Dan Tudor Interview - Small Business, Limited Resources

Question #2 of my interview with Sales Guru and Dr. Seuss fan Dan Tudor: Ron: If you were a new, small business owner with under $3000 marketing budget and limited time to send in the first year of business, what would you do to generate sales quickly?

For Retail? Dan: I would have 2500 full color postcard-sized flyers printed. I would hire a couple of high school aged kids to put one on every door around my store, or in a targeted desired neighborhood. On the card, I'd offer them 50% off any one item in the store if they came in by a certain date (with appropriate limits, depending upon what you were selling...that wouldn't work if you just opened a car dealership, obviously!) I've seen this type of thing work, and it can be done for around $1000. For Services? Dan: Same thing, but with a percentage off whatever the service is. Again, the benefit to this type of advertising is that it is inexpensive, effective, and measurable based on the coupons coming back in as they are redeemed. I've seen it work for both services and retail.

Good Advice for those businesses getting started on a limited budget, or even for those that just want more customers from around the neighborhood.