I was an assistant manager for a major consumer electronics chain Terrell Edmunds Jersey , and I was where you would expect an "assistant" manager to be, doing what you would expect an "assistant" manager to to do. I was on top of a ladder, less than ten minutes before closing time, trying to hang the signs for the new sales special starting the next day. I was tired, cross, worried about personal and financial problems, and not in a mood to deal politely with anybody about anything.
As I looked down at the scruffy, nondescript person who seemed to be a laborer in need of a bath and a change of clothes Jerome Bettis Jersey , I especially didn't feel like being helpful and polite. But, my parents had raised me that way, so as I wearily descended the ladder, I gathered it all together, turned towards the man, smiled, and said, "Yes Sir! How can I help you?" Steelers Jerseys For Sale , as sincerely as I could.
To make a long story short, he was the yard foreman at a local quarry, and his boss had sent him to us to see if we had some way he could communicate with his truck drivers who were going in and out of his site all day long.
Well, to make the story even shorter, I sold that man and his boss several hundred dollar's worth of communications equipment and made them regular customers, which earned me lots of commissions, and made lots of money and free publicity for the company I worked for.
All the training courses will tell you it is best to "target" your customer. Focus on reaching the specific individual who is interested in your product or service. They will tell you to go to where those people are found, either on the internet Cheap Steelers Jerseys , in magazines, or other advertising venues.
True, most of your sales will probably come from targeted advertising such as that, but you can never tell when you will run into a "Larry" who will want to put some money in your pocket.
Who's Larry?
Well, in my younger, wilder days as a young soldier stationed in San Angelo, Texas, I used to spend a lot of time at the J&J Tavern Zach Gentry Steelers Jersey , drinking beer and shooting pool. One of the regulars was an elderly man (about the same age I am now, only I am NOT elderly). He dressed in the same old beat-up outfit, and seemed to be content to spend his social security, or whatever he lived on, betting on his pool playing abilities and drinking beer. We would shoot him, beat him, but never play for high stakes because he wasn't very good, and we didn't like taking his limited funds away from him. We couldn't stop him from playing Benny Snell Jr. Steelers Jersey , however, and the games were always for he always lost.
One hot summer day, in the middle of a pool game, a flashy brand-new Cadillac pulled up to the curb, and an older woman with way too much make-up and more than enough jewelry, and wearing a fur coat in the summer heat got out. Standing in the doorway of the Tavern, she yelled, "Larry! Get out here now! You know we've got to be some where!"
Poor old Larry slunk off without a word. Always laughing Justin Layne Steelers Jersey , drunk and boisterous, he now seemed a weak shell of himself.
As they drove off, we asked the bartender who that was.
She said, "Oh. That's Larry's wife."
She let it lay there a minute, and then said, "Bet you thought Larry was living on a Social Security check, or something?"
We nodded.
She said, "Larry scratched out a living for several years with a few head of cattle on a dirt poor ranch outside of town until one day they found oil directly under his little piece of land. Larry's been a filthy rich millionaire for several years. All he wants to do is drink his beer and shoot a little pool Diontae Johnson Steelers Jersey , and that keeps him happy, but his wife wants to be queen of the walk and every once in a while she ropes him in, cleans him up, and makes him go somewhere and do things he doesn't like to do with people he doesn't like to be with. He likes being here with you boys and shooting pool. I'm glad you never let him play for high stakes. That's nice of you. Have a beer on me."
Don't ever be so sure who ISN'T your next best customer.
Too many business owners and marketers know that Yellow Pages advertising has an incredible amount of potential? but they don't quite know how to take advantage of it.
Fortunately, it's a mystery that's solved pretty easily once an advertiser knows where to turn for advice. There are fundamental truths about Yellow Page advertising that so many businesses fail to recognize, but once they do, they stand to capitalize on a sizeable reward. That said? let's try to understand it a bit better, shall we?
1. Common Yellow Page advertising mistakes are simple to fix.
Very simple. You don't have to be a graphic designer or marketing expert to drastically improve your ad either?you just need to know your customers.
You see Devin Bush Steelers Jersey , most Yellow Page ads make the very same mistakes? year after year 'directory after directory ?category after category. Some of the ads I see from professional design firms are riddled with mistakes too.
Of course they may look nicer... but that won't cut it in the Yellow Pages! While a professionally designed ad can certainly help grab attention, there is no substitute for ad content (read: words) if your goal is to generate a phone call.
And when it comes to Yellow Pages advertising, that's all that really matters.
By learning what makes a good headline, good body copy, and how to develop a strong offer?your Yellow Pages ad will run circles around an ad that just 'looks great,? but makes the same mistakes most others are making.
An example? Using your name and logo as the headline...
It's disastrous and yet more advertisers do it than not. No one cares what you call yourself until they've decided to pick up the phone and actually call you.