When determining the size of your company's Web site, approach it as you would any other business decision. No contractor adds employees unless he has the jobs to pay their salaries and make a profit, and no merchant installs new displays unless she believes they're going to increase sales. Similarly, each component of your Web site should have a reason behind it.

What and for Whom

First and foremost, there's the purpose. "You need to ask, 'What does the site need to do to be successful?' " says Rochelle Seltzer, president of the Boston design and marketing communications firm Seltzer Design. For example, a coffee shop that wants to provide hours, directions, a menu and telephone number doesn't need a site that welcomes users by name or allows visitors to create a personal home page. Sure, you may want to go beyond basic store information -- by providing a history of the business, say, or presenting testimonials from satisfied customers. Features such as these help give a site character, and adding them doesn't have to be expensive. But make sure every feature somehow contributes to reaching the site's overall mission.

"The very beginning of our process is determining a project's goals and objectives," says Joshua Cyr, a principal of Harbour Light Productions, a design studio and Web company in Portsmouth, N.H. "The process is very much like writing a business plan: You need to set goals, plan for feedback to incorporate into your next efforts. You need to determine the stakeholders: employees, customers, investors or others."

Carefully planning the message and scope of the Web site can result in especially effective communication. As an example, Mr. Cyr points to the site of TMS Architects in Portsmouth. "In design, organization and content, it's always clear who they are and what they do," he says. "Users can quickly and easily see commercial and residential applications or works in progress, learn more about TMS and its background and history."

In large part, the dynamics of your site will depend on the nature of your business, says Javier Arango, director of the Web and print design firm Studio Arango in Cambridge, Mass. "If you have a product you can sell over the Internet, you should create a site with an e-commerce solution, so you can actually take orders," he says. "If not, you might just want a brochure-like site."

Then, there's audience: If most of your customers sign on to the Internet several times a day, your site may be somewhat advanced. If they only check e-mail once a week, a simpler approach is in order. How do you determine your target's comfort level? The most efficient way is to pick up the phone. Call your customers and ask them what they'd find useful. And be sure to ask them how comfortable they are with the Web in general.

Keeping the Message Fresh

How much information do you have to share? What's the story you have to tell? If you want to sell products, how many items do you need to show? The answers to these questions will help determine your site's size.

While adding pages here and there may not significantly impact the scope of your project, the expenses involved can add up. Creating different areas of the Web site -- such as an "About Us" section, a separate "Products and Services" section and a "Contact Us" section -- certainly impacts the cost of initial design and implementation. In addition, "it's extremely important to plan for updates -- or even for expansion -- so that the site's physical architecture can handle changes without upsetting the apple cart," says Ms. Seltzer.

On top of that, the amount of information you offer will indicate the resources needed to support it. This consideration is key, for few things erode a company's credibility more than a Web site that contains old or erroneous information. Even material you consider "evergreen" -- that is, information that rarely requires updating -- needs to be reviewed and confirmed on a regular basis.

If you've linked to a variety of Web sites, you'll have to check periodically to make sure they remain available. All of this is straightforward, but it takes time. If you and your employees can't stay on top of the site's content, make sure you have the money for freelance help.

"Your Web site is never done," says Mr. Cyr. "It's not a one-time effort or budget item. This is something where you complete 'phase one' knowing that 'phase two' is on the horizon."

Building in phases also allows businesses to develop their Web sites more intelligently. When Harbour Light created the site for the Greater Seacoast United Way in Portsmouth, Mr. Cyr's team, "started off with the idea that phase two would be right around the corner," he says. Now, incorporating new features and information about external programs keeps the site fresh. At the same time, they continually evaluate and prioritize features to be added in the future. "If we had done everything we could imagine in just one phase, it would have been an overwhelming project, far beyond the budget in both time and money," Mr. Cyr says.

Be sure to consider who will be doing the updating. When Ms. Seltzer produced a Web site for Boston-based photographer Ralph Mercer, she knew her client wanted to manage the site himself. "We had to think about the design differently," Ms. Seltzer says. "Not every client wants to do their own updating, but we always make sure to consider who will be taking on that task."

Remember the Budget

Finally, there's budget: This can be either the starting point or ending point of your planning. "If you simply don't have much money to spend, that's going to limit the size and scope of your project," says Mr. Cyr. On the other hand, if you've figured out a way to increase your overall sales through the Web, all of the other considerations will help determine the funding you'll need to raise. In either case, when it comes to numbers, be realistic. Or even better, be pessimistic. As a rule of thumb, plan on spending at least as much money on your Web site as you did on your last piece of print material -- including the printing costs.

Whatever your approach, a truly successful Web site will be as lean and cost-effective as possible. Like any piece of your business, it should make every dollar count.

-- Mr. Feffer is the publisher of Small Business Web Update, a publication of Tramp Steamer Media, a publishing company based in Trenton, N.J.

Email your comments to sjeditor@dowjones.com.

 

Let's make your website a reality @ No Lemets Concepts

With all the details involved in developing a Web site, entrepreneurs sometimes mistakenly overlook the importance of their site's written content. Often, design and programming take precedence over the crafting of each sentence.

It's through your site's words that you communicate with customers and prospects. Words set the tone for your company. They make it appear approachable or stodgy. They build trust in your product or destroy your credibility. Correctly assembled, they have an impact on your search-engine rankings.

"If the content on your site isn't compelling, it doesn't matter how nifty your product or service is. A visitor may not stick around to read about what you offer," says Debbie Weil, publisher of Word Biz Report, a Washington, D.C.-based publication helping businesses create effective content for their Web sites.

Ms. Weil, a former journalist, doesn't discount the importance of good design. "Appealing, effective design is important, but the design should make visitors read the page, and guide them to the major parts of the page," she says. In fact, Ms. Weil believes a site's words are as important as the graphics, navigation and back-end technology.

Entrepreneurs have "a huge job of selling," says Ms. Weil, and at each step of the sales process they need to provide clear answers to the user. The right words, she points out, can drive revenue to your business.

"Writing is both an art and a science. The science is the facts, figures and benefits to the customer; the art is putting that together to make copy that flows naturally," she says.

Besides presenting sales information, your site can raise your profile -- and credibility -- if it includes articles about your industry or perhaps a news section with summaries and links to expanded resources. For example, "A marketing consultant might post the '10 reasons why you should hire a marketing consultant,' " says Ms. Weil, but she cautions: "Don't write about yourself. That's too sales-oriented."

While pertinent industry analysis or helpful tips may bolster your online presence, typos and grammar mistakes hurt your credibility. If writing isn't your strongest skill, consider hiring a free-lance writer or editor to assist you. Also, enlist the aid of friends or family for proofreading.

Selecting a Free-lance Writer

So you're not Hemingway. How do you hire someone to produce the pithy prose you desire? Ms. Weil believes the most important factor is finding a writer whose approach matches your own.

Ask how he or she works with clients via fax, phone or e-mail. For many entrepreneurs, whether the writer will put in the extra effort to finalize their site within deadlines is critical.

Further, look for experience. "Get clips; ask to see an example of a Web site or an online newsletter he or she has written," says Ms. Weil. "If you have a limited budget, you don't have the resources to experiment while someone learns online copywriting skills. Be upfront about what you're looking for. Be specific."

Letting Your Personality Shine

While much of today's online content originated as printed material, copywriting experts advise against simply posting existing copy to your Web site. Web users tend to like informal copy, and brochures usually are written more formally, from the perspective of "the corporation."

"You can't just take text you use in print and use it online," says Montreal-based consultant and author Nick Usborne, who helps large and small businesses analyze what messages users get from Web sites, newsletters and "anything in the online space."

For example, a brochure is written for a reader to leisurely explore a product's features. Web users, however, have different goals when they visit a site. "The Web audience has a task-oriented mind set. They want to get to information quickly and easily," Mr. Usborne says. While brochures or direct-mail pieces can have long sentences and paragraphs, Web sites shouldn't, he says. Such copy is "difficult to read," he explains. "You want to inform, yet the audience has limited time."

Mr. Usborne emphasizes that writers need to be deeply connected to the audience's needs. For example, he cites the American Cancer Society Web site, which is most often used by friends or relatives of cancer patients. The site has a simple sentence -- "No matter who you are, we can help." This shows how much the organization has thought about its visitors.

One small-business man who has been successful writing his own online copy is Eric Lupton of Life Saver Systems, a Delray Beach, Fla., manufacturer of swimming-pool fencing. In writing for Poolfence.com, Mr. Lupton provides parents with the information they need, even while he empathizes with their problems.

"When you understand your audience, you speak in a way they understand. You don't use industry jargon or technical terms," says Mr. Lupton, who's been writing and managing the site for five years. His e-mail tag line is concise and cute: "Keeping little feet on the ground for over a decade." He explains, "It appeals to people, especially young mothers."

Mr. Lupton has gone so far as to write standard messages for his distributors to use when e-mailing customers about his products. "The message that gets to the audience is very important," he says. "The distributors may not be the best writers, or typists, or have the time. This way, the clients are getting professionally written responses."

Writing for Spiders

Finally, words perform a strategic function on your Web site: They influence the search engine "spiders" -- or software robots -- that comb through online text and use it to categorize pages. Milwaukee florist Greg Johnson, who has been writing for his Greenfield Flower Shop Web site since 1997, focuses on creating text that will help his site get picked up by search engines.

"You want your site to be found," he says. Plus, Mr. Johnson says, once a user lands on his site he wants them to stay.

The site features a personal and friendly style that alleviates customers' concerns by speaking to them directly and warmly. "We understand that purchasing flowers can often be an intimidating experience," the site says.

On occasion, Mr. Johnson has hired outside writers to produce content. "The people who've done the best job are genuinely excited about receiving flowers themselves," he says. That enthusiasm comes through in their writing.

