NSA Site
 NSA Site
 Visit The Notary & Field Inspector Store

"Marketing Ideas"


[Home]

  • "hard sell": Don't be fooled by the terminology -- for most of us, "hard sell" conjures up a less than pretty picture. You might even go so far as to say it smacks of intimidation, of someone trying to sell something we wouldn't buy unless we were talked into buying it. That is not the kind of hard sell I'm going to talk about here. I want to talk about the honest hard sell. Techniques for grabbing attention. For confidently presenting the compelling benefits of an idea, a product, or a service. And for asking a prospect to take a specific action in their own self interest. The honest hard sell does not overstate the facts. It does not deceive. It does not intimidate. It deals with the truth. It might help, too, to define the opposite of the hard sell -- the soft sell. The soft sell is something quite different. It says "Welcome, come look around. Get a feel for who we are and how we can help you." A soft sell advertisement, for example, might sell the look and feel of a store, where a hard sell would list specific items and sale prices. A soft sell brochure might present an overall view of a service, where a hard sell makes specific, actionable offers. To my way of thinking, a hard sell hopes to initiate a sale with one time exposure to the message, while a soft sell hopes of cultivate a customer over a series of repeated exposures. So why wouldn't you opt for the hard sell all the time? Wouldn't you spend less money for more action? Not necessarily. A hard sell might move a particular product or service but it does not necessarily create long-term customers. All that said, as with any type of marketing, there are no universal rules -- only universal possibilities. Your business situation, your market, and your tastes make your situation unique. Can you expect hard sell strategies to work in your situation? The answer is a definitive -- always, sometimes, and never. Hard sell headlines speak in the language of benefits -- When a prospect reads your ad (below), you hope they will find a compelling reason to buy. Instead of listing features and information about your organization, concentrate on presenting the compelling benefit of the product to the prospect -- and state it in clear, accessible terms. Hard sell typefaces match the "voice" of the message -- Think of a typeface as a way to establish tone of voice you would use if you were telling someone about your offer. To me, a bold typeface, such as the Frutiger Ultra Black used for the "Try your vacation...," headline is clear, strong, and confident. Raleigh Gothic, used for "Yucatan Mexico" is a bit exotic.
  • 50 STATE NOTARY. COM: Are you looking to start your own freelance notary or paralegal business? You have come to the right place. In fact, BOOKMARK this web site now because you will be coming back many times to glean all the great information. 50 STATE NOTARY is a unique company offering top-notch training products to help you build a stable and profitable business! So take some time and explore everything we have to offer.
  • BACK IN PRINT! The Desktop Publisher's Idea Book: BACK IN PRINT! The Desktop Publisher's Idea Book 100 STEP-BY-STEP DESKTOP PUBLISHING AND WEB DESIGN RECIPES by Chuck Green. The Desktop Publisher's Idea Book is about breaking new ground. Beyond the obvious newsletters, envelopes, and letterheads, there are a wealth of useful, eye-catching, and unusual projects perfectly suited to your computer and graphics or laser printer.
  • Don’t have the time or budget for a custom logo?: Don’t have the time or budget for a custom logo? Try creating a logo using clip art. Heresy? I think not. Don't get me wrong, if I was designing a identity program for a large organization, I obviously wouldn't use clip art. Not because the quality isn't up to par--there is lots of good imagery available these days--but because a large organization needs a logo that can be protected and it is questionable whether even a drastically altered clip art image can be trademarked.
  • ideabook.com: WELCOME to ideabook.com: A place to learn how-to design and market just about anything with honesty, clarity, and style. Click > DESIGN STORE for design-oriented tools such as design books, desktop publishing program templates, and clip art. Click > RESOURCES for Chuck Green's large list of links for graphic designers, art directors, and design students. Click > PRODUCTION for detailed articles about how to use fonts and typefaces, how to find and work with a commercial printer, how-to find and use clip art, and more. Click > DESIGN for detailed, step-by-step instructions about newsletter design, brochure design, web page design, logo design, business card design, and more. Version 12.02
  • JUMPOLA.COM: Clip Art Products Ad-Art Aridi ArtBitz Art Parts Artbeats ArtDisc Artzooks Briar Press Cartoon Bank Clipart.com Clipart deSIGN Com Resources Creatas Digital Wisdom Direct Imagination Dover Dynamic Graphics Encore Fashion Findings GeoAtlas GSICo Hemera Icon Factory Illustration Works i-spot Laughing Stock Letraset liquidlibrary Map Resources NVTech One Mile Up Rebelartist Stockart TechM LifeArt Time Tunnel Ultimate Symbol Veer Visual Language Youth Specialties Learn > Magazines Illustration Learn > Online Spot illustrations Learn > Schools Dynamic Graphics Training Sessions.edu Toolbox > Resources > Suggest a link Toolbox > Software CorelDraw Freehand Illustrator Illustrators Joe Ciardiello Michael Halbert Gerard Huerta Steve Lyons Led Pants Doug Panton Daniel Pelavin Josephine Pujos Michael Schwab Laura Smith Nancy Stahl Jack Unruh Chip Wass Tom White XPLANE Simone Zahradka Joe Zeff Robert Zimmerman Portfolio Sites 21portfolios.com altpik.com childrensillustrators.com Folioplanet
  • ONE to ONE Marketing - Use personal notes to build relationships: Use personal notes to build relationships By Chuck Green When was the last time you received a personal note from a colleague or a client? A handwritten message that expressed a feeling or a thought composed for you alone? If you're like me they are few and far between. I for one will not soon forget the CEO of a multi-billion dollar corporation who took the time to send a note of congratulations after a positive story about my business in the local press.
  • The business card: The business card--many of us use it more than any other single marketing item, yet it very often demonstrates the least marketing smarts. A conventional card includes a logo and some basic information--the name of the organization, the name of the employee, their title, phone numbers, and street address. What can you do to make your business card generate business? That requires a little "jolt thinking."
  • Turning Your ideas into Results: There has never been a better time to own a small business. Mass markets are splintering into micro markets. Rather than hiring and building when demand increases, many companies are opting to buy products and services from outside sources. The business paradigm of the twentieth century is shifting.

This Site is sponsored by Texas NSA Network & Affidavit Notary Direct and by TexNotary.com / Brenda Stone