Resource of Marketing & Advertising

A Yellow Page Ad isn’t Enough Any More

An unquestioned “must” for any small business has been to run an ad in the Yellow Page Directory. Since most customers were local, that was enough to establish itself as “open for business.” The annual Yellow Page ad represents the largest promotional expense for many enterprises.

Yet, Yellow Page directory use is declining, while expanding segments of the public don’t rely on them at all. Yellow Page advertising costs keep going up, and the complicated pricing structure is difficult to figure out.

Worse yet, having a Yellow Page ad doesn’t deliver like it used to. People can find most of the information they want without ever opening a directory. Your business needs its Yellow Page strategy to be in tune with the times and your market.

Like most business owners, you must squeeze maximum value from every promotional dollar spent. That requires you to move beyond treating a Yellow Page ad like it’s a separate, stand-alone way to promote your business. It’s not. Your Yellow Page advertising needs to work in tandem with all the rest of the efforts you pursue.

The Internet Expands Your Arena

Every business needs to put itself in front of the people looking for what it does - and that’s not just through the Yellow Pages any longer. An increasing percentage of customers, who spend their money close to home, are Internet savvy. There’s a major overlap between Yellow Page directory users and Internet users. That fact supports integrating your local and Internet promotional methods so they attract more new customers.

Yellow Page users are likely to be Internet users as well. And a business that ignores online activities entirely may have a tough time getting access to or credibility with those customers. It is possible to make online and traditional (offline) methods to attract customers work in tandem - improving the effectiveness of each alone. So it’s no longer an either-or, all-or-none choice whether to promote the business online or off.

People who subscribe to online services consult the Yellow Pages 23% more often than non-subscribers.

Frequent Yellow Page Users are:

18% more likely than average to be Internet subscribers

32% more likely to be among the heaviest Internet users

18% more likely to make purchases on the Internet

27% more likely to spend more than $1,000 on Internet purchases

Source: Simmons

Customer Behavior is Changing

More and more, people are going to the Internet to find, learn about, or select products and services. Even local ones. That doesn’t mean that they will buy online, however. People still prefer to spend their money locally when they can. But, even the smallest business can do a better job of being found by those who prefer to use both the Internet and the Yellow Page directory to make their buying decisions. And, it can be done very inexpensively, too.

Even a 100% local business can pull in more business by getting its low-tech and high-tech advertising to mesh. Visit http://www.yellowpagesage.com for lots of free practical assistance. As you broaden your visibility to buyers, your business will be found more often - by the very people you’ve been looking for.

What Else has Changed?

Buyers are less trusting and more willing to shop around

Customers have more options and ways to find what they want

Availability of Internet Yellow Pages

Aging population uses the Yellow Pages differently than young people

Development of unique niches and specialties

More choices for a “better deal”

More directories competing in a geographic area

More immigrants, or those from other cultures, unaccustomed to Yellow Page use

Area code proliferation fragments cities

Larger cities have multiple directories, rather than one large one

Development of specialized directories - like ethnic, non-English, women, minority, business to business

Become Visible Online - With or Without Your Own Web Site

If your business already has a Web site, treat it as a way to expand the reach of your Yellow Page ad and traditional marketing activities. Jettison the expectation that it should make sales - few do so. But an information-packed Web site can support your traditional marketing methods very well.

Even without your own Web site, your small business can establish an online identity that helps buyers to find you.

Get listed in a variety of Internet Yellow Page (IYP) directories

Send emails to your “regulars” with special offers and useful information

Position yourself for Local Search - a method whereby customers use search engines to locate local businesses by town, state, region, zip code, etc.

Expand the exposure of your business beyond your Yellow Page ad through a Yellow Page strategy that reaches the whole globe. Your operation, whatever its size, will gain more credibility and traffic locally when it puts itself in the bigger picture.

Is your advertising copy getting the results you want? If not, look at your current marketing to see if you’re making one of the major copywriting mistakes:

Selling features instead of benefits. Telling your customer that your “fabulous new ALF-400 comes complete with AeroScan and BandControl technologies!” doesn’t actually tell them anything. Will your services save your customers money or help them sleep better at night? If so, tell them. People buy solutions to problems and means to ends. Sell the benefits and watch your profits climb.