Capturing that enthusiasm in your online copy just may translate to customers who feel good about your product or service.

Related Links

-- Ms. Miller is editor of Small Business Web Update, a publication of Tramp Steamer Media, a publishing company based in Trenton, N.J.

Email your comments to sjeditor@dowjones.com.

The best way to attract and mobilize more customers to attend your trade show is to bring a "show biz" mentality to all your marketing and at-show strategies. After all, you are in show business. In today's marketplace, consumers are drawn by glitter and excitement but turned off by humdrum events. If you put on a dull show you will generate little interest. Following are seven ways to put more show biz into your exposition.

Think like Disney.
There was never a greater promoter than Walt Disney. Everything he touched turned exciting, colorful, and was bursting with energy. The Disney legacy continues as the Disney Corporation dazzles and entertains millions with its products, parks, and superb customer service.

What does Disney do that every trade show organizer should emulate? Disney injects a show business mentality into everything it does by creating an image that makes people smile and lets them know they're in for a first-class experience. Disney employees undergo rigorous customer service training and are famous for their courtesy, cheerfulness, and problem-solving skills.

So when planning your pre-show marketing strategies, remember to think like Disney. Everything you do to promote and implement your show must be first-class, creative, and professional. Train your show employees to provide enthusiastic and helpful customer service. Unpleasant experiences with trade show employees can ruin the show biz experience you've worked hard to create.

Make your trade shows interactive.
When people manipulate objects they often form an attachment to them. They get an idea of how the products work and are more excited about the possibility of buying them. Thus, advise your exhibitors to set up audio-visual displays that attendees can easily operate -- they will feel like they are part of the show experience as they connect with your products.

Put the Internet to work for you.
You can interact with potential exhibitors and attendees through the Internet, both in your pre-show marketing and during the show. Experts believe that virtually all trade shows will incorporate the Internet into their marketing strategies in the near future.

At the very least, you should have a professionally designed Web site that provides information about your show, allowing consumers to easily find out as much about your event as possible. Today's techno-savvy consumers are instantly turned off by Web sites that aren't interesting, easy to access, and informative.

Make your shows unforgettable experiences.
"If meetings are really going to change our lives, meeting professionals need to begin to shape memorable events," said Jim Gilmour, author of The Experience Economy: Work is Theatre & Every Business is a Stage. "Successful meetings must create emotionally based experiences for attendees," Gilmour said. How do you generate such an experience? Again, think Disney. Capture the imaginations of attendees by providing a wealth of sights, sounds, aromas, and entertainment, along with a high degree of interactivity.

Make your trade shows fun.
Live entertainment, educational seminars, clowns, puppeteers, and magicians are just a few of the tools you can use to make your show fun and informative. Advise your exhibitors not to rely on their products alone to sell the show biz experience. Booths filled with inanimate objects are boring and won't capture the attention of your audience. However, if you support your exhibitors by injecting a little excitement into the show, you'll have attendees in the palm of your hand.

Provide lots of comfortable space.
Make sure you have enough space at your show, both on the exhibition floor and in the booths, to comfortably accommodate your guests. Don't try to cram as many booths as possible into the space allotted. A cramped show environment does not allow attendees free rein to wander comfortably, and harried, crowded consumers don't make good customers.

Help your exhibitors design their booths so they don't sacrifice comfort for hardware. Booths that are crowded with display items make it difficult for consumers to focus their attention on each item. Advise your exhibitors to set up their booths so that attendees can see everything clearly in an uncluttered space. Booths should provide good lighting, easy-to-read signage, and attention-grabbing graphics. Consider publishing a brief pamphlet of booth design tips and distribute it to exhibitors.

Inject show biz excitement into your advertising and public relations.
Without resorting to hyperbole, your advertising should reflect the excitement, creativity, and flavor of your event. Observe how the producers of movies and Broadway musicals advertise their shows and incorporate as many of those elements as are feasible in your own advertising. Every ad you place should showcase the opportunities that your show offers.

Train your most trusted show employees to lead the media to the most engaging exhibits. Have a staff member on hand at all times who can articulately tell reporters about your event and what makes it unique.

Remember you are in show biz, and you must create and promote an event that is as exciting and dramatic as a great movie or play. Your exhibition space is your stage. In order to generate interest, you must put on a performance that will keep attendees riveted to your exhibits and eager to come back for the sequel!

Planning any type of gathering takes a certain degree of dedication. You have to being the event planning process with the intention that you will see it through to the end, whether that be until the guests arrive or if the event is at your home, it may be until the last guest leaves.

Event planning is a busy and sometimes fun process. Depending on the event you may get to pick everything from what the main course is to when the last drink will be served. For people who love handling small details, event planning is an enjoyable process. However for those people who wince at even the mere mention of choosing what to have for dinner, they might not excel in the event planning department.

Many years ago there wasn't a career choice that included choosing cakes, placing flower arrangements and dealing with caterers, but now there is. They are professional event planning services and if you think your skills in this department are lacking they may be the people you need to call before you throw your next dinner party.

There are some people's homes that you can visit and you just know that someone who lives there loves to plan parties. All of the small details are tended to, there is ample ice in the ice bucket, the mini quiches are still warm and there isn't a speck of dust to be found. By the same token, you can walk into another party and be greeted with a bottle of soda and plastic glasses next to a community bag of potato chips. It wouldn't be difficult in that comparison to choose who could use the services of an event planning service now.

Here are some tips to help you decide if you are a self-made event planner or if you could use some outside assistance:
Do you plan the menu of your party in advance? This is an important point because once you invite people to an event you are silently agreeing to provide them with refreshment. A good host always is prepared.
Do you have a theme for your party? Themes help people get into the spirit of the party, whether it's a holiday or birthday party. It also affords them an opportunity to pick up a theme appropriate host gift.
Have you cleaned your home before the event? One of the often overlooked elements of event planning is making certain that you are hosting your event in a clean environment. This helps make the guests feel welcomed.


Taking a few moments and evaluating your event planning skills will help when it's time for your next party. If your strong suit is not in the small details, it might be wise to employ the services of an event planning professional. If you do this, you should view it as an important investment in the comfort of your guests. When people attend an event they expect to be treated specially, make certain that's the case whenever you have guests.

If you've ever planned or hosted an event you know how overwhelming it can be. Attending to every small detail can leave you wishing the party was over before it even began. This is even more magnified if you are overseeing a large event such as a wedding or a dinner party for business associates. Something always seems to go wrong and it leaves the person in charge of event planning carrying the burden of the blame.

There are steps you can take to guarantee that the party will be a roaring success. One of those steps is to hire an event planner. If you really do feel as though all the small details are too much for you, you might consider hiring someone who specializes in event planning. There are many reputable companies who can offer you their services for a fee. All you do is explain the event to them, including your preferences when you wish to have the event, the theme of it and the menu and they handle the rest. The onus of the work is on them, and with their experience they can create exactly the type of gathering that you envision.

If finances are a concern and you can't afford the luxury of a professional event planning service, there are things that you can do that will help your event run as smoothly as possible. Here are a few ideas:
Keep an ongoing list. Plan your event by writing down everything you need to do. As you complete those tasks, stroke them off the list and add new ones as needed.
Choose a theme that is appropriate for all guests. It might be difficult for some people to rent or purchase special outfits for a theme party, so try and make it something that is accessible and affordable for every guest.
Send out invitations or call with your invitation well in advance. Life is busy for many people and giving them sufficient notice will enable them to handle any arrangements they need to make, such as child care.
Choose a menu that isn't too exotic. Although many people welcome new tastes, it's often more appropriate to offer menu items that all guests are familiar with, this way they won't be concerned about possible food allergies or digestive conflicts, if they know exactly what they are eating consists of.
Enjoy the event. Often the host becomes so overburdened with party details that he or she neglects their own enjoyment. Plan the event so you will have free time during it to mingle with your guests.


Event planning can be a tedious task, but with proper organization the work involved in planning the party or event can be well worth it. Getting together with family, friends or business associates in a social setting, is a great way to connect and communicate. With some attention to details before, the party can be a huge and often very fun success.

Event management (Event Planning) is the application of the management science of project management to the creation and development of festivals and events.

Event Management involves studying the intricacies of the brand, identifying the target audience, devising the event concept, planning the logistics, Coordinating the technical aspects before getting down to actually executing the modalities of the proposed event.
Event management is considered one of the strategic marketing and communication tools by companies of all sizes. From product launches to press conferences, companies create promotional events to help them communicate with clients (and potential clients). They might target their audience by using the news media, hoping to generate media coverage which will reach thousands or millions of people. They can also invite their audience to their events and reach them at the actual event. Event management companies services a variety of areas including corporate events like product launches, corporate seminars and conferences; retail marketing programmes including road shows; training programmes; event promotions, television based events like Competitions, special events like concerts, award nights, film premieres & music releases, star nights and fashion shows, private shows like birthday parties and wedding parties. The Event Manager is the person who plans and executes the event. Event managers and their teams are often behind-the-scenes running the event. Event managers may also be involved in more than just the planning and execution of the event, but also brand building, marketing and communication strategy. The event manager is an expert at the creative, technical and logistical elements that help an event succeed. This includes event design, audiovisual production, scriptwriting, logistics, budgeting, negotiation and, of course, client service. It is a multidimensional profession.

Recently, a client of mine complained, "I'm really good at what I do. I shouldn't have to market myself." In fact, he is quite good at his profession, but the problem is that not enough prospective clients know about him. Like many professionals, he is reluctant to talk about his accomplishments. "It feels like bragging," he says. "Doesn't it make me seem unprofessional?"

