9 Tips To A Sizzling Successful Summer Garage Sale

9 Tips To A Sizzling Successful Summer Garage Sale

With the temperature heating up outside now is the time to sell your guilt by clearing the clutter in your home. The saying is “one man’s junk is another man’s treasure”. You can start organizing clutter and make money at the same time. The way to do this is to have a Sizzling summer garage sale. If you can, have a street or neighborhood group sale that is even better.

It is very important to figure out why you are having a garage sale while clearing the clutter.

·Is the goal to make as much money as possible so you can take your dream vacation?

·Or is the goal to get rid of as much stuff as possible to make some spending money for your vacation?

Your goal should be one or the other to have a really successful garage sale as these two goals aren’t necessarily compatible with each other.

Okay you have been busy going through your home organizing clutter now it is time to have the sale and get rid of it:

1. Have everything prepared and ready to sell the night before. The morning of the sale is too late to prepare because people will be there bright and early to start buying.

2. Advertize well, if you live in a small town advertize in your local paper, also Craig’s list and other places on the internet.

3. Make good signs directing people where the sale is: Make them Big and Bold, only put the address and arrow pointing the direction to the location on the posters.

4. Identify who is selling: wear a bright apron, hat, or a tag saying “I Work Here”.

5. Price EVERYTHING People don’t like to have to ask how much something costs. Buy colored dots and put dots on everything. If you are selling everything in a certain area all for the same price—on a table or in a box have a sign saying “everything in this box is 50 cents”. If you don’t want to put the price on every sticker make a BIG poster with the color of sticker and the corresponding price. Have a couple of these posted in prominent places.

·(yellow sticker) $1.00
·(blue sticker) .25 cents
·(green sticker) .50 cents

6. Have some free items to give away. My friend got some free magazines which she enjoyed looking through one evening so you never know what someone will take.

7. If you are selling clothes—hang them up or at least separate them out on a tarp on the lawn. You could hang them between two sturdy, heavy ladders that have a clothes line strung between them or string a clothes line between trees.

8. Don’t over price items. Price to sell– Don’t guilt the buyer. Never say “it’s never been used”—people don’t care—don’t price based on sentimentality. The buyer doesn’t care that it is important to you. Don’t be a stalker—don’t follow customers around.

9. Have plenty of change! Start the day with $10.00 in quarters and $20.00 in one dollar bills, 5 $5 dollar bills and 4 $10.00 bills. You can keep your money in a cash box, or a shoe box, but if you do someone should watch it at all times. A fanny pack could be used for money instead.

10. A good time to hold the sale is from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm. It is really busy the first couple of hours. After 2:00 traffic really drops off. Anyone who shows up after 2:00 tell them prices are slashed to 75% off. Or make everything free, or give them a grocery bag and tell them everything they can fit in the bag is only $1.00. You may get rid of everything but for sure will have less stuff that you have to cart off to your local charity.

Have fun, visit with the people who come and reap the rewards from clearing clutter.

Article Source: http://www.wahm-articles.com

Marilyn is a professional organizer, a sought after public speaker and author who is passionate about teaching ways to organize your life and how to reduce clutter. She works with women in their homes and offices. On her web site she teaches you to get rid of clutter by using her Lights On Organizing System. She provides practical information on how to declutter your home, office and life. In her blogs, articles, and videos she gives timely tips on how to clear clutter and how to declutter everything in your home and office. She is the author of a book called Go Organize! Conquer clutter in three simple steps which will be in major bookstores in December 2009. Marilyn invites you to visit her website www.marilynbohn.com Marilyn is a professional organizer who works with women and seniors in clearing clutter and providing organizing tips. Visit her website www.marilynbohn.com for free organizing tips on her blogs, articles and videos.

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10 Ideas for Marketing Promotional Items

10 Ideas for Marketing Promotional Items

Promotional products are everyday products that you have personalized with your business name, logo, slogan, website address, or some other personalized greeting. You may even have some promotional items lying around your house from other businesses, such as coffee mugs, calendars, magnets, pens, and key chains.

Using promotional products in your marketing methods is a very smart move. People love to receive free items and will generally hold onto your item for a long time. Every time they see your item, they are getting a reminder about your business.

The following are some of  the best places for marketing promotional items, and the reason behind it…

* Your website: To generate some buzz, opt to hold a monthly giveaway on your website for one of your promotional products. To be effective, think about your target market and what they may like. If you have a website with information on cooking, you can give away an apron, a measuring cup, or a recipe holder.

* Other people’s websites: In addition to holding a monthly giveaway on your own site, find other non-competing websites and offer one of your products as a giveaway for their site. To be effective, the site should have a similar target market. It doesn’t make much sense to contact a bass fishing website and offer them an apron as a giveaway.

* Upgrade orders: Use promotional items to entice your customers to upgrade their orders. Going back to the cooking website example, you could offer a free apron to anyone who purchases two recipe ebooks. Send the ebooks as digital delivery, and simply send the apron through snail mail.

* Best customer: Another twist on this idea is to surprise your best customers with the promotional item. Go back through your records from the past year and send anyone who spent over $100 a little gift. This will show your appreciation and your customer will be so flattered they will continue to buy from you again and again.

