(Add to Favorites | View All Articles | Resource Directory)
|
|
|
The More you GIVE the More you GET
Why give freebies? We have all seen freebies at trade shows and we have all probably seen the person that goes from booth to booth collecting as much of it as possible. There is always someone that only goes to get the free stuff, but then again there are also people that go there to learn about new products or services. These people may be genuinely interested in what you have to say. Even if they are, there must be an element of what is in it for them (we call them WIFM - pronounced Whiffem - What Is In It For Me).Perhaps the type of freebie you offer should be in the form of a free consultation for a limited time, say one-half hour. Or you may want to give out special premiums to potential new clients. The problem is that you need to weed through the potential business and those that just want something for nothing. Instead of giving away freebies at the trade show desk, you could give attendees a business card that can be used to redeem their freebie. This will drive the customer traffic back to where you would like them to be. For example, a car dealership I did some work for always went to every trade show in the area. They had great give-away items but found that not many people came back to the dealership for a test drive leading to an eventual purchase. To rectify the problem, they gave a business card with the event name, the gift to be given and an explanation that in order to claim the gift, you needed to go to their store and do a test drive. By the way, the gift, was a nice set of steak knives in a butchers block. The result was that 20% of the people attending the show actually went to the dealership and did a test drive and out of that they sold 25 cars; a much better return for their freebies! Freebies do not need to be expensive steak knives sets; they can simply be pens with your name on it. Whatever you choose, make sure it is something that can be used and not thrown away. Do not pick a silly cheap toy that will break after one or two uses. Gift certificates may work better than freebies. Bette Daoust, Ph.D. has been networking with others since leaving high school years ago. Realizing that no one really cared about what she did in life unless she had someone to tell and excite. She decided to find the best ways to get people's attention, be creative in how she presented herself and products, getting people to know who she was, and being visible all the time. Her friends and colleagues have often dubbed her the "Networking Queen". Blueprint for Networking Success: 150 ways to promote yourself is the first in this series. Blueprint for Branding Yourself: Another 150 ways to promote yourself is planned for release in 2005. For more information visit http://www.BlueprintBooks.com
MORE RESOURCES: News provided by Yahoo! News and Google News Small business lending fund will profit taxpayers - Treasury Stratford Small Biz Owner Hosts Workshop Series - Patch.com 5 tax tips for small biz - El Paso Inc. SBA 504 Loans Hit Record Low Interest Rate for February Small Business Hiring Intentions Best Since January 2008 |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Are You Running Your Business or Is Your Business Running You? Being a small or home-based business owner can be loads of fun and very rewarding.You may have decided to go into business because of your need for personal freedom or to fully unleash your creative genius. Look Out for that Great Accountant There are many factors to be considered when you are trying to select the accountant who is right for you. In other words how to find that good one. Mobile Car Washes and Shoe Policies Mobile carwashing is hard work, it is tough on the your body and it pays to have athletic type shoes that do not get wet easily. Sometimes rapid pace car washing in parking lots can be a lot like playing basketball, except you are on a slippery and uneven surface. Do You Love Food? - Then Maybe Opening a Restaurant is Not Such a Crazy Idea The restaurant industry in the United States employs an estimated 12.2 million people, making it the nation's largest employer outside of government agencies. Data Loss - Can Your Company Survive? (Most Do Not) Data. Most people think it is a term relegated to the kingdom of geeks. How to Find Success in the Import Export Business Take advantage of world politics today and start your own import export business. Are you organized, efficient, and ready to make your future in an opportunity all your own? Import Export Business Opportunities are expanding and there is room for you!In the early nineteen eighties, one of the most popular things in Soviet Russia was American made blue jeans. Where Can People Find Information About Starting A Business? Approximately 200,000 new businesses are started each year. More people are expected to start a business for themselves this year than ever before. Is Your Business Legally Prepared? It is imperative to have your business legally prepared. How you ask? You need to have a business license, a home occupation license, if running your business from home, a city or county license, (depending on what State you live) plus you need to register your business as fictious if you are not using your name as a business. Starting An E-Commerce Business: Baby Steps Starting your own e-commerce business can be quite the adventure. There is nothing wrong with falling head over heels in love with your ideas and plans and becoming overly excited, but always remember, feet first. Small Businesses - Big Obstacles Everyone is talking about small businesses. In 1993, when it was allowed, more than 90,000 new firms were registered by individuals. Buying a Business Start thinking about buying an established business if you want to avoid the immense risks involved in starting one. Not everyone wants to start a business from scratch, and buying a business with the infrastructure in place lets you focus on building it up, as opposed to getting a new business off the ground. Employee Induction - Are you Inducting your People - A Practical How To In today's fast paced marketplace it is easy to neglect the small important things!Recently we assisted an organisation prove they had complied with their obligations in inducting their employee. The employee tried to bring a claim for severe stress against the business. Starting is the Hardest Part You can't imagine how many people ask me how I did it. To turn my back onto convention, to turn a deaf ear on the people who wants what is best for me, to snub my nose at people who thinks I am making one of the biggest mistakes in my life?etc. The Key To Success - Choose The Right Partners Do you promote yourself as offering prompt, reliable and quality service?Of course - none of us promote ourselves as anything less, and equally we strive to provide this level of service all the time.So what happens when you take your networking to the next level, and start to offer referrals, or even establish partnerships or alliances for certain activities?Whatever you do at this point creates significant impact on your business and personal reputation - potentially positive and also potentially negative. Five Break-through Ideas to Immediately Increase Profits and Improve Cash Flow Too often in business we get trapped into reviewing our sales numbers without analyzing the all important "profit" number. This is commonly referred to as the "bottom-line" of a business. Big Successes Never Happen Overnight Treat your business as a serious, full-time business and be serious about making it work. Put your plans on paper. Do Your Best; Hire the Rest One of the hidden perks of raising six children is the learning laboratory it provides for the parents. My wife and I have learned how important it is to teach our children to do things for themselves and become problem solvers. How to Start Home Based Travel Businesses Home based travel businesses are no longer the wave of the future. Home travel businesses are the hot trend right now. Hone Your Edge, Stay Focused A common hazard faced by new entrepreneurs is a lack of faith in the power of their offer. Many business people lose focus because they are worried they wont generate enough cash flow from their core product. Franchisor; Ongoing Support and Ideas Ongoing support for a franchise system is omnipotent. A major part of any family relationship is communication.
|
| Home | Site Map | Privacy Statement | More Articles |
| © 2006 |