If thoughts like these often cross your mind, ask yourself this -- who are the biggest names in your profession? In your line of work, who might be considered unquestioned experts, those with maximum credibility? Now, how did you get to know about those people's work? Did you read an article or book they had written, hear them interviewed, learn about them on the web? Or perhaps you were told about them by others who had heard them speak or read their words.

The point is that these well-known people became well-known because they showcased themselves, usually in multiple ways. They shared stories, examples, and ideas about the work they had been doing with a wider audience than just their friends and family. You know about their work because they showed it off. And I'll bet it never occurred to you to call them unprofessional for doing it.

Showing off your work doesn't have to sound like, "Ta da! Aren't I great?" It doesn't have to contain even a hint of bragging. There are a host of very dignified and appropriate ways to let a wider audience know how good you are without ever saying so. Here are a few you might try.

1. Writing articles - Putting your expertise in writing and sharing it with publications your target audience reads is a powerful -- and very professional -- way to let more people know about your unique talents. Submit your articles to both print publications and web sites that serve your niche and watch your visibility grow.

2. Public speaking - Appearing as a speaker allows you to broadcast your expertise with three different audiences -- the people who attend your talk, the people who are invited by the sponsoring organization but can't attend, and the people you tell about it before and after. If standing in front of a room makes you too nervous, serve on a panel of experts instead. You'll get to sit behind a table and speak from notes.

3. Media interviews - Being interviewed by magazines, newspapers, or on radio and television can spread the word quickly about your capabilities. Landing interviews is not that hard to do if you remember to start small. Begin by approaching easy targets like association newsletters, neighborhood newspapers, and local cable programs or talk radio.

4. Telling stories - One of the secrets to effective articles, talks, and interviews is to tell stories about your clients. When you describe their challenges and accomplishments, you reveal the value of your role in helping them without having to boast about it. You can use the same technique in a client presentation to boost your credibility without being arrogant.

5. Testimonials - Whenever you do a good job for a client, ask them to write you a simple thank you note describing what you did to make them happy. Then make their words available on your web site, brochure, or other marketing materials. Let them tell others about your value, and you won't have to say it yourself.

6. Building a portfolio - It's not just artists that should capture their best work to show off in a portfolio. You can collect photos, examples, and other evidence of your accomplishments and display them on your web site, in a marketing kit, or with a PowerPoint presentation. You don't have to sell people on your abilities when they are seeing for themselves what you can do.

7. Creating products - Packaging your work into merchandise that prospective clients can take home and sample gives them a compelling way to discover your real value. Products like ebooks, white papers, and audio recordings allow you to showcase your expertise and increase your credibility. They can often be advertised more widely than your services can, giving you another avenue for getting your name known.

Pick just one of these ideas to pursue and make a plan to showcase what you can do for a wider audience. If you truly want to spend less effort on marketing yourself, start letting your prospective clients know how good you really are.

C.J. Hayden is the author of Get Clients NOW! Thousands of business owners and salespeople have used her simple sales and marketing system to double or triple their income. Visit her web site at http://www.getclientsnow.com.

New entrepreneurs frequently hear the advice to "be unique" in their marketing. The basic idea is a valuable one -- to get attention in a crowded marketplace, you must stand out in some way. Distinguishing your product or service from the competition can make your marketing more effective. Crafting a novel marketing message can attract the notice of more potential customers.

There's no question that an element of uniqueness in your marketing can make your business more memorable, competitive, and special to your target audience. These are all reasons why being different can be good. But how different should you be?

A student in one of my classes had noticed there were no display ads for management consultants in his local Yellow Pages. "What a great opportunity," he thought, "to make my business stand out to prospective clients." He spent over $200 per month on a large ad for a full year. The result was not a single phone call, unless you count the ones from vendors trying to sell him photocopiers and phone systems.

He had neglected to ask his consulting colleagues WHY none of them had ads in the Yellow Pages. It seemed like a good idea to him, and no one else was doing it, so he pulled out his checkbook. What never occurred to him -- and what any experienced colleague could have told him -- was that companies don't choose management consultants from ads in the phone book.

Sometimes you can be too unique for your own good. There's a lot in sales and marketing that is tried and true. If you decide to forge a completely new trail, you may be attempting an experiment that many others in your field have already tried with no success.

It's not always just your marketing techniques that are a little too different. The same problem can afflict the product or service you are marketing.

I met a fellow while networking who had a "unique process" for helping companies resolve conflicts between employee groups. When I asked him to explain his process, he said I would have to experience it to understand it. I inquired how it compared to solutions like mediation or team building, and he told me it was a totally different approach that defied comparison.

Since I knew a company that needed help with a problem like the one he described, I would have liked to refer him. But I couldn't picture myself calling my friend at the company to say, "Hi, I know someone who says he can fix your problem, but he can't explain how. You'll just have to hire him and see."

Being noticeably different from the competition can help you attract customers and close sales. But claiming that you have no competition is naive. Comparisons to a known quantity can help prospective customers understand where your product or service fits in the range of solutions they are considering. If they can't compare it to anything, it's doubtful that they will be able to see how your offering could work.

Your market, too, needs to be a group of people who already exist and can be readily identified. A reader once wrote to ask me for some advice on getting her new book published. I asked what market category it fell into, and she replied that she hadn't really thought about it.

I pressed her bit, explaining that her book needed to be categorized in order to be marketed and sold. Even something as simple as where to shelve it in a bookstore depended on having a category to print on the back cover. Was it self-help, spirituality, careers, business? Who did she see as the audience for her book?

She asserted that she was creating a new paradigm, and if I was going to help her, I needed to think more creatively. My reply was to tell her I couldn't help her at all. Her idea may have been brilliant, but no publisher was going to touch her project.

Creating the perception that your product or service is one of a kind can help you capture people's attention and make them remember you. But you have to be able to identify the people you want to reach and communicate how you can be of service in words they can understand.

You know those car commercials that go, "Zoom, zoom, zoom"? I had to see those ads dozens of times before I could remember that the car being advertised was a Mazda. "Zoom" was unique alright, but what did it have to do with Mazda? Or with the benefits of owning one? A catchy slogan like "Inspiration Beats Perspiration" may be clever and unusual, but what the heck is it marketing?

Definitely look for a unique way to express the benefits you offer to your clients, but make sure it still communicates what you actually do. It's okay to get creative with your marketing, but don't bet the rent money on untried techniques.

If you really want to make your marketing more effective, cheaper and less stressful, stop re-inventing the wheel. Find models that work and replicate them. I'm not suggesting that you plagiarize your competitors' marketing copy, but when you see someone successful in your field, find out what they are doing right, and follow their lead.

Don't let your business be a victim of "terminal uniqueness" -- the belief that you are so different from anyone else that none of the rules apply to you. Being distinctive is good; being eccentric can be unwise.

C.J. Hayden is the author of Get Clients NOW! Thousands of business owners and salespeople have used her simple sales and marketing system to double or triple their income. Visit her web site at http://www.getclientsnow.com.

Community involvement isn't good just for the community -- it's good for your business.

From decorating for the annual chamber of commerce newcomers' breakfast to stirring chili at an elementary school fund-raiser, a solid community outreach plan can take your business from the shadows to the spotlight. It's a sure-fire way to meet contacts and the cheapest source of advertising available.

"Doing something good really does pay off tenfold," explains Geonelli Coratolo, director of small-business policy for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in Washington, D.C. "If you're a small business and you aren't doing some community outreach, you're ignoring a large part of your marketing plan."

Working with community groups can help small businesses compensate for their lack of advertising dollars, says Mr. Coratolo. "You have to realize that you don't have the huge amounts of money being spent by corporations on advertising," he says. "Being involved in community activities is the best way to spread the word about your business without the big advertising budget."

A former restaurateur, Mr. Coratolo knows the value of being involved in the neighborhood mix. When a school came to him for a good price on sausage to sell at high-school sporting events, he decided to donate the meat instead.

"I simply asked them to announce where the sausage came from over the loudspeaker at the football games," he says. "The group actually put a sign out for me outside the concession area. It ended up drawing me lots of business. People who had never been into our place came in and ate and thanked us for our support."

His simple donation proved to be an advertising bonanza. At the end of football season, boosters hosted a banquet without having to sell tickets, thanks to revenue from sausage sales. Guess who was invited and received special recognition during the banquet? Mr. Coratolo.

"The sausage cost about $50 a week," he says. "I couldn't have bought an ad in the local paper for that price, and I never would have gotten the response."

Local business people can make two types of community and/or charitable contributions, says Mark LeBlanc, president of Small Business Success, a consulting group based in La Jolla, Calif., and author of "Growing Your Business!" (Milt Adams, 2000). In the first case, you expect to receive something in return for your donation, whether it's press coverage, exposure to potential clientele or eventual sales. In the second, your contribution is simple generosity made with little thought to receiving a return. While a balance of both is good for business, he suggests initially focusing your efforts on the first category.

"Both are positive, but you need to know which one you're making," says Mr. LeBlanc.

Promote Yourself Tastefully

To get the most from your contributions of time or money, you must be willing to step into the limelight -- or at least put your business there. At times, you may need to tactfully wave your hands over your head and attract the limelight.

"A lot of times, people want to take a back seat, but that's not what an entrepreneur should do," says Mr. Coratolo. "Promote yourself and the cause in a tasteful way. You don't want to look like you're doing it for the sole purpose of gaining notoriety."

Mary Pankiewicz, owner of Clutter-Free and Organized, an organizing business in Morristown, Tenn., would have preferred to keep a low profile when she started her company five years ago. But she accepted the need to promote herself and now is featured regularly on local television stations and in area newspapers for her community involvement.

"I started with the local senior citizens center," she says. "I offered to help them get rid of their clutter in celebration of National Clean Off Your Desk Day. The director was thrilled and agreed to let the newspaper take before and after pictures."

Ms. Pankiewicz describes her community involvement as a "win-win situation for everyone." For instance, the senior center received her services free and both she and the center received free publicity.

