The "Power of CROSS-Promoting"!

Hi folks.....just wanted to "Share" something with you as to "How You Can Use CROSS-Promotion" (aka Using 1 Business to help another)

In my "Real-world" Sales experiences contacting "OFFLine Businesses....(I...actually...go out and Sell My Stuff) ....I make Personal Calls on businesses and...sometimes I come across a business owner who is "Ready To Hang IT Up!

So...because I LIVE in this area....and do NOT like to hear about someone ready to Call-It-Quits after 15 yrs in biz (Hey! US Ad Sales Guys are NOT callous and without concern for others. US....who...Truly Believe the stuff we sell CAN be used to HELP SMALL BIZ OWNERS)....sometimes (here lately it's becoming more prevalent with "Obama-Nomics")....sometimes I just close my pitch book and .....tell the owner I'd like to see if there's anything I can come up with that could ...."KEEP HER FROM CLOSING DOWN!"

So....she relaxes her "Guard"...looks me in the eye and realizes I AM SERIOUS about trying to HELP her.

(I'm talking to the owner of a Do-It-Yourself Ceramics biz who has a HUGE shop OFF on a side street)

She tells me she's "tried This" and "Tried That" and NOTHING has worked!

So....after some intent questioning I finally determine that her MAIN Problem is....GETTING PEOPLE INTO HER SHOP....AT LEAST TO MAYBE JUST....LOOK AROUND!

So....I "mentally" go thru some of the promotion programs I've done over the last 30 yrs and....BINGO-BANGO-BAMMO! I come up with one I propose she try.!

A few yrs ago I created a "PIZZA-CARD" program where a local pizzeria would allow me to SELL a Card that had "20 FREE 2for1 Pizza deals" on it.

I sold the "heck" out of these...for 10bux each (Just noticed a guy with a WSO...selling the same concept....but...he keeps what he's doing "secret" until you buy it! Which is OK by me!)

So....knowing that "Pizza Cards" are POPULAR with "Consumers" ....here's what I proposed to the owner of a "Ceramics" biz....ready to call it quits after 15 yrs;

I told her that I would
1) get the local Pizza Place to agree to honor 1,000 of my "Pizza Cards" offering TWENTY....Buy 1, Get 1 Free!
2) I would print up the 1,000 Cards at NO charge to her (cost me less than $50)
and....
I wanted her to run an ad in the Sunday Paper (in the Local Life Section) that said...."FREE PIZZA! Get a FREE Card...good for 20 "Buy 1 Get 1 Free" Pizzas at XPizza! Just come into X-Ceramics and mention you saw the Ad!"


Now....I told her SHE would have to pay for the Ad and keep track of each person who came in to get the "20 Free Pizzas -Card" (They'd fill in a sheet with their Name, Address and email addy)

So....it's been about 2 wks since her ad ran and I stopped in to see her this morning.

WELL.....AS I WAS PARKING MY CAR AND STARTED WALKING INTO HER SHOP....SHE CAME OUT RUNNING AND GAVE ME A BIGGGG HUG!...and said...."I'M BACK IN BUSINESS! HALLELULAH!

She's had over 800 people come in to get the Free, 2for1 Pizza Cards and, MANY OF THEM BOUGHT SOMETHING!....plus....she now has a "Mailing List" she can send "Special Offers" to (my suggestion)

So....although all I did was use my knowledge and expertise to help out someone who NEEDED HELP....it SURE FELT GREAT to....GET THAT HUG!

And...when it all comes down....isn't THAT what we're all after? A "Big Hug"....knowing that WE did something to "Help" someone else?

Wow! Sure made ME feel good!

Thanks for letting me share this with you.

Don Alm...."Will Work For Hugs"