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After I’m gone … Selling Your Small Business
If you’re considering selling your business, you have a vested interest in continuing the success of the business as your participation lessens. Many factors determine how your enterprise has succeeded until now. One particularly important factor...
Can Barter Help Increase Cash Sales And Visability For Your Small Business?
Barter is becoming an increasingly popular method of commerce. The U.S. Department of Commerce estimates that 20 to 25% of world trade is now barter. Corporate barter is now a 20 billion dollar industry. It seems as though everyone from the big...
Discover the Secret to Success in Your Own Back Yard
Yesterday, I went above and beyond the call of duty for community service. Thanks to me, not one black fly within a five-mile radius of my home went to bed hungry last night, and because of my loyal patronage and recurring need for calamine...
Naming Names... How to Name your Business, Product or Service
Sometimes the best inspiration comes from hearing about the deconstruction of other company's names. For you, I am happy to share how I came up with "Slice A Day :: your slice on marketing"...
First the purpose and vision of my site was to...
Survival Tips For Small Businesses
You may be in Mail Order, Direct Mail, or you may be a local merchant with 150 employees; whichever, however or whatever---you've got to know how to keep your business alive during economic recessions. Anytime the cash flow in a business, large...
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Advertising - For Small Businesses (Part 2)
How to do it
People skim through newspapers and magazines and they aren't
necessarily looking for information on products or services
(unless they're reading the classifieds) It's therefore
absolutely vital that your advertisement grabs their
attention and encourages them to read more. Many ads are
designed merely to create awareness of a product or service,
however, small to medium size businesses need a result.
Use words that attract attention in your headline - The two
most powerful words in a headline are - YOU and FREE. Other
great headline words are - How to - New - The Secrets of -
Amazing - Breakthrough - Announcing - Discover - Protect -
Facts you - At last
Don't worry too much about a photograph or a graphic - A
good headline is what you need to grab attention and
differentiate you from your competitors. There are several
ads in my local paper for plumbers. All but one has the name
of the plumbing business at the top of the ad - "Fred Smith
Plumbers." One of the ads has "DYNAMIC PLUMBERS" at the top
of the ad. I had to read more to find out what made this
plumbing service "DYNAMIC." To me - one plumber is much like
another; however, this one grabbed my interest.
Offer something free - A sample - an hour of your time -
information - a drink - a coffee - some food - a place for
children to play - a book - an audio or video tape. Offer
something that has a high perceived value for the customer
but a low cost for you. Remember - you want them to respond
to your ad, not your competitors.
Use simple language - Get to your point FAST - remember,
people will only spend a few seconds
looking at your ad, so
don't beat around the bush.
Offer benefits - Tell the customer how your product or
service benefits them or solves their problems. Don't start
sentences with - "We do ……." start with - "You will ……."
No jargon - Watch out for abbreviations, jargon, buzz words
and technical information. You might understand the language
but does the customer?
Don't be boring - Don't use words like -"Quality service"
(What does that mean?) - "Established in 1862" (Who cares) -
"We provide an individual service" (Doesn't everybody?) Look
at what some of your competitors say in their advertising
and do something different.
Touch the emotions - Make your ad look and sound human, warm
and friendly. Perhaps put a name in - "Call Jim now for a
FREE quotation."
Use testimonials - Put in the names of people and businesses
that you've worked with and what they said (with their
permission of course)
Call for action - Your advertisement must prompt people to
do something. You must ask them to phone you - come and see
you - ask you to see them or place an order - NOW! Make it
as easy as possible for them to do that - a free phone
number - a freepost address - a simple tear-off coupon to
complete - something free or any other incentive for them to
take action NOW!
About the Author
Discover how you can generate more business without having
to cold call!
Alan Fairweather is the author of "How to get More Sales
without Selling" This book is packed with practical things
that you can do to – get customers to come to you .
Click here now
http://www.howtogetmoresales.com
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