| |
| |
|
Marketing Information |
|
|
|
5 Ways to Use Your Business Cards More Effectively
Contrary to popular belief, the best use of business cards is not making origami or collecting dust. But, in this article you will find 5 of the most effective ways to use your business cards on a daily basis! When Joe Girard, the world's greatest salesman, was selling cars he would frequently go to Detroit Lions football games. Even though he could afford more expensive seats, he chose to sit in the upper deck and whenever the Lions scored, he would throw business cards off the top deck onto the expensive seats below that offered a discount on a new car that was only good the following day. Joe Girard's example leads us to our first point: 1. Be Creative An instructor at a karate class might hand out business cards at his son's t-ball game that say "First Lesson Free with this card". A pet store owner might give out business cards that have an offer for a free goldfish, or 10% off a purchase over $100. No matter what your type of business, there is a creative way to get your business cards into the hands of buyers. If you can think of these creative ways before your competition does, you are one step ahead, and you will see the increase in business. 2. Remember the 1 to 1 ratio The 1 to 1 ratio is the easiest formula you'll ever need to know. If you talk to someone for more than 1 minute, they should have 1 of your business cards in their hand. That is the 1 to 1 ratio. Basically that means that you need to find a way to talk about what you do, and get your business card in their hand within the first minute of the conversation. Think of it as an elevator conversation. This prospect will be getting off of your elevator soon, so you have a short time to get that business card into their hand. 3. Make them keepers Once you have your business card in the hand of your potential prospects, what is going to make them keep it? Unless you are selling air and water, potential clients probably don't need what you sell, but hopefully they want what you sell. Since most of us are not in a need based business we have to get our potential clients a reason to remember us and keep our cards. Why does someone want your business card? If you cannot answer that easily, maybe it is time to think about a new business card design. Does your business card have valuable information on it? By valuable I mean a map, discount, calendar, measurements, charts or anything relevant to your industry? If it doesn't, you may want to think about adding a value feature to your business card. 4. Leave them where you spend your money Just last night I went to eat at a Mexican restaurant, and sitting on the counter I saw about 30 cards for a car salesman sitting in a plastic business card holder. I asked the girl at the counter why they were there and she said "He said he was going to leave them for customers." This is just one example of somewhere you could leave your business cards. Other places include barber or beauty shops, medical offices including dentists, family medicine, chiropractors, and hospitals. These places are prime territory! Remember to ask if they mind, and tell they how much you appreciate it. 5. Ask for an opinion "Can I ask you a quick question? What do you think of my new business card design?" Then you hand them a business card. No matter what they say, now they have your business card. When they try to hand it back, tell them you had thousands printed, and they can have that one. Thank them for their time and tell them if they ever need what you sell or promote, your contact information is on the card. If you were able to implement just one of these 5 ideas each day, you would have more business that you could handle! Brandon Hopkins is the owner and founder of Business Cards Free, the most informative business card site on the internet. He is available for speaking engagements, article writing and advice about business cards. He may be contacted through his website at http://www.Business-Cards-Free.com.
MORE RESOURCES:
Marketing - Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Stretching The String: Five Tips To Maximize Your Marketing When You Are On A Shoe String Budget "I know I need to market my business in order to grow my business, but right now I can't afford it."I have heard this statement numerous times from business owners that are struggling to stay in business. Is Your Marketing Working... That is the question, you should be asking yourself. Many feel that it is I'm sure. The Greatest Business Tips are FREE The best way for someone to hang on to a tip is on a business card.Do you remember seeing the TV commercials of OSH Hardware stores, the ones where they give out time saving tips on things like squeaky floors and a host of other common household problems? The tips are well received and they are getting their name associated with "the answers are out there". URL Everywhere? Offline Marketing For Online Success Your URL (www) should be everywhere and more.I know many of you are going to think this is common sense, but how many of these are you using? Your web address should be on every piece of anything your business does, period. How to Pick a Winning Business Name What's in a name?Think of your business name as an external mask for your business. If it's something your target audience like, they would consider checking it, if they don't, in most cases you have lost a customer even before you could tell them what your product or service is. FREE Means MORE Business 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. Insiders Secret to Selling Mailing Lists If you've got a mailing list of at least a thousand names or more, you're sitting on a gold mine. All it takes is for you to get the word out that you've got a mailing list for rent, at a competitive price, and you should be home free!First of all, you've got to have a bonafide list of customers - a list of names of people that have responded to an ad or bought from you. E-commerce : The Bottom of Pyramid Approach For centuries and most of the decades in the 20th century (i.e when computer was invented) access and communication was the tool of rich and ultra rich people, prohibitively expansive to 'not so rich' and 'not at all rich' people. Focus...a Marketing Strategy The secret to increasing sales doesn't lie in choosing just the right marketing tactic for each of your businesses. The real problem that's experienced by many entrepreneurs--a damaging lack of focus. How to Avoid Giving Away Free Consulting After spending 30 minutes in a coffee shop with a potential client, I realized that the sheet of paper they were writing on was almost full; full of ideas that I had just given away for free. If you consult, coach, or are in the advice-giving field, you may have had a similar experience. Top 9 Strategies To Attract More Clients Now 1. Advertise in trade journals, ezines, and web sites that cater to your ideal client. Marketing is More Than a Token Process "Necessity is the mother of invention!" The first time I heard this was nearly twenty years ago when I was introduced to Tony Robbins' material. I was listening to, and applying, information from his thirty day series. The 5 Minute Marketing Plan If I were to ask you right now, what marketing tactics have you used, umm, say in the last month, could you tell me?Chances are you probably could rattle them off quickly enough.Now, say if I asked you if you knew the results those tactics brought. Dear Friend: Dont Start Your Non-For-Profit Fundraising Letters As A Stranger Dear Friend:Don't do it.Don't start your fundraising letters with "Dear Friend. Top Ten Blunders Exhibitors Make in Expos/Tradeshows Triple your response from expos by avoiding the top ten blunders at expos. Turn disappointment into sales success!If you are like most exhibitors, you were disappointed from the results at your last expo. Data Map Charting for Mobile Businesses As we study the demographic regional variations for small service businesses we see many things. Let us take a mobile auto detailing business and break down the data and look at what drives sales and growth. People Arent Interested in You or Your Company Does your Web site talk about your company? Yes, I know, it's your company Web site! But the last thing it should talk about is your company.Yes, I'm sure you're all cool, interesting people, with fantastic skills, but trust me, that's not what you need to lead with on your Web site - or mailing or brochure. The Secret to Good Writing Skilful business writing involves getting your message across simply and quickly. This often means writing in a style that is easily read and understood by a broad audience. Unleash the Power of Post Cards Direct mail marketing is essential for a business to survive.Choosing the correct materials can make the difference between success and failure of your marketing campaign. Loyalty Cards Systems - Beware, Some Should Be Avoided Recently, I discussed a loyalty card system with a vendor who was selling quite a number of his systems to restaurants. I was shocked to discover the lack of detailed information that this vendor catered for, and the opportunities the system he provided squandered.
|
| home | site map |
| © 2006 |