Nov
23
Jeff visited his aunt Dolly early one sunny afternoon to probe her memories and hopefully work out a plan for his own survival. There were several avenues possible. Jeff could change professions entirely or he could develop a companion field to real estate like learning residential structural inspection.
The Great Depression occurred when his aunt was just a child, so she had ‘real time’ memories of how people survived years of low or no employment when one third of the population had no income. Being mentally nimble, even as she aged, provided even more value to the advice being offered.
As Jeff talked with his aunt about solutions to his situation, it became clear that there were solid options. Aunt Dolly remembered that some fields of employment disappeared forever while entirely new ones were developed. She asked Jeff to explain how residential structural inspection worked. Jeff knew this was a relatively new field in the area of real estate so was not surprised that his aunt has only sketchy knowledge of it. Jeff explained that with 60 percent of most family’s wealth being invested in their homes, it was critical to know how sound the property was before purchasing it. As often happens, a whole new field developed to provide this service. Currently real estate agents train to do residential structural inspection as another stream of income. They could do the inspections for financial institutions or private individuals separately from their real estate sales work. Other persons, such as building contractors, were also interested in learning residential structural inspection both to provide additional ways to earn income and to know if a property was worth an investment.
Aunt Dolly asked Jeff how he could learn how to do this work. Jeff explained that he would have to obtain a state recognized certificate by completing a short, but intensive, study course, take a state exam and pass successfully before he could do this type of work. At this point Aunt Dolly asked two critical questions; how much would the instruction cost and how long would it take. As he had said, the course was short, as little as two to four weeks, but he could continue to take instruction up to a year so he was guaranteed that he would pass. The cost ranged from as little as $250.00 to $450.00 depending on his choice of home study, or on site classroom participation.
Jeff just had one large problem and that was that he had continued to work in real estate, but had no income for over a year. His savings were exhausted. Aunt Dolly asked him to look into possible student loan financing, but if he really needed the help she could loan it to him. Jeff was shocked. He thought the only thing she could offer was good advice. She said living through the Great Depression had impressed on her the need to be frugal.
Oct
5
Easy Advertisement
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How many times have you been waiting in line at the store, and found yourself reading the logo on the persons shirt in front of you? Or maybe you have no idea how that pen that is advertising a bank got in your junk drawer. This is called using cheap promotional products for cheap advertisement. It is also called smart advertisement.
This is a very effective tool in advertising your business to a large population. Imagine a group of guys playing poker for four hours once a week. The poker chips have your business name on it, and your business name is now in front of them for sixteen hours a week. It would be impossible to get that sort of exposure through traditional forms of media.
Purchasing promotional mouse pads is also another cheap and effective tool in advertisement. The possibilities are endless, and might include giving them to doctors offices, businesses,schools, and homes. A person may not think about the words written on the mousepad, until they are in need of your company. As they are trying to choose a company, they will be more likely to choose a familiar name. Your name will be most familiar to them. This form of advertising is so simple, and very cost effective in the long run.
Design your own mousepad, and start giving away custom mousepads any time that is appropriate. You can choose your own style, shape, color, and statement. You may write a creative quote, a one word statement, or simply your business name on the magnet.
The more one sees your name, the more they are likely to use your business. You can purchase hats for your employees. Make Friday t-shirt day at your business, and have everyone wear the company t-shirt. They will go to lunch wearing these shirts, and whatever errands they will run after work will be free advertising for your company. Another idea is to have free giveaways every week for your employees and/or customers. Include a small gift card to a restaurant and a bag and towel with your business logo on it. Remember, the more people see your name, the more they will trust it.
Think of ways to incorporate cheap promotional items in every part of your business. The competition is fierce, and advertising images are flashed in front of people every second. How often is yours making into the homes of your potential customers? You may need to think outside of the box, such as advertising on your mail labels. Or how about promoting on a mouse pad or a license plate? There are many creative forms of advertisement out there that do not need to break the bank. Begin using promotional products, and be ready for the business to come your way!