Most of Ms. Pankiewicz's business comes from Knoxville, about 60 miles from her home. Consequently, she's involved in chamber of commerce activities in several different towns. For these and other groups, she calls program planners and offers to conduct mini-seminars during upcoming meetings. Her programs have proven so successful that they've become another source of income.

"When I started, all the programs I did were free," she says. "Now, I make about one-third of my income doing seminars."

What You Can Gain

Involvement in community organizations can generate more than just customers, says David Steinberg, president and CEO of InPhonic Inc., a Washington, D.C.-based customized wireless communication firm. By becoming active in his local chapter of the Young Presidents' Organization (YPO), a group for presidents and CEOs of companies, Mr. Steinberg found an investor and trusted adviser for his company.

"A well-known nationally successful executive was speaking at a local Young Presidents' conference," says Mr. Steinberg. "After his speech, I asked if I could speak to him for a minute. He said sure, so I told him about our plans here. He was very excited and invited me to meet with him in New York."

Mr. Steinberg expected the meeting to be just a courtesy, but the executive was truly interested in his venture, and the two spent the day talking about possible options. Since then, the executive has invested in the company, provided invaluable advice and introduced Mr. Steinberg to executives who became customers.

Mr. Steinberg notes that for their businesses to benefit, entrepreneurs need to do more than just pay dues to local organizations. "Never join just to say you're a member," he says. "Get involved and work with the organization. You've got to like the people and want to attend the meetings."

Ms. Pankiewicz agrees that joining yields nothing, while involvement means business.

"I drove to a breakfast at 7 a.m. this week thinking, 'why am I doing this?' When I got there, the CEO of a local hospital stopped me to set up some billable hours for his staff. You can't just join. You have to show up and participate."

Guidelines to Involvement

To make your involvement meaningful, be careful not to commit to too many causes. Your schedule no doubt is full already. "In reality, there's never enough time to do everything you want to do, but if you're starting a business, this should be a priority," Mr. Steinberg says. He's able to stay active in his chosen groups by participating in just a few.

Choosing to help with causes you care about also will help you stay active. Ms. Pankiewicz has always had special compassion for senior citizens, and she frequently donates services to organizations serving the elderly.

Remember, though, that this is a business decision. Your company's services should be related in some way to the groups you select. For instance, a business-to-business service would find customers where business owners congregate, like the chamber of commerce.

"This is a marketing effort," says Ms. Pankiewicz. "You have to be active where your market is. If you're marketing a product to families with children, you have to go where families are."

Besides meeting potential customers or investors, community outreach can help you learn how others manage, gain a circle of advisers and network.

"Some organizations frown on members trying to find customers within the organization," Mr. Steinberg says. "It still happens indirectly. In every company I've started, I've picked up a number of customers from organizations I belong to."

Finding organizations that would welcome your involvement isn't difficult. You can locate nonprofit organizations, schools, churches, colleges and other groups that need volunteer help by driving through your community, reviewing the phone book or reading the local paper. Community festivals, museums and other prominent groups always need volunteers.

Or you could join a professional organization that's active in your area. Your municipality likely has a chamber of commerce or local chapters of national industry or functional groups. You could join or start a local chapter of business groups affiliated with gender or ethnic backgrounds.

Also be careful when choosing your level of involvement within an organization, says Mr. LeBlanc. He advises volunteering for committees that are tied to your business specialty. He joined a state trade association in 1983 when he owned a design and printing company and signed up for its newsletter committee. He became the newsletter's editor and quickly gained business from members who received and were impressed by the publication.

By serving on several committees, Ms. Pankiewicz has been able to meet more people. If you don't need to meet a lot of people, but would like to know a few people well, you could volunteer for a project that puts you in close contact with other volunteers for more time.

The ultimate involvement in community organizations is taking a leadership role. You may have to advance through a hierarchy to earn a top position, particularly in such organizations as the chamber of commerce. Many other groups desperately need leaders and will move a willing soul to the head table fairly quickly.

-- Ms. Williams is a free-lance writer in Morristown, Tenn.

Email your comments to sjeditor@dowjones.com

During the 19th and early 20th centuries, a rancher would mark his cattle with a brand. This brand, depicting an image unique to his ranch, distinguished his cattle from another's in the event of a broken fence. Branding, in today's modern marketing world operates much the same way. It seeks to distinguish a product or service from the competition and create a lasting impression in a prospect's mind.

Pay dear attention to your branding programs from the outset, because they work to strengthen the "link of trust" between your company and its buyers.

Shaping Your Brand Image

To start, consider first the personality of your company. Is it sexy or sweet? Tough or tender? Is it more like John Wayne? George Clooney? Andy Griffith?

And if you think all this is hooey, consider these questions: Do Marlboros really taste better than other cigarettes? Is H&R Block superior to the tax accountant down the street? No, but a big reason these companies are leaders is because they have successfully built a personality around their brands.

Name: the First Step

How different would you be if your name were Clem or Matilda? Your company name sets a tone for your brand, right from the start. Names can be generated from invented words (Xerox), initials (IBM) and founder's names (Johnson & Johnson). Some of the best names, though, communicate a benefit (U-Haul or Budget Car Rental).

Logo: Your Company's Symbol

A logo is a distinctive symbol or mark that visually represents your company. To get one that passes muster with the quality police, I recommend hiring a design firm. Because your logo is one of the first visual brand elements your buyers see, put some time and money into it.

If your logo will appear on fax cover sheets, fax it to yourself. If it will appear on billboards, enlarge it to 5 feet and see what it looks like (don't laugh, I actually did this for a client). Put your logo through the quality-checking paces before you use it. You will be glad you did.

Taglines: A Memorable Definition

I am a big believer in taglines. In 10 words or less, a good tagline can communicate the core essence of a brand to the market. And for small businesses, it can be one of the most efficient marketing weapons in their arsenal.

A tagline is simply a short description of a business's reason for being. It could incorporate elements of its expertise, its target audience, even the markets it serves. A tagline can be both direct and subtle—whatever it takes to get the prospect to say to themselves "Oh, I get it."

If you are unfamiliar with taglines, work with a copywriter or marketing consultant. In an hour or two, they can take the core essence of your company's brand and translate it into a memorable and pithy tagline.

Once you have a tagline, always connect it to your logo as a standard practice.  Place the tagline either below your logo or alongside it. But, wherever your logo appears, your tagline should be there with it.

Fonts and Typestyles

Using the proper fonts and typestyles also define your brand. Try to standardize fonts and typestyles that appear routinely in your marketing materials. Use only a select few.

Hint: If you are working with an advertising agency or marketing firm, make sure that their designs use fonts that are readily available. A client of mine once worked with a designer on some marketing materials. The problem was that the designer chose a very creative font that ended up also being hard to find. In the end, the client had to shell out hundreds of dollars to buy the font for its printer.

Colors: Creating a Mood

How do you feel when you walk into a yellow room? When you see a sign with a red background color, what is your first reaction? Colors generate emotional reactions, and it is important to carry that over into your branding program.

So, here is a quick list of common colors and the emotions behind them:

• Red: Stop, passion
• Yellow: Caution, cowardice
• Green: Go, safe
• White: Purity, virtue
• Black: Luxury, prestige
• Blue: Authority, calm
• Orange: Strength, stimulation
• Brown: Warmth, comfort

When deciding on a company color, pay attention to the colors used by your competitors. You do not want to shoot yourself in the foot by choosing a color already associated with your competitor.

The Sounds of Your Brand

One company I frequently call on the telephone plays rap over its on-hold system. I don't know about you, but I believe there is more to music than three bad chords and rotten lyrics. I hate being on hold with that company. And their relationship with me suffers ever so slightly each time I call. If your business has on-hold messaging, or your retail store has background music, make sure it is appropriate.

Publish Some Guidelines

As your company grows, consider developing a brand manual. It can be as simple as a three-ring binder that records how you want brand elements to appear. It should cover the use of your logo, type sizes/fonts/styles, guidelines for color or black and white, and where certain brand elements should be located on the page or screen.

This is a great resource for internal staff to follow and can also be used for new employee training.

Jay Lipe is CEO of EmergeMarketing.com (www.emergemarketing.com) and the author of The Marketing Toolkit for Growing Businesses (Chammerson Press). He can be reached at lipe@emergemarketing.com.

Which is Better: New customers or repeat business? 

Recently we asked which was more important: new customer growth or repeat business?

The answer depends on your business goals. If you want fast-paced quantum growth, you should concentrate energy on adding new customers. But if your goals are more incremental - if you envision continual year over year growth in the 10 to 20 percent range - booking repeat customer revenue is far easier than adding new customers.

(Of course, don't lose sight of new customer acquisition; doing so entirely would doom the future of your business.)

While it is not easy to double your existing customers' spending year after year, it is easy enough to 1) keep them happy and loyal, and 2) develop additional products and services for them, which they will buy if they are happy and loyal.

How can you build loyalty and garner repeat business? With two customer words: service and communication.

Enhance the customer's service experience.

Customer service is all about fixing customer problems. What kinds of problems?

• Fixing things which are broken, or that don't work as expected.

• Facilitating deliveries, exchanges and returns.

• Resolving billing and payment issues.

• Fulfilling the exceptional need or the odd request.

• Providing technical advice and user guidance.

This last is very important because many products are so complicated they can't really work without solid service.

And that doesn't go just for technical products. It applies to self-assembled furniture - the kind you can't seem to put together based on cryptic instructions. Or home repair - consider those valuable retired plumbers in orange aprons at Home Depot. Or what about your weekend hotel stay, transformed by that special concierge into something you remember the rest of your life.

In each case customer service is a critical part of the product. And in every case, it's the part that makes customers feel great about doing business with you.

