Right away people were coming in telling us what a "cool" idea venue is. I found myself passing out business cards right and left. Some customers wanted to remember our web site address. Others were musicians wanting our phone number for later reference.

In process of taking to people and handing out cards I met several folks who could be of help to us. One, a designer with terrific ideas for our decor, wrote her name, number, and slogan on back of one of my cards and handed it back to me.

Have a wad of cards handy when you find yourself in a group. Don't try to sell, just pass out your card with an invitation to call or email.

Collect other people's cards, organize them, then call a week later to pick up conversation again and...this time..do some selling.

If you're a bit on shy side, like I am, hold a drink. A soda or bottle of water is fine. It can make talking to people easier. In restaurants, clubs, and many meetings, holding a drink is perfectly acceptable and often puts other person at ease as well.

Repeatedly running your advertisements are another way to ensure your name runs rampant in business community. Have you ever run a one time ad and then wondered why you didn't get much response?

Advertising and marketing almost always takes repeated use to work properly. Once in a while you will get a product or service that sells with first ad, but most take time to sink in with customers.

There's an old newspaperman's joke that dates back more than 100 years that illustrates how ads work.

1. The first time a man looks at an ad, he doesn't see it. 2. The second time, he doesn't notice it. 3. The third time, he is conscious of its existence. 4. The fourth time, he faintly remembers having seen it.

The joke continues on until sixteenth time has him thinking he'll buy some day and twentieth time he sees ad he instructs his wife to go out and buy product.

So, you can see that throwing your name around is best way to get people to notice you and eventually buy your product or service. Don't get discouraged if your efforts aren't recognized immediately, it might just take a few more tries.

6. Test your ads by using autoresponders. You can have people e-mail your autoresponders to get more information and you just check your traffic reports.

7. Create credibility and trust with your visitors by telling them something they already know. They'll know for sure you're not lying to them.

8. Make residual income from your customers by selling back end products. If you don't have any, you could sign up to related affiliate programs.

9. Use a redirect page to boost your sales. People think long affiliate URLs look unprofessional in e-mail so you could redirect them to a web link.

10. Create an extra income from your web site by charging for consulting. The consulting should be related to your web site's theme.