Dynamite,Marketing,Tactics,Act marketing 4 Dynamite Marketing Tactics in Action

Awhile ago, I got an email from one of the "gurus" I follow and it shocked me. The gist of it was this person wanted to trade services for a household item.To say it floored me would be an understatement.What was worse was a few days later t Automation technologies represent a fundamental aspect of any modern industry. The major types of industrial automation solutions, such as DCS, PLC, SCADA, and MES, are used on a large-scale in process and discrete industries.DCS technologie

One of our most favorite activities while on vacation iseating! Here are a few marketing observations related tothat universal need, during a recent vacation.1. WHICH HOT DOG VENDOR?After completing a morning tour, we were ready for a quickbite to eat before moving on to our next destination. Wesaw a row of street food vendors a short distance away.As we walked past the first hot dog vendor, I noticed thathe was absorbed in reading his newspaper. He didn't evennotice us walking by. I knew that there were a few more hotdog vendors along the path so we continued walking.As we approached a second hot dog vendor, he lookeddirectly at Maria and I and asked with a big smile, 'Howare you today?''Fine,' we said.Then he said, 'Are you ready to try one of the best hotdogs you've ever eaten?'I smiled and looked at Maria, she nodded her headenthusiastically, and a sale was made.Why did we walk past the first hot dog vendor, and whydidn't we walk past the second?Because the second knows a lot about effective marketing,and the first knows very little -- or is independentlywealthy and doesn't need the money.The hot dog marketer knows something about Give to Get --our marketing philosophy and strategy. He gave a little bitof attention to us and made us feel important. The firstone made us feel -- invisible.Were they the 'best' hot dogs we've ever eaten?Probably not. But when you're hungry, and they're servedwith a smile, they sure taste good.People buy things they want from people they know, like andtrust! If you want your customers to like you, and buy fromyou, then treat them as though they are the most importantpeople in the world. You don't have to go an extra mile.Sometimes just an inch will do.2. HOW ABOUT A PRETZEL?Now, this didn't happen, but I wish it would have. Oursavvy hot dog marketer still has room for improvement.Also available at his hot dog stand were delicious lookinghot pretzels. But he never asked us if we would like one togo with our hot dogs.Now, you may say, he probably assumed that if we wanted apretzel, we would have asked for one. Or you may think hewould have been pushy suggesting more products.Folks, if you have such thoughts, please listen carefully,because those thoughts are costing you thousands of dollarsin lost sales.The only way you can know if a person wants something youhave is by making an offer. Then they will have to make adecision -- yes, or no. You are not being pushy by offeringyour customers something else that you know they will enjoyor benefit by. Customers want you to suggest.Your customers are not always thinking of your products.They have a million other things on their minds.For instance, once I had ordered our hot dogs, I had tothink about what we wanted on our hot dogs; what we wantedto drink and how I was going to hold everything and pay himat the same time. Plus, I had to think about a place forMaria and I to sit down to enjoy our meal. I wasn'tthinking about his pretzels at that time.But, I can guarantee you, that if he had said to me, 'I cangive you a special price on pretzels today -- fifty centsoff! How many would you like -- one or two?' I would havesaid, 'Sounds great! Give me two!'Maria and I would have been happy, and he would have beenhappy.But he didn't offer, so I didn't buy. Oh well, nobody'sperfect. There's always room for improvement.There is no better time to sell your customers somethingmore, than when they are already in a buying mood. Giveyour customers a special offer on another related productor service that will benefit them, when they are already inthe process of buying something from you.You may wonder, 'Why should I give them a discount on thissecond product or service? Shouldn't I make them pay fullprice?'You can test it and see. But, more often than not, bygiving your customers a 'special' deal for the moment, youwill get many more accepting your offer. Keep in mind, thatthe profit on this additional sale is profit that youwouldn't have had.3. DO YOU KNOW OF A GOOD RESTAURANT?On another day, at the end of a tour of a colonial home, weasked our guide if she could recommend a local restaurant.She did better than that. In addition to her heartyrecommendation, she gave us two coupons for the localeatery.Pretty impressive. This is called a Joint Venture.The local restaurant owner obviously knows something aboutGive to Get and knew that tourists get hungry after amorning tour. So he approached the tour guides and asked ifthey would like a supply of discount coupons to pass on totheir tour groups who might be looking for a casual, butcomfortable dining experience.And why wouldn't the guides want to provide their guestswith recommendations and coupons to a restaurant that theyenjoy themselves? Perhaps the guides get a free meal once aweek for their recommendations.Joint Ventures, where two or more companies help oneanother, are an excellent way to attract business that youwould not have otherwise gotten.4. YUMMY! YUMMY! GOOD FOR YOUR TUMMY!I'm not making that line up. We must have heard the ownerof a Cajun Chicken franchise repeat that line a hundredtimes as he handed out samples of his delicious BourbonChicken.We've mentioned in past articles that a Bourbon Chickenvendor at one of our local malls attracts the lion's shareof lunch customers by simply handing out free samples ofhis bourbon chicken. It is so delicious, that it isdifficult to keep walking past his stand without buying.Well, apparently, bourbon chicken vendors in Washington, DCare aware of the power of samples too. Because as wesearched for a place for lunch in the huge Union Stationfood court, we could hear in the distance, 'Yummy! Yummy!Good for Your Tummy!'We were so hungry by this time that we were drawn like amagnet to this unusual and hilarious chant.It was difficult to see where this chant was coming frombecause there was such a large crowd surrounding the stand.You can imagine our surprise as we edged our way throughthe crowd to see a smiling, enthusiastic bourbon chickenvendor passing out sample after sample of bourbon chickenwhile repeating his slogan.I feel sorry for the other vendors in his vicinity, becausethey hardly stand a chance. The only bigger crowd than theone around him and his samples, was the one at his cashregister ordering the full meal.Samples help you sell. Give people what they want. Think ofhow much easier it is for a person to decide if they wantyour product of not, when they can sample it.We provide hundreds of marketing samples on our Web siteand in our Newsletter so our potential customers can get toknow, like, and trust us.Ice cream stands provide free samples, America Onlineprovides hundreds of hours of their service for free so youcan sample it.How are you using free samples to help sell your productsand services? With a little creative thought, you can usethis powerful technique to explode your sales.-----------------Copyright (c) 2002, Joe GraciaGive to Get Marketinghttp://www.givetogetmarketing.comFREE MARKETING IDEA-KIThttp://www.givetogetmarketing.comGet your Free Marketing Idea-Kit, plus hundreds of free marketing tips, articles and case studies to help yougrow your business at the Give to Get Marketing Web site. Article Tags: Would Have, Free Samples