Customer Service = Repeat Business

McDonalds believes that once you successfully address a customer's complaint, that customer is several times more likely to come back and buy more Big Macs. McDonalds store managers search for problems; they long for problems; they pray for problems.

Train your people to listen closely for problems and look for things that are out of whack. Establish customer service protocols to insure those issues are dealt with quickly and completely.

Plus, your company gets a bonus for good listening: creatively solved complaints are often the genesis of new products and services. Build a system which rewards both customers and employees for those new business ideas.

Too many companies see customer service as an expense. In reality it is the most cost-effective customer retention program you could possibly have. So hire reps who want to help people and train them to spot opportunities. Use technology to make it easier to find solutions. Lavish money on it. Gather knowledge and wisdom in databases and make it available to everyone in the service chain.

Customer Communications

Continual communication is another key to building the kind of customer loyalty that translates into repeat, and increasing, business.

Here are seven ways to stay in touch with your customers.

Find out how customers are really using your products and services. Call them casually or conduct formal surveys. Visit and observe them in action. Track their online behavior. Look for ways to enhance the value they get from you.

Put yourself in front of your customers. User groups, conventions, conferences, road shows, tours, online forums, and even interactive webcasts, are viable ways to create a two-way free flowing dialogue. Give customers a deeper understanding of how you help them, and find out what's on their minds so you can serve them even better. For high-end, big-spending customers, schedule an annual review or strategy meeting to set the agenda and lock them in.

Publish a valuable newsletter. Most newsletters are filled with self-serving drivel about the company. Who cares who got promoted, or that you just had a wonderful company picnic? Fill your newsletter with stimulating ideas, case studies and practical tips that add value to your customers and help them do better business. Important to your newsletter's success is frequency and consistency, so publish often - monthly or even twice a month, and keep it on schedule.

Ask your customers the magic question: "What would you like to buy from us, if only we'd offer it to you?" Do this yourself or outsource it. Either way, these answers are like customer retention gold.

Keep your product and service offer fresh. Keep upgrading and adding on, and announce to your customers that you are doing so.

Make special offers to your special customers. And all your existing customers are special. Give them special offers and loyalty discounts that plain old new customers can't get. Make sure they know it is only for them.

Revive the art of the hand-written note. In this age of hyper-convenient email and instant messaging, a hand-written note acknowledges the unique nature of the recipient. There's just no way to duplicate the one to one feeling a note will create. Do this and you could have the customer for life!

These customer service and communications tips are just a few of the hundreds of ways to communicate with customers to build loyalty and repeat business. Combine them with judicious up-sells, re-sells, and cross-sells, and that 20 percent annual revenue growth is yours forever.

business coaching franchise system built from the ground up to rapidly create more profits and more life for entrepreneurs. Paul is also Executive Director of the Stratamax Research Institute, a business coaching and consulting firm specializing in helping entrepreneurial companies quickly increase short term profits for sustainable long term growth.

During a recent visit to a local electronics retailer the sales person I usually dealt with was engaged with another customer so someone else helped me and answered my questions. I wasn't ready to make the purchase that day but when I returned almost two weeks later my regular "sales guy", had obviously been told what product I was considering. That meant that I didn't have to go through the entire sales process again which saved me time.

A couple of days later, I discovered that a particular component was missing from the package so I called the store to have it replaced. My sales person was not working but someone else handled the call and told me I could pick it anytime. When I arrived at the store the following day, the sales person-a different one than the previous two- was expecting me and knew exactly what I needed. Once again, it was obvious that his coworker had briefed him on the situation.

This level of communication among the employees definitely reinforced my decision to continue buying from that store. Plus, it got me thinking about the impact effective communication can have on a business.

Customers often make requests, and while the person they initially spoke to is aware of the situation, their coworkers usually don't know what's going on. This means that the customer has to explain their situation again-in some cases, several times-before the situation gets resolved. Think of situations when you call a company and tell the person who answers the telephone about your situation. They transfer you to someone else and you have to re-state your concern or problem again. Sometimes, this person cannot help you so they pass you to yet another person. Once again, you have to repeat your story and it's not uncommon for this process to be repeated several times before you connect with the right person and finally get a resolution to your situation.

All of this takes time. And time is the most precious commodity people have today. When you communicate customer concerns or situations to other people on your team you make it easy for people to do business with you. You save them time. You demonstrate a higher level of customer service. And this encourages people to buy from you.

This also applies to the speed at which you respond to your customers whether it's by email, telephone, or in face-to-face situations. I can't count the number of time I have contacted companies by filling out their on-line web-forms but never received a response. A car dealership I deal with suggests making service appointments via their website but their process doesn't always work which means the appointment doesn't get made or that relevant information gets lost. In other cases, I have requested quotes for products or services but no one ever responded. In fact, in one situation a salesperson called me two months AFTER I submitted my request. By that time, I had already given my business to one of their competitors. On a positive note, I have emailed some companies and received a response within a few hours. Unfortunately, this tends to be the exception rather than the rule.

Effective communication means reducing the number of steps your customers have to take. It means making sure that the automated systems you put into place work and that someone actually responds by emailing or calling that customer quickly. Here are a few other situations that prompt, effective and communication will help you improve your business and customer loyalty.

When customers are waiting for back-orders. Instead of forcing your customer to contact you, be proactive and keep them apprised of their order. While it's not enjoyable telling people that their order hasn't arrived yet, it's better to be proactive.

When your customers have complaints or concerns. The faster you take care of customer concerns and the fewer hoops you make them jump through, the more satisfied they will be. If you can't solve their problem immediately, give them a time frame then keep them updated of the progress. Don't make them call you.

When policies change. Give your customers advance notice when your policies change. This will give them time to adapt to the change and reduce the number of complaints you receive.

In today's highly competitive business world you can't afford to make it difficult for your customers to do business with you. Otherwise, you run the risk that they will jump ship and use another company or supplier.

When you improve your communication with your customers and within your company, you improve your service which leads to repeat sales. Effective communication can help you improve your sales. It may seem trivial but it definitely makes a difference.

Copyright 2006 Kelley Robertson, All rights reserved.

Kelley Robertson, President of the Robertson Training Group, works with businesses to help them increase their sales and motivate their employees. He is also the author of Stop, Ask & Listen – Proven sales techniques to turn browsers into buyers . For information on his programs, visit his website at www.RobertsonTrainingGroup.com

It's quiz time. Match each of the following consumer brands on the left with the word that best describes it on the right:

Apple	Reliable
Volvo	Different
FedEx	Safety

If you matched Apple with "different"; Volvo with "safety"; and FedEx with "reliable", then you are correct! Pretty easy? It should be. After all, they have spent hundreds of millions of dollars associating their companies with these words. These words represent the end of a comprehensive process that establishes what every good consumer product company relies on; its brand.

Brand is paramount in the product arena; it creates awareness, drives perception, and improves desirability. Brands with top-of-mind awareness have higher perceived value, which allows charging higher price points.

Many service companies, however, have not embraced brand, because they believe it to be largely the domain of product companies. But many of the same basic marketing principles apply: brand drives perception, preference, top-of-mind awareness, higher fees, and so on. So why can't service firms reap the same benefits?

They can, when branding for a service firm is done right. In order to brand your service firm the right way and take advantage of the same benefits that product companies receive from great branding, there are four key distinctions between product and services branding strategy that you need to be aware of.

1. Don't Mass Market To Your Target Market
Product companies sell to the masses through large scale advertising efforts. Following in the footsteps of these companies, many service firms, when attempting to build their brand, start advertising to the masses as if they were selling Wrigley's Spearmint Gum or Coca Cola. But for a service brand, this is a waste. It's not targeted enough, and it costs too much, given the return that it provides.

The dynamics of brand implementation are just different for service companies. Service firms need consistent articulation of their value proposition across all touch points of the marketing and sales process.

While catchy jingles during primetime TV might work for a product company, they are simply inappropriate for service firms. But the right marketing program that "touches" your prospects regularly with highly targeted messages will increase awareness and recognition, so the next time you call to schedule a meeting, they're more likely to take it.

2. Focus On Relevance Over Differentiation
Differentiation is important to product companies. Most brand models (and business schools) argue the need to differentiate. But it is a rare service brand that can stake the claim to categorical differentiation. Let's face it, many service firms offer similar services. As such, it is difficult to own a unique market position. So forget about those product oriented, one-word descriptions.

Instead of attempting to be amazingly different from the rest, focus on being relevant. Specifically, relevance as it pertains to the client. The ideal service brand merges the needs, wants, and desires of the client with the character and values of the company.

The key lies in creating a space where customer needs meet company essence, an ideal combination of rational and emotional attributes that apply to both groups. This common ground approach develops a brand that not only resonates with the client by delivering what is important to them, but also develops a brand that is genuine, appropriate, and defensible by the company.

By staking a claim for what you stand for, communicating how you help your clients succeed, and communicating how reliable you are in doing this, you'll develop a unique identity. Most service firms don't have the stick-to-it ability to get this far, but if they do, they'll stand out in the market.

3. Worry About Growing Revenue, Not Market Share
Product companies are taught that they must be number one or two, in terms of market position, to be successful. Service brands should concentrate on growing revenue, not gaining market share, as product companies do.

In a service industry, whether it be accounting, law, architecture, or consulting, even local markets are usually fragmented and crowded with many successful firms generating considerable revenue from like-services.

Instead of concerning yourself with your position in the market, focus your efforts on improving the bottom line.

4. Help Your People Be Your Brand
Service firms do not have a tangible display of products that you can see, touch, and test out before deciding to purchase. As a service firm, your face to the world, what carries your brand most is your people. As such, do not underestimate the internal components of brand development.

To create a collaborative culture, communicate your brand message to the troops so that each individual becomes a brand ambassador. This helps to ensure that every sales call, every client interaction, and every elevator conversation delivers the brand as intended.

