How Do People Know You're in Business?

Written by Wendy McClelland


Continued from page 1

First impressions are so important – did you know that you only have 15 seconds to capture someone's attention when they see your advertising in a newspaper or magazine? Yes, 15 short seconds - not long to make a good impression is it? But you know what? It takes even less than that to make a bad impression.

So, how to makerepparttar most of your 15 seconds inrepparttar 135492 spotlight - and win customers atrepparttar 135493 same time? Make sure that any print ads you do REALLY do a terrific job for you – get feedback from people you trust. Just because you think something looks good, doesn’t mean it will sell your product. Testrepparttar 135494 ad inrepparttar 135495 paper one week, make a change to it and put it inrepparttar 135496 paperrepparttar 135497 next week (onrepparttar 135498 same day ofrepparttar 135499 week) and see which ad getsrepparttar 135500 most response for you. Always test your ads this way. You’re wasting money if you don’t.

Create advertising that hasrepparttar 135501 following traits - well designed (get help if you need it), is truthful (don't stretchrepparttar 135502 truth either) and tellsrepparttar 135503 customerrepparttar 135504 benefits to them if they buy and lastly requests an action - something like - "call now to order", "order today, supply limited". DON’T write an ad that tells how great YOU ARE! Your customers DO NOT CARE about YOU!!

First impressions count when meeting in person even more! Every person in business should have a 15 second “script” explaining what you do ready to go. I know some people say that it sounds too rehearsed to be “ready” – I say it sounds like you’re prepared to do business. I’d rather do business with someone who is prepared, than someone who is still fumbling around trying to figure out what they’re supposed to be doing. An example of a 15 second script might be: “Hi my name is Sally Jones and I am a communications specialist who helps ensure your technology hardware all speaksrepparttar 135505 same language, so that when your computer tellsrepparttar 135506 printer to print it will!” If you met Sally Jones, heard her introduction and got her card, you would likely remember her because she explained what she did very clearly, but also in a unique way. Not many computer technicians would explain their jobs this way. Find a unique way to explain what you do.

Does everything that leaves your office have your company name and/or web address on it? It should! That includes your vehicle, stationery, delivery driver’s t-shirts, etc – everything!

Don’t be afraid to ask for a cross-promotional opportunity. Team up with other businesses to make your profile larger, and your business will grow much faster. Think of businesses who haverepparttar 135507 “same kind of customers” as you do – if you can get access to their customers, and you allowrepparttar 135508 other business owner access to your customers – you both save TONS of money – double your customer base – and haverepparttar 135509 potential to DOUBLE your sales! Sounds pretty good doesn’t it? That’s how simple a joint venture can be.

Every day will provide you with opportunities to tell people about your business – don’t miss them!



Wendy McClelland is a motivational speaker and marketing consultant. She has been a nominee for Canadian Entrepreneur of the Year, and is a Canadian Achiever! Wendy’s first website won numerous awards, including being named as “one of the best business sites on the ‘net” by the N.Y. Times. Wendy’s life mission is to “motivate people to think without boundaries” and it’s also the name of her website! Visit www.ThinkWithoutBoundaries.com today


The ON world of OFFline marketing

Written by Shashank Agarwal


Continued from page 1

- Hang your white towel inrepparttar gym in such a way that your company name sewed with red onrepparttar 135479 bottom is easily visible.

- Put your site name on your car. Remember how Mercedes is read on back of every, well, Mercedes simply self promoting it. Try to putrepparttar 135480 site name onrepparttar 135481 back, coz this isrepparttar 135482 place most people following you are going to see. Now how you balancerepparttar 135483 size and color is up to you. Make sure you don’t look desperate with that sticker. It should look as though you are running a satisfied business and it doesn’t matter (though really it does) that whether your pursuit visitsrepparttar 135484 site or not.

- Send out birthday greetings to your best customers and potential customers. No, don’t start searching for e-greetings. I said greetings, physical cards. They hold a lot deeper value compared to its virtual counterpart. And it shows that you are making sincere efforts to please customers. Again, going back torepparttar 135485 earlier formula, this will elate your customers and make them loyal customers.

- Take placard to any sporting event. Lets suppose soccer. Go to support your home team in a home match. Take along with you some placards that have a suggest score line with victory to home team written on it, and your site address nicely fixed onrepparttar 135486 bottom line. Distribute this inrepparttar 135487 crowd, who first of all display it all around forrepparttar 135488 T.V. cameras to catch it and then they take it home, preserve it for some time, see your site name often and now become customers. Simple, huh.

Now, one very useful trick to promote your site is one which exists right in our campuses. Confused? Well, let’s clarify. University, college or school students are a great way to put your product across. Its like all bowling pins are stacked together and you just need to rollrepparttar 135489 ball. Metaphorical. Let’s say, you've got a firm selling pets. Now, you could go meetrepparttar 135490 principal/head/president (or whoever isrepparttar 135491 authority) to hold a quiz competition in their campus about nature and wildlife or geography or anyother topic which would exhibit your product. Now, this is where you are getting loads and loads of publicity. Try making this a city effort, a state effort, whatever your pocket can handle, and hold these final inter-college events in your premises (hire a hall if you don’t have a decent enough premise). Contactrepparttar 135492 press; they would love to put your event on page three. Moreover,repparttar 135493 students, their friends and all will also become aware about your services.

You could use other competitions also. It might be a karate competition, if your selling martial arts goods, a poster-making competition if your selling stationary, a elocution or debate instead ofrepparttar 135494 quiz andrepparttar 135495 possibilities are endless.

You could also sponsor a lecture/seminar by people who have been inrepparttar 135496 field and would not overwhelm you with their charges. This could also get a good press coverage, and if not that, at least a mention inrepparttar 135497 events section ofrepparttar 135498 news-paper, whereby your companies name is disclosed.

So, having said all this, I don’t think you would disagree that there's a wired world out there. The sky isrepparttar 135499 limit for such ideas, and if you get some, please inform me as well. Find contact details inrepparttar 135500 Aboutrepparttar 135501 Author section

Shashank is the founder/editor of Pick14 - The Netizen Magazine. This magazine deals with topics based on computer and internet related subjects and caters to a wide range of audience from casual surfers to the most sophisticated webmasters. You can visit this magazine and subscribe for free at http://www.pick14.com .


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