holiday Inn, Peterborough-West	Peterborough	Profit

Businesses interested in attending should call 0845 300 2098 or visit http://www.barclays.co.uk/seminars.