Don't attempt to be Big Brother, but do provide a rallying point for the entire organization, because "speaking in one voice" is far more important for service firms who rely on direct, one-to-one interaction with clients.

What Is This Really All About?
A successful brand is really about a client-centric approach tied closely to the firm's business strategy. Even in its simplest form, brands offer tangible benefits to the vast majority of service firms. So, think strategically, roll up your sleeves, and you can expect the following out of a well developed and implemented brand:

• A genuine and defensible market position

• Improved external awareness, perception, and desirability

• The development of a collaborative internal culture

• Alignment and integration of all messaging

• Revenue growth

• I'll add one final note about branding: your marketing materials are important, but don't go overboard.

Consumer brands focus on their position in the market and differentiation, using the pretty designs of a brochure, website, or advertisement to play a large role in driving their brand and growing their market share. But for service brands, good design is just one supporting part of success. We must take a fundamentally different approach than consumer brands to attain the same results.

What matters is having a process that drives revenue growth over the long term; the pretty pictures are just along for the ride. So learn from Apple, FedEx and Volvo. Adopt the idea of brand, but apply it to the particular needs of service firms.

Wellesley Hills Group, a consulting and marketing services firm that helps service companies to grow. Robert can be reached at rcroston@whillsgroup.com. 

Has anyone ever said to you, "If there's anything I can do to help you with your business, let me know"? Did you respond, "Thank you. Now that you mention it, there are a few things I need"? Or did you say, "Well, thanks, I'll let you know"?

If you're like most of us, you aren't prepared to accept help at the moment it's offered. You let opportunity slip by because you haven't given enough thought to the kinds of help you need. You haven't made the connection between specific items or services you need and the people who can supply them. But when help is offered, it's to your advantage to be prepared and to respond by stating a specific need.

Systematic referral marketing requires that you determine, as precisely as possible, the types of help you want and need. There are many ways your sources can help you promote yourself and your business and generate leads and referrals; we've chosen to discuss fifteen of them. Some are simple, cheap and quick; others are complex, costly and time-consuming.

1. Display your literature and products. Your sources can exhibit your marketing materials and products in their offices or homes. If these items are displayed well, such as on a counter or a bulletin board, visitors will ask questions about them or read the information. Some may take your promotional materials and display them in other places, increasing your visibility.

2. Distribute information. Your sources can help you distribute your marketing information and materials. For example, they can include a flyer in their mailings or hand out flyers at meetings they attend. A dry cleaner attaches a coupon from the hair salon next door to each plastic bag he uses to cover his customers' clothing; a grocery store includes other businesses' marketing literature in or on its grocery bags or on the back of the printed receipt.

3. Make an announcement. When attending meetings or speaking to groups, your sources can increase your visibility by announcing an event you are involved in or a sale your business is conducting, or by setting up exhibits of your products or services. They can also invite you to make an announcement yourself.

4. Invite you to attend events. Workshops and seminars are opportunities to increase your skills, knowledge, visibility and contacts. Members of personal or business groups that you don't belong to can invite you to their events and programs. This gives you an opportunity to meet prospective sources and clients.

5. Endorse your products and services. By telling others what they've gained from using your products or services or by endorsing you in presentations or informal conversations, your network sources can encourage others to use your products or services. If they sing your praises on audiotape or videotape, so much the better.

6. Nominate you for recognition and awards. Business professionals and community members often are recognized for outstanding service to their profession or community. If you've donated time or materials to a worthy cause, your sources can nominate you for service awards. You increase your visibility both by serving and by receiving the award in a public expression of thanks. Your sources can pass the word of your recognition by word of mouth or in writing. They can even create an award, such as Vendor of the Month, to honor your achievement.

7. Provide you with leads. A source can help you by passing along information she hears about someone who needs the kind of product or service you provide. Following through on such leads--for example, a rumor about a new company moving into the area or a news item about the troubles another business is having--could result in new business.

8. Provide you with referrals. The kind of support you'd most like to get from your sources is, of course, referrals--names and contact information for specific individuals who need your products and services. Sources can also help by giving prospects your name and number. As the number of referrals you receive increases, so does your potential for increasing the percentage of your business generated through referrals.

9. Make initial contact with prospects and sources. Rather than just giving you the telephone number and address of an important prospect, a network member can phone or meet the prospect first and tell him about you. When you make contact with the prospect, he will be expecting to hear from you and will know something about you.

10. Introduce you to prospects. Your source can help you build new relationships faster by introducing you in person. She can provide you with key information about the prospect. She can also tell the prospect a few things about you, your business, how the two of you met, some of the things you and the prospect have in common, and the value of your products and services.

11. Arrange a meeting on your behalf. When one of your sources tells you about a person you should meet, someone you consider a key contact, she can help you immensely by coordinating a meeting. Ideally, she will not only call the contact and set a specific date, time and location for the meeting, but she will also attend the meeting with you.

12. Follow up with referrals they have given you. Your sources can contact prospects they referred to you to see how things went after your first meeting, answer their questions or concerns, and reassure them that you can be trusted. They can also give you valuable feedback about yourself and your products or service, information that you might not have been able to get on your own.

13. Publish information for you. Network members may be able to get information about you and your business printed in publications they subscribe to and in which they have some input or influence. For example, a source who belongs to an association that publishes a newsletter might help you get an article published or persuade the editor to run a story about you.

14. Serve as a sponsor. Some of your sources may be willing to fund or sponsor a program or event you are hosting. They might let you use a meeting room, lend you equipment, authorize you to use their organization's name, or donate money or other resources.

15. Sell your products and services. Of all the kinds of support that a source can offer, the one that has the greatest immediate impact on your bottom line is selling your product or service for you. Your network member could persuade a prospect to write a check for your product, then have you mail or deliver the product to your new customer. If you do so swiftly and cordially, you may gain a new lifelong customer.

Suppose a customer you know well tells you a friend of his wants to buy your product. How should you respond? By telling him to have his friend contact you? By asking for information about the friend? The correct answer is neither. While your interest is still hot, let your friend, the customer, take your product and sell it to his friend, the prospect (if he plans to see his friend in the near future, of course).

Editor's note: This article is excerpted from Business by Referral.

"Networking" columnist and the founder and CEO of BNI, the world's largest referral organization with thousands of chapters in dozens of countries around the world. Ivan's also a New York Times bestselling author--his latest book is Masters of Success: Proven Techniques for Achieving Success in Business and Life.

How much money do you need to spend to generate publicity about your new company? The answer may surprise you.

One of the biggest misconceptions many executives have about public relations is what it will cost them to generate news coverage about their companies. This is especially true of cash-strapped entrepreneurs who think they'll need to pay a million dollars to get a million dollars' worth of publicity about their products, services or expertise.

Nothing could be further from the truth. Indeed, the public relations "hall of fame" is full of resourceful individuals who have spent little or no money to generate reams of news coverage about their businesses.

They discovered that the size of your wallet isn't as important as the story you have to tell about your start-up. This is because all news organizations are basically storytellers. They're looking for stories to tell readers, viewers or listeners. If you can identify or create a story related to your business that might interest the public, you'll make it easier to interest news outlets in your company.

Invite the Press to a Launch Lunch

When it was ready to launch in August, 3dvillage.com, a media publishing and Internet content marketing firm in Cary, N.C., used a relatively inexpensive approach to generate press coverage. The company arranged a launch luncheon for the press at Michael Jordan's 23 restaurant in Chapel Hill. Besides free food, it had a good story to offer: a demonstration of its newly completed online interactive 3-D walking tour of Chapel Hill's historic downtown business district.

More than 40 journalists in the ResearchTrianglePark area of North Carolina were invited, says Chief Marketing Officer Greg Meluch. Their color invitations, which were placed in clear plastic champagne bottles with an inflatable globe, were hand-delivered. More than 30 journalists attended, with many preparing stories about the launch of the company and its new product.

All four major local television network news stations came to the party and did stories that evening about the site. Several local newspapers and radio stations also did stories about the event. MSNBC and CNN picked up on them and ran their own broadcasts the following weekend.

How much did 3dvillage have to spend for what was estimated to be "hundreds of thousands of dollars' worth" of media coverage? The tab, including the cost of food, came to less than $1,000, says Mr. Meluch.

With a background that includes 18 years in sales and marketing for IBM, Mr. Meluch was used to spending millions of dollars to launch a new product. But, he says, "I never received a better return on the investment of my dollars than I did for this event."

3dvillage's launch luncheon was successful because the company gave journalists a story that interested not just North Carolina residents, but anyone who follows high technology. But you don't need to feed the media to get a story done about your company. Often, you only need to send a well-written news release to reporters, editors and columnists or make sure information about your company is easily available on the Internet.

Strategic Internet Links Pay Off

Pamela Previte O'Brien, a Houston interior designer, learned the value of linking her Internet site to others after taking an interior design certification course at Lauri Ward's Use What You Have Interiors Inc. in New York City. After the course, Ms. O'Brien spent $10 on software to design a home page and linked it to Ms. Ward's Internet site.

Ms. Ward appeared on Oprah Winfrey's television show in September and mentioned her Web site. After the show, a reporter with the Fox News TV station in Houston visited the site to track down a local interior designer to interview for a story. Her research took her to Ms. O'Brien, who became the subject of a story on the Fox Morning news program. The 15-minute piece included a before-and-after case study of a family room Ms. O'Brien designed. From all the free publicity and exposure in Houston, she gained two new clients and several new business leads.

Most start-up companies operate on a shoestring budget and can't spend much on public relations and other marketing activities, says Arnold Sanow, a business-marketing consultant in Vienna, Va., and co-author of "Marketing Boot Camp" (Kendall/Hunt Publishing, 1994). But, he says, "the good news is that a company's ability to get news coverage has nothing to do with money, [and] everything to do with their ability to tell the story about their company in an interesting and compelling manner."

