1) Only do business with those that follow this rule, "The customer is always right!"

2) Follow that rule when you conduct business even when customer does not appear to be right!

3) Do not act spontaneously when it comes to advertising! Always research company, check their references and do not even bother to read testimonials. Testimonials have to be gooooood and can easily be staged.

4) Never spend what you do not have, in other words do not count chickens before they hatch.

5) Always take half of your profits and reinvest it into marketing and advertising.

6) Be patient. Nothing worth while even happens over night!

7) If something sounds too good to be true, it may or may not be. Be wise and research, put on your thinking caps and be a detective if you must, but do not always assume that things that sound too good to be true are too good to be true. Take lotto for example, all you have to do is spend $1 and you can get $1,000,000 back for doing nothing at all? So just be wise and research.

A Washington Post-ABC News survey showed that "65% of American public was at least 'concerned' that letters containing anthrax bacteria had been sent through mail."

That's bad news if you just mailed a promotion.

All of these circumstances might make you want to consider one of my favorite advertising strategies ... simple and cheap direct mail postcard.

You can use postcards to generate leads, close sales, convince customers to buy more and encourage prospects to give you a try.

I asked my friend and client, Markus Allen for his top 20 postcard promotional ideas. He has an online, step-by-step program to help you launch a monthly, multiple-exposure postcard marketing campaign with very little expense, and that's always a plus.

Check out his free information at:

http://www.markusallen.org/ezpostcards

Here's his list of postcard marketing ideas that almost any business can put into immediate action:

* Copy and paste a picture of your Web site on a postcard. The mere mention can bring a rush of visitors to your site.

* Mail to a list of people who've recently moved into your community. Offer a great deal to get them to try your product or service.

* If your average customer usually spends $1,000 with you, offer a discount for purchases over $1,500.

* Remind customers it's time to come and see you. Dentists often mail "It's time for your next cleaning" postcards, while auto shops remind you, "It's been 6 months since your last oil change."

* Tell customers about new products and services. For example, many software firms mail postcards to promote program upgrades.

* Announce a price increase. Let customers buy as much as they want, at current prices.

* Hold holiday promotions. For example: "Bring Mom to lunch for Mother's Day, for only $14.95."

* Offer a lifetime membership program to generate quick cash flow.