Not educating the reader. Most people are reasonably intelligent and sincerely want to learn about the world around them. Does your copy contain solid information, or is it mostly emotional appeal and little substance? Ease back the fireworks and give the reader something real to chew on.

Being boring. Easing back the fireworks doesn’t mean getting rid of them completely. Use just enough drama and emotional appeal to keep your reader interested. This is where a solid understanding of your customers fits in - what are their hopes and fears? Where do your services fit between them?

Exaggerating. Most people expect advertising to be overblown and inflated, so surprise your readers and be honest. Put your best foot forward and shamelessly emphasize your strengths, but don’t do more than that. Keep it real and get real attention.

Saying too much. Excessive wordiness puts a burden on the reader that can be lethal for marketing. Read through your copy again: could you say the same thing with fewer words? Try rewriting with a 25% cut in word count to inject new life into your pitch.

Not getting the reader moving. The entire point of advertising is to motivate your customer to do something, so are you telling them what that is? End your pitch with a direct appeal. Tell your customers to call, visit or look at your website. If you’re not giving them orders, you can’t expect them to start marching.

In your attempt to buy tickets online, you certainly face facts that there are many online tickets sellers. Since all of those sellers are in competition, they usually claim as the best sellers. In fact, the quality of their services is not the same. Some sellers are able to offer lowers price than other sellers. There are sellers that only sell limited number of tickets while the other sellers are able to provide any number of tickets you need. These differences surely mean that you need to need to find a seller that accommodates all of your needs.

For the above reason, you can go to Acheapseat.com. This website is the right destination for anyone looking for New York Giants Tickets. This website sells various kinds of tickets to various kinds of events nationwide. This website is able to accommodate your needs of finding tickets to your favorite events easily. Their collections of New York Jets tickets are sold at low price. If you compare the price from this website and price from other website, you will find out that this website offers much cheaper price. Though the price of their Jersey Boys Tickets is cheaper, the quality of their service is not lower. This website is able to sell cheap tickets at excellent service.

Therefore, if you are considering buying tickets at reputable online ticket sellers, you had better visit this website. Visit this website and browse their ticket collections to find the tickets you need.

The quality of your sales presentation will often determine whether a prospect buys from you or one of your competitors. However, experience has taught me that most presentations lack pizzazz and are seldom compelling enough to motivate the other person to make a buying decision. Here are seven strategies that will help you create a presentation that will differentiate you from your competition.

1. Make the presentation relevant to your prospect. One of the most common mistakes people make when discussing their product or service is to use a generic presentation. They say the same thing in every presentation and hope that something in their presentation will appeal to the prospective customer. I have been victim to this approach more times than I care to remember having been subjected to many “canned” PowerPoint presentations.

The discussion of your product or service must be adapted to each person; modify it to include specific points that are unique to that particular customer. If you use PowerPoint, place the company’s logo on your slides and describe how the key slides relate to their situation. Show exactly how your product or service solves their specific problem. This means that it is critical to ask your prospect probing questions before you start talking about your company.

2. Create a connection between your product/service and the prospect. In a presentation to a prospective client, I prepared a sample of the product they would eventually use in their program. After a preliminary discussion, I handed my prospect the item his team would be using on a daily basis – instead of telling him about the item I placed it in his hands. He could then see exactly what the finished product would look like and was able to examine it in detail. He was able to ask questions and see how his team would use it in their environment.

Also, remember to discuss the benefits of your products, not the features. Tell your customer what they will get by using your product versus your competitors.

3. Get to the point. Today’s business people are far too busy to listen to long-winded discussions. Know what your key points are and learn how to make them quickly. I remember talking to a sales person who rambled at great length about his product. After viewing his product and learning how much it would cost I was prepared to move ahead with my purchase. Unfortunately, he continued talking and he almost talked himself out of the sale. Make sure you know what key points you want to discuss and practice verbalizing them before you meet with your prospect.

