You’re the best in the business. You know it, and so do your customers. So why should you keep reminding them?
Mainly because there are so many things competing for our attention these days, that being the best simply isn’t good enough. In order to be remembered in the marketplace, you have to become an original marketer. This means going beyond the expected to differentiate your business from the others.
The first rule of being an original marketer is to break the rules. Here’s an example: when we were searching for a literary agent for our book on American entrepreneurship, my co-author, Debbi Karpowicz and I sent out our proposal with an apple pie, American flag, baseball cards, a politician’s hat, and red, white and blue noisemakers, paper plates, napkins and utensils. By packaging our proposal this way, we guaranteed that it would stand out from all the others that flood the offices of literary agents. Sure enough, our book proposal was read, and the following week we found ourselves an agent.
John Sayles and Sherri Clark found another way to attract attention to their business, Sayles Graphic Design in Des Moines, Iowa. They painted a bus. As the bus made its daily rounds, business increased for Sayles and Clark. Clients, prospects and friends began telephoning the company to report bus sightings. Interestingly, people saw the painted vehicle so often, they assumed there was more than one Sayles Graphic Design bus in Des Moines.
Another way to be an original marketer is to celebrate unconventional holidays appropriate to your business. I chose New Years and the Fourth of July to send cards and gifts to my clients. Business tends to slow down during these times of the year, so I can do a mailing more easily. Also, other companies rarely send anything out in January or July, which means mine
will be noticed.
Consider creating your own holiday, too. Chase’s Calendar of Events is a book that lists every holiday imaginable. You can have your holiday listed in this publication by submitting an application to Chase’s.
When you give a gift to a client or customer, make it unique. When your client is sick or in the hospital, for example, leave the flowers or fruit basket to somebody else. Your thoughtfulness will make a deeper impression if you fill a basket with healthy and personal treats like herbal teas, magazines, and a favorite movie on videotape.
For holidays, consider sending an annual subscription to a business publication or periodical that covers issues your client is interested in. Items that reflect your client’s industry or hobby also make thoughtful gifts. Gift and specialty stores often carry merchandise that is geared toward a particular profession or hobby. Examples include neckties, tie clips and jewelry. These sorts of gifts show your genuine interest in your client and will surely become a conversation piece.
An obvious, but often overlooked way to be an original marketer is to be generous with your thank you’s and referrals. A hand-written thank you note to someone who has helped you makes a lasting impression and clients will return the thanks when you refer them to others.
My final suggestion is to give yourself a visual edge by wearing specific adornments, such as consistent colors, ties or jewelry. Larry Winget, a professional speaker, does this with eyeglasses. He must have over 30 pairs, which have become part of his personal trademark. Even when people can’t remember his name, they remember him because of the eyeglasses.
However you choose to stand out in the marketplace, be original about it. Your clients will be delighted by your creativity, and that’s something they’re bound to remember.
