Marketing Choices On A Budget

We are surrounded a world of get rich quick schemes. Still, there are real business opportunities that ordinary people can do.

Building your own sewing machine repair business, does not promise thousands of dollars for sleeping in a hammock. It does offer a real business opportunity. Success in this business involves a very simple formula. One: Learn the skills and knowledge to repair sewing machines. Two: Attract Customers. Three: Service customers sewing machines. Four: Keep customers.

Think about the challenge of Finding new customers for your sewing machine repair service.

Nobody enjoys twisting someones arm to make a sale. Most of us dread the very thought of selling or prospecting or finding new customers. Yet, this is the foundation of every business. Without customers, there can be no business. Without sales, there is no business. In many ways, attracting customers is number one priority of your business.

There are two major ways to get prospective customers: advertise and have someone else advertise for you. Lets consider advertising first.

What advertising choices do you have? Think about it. Where have you seen promotional items? You may come up with your own list of dozens, maybe even a hundred different choices.

How fast do you want to get your business up and running? If you want customers as soon as possible, advertising is your solution. It is fast and easy.

Unfortunately, advertising does not always work, but it is always expensive. In my Sew And Quilt Stores, we spend approximately $55 for each new customer we attract. That is after being in business for sixteen years. Great care must be taken to control advertising expenses and insure its effectiveness.

ROI is the key issue. Return on investment. Exactly, how much does this type of advertising produce in sales? Or, what do you get from the money you pay for promotion? When you examine marketing types, you will find that some do better for your situation than others. If you make the right choices, you will enjoy the results. Otherwise, you may very little return on investment.

Decisions, decisions, decisions. Business is all about making decisions. The choices you make with regard to your promotion will have a big impact on your bottom line. What are the best promotion for your business?

If your customers are going to bring their sewing machine to your home, how will you attract them there?

A common beginning point for new business owners is newspaper advertising. The theory goes that everybody reads the newspaper, but is that true? How many people will actually respond to you ad and become your paying customers? In a sense it does not matter what the ad costs. What matters is how much money your ad earns for you.

When people pick up the newspaper, what do they do? Read the headlines, look at the pictures, read an occasional story, and of course check out the classifieds. It is here that you can often get your best bang for the buck. Your ad is strategically placed in the category appropriate to your service. When people see it, they know you want their business.

Direct saturation mailings, batch advertising programs that distribute a group of ads directly to prospects, and direct ad distribution can be effective in letting people know you exist. Direct mail is reaches each household, but it can be very expensive. Batched promotion programs can significantly reduce those costs, while still being delivered directly to prospects. A typical direct ad distribution would involve programs like door to door fliers. If you have a trustworthy team or organization it can be cost effective.

Unless you have money to burn, avoid expensive media. Radio and TV are expensive. Think about it, if you spend $35 per thirty second ad spot, how many people will you gain as paying customers? Ten minutes of advertising spread over a week will cost $700. By the way, it may be nice to see yourself on TV.

Evaluate your advertising based on the actual cost per customer response. You can afford to spend on advertising ; only if it produces real sales from real customers at an affordable rate.