If I showed you a way to make a dollar, would you give me back a quarter?

Originally Posted by Jim Bettke

Let me clarify the question, "What specific actions would you take to increase the sales of any business so that you could get a share in the firms' additional profits?"

For example: Take a jeweller, and describe exactly what you would do for him to build his business. Remember, you are working on a contingency basis - no additional profits - no pay for you!

Your turn,
Jim

Greetings Jim,

Here is some action I would take.

When I think of jewelry, I think of my wife and 4 daughters. They love to look at it, wear it and show it off. So my target market is women and teenage girls.

I would ask the jeweller to give me 10 steps to proper jewelry cleaning. Then I would put together a 10 steps jewelry hotsheet, on the care and cleaning of jewelry, whether costume or genuine.

I would probably call it "10 STEPS TO FANTASTIC LOOKING JEWELRY!"

At the bottom or back of the hotsheet I would have a coupon for a free lesson, at the store, on cleaning jewelry properly or a 10% discount on the purchase of jewelry over $250. Of course address and phone number of the store would be printed on the hotsheet.

Next, I would open the yellow pages, and start looking at the different catagory titles. I would make note of those titles that cater primarily to women and teenage girls. In those particular catagories I would write down their physical addresses.

Once I exhausted the phone book, I would print out my hotsheets, and then one by one I would stop at each location. I would introduce myself and the business I represent.

Then I would ask them if I could leave a stack of my hotsheets on "10 STEPS TO FANTASTIC LOOKING JEWELRY!" and in turn I would offer to give them a free lesson, by cleaning one of their rings and demostrating the 10 steps.

When one of their customers picks up one of my hotsheets, then the person I gave a free lesson to, can give a first hand account of what I do and what to expect when they come to the jeweller for their free lesson.

To make sure there is a valuable incentive in place, for the contact person to want to tell others, I would let each contact person I spoke with and did a free cleaning for, that if they were to refer someone to us, and it resulted in giving a free in store lesson or purchase of jewelry, they would be given a 20% discount on their next purchase of jewelry over $500. That's a $100 savings on their next purchase.

Woody Quiñones
ImpactYourArea.com
PS. At the link below, I have a Seeds of Wisdom New Forum special going on.

I got the store owner to give me the names of 3 of his most influential clients. The first one I contacted was a lawyer and I explained to him that his friend in the jewellery store wanted to offer his clients a great gift. I then showed the lawyer a letter that I had written to 'his' clients that expressed his 'Thanks' for their past patronage. The letter further went on to say that the lawyer was expressing his 'Thanks' with a special $50.00 gift certificate at ABC Jewels.

The lawyer wins because he is actually thanking his clients by sending out the gift certificates. The jeweller wins because he gets an endorsement from an influential third party and gets access to many new customers.

Given the large markup in the jewellery business, the jeweller was only spending between $15 and $20 to acquire a new customer and the majority of the purchases were considerably larger than $50 - often resulting in a profitable sale! The jeweller understands the 'lifetime value of a customer' concept and he knows that these new clients will spend thousands of dollars in his store in the next few years. He is building his mailing list and plans on selling to these customers again and again.

This first promotion was just a test and it was very sucessful. We are working with the jewellers accountant now.

Jim

Wow!
Another of many great ideas that can be only found here.
So many times I come here and find, besides all the great ideas, something that is so timely to my own situation.
I have a situation that I came here to ask about and this thread is so related.
I won't hijack this one but will post a new one.
Thank you.
Larry Foster

You could do a mailing for any business. Start a part of direct mail for the business.

This is similar to the Mike Enlow jv information here:

http://www.enlow.com/jv.html

Originally Posted by Jim Bettke

I got the store owner to give me the names of 3 of his most influential clients. The first one I contacted was a lawyer and I explained to him that his friend in the jewellery store wanted to offer his clients a great gift. I then showed the lawyer a letter that I had written to 'his' clients that expressed his 'Thanks' for their past patronage. The letter further went on to say that the lawyer was expressing his 'Thanks' with a special $50.00 gift certificate at ABC Jewels.

The lawyer wins because he is actually thanking his clients by sending out the gift certificates. The jeweller wins because he gets an endorsement from an influential third party and gets access to many new customers.

Given the large markup in the jewellery business, the jeweller was only spending between $15 and $20 to acquire a new customer and the majority of the purchases were considerably larger than $50 - often resulting in a profitable sale! The jeweller understands the 'lifetime value of a customer' concept and he knows that these new clients will spend thousands of dollars in his store in the next few years. He is building his mailing list and plans on selling to these customers again and again.

This first promotion was just a test and it was very sucessful. We are working with the jewellers accountant now.

