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Advertising Resource Center |
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Books, Bibles and Fast-Talkers
Every community has 'em. Fast talkers who rollinto town with a clever idea to sell to people inbusiness. Many times the ideas are clever and cute but youshould weigh the ups and downs of every offerbefore you dig out the checkbook. Most of thesein-town-for-a-day people want their cash upfront. Some of the common flim-flams are: Coupon Books They offer to put you in a giant coupon book to besold for the needy charity or Lions Club. Booksare sold on the phone for $29 and delivered bythe Boy Scouts. Watch out for errors and missingexpirations once the operation has moved toanother town. Telephone Book Covers They wrap around the book and the callers see yourad every time they reach for the book. Might be OKif you own the wrecker service, locksmith orfuneral home, but run the other way if you have agrocery, Mickey Dees, or bank. City Maps Your ad goes somewhere around the edge of the map.You might get pitched by several companies. Somelook better than others, most are very pricey.Pick up maps like these when you see them anddecide if you'd do business with anyone on the mapbecause of the ad. Distribution is the sellingpoint. Placement is the bug-a-boo. What if your adis on the back and the reader only looks at thefront? Don't be fooled by the promise of radio adsproclaiming free maps and mentioning your name. Bibles for Newlyweds I wish I had thought of this one 30 years ago.I would be clipping coupons instead of writingabout it. The fast talker promises to send a Bible to allnewlyweds in the county (the names and addressesof the happy couples are public record at thecourthouse). Four to six sales at about $500 eachand they mail a one dollar Bible 4th class, a peeland stick label stuck inside with the name of the"sponsors" in inkjet color. They can easily sell a town a day at 3 large andmake one trip a quarter to visit the courthousefor names. Work it for two months on a route andeat cake the other 10. A great moneymaker for theBible people, a dud for advertising effectiveness.But like kids in school and American Flags, thisemotion sells well in every community. There are hundreds of advertising "opportunities"out there. Your job as a business owner is toseparate the effective from the cute and clever. For more about advertising, get my article"Your Billboard is Showing"MailTo:Billboards@BigIdeasGroup.com ©2005 BIG Mike McDaniel All Rights ReservedMike@BIGIdeasGroup.comBIG Mike is a Professional Speaker and SmallBusiness Consultant with over 30 years experience,http://BIGIdeasGroup.com Subscribe to "BIG Mike's BIG Ideas" NewsletterMailTo:subscribe-956603364@ezinedirector.net
MORE RESOURCES: Without the right focus in Washington, job creation will continue to be slow and unsteady, says columnist Frank Aquila The number of Americans seeking jobless benefits fell last week to a level that indicates the labor market has not improved this year even as the economy expanded. The U.S. economy is so bad that the chance of avoiding a double dip back into recession may actually be pretty good U.S. stocks extended Wednesday's gain as initial jobless claims fell and pending home sales unexpectedly increased Treasury 10-year notes fell for a second day as pending home resales unexpectedly rose in July and initial jobless claims dropped last week, reducing demand for the safety of government debt. Orders placed with U.S. factories rose less than forecast in July, restrained by a slump in demand for capital equipment that points to a slowdown in business investment in coming months. The biggest rally in almost two months in the U.S. stock market yesterday was missing the hallmarks of a move that’s likely to last, said Jeffrey deGraaf, the top-ranked technical analyst. AIA Group Ltd., the main Asia unit of American International Group Inc., submitted preliminary documents to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange for an initial public offering, according to two people familiar with the filing. Naked short sales of shares and government bonds may be limited by European Union proposals that say the practices cause a “disorderly market and possible systemic risks.” Pending sales of existing houses unexpectedly climbed in July from a record low, indicating the real-estate market is steadying following the end of a government tax credit. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is examining whether high-speed traders helped trigger a 700-point drop in the Dow Jones Industrial Average on May 6 by repeatedly placing and immediately canceling orders in an attempt to manipulate share prices, a person with direct knowledge of the inquiry said. Wall Street analysts offer buy, sell, or hold opinions on stocks in the news on Sept. 2 Wall Street analysts offer buy, sell, or hold opinions on stocks in the news on Sept. 1 Aug. 31 -- Karl Case, an economics professor at Wellesley College and co-creator of the S&P/Case-Shiller home-price index, discusses the U.S. housing market Aug. 31 -- Bloomberg's Ryan Chilcote reports on a dispute between Iceland and the U.K. over mackerel fishing quotas and the risk the row may affect the North Atlantic nation's bid to join the European Union Despite warnings by some experts, funds that try to profit from a falling stock market are an increasingly popular choice for investors With yields above other asset classes, real estate investment trusts are popular again. Pros tell Businessweek.com how to spot the best REITs |
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