Oh no, it's a bad economy! Ignore that idea and get business anyway!

Everybody is freaking out about a bad economy. People are so worried. I feel like it is my responsibility to say something about that. To paraphrase from a very known and timeless book, 'worry does not add anything to your height'. In other words, it doesn't accomplish anything productive. The important thing to remember in times like these is ACTION. In my opinion the best way to keep money coming in during these days is to learn tips from the pros and act on them. As many of you know our faux painting business has taken off this year. First of all, being a Christian I attribute our success to God. He is the beginning and end of all good things. There are also some things that we have done that I feel are very effective at growing business. Whether you have a faux finish business, a salon, an interior design business, or something else these things work. One small business marketing method that I would like to focus on is building a strong referral partner base. You might, and should, already get referrals from your customers. That source of business is invaluable. The types of referral partners I am talking about are people or businesses who are in a business that compliments or could logically compliment your own. Let's think about it for a second. If you own a pet store then where might you find viable referral partners. I would start with the following things in mind.

1) Who else would serve my same client base? In this case it would be pet owners or those who take care of pets.

2) Where would I find the most affluent group of these people? Maybe there are dog shows in town. There could be a grooming place or veterinarian clinic who you could partner with.

3) Now make a list of these people or groups. You can find them on www.yellowpages.com, by doing a Google search, or many other ways.

Now that you have the basics you are on your way. I am going to be covering this and many other small business marketing tips in our "Big-Time Marketing Ideas for Small Businesses" class coming up on Saturday, January 31, 2009. Feel free to call or email me with any questions.