Advertisement Ideas: Stop Being Foolish!!!

When was the last time you turned down an opportunity and instructed your customer service person or secretary to use the programmed response of we are not interested? How many opportunities have you let slip away because of a foolish mindset and a preconceived notion of that won’t work for me? How many times have you said I am not interested and then realized maybe I should have listened to the options or at least gotten to know who I was dealing with? How many times have you been presented an advertising idea only to make excuses and not strengthen your brand or increase your revenue? How many times have you decided to pass up advertising opportunities? How many times have you chosen to advertise only to realize that your choice was not the most effective choice? Sometimes it simply comes down to making a decision to stop being foolish.

Sometimes in business we play the part of a fool because we turn down opportunities that could help us to build a stronger brand or that could actually increase our revenue because we do not see the value of what someone is offering. How many times have you let someone leave your business that could of been of service and value to you? How many times have you stayed in your office or in you brick and mortar building wondering why your business is slow? Instead of being foolish and wondering why things are slow it is time to be proactive and speed things up. I like using the example of the pizza place that I spoke with about going out and getting to know his neighbors who said oh I don’t have time for that. This pizza place was in a very heavily trafficked plaza with many store that had many employees so I asked have you gone to the bigger stores and offered them a lunch or dinner special. The answer was no. I suggested he do this and he got very upset and said now you are telling me how to run my business I said no I am suggesting a way for you to increase traffic and build revenue. He wasn’t to receptive so I left. Six months later his pizza place was closed. I thought what would have happened if he stopped being foolish?  My advice to all business owners, marketing executives, and non-profit leaders is to get out there and start meeting people and stop being foolish with your decisions.

One thing I see as a foolish practice is the collection of business cards at networking events and no follow up before trying to sell your product or service. The idea of networking is to build a relationship and find those people who will get to know you, like you, and trust you so tat they will do business with you or recommend someone to do business with you.  I see people at networking events trying to hard and as a result do not cultivate business because they forgot about the concept of being of service and value to those they are meeting. I always try to share something that will benefit the people that I meet. Recently I had the opportunity to speak at The Florida Women’s Business Center Small Business Workshop on the value of having a digital footprint. I made it a point to get to know people to see if they would be a good fit for my TV Show, The Anything Bucket, which airs on www.wrpbitv.com on Tuesday at 6:30 PM EDT or if they knew anyone who would be a good fit. In making it more about them than about me I booked 4 interviews.  As I observed people at the event I observed many people who I would categorize as being foolish as they simply came by my table and left their business card with out asking me anything about who I was or what I was doing there. After I spoke these same people came over to learn about the TV Show. I so much wanted to say hey fool weren’t you the one who simply left your card on my table early today without any interaction but I didn’t I was gracious because I didn’t want to be foolish and miss an opportunity to book a guest.

 Another foolish practice that I see in the marketplace is the lack of giving. So many businesses are foolish in deciding not to align themselves with a charity. My advice here is to choose charities that resonate with you and let people know who you are supporting as it might resonate with them and attract them to your business. I know for me when I see an American Cancer Society Relay For Life Logo and a  certificate at a business I will be more likely to support that business as that is one of my chosen charities. On June 6, 2015 I went to The Pompano Cit Centre and participated in The Day of Hope and I supported the businesses that supported this cause and thought how foolish of those who didn’t participate as they lost out on business that day. I normally do not go to Sportsclips but on that day went to get my haircut because of their discount offer and their support of Relay For Life. My point here is don’t be foolish and support charities and publicize your support.

 I have seen another foolish behavior in the marketplace and that is people not making the ask.  How many times have you left money on the table because you didn’t ask questions or didn’t ask for the money. I was out and about the other day collecting donations for The American Cancer Society Relay For Life of West Boca Raton, www,relayforlife.otg/westbocaratonfl, and I made it a point to ask everyone who was with in 3 feet of me for a donation. I was very successful as I collected $45 in about 1 hour. My total for the 2015 Relay was $2726.90. This translates into business as it is important to make the ask and to interact with as many people as possible.

 So now is the time to stop being foolish and to make it point to get your message out and find the people and resources to help you maximize your message. The idea is to shout it out loud and see who is listening that you can help by being of service and value. Remember you never know how the person who walked into your business or called you on the phone can help you. Don’t let a foolish act like lack of interest, or lack of follow up, or lack of advertising stop you from having the prosperity which is your birthright. It is time to seek opportunities to grow your business and build your brand while increasing revenue so the day you decide to sell the business you can be seen as a worthwhile business to purchase or invest in.