Now, with the Fourth of July holiday weekend behind us, we can all cut back and relax for a month or two before getting back into work related activities: NOT! I know it’s very tempting to do so, but let me explain why it is not the right thing to do. The short answer is simply: Don’t do it because everyone else is doing it. Maybe I am just a contrarian, but when have the majority ever been right? Just look back on important, major changes in history and you will note that the majority opinion mostly turned out to not be the right thing to do at that point in time. But this is not a history lesson, so check it out if you care to (no extra credit).
In my last newsletter I mentioned the importance of promotion, whether it is for oneself or one’s company. It is ridiculously obvious in the extreme case that if you do not promote yourself no one will know you even exist. Just think about that. Aside from your parents, especially your mother, anyone who knows you knows you because you introduced yourself or some mutual acquaintance made the introduction.
You want to get a job? You want to get more customers? You want to increase your sales? The answer to all three is to Promote! As I mentioned last time, the easiest and least costly thing to do (I call it step #0) is to get some business cards. How many of you (who did not have business cards before) have done that? Good for you! Do you notice that you feel more important? You do, because you are. “Here’s my business card. It has all of my contact info. Call me.” Of course you’re important. You have a business card that proves it.
Okay, I have some business cards and hand them out two at a time. Now what? Well, the next thing to do is Promote. Do you have a website? If not, why not? If you want to create your own website it is not that difficult to do. (I did it and if I can do it, you can too.) You do not need to spend thousands or even hundreds of dollars to get on the web. There are free website templates available, a website name (address) can be registered for about $10 per year and you can get hosting for about $10 per month. Then, it is a matter of the content you put in your website. If it contains information that is interesting and helpful to others, you are on the right track. You want people to visit your website and tell others to visit it too. With enough visitors, someone eventually will be interested to buy your product. Your “product” can even be just you and the skills you possess. The point is (and the secret is) it is only a numbers game. After so many outflows of your message, you will get a hit or hits. The whole point is to work on getting the most hits with the least amount of messages being sent out. That means your promotion is effective (ratio of number of hits to amount sent).
Now, to tie this whole thing together, what do you do when jobs are scarce, customers are scarce and there is very little money coming in? Promote! Why? Because everyone else realizes that they have to conserve the money they have and so they cut their promotion budget. Fabulous! Your competition just took themselves out of the game and have left an open field for you. Now is the time to “pour on the coal” (an old 20th century saying that means to really get moving). Get whatever promotion you have: written, audio, video and website out there, in volume. Keep doing it and then do it some more.
Then, after the Labor Day holiday, when everyone else gets back into looking for work or customers, you are busy in your new job or servicing your new customers. It’s your choice.
Once again, I am running out of space. I am very encouraged by the feedback I have been receiving from my last two newsletters, so keep it coming and let me know how I may assist you. There is definitely more to come. Meanwhile, if you need any help with your products, design-wise or manufacturing-wise call me. “Big or small, we do it all.”