Marketing our business - goals or 2008 TC&CO

[bizzymom3]

We do alot of posting to promote our handcrafted Bath, Body & Home Spa products. We sell retail and offer our products wholesale and private label.

For 2008, we plan to get more local stuff done...more biz cards, catalogs, samples and such out. Goal is to make up little mail order packs (catalog,sample,order form with mailing envelope) and take them door to door. Alot of footwork, but we hope it will help us in our goal to double our sales. We doubled in sales the past two years and hope to keep it going.

Anyone have any ideas or suggestions for local or online promotions. I love to hear creative ideas to help boost business awareness!!!

www.tcbathbodyandhome.com

Thanks,

Cassandra

[Audrey]

Cassandra,

I began a direct sales business in 1983. I went door to door every single day. It's how I started my business. I would find about 2 or 3 new customers every single day.

[bizzymom3]

1-2 new customers a day sounds great!! I am hoping to boost local retail sales as we have only focused on online sales which have been GREAT!! We just want to venture out and try the door to door.

Thanks for your post - it sounds encouraging!

Cassandra
TC & Company
www.tcbathbodyandhome.com

[Audrey]

Cassandra,

I was persistant. I did not come home until I was certain I had those customers :)

[Nick]

We do alot of posting to promote our handcrafted Bath, Body & Home Spa products. We sell retail and offer our products wholesale and private label.

For 2008, we plan to get more local stuff done...more biz cards, catalogs, samples and such out. Goal is to make up little mail order packs (catalog,sample,order form with mailing envelope) and take them door to door. Alot of footwork, but we hope it will help us in our goal to double our sales. We doubled in sales the past two years and hope to keep it going.

Anyone have any ideas or suggestions for local or online promotions. I love to hear creative ideas to help boost business awareness!!!

www.tcbathbodyandhome.com

Thanks,

Cassandra

Cassandra:

Have you looked into direct marketing? It comes in many flavors. However, the power of data basing and computers brings availability and POWER of the data to whole new levels.

For example, in my role as a marketing consultant at Professional Lists, I work with my clients (at no additional charge) to identify and corner their target market. For example, we will work to define your target market and down into your target consumer! We can tell you peoples age, income, whether they have children, and MUCH more!

We provide you with address information preformatted to print on to label pages that you'll send to your clients introducing them to your products. When you market to 1-5 thousand potential clients you see HUGE results!

Direct marketing works, and is something I'd recommend you look into while building your business!

[Audrey]

Nick,

Your post reads a bit like an ad, which I'm sure you didn't intend. Perhaps you can share a tip or two one might do this without hiring you?

[mamaof2byz]

1-2 new customers a day sounds great!! I am hoping to boost local retail sales as we have only focused on online sales which have been GREAT!! We just want to venture out and try the door to door.

Thanks for your post - it sounds encouraging!

Cassandra
TC & Company
www.tcbathbodyandhome.com
Have you thought about some online places that are local to you? Some places have local listings, like Mamasource. you can advertise there for hardly nothing and offer specials and whatnot. It is local to your area? Just a thought?

[Nick]

Nick,

Your post reads a bit like an ad, which I'm sure you didn't intend. Perhaps you can share a tip or two one might do this without hiring you?

Audrey/Busy mom:

Door to door… you all are warriors! Great for you, you have a ton of gumption, I like it!

I am a direct marketing guy, so I say, and I spoke about this in an Avon thread. Once you’ve made sales (and you have) sit down and think about those people. What makes them different. How can you categorize/profile them? ***, age, income, have kids (?), own a home, rent an apartment, high debt, low debt, etc. Once you have a good picture of your target market go after that market.

Purchase a list of people in your area, split it into several mailers. This helps you do a few things. First helps to test, this is most important. It helps you to find what offers, sales copy, etc interest your potential/clients. Further it helps you to do more controlled mailings, so that if the response is overwhelming you can keep up with orders (what a great problem)!

When you have sales copy or offers that provide the best response you can add that into your long-term marketing strategy.

This campaign could be the second leg of your business. While you’re out door to door your direct mail is out drumming up business.

A further door to door strategy I’ve heard of, is to go to a neighborhood on a Friday night, with a letter and some mail box hangers. Leave a note on everyone’s door in a neighborhood telling them that you’ll be in the neighborhood on Saturday and to hand this over their mailbox flag if they’d like for you to stop in and talk. This seems like it could be a great way to get an interest only day on Saturday. Could be worth a try, and if it doesn’t work, you’ll cover allot of ground but not too much time on a Saturday!

Hope this was helpful!

Regards,

[Audrey]

Yes, it is helpful. Thank you :)