| |
| |
|
Marketing Resource Center |
|
|
|
The Art of the Business Card
Use a business card as a note pad for recording important information. I am sometimes asked why I make such use of business cards. My reply is that they are easy to transport and I do not need an extra envelope. I particularly make use of others' business cards for taking notes on our conversation. I am one of the worst when I get home and cannot remember who Gary from XYZ is and what he does that will make a good connection. Write it down right after the conversation, make the notes very brief but make sure that you write down why you are interested in furthering the relationship. You do not need to take up a lot of lines of information, but you do need to note when you agreed to contact that person and why. The other person is not likely to remember who you are either and if you have a few notes, they will appreciate it as well. Special information is only special if it leads to a business relationship and ultimately to doing business with that person. Make sure you know exactly what you expect to get out of the contact. Do not bother contacting everyone you meet; if you do, you will not have time to get down to the real business of making money. I only write down information for those that I put in my "interested" list so that I can follow up with a brief meeting to explore the possibilities. If I am not in the market for an item or I do not want to meet with the person for some reason, I file their card away in a separate location. I never throw out valuable contact information. I do have a large database of contacts that I add to everyday. I also make note, in my contact file, of what possible potential there is or what service that person could possibly need from me or my company. Not everyone will be a buyer, but everyone knows someone that may be one. 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:
Marketing - Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
For Market Breakthroughs, Put Timing on Your Side In today' s marketplace, the pressure for immediate bottom-line results forces many companies to give knee-jerkreactions to economic fluctuations. While this management style may produce some immediate short-term gains,it is self-sabotaging because it handicaps the development of creative inspiration, which is the cornerstone oflong-term marketability. Pay for Performance Pricing Models for Search Engine Optimization I do think that it is entirely possible for an SEO and client to work out a pay for performance pricing structure that is fair to both. Logistically, though the tracking involved to this would add additional layers to the total process of ranking and reporting. Practical Advice to Generate Successful Campaigns Using Merged Lists You could end up with poor results when designing a direct mail campaign that combines your inhouse list with one or more rented lists. Merging lists generates a set of conditions that you may not have thought about at the conception stage. Marketing Tips 101 - Where Can I Get Clients From? The following tips have come from a wide variety of sources; some from other successful businesses we know, some from our Home-Based and Small Business Support Group meetings and some we've developed by trial and error. Some of the ways to get clients are: contact previous employers; mailing lists; cold call your target market; attend group meetings and seminars for your target market (conventions for doctors, lawyers; computer seminars); attend local Chamber of Commerce meetings; join groups related to your target market; if your target market uses a specific system, for example accountants use the SafeGuard system, contact them and tell them that you are available to teach them how to use the system or you can do it for them. Marketing Discipline and the Joy of Success Discipline Is Important.I recently read an article about why discipline is important to a marketer. Why Market Research Will Help Your Business Do Crucial Market Research For Free, On Your OwnIs market research only for big corporations with deep pockets? No-actually, any business can put simple market research into place, and get about 80% of the benefit of the big, complex, expensive methods-without paying a penny.In my own one-person business, I've used informal market research to:Determine where ad dollars were effective, and where they were wasted. Connecting With Your Clients Many service professionals tell me that they are uncomfortable with the idea of marketing -- like marketing is a bad word! For some, "marketing" brings up images of telemarketers, aggressive sales people, and feelings of resentment at being invaded. But marketing is really about connecting with your customers. Real Estate Investing - Writing Killer Postcards to Attract Motivated Sellers! So many of you have been telling us that you're ready to get started investing, but "you can't find any deals! and what are the steps and secrets to finding great deals?" Some of you have even written asking us if there still ARE any deals left? OF COURSE there are! We find them all the time. But you ain't gonna find them looking at for-sale ads in the paper, for-sale signs in the yard, or by concentrating solely on short sales, foreclosures, REOs and agent-listed properties. The M-Word It was a real eye-opener to hear the perceptions people have about what it means to market professional services, as well as the anxiety the "m-word" (marketing) conjures up. It reminded me that, just because professional service providers have a lot of expertise in their chosen field, it doesn't mean they have the same level of understanding about the business of growing a practice. Your Marketing Plan - Prerequisite to Success Marketing is a vital aspect of a business' operations. It has been said that, "Nothing happens in business until a sale is made". Marketing Mimics Life Clichés. We've all heard them. A Successful Solution: 10 Things to Consider A provocation for the coming year, decade, century or millennium.By now, you've set a working direction for the year, established clear-cut objectives. 10 Tips to Grow Your Business Plain & Simple "Try not to become a man of success but rather to become a man of value." Albert EinsteinRecently I heard a statistic that the majority of businesses operate at 60% of their potential. A Seven Letter Word That Helped a 3 Month Marketing Newbie to Online Success Who would have thought that a three month newbie and marketing dummy with no list, no product, no contacts, can actually make money online? Me neither.I had no idea what to do, how to do or why. How to Expand Your Target Markets Are your products or services geared towards only one target market? You can increase sales and profits by increasing your target markets. Below are some creative ways to increase your target markets by using your existing products and services you're selling right now. Increase Repeat Business and Referrals with Direct Mail So you have been writing mortgages like crazy now for the last few years. You have a pretty big database of customers and hopefully you have been getting and keeping full contact information for them. Thinking About More Business What does an old Russian joke have to do with getting new business? Did you increase your business in the past 12 months? Don't discriminate between more new clients or old clients spending more money--count the increase either way. If you didn't, you really should be asking yourself why not. Second Dose Of Marketing Vitamins Organizations often get stuck in neutral when it comes to marketing. Sometimes, you just need a kickstart. Do You Make These 5 Common Marketing Mistakes? The famous P.T Barnum once said, "Without promotion, something terrible happens, NOTHING!" And marketing (or promotion) is all about combating that dreaded 'nothingness'. The Seven Vital Steps You Must Know To Ensure Direct Mail Success 1. Your Most Valuable AssetA mailing list of valued customers is the single most important asset you have.
|
| home | site map | Advertising Articles |
| © 2006 |
