How I Stumbled Upon a Secret For Boosting My Income
Are you a member? That's what the person on the other end of the phone wanted to know.
It was a sales call from my local chamber of commerce.
My first thoughts were "not another membership that I won't use.
" I knew I was most likely not going to go to the mixers, and meetings.
However..
..
The salesperson got my attention with what she said next.
She said "This month only we have a special where your business will have a banner ad on the front page of our website...
And...
," she went on to say, "if you join today we're also offering a free flier insert valued at $200.
" This got me thinking.
I thought, well it doesn't require my constant presence at mixers, their website receives over 20,000 hits per month where my business will be showcased; and I'll get a tax write off along with the other bonuses she offered.
"Eh, what the heck, I'll try it.
" Here's what happened..
..
Not much.
But wait, it gets better.
At the end of the year, literally the last month of my membership, I remembered the free flier insert.
They said if I provided 2000 fliers, they would insert them in their monthly mailing.
So, I thought it's now or never and then surprisingly, magic happened..
..
The phone rang.
This time it was huge.
My company received two calls that instantly brought in a return that were a direct result of the flier inserts.
The numbers broke down like this: Cost to print flyers: $363 New accounts income: $2,855.
42 Return on investment: 687% This was shocking to say the least.
Most people overlook this diamond in the rough because it seems like a waste of time and money.
But the numbers told a different tale.
To use a football term, it was a Hail Mary pass in the last quarter on the last play of the game and it paid off handsomely.
To be fair, the membership did cost $550 so, naturally that could be added.
However, it was still an investment that hit a grand slam and here's the icing on the cake..
..
The $2855.
42 was a monthly increase which equated to $34,265.
04 annually! Why It Worked So Well Three reasons.
1.
Association: Our company was associated with a known professional business organization.
2.
It was different: Out of the thousands of chamber members in our city, only about 10-15 ever include a flier insert each month.
This made it stand out.
3.
It was targeted: Chamber members are business owners.
They are the right audience for our business.
Will this work for you? Well, no guarantees, but I can say it was a gem because the majority of businesses overlook this golden opportunity.
For us it was a way of standing out, avoiding mixers, and getting results.
It was a sales call from my local chamber of commerce.
My first thoughts were "not another membership that I won't use.
" I knew I was most likely not going to go to the mixers, and meetings.
However..
..
The salesperson got my attention with what she said next.
She said "This month only we have a special where your business will have a banner ad on the front page of our website...
And...
," she went on to say, "if you join today we're also offering a free flier insert valued at $200.
" This got me thinking.
I thought, well it doesn't require my constant presence at mixers, their website receives over 20,000 hits per month where my business will be showcased; and I'll get a tax write off along with the other bonuses she offered.
"Eh, what the heck, I'll try it.
" Here's what happened..
..
Not much.
But wait, it gets better.
At the end of the year, literally the last month of my membership, I remembered the free flier insert.
They said if I provided 2000 fliers, they would insert them in their monthly mailing.
So, I thought it's now or never and then surprisingly, magic happened..
..
The phone rang.
This time it was huge.
My company received two calls that instantly brought in a return that were a direct result of the flier inserts.
The numbers broke down like this: Cost to print flyers: $363 New accounts income: $2,855.
42 Return on investment: 687% This was shocking to say the least.
Most people overlook this diamond in the rough because it seems like a waste of time and money.
But the numbers told a different tale.
To use a football term, it was a Hail Mary pass in the last quarter on the last play of the game and it paid off handsomely.
To be fair, the membership did cost $550 so, naturally that could be added.
However, it was still an investment that hit a grand slam and here's the icing on the cake..
..
The $2855.
42 was a monthly increase which equated to $34,265.
04 annually! Why It Worked So Well Three reasons.
1.
Association: Our company was associated with a known professional business organization.
2.
It was different: Out of the thousands of chamber members in our city, only about 10-15 ever include a flier insert each month.
This made it stand out.
3.
It was targeted: Chamber members are business owners.
They are the right audience for our business.
Will this work for you? Well, no guarantees, but I can say it was a gem because the majority of businesses overlook this golden opportunity.
For us it was a way of standing out, avoiding mixers, and getting results.
