(1)   Contests—i.e. a cookware store sponsoring a cooking contest, a dentist hosting a smile contest, a video rental store sponsoring a movie trivia quiz

(2)   Newsletters

(3)   Demonstrations—you can attract people to your place of business, show them how to best use your product, and establish your credibility

(4)   Seminars

o       Schedule the event at a convenient time

o       Include details in the invitation about the times, the individuals who will be present, etc.

o       Follow up the invitations with personal phone calls

o       Charge for the seminar to give it a higher perceived value

o       Follow up after the event to get people’s reactions

(5)   Premiums—this would be a gift that reminds your customer of you and your service, i.e. key chains, coffee mugs, refrigerator magnets, baseball caps, paperweights, etc.

(6)   Speeches—you can market in front of chambers of commerce, trade associations, parent groups, senior citizens, or other local organizations

(7)   Articles—you can write an article for a trade journal, reprint it, and mail it off to friends, customers, and prospects

(8)   Bonuses—examples include things like a restaurant giving away a glass of wine with dinner or office supply stores giving away a new pen with a certain purchase

(9)   Coupons—price break should be significant, at least 15 percent

(10)                       Donations—this will cause positive exposure to the rest of your community

(11)                       Samples—This is an excellent way to attract attention and make a positive impression

(12)                       Free trials—You can ship your product out to prospects with no strings attached in the hopes that enough people will like it and buy it

(13)                       Free services—An excellent option for those companies cannot afford to give something away is offering your services as a way of generating new business, i.e. a clothing store offering free fashion consultations will draw customers into the store

(14)                       Special benefits, rates, or notices—Smart organizations go out of their way to make customers feel important and appreciated, i.e. frequent flyer clubs, software companies selling program updates, and all businesses giving advance notices about sales

(15)                       Say “thanks”—One of the best ways to let customers know you value their business is to say “thank you” in letters, mailers, receipts, and in person