Three Tips to Help Tell a Story

In short, you must be a good storyteller. Here are some storytelling tips that can be implemented either for free, or for just a few hundreds dollars:

1. Prepare and send a news release

Write a short (two-page) release about the launch of your company that includes the basic information reporters want: who, what, when, where, why and how. At the top of the release, include a short, attention-getting headline and your phone, fax, and e-mail information so reporters can contact you.

Prepare the release as if it were a story that was actually published in your local newspaper. Don't send text that's a reformatted version of an ad, brochure or your company's mission statement. Identify or create the strongest possible story angle or news hook for your news release. One company spent $1,500 to purchase two questions on a national public opinion poll related to its business. Highlighting the results of the poll in the news release helped draw attention to the company's announcement.

Distribute the news release electronically via PR Newswire or Business Wire, two private news release distribution services. For about $500, any company can have releases sent electronically to thousands of news organizations nationwide. While this may seem expensive, you'll ensure that many journalists know about the launch of your new business.

Use a company such as Media Distribution Service based in New York City to send your release via mail, fax or e-mail to a list of targeted reporters who are likely be most interested in doing a story based on your news release.

Post a copy of the release on your Web site. The Internet quickly has become an important research tool for reporters. If you publish the release on your home page, an even larger audience will see the announcement.

Phone news organizations that you hope will do a story about your start-up. Ask to speak to the editor or reporter who would most likely be interested. When you reach him or her, briefly explain your story and why you think it's important to the audience.

Identify or create visuals that will help demonstrate an aspect of your company, whether it's a chart, graph, logo or pictures that show your product or service being used. Visuals are essential if you hope to get a story on TV about your firm. They also can illustrate print articles.

2. Become a resource to the media

Journalists are always looking for experts in various areas. For an annual fee that depends on the size of your organization, you can be listed as an "expert" on a database maintained by ProfNet. ProfNet members also receive regular e-mail notifications about journalists seeking qualified individuals to interview for their stories. (If you doubt that ProfNet works, contact Greg Meluch and Pamela Previte O'Brien, who responded to a query posted on ProfNet seeking entrepreneurs to interview for this story)

Ask newspapers or magazines that you want to cover your company for a copy of their editorial calendars. These are published lists describing the content of upcoming issues or special sections. Depending on the subject matter of these stories, you might make a good source for the reporter. If so, call the editor or reporter working on the article, explain your expertise and offer to be a resource. You also can send a brief memo to editors and reporters at news organizations where you seek coverage and explain which topics you're qualified to discuss if they need experts.

3. Be prepared when reporters call

Don't be caught off guard if a reporter calls to interview you about your new company. Make a list of three or four important points to touch on during an interview and find ways to repeat them during the interview. Also list the questions a reporter might ask about your start-up, and be sure you can answer each one appropriately.

Once your first story about your product or service appears, don't be shy about letting people know about it. Place the article on your Web site and send copies to media contacts. You may be surprised how many reporters become interested once they see other news organizations do stories about your firm.

It doesn't cost much to implement these suggestions. Many companies find that the return on small investments in PR pay off handsomely as stories about them or their companies are read, watched or heard by potential customers. Given the stock market's current jitters, it may be the best investment you can make to help ensure the success of your start-up.

-- Mr. Segal, author of "Getting Your 15 Minutes of Fame, and More!" (John Wiley, 2000), conducts media training, presentation skills and effective public-relations strategy workshops for entrepreneurs. His Web site is www.publicrelations.com.

Email your comments to sjeditor@dowjones.com.

When you get new customers, do you know what happens to them? Are they thrown into a sea of impolite customer service representatives and employees? Are they getting the high-quality product or service you promised them?

New sales are but a small part of a successful business. While new customers are important, actually critical, to every business, properly managing and retaining customers form the real backbone of business success. Everyone, from the sales staff to the front-line customer service representatives to the CEO, should concern themselves with customer satisfaction and customer management. All employees, regardless of their primary job duties, are responsible for promoting and representing the business. Therefore, employees often are the most effective, and inexpensive, sales tools.

Failing to properly manage customers and maintain customer satisfaction extends far beyond the loss of the affected client. Once they are gone, so too are the people they know -- your potential future customers.

Maintaining current customers and establishing future customers is why every business should implement a solid customer management and retention program. Your program should have the following goals:

1. Maintain customer satisfaction.
This is the most important element; all others depend on it. The inability to satisfy customers quickly results in the loss of a customer base for a business and soon after that, the loss of the business. First of all, make sure you have a quality product or service. Next, ensure your business and employees are easy to deal with and polite. The words, "thank you," go a long way. Empower your customers and ask them questions to make sure their needs are met and they are fully satisfied. After all, dissatisfied customers tell seven to ten people, while satisfied customers only tell an average of one person. Also, give your employees a "script" they can use to talk about your product or service. "When we talk about our service to other people, they want to know these things..." Case studies show a broad history of a quality product or service, rather than a laundry list of "we do this, we do that." Stories are more personal and show the value of your product or service in a real life context.

2. Resolve customer problems and disputes.
No one wants a hassle -- and that goes for your employees as much as your customers. Implement a system whereby front-line employees can resolve issues quickly and painlessly. Provide front-line employees with the ability to make customers happy. Oftentimes, when a situation has to go to the manager, the manager is often more likely to simply give items away to get the customer off the phone. Unfortunately, while this may resolve the situation, it does little to regain customer satisfaction and trust. Front-line employees, on the other hand, have the necessary information to put the problem into its proper context and are better able to appropriately address the issue. Teach employees how to be active listeners and affirm what's true. At times, it may be necessary to reset expectations... "I understand your expectation, but some other customers see it this way..." If a customer simply is unreasonable, or becomes abusive, it's acceptable to tell them to take their business elsewhere. However, if this seems to happen too often, it may be a sign your product and service are in need of rehabilitation.

3. Keep 'em coming back.
Stay in contact with your customers so you can ask for a reorder and renew the value of your product. Sometimes, it becomes necessary to resell your product or service, and remind them why they came to you in the first place. "When we first talked, you told me ... Is that still true? Did we deliver on that? What's important now?" Reorders are much more profitable than new business since there is no customer acquisition cost. You might even have some leverage to offer a discount.

4. Ask for referrals.
Referrals are a business owner's best friend and perhaps the best affirmation of customer satisfaction. When the opportunity presents itself, ask customers for referrals. And when possible, put current customers and future prospects (and referral partners) in a room together, such as at a holiday party or a sporting event. Simply buying lunch for a group of customers so they can talk about your service or product is an excellent way to expand your business as well. It's actually a pretty small world when you're willing to venture into it, and referrals make it even smaller and more manageable. Incentives for referrals offer a progressive business strategy. While monetary rewards such as referral fees can be effective, they also impact your bottom line. Consider non-monetary rewards such as additional products or services you offer.

The importance of management is nothing new to business. However, the art of managing your customers, in addition to your employees, often is overlooked. Effective customer management and retention are vital to a successful and profitable business. Keep your eyes open for future customers but don't forget your current customers -- loyalty is often rewarded.

BLFarris@AnchorAdvisors.com or visit www.AnchorAdvisors.com.

Are you tired of prospecting for new business?

Are you sick of networking, begging for referrals, or spending a small fortune on advertisements that produce little results?

Wouldn't it be nice if you could just sit down at your desk and have the phone ring knowing that new business is on the other end of the line?

Who wouldn't, right...?

The Secret Formula for Getting People to Call You
No matter what product or service you sell, there is a formula for getting people to call you (instead of the other way around.)

Let me take a moment and explain each step in this formula and give you a few examples of how it works...

Step 1. Interrupt Their Train of Thought
People are busy, busy, busy. At any one moment you and I have a thousand things going on. So the first step to effectively market to someone is to interrupt them and grab their attention.

You can do this with...

1. Bold, compelling headlines
2. Unusual graphics or photos
3. Unique opening statements

I run an ad in a trade mag in the most competitive section of the publication. But my ad sticks out like a sore thumb because I place it UPSIDE DOWN!

That ad pulls as much as a quarter page ad does and it's only a tiny little 2' x 2' ad.

(By the way, if you want to see that ad and you have in interest in coaching you can find it in my Coaches' Marketing Bootcamp package.)

Step 2. Engage Their Mind With Relevant Content
Once you have your prospects attention, the next step is to pull them into your message. The best way to do that is to use relevant content.

By that I mean, say something that they would be keenly interested in. For instance, I have no interest in cats so I would skip right over the headline, "How to Stop Your Cat from Ripping Your Couch and Carpet Apart."

It's not relevant to me.

But if I saw a headline that said, "The Deal Is Sealed...Shaq Gets Traded," that would stop me in my tracks (I'm a basketball nut).

Your message must be relevant to your prospect.

Step 3. Educate Them On How to Solve Their Problem
Now it's time to educate your prospect. Education-Based Marketing is one of the most powerful marketing strategies available today and does a number of positive things for you:

1. It gives your prospect the REASON WHY they should care about what you're saying.
2. It appeals to the prospect's emotional need to solve their problem. (People buy with their emotions)
3. It positions you as the expert and someone to be trusted.

For instance, why do you think you find all those long, long sales letters on the net? Because they work! The more you tell the more you sell.

Step 4. Prove That Your Solution Actually Works
People today are so SKEPTICAL. No one believes anybody anymore. Every marketing message is taken with a grain of salt.

That's why you MUST PROVE what you're saying is true. Proof can come through customer success stories, study findings, quotes from experts, before and after photos etc.

You have to consider yourself as being on trial and your prospects are sitting in the jury box. You've got to prove to them what you're saying is true.

