My single biggest piece of advice for newbs...

I learned long ago that....if I am OUT AND ABOUT in my community...going to Chamber of Comm lunches and meetings, talking with business and professional people ...visiting Motel Lobbies to see what is being offered....looking in the yellow pages to see WHO is advertising....Googling to see WHO has a website and who doesn't....I can "Get a Sense of what is not only "needed" but "Wanted".

What I do is....get an idea....create a Sample or a Presentation or both that will explain to potential customers what I'm doing and how they can benefit by participating.

As Examples;

"FAX BUX" - back in 1992, I was sitting in a Chamber Lunch. Someone asked a question, "Let's see a show of hands...who has a Fax Machine in their office"? Almost every hand went up.

Sitting at my table were THREE Restaurant Owners. I told them, "Hey Guys! Why don't you send Faxes with your Daily Specials on them to these businesses?"

Well....one of them responded with, "Hey Don! Why don't YOU put this together and I'll be your first account!" So I did!...made up a Sample "Fax Sheet" and went out and showed it to local restaurant owners. Offered to Fax the Sheet to 100 local biz offices. Restaurants paid me handsomely.... and I went on to other Towns sending "Daily Special" Faxes to local offices.

"TV CHANNEL GUIDES" - I went to visit one of my sons in another town and got a room at a Best Western. I do 3 things when I go to my motel room; 1) Bring in my luggage....2) Go potty....3) Pick up the tv remote and start flipping thru channels.

Well....when I found that the tv system in my room was different than at home...I looked around for a "TV Channel Guide". Couldn't find one so I phoned the front desk and the clerk told me it SHOULD be on the desk. I couldn't find the sheet of paper it was on...so I phoned again and she said she'd have someone bring one up.

When a maid brought me the single sheet of paper the TV Channels were typed on....I got a "Hot Flash"! Why don't I put the TV Channels on a Card and put the Card in a Plastic Stand that sits on the tv or desk. A Display that WON'T get tossed out or get lost. It sits in PLAIN SIGHT.

And....along with the TV Channels I put a color picture of a pizza below with a Sample Phone Number...and...on the back I divided the space into 6 squares...where I could put Ads of businesses that would like to be seen by Tourists.

Well...I showed my sample to the owner of a local Pizzeria and WHAMO-BAMO....he wanted ON my TV Channel Guides. Same thing happened to other restaurants, gift shops and realtors. I did this program (still am) in 6 towns.

I've done many other projects the same way;
1) Make a MockUp
2) Make a Presentation showing what you're doing and how it can benefit businesses
3) Go SHOW it to prospects

Same with my recent project; Mobile Websites;

Make a Sample...Make a Presentation as to how prospects can benefit...Go show it to prospects.

I prefer to see my prospects IN-Person...where I can get an Instant, Yay! or Nay!

Thanks for reading,
Don Alm

That's the spirit. Offline seems a bit scary because it requires conversation with the client. If something is holding you back then that's the thing you must be the best at ie: cold calling, face to face meetings etc...