Tips For Making Your Home Or Small Business Stand Out In Your Competitive 'Crowd!!'
by
copy; 2005 Priscilla Y. Huff
While attending a women#146;s entrepreneur conference, I met an attractive young woman who was wearing a colorful red and black striped blazer that definitely caught my attention as compared to what most of the other women wear wearing in the meeting room#151;professional suits in assorted muted colors of blacks, browns and grays. When I commented on its attractiveness, she told me it had been her father#146;s who started the awning manufacturing business that she and her brother now co-owned and operated. "Feel it," she said as she encouraged me to touch the sleeve of her blazer. "It#146;s made out of the same canvas material that my father first used when he started this business in 1928."
Her unique blazer and follow-up comment caught my attention and then piqued my curiosity to learn more about her family#146;s business. In addition, to our conversation, she handed out her business card along with a photocopy of an article in a regional business journal that had featured their company..
Now, this anecdote does not suggest you should go out and purchase a brightly colored and plaid blazer to bring attention to your business, but you can take note of some of this woman#146;s promotional techniques and apply them to your own marketing strategies:
Catch your potential customers#146; attention. Try to have something visible that is related to your business that will be a conversation-starter. A successful author I know had her new book#146;s cover painted on her van along with the toll-free ordering number when she launched a book tour that took her to a number of big cities.
Once you get people#146;s attention, be ready with a business card AND other promotional materials that people can carry with them. I heard the suggestion that you should not hand out only one business card at a time, but rather two or three at a time to a person so your card can be passed on to even more potential customers.
Encourage conversation so you can determine how
your
business#146; services and/or products might solve a potential customer#146;s problem. Generally, people do not seek out a new service or product unless they have a need that must be met. The more you know about another person, the more you will be able to suggest a solution that (hopefully) your business can offer. And if your business cannot help them, then freely suggest the name of another business owner who can. That business owner who obtains paying clients from your referrals may very well return that favor down the line.
Look for networking opportunities with other business owners. Attending an industry or entrepreneurial conference or local business card exchange can be a great way to meet other entrepreneurs to share tips, information and of course, referrals and possibly partner with them on future projects.
Look for free opportunities to meet potential customers. One New Year#146;s Eve my husband and I went to our local video rental store where I noticed a man wearing a baseball cap with lights on it flashing "Happy 2000!." When questioned, the man explained his business creates custom-made clothing with blinking-light designs for companies, clubs, and organizations. He followed-up our conversation by handing me his business card along with his company#146;s brochure that featured his flashing products and ordering information.
Now, what can
you
do to make your business stand-out from your competitors to make a good first and
memorable
impression so that people will come to your company instead of your competitors because they cannot forget you?!
Suggested Marketing Resources:
Brag Your Way to Success
by Rochelle Be. Balch
www.rbbalch.com
; great little guide book with marketing and success tips.
Uncommon Marketing Techniques
by Jeffrey Dobkin, marketing expert
www.dobkin.com
.
101 Ways to Promote Yourself
by Raleigh Pinskey, "Viz-Ability Marketing consultant and speaker"
www.promoteyourself.com
.
-30-Priscilla Y. Huff is the author of
101 Best Home-Based Businesses for Women
, 3rd ed., and
The Self-Employed Women#146;s Guide to Launching a Home-Based Business
. She offers a free listing of resources for women entrepreneurs and welcomes business-related questions and comments. Send them to
BestBiz4Me@earthlink.net
.
Permission granted by author for use on www.DrLaura.com.
