Targeting "Me"

The single best sales strategy in the world is to find your best clients and ask them, "How do I get more clients like you?"

I was in a store last month chatting with the owner, and she said to me: "You're my ideal customer; how do I get more of you?" I thought about it for a moment and told her how I'd found her. We then sat down for a while and figured out how to target more 'me's'. (I am a printer and a salesperson after all!) I was able to buy her a mailing list for people in her demographic and do a series of direct mail pieces to people like me.

Because she asked her customer how to grow, her customer actually answered. So, talk to your customers!

Don't Assume

Never assume your current clients know all you can do for them. The best way to get more business is to get more from existing customers. The only way you can do that is to keep telling them all that you do. One marketing strategy for this is to send out a printed piece that lists all the things you do followed by pieces that expand on each individual item. The way a printer might do this is to create a piece that talks about brochures, business cards, wide format printing, book binding, and so forth, with a short paragraph about each thing. This would then be followed with a postcard that talks more about each individual item.

This strategy works well for most businesses -- from lawn care to lawyers. Mowing, landscaping, xeriscaping, etc., followed by details of what each of those things is and why. Litigation, taxes, wills, etc., you get the picture.

Keep telling people about the things you do, and don't get frustrated if they don't seem to "get it" right away. No matter how many years I've been working with a printing client, I still get people walking in who say, "Oh, you do that? I had no idea!" It can be frustrating when you think you've gotten your message out...but that sentence is an opportunity for me to tell people about all my printing and marketing services...and it is an opportunity for you to tell people what you do, too.

How Are You Using Your Time?

I ran across a startling infographic I thought I'd share with you. It's on the website Information Is Beautiful, at http://www.informationisbeautiful.net/2010/cognitive-surplus-visualized/. US adults spend roughly 200 billion hours (combined) watching TV each year. By contrast, it took just 100 million hours to create Wikipedia.

All of us at one time or another have wished we had more time. But have we stopped to think about how we're using the time we have? Are we contributing more to mindless activities like watching TV, or are we using our time for more worthwhile pursuits?

It's something to think about, the next time you reach for the remote control.

World Leaders... In Their Own Words... For Free

If you're looking for powerful speeches from some of the top thinkers in business, entertainment, and politics from around the world, look no further than TED.com. TED, which stands for Technology, Entertainment and Design, is a nonprofit group that sponsors conferences across the US and UK. Attendees pay to hear thought leaders ranging from Al Gore and Steve Jobs to Dr. Jane Goodall and writer J.J. Abrams.

What's unique about TED is that the group makes all of its past speeches available free on its website and even allows reposting. An archive of over 600 speeches, searchable by name and topic/theme, is available, with translations into more than 75 languages. The site also includes a blog, a thriving online community, and information about upcoming events.

For more information visit http://www.ted.com. But be warned. Once you get there, you might never want to leave.