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Often businesses try to avoid "looking like" they are doing the very thing that they are trying to do. Generally when they do this they fail twice. They do not get the result they want and they look like they are doing exactly what they were trying to avoid looking like.

This new approach you are taking will work much better. I may not work with every contact you approach, but overall there should be success.

You've gotten some great answers, and I have little to add to the "finding/defining" question, however since price was brought up I will add this:

For only $495 you get: 3 hours of in-home system building we create a plan, tracking and reward system that will reduce the stress, arguing and fighting in your home. You will learn how to build happy times together so that blah blah blah.

You also get a workbook that helps you continue the process (blah blah blah)

A special CD designed so that you can listen together as a family and learn...

Plus my book "435 activities that keep families together"

All of a sudden $495 seems like a bargain, doesn't it?

Obviously it has to be tailored to what you can actually provide but I think you get the idea.

If that isn't what you want them for then why do you want to associate with them?

And, since you seem to be indicating that that's what you want the real question should be, "What am I offering, and how can I position the offer attractively for the company?"

Is what you offer something their clients REALLY want?

Can you pay the company for an introduction?

As someone that is a fan of direct mail let me clear up a two rumors...

Fewer people are using direct mail today: Sorry, anyone that tells you this is flat out wrong. Even with increasing postal costs and do not mail lists, MORE direct mail is being sent every year. I wish it were true less direct mail would mean less clutter when I send mine.

Direct mail doesn't work: yeah, whatever. Response rates vary anywhere between .5% and 6% can be typical. That being said ask yourself if the low end of that number would be profitable for you. Also ask what you coul do to be at the top end of that range (or even higher).

If you don't know direct mail find someone that does and hire them to help you build your mail sequence. Yes, a sequence. If you can afford to send 10,000 piece you are better off mailing to a list of 2500 4 times or maybe even 2000 5 times than a one shot mailing to 10,000 people.

Remember what you send is critical. A poorly crafted message will not sell. Know what your goal is, have one goal and have everything in your package work toward that goal. Do you want someone to call for a quote? Do you want them to send in and get a full presentation of your capabilities? Send an order? The last one may be the ultimate goal but starting with one of the others may be the real place you want to start.

Junk mail is junk only if it does not speak to my needs. If what you send is relevent to me and my needs it is never perceived as junk.

Dwyane Faux

P.S. I would love to know what you sent and what your actual response was.

Good business insight in the Bible (just a few for starters):

How about where the bible tells us that if we want to have friends, we first have to be friendly our selves?

Our the wonderful legal advise to do our best to settle problems before they get us embroiled in a court battle?

Or making sure our employees get an oportunity to sample our offerings? (A great idea, if you have employees, if they fully know the product they can sell it a lot better.)

The Paragon? What a place to meet and mingle. AWESOME!

Hey Sarah,

You were looking for me and here I am....

Dwyane Faux 206-444-9100

I am going to ignore the blood diamond issue and focus on conflict-free diamonds.

Up comes again the issue we've heard before, laborers being underpaid, the company makes the money, they are exploiting the workers. It isn't true. Sorry, you've beenlied to and you've bought the lies. As an example a few years ago there was a news story about Nike paying employees in Asia $300 a month to make shoes. Idiots in the media here in the United States jumped all over the story, all critical of Nike. The part they knew and left out of the story is the average annual income in those countries is $2000 (USD) they were paying (typically) $3600 a year. Sure, it is low by our standards, but it is their standards that matter. The same with African diamonds (or diamonds from anywhere) what they pay employees is based on what they need to pay. What thy sell their products for is what they can get.

As an individual your choice to not buy, or buy diamonds is your choice. But, let me ask you this, all of us here, presumably, own our own businesses, do you want to be told how much you must pay for the supplies you use in your business? I just bought paper, I got a great discount, was this immoral? Should I have paid the list price instead of the 60% off that I ended up paying? I don't overpay for products, nor do I expect other companies to. When I hire help I get best price I can, I would expect nothing less from another company.

I probabbly torqued off a lot of people but reality is reality and so be it.

Sure Nancy, anything for you. I have several piece like that...

Find something you are passionate about. If you do not enjoy what you are doing you rarely succeed.

Ignore needs. People always tell someone looking for a business to find a need and fill it. This is almost always BAD advise. People need nutritious food, people want food that tastes good (and often want it fast)... where is there more success in the restaurant industry? Find something people WANT.

