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#1
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Getting to Business Owners Cheaply
Over the years I have sold books, cookware, advertising, marketing services, magic shows, etc., etc., etc. Most of the sales have been through marketing and not cold calling.
Now, however, I want to take a page from Gordon's notebooks, and present some of my hard-found knowledge in workshops and seminars. I seem to remember Gordon mentioning something about people "Under the radar" giving small seminars at the library or some other inexpensive venue and bringing in some "Small potatoes" over and over again. I wonder if this concept can be used and upscaled a bit.... Business owners as a rule have more money to spend over time building their business and getting customers than most consumers. In other words, an individual consumer might give you a couple of hundred dollars for a sale or product and a few more bucks in the back-end. But a business owner convinced that you can build their business will give more to you. With that in mind. I just wonder if it is possible to hold small seminars or workshops that help business owners grow...then upsell them on a longer course? Now, going into Chambers of Commerce without being a member (at least in my area) is like breaking through a wall.... Additionally, I do not want to spend thousands in advertising to get people to attend a seminar (I do not have the deep pockets that YK2 marketing has used in the past). Let's say that I have no cash to blitz the media, papers, etc....but a VERY STRONG story and guarantee.... BTW, local libraries WILL NOT allow a business to have a seminar that makes a profit or pitches ANYTHING in any way.... Has this been done anywhere? Millard |
#2
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Re: Getting to Business Owners Cheaply
Hi Millard,
You can hold small seminars or workshops at higher end cafes/coffee shops and bakeries. Macdonalds usually allows use of their basements for parties and business meetings. Short term rentals at office boardrooms through executive services. Many don't know but some supermarkets rent out affordable space for condo meetings etc. And of course many hotels rent out meeting rooms and hotel suites for the same. Space is available at more places than we think about. All very afforable that you can Think about opening up your own Millard school of seminars & workshops division. Joint venture, do some cross promotions and cut some deals with the above and you'll have Lots of Space and Free Advertising Too... Just Barter and Connect Coffee and Business... Phil |
#3
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You'll Pee Your Pants With Glee! :)
Here is a secret Brad Fallon and I discussed at our famous Hooters rendezvous.
You can have seminars and workshops at your local college and universities -- and you will pee your pants with glee when they quote prices. Georgia Tech quoted me a price of $500/day for their conference center and that INCLUDED the refreshments and food! And get this... Every desk in the room had a wifi/high-speed internet hookup! My next conference/seminar is being held at the University College of the Fraser Valley, just outside of Vancouver Canada. The price? $75 Loonies A Day! And that includes the pimple-faced kid that operates the audio-visual equipment. But wait... there's more! Heard of distance education? Well colleges can RECORD your seminar for peanuts, if not FREE. The classrooms are already set up for that, with cameras all over the room to capture the discussion and the lecture. So tell your local Chamber to stuff themselves. Aloha, Jason |
#4
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Re: You'll Pee Your Pants With Glee! :)
Are you passing through on your way to Hawaii.
Non business... Or a John Reese/Jason or maybe GJA conference/seminar? So what's happening in Loonie land... Phil |
#5
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Re: Getting to Business Owners Cheaply
Two Problems:
1. Location 2. Getting people to pay and attend Location 1. Colleges - as Jason says - are fantastic. 2. Business Centers. If your seminar is targeted towards business owners, many business centers may even sponsor your event and give away use of their location for free - just so that they can attract more business owners to come visit them. 3. Cafes. A mentor did this. Joint ventured with a local cafe. Once a month for I think 6 months or so - he would hold a meetup at that cafe. He got the use of a part of the cafe for free. And the cafe also placed up a display board that promoted him and the meetup. The venue was for free because people who would show up would end up buying from the cafe. Promotion 1. One thing you could do is joint venture with another business whose clients are business owners. Like accountants. He promotes the event to his clients and gets a commission per ticket sold. 2. Promote in the local newspaper: many of them have a free local events section. 3. Use direct mail. Extra Money Ideas 1. Find sponsors. And place their ads all over the venue. 2. Upsell other products. 3. Auction something. |
#6
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Fly Low-Collect Dough-The BOOK.
