Here are a few ideas that can help you get started:

1. Send out a press release. Find something about your business that is newsworthy (or make something newsworthy happen) and tell the press about it.

2. Start a new, specialized service no one else offers. Make this a niche within a niche. Its uniqueness can be the work itself, or the type of clients you offer this service to. For example, there are a lot of criminal lawyers, but how many specialize in defending juveniles? You could promote this specialty by writing articles in parents magazines on what to do if a child gets in trouble or how to prevent a teenager from getting involved with the wrong crowd.

3. Give a guest lecture at a local school. Contact local teachers and professors and tell them what you do. Bring along some interesting handout materials for the students and teacher. By the way, this also might be a newsworthy even you can combine with the first idea on this list.

4. Create a small group of other business people who do not compete with each other, but serve similar clients. Meet every week or every other week to share ideas, referrals or to help each other achieve one another’s goals.

5. Call ex-clients. Even if they no longer need your service, follow up to see how they are doing. I know one guy who has transformed his business by doing this. He owns an automobile repair business who does this religiously. He does not try to sell them new services, but just likes to keep in touch with them and ask how their car is doing after the repair.

6. Create an insert of tips and ideas to put in the same envelope as your bills.

7. Volunteer for a group that gets involved with the community. Just doing charitable work enables you to meet new people and make valuable contacts.

8. Create a reference list of books on your field that you can recommend to clients. Write a brief blurb for each one explaining why you recommend it and what your clients can gain by reading them.

9. Conduct surveys of existing clients to find out what you can do better.

10. Barter your services for other services you might need (such a printing). You won’t have to pay for something that in the past has been an expense, and you will gain a new client.

11. Help a charity raise funds. Volunteering for PBS telethons has given a lot of businesses huge amounts of exposure.

12. Create a new “elevator speech” about your business. Make it 21 words or less, and be prepared to go through a lot of versions before you are satisfied. It took me months to come up with my, “I write the words on websites that turn casual visitors into buyers.” Once you have an effective sound byte for your business, use it in your ads, recorded telephone messages and on your letterhead.

13. Write a booklet of ideas and tips. Such a booklet can be a great handout, be inserted in mailings and can be sent to the media for publicity.

14. Develop a “needs survey.
    7 Tips for Better Ads
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    offer this service to. For example, there are a lot of criminal lawyers, but how many specialize in defending juveniles? You could promote this specialty by writing articles in parents magazines on what to do if a child gets in trouble or how to prevent a teenager from getting involved with the wrong crowd.

15. Give a guest lecture at a local school. Contact local teachers and professors and tell them what you do. Bring along some interesting handout materials for the students and teacher. By the way, this also might be a newsworthy even you can combine with the first idea on this list.

16. Create a small group of other business people who do not compete with each other, but serve similar clients. Meet every week or every other week to share ideas, referrals or to help each other achieve one another’s goals.

17. Call ex-clients. Even if they no longer need your service, follow up to see how they are doing. I know one guy who has transformed his business by doing this. He owns an automobile repair business who does this religiously. He does not try to sell them new services, but just likes to keep in touch with them and ask how their car is doing after the repair.

18. Create an insert of tips and ideas to put in the same envelope as your bills.

19. Volunteer for a group that gets involved with the community. Just doing charitable work enables you to meet new people and make valuable contacts.

20. Create a reference list of books on your field that you can recommend to clients. Write a brief blurb for each one explaining why you recommend it and what your clients can gain by reading them.

21. Conduct surveys of existing clients to find out what you can do better.

22. Barter your services for other services you might need (such a printing). You won’t have to pay for something that in the past has been an expense, and you will gain a new client.

23. Help a charity raise funds. Volunteering for PBS telethons has given a lot of businesses huge amounts of exposure.

24. Create a new “elevator speech” about your business. Make it 21 words or less, and be prepared to go through a lot of versions before you are satisfied. It took me months to come up with my, “I write the words on websites that turn casual visitors into buyers.” Once you have an effective sound byte for your business, use it in your ads, recorded telephone messages and on your letterhead.

25. Write a booklet of ideas and tips. Such a booklet can be a great handout, be inserted in mailings and can be sent to the media for publicity.

26. Develop a “needs survey
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    o do not compete with each other, but serve similar clients. Meet every week or every other week to share ideas, referrals or to help each other achieve one another’s goals.

27. Call ex-clients. Even if they no longer need your service, follow up to see how they are doing. I know one guy who has transformed his business by doing this. He owns an automobile repair business who does this religiously. He does not try to sell them new services, but just likes to keep in touch with them and ask how their car is doing after the repair.

28. Create an insert of tips and ideas to put in the same envelope as your bills.

29. Volunteer for a group that gets involved with the community. Just doing charitable work enables you to meet new people and make valuable contacts.

30. Create a reference list of books on your field that you can recommend to clients. Write a brief blurb for each one explaining why you recommend it and what your clients can gain by reading them.

31. Conduct surveys of existing clients to find out what you can do better.

32. Barter your services for other services you might need (such a printing). You won’t have to pay for something that in the past has been an expense, and you will gain a new client.

33. Help a charity raise funds. Volunteering for PBS telethons has given a lot of businesses huge amounts of exposure.

34. Create a new “elevator speech” about your business. Make it 21 words or less, and be prepared to go through a lot of versions before you are satisfied. It took me months to come up with my, “I write the words on websites that turn casual visitors into buyers.” Once you have an effective sound byte for your business, use it in your ads, recorded telephone messages and on your letterhead.

35. Write a booklet of ideas and tips. Such a booklet can be a great handout, be inserted in mailings and can be sent to the media for publicity.

36. Develop a “needs survey
    Discover How to Get a Free Resume Template
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    roup that gets involved with the community. Just doing charitable work enables you to meet new people and make valuable contacts.

37. Create a reference list of books on your field that you can recommend to clients. Write a brief blurb for each one explaining why you recommend it and what your clients can gain by reading them.

38. Conduct surveys of existing clients to find out what you can do better.

39. Barter your services for other services you might need (such a printing). You won’t have to pay for something that in the past has been an expense, and you will gain a new client.

40. Help a charity raise funds. Volunteering for PBS telethons has given a lot of businesses huge amounts of exposure.

41. Create a new “elevator speech” about your business. Make it 21 words or less, and be prepared to go through a lot of versions before you are satisfied. It took me months to come up with my, “I write the words on websites that turn casual visitors into buyers.” Once you have an effective sound byte for your business, use it in your ads, recorded telephone messages and on your letterhead.

42. Write a booklet of ideas and tips. Such a booklet can be a great handout, be inserted in mailings and can be sent to the media for publicity.

43. Develop a “needs survey
    6 Ways to Fail as a Business Manager
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    or PBS telethons has given a lot of businesses huge amounts of exposure.

44. Create a new “elevator speech” about your business. Make it 21 words or less, and be prepared to go through a lot of versions before you are satisfied. It took me months to come up with my, “I write the words on websites that turn casual visitors into buyers.” Once you have an effective sound byte for your business, use it in your ads, recorded telephone messages and on your letterhead.

45. Write a booklet of ideas and tips. Such a booklet can be a great handout, be inserted in mailings and can be sent to the media for publicity.

46. Develop a “needs survey.” This can be used as a self-diagnosis tool on your website, as a handout or can be used when you meet with prospective clients.

47. Train your staff on how to greet people on the phone or in person. You might even make use of occasional “mystery callers” to find ways to improve.

COPYRIGHT(C)2006, Charles Brown. All rights reserved.