What are your skills and talents? Sure, you can develop new skills to run a business but if you have a set of skills already it can make a good starting point.

Why d you want to run a business? If this reason isn't compelling you may be better off getting a job working for someone else.

Depends on what I think I would get out of it. If I knew it would be of an advantage to me there is nothing too early. I met a 4:00 AM flight to give a potential client a ride, in exchange for 5 minutes of conversation time.

However, for something like this I think 8:00 could be good.

Roy H. Williams "The Wizard of Ads", or any of the other Wizard of Ad books he has. It is a series of one or two page chapters, light & fun and yet a real education.

A quality rubber stamp of your signature...or even better, if you are doing a lot of letters, let someone else sign your name to the letter.

What a fantastic book, good choice!

I am a member of the Federal Way Chamber. It is a very active Chamber with a wide variety of events. Just like any business group there are those that will be involved and others that will just want to be a member. A good chamber will have a lot more from the first group.

Oh yeah!

What a question. The answer depends in part on factors like; how much additional money do you need each month, how long do you really have until you want to retire, what existing skills do you have, what are you willing, and not willing to do, are there lifestyle changes you can make that will reduce your expenses (and will you still enjoy retirement with these changes).

P.S. People are still buying and selling houses, so if that is what you want to do, don't let the fact that it is not as easy as it was stop you from following that path.

Tecnically a haberdasher is a person that sells the accessories for clothing...hats, gloves, shoulder boards, buttons, ribbons, ties, etc. As for Mr. Collins he is an excellent haberdasher and not only sells the accessories but the suits and the shirts as well....

I too am interested in joining next time (or this time if a bigger venue opens up).

Alright, so what's the verdict? What does the Biznik community think about dropping off business cards?

Almost always a complete waste of time.

What are the best mediums for letting people know about your services without being "so annoying"?

Drop off an item that will assure that you are remembered.

Try this:

1. Design a marketing piece that descibes what you do in such a way that it will be of intrest to real prospects (who cares what the effect is on people that don't need your service.
2. Aquire aa apropriate promotional product that will appeal to the secretary, receptionist, gatekeeper.
3. Drop in on likely prospects, give the item to the receptionist and ask him/her to pass the marketing piece onto the right person (describe whom should get it).
4. Get the card of the person you spoke to.
5. Follow up with a phone call the next day. Mention the gift item to remind them of who you are and ask who they gave the information to. They almost always spout off a name. Ask if they know how this person liked the information. Unless the reaction is, "They hated it they said that you are an unproffession piece of excement that they will never do business with," ask if it would be okay to mail some supporting information.
6. Mail, Fed-Ex, courier your information as follows: Outer envelope is addressed to your contact, it contains a thank you note to them and an envelope addressed to your target. The inner envelope has your material. (Envelope could be a box if you need the extra room)

It's smart to be shy about (afraid to) post. If you post you may say something stupid. Or you might say something that offends somebody. Or you might be factually wrong in something you say. Or you cude misspel sumthing, and then people may think you aren't so erudite.

Yep, better of hiding in the shadows. Not letting anyone get to know you. Letting other people in your career field atract the customers that could be yours. That's what I would do! I live by the idea I'm better off pretending to be something I am not, at least that way if people don't like me I can always pretend they would have liked me if I was just myself. If they were to reject the real me I would be devistated, I'd have to go out and start drinking, then I'd get drunk, then I'd probably miss the meeting with my parole officer, and then....well you probably understand what happens next. :)

Here is something I have found to be helpful. (I'm going to write this like I was having a conversation with you. The answers I put in your mouth may not be your exact answers but you will get the idea.)

ME: So, the plan was to send out emails to real estaste agents...If that didn't produce results, what would you do next?

The Lovely YOU: Um, Uh, I'd have to think of something else, I'm not sure....

ME: One more idea, give me one more idea of something you could do, reasonable or farfetched...

The Brilliant you: I could call the agents I've helped in the past...

ME: Excellent idea, anything else you could do?

The Talented YOU: I'm not sure...

The Interupting ME: you could call past clients and ask for referrals, you could drop by and visit existing real estate agents, you could drop by and visit new real estate agents that could offer you business...

The point is often people do not take action, if they only have one thing on their list, because they are not sure what they would do next. by having a short action list, you avoid having too much to choose from, but have an inplace fall back position.

Dwyane Faux Director of Sesquinpedintary Top Banana Events

I have a variety of images that may fit the bill, without additional details I can not be s6ure. and now I have a 7 month old trying to help me type...