If there’s still penny candy
available, $10 will buy 1,000 pieces. If not, you can still get quite a
bit for a small investment. Including candy in your invoices makes companies
remember you. Typically, the people who handle accounts payable don’t get the
attention buyers get, so even the least little bit of attention could go a long
way in a company. You can also include two pieces--one for the receiver and one
for the receiver to give away. This isn’t huge materially, but it’s the
thought that counts.


For $10, you can hire a student, a niece or nephew, or a
friend’s teen to picket your business with a sign protesting something
positive. It may sound silly, but having a picketer outside your place
of business with a sign that reads something like, “We’re protesting good
customer service at this location!" or “This place is full of nice
people," will get you noticed. Who knows, you may even get coverage from the
local media.


On a toll road, pay the toll for
the car behind you, and ask the toll collector to give your business card
to the car’s driver and tell him or her you paid the toll. You may be thinking
that it’s a random chance, but you never know who might be on the road. And
it’s a low-cost tactic that has imagination written all over it. If the toll
is $0.50, you can do this 20 times for your $10 marketing budget. Chances are
good that at least one or two of those 20 people will contact you.


Show up in person with a cookie for
the receptionist at a client or prospect’s office.
The thing is, customers and prospects love attention. Drop in and visit a few of
your customers and just say you’re stopping by to brighten their day. You
can’t do this with 1,000 customers, but you can do it with 10 or 20. And
sometimes those 10 or 20 can be your ambassador who will supply you with just
the right orders to meet your monthly goal.


Advertise using fliers. At an average cost of 2
cents each, $10 will buy 500 printed fliers. You can use them to canvass a
targeted area, include them in packaging and delivered orders, hand them to
walk-in customers or mail them to a targeted list. Better yet, get your fliers
to 100 people, five times each, and the power of frequency will increase the
probability of a response. But do make sure you have the right message, the
right offer and the right target. Also keep in mind that many printing or
office-supply companies often offer specials on copy pricing. If you can’t
find any specials, offer a fusion marketing arrangement to do a joint promotion
with a printing supplier. 




One or two tactics alone may help you increase your business,
but if you have the patience, and dare to be innovative, try out several ideas.