What works for you?

[GreggVicik]

[quote
This leads us to the next step. An author that I really respect greatly has coined a term “Quick Fix Silver Bullet” as a way to help “Jump-start” a company. From what you’ve indicated, your company needs a jump-start. The question is do you need 12 volts, 24 volts or should you fry your brain with 440 spine tingling volts? You jump-start your company by jump-starting you. Your company gets a boost through improved marketing but not just any kind of marketing. You can’t use safe marketing. You can’t use big company marketing. You have to market outrageously.

[/ QUOTE ]

Can you give me an example of the type of outrageous marketing you have in mind?

[Norm_Cabana]

<So of the positioning strategy books, which one do you feel is the best - the most 'meat'?>

Focus

[Norm_Cabana]

A small Fed-Ex box sent to each of your customers. Inside the box is a pillow with your companies name printed on it and placed so it is not visible when the box is opened. At the bottom of the box is your message and the gist of the message is that museum curators have problems sleeping at night because they worry about their artifacts falling to dust. Your company is here to give them that good nights rest.

I could tell you about jock straps, renaming a town and rubber chickens, but you need to read that for yourself. I can write messages that explain all this, but why? The books I mentioned do it a heck of a lot better than I can. I don't get anything from the sale of the books and as I said, you might find them in your local library.

[BWBrock]

[ QUOTE ]
...Many business experts will tell you that it is far less expensive and far easier to get existing customers to buy from you a second time than it is to get a new customer to buy from you the first time. I can personally tell you that this is a very true statement. I can also tell you that increasing the frequency of purchases by your customers is the best and most efficient way of building a business. I can also tell you that you will never go wrong by treating your repeat customers better than your first time customers.

[/ QUOTE ]

Very well said! Ditto that, and I'll add that by treating customers well, not only do they come back to you, but they become your best source of new customers by telling others how much they like dealing with you.

[Norm_Cabana]

Absolutely on all comments! I want my potential customers to see what my existing customers think of us. It really helps secure the sale. I have never really liked testimonials as I can never be sure if it's actually the way most of their customers feel. I was reading some stuff from Dan Kennedy and he mentioned some of the ways he's seen people stand out. One was the car salesman that has a photo taken with each customer that bought a car. These photos were then posted on their office walls and you could see generations of family members buying cars from this guy. I can't do that but what I can do is to hand my customers a sharpie after the sale and ask them to sign the interior walls of our trailer and to put down any comments they'd like to add. I've gotten some gold mines there!

Some of our best ideas have come from our customers and it's always rewarding to see the look on their faces when you tell them that you've implemented an idea that they had and that the other customers really like it.

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