* Best affiliate: If you have an affiliate program, sending your top affiliates a promotional item as a “thank you” is a great gesture. Your affiliates will be touched, and will work even harder to promote your products and services.

* Non-competing businesses: Non competing businesses can be a great source of referrals and word of mouth advertising. A non-competing business is a business with a similar target market as you have, but is one that doesn’t sell the same products as you do. For example, a virtual assistant and a graphic designer are non-competing businesses, as are hair stylists and make-up artists.

* Trade shows: Keep an eye out for any trade shows that may be coming to your local area. For example, a graphic designer or web designer may want to attend a computer show. You don’t have to rent a table; simply get a batch of personalized pens and hand them out instead of your business card when you meet a new person.

* Local businesses: Another idea is to make a list of local businesses you would like to work with and hand deliver them a promotional item, along with your resume, cover letter, and prospectus.

* Local media: Don’t be afraid to send some promotional items to your local media, such as your local radio and television stations. Go the extra mile and add some cookies or donuts. They may say an on-air thank you, and you will get some local exposure.

* Vacation spots: If you are heading out of town, grab some promotional materials and leave them in your hotel room, rest areas, and any other place you can think of. When you return home, you may have requests from every town you visited.

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5 Quick Tips to Creating Effective Business Cards

Create Business Cards that Work….here’s 5 quick tips to get you started!

Business cards are great promotional tools for any business owner. They provide your contact information in a way that is portable, convenient and easily distributed.  Yet, if you take the time to get creative with your business cards, they can be even more effective.

• Design Your Business Card to be Attractive

~ Using a font that is easy to read.

~ Use colors that are appealing and that match your logo if you are going to include it.

~ Provide a variety of ways for people to contact you. (business phone, cell phone, voice mail, email, etc.)

• Create an Effective Copy that Will Draw Attention

Business card copy is often underused and sometimes it is even completely overlooked. Of course you want your business name, your name and title, address, phone number and email address on there so that clients and potential clients can reach you easily. But there is more that you can add to give people an incentive to contact you.

~ Create a catchy, attention-grabbing tagline for your business cards.

~ Use rhymes or plays on words can make your tagline memorable.

~ Use action words and highlight the benefits of your services or products.

• Place Your Business Website’s Address on Your Business Card

Doing so gives clients a way to learn more about your business. If you have certain features on your website that are especially useful, you could take the opportunity to point them out. For example, “Try our mortgage calculator at http://www.whatever.com”. This provides an added incentive to visit your website and learn more.

• Use Business Cards to Advertise Ongoing Promotions

If you offer a new customer discount or have a referral program, you could mention that at the bottom of your card. If you run an online store, you could include a coupon code that customers can use for a discount. Then you can give extra cards to your clients to pass on, generating more business for you.

• Make Use of the Back of Your Business Cards

The backs of most business cards are blank but they don’t have to be. This part of the card can be used for any number of things:

~ Printing a coupon on the back is an excellent incentive for people to try your products or services.

~ A quote pertaining to your line of work or some customer testimonials can boost your image.

~ A schedule or checklist gives the card added value and makes it less likely to be thrown away. As long as it fits in the space provided and adds something worthwhile, there is no limit to the things you could put on the back of your business cards.

A good business card copy might be the difference between a card that is shared with others and one that ends up in the trash.  When your card has a little something extra people will be more likely to keep it and use it. So, make the most of the space provided and give clients a reason to contact you.
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4 Tips on How to Achieve Marketing Mojo

4 Tips on How to Achieve Marketing Mojo

The term “mojo” can mean different things to different people.  For some, it means being “in the swing of things” or on top of their game.  When a business owner has marketing mojo, they are on top of their marketing efforts and are having fun with them.

Here’s 4 easy tips to develop your own marketing mojo:

1. Become a  business owner who fully knows their products. What are the product’s best features?  What can the product do that the competition’s product can’t?

2. Set mini marketing goals. This can be a fun way to stay on track.  Constantly setting and meeting new deadlines will help raise confidence and that will definitely get your mojo running.

These mini goals can be based on tasks that need to be done, such as writing your monthly newsletter or spending an hour doing some social networking.  They can also be based on new things you would like to learn.

3.  Learn by doing. One of the best ways to build your marketing mojo is to just do it.  Instead of spending hours of your time reading up on the latest marketing techniques and then debating over which will benefit your business, try different ideas out as you go.

By testing the waters yourself, you can better judge what is going to be worth your time and what needs to be tweaked to suit your product.

Don’t be afraid to experiment or modify marketing ideas that you have discovered.  Changes to the standards are what give companies an edge in their marketing strategies.

Even if the tactics you test out do not work for you, analyze why they didn’t quite pan out and see where you can build on the strengths and weaknesses.  Those with real marketing mojo learn from their mistakes and downfalls, creating a better plan for the next effort.

4.  Watch Pros in action. Feed off the marketing mojo of others to help build your own.  Watching the marketing strategies of those who have already found success is a great way to build your business’ arsenal.  What works for them just might work for you as well.

Networking with other business owners both in and out of your own industry can really pay off with new marketing tips and ideas.  Ask for their advice or just keep an eye on what they are doing to present their own product to the world.

Set goals for yourself, try out new ideas, learn from others and above all, have fun with your marketing efforts.  Before you know it, you’ll have your own marketing mojo working and will be reaping the benefits of your success.

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