Wow!

It seems like so much is compressed between December 15 and January 15 and this year was no exception. Between Christmas, one kid out of school, one kid home from college. New Years, a softball trip to Phoenix, year-end paperwork, year-beginning paperwork, reflection of 2011, goal setting for 2012, sales forecasting, marketing plan, purging old files and the list goes on and on

I hope your holiday, New Year and the beginning of 2012 were wonderful.

 

Please accept my apology for the small break.

Today I pause to count my blessings.

Freedom of this great country in which I live.

The soldiers who fought for this freedom.

And the opportunities it has given me.

The friendship and confidence you have shown in me.

For all these things I am truly thankful.

My sincere wish to you-HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

First there was Black Friday, then Cyber Monday. November 27, 2010 was the first ever Small Business Saturday. Small Business Saturday is the day we celebrate the Shop Small movement to drive shoppers to local merchants across the U.S. More than 200 organizations have already joined American Express OPEN, the company’s small business unit, in declaring the Saturday after Thanksgiving as Small Business Saturday.

Join us in shopping on Saturday, November 26, 2011. We will be open 10am to 2pm.

We are having a special sale on Small Business Saturday!

6’ Rotating Flagpole with Bracket $25. $15 OFF! OVER a 35% savings!

Our service team ROCKS!

Just like this past weekend we got some crazy wind on October 6. You probably don’t specifically remember really windy days, but I do. On that day it was wild wind. Wind where trees were uprooted. Wind where light poles were downed on 16^th Street in Denver. Winds where highway signs were blown down.

A couple weeks before this crazy wind we had installed a brand new flagpole at Yuma Bank…yes, we install flagpoles in the eastern plains. During these crazy winds, the top half of the ball blew away. Our team rallied and was able to arrange a lift and replace the ball within 48 hours of the phone call.

Do your need a new flag or repair after the crazy wind? Call today, our service team ROCKS!

Marketing yourself and your business has never been more important. All of us in business are wearing so many hats that promoting your business can see a bit overwhelming. Not only is your time slim but your marketing budget may be slim or non-existent. With that said, I've learned that marketing does not need to be scary or expensive.

Here are some simple, practical, hands-on marketing tools that work.

#1  Be yourself. Be honest. Be transparent. Build relationships. Whether you are writing a blog, Tweeting, or old fashioned face-to-face networking, be yourself. You will be remembered. You will be sought after for opinions.   We enjoy doing business with people we know, especially our friends.

#2 Discover what makes you unique. Why should your clients do business with you?  What can you offer your customers? What do you provide other than your actual product? Personally, I sell "Spirit, Image & Visibility".

# 3 Market to current and past clients. Invest in your current data base of clients. Email marketing works. Be an expert in your field and send relevant information to clients. Remember to ask for referrals. This simple task is often overlooked.

# 4 Look for strategic partners. Who is a non-competing business that shares your clients?  Can you partner up to host an event? Share a trade show booth? Share referrals? Surround yourself with people that inspire you and build you up.

#5 Consider a written marketing plan. This marketing plan could be as simple as answering a few questions such as: Who are you marketing to? What are you marketing? How do you market it? How much will it cost? When will this happen? Having this information written down will keep you focused and on task.