Here are 7 low-cost but highly effective marketing tips to help any small business find customers and generate sales quickly.

1. Don’t Advertise Like a Big Business

Big businesses advertise to create name recognition and future sales. A small business can’t afford to do that. Instead, design your advertising to produce sales …now. One way to accomplish this is to always include an offer in your advertising – and an easy way for prospective customers to respond to it.

2. Offer a Cheaper Version

Some prospective customers are not willing to pay the asking price for your product or service. Others are more interested in paying a low price than in getting the best quality. You can avoid losing sales to many of these customers by offering a smaller or stripped down version of your product or service at a lower price.

Today I would like to look at the matter of persuasion. How do you get your prospects to take action?

I remember as a door-to-door salesman, my instructor often said that you must understand ‘why people buy’. It has a certain ring to it doesn’t it? If you know why people buy then you can gear your ads towards these ‘psychological buttons’.

Before I go any further, I would just like to mention that this is in no way ‘manipulation’. It’s just common sense that you don’t approach someone about an important decision when they’re angry. Every wise wife knows how to place their husband in that ‘mood’ before they spring their special request on him!

Wooing customers is a little bit like dating. No, you can’t present the engagement ring on your first date! There’s a two-way relationship that grows one step at a time before it leads to the church doors. You can’t rush it… you can’t skip it… if you’re looking for the satisfaction of a life-long commitment.

Getting to know your date, or getting to know your customer takes a little time and effort. The personality, likes and dislikes of each date are different, but customers share some commonalities that you, the marketer, can grab onto. Give them what they want, and they’ll become the loyal, life-time customers that make your business prosper.

1. Forget About Selling… Put The Emphasis On Buying
People like to think that all of their buying decisions were reached due to their own great ideas and skillful shopping. Hey, no one is fond of a pushy salesman. A salesman who “HELPS” them discover the best buy for their buck on the other hand, is a hero.

Really, when a person walks into your place of business, they are most likely thinking of making a purchase before they get there. You don’t have to persuade them to buy. You can take it easy, and simply help them decide what the best purchase is.

Keep your focus on the customer and his needs. Think… what benefits would he be most interested in? What is the price range he can afford? Basically, keep in mind that you are there to serve his needs, not persuade him. Ah, the pressure’s off!