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FDI Business Card Eval
This card has good clean visual appeal. The strong black banners on the top and bottom draw attention to additional messages while emphasizing the main body of the card.
Personally I would make the Ft. Lauderdale FL 33301 the bottom line in that group since it is the longest line. It will create a little more white space and be more symetrical. Also since there is no address associated with it then there is probably no need for the zip code so you might consider just making it Ft Lauderdale Florida. This establishes the territory serviced with out looking like the address is missing.
My major issue with the card is that I am unclear what service is offered. I assume it is financial services but what kind and for whom? I can’t help thinking that Financial Destination has some sort of travel component. I think the card needs a tag line like “Helping Individuals Reach Their Financial Goals” or something that plays with the idea of “destination” and the “financial service” that is less ambiguous. After visiting the website I am even more confused. Maybe “Your guide through life’s financial travels” would be appropriate.
Lastly I feel that Debbie’s two titles are competing but I am not sure offhand how to remedy the situation. Debbie is an “Independent Representative”. Is that important for us to know? What I want to know is what can she do for me. In this case “Personal Financial Concierge” might be more helpful.
When designing a card it is a good idea to have a few people who have no idea what you do, look at your card and tell you what they know or what they feel about your company based on the business card alone. Your business card is like an advertisement it should speak for itself.
Colorful Clown Cards
These colorful business card examples belong to two of my favorite people BOB-O The Clown and his hilarious partner in laughter LOVEE. Strictly speaking, these are not business cards they are in fact retirement cards. These two “clowns” are actually doing their best not to work and having a lot of fun doing it. They are two of the busiest and most active non-workers I have ever known. Non-working is their specialty since they’re always clowning around and that’s no joke.
People often ask me if they should include a photo of themselves on their business card. I sometimes reply “It depends how you look.” But more importantly it depends if it enhances your message. One thing we can learn from BOB-O and LOVEE is to show people what you do. I am amazed at how few actors or models have a business card with a picture. It seems obvious in this case but no matter what kind of service you provide why not consider a picture of you in action?
Both of these cards start with a strong graphic element utilizing professionally produced photographs that reinforce their mirthful messages. BOB-O’s circus red background adds appropriate gaiety as does LOVEE’s purple poke-a-dot background. More than anything, who wouldn’t enjoy having one of these cards handed to them? Can you say as much about your business card? You don’t have to be a BOZO or even a BOB-O to have fun. Everyone has seen the standard business appropriate business card maybe it’s time to try a new approach that will make people remember who you are; consider that you might be fun to do business with; and be happy to receive your information. Why not think about interjecting a little fun into your business card?
BOB-O and LOVEE are octogenarians (no this does not mean they only have 8 genes) who graduated clown college last year. Maybe they’re slow learners. They are available to clown around at senior centers, parties and special events. They work by referral only so if you are humorously interested in having them not work for you, contact me and I’ll have their people get in touch with your people.
BOB-O and LOVEE suggest that you DO NOT slip on a banana peel but do slide over and get my book “Turn Your Business Card Into Business.”
Beauty Industry
Success Depends on Building Your Clientele
If you are a hairstylist, massage therapist, nail technician, cosmetologist or other personal care or beauty industry professional you need to cultivate a local clientele to build a successful practice. This means that nearly all of your clients live or work very near the neighborhood or community where you provide your service. There are of course always a few exceptions where a client has moved away but still comes to you because you have established a close relationship. There are the few industry superstars for whom people will travel across the country to seek their services. However it is safe to assume that the majority of your new clients will come to you partly because you are convenient for them to get to and partly because you provide a specific talent and service they require.
You are in control of your success. If you are an independent contractor you should understand that building a following is your responsibility and is the single most important factor in your long term job security and individual success. When you have a full book of clients that like you and like what you do you can virtually write your own ticket. Happy clients will stay with you for years and will insure that you have a steady stream of income. If you have room in your schedule or are relying primarily on walk-ins and assignments from your salon owner you need to step-up your game and start promoting yourself.
Many stylists feel that is the job of the salon owner to bring in the business, and to some degree that is true. It is the job of the salon owner to promote the salon but it is the job of the individual stylists to promote herself. It is like a comb and a brush they both have a similar function but achieve slightly different results. What you need to be concerned with is the number of clients that you personally have. Regardless of what the salon does or what other stylists, technicians and therapists do, you need to look out for yourself.