4. Be animated. The majority of sales presentations I have heard have been boring and unimaginative. If you really want to stand out from the crowd make sure you demonstrate enthusiasm and energy. Use voice more effectively and vary your modulation. A common mistake made when people talk about a product with which they are very familiar is to speak in a monotone voice. This causes the other person to quickly lose interest in your presentation. I recommend using a voice recorder to tape your presentation. This will allow you to hear exactly what you sound like as you discuss your product. I must profess to being completely humiliated when I first used this tactic. As a professional speaker, I thought all my presentations were interesting and dynamic – I soon learned that my stand-up delivery skills were much better than my telephone presentation skills.

5. Use showmanship. In the book, The Sales Advantage, an example is given how a vending sales person lays a heavy sheet of paper on the floor and asks his prospect, “If I could show you how that space could make you some money, would you be interested?” Consider the impact of this approach compared to the typical approach of saying something like, “We can help you make more money.” What can you do to incorporate some form of showmanship into your presentation?

6. Use a physical demonstration. A friend of mine sells sales training and he often uses the whiteboard or flipchart in the prospect’s boardroom during his presentation. Instead of telling his client what he will do, he stands up and delivers a short presentation. He writes down facts and figures, draws pictures, and records certain comments and statements from the discussion. This approach never fails to help his prospect make a decision.

7. Lastly, believe in your product/service. Without doubt, this is the most critical component of any presentation. When you discuss solutions, do you become more animated and energetic? Does your voice display excitement? Does your body language exhibit your enthusiasm? If not, you need to change your approach. After all, if you can’t get excited about your product, how can you expect your customer to become motivated enough to buy?

Designer replica watch is best to present as a gift to your wife on her birthday. No doubt you can buy any gift from gift market but it is better to give Designer replica watch (Omega replica) as a gift because it reminds her about you after every hour when she looks at watch to see time. When you buy Designer replica watch than you have to spend just few hundred dollars but people do not know this because Designer replica watch just look like real expensive Rolex watch. People will give you respect because you bought a Designer replica watch that price is more than the price of a car but do not tell the reality that you bought Designer replica watch in few hundred dollars.

Designer copy watch is very good for those customers who like long journey because with the Designer fake watch they can sleep freely everywhere or can travel in day and night but in the case of real expensive watch it is not possible for you to travel freely anywhere in the world. Without a good watch your personality is incomplete so, buy Designer replica watch to complete your personality. Designer replica watch is water resistant and it can resist water up three mm. If you are a sportsman than you should prefer Designer replica sports watch.

Inside boundary is covered with black rubber
In this watch the boundary is covered with black rubber that also helps replica Designer watch to resist water. In Designer replica sports watch glasses are used that resist scratches. The weight of Designer replica sports watch is double than the normal watch of Designer replica. Designer replica watches are available for both men and women and the women Designer replica watch is very smart as compared to men’s Designer replica watch.

Bankruptcy is definitely not a pleasing word for everyone. Unfortunately most people nowadays are closer to bankruptcy because they must deal with so many debts and their condition is getting worse with the economical crisis. It is such a dilemma for people who must live in debt. For example, they have no cash to pay their children’s school fee, and it makes them have to apply for a loan. The loan is very helpful, but they have to spend extra money to pay the loan and interest rate.

What if we have such condition? We have to choose between giving our children good education and having a debt and even multiple debts that will lead us to difficult financial condition. It is just a single case, what if we have to face multiple cases? We should pay mortgage, credit cards, and many others. Without a perfect action, then we can say hello to bankruptcy. None of us wants to be a bankrupt person. We can get help with credit card debt or other types of debt on destroydebt.com.

This professional financial company will help us settling debt with their consultation services and programs. Some of the programs we can use are debt settlement help, debt consolidation, and many others. Therefore, you should make an action before you face bankruptcy and visiting the site can be your first start.

One of the best ways to get your name out in your local community is to become a sponsor. A few hundred dollars gets your company name on little League caps; a little more, perhaps an ad at a roller rink. Donate money or materials to the local parade or a float. This buys goodwill and is great self-promotion. If you provide a service donate that. For example, when we operated a word processing business we offered to do resumes for free for those out of work. If you are a hair stylist, offer to cut hair free to senior homes, or for children. If you run a pet related business offer some free products or service. Every business has something they can provide for free,even if it is only your time.