Are you proving your solution in your marketing efforts?

Step 5. Offer Them Additional Help For their Problem
The last step is to naturally offer your prospect additional help. Up to this point you've only teased them. Now you must lead them to the next step.

The next step should be some offer for help. This could be a free report, a video, an audio program (notice that I like low cost information products) or a free catalog, or even access to a free question and answer help line.

If you want to decrease your response and increase the quality of prospects that come to you, you can charge a small fee to make the next step.

A Live Case Study
I used to do a lot of direct response advertising to generate leads for potential hot tub buyers.

I offered a free video to the respondents. We were getting a lot of leads, but many of them were from people who already owned a hot tub (if you can believe that).

So we simply asked for a shipping fee of $2.95 for the video and it cut down our leads but dramatically increased our closing rate.

How to Use this Process for Your Own Purposes
You might be thinking, thanks David, but "how" do I use this information for my own business.

It's simple...take each step and ask yourself these questions...

Step 1 - "What headline, photo, or gimmick can I use that would stop my unique prospect and make them pause for a moment?"

Step 2 - "What problem does my prospect have that is painful, ugly, dirty, and smelly?" When you have the answer to that question, use it in a headline, sub headline or opening statement to engage them in your message.

Step 3 - "How can I make the problem in Step 2 sound even worse and then how can I explain to them how my solution solves it."

Step 4 - "What proof can I come up with that my solution actually works and has worked for many companies (or people)?"

Step 5 - "What offer can I come up with that would be so irresistible that my prospects would have to pick up the phone and call me immediately?"

If you ask yourself these five questions and can come up with some good answers then you're well on your way to getting people to chase you down instead of you begging to steal a moment of their time. (Yuck!)

Copyright 2005 David Frey

I am always amazed by business owners who say that they can't spend any money on advertising. Many of them validate that idea by saying, "Besides, most of my business is by referral." Building a business based on repeat and referral business is admirable. It simply means that clients are so pleased with the value of the product or service they receive on a consistent basis, that they become "cheerleaders" for that company. Consistency is the key word.

If a company combines a strong, branded advertising campaign to an already strong marketing and service program, that becomes the foundation for a successful business. I use the example of a three legged stool. One leg is your product or service, the second leg is your marketing and advertising and the third is the customer service you or your employees offer, all on a consistent basis. If any one of the legs has a "weakness," the stool is going to wobble.

Have you ever had a wobbly table or stool in your home? You probably tried to fix it by putting something under it to stabilize it. It was just a "band-aid" and not a true correction. It fixes the problem for a while, but sooner or later it will start to wobble again and at that point you probably say it is time to replace it.

Customers will be happy to be a cheerleader for you if you are consistent in how you run your business. After all, their reputation of referring a good company is on the line. Each of us has the ability to recommend or discredit a company based on past experiences. What is more important is that we have a circle of contacts that could either become a referral stream or a business choker.

Companies would be smart to study the three following statements and focus on how that could affect your "word of mouth advertising."

1. You don't know who I know!
I am in the midst of selling a home. I think I would rather have brain surgery than go through this again. I have bought and sold 5 houses in my life and this has been the worst. I firmly believe that the job of a real estate person is to make the job of "selling" the house as easy as possible. That is, if they are willing to do the work to make things happen seamlessly.

I chose my real estate person because her name was everywhere in my town; mistake number one. Mistake number two was that I didn't interview at least three potential agents to find out what their plans would be to sell my home in the shortest amount of time. Her focus is on how many houses she can list and not the service she could offer in order to make me a happy customer. I have told everyone I know that I would never use her if I had to do it all over again.

Unhappy customers like to tell other people and that is a fact. 95% of unhappy customers leave a business because of uncaring employees. Unfortunately, I have a binding contract and I am stuck. I have a reputation of being the person to call when you need just about anything because everyone knows what I do for a living. You can imagine how many people I can influence with just one sentence. Now the question is, what will that sentence sound like?

Do your employees realize the importance of treating each and ever customer like they have a golden tongue? They can build your reputation or ruin it with the words, "I wouldn't use anyone else but..." The question is, "Is your name the one that follows the word "but"?

2. I don't know who YOU know!
Every business owner loves to hear a client say that they were referred by another happy customer! Day after day you probably have new customers walking through your doors who were referred and you didn't know it!

So how can we increase that number? One simple word, "ask"! A basic sales class will teach you that if you don't ask for the sale you won't get it. So why don't we ask for referrals? We are scared of the answer "I don't know anyone." That is like asking a person the age old question "May I help you?" You know the answer is going to be "No, I'm just looking."

I recommend changing the request to: "Mrs. Smith, I know you have shopped here a long time. I hope that you will mention our name when one of your friends is looking for ..." Better yet, tell Mrs. Smith that for every third person she refers who come in and actually buy, you will give her 25% off her next purchase!

Everyone knows someone who can use what you offer at some time. The point is to use your own mouth and become a shameless self promoter! Just ask!

3. Have a "Super Bowl" commercial!
Do you remember what kind of hype occurs just before the Super Bowl? Football, yes; but the biggest hype is about the commercials during the game. There are teasers before the game and then there are "arm chair quarterbacks" critiquing the commercials on the early news channels on Monday morning. So what makes them so important? They are memorable and they are repeatable.

That's where big business and small business owners differ. Big businesses realize that if you are out of sight you are out of mind. They spend billions on advertising to make sure you don't forget. If I said the words, Target, Dell, Wal-Mart, McDonald's and gave you crayons and asked you to draw their logos, you probably could without even having an artistic background. Those logos are embedded in our brains. Strategically executed like a well run battle plan!

However, you may be saying; "I'm not one of the 'big guns' and I could never begin to develop an advertising plan like that." You probably can't. But what you can do is create a 30-second commercial that perfectly describes what you do so that your "cheerleaders" can repeat it to everyone they know.

Here is an example. I have a favorite restaurant in my town that I love to recommend. When anyone asks where I think they should go to eat, I become the biggest cheerleader for this family owned restaurant. I say, "You have to go to _____because they have the best cold salmon salad that will ever pass through your lips and the atmosphere and service are unbeatable." If you just screwed up your nose when I said salmon, then how about the hot apple pie and cinnamon ice cream dessert that is to die for.

Each and every one of us has done commercials for businesses that we like to do business with. What do you do that is unique or different that makes you and your business memorable. If you could eavesdrop on a conversation between one of your satisfied customers and a potential client, how would they describe you and what you do?

You'd be surprised the different ways people would describe your business. The question is, are they pin-pointing what you want to be known for? If not, then maybe your "Super Bowl" commercial isn't memorable enough. Work on a sentence that describes you or your business and practice saying it whenever you meet someone who asks; "so tell me about your business." I once worked with a financial planner who said that people walked the other way when he told them what he did. I said, "Why don't you tell people that you help them sleep better at night." He really looked puzzled, but the end result of managing your finances well is that you probably will sleep better at night. It also was a definite conversation starter!

You may not have the million dollar advertising budget, but you could have word of mouth advertising that affects millions.

Let's say you attend a business function. You meet a top tier prospect, and give her your card. As you are driving home, you realize that twenty other people may have approached that prospect and presented their business cards. So what will make your card stand out from the collected stack?

Here are twelve ways to assure that prospects will read your card, and will become more likely to do business with you.

ONE: Keep your card "reader friendly" by providing ample white space. Unfortunately, we are tempted to jam as much information on the card as the printer can squeeze in.

However, people don't want to bog down by reading lengthy paragraphs. Note how short this one is, and the one before it. Easy to read, don't you think?

TWO: Display your photo on your card. Think what happens when the prospect you met at the reception flips through the cards she collected. Which people will she remember most easily? The ones with photos, of course. For many years, real estate pros have acted on this assumption, and they are right.

An important caution: Be sure to use a recent picture, no more than five years old. The person who uses an outdated picture raises suspicion. What else about them is obsolete or misrepresented?

NOTE: Recently I had a photographer take a new photo of me, which I will put on my business card and Web site soon.

THREE: Stick with a standard size. You want your card to fit the card collections others maintain. An odd-shaped card might be tossed away as too cumbersome to keep.

FOUR: Never economize on paper stock. The dollars you save won't compare with the dollars you will miss out on because prospects think you may be second rate, like your card.

FIVE: Spend what is needed to include color. Think about it-how many of your potential clients have black and white TV, cameras and magazines?

Avoid psychedelic colors unless you are a designer, artist or entertainer. Your color photo will reflect a warm, vivid personality, so there's no need to shock the senses of readers.

SIX: Include your slogan. My company slogan identifies my purpose: "Helping you finish in first place!" Six words are enough--if they are the right words.

SEVEN: If you have a logo, use it. Picture this in your mind: "Golden Arches." Know the product? I am sure you do. Did you salivate? Probably so. That's the power of symbols.

My logo is a winner's trophy, which fits my motto of helping organizations and individuals finish first. Matches my company name as well: Championship Communication.

EIGHT: Tell readers how to contact you by phone, fax, mail and Internet. This sounds elementary, yet you would be surprised at how many marketers omit this essential data.

NINE: Keep your card current, by printing new ones when you change your office location, phone number or e-mail address. When someone gives you a business card with a new number added in pen, you rate their work second class, or worse.

TEN: Use both sides of your card for information. No need to let half the space go unutilized.

Many professionals put their mission statement on the reverse side, and show it to prospects when they meet with them.

ELEVEN: When you give your card to a prospective client, don't offer just one. Instead, ask: "How many of these will you need, to share with your staff?"

You will be amazed at how many more cards you will put into circulation with this simple question.

TWELVE: You may want to distribute more than one card, with each card reflecting a different service you offer. Several years ago, a retired executive handed me three business cards, each representing a new venture he had launched, with distinct services offered.