Declare war on illiteracy, or on disease, or on famine. Take on any significant public problem that appeals to you.

But make sure of three things:

1. Your company has a logical, apparent connection to cause. Exxon Mobil is contributing funds to help save endangered tigers. This is logical, given long history of Exxon’s mascot, Exxon tiger. Yes, it’s tenous. But it’s logical, and that’s what counts.

2. Your company has resources to make a significant impact on problem. Don’t take on hunger in Africa if you lack time, money and resources to actually help alleviate hunger in Africa. You want a cause that is large enough to register with public, but one that isn’t so large that it straps your company or makes it look foolish.

3. Your company can remained committed to cause for long haul. How long? For all practical purposes, forever. The last thing you want is to become known as company that used to do that very important thing that really helped community, but quit.

Now you may ask why it’s so important to have an enemy. Because we are defined by our rivals.

In world of boxing, Joe Frazier was defined by his rivalry with Muhammad Ali. Among airlines, Pan Am was defined by its battle with TWA. Among department stores, Macy’s was defined by its war with Gimbel’s.

David was defined by Goliath.

Churchill was defined by Hitler.

The Hatfields were defined by McCoys.

If you want to create a singular identity, you must contrast your position with a rival. You need an enemy.

Don’t wait for an enemy to appear through happenstance. Find right enemy and declare war now.

Copyright 2003 by W.O. Cawley Jr.

-- Partner with a local bank. The idea is to get yourself noted as a "pre-certified insurance expert for XYZ bank." Approach bank VP and recommend an informal partnership whereby you're available for complimentary onsite consultation for bank customers. Moreover, there's a tremendous amount of implied reliability and credibility when associating your business with a bank. The great thing about banks is that they usually distribute large monthly customer mailings. Ideally you'll want to piggyback on bank's mailing by having your sales flyer included. These flyers are usually called, "bill stuffers." Don't forget banks also distribute calendars, year-end statements, etc. Try to get noted in all of their communications. Of course, under umbrella that you're a partner with bank.

-- A bank north of Boston lets their small business customers display sales materials for a week in their lobby. Approach your bank where you have your business account and ask for same.

-- Try partnering with hospitals. They're well known for sponsoring workshops. They also distribute a weekly/monthly newsletter. My local hospital actually distributes their calendar of events in my local newspaper. By partnering with hospitals and similar organizations, your prospect-reach compounds tremendously, while you spend zero!

-- Consider joining your local chapter of Business Network International, www.bni.com. Of course, like any organization, it's only as effective as your networking abilities and how well members of that particular chapter work together. Always attend at least two meetings before joining. And watch out! Associations' memberships are down across board due to sluggish economy. There's definitely some hard selling going on. Take your time when deciding what organization is best for you. Don't be misled into joining anything.

-- Align yourself with a reputable online insurance media outlet. Ideally you want to become a regularly featured columnist, or perhaps act as a moderator for an upcoming online seminar, etc. This does several things for you. One, usually anything Internet-related is archived. So if a person is shopping around for insurance or financial products and you've partnered with a reputable and high search engine ranking online media outlet, there's a good chance your Web site will reflect high in search engine rankings. Two, if you're a regularly featured columnist, you immediately acquire more credibility than your competitors. Readers are more likely to reach out to you for product solutions.

-- Don't forget about organizations you already belong to. Are you taking advantage of their Web site resources, i.e., linking your Web site, being included in their membership directory, etc.? What's more, do a quick search on www.google.com for free directories. Try, [“your expertise” insurance directories], or [financial sales representatives directories.]

-- The key marketing strategy to keep in mind for any salesperson is that you must circulate, "be seen." It's most perpetuating sales lead program you can foster.

-- Finally, as you're working hard to generate all these new leads, make sure you have a follow-up plan in place. The fastest and most affordable follow-up method is to ask prospects if they want to receive your free monthly ezine.