Jim

what I was going to give my employer, the school owner. An ad and booklet to give free, "Forging Ahead in Business" I did not give him all the information. But gave him a report in beautiful note book that the bastard kept. When he dies I think the business will die. He is not the biggest school in the area but rather the smallest. I could have made him number #1 or at least #2. But he had tunnel vision. Most people just don't get it. I forgot how it was said in Joe and the Vacano.

I think they did not market well. They had a great business but you can build the greatest mouse trap and someone once did but they are not in business because they did not market.

Today I put 4 articles on the net, maybe 6. I am promoting every day now. I know I got to get some money and market offline. That is more effective. Ask any guru.

Originally Posted by Joetrevison

I know I got to get some money and market offline. That is more effective. Ask any guru.

I am so glad to hear you say that.

I always rant about how limited the web + internet are when it comes to marketing. No one ever believes me... even when I back up my talk with facts that cannot be discounted.

People think the web is the be all + end all of marketing, when in fact, it has crippling limitations that make it PALE in comparison to offline methods!

The quicker people fall OUT of love with the web (as a way to market things), the quicker they will be on a path to REAL riches.

Cheers!

-- TW

Originally Posted by -TW

I am so glad to hear you say that.

I always rant about how limited the web + internet are when it comes to marketing. No one ever believes me... even when I back up my talk with facts that cannot be discounted.

People think the web is the be all + end all of marketing, when in fact, it has crippling limitations that make it PALE in comparison to offline methods!

The quicker people fall OUT of love with the web (as a way to market things), the quicker they will be on a path to REAL riches.

Cheers!

-- TW

TW,

What an interesting perception. I find when people speak of facts, on how and where you should do business, most have either never had an online business or tried and failed and believe their experience proves that you are better off not wasting your time trying or trying again.

I say hogwash to the notion that you can't make real riches on the Internet. The problem with facts is that they never seem to take the human factor into consideration and eventually become disproved.

People do not buy based on facts. They buy based on what they want, what they perceive they need, and whether the price is cheaper online as compared to offline, how fast they can find it and get it.

Remember,

It was a fact that a dos based program, on an IBM computer, with a Graphic User Interface, would never sell.

It was a fact that the Internet was just a fad.

If was a fact that the average person would never purchase anything over the Internet, because they couldn't touch it.

I have found for myself, that selling geniune ideas and products that work, over the Internet, has generated, not just money, but a steady income for my family since 1994 and my income continues to grow as do the items I sell.

For example, the home study course I wrote and sell soley on the Internet, is a money maker for me and has found worldwide interest and acceptance from many of my clients. My server logs have shown a 400% increase in visits to my site, since this time last year as well as my paypal activity.

I couldn't market and get that type of worldwide attention offline. If I tried the marketing costs offline would be astronomical.

Now back in the early 1990's, I tried to sell other peoples info products, widgets and so on and I'd have to agree with you, it is limited.

However, the minute I started creating my own products to sell, or buying chattel to sell, then the money started coming in. The Internet for me, has given me a larger customer base, since I started my first business many years ago.

But the key to selling on the Internet? Sell your own stuff, or be in complete control of a product, so that you can dominate your market. That's not from some Internet guru's book. That's from my own experience.

Also marketing, on the Internet is not as stressful or limited as offline marketing. I know this because I own 2 offline businesses and that marketing is more restrictive and managing it at times can literally exhaust you.

For example, if I run an ad in the yellow pages, then that one ad will stay the same for an entire year and there is no options to make changes, until the following year. So if my phone number is wrong, it will be wrong for an entire year. On the Internet, I can make changes to my advertising, so I can keep it fresh and accurate.

Being an owner of 2 offline businesses and 1 online business I would have to say that marketing is valuable, but what you do in one arena usually cannot be done in another with the same results.

Both offline and online have their place and their marketing methods will be diverse, but both ventures can fail if I am not willing to market them.

The Internet is a great place to do business and have a business.

From the Trouse
Woody Quiñones
ImpactYourArea.com

[Ankesh]

Hi Joe

I hope you take some unsolicited advice in good spirits...

Not to burst your bubble... but your basic strategy is not right and so my guess is you won't make a killing even if you promote offline.

Why? Because - You're trying to sell every thing to everybody. Self help books, law books, marketing books and business softwares. But the strategy you are using is good for selling only one kind of product. There is no underlying current or idea that matches your four niches together.

What you have to do is either focus on just one category. Or else create a USP that connects all 4 categories (and make a "mega-category").

I don't want to overstep out here and take advantage of your good spirits by giving you more unsolicited advice. But my experience tells that your strategy is not set right and didn't want you to waste a lot of money by testing offline promotion... and thats why I posted.

If you want more help or clarification, ask away.