What Does Your Business Address Say?
If you are operating a business from your home and
your post office address clearly indicates a home
address, you may want to re-think your marketing
strategy. A Rural Route 2 address can plainly say your
business might be in a bedroom at home, or worse,
in the barn. Does 27 Sleeping Beauty Circle look
like a business address to you? If your business is still at home and your address
screams it, get a post office box. There are also
companies that rent addresses and forward your
mail. You could have a Chicago address and live in
Nebraska (although I don't recommend it).
A Chicago address might sound better than a suburb
(RR #2 Box 2451, Gurnee, Illinois), but keep it
within reason. An Internet search for "Mail
Forwarding" will give you an idea of how it all
works (and costs). If your on-line address looks like the Tarzan Yell
you may want to re-think your web strategy. What comes to mind when you see an AOL, Hotmail or
Yahoo eMail address? Home? Fun? Hobby? Cheap?
Stigmas can attach and hold like glue. They are
tough to shake. Your business does not need Cheap
and Chinsey. No matter what size your business, you should have
your own domain name which, in turn, gives you
your own eMail address, even if you don't want to
put up a web page. I have been asked how to do
this so many times, I wrote a Special Report with
step by step instructions. Read about it here
http://BigIdeasGroup.com/html/special_reports.html Experts agree, you need a domain name, but they
differ as to whether your domain name should just
be your name (BernieSchwartz.com), or be the name
of your business (SchwartzPlumbing.com) or be
very broad in scope (PlumbingHorizons.com). My domain, BigIdeasGroup.com has a broad scope
but also reinforces my personal brand as BIG Mike.
I bet I am the only BIG Mike you will read about
today, or this week. What if your business phone number is also your
home phone number and someone else answers,
"Heh-whoa? I'll Get my Mom-mee". What impression
does that give? Would you feel comfortable doing business with a
firm who's answer machine says "Hi, you've reached
Molly, Bernie, Bernie Jr and little Susie, sorry
we can't come to the phone but if you...") Your business should be using a separate number,
no matter what the size. Specific ideas on how to
have a separate business line and fax number
are detailed in my free article "What Does Your
Telephone Say?" Send a blank eMail to
MailTo:TelephoneSay@BIGIdeasGroup.com. Your business card can say a lot about your
business image, too. Get my article "What Does
Your Business Card Say?"
MailTo:BizCardSay@BigIdeasGroup.com Your business address is more than where the
mailman delivers the bills. It includes your
telephone and your cyberspace image as well. Get
all three working for you instead of against you. ©2005 BIG Mike McDaniel All Rights Reserved
Mike@BIGIdeasGroup.com
BIG Mike is a Professional Speaker and Small
Business Consultant with over 30 years experience,
http://BIGIdeasGroup.com Subscribe to "BIG Mike's BIG Ideas" Newsletter
MailTo:subscribe-956603364@ezinedirector.net
Related News
|
 |
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Always Sell To New Eyes And New Ears
One of the hardest things for you to do as an advertiser to do is to step into your prospect's shoes and really understand what makes him buy, and to find out how the prospect reacts to your marketing and advertising efforts. It's easy to get caught up in thinking that just because you spent $14,000 -- or $140,000 -- on your latest batch of ads that every person on Earth saw the ads and paid really close attention to them. Well, generally speaking, they didn't. For the most part, people won't even notice your advertisements until they're in market for what you're selling. So its important that you make sure that you always structure your advertisements so that a person hearing or seeing them for the first time has enough information to take action... based on that one single ad. Don't make ads that run in a series that build on one another until they reach a crescendo. Don't assume that the prospect already knows anything about what you're selling.
