NineThings You Can Do By Year End to Increase Your Business

Below are 9 ideas for expanding your Book of Business between now and Dec 31, 2013. Pick a few or pick them all...guaranteed to help fill your 2014 closing calendar.

1. Rent a popular venue in your city for an evening and invite all your clients to a private party. Example: rent a movie theater once a year and invite past and current customers to a free screening of a children's movie.

2. Take Polaroid photos of Halloween 'trick-or-treaters', slip them into photo jackets printed with your name and telephone number, and give them to the kids to take home to their parents. Hand out inexpensive reflective treat bags to help keep them safe as they walk from house to house in the neighborhood.

3. Plan a pop-by visit and deliver cookies by the office of one of your A+ relationships...not only do you get "points" with them but everyone in the office gets a treat as well. Leave a stack of your business cards by the cookies...you never know who is thinking of buying or selling! 

4. Offer a $500 or $1,000 college scholarship to a high school senior in your community. Hold a ceremony in their neighborhood to present the check. Have the parents invite others to congratulate the recipient.... and hopefully to meet the donor! 

 5. Sponsor uniforms, and if you can... coach, a children's soccer, basketball or baseball team in your community.

 6. Buy a block of tickets to a concert or play and hold a drawing. Call your prospects and ask whether they'd like their names to be included in the drawing.

7. Sponsor a home repair demonstration or lecture at a local hardware store...pick 2-3 quick fix repair items and get the store manager to give discounts for the items or tools needed to perform those repairs to everyone who attends. Print out instructions for the repairs on cards with your info on the back.

 

8. Rent an ice cream truck, Give away free frozen goodies in local targeted neighborhoods. An in-advance postcard mailing informed residences about the promotion.

 9. Organize a group to Christmas carol in your market area; leave behind a Happy Holidays card.

 

Community involvement is another powerful promotional way to get to know people in your market area. Making a significant donation of time, talent, or money to a local group is a great starting point... get personally involved.... Try and keep your focus narrow and localized.