Hi Millard,
I should expand my report, Fly Low and Collect the Dough, into a BOOK...maybe I will now that I think of it...HA! A couple of ideas for you. First locale. Agree with Jason on colleges, and some of the HIGH SCHOOLS do the same thing. I've taken several classes at my high school, and they are dirt cheap too. I'm lucky I have a community center, with rooms for rent, and PARKS, which I've used in the past too. But my favorite: CLUBS. Check your local Italian American Club, Polish, German, etc. etc. Any ethnic group. Call and find out who the president is and send them a flyer offering to put your "performance" on for the business owners of that club. Make it specific to them. VFW. I'd have my stuff ready, call and make an appointment with the Commander of the Post and pitch him on putting on the seminar for his members. Same with other clubs, CHURCHES (some of whom rent out their kitchens) and I've used the occassional pizza shop that was closed on Sunday/Monday too. Millard, steal, uh, borrow a page from the ladies...Mary Kay, Avon, Girls Night Out...and consider a HOME PARTY...have one of the CoC or BBB members HOST a 90 minute informational meeting for 6-12 fellow business people (in exchange for a discount on your services)...an invitation from a fellow member might attract some people...FEED them of course. Golf Courses don't do much after dark...and they have tables and chairs. For me Millard, the ideal thing is to have a "leader" who has invited others to the venue...and in these things, an informational workshop, or SAMPLE if you will, goes a long way to selling a more personal or specialized course. Consider the business owners shop too. They may have room to do something after hours. Again, you offer them something to hold the "event". In a strip mall for example, there is usually a merchant organization, which they pay to belong to. They share the goal of increasing business. OFFER a FREE 90 minute intro to the association. And then of course Millard, you'll want to put your hands on Fly Low and Collect the Dough, the BOOK. Someday. Maybe. http://www.flylowcollectdough.com The report is a good starting point. Gordon PS. Don't overlook the 45 minute BREAKFAST intro meeting too, most small business owners are TIME restrained. Make TIME a big part of your pitch too and I guarantee you'll get some interested...if they can find the time to attend that is. Good luck as always. |
#7
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Follow up and the IMA info.
Millard,
You may recall my IMA operation, which I don't speak about. INDEPENDENT Marketing Appraisal. OFFER a FREE appraisal of their marketing strategy in exchange for the 90 minutes of time. Make it time limited, next 14 days or something like that. Have CHECKLISTS (biz owners love this). To make this work, you must KNOW every advertising venue available to the biz and how much it costs. From TV, radio to print to coupons to flyers. YOU have to know what everyone is selling "MORE BUSINESS" for. gja Last edited by GordonJ : July 12, 2007 at 07:36 AM. |
#8
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Re: Getting to Business Owners Cheaply
Quote:
Hi Millard, Thanks for asking. Yes going into the Chamber of commerce without being a member is not going to happen...But...Most Chambers are very nice about giving out their membership information on their web site. You can get the business name, contact name, address, phone number, email address, web site, etc for each of their members and then direct contact them to invite them to your location. Here is a listing from my Chamber's membership page. Company Name Adjustable Bedz Contact Name Robert Aviles Address1 15 Alex Way Address2 City Poughkeepsie State New York Zip 12603 Phone 845-849-1942 Fax 845-510-5427 Email [email protected] URL www.adjustablebedz.com All the information I need to contact them and get them to come to me instead of me going to the Chamber's location. This is the way I use to "get to business owners cheaply" Skip Rosell Last edited by Dien Rice : July 12, 2007 at 07:58 AM. Reason: fixed quoting |
#9
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Re: Getting to Business Owners Cheaply
Millard,
Thanks for asking questions. Seems you are asking a few things... Thing # 1: Where can I find cheap venue? Thing # 2: How can I market cheaply and get good results? Thing # 3: Is it possible to Upsell the higher prices services from this workshop? Cheap Venues: Lots has been covered already. Here's some more... scout halls, martial arts training hall/room/studio, empty Office For Lease, dance studio, wherever group guitar lessons are taught, secretarial training centers, your accountant's board room, and so on. Cheap Marketing: The tried and Proven method of marketing seminars and workshops is by having someone market it to Their list - either for free or as a JV. And ideally, the people on the list should have already shown a desire for the thing being presented at the seminar. So in the ideal world, someone would be telling a bunch of business owners, who have already shown a desire to want information on increasing business, that they should be attending your seminar. WHERE to find such an existing list? That's another question. How to create my own such list? That's also another question. Let me throw this out for thoughts... a Young fellow (20) is a Life Coach. He holds Meetings which he calls Hour Of Power. Where you can come for an hour or so and it only costs a twenty spot. Don't recall exactly where the meetings are held, but they are held regardless of the numbers who turn up. Think he might have a small classified ad running as well as some kind of small poster or 8x11 sized flyer at the venue. If you Blast your marketing, you are most likely going to be disappointed. A funded group spent weeks Blasting their Better Business class. After chatting with them they revealed 5 people turned up - that's 5 out of 2,100 businesses in the area. (If they cannot market their own services effectively, how reliable is any Advice they have to offer?) Oh, the cheapest way to get to them? A postcard size flyer - you can get four to a sheet of paper - Hand Delivered by you to their place of business. Upselling: Worry about this last. Concentrate on getting people in the door first. But know this... if your seminar is just a sales pitch, you will P'Off all those who attended expecting to get fair dinkum information. Michael Ross |
#10
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Re: Getting to Business Owners Cheaply
Thanks for all the ideas!
First and foremost is that i give a lot of value in the presentation showing the business owners how money is being left on the table... how things can be done more effectively, marketing makeovers, examples, etc. etc. etc. My goal is to get the business owners so fired up while having a good time that a certain percentage want to do more.... That's the obvious sell.... but with subtlety. I appreciate the ideas of the college and coffee shops... brilliant! Of course, JVs... I am really itching to get back in front of people after being a professional magician for so many years... I'll just add a few things to my business presentation to spice things up as well as giving great value. If any of you are are interested in getting more details, I would be happy to share privately.... who knows we might just be able to help each other. Millard |
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