Why Market Research Will Help Your Business
Do Crucial Market Research For Free, On Your Own
Consumer Thinking And Search Marketing
12/20/04
Why Instant Gratification Marketing Condemns Businesses To Losing 90% Of Their Potential Customers
Most businesses target only people "ready-to-buy". These hot prospects are "Now Buyers" because they've been inching closer to a decision for some period of time. They're just about ready to spend cash. Advertisers target "Now Buyers" because the pressure is on to make sales immediately. And, they know these prospects are most qualified, from a timing standpoint.
Business Cards That do the Business
A business card makes a statement about who you are and what
your business is about. It needs to convey the quality of
your business and an insight into your personality.
I have been handed business cards and the first thought to
go through my mind was - "Cheap" A tacky design - low
quality paper - doesn't feel good in the hand and looks
cheap to the eye. That then becomes my overall impression of
the business.
Build Relationships
Personal marketing makes it easier to sell, by building relationships nurtured on awareness, value and trust. Make your relationships more fruitful by making them personal. Use these powerful yet simple tips from the book, Secrets of Power Marketing; Canada's first guide to personal marketing for non-marketers.
Starting Small Business Promotional Campaigns
So you're starting a small business. You figured out what you wanted to sell or do and went out and got it all set up, had your DBA framed and on the wall and now all you need is for someone to buy your product or use your service. Right?
Finding Your Niche: What Do You Want To Be Known For?
In my experience, there are two kinds of small business owners: one that knows whom their market niche is and utilize it, and another who tends to waiver or not want to "set in stone" their target market. With the latter group, I always probe for more information: Why don't you want to choose a specific target for your product/service? Time and time again, the response is the same "I don't want to limit my profits by only catering to a few."
How to Magnetize Your Business
Do you ever wonder how some businesses always seem to be doing so much business? And how they seem to do all that business without really trying that hard? Most of us would like to have business come to us, rather than chasing it. Think of a magnet ? pulling business towards your company, effortlessly and naturally. Sounds good, right? But how do you actually become a company like that? Here are some ways.
Marketing Gurus : Do You Need One?
Its become fashionable to bash marketing "gurus" nowadays.
One-Two-Three Punch Marketing
Printed material is just as important today as it was before the Internet. With sp*a*m getting out of hand, it's a wise choice to rev up, update or create printed material, ads, catalogs, direct mail, press releases, letters, templates and the like.
Your Plan For Marketing Success
The most important, yet overlooked aspect of marketing is an actual written marketing plan A business simply cannot succeed without marketing. Whether you are a one person business or have 50 employees, you simply must have a marketing plan to succeed.
Want To Be A Stronger Marketer? Work Your Marketing Muscles!
You want to be more flexible? You have to stretch your muscles. Want to be physically stronger? You have to find a way to workout and build your muscles. Want to be a stronger marketer? You've got to work your marketing muscles.
Web Site Marketing: 10 Little Known Upsell Strategies That Will Magnify Your Profits
What is Upselling?
How to Use Your Newsletter to Research Your Market
A few decades ago, in the early days of automatic
banking terminals, the management at Citibank made a
somewhat reluctant decision to introduce automatic tellers.
Advertising Your Private Practice: 6 Tips for Maximizing Your Results-Part 2
As discussed in part 1 of this article, "Your Private Practice: Beware of the Problems," I usually don't recommend advertising as a main method of marketing a practice for new coaches, counselors and healing professionals. There are often more cost-effective ways to get the word out and attract clients.
How to Profit from Your Expertise (Part 1 of 2)
Are you looking for a natural way to market your professional services? What if you could exponentially multiply the number of motivated, pre-qualified prospects you reach in a fraction of the time that networking and referrals require?
Keeping your Business Card visible
Famous quotes that keep you thinking.
Eliminate Your Competitors With 2 Simple Steps
In business, having competitors goes with the territory. There's almost always someone selling the same product or service you are selling, or at least trying to solve the same customer problem you solve.
Business to Business Direct Mail Offers that Say Free
In direct mail, the offer is the incentive or reward that you dangle in front of your prospects to motivate them to respond to your mailing, either with an order or with a request for more information.
|