Be sure when you do something of this type to alert the local media. They love talking about what local businesses are doing for the community. However, do this sparingly. Don’t over use it or it loses its effectiveness.

In today’s business arena setting up a web site is a must. For most businesses you don’t need anything fancy just a couple of pages which includes contact information, location and what your company policies are. For example, some background information on you (associations you belong to, educational background, qualifications). If you have some testimonials, this helps also. If you provide a newsletter, let folks know how they can receive it. You can also provide directions to your business, put specials on your website that you are running for the month, week or any time period you choose.

Brochures are another excellent way to get your name out there. Highlight your business’s benefits to create copy that sells. Be sure however to make the content interesting and draw the reader in and motivate them to do business with you.

When you combine effective content with an easy-to-read, eye-catching design, your brochure will become a hard-working partner that will help you win the customers you need to start your company out right.

Another great way to get your name out and to tell your customers what you do is to use a Newsletter. Newsletters can be wonderful tools for communicating with your customers or prospects. Because of their format, they’re often infused with more credibility than traditional brochures. If your newsletter is little more than blatant self-promotion, however, it’s likely to hit the wastebasket before it hits your target’s desk.

We have given you a number of ways to get your name out there so start promoting yourself!

Every day, the average person is exposed to millions of visual stimuli including hundreds of company logos.

A logo is a unique visual image that represents a company or its products. It aims to create a positive and memorable impression in the minds of the people who see it. In addition, a good logo can make a sale by saying something about the company to customers when there is no sales person present.

Choosing a logo for your business requires much thought and it is essential that you work closely with your graphic designer. Logo design needs your input as well as the designer’s creativity.

You have to start with an idea of the image you want your logo to portray, i.e. what you want it to say about your company. Beware though of turning the logo into a metaphor for something. The most memorable ones are usually the simplest – think of McDonald’s golden arches, the Apple Computer logo or Nike’s ‘swoosh’. Less is often more as far as logos are concerned.

Secondly, you will have to decide whether your logo should be an illustrative representation or abstract graphic that represents what your company does, or whether it should be font-based. Alternatively, your logo could be a combination of these options.

Logo colour is very important. Bear in mind that the colours you choose will impact on all your corporate materials. Your logo should also look good in black and white for use in mono print applications or on faxes for example.

Size is also a consideration, as your logo needs to look equally good on a business card as it does on the side of a truck or building. Similarly, make sure your logo is designed for print first and the web second. Do it the other way round and you may find that a design that looks good on a web site appears mediocre when scaled up for use in print.

Choose your logo design carefully as it will have a powerful impact on your business. A great logo lasts and should look good years from now. It also stands out from its environment and from the competition.

As well as building brand-awareness and speaking for your company, a great logo helps you make great sales… provided of course that you have the product and service quality to back it up.

This global financial crisis has brought serious problem into our life. Most people even lost their job because their company does not get any profit. If you are one of these people, you surely know that finding a job in the middle of this financial crisis is difficult. While most companies cut down the number of their employees, you are struggling to be hired.

If you worked in the executive level formerly, you can use Linkedin.com. This website helps people who want to get new job in the executive or C level. This website is in Barrett Group company. It gives consultancy service for job seekers. You can freely contact this website and get your consultation session. This website gives information on the team of The Barrett group. You also can read their profile. It will bring enough information on the professionals who handle your profile.

These people will shape up your profile, so you will be able to get better job opportunities. If you already have a job, you can still use consultation from The Barrett group to keep your position. It will help you to know your weakness, so you can cover it by showing more of your strength. In short of time, you will get new job to support your life.

Question: Can you guess the cheapest way to make a sale?

Answer: Sell to the customer that just bought from you!

All successful salespeople have one thing in common: They know how to make sales “after the sale”. There are many costs associated with finding a buying customer. Selling is not a cheap endeavor. This is why it makes sense to really go after add-on sales.

For example, if you have ever purchased a new computer, you probably noticed how before you left the store the salesperson had “helped you decide” to purchase a surge suppressor or extra ink for your printer. Maybe even an extended warranty for your new PC. Read More »