Tuesday, October 16, 2007

From the Basement to Millions

Don't like marketing? Cynthia shares how she built her business one client at a time--and how you can, too.
By: Cynthia McKay 10/10/2007

Starting a business involves managing a thousand ideas, nurturing grandiose dreams into reality and finding clients to sustain your business. Would-be entrepreneurs are often discouraged from opening a business because they simply don't have an interest in marketing. However, when you consider the basis of any profession, each has something to sell. A physician offers her skills, an attorney, her knowledge, and the rest of us have to advertise our ability to do whatever it is we do in the most convincing way possible.

A desire to be self-employed seems simple enough until you realize you need to actually go out and find buyers for your products and services. Setting up my gift basket shop after quitting my job as an attorney sounded infinitely easier than working at the firm. I assumed I'd tell a few acquaintances about my new venture, they'd tell friends and I'd have a ready-made clientele.
Instead, my neighbors, relatives and former associates thought I'd lost my mind. Who would quit a profession like law after seven years of college? To make matters worse, I was running this operation from my basement. I had an instantaneous setup, but no credibility. I didn't have much to work with.

When I launched the business, I had to take a moment to consider what marketing really was. It occurred to me that building the business quickly would involve introducing my product to as many people as I could as soon as possible.

I started with my bank. When I opened my business checking account, I developed a rapport with the teller who told her manager, who told the vice president what I was doing. As I slowly infiltrated the bank, each individual seemed genuinely interested in purchasing gift baskets. Within two hours of being in business, Le Gourmet had an actual account.

Although I had no inventory, I at least had a client. As I confidently exited the bank, I left with the declaration that my newfound friends could expect upgrades and discounts. I ran out and purchased my inventory retail, and pulled together some attractive products to sell to the bank.
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The next day, I delivered a silver tray of chocolate truffles for the employees and a thank-you basket they displayed in the lobby for a giveaway. The bank was kind enough to allow me to exhibit my brochures, which cultivated more sales over the next two days. I made no profit on my first seven dealings with this client, but the value of my new contact was immeasurable and the cost of marketing, minimal.

As more referrals came, I made enough money to scrape together a chamber membership fee. After attending an after-hours get-together that brought in no immediate transactions, I was invited to attend a chamber leads/sales group. Armed with an abundance of business cards, I met everyone in the room and walked out with 30 solid leads and two basket sales to a large Denver corporation. The leads would compile my initial mailing list.

Hoping to strike while the iron was hot, I ran back to the "office" and designed a flyer that I mailed that afternoon. I included a coupon for 20 percent off a basket purchase and an explanation of my newly launched frequent buyers club. Each purchase would earn my clients points for free deliveries and complimentary baskets. My plan was to make it very easy for patrons to buy from my company.

The conclusion I came to is that marketing can be as simple as disclosing what you do. Showing potential customers your wares or informing them of your skills doesn't necessarily have to involve terrorizing would-be buyers into making a purchase. We've all been victimized by the multi-level marketer who came on a bit strong at a party or the door-to-door salesperson who's interrupting your personal time to make the last sale of the day.

If marketing seems distasteful, you have options. Hire someone to sell on commission, offer a finder's fee, or give gifts to those who refer customers to you. No matter what your profession, you or a talented partner or employee can attend leads groups and chamber meetings to sing the company's praises. And PR agencies can give you wonderful exposure, as can an expertly designed and easy-to-navigate website.

The important thing is to let the clients know, verbally and through your actions, that you would love to have their business. Show the client the benefits of using your services. Treat the buyer like gold and keep your promises. When building your company, every client counts.

Cynthia McKay is a business growth consultant and CEO of Le Gourmet Gift Basket, a company she began as a small home based business in 1992 and has grown to 510 operating distributorships and more than $1 million in revenue.

Tuesday, October 02, 2007

Top Wedding Invitation Trends

In partnership with The Knot

Here are the latest delivery of wedding invitation ideas:

Trendsetting Stripes
Pinstripes are a hot look now, whether they're vertical, horizontal, multicolored, or in shades of your signature hue.

Our pick? An elegant script style juxtaposed with a playful pinstripe border -- the perfect blend of classic and contemporary.

Bejeweled
Embellishing your invitation with small rhinestones, tiny pearl-toned beads, or miniature Swarovski crystals makes a low-key invitation style fashionable.

Our favorite? A refined invitation sporting clean type and subtle colors that gets glam with a rhinestone buckle.

Going Bold
Though the use of color has been a wedding trend for years, white is making a comeback in an unexpected way. We're seeing bright color card stock with sleek white type.

What we found? Papers in fabulously rich purple hues with white lettering.

Wrapped Up
Stressing over whether the response card goes inside its envelope and over the direction card?
You'll be glad to know today's invitation designers are making pouches and pockets to keep your papers in order.

Our selection is a bifold invitation that keeps all of the pieces neatly tucked away. Bonus: You can introduce your wedding colors with this concept -- choose one color for the card stock, another for the type and ribbon, and a third for the envelopes.

Fabric Flowers
Nothing says wedding like flowers, especially close-to-the-real-thing ones. Check out the three-dimensional orchid that substituted for a traditional engraved floral print on white stock. Tip: For the ultimate in personalization, put your signature bloom on your invitations too.

Couture Texture
Using unique materials for your invitation is the newest idea on the market: We've seen invites stitched into fabric or burned onto wood.

The ultimate in modern style? A superchic acrylic invitation.

Vintage Patterns
Move over motifs...allover patterns are gaining popularity. Your invitation designer could create a pattern based on your gown, for instance -- a ring of rosettes, a square of lace applique, or a beaded vine.

Modern Monograms
What's the new take on the monogram? Simplify it, like on this traditional invite that pairs her first initial with his. Since you're not married until the officiant announces you as husband and wife, if you're changing your name(s), save the new monogram for the reception -- and the rest of your lives!

Photo: Mary Ellen Bartley
© 2007 The Knot Inc. All rights reserved.

-- Allison Micarelli