Advertising and customer contact is a natural part of growing and expanding your business. You cannot expect your business to grow to its utmost potential without some sort of advertising involved. This does not mean you need to break the bank to advertise. You don't need to use expensive advertising to promote your business and see results. But you do need to be smart in how you advertise and need to be realistic in what you are expecting for results. Most importantly, you need to be consistent and repetitive-- the true key to advertising and marketing success.

Learn from the example of one company's very expensive mistake. An internet company decided to throw all their money into a one-time advertising shot during the Super Bowl. They hired extra people to man the phone center, expecting huge results. C'mon - this was the Super Bowl with millions upon millions of viewers! Guess what happened? The phone barely rang. They sat dumbfounded AND are now broke. You cannot expect great results with a one time shot at getting your word out, even when it is to millions of people.

Think of the big companies. How do you think they GOT to be big companies? Almost every company starts out as an idea of just one person or a handful of people. They grow and become successful from advertising and getting the word out about their products and services. Why do you think you know the names 3M, Fischer Price, Old Navy and so many more? It's because you consistently and repetitively see their name and ads everywhere. No, not everyone wants to be the next 3M, but a company will NOT grow if you don't advertise it.

Studies show that consumers need to see your product or service anywhere from 6 to 10 times before making a purchase. Not only does this repeat contact give your company recognition... it also give you and your company credibility. All you need to do is put yourself in the consumer's seat. If you saw an ad only once, from a company you have never heard of before, for a product you might not be interested in, would you make that purchase right then and there? Probably not. But when you see a product/service over and over again, you begin to become familiar with that company and begin to subconsciously  trust that company as one who is legitimate and who is successful.

80% of all sales are made after the 5th contact with the same prospect--- yet most sales/marketing people stop after the first contact upon hearing a no or the prospects lack of interest.  Keep in mind that in most cases, a no means no not now.  It doesn't mean no not ever.  How many times have you made a new purchase after seeing something advertised not once, but several times?  Repitition and follow-up is the key to all marketing success.

It all boils down to this... by staying in constant contact with your customers, whether it's through newspaper advertising, email, direct mail, or personal contact, you are building a strong and credible relationship with those customers. Don't dump someone off your mailing list simply because they haven't purchased from you in the past month or two. You never know when something you offer is going to "trigger" a response or if they may know someone interested in your product or service.

Remember this: "Persistence is what makes the impossible possible, the possible likely, and the likely definite." - Robert Half

Below is the cover letter written by Shirley Koritnik that gives you an idea how to present the 1-2-3 product special. She is putting in the  thank you notes for orders this month.  The attachments came from Lorri Kreuscher some time back--thanks, Lorri!  The promo flyer is from Barefoot Secret Company. As usual I've went in and changed the "the company name" to "Barefoot Secret" to adhere with the company's P & R guidelines.