Needful Things?
Let's be honest--some of you sell things that can't
technically be labeled "necessary." Those scented
candles, for example, aren't exactly what you'd save in a
natural disaster. Nor are DVDs, bubble
Gum or greeting cards Absolutely vital to life, except that they
add something to the human existence. And that's the idea you
have to pitch if your business is built on selling
non-essentials.
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According to Pam Danziger, author of Why People Buy Things
They Don't Need (Paramount Market Publishing), people look
for permission to buy non-necessities. "Once people have made
that emotional gut reaction [to buy something], they have to
justify it from a left-brained point of view," she says.
Example: A customer buys new
curtains to replace frayed ones that are falling apart. He or she
will then buy new paint, new carpet and new furniture-and justify
it by saying "We needed to buy new stuff to go with the
new curtains."
A smart business owner knows to push this angle when a customer
comes in to buy a necessity, because pushing nonvital items can
increase the sale.
Nice Meeting
You!
Networking is a great way to grow a business-but you'd
rather pull out your own teeth than attend another boring
mixer.
The founders of Imagistic Media Studios Inc. in Venice,
California, found a way to "network" without the negative
connotations. Company founders Marcelo Ziperovich, 37, Michael
Weiss, 33, and Kevin Goldberg, 37, started The Wine Project
(www.thewineproject.com) to build their contact list
while drinking wine and eating good food.
They host wine tastings, invite professionals in varying fields
(especially outside the graphic and Web site design circle) and
charge a small cover simply to meet new people. "We let
people's conversations come naturally," says Ziperovich.
It's worked like a charm-they've already garnered new
business from the events, as well as more than 250 new
contacts.
Andrea Nierenberg, author of NonStop Networking (Capital
Books), says networking can be easy if you think creatively. You
can sponsor "getting to know you" events such as a
shindig where you give free samples or demonstrations of your
product or service.
Just don't be too "sales-y"-concentrate on meeting
people and listening. Also, consider sponsoring a free seminar at a
local college in whatever your business expertise is, whether
it's sales or party planning. When Nierenberg sponsored a free
seminar, for instance, it led to three new business leads. Says
Nierenberg, "Those kinds of things-you never know where they
open doors."
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