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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: Student debt snares parents, putting retirement at risk Sept. 1 (Bloomberg) -- Funding your child's college education is on many parents' mind. With college tuition costs rising each year, there's reason for concern. So, before starting a savings plan, make sure to do your homework and pick the investment option that's right for your family. Mitt Romney’s statement that the “very poor” don’t concern him comes as the portion of Americans living in deep poverty is the highest in 35 years Vigorous debate on the value of state backing Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao raised the prospect of contributing to the euro-area’s bailout programs, telling Chancellor Angela Merkel that China may be prepared to assist in resolving its debt crisis. Reserve Bank of India Deputy Governor Subir Gokarn said the monetary authority will cut borrowing costs once it’s confident inflation will keep slowing. Royal Bank of Scotland Group Plc, which accused a fired Singapore trader of manipulating London interbank offered rates, had condoned such behavior and sought scapegoats in an internal probe, the former employee said. Japan Inc. is suffering and the supply chain is bearing the cost. The U.S. labor market recovery is broadening as industries from construction to retail to manufacturing added workers in January and the jobless rate fell to the lowest level in three years. Feb. 3 (Bloomberg) -- Douglas Creutz, analyst at Cowen & Co., and Paul Kedrosky, author of the Infectious Greed Blog and a Bloomberg contributing editor, talk about the relationship between Zynga Inc. and Facebook Inc. They speak with Cory Johnson on Bloomberg Television's "Bloomberg West." (Source: Bloomberg) Advertising campaigns aren't only being designed for TV anymore, the Super Bowl has gone high-tech The day's top ten most important stocks include Estee Lauder, Research in Motion and Zynga Feb. 3 (Bloomberg) -- Steen Jakobsen, chief economist at Saxo Bank A/S, discusses the outlook for Europe's sovereign debt crisis and the U.S. economy. He speaks with Susan Li on Bloomberg Television's "Asia Edge." (Source: Bloomberg) The social network may be valued at $100 billion, or 100 times profit Buyout funds see profits in turning foreclosed homes into rentals |
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