What stops most professionals from taking action is lack of knowledge. You might ask what am I supposed to do? To begin with, start reminding your current clients that you appreciate referrals. If they are satisfied with your service ask them to tell their friends. Simply say, “You know, my schedule is not quite full and I still have room for a few more clients. If you want to recommend me to a friend, here are a few of my business cards.” People are generally happy to help. Do not be too quick to bribe or reward referrals, most of the time this is not necessary and only creates additional complexity to the process. If she comes through for you, do something special but avoid making promises or offering bribes. Instead if a client does send you a referral, do something non-business related like sending a thank you note or flowers or taking her to lunch or coffee. I do not prefer gift cards because it looks too much like giving money. I also do not prefer discounting services because it creates potential future expectations and devalues your service. You might offer a shampoo, conditioner, message oil, nail polish, cosmetic or other product that the client does not currently use as a special thank you. In this way you give her an appropriate reward and an opportunity to sample a product she might continue to use. In this case simply say, “Oh your friend Audrey came in last week. Thanks for the referral.” (Hopefully you have also already sent the thank you card). When you are finished working with the client say, “By the way this new product just came in and I think it would be perfect for you. Take one with you as a gift from me.” This does not look like a pay-off but it is a nice gesture that sets up no future expectations or obligations. Put the product in a bag with another two or three of your business cards. That was easy.
What about people who are not already clients? You probably do not realize how many people you meet in the course of a week as you go about your life. This includes shopping trips, taking your kids to school or after school programs or other personal and professional activities. Do you routinely tell everyone what you do; probably not; but why not? Are you good at what you do? Are you proud of what you do? Can you use more clients? In the business you are in, virtually everyone you meet is a potential client or in a position to recommend you to someone. Why not give them the opportunity to be your client? What stops most people is fear of rejection. Let me show you how to deal with that.
Suppose you meet someone at your child’s piano recital or school play. In the course of conversation you might say, “You know I am a hairstylist and I love the opportunity to work on new clients. If you care to come by for a consultation or refer me to a friend here is my business card”. Have your cards ready before you begin the offer and hand it to the person as you make the statement. She might say, “Oh thanks but I am very happy with my current stylist.” Just reply, “That’s fine. I appreciate loyalty. I always ask because you never know if someone is looking for a change.” Then make a comment about the kids or the event. You have still planted a seed that might sprout sometime in the future.
The truth is when you tell someone what you do most of the time they will ask your opinion about something related to your specialty. This is an opportunity to show your knowledge, but in social situations keep it brief and simple. Then use it as an opportunity to invite him or her to come in for a consultation and discuss the matter more thoroughly.
Here are some things to keep in mind. You have a right to tell people what you do. You are a business person and your livelihood depends on building your clientele. Promoting yourself is not rude or pushy unless you are. People are impressed by others who run their own business, or are independent contractors because you have a certain freedom and potential control over your life that they do not. Also you have a skill or talent that others admire.
In a slow economy you might find that some clients come in less often or opt to do some things for themselves but most people will not go totally without your help. There is plenty of business available but you need to promote yourself to get your share.
Reno Lovison is a marketing strategist in Chicago and has plenty more idea that can help you in his recently published book “Turn Your Business Card Into Business.”
www.businesscardtobusiness.com
Interview today March 11 at noon central
Reno will be interviewed for Internet Marketing on a Shoestring broadcast live at noon today March 11, 2009 go to http://www.instantteleseminar.com/?eventid=6315339 .
To listen to the recorded version later go to http://internetmarketingonashoestring.com/reno-lovison/ .
Client Concious Prospecting
While your competitors are feeling the effects of belt-tightening, your business can be booming!
If your business is seeing the effects of a tough economy. Maybe declining sales. Perhaps shrinking budgets mean clients are cutting back on purchases. Whatever, the cause, tough times don’t have to hinder your sales power.
Steve McCann, has recently written Client Conscious Prospecting which will change how you think about selling, even if you’re scared to death of initiating contact with potential clients.
To introduce his book to the widest possible audience Steve has encouraged me and others to provide special high quality bonus products and services to those who purchase his book on March 10, 2009. On this date Steve is offering an exclusive bonus package valued at over $5,000 when you purchase his book. This is a perfect time for you to grow your business and get valuable information and services from a unique group of business professionals!
Click here to learn more about Client Conscious Prospecting and retrieve your bonus package valued at over $5,000. Best wishes for a profitable and successful 2009,
Simple and Brilliant . . .
Simple and brilliant Reno. I hope the members will avail themselves of what could for many or most, be a “business 101” class in paperback.
