Fusion Marketing: Using Discount Offers to Build Your Business

Are you part of a networking club or association of business owners? Is your business located in a Main Street shopping area? Do you or your family have any non-profit affiliations or are you part of a sports team or belong to a specific club, church or synagogue?

If the answer to any of these questions is, "yes" then you are in a position marketing program that is easy and effective.

Creating a discount or special offer program with other business owners you know is a very inexpensive way of spreading the word about you and your business. Although it will take an initial meeting to discuss the details, this fusion marketing program can be in operation very quickly.

1. Gather like-minded business owners who are willing to offer a set discount to all contacts. While individual business owners may want to make special offers, for simplicity purposes, we suggest everyone involved offer a 10% discount to their loyal customers at all participating businesses.
2. Create a flyer or brochure announcing this Special Collaborative Rewards Program. Every business should submit their logo, a brief description about their business and their contact information. This should be laid out attractively and printed. All participating businesses should share in the cost of reproduction.
3. If a flyer is created as a word document, this flyer can be imbedded into an email that each business owner can forward to their database contacts AND/OR
4. Each participating business can include information in their business's email newsletters and print newsletters AND/OR
5. A special Constant Contact or other email marketing campaign company account can be established for the group. All members can input their contact information into this account and monthly specials can be sent to all contacts reminding them of this special collaborative effort.
6. Flyers or brochures should be present in every participating business and loyal customers and browsers should be encouraged to take this and visit "Our Fusion Partners".
7. Regular, monthly meetings should be held for the purpose of evaluating the success of the program and for brainstorming on expanding the program.

Why not take the lead this week and contact some of those business owners you know and respect and ask them to 'partner' with you on this campaign? Initiate the program and reap the benefits - greater awareness of your business, more people coming into your business or visiting your web site, and - a rise in sales!

Pam Small is the owner of Refresh & Renew - A Resource for Women. Having a heart for women's issues, Pam is quickly becoming the go-to person for helping small business owners target their marketing efforts to this powerful buying group. For more info, visit www.refreshandrenew.com.

Your Finances: Addressing Credit Woes

When addressing your credit woes you have two main approaches: The first is focusing on credit repair, and the second is credit rebuilding. Both play a significant role in reaching your goal of having good credit.

Credit repair is more about correcting errors, whereas credit rebuilding is about engaging in behavior that increases our scores, like paying your bills on time, keeping credit card balances below 50 percent of the credit limit, and opening up new credit accounts only as needed.

The process of making corrections to your credit report requires that you review your report at least twice a year. Identity theft is on the rise and anyone can be victim. The Trans Union Corporation reported than two thirds of all consumer inquiries to the company's Fraud Victim Assistance Department involved identity theft. Erroneous information can often be listed on your report as a result of your lender or the credit reporting agency offering misinformation or fraudulent activity caused by identity thieves.

No matter what the reason, you need to address these issues sooner rather than later. Self help can be the best way to repair your credit and save money. However you can seek the assistance of a reputable credit repair, counseling agency, or hire an attorney. Please keep in mind that no one can legally remove accurate negative information on your credit report.

Jaynee Sasso, speaker, author, coach for financial life management. For more information visit www.FaithfulAssistants.com Submit prayer request to faithfulwarriors@yahoo.com or write to 26 Park St, Ste 2035, Montclair, NJ 07043.

Fusion Marketing: Diversify Your Strategy

The best way to reach your target audience is to have a diversified approach. Like everything else in life, it's not wise to put all your eggs in one basket. Don't rely only on print ads in your weekly newspaper, free workshops at your local library or the big business expo sponsored by your area Chamber of Commerce.

Your response to me may be - "but, I can't afford to do all these things. I'm just one person with limited time, money and resources." Ah, but you can if you've created strong fusion marketing relationships.

My friends Linda and Carole are a great example of strong fusion partners. They met a little more than a year ago at a women's networking club and immediately liked one another. This is essential to creating a cohesive fusion partnership - you have to like and respect one another. Linda is a senior sales director with Mary Kay Cosmetics and Carole is a photographer. Within a couple of months, they saw the benefit of collaborating with one another. Here are just a few of the projects they've "fused" on:

1. Offered a special rate to members of their networking club for professional head shots. Linda did complimentary make-up and Carole did head shots for $25. Everyone won! Linda not only sold some product, but she booked two shows and recruited one new consultant. Having done more than 10 headshots, Carole earned a nice amount of money for a day's work and was invited to be the photographer at a kids' play business doing family photos for the holidays. And, the members of the networking club got a terrific deal on gorgeous professional photos.
2. Shared a table at a multi-chamber business expo. They got 120 qualified leads and have worked together to cultivate these leads.
3. Did a "Ladies Only" event at a local restaurant where they met a bride-to-be who hired them both for her wedding.
4. Created a product together that has gotten them attention in the local media.
5. Donated a Silent Auction basket worth more than $500 in product and services. They were highlighted in the event's program and were invited to participate in a corporate event, for which they've gotten paid as well as new clients.
6. Most recently, the two have rented space together. To increase their fusion efforts, they have invited an event planner, florist, limousine company, lingerie company, a woman who does custom invitations, a gift company specializing in party favors and a travel business to rent space and collaborate on marketing programs.
7. As a result of this most recent venture, they are creating promotional material that all their fusion partners have committed to use.

It is possible to get highly creative with ways to reach your targeted audience. We will discuss each of these in depth, along with others, to give you ideas on how to establish your own programs and get the greatest exposure for the least amount of expense.

Pam Small is the owner of Refresh & Renew - A Resource for Women. Having a heart for women's issues, Pam is quickly becoming the go-to person for helping small business owners target their marketing efforts to this powerful buying group. For more info, visit www.refreshandrenew.com.