First Step Marketing

Make sure the results are believable

If employees have seen the results collected, know how they are compiled and have evidence that it was their customers who gave the information, they are more likely to act on it. If the information comes down from management, represents random sampling and anonymity, employees tend to discount it. Read the rest of this entry »

The following advice may be used for any occasion at which you need or want to market yourself and your business. The 15 essential elements of successful networking are: Read the rest of this entry »

Never leave home

…without your business cards! They are an indispensable marketing tool. Make them really stylish. They’re very often the first impression people will get of you, and you never get a second chance to make a good first impression. Full colour cards are not that expensive to print anymore. Shop around for a good price. Keep a supply of business cards with you all the time and hand them out often. Include a photograph or sketch of your work if you can. Read the rest of this entry »

Get out there!

There are many gardening experts, but for more than two decades, one has stood out head and shoulders above the rest — Keith Kirsten. He has become a household name, both as a gardening authority and a much sought after celebrity. What is it that made him different? There were horticulturists as good and possibly even better than he was — but he’s the one who became Mr. Gardening. Read the rest of this entry »

There are two primary ways of promoting yourself and your product. (Remember, you and your product, should become synonymous. That not only do people know the products or the service but they know them as being yours.) Read the rest of this entry »

Advice from an Agent

“You must be reliable. The agent and shop owner are working on trust. Don’t let them down. So you must be geared up for producing quantities. Read the rest of this entry »

An agent will take your articles and find retail outlets for you, charging you a negotiated commission on orders taken and goods sold. This is a good option if your product is easily manufactured and plentiful, and you prefer making to selling. Read the rest of this entry »

• Ask your mother or best friend what they believe is your best quality.

Convert what you love doing into a profession.

• Ask yourself what job you would most like to do if you were a member of the crew on a luxury liner for 90 days.
• Your qualities tell you a lot about yourself.
• The biggest clue is to think about what you truly love doing. Read the rest of this entry »
  

In the beginning…

The only factors standing between you and starting your business are fear and excuses. I feel very strongly about this. We can only succeed if we are able to successfully rid ourselves of our fear and the action that it holds back. Once that’s done, you will already feel lighter - and be prepared to take the risks that success requires. Read the rest of this entry »

Although mail-order exists, it is relatively small and undeveloped. The potential for growth is great. The market includes people who have neither the time nor the inclination to go shopping, as well as people living outside the major consumer centres. Read the rest of this entry »