Bob Schecter
Real Estate Developer
Founder LI Group B.O.S.S
(Blatant, Overt, Sales Solicitation)
Effective “swag” distribution
There was a question posted at LinkedIn by Sanford Dickert essentially asking about how to effectively distribute “swag” a/k/a imprinted promotional items at an upcoming trade show.
Here is my response to his question.
Effective swag distribution typically starts with an objective not an item. But since you have the item you need to see how passing it out will help you reach your objective.
Here are some examples of objectives and related products:
1) Building brand or name recognition. This is often accomplished with a low end product like a plastic bag that you give to absolutly everyone. Then look around the show floor and see your brand being paraded in every direction.
2) Brand reminder. This is an item that might sit on someone’s desk or fridge or whatever to remind them when the urge arises that yours is the brand to choose. In this case you want to qualify the person to be sure they are a potential user then reward them with swag for answering your qualifying quiz, poll or whatever. Get their contact info eg email.
3) High quality swag is for power users who need to know that you love them and appreciate their loyalty to your brand. These are typically established or newly qualified cutomers.
If you have an item that cost’s $1 imagine that you are standing there giving everyone a $1 bill. They may be more impressed with the cash. If you have a cool novelty item does it reinforce your message or your brand? Is it viral? Is it so cool that the recipient will want to show their friends? Are their friends also potential users of your product?
***SKIP TO HERE for SHORT ANSWER*** IF every attendee can use your product and the item is cheap go crazy. If you need to qualify your users and the item is more expensive devise a plan of how you will reward potential recipients for trading contact info or other vital data for swag. Some people will take anything that is handed to them. You have every right to ask for a little something in return particularly if this is a highly desirable item.
Reno Lovison author of “Turn Your Business Card Into Business” sold swag for years and has logged thousands of hours at tradeshows.
This is the “swag” (promotional item) Sanford was giving away : It is a pad of stick notes available from knockknock.biz .
Update: At the time of this initial post I did not know the item Sanford was going to use. In this case the promotional item was actually an item that he sells so it technically falls under the category of sampling. Also a good idea!
Virtual Cocktail Party
This past Friday I hosted my first Blitz Time event. Because I wanted it to be informal I billed it as a virtual cocktail party as opposed to a networking event. BYOB. Using this new online technology each person was given a chance to interact one-on-one with other attendees. This is something like speed dating but also not unlike a typical face-to-face networking event or party where you chat with someone for a few minutes then move on to another conversation with a new person.
Some of you who could not attend have asked me for a follow-up. Some of you did not ask for a follow-up but here it is anyway. After a bit of a rocky start on my end the party took off pretty well. The glitches were primarily due to the fact that I was not familiar with the hosting console and is the reason I wanted to do this test run. The picture of my nachos and beer was a big hit. What good is a party without food and drink.
We had 7 people in attendance including branding expert Tom Gosche, the “Marketing Wizard” Dvorah Lansky, clinical therapist Wes Salsbury, videographer Bob Solomon, financial advisor Shetel Shah, Joyce McGee of Let’s Talk Trade Shows, and Me (author of “Turn Your Business Card Into Business”). Thanks also to Kitty Gilbert and Peggy Kimmey who signed-up but had last minute conflicts. This was an eclectic group and everyone commented that they enjoyed meeting each other and enjoyed the format. Because it was a small group everybody got a chance to have five minutes one-on-one time with all but one person. Seven people, six pairings – – you do the math.
Now that I have the experience of hosting an event I will be setting up a few business specific events but I am planning to continue this idea of a monthly Cocktail Party / Happy Hour. If anyone has any ideas of a better time let me know. Fixed time every month or floating happy hour? Thanks for your interest and thanks again to those who helped me test out this technology. The consensus is this is a keeper. Anyone who wants to checkout the demo, go here Blitz Time. Blog Home
Chicago Word Press Enthusiasts Unite
Today I attended a networking event for users of Word Press which is the very blogging application I am using to write this blog and you are using to read it. Word Press is open source and pretty robust. I have seen people do a lot of cool stuff with it – – none of which I am currently doing. So I availed myself of the opportunity to meet with The Chicago Word Press Enthusiasts Meetup Group which has 60+ members willing to share their knowledge and experience with one another for the purpose of making the world better (or at least Chicago) through improved Word Press blogging. Power to the peeps!!
Thanks to Edmund Dante Hamilton and Bruce Montgomery for putting the group together. Also a shout out to Bill, Rey,Daniel, and Kit who attended the informal gathering at Starbucks on South Halsted and shared valuable ideas and insights.
I hope in the coming months you will see an improved and stylishly updated version of this blog. Check back often.