Business No-Brainers – Marketing Edition (Issue 1 of 3)

Business No-Brainers – Marketing Edition (Issue 1 of 3)

We put out a query asking for any and all buinsess owners, executives, managers and others to share some serious Business No-Brainers that not only did wonders for their business, but also fit the “Why Didn’t I Think of That Sooner?” category! We are proud to present part 1 of 3, with this first article covering responses that fit into the Marketing category.  Check back soon for parts 2 and 3 covering Operations and Technology! 

Marketing No-Brainers

 

• The Gift That Keeps On Giving!

Brina Bujkovsky, CEO and owner of The Younique Boutique, Inc., in San Marcos, California relates the following: We are an ecommerce company specializing in personalized and hand crafted gifts and accessories for special occasions. We had been in buisness over a year selling a few of our first product lines when a customer called asking if she could purchase a gift certificate for one of our custom-made hand painted platters. We had never considered selling gift certificates but once we did, we found that it was the single best selling product and only 40% were redeemed. The implemented system was easy to maintain and over the years, we easily made $100k in revenue just from emailing files of gift certificates. Brina Bujkovsky; The Younique Boutique, Inc.; http://www.TYBinc.com  PA: WOW! Now that is tapping into an untamed market!  

• A Labor Of Love!

Slavica Monczka, owner of Seductively French wrote to let us know that they found their market when they followed what they loved: We searched for business ideas that could connect us to our passion of traveling, and my wife finally started a Facebook fan page and blog based on her passion: writing about art, culture and intrigue from around the world. In 5 short months her fb fan page www.facebook.com/seductivelyfrench & blog http://blog.seductivelyfrench.com have become very popular. Now she is leveraging her early followers with a collaborative website and a retail product line. It was overwhelming to think through, yet when she started, it all just clicked, fell in to place and now people from around the world are collaborating with her!   Slavica Monczka; Seductively French; http://blog.seductivelyfrench.com  PA: Do what you love and the marketing and work will be no work at all!  

•  A Paradigm Shift: Go Quality, Not Quantity

Harlan Goerger, of AskHG.com tells us that when he finally did something that he should have done years earlier, his business multuplied and his workload became lighter: Here is something that completely changed my business. For years I worked with Dale Carnegie Training and emphasis was on putting butts in seats to fill classes and generate revenue. It was successful, a lot of work and you were always starting over. That paradigm carried over when we started our own consulting, we focused on butts in seats and it was tough. Two years ago I made the commitment that I would not do business unless it had a reoccurring income element to it. This no longer fit the old paradigm of butts in seats. It forced me to target companies that were looking for long term results and willing to provide a monthly retainer for at least 6 months. I filled the slots within a few months. Second, I started groups that met regularly, such as my CEO Solutions group. Business owners and leaders commit to a year of meeting once per month to discuss, learn and grow. I’ve filled the group and am starting several others. My revenue has tripled and my work hours and efforts are cut in half! Getting out of your old paradigm can have a fantastic outcome. Ticks me off I didn’t do it 5-10 years sooner. Harlan Goerger; www.AskHG.com;  www.TheSellingGap.com PA: Let’s all try to always keep this in mind: Quality beats Quantity all the time.    

• Keeping It Simple and To The Point

Author Harris Glasser does not beat around the bush, and maybe we shouldn’t either: You just ask a very simple question: What is it that I need to do to make this happen between us? (no haggling & then you just come as close to it as possible, that works for you) Harris Glasser; www.claimfinancialhealth.com; “It’s My Money & I Want It!” PA: Good answer Harris.  Seems we often forget to just come out and ask for the deal.    

• Give Some Incentive!

Izzy Goodman of CCS Digital knows what customers want: At www.ccs-digital.com we sell a unique product we have not seen anyone else in the U.S. providing – a reusable (not refillable) ink cartridge, where the ink is kept in a separate container inside the cartridge. Depending on the printer, the ink container can be replaced for $2-2.50 without the need for syringes and refill bottles. It saves money and the environment. Our problem was spreading the word. People love getting things free. Staples and Officedepot give $20-$40 a month in store credit for empty cartridges. I don’t know why it took me so long to come up with our ad campaign – get up to 20 free cartridges a month. Then we offered a free cartridge to returning customers, a free cartridge for placing a double order and a free cartridge for referring a customer. Now our customers are actively referring their friends. Some companies are paying $5 a click for adwords with no guarantee of making a sale. For the cost of a cartridge (which obviously costs us less than 2.50), we get guaranteed customers. Izzy goodman; Complete Computer Services; www.ccs-digital.com PA: We love it Izzy!  Give them the initial incentive and trust, then the product will sell itself!    

No One Can Resist a Great Deal!

Jacqueline Gikow of Chelsea Rainbow jewlery describes how too much stock can be made into a good thing:  My name is Jacqueline. I’m an independent jeweler and the owner of Chelsea Rainbow. I design and create jewelry and home decor accessories. I live in New York City, one of the most vibrant urban cities of the world and also the capital of fashion.  I have an overstock of handmade jewelry and have been wanting to unload it so I can go in a different direction. It suddenly occurred to me that I could do a number of the craft fairs I participate in as clearance sales. I made a couple of signs that said, “Overstock Sale 50% Off” and the first week I made $300. Im planning on doing this for the next two months and hoping I do even better the next two times I participate in the shows. It was surprisingly easy to do this because people are always looking for a bargain. Jacqueline Gikow; http://chelsearainbow.comhttp://chelsearainbows.blogspot.com PA: Way to go Jacqueline! Letting people know you’re willing to let it go at a deal made a potential negative into a net positive!     

• Give ‘Em What They Want!

They might not know it yet, but campers and others really want and might even need what Linda Pond has to offer: “Why didn’t I think of that??!” is the most frequent response I hear when I tell people about my daughter and my invention. A really, really simple idea that nobody had done anything about….. a light in a camping cooler! It turns on automatically when you open the lid, and off when closed. Known as The FAB Light(TM) – Find A Beer! We did the unexpected: we identified the NEED (we NEED a way to see inside a dark cooler), we developed the product, and we took it to market. Simple….. but not easy. Linda Pond; Owner, www.lindaleepond.com PA: I’m ready to place my order!   :-) You’ve completed the full circle: See a need, develop a solution, bring it to market.  Nice feeling! There you have it folks! Seven AWESOME marketing No-Brainers for everyone to look into and see how we might translate these ideas to our own businesses!  Thanks to all of our writers!  We hope you can take some good pointers from our contributors and use them to boost your business! 

Come back for issues 2 and 3, which will be covering Operations and Technology No-Brainers!

 

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