Page 113 - 100 Great Business Ideas: From Leading Companies Around the World (100 Great Ideas)

151 Quick Ideas to Get New Customers

customer’s permission to use their photograph, their name, or
their testimonial.

Epilogue
If you’re not convinced of the power of other people’s
influence, ask yourself why a book on Oprah’s list sells millions
of copies just because it has her stamp of approval.

87
Freebies Are Hard to Turn Down

Getting something free is hard to resist, and regardless of

the prospect’s loyalty to your competitor or their reluctance to

consider you and your advantages, a freebie can often break

through. Think about what you can do to get their patronage

with offers that are almost

Assignment unbelievable.
Think of free or inexpen-
sive things you can do that When a Phoenix manu-
are within your budget. Get facturer wanted to entice a
your team together and come number of prospects from
up with some creative ideas. around the country, he
planned a very special open
house weekend at his facil-

ity, including a celebration,

golf, and some fun time.

Each prospect was sent a package containing an engraved in-

vitation, a personal letter from the CEO, an agenda that oozed

with excitement, and a certificate good for two coach round-

trip air tickets to Phoenix. Everything was paid for by the host.

It was a huge success, and almost all the prospects flew to

Phoenix. In time, they converted many of those prospects to

112