Ad Material Swap with Other Local Businesses.

Christmas is a giving time of year. It’s a time to get together, closeness, and doing things for people you might not usually do. Everyone knows someone who runs a business. Why not swap ad material and promote each other? Granted, if person is a direct competitor, this might not be so easily done, and maybe you shouldn’t do it to begin with. If businesses are at different ends of spectrum, say one sells firewood and other sells ice, then it might not be so affective, but if this person runs a business that somewhat compliments your own, then payoff for both businesses could be substantial. One of my brother’s runs a Mobile DJ business. He used to team up with local caterers, bridal shops, tuxedo rental shops, stationary shops, and list goes on. How many business owners do you know with shops that compliment your own goods or services while not directly in competition with you? It’s a win-win situation for everyone involved. It even benefits customers with names and addresses of other shops to meet their needs. Your customers will thank you for your information to help them meet their needs, and best of all, it requires little effort especially if you know other shop owner personally.

The Joint Venture.

This next one might take some time to put together and it relates to swap mentioned in last paragraph, so you might keep this in mind for next season. Joint Ventures are next big marketing craze. Most often referred to as JV’s, this is similar to swap, but it’s usually more permanent and better-targeted marketing. The joint venture concept means taking a look at your products or services, and then identifying other businesses that compliment those products or services and entering into joint marketing ventures. It’s kind of like a cooperative advertising type deal that allows you to pool resources, but it’s not just for placing ads as an ad cooperative is. The JV is used to leverage sales for ALL businesses involved, but most critical point is ensuring that your JV partners businesses COMPLIMENT your goods or services; NOT COMPETE with them.

Take my company for instance, Sanders Consultation Group Plus. I do business consultation, digital and print media marketing, web site design, image/graphic creation and editing, search engine optimization and placement, and just about anything related to business operations and marketing. My oldest brother runs his own computer shop where he does computer custom builds, repairs, upgrades, virus removal and data recovery, and even offers on site computer services. Big brother knows what I do and knows I like doing it. He also knows I’m good, although he is probably biased as he is my brother . Big brother decided he wanted to offer his customers things I provide, and asked me if I would be willing to JV with him to offer his customers my services. Big brother is good, and he has a stable and growing customer base. I jumped at opportunity because it was a sound business opportunity. His customer base includes local small businesses. That alone increases my potential for new web site design and business consultation sales. It’s a win-win situation. My brother’s customers can get all their services under one roof, and so can mine. If I have a customer looking for computer related services, then I send them off to my brother. If he has a customer needing web site design or marketing, then he sends them off to me. We save customer time and they get a discount on other brother’s services.

The concept doesn’t stop at relative business owners. We both have a relationship with a local ISP. I’ve come to conclusion that there is money to be made in home based business opportunities, since I do run one myself, and so does my big brother. The home based business sector is growing in leaps and bounds. Almost everyone has looked into starting his or her own business at one time or another. There’s too many people unhappy with their jobs. But with all information readily available on home based business opportunities, there’s allot of frauds out there taking people’s money and offering nothing of real substance in return. What’s a way to help people realize their self-employment dreams while decreasing danger they will be ripped off? Offer a FREE seminar on starting your own home based business. That is my present JV with my big brother and our local ISP. How do our companies benefit? We benefit by getting out there in minds of our local potential customers. Start-up businesses need things like computers, web site hosting, dial up accounts, and web site design. By giving them this seminar to show them different types of home based businesses, how to find a reputable business, and how to keep from getting ripped off in process, we gain a pool of potential customers to market our products to. In giving them this information freely and keeping them from being ripped off, who do you think they are going to come to when they need hosting and dial up, computers and computer services, or web site design and marketing needs? Are you getting picture of power behind JV opportunities?

Summary

This is not an all-inclusive article. There are many more ways to leverage your holiday sales goals while spending economically. Use this article to inspire you and get your mind turning. Use principles provided and see how many other ideas you can come up with. Be creative, honest, and set yourself apart from competition. Show them benefit of using your goods or services as a gift. If you can accomplish that task, then you will assuredly benefit from increased sales this holiday season. Now hurry up and get going. You only have a few more days until big day hits. Until next article, may your holiday season be blessed with joy and success, and may 2005 be an even better year for all.

Developing your own writing style is important. As there are many others doing same thing you what to differ from them. How can you stand out in a crowd if you are just like everyone else.

Practicing and researching helped me to put pen to paper for my first articles. Some of your first creations maybe a bit tacky but as long as you keep going you can improve.

Writing can be a task at times. There are moments when I have written first two paragraphs and just get stuck. The inevitable writer’s block can be a challenge to overcome. Taking a break and getting into right frame of mind can be helpful.

Can anyone become a writer? Well answer depends on how much effort you put into it. I have had some wonderful experiences since I became a writer. At times when there are criticisms and negative feedback, they can help you to better your skills if you use them right way.

Many people don’t like writing. But sometimes it is things that we don’t enjoy doing that are most beneficial to us. Try your hand at writing, if a guy from a Caribbean island can do it then so can you.

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