ONLINE NETWORKING

You’ve heard that "It’s not what you know but who you know." Nowhere is this more true than on Net. Whatever your business or interests, there are others out there just like you, networking and exchanging information. You might even be able to find a local message board where you can meet other business owners and prospects. Join in and share, and you’ll find yourself getting customers and referrals without really trying.

ASK FOR REFERRALS

Here is an easy, but often overlooked source of new business -- ask existing customers to tell their family and friends about your excellent products and services. If they’re happy with you, they’ll be glad to make referrals. But don’t expect them to think of it - remind them. And make it easy for them - put a tell-a-friend script on your website, so they can do it while they’re thinking about it. You may even want to offer some sort of reward - one local business offers $25 worth of free dry cleaning when customers refer 3 people who open an account.

E-MAIL

This is a real no-brainer. Almost everyone has an email address, and once you get it, cost of staying in touch with them is minimal. There are so many ways you can use email marketing that a slew of books, software and businesses have been developed to help you. But it all boils down to persuading your customers and prospects to give you their email address, then building trust through repeated contact.

FREE PUBLICITY

What could be better than free publicity for your business? If you can find a public interest or news angle to tie into your business, you should write a press release, including website and email address so people can get more information. Or your business can sponsor a local event or volunteer resources to charity, giving your business (and your website) valuable exposure while you give back to community. There are lots of free resources for creating press releases, and entire websites devoted to helping you get free publicity.

These are only a few of many ways you can promote your business locally. You never know how someone is going to search for a business like yours, so you should use a variety of methods to get your name out there where they can see it!

Remember, consumer is just a mouse click away from your store - but only if you’re online. And with today’s technology, targeting capabilities and options are unlimited....even if your bank balance isn’t.

I buy lots of stuff on eBay. A few weeks ago I went looking for sheepskin slippers and saw a lovely pair up for auction. I could tell that this was a business, so I contacted seller directly. I knew from past experience that we might be able to work out something and sure enough, we made a deal for 2 pairs of sheepskin slippers.

Let's review this seller's transaction:

- She got a sale and a proven customer for her 30 cent listing fee on original pair of slippers (which she sold later on, gaining another customer) - She paid no listing fees or commissions on 2 pair of slippers she sold to me - She can add me to her mailing list; if I'm happy with slippers, maybe I'll buy another pair in future as a gift or whatever. (p.s. I bought 2 more pairs later) - I would never have found that business if those slippers hadn't been listed on eBay. Her sheepskin business doesn't show up in first few pages of search engine results, which is as far as most people will look.

Do you see power of eBay? I also bought my Palm Pilot and a new computer from local vendors that I found on eBay. Plus I've bought lots of computer programs and educational toys from auctions by business owners. As a frequent eBay buyer and seller, I can tell you now, if you're not on eBay, you're leaving money on table.

There are other auction sites out there - Yahoo, BidBay, uBid.com - but none of them comes close to eBay in terms of volume. About 1.4 million items are up for sale every day, in every imaginable category, including services, cars, houses. Somebody even tried to auction off a kidney once, but eBay caught them and put an end to it.

Keep in mind that people who go to auction sites are looking for deals, so don't expect to get full retail. You may even have a sell a few items at cost. But when you think about all money you can spend on ads in local paper and get NO results, it's a small price to pay to get email addresses of proven customers. The eBay feedback system works both ways you can check and see what kind of customer they've been in past.

All in all, online auctions are goldmines. If you're selling anything at all, especially consumer products, you should definitely check out eBay.