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| | The Un-Marketing Network is not currently active and cannot accept new posts | | Un-Marketing with Business Cards | Views: 1382 | | Jul 12, 2005 6:22 am | | Un-Marketing with Business Cards | # | 
Lamar Morgan 954-603-7901 | | Does anyone have any clever suggestions for un-marketing with business cards? that is to say, using business cards to "pull" rather than "push" customers in your direction.
Lamar MorganPrivate Reply to Lamar Morgan 954-603-7901 | | Jul 12, 2005 5:39 pm | | re: Un-Marketing with Business Cards | # | 
Jennifer Lavender | | What seems to be one of the most obvious to me was one a former tax accountant of mine used. Every year, after we got our tax returns completed, the folder with all our copies would also include about 5 business cards. On the back was a place for you to write your name and phone number. Included in the "thank you for your business" letter that he also included was a paragraph stating that at the end of the season he would draw a random card that had been brought back by a new client and the person whose name was on the back would get $500. Just tell your friends, coworkers, associates, or whoever you gave the business card to, to take it to him when they had their taxes prepared. This way his current clients, the people most likely to give him a good referral anyway, had an incentive to actually give people the card and not just say "let me see if I can get my tax guy's number for you." The friends we referred actually went to see him too because we told them that if our name was drawn we would split the money with them. We never won, and then we moved out of state and found someone local to do our taxes instead of continuing to use him, but I would still refer him to anyone in that area that asked about a good tax guy, reward or not.
Even without doing a drawing, a simple 10% off or free consultation note on the business card will get someone's attention and give them a reason to call you. I definitely believe in referral fees as well and encourage people to write a name and phone number on the back so that when someone redeems that 10% off or free consultation I can send a nice thank you note with a gift certificate or coupon or something to the person who referred them. I'm not giving out cash, just a discount on my service to make sure that people who use me once are going to come back and use me again.
Private Reply to Jennifer Lavender | | Jul 13, 2005 3:16 am | | re: Un-Marketing with Business Cards | # | 
Stephanie Frank | | I've had great success with putting a teaser on the back of the card. My current card says "Do you have what it takes to be the next Accidental Millionaire? Take our short quiz and find out. (website)
It's cheap and gets people's attention. You can do it with a special report, e-course or tips sheet. I've created some reports for myself clients that have titles like this:
Ten things your mother never told you about being wealthy.
Are you making one of the 7 mistakes that could cripple you for life?
Tired of spilling out of your bra? Maybe you're making one of the top 5 lingerie fitting mistakes. (yes, it's real)
Hope that helps!
Stephanie Frank
Author, Accidental Millionaire
http://www.AccidentalMillionaire.com
Having trouble with focus and productivity?
http://add-network.ryze.com/
Private Reply to Stephanie Frank | | Jul 14, 2005 1:34 am | | re: Un-Marketing with Business Cards | # | 
Karri Flatla | | [moderator: I wish to post reply to this thread rather than Lamar's first one on same topic.]
Hi Lamar,
Perhaps you could pass out some kind of wallet sized "VIP" card to promote the upcoming event. i.e. on account of the fact that person is already at your first event, they have just become a VIP and now have an inside track to some kind of "deal" or special that they would not have otherwise received had they not attended the first event. Does that make sense the way I explained it? People like to feel like they are getting an inside track. So, the VIP card you hand them (personally of course!) automatically qualified him/her for say a draw at the next event or something free, etc.
Of course, the VIP card has all of your contact info/biz info somewhere on it too! You would hate to waste that marketing opp.
Hope that gives you some ideas.
Karri Flatla
snap! virtual assistance inc.
Don't just outsource. Outsmart.
http://www.snap-va.comPrivate Reply to Karri Flatla | | Sep 05, 2005 3:07 pm | | re: re: Un-Marketing with Business Cards | # |
Lamar Morgan 954-603-7901 | | Karri,
Your VIP card for people attending a mixer is a great idea. I used to pass out brochures to people entering the mixer. These brochures were actually designed by the county's marketing association. They were all about the Middletown area. Of course, teh people attending the mixer were familiar with the brochures. Most all of them live here. But, I put a label on the front of the brochure with the date and contact informaation regarding the next mixer. Since the location of the mixer changed each month, it was important to give folks information on when and where the next mixer was going to take place. However, brochures are not as convenient as a business card - whether you keep the card for yourself or pass it along to someone else.
Thanks for the tip.
Lamar MorganPrivate Reply to Lamar Morgan 954-603-7901 | | Sep 28, 2005 3:56 pm | | VIP Card Idea | # | 
Paul Strauss | | I've tried this early on to drive membership for my entrepreneur's and investor's association. What I found was that you have to be careful, because people do not like to feel like they are in the "spotlight".
A recent article I read about "Church Marketing" (A trend towards churches using business tactics to spread the good word is a great opportunity for consultants, and service providers, by the way) said that the trend towards so-called MEGA-Churches-- 2,000 members on average per service -- has been due in large part precisely because people do not want to feel special, or get noticed. They like the comfort of anonymity when they're first looking.
So, I suppose it depends on the purpose, but for organizations such as mine, it was been a bit of a delicate road. We are in the process of creatinga VIP Member and/or "Insiders" page on the web. That's a nice fit for this tactic.
Paul Strauss
President, WCRT Chicago
www.wcrt.orgPrivate Reply to Paul Strauss | | Oct 03, 2005 5:19 pm | | re: VIP Card Idea | # | 
Lawrence McDowell | | One thing that worked well for me was this:
I printed some cards with just my website address on it.
A plain white card. I then just left them around, at various location, nothanding them to anyone.
After about a week I started to recieve an increase in hits on my website and requests for more information.
After talking to the people of asked for more information I found that 65% of them foundmy site through the card.
They were just curious about what the site represents.
BTW I converted 40% of the inquires.
Best Regards,
Lawrence McDowell
http://www.sunshinelectronics.com
http://eot-network.ryze.comPrivate Reply to Lawrence McDowell | | |
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