Making,Small,Store,just,got,no DIY Making A Small Store Go

Normal 0 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;mso-style-noshow:yes;mso-style-parent:"";mso-padding-alt:0in When starting a new work at home business it is very easy to become consumed by it. We spend so much time trying to get the business up and running that we may end up becoming burned out and lose our motivation. There is so much to learn and

I just got a note from a 19 year-old business student who isdetermined to start her own business. "It's a trendy clothingshop. I have the location, the start-up money, a lawyer, and anaccountant" she wrote enthusiastically. "My parents think I'm inover my head but I'm determined to make my dream come true."That's a situation most of us can identify with. You've got agreat idea for a new business and you've done every bit ofpreparation you can, but in the back of your mind you know youcould fail. What can you do to make a small store go?By far the most important factor is location. If at allpossible, find a location you can afford that has built-incustomer traffic. Mall locations are great but often tooexpensive. Look for a nook near a group of stores or on a majorstreet that brings a steady flow of shoppers--the kind ofshoppers who would be interested in your store.Find an affordable way to promote that reaches your bestprospective customers. Here are some other ways to save bigon very effective ads:* Desktop publishing makes catalogs and brochures easy toproduce. Create your own booklet to include with orders.* Get a toll free number. Even though long distance callsaren't nearly as expensive as they used to be, many customerswill call you faster if you list an 800 number. Mine is888-429-6203. Using the phone to sell person-to-person is oftenthe fastest way to get a buy.* Advertise in specialty and neighborhood newspapers. I getincredible response advertising in an entertainment paper placedin restaurants. A classified ad is just $10 per week.* Buy TV ads on cable TV. Cable rates are cheaper and you canlimit your commercials to specific parts of your city.* Get a big cell phone package and give your cell number out toeveryone. When customers can reach you just about any time, youget the sale.* Give away or sell your own video. Nine in ten people own aVCR. One friend has sold hundreds of his video telling how heearns a living selling antiques on eBay.If you can't clearly see how you can effectively market yourstore, stop immediately and reevaluate your plan.Also, remember that marketing works best when it isn't rushed.The best advertising media require you to place your order wellin advance. Great designers, writers, and (especially!) TVproduction firms are usually booked weeks into the future.Quality. As you can quickly see, you get better quality when youdon't rush your marketing. A top writer can take several weeksto write your sales letter. We've worked 7 days a week toimprove the speed for good writing, but long copy can take aprofessional writer several days of full-time work to complete.Many expert designers like to flesh out several versions of yourad, web site look, or logo before deciding on the best. That,too, takes time.Price. Planning your marketing well in advance can save you lotsof money. Let's say you started planning this year's ad plan wayback in October of last year. Today you would be taking fulladvantage of advance ad buys, slack times for media, maybe be inline to get cheap regional or remnant space in nationalmagazines.More than anything else, planning your marketing well in advancewill help you avoid knee-jerk moves. Most marketing efforts failbecause the owner pulls the plug too soon and starts a new plan.Insisting on taking your time will make your marketing moreconsistent and effective.Once you've marketed your way into the hearts of your customers,a great tactic is to find a way to keep them coming back. A greatrestarant down the street from me devised a great plan duringthis past holiday season:When I went to the cash register to pay my tab the waiter handedme a $15 gift certificate. "That's a gift to thank you forcoming in each week," he said. How can this strugglingrestaurant afford to give away gift certificates?I noticed a big pile of these gift certificates next to the cashregister. Obviously they were handing these freebies out to alltheir customers.It's a very smart move. While $15 is a nice amount, my tabalways comes to more. I'm sure that is the case for almost alltheir customers. During the cold, dark months of January andFebruary when others restaurants have lots of empty tables, thislittle restaurant is packed with customers returning with theirgift certificates. The amount deducted from each tab isconsidered a small price for having the place filled duringotherwise slow months. Article Tags: Small Store