How to Get Customers Almost Cost Free

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Starting a business is a very exciting time and can be the beginning of a long and profitable venture, as long as you know in advance how to get customers. That seems like an obvious statement, and it is, but the reality is a great many people really do open their doors for business before previously considering how to get customers.

Then when their venture falters and they're running out of money they suddenly realise their mistake and for most people that still leaves enough time to regain lost ground right away and almost cost free by using simple techniques to kickstart their sales.

This is how to get customers to your new or long established business:

* Word of mouth. This simply means having past customers and enquirers recommend you to friends and relatives, or neighbours and workmates and it's one of the most effective ways of promoting your business. You can start the ball rolling by having business cards printed and handing them out to anyone likely to recommend your business to other potential new customers.

* Put business cards and postcards in shop and post office windows. A colleague writing about how to get customers tells readers this is not only a very effective way to promote a business but it's also one of the least inexpensive also, usually just a few pennies and sometimes free of charge.

* Place ads. in local newspapers and freesheets and always ask for a discount by telephoning sales representatives at the publications concerned.

* Having thought long and hard about how to get customers to his taxi business an acquaintance had leaflets distributed door to door in the local catchment area and paid newsagents to insert them in local newspapers and freesheets. He says the better quality the leaflet, the more business he got. So he advises other people never to skimp on quality because low cost printing is sometimes very difficult to read and gives a very poor impression of your business.

* Email or write to local newspapers and freesheets and tell them about your business. Make a special offer to their readers by asking them to cut out a discount coupon from the publication and bring it when they visit.

Free advertising really is easy once you know how. To get customers you must avoid using tired and boring marketing methods and think beyond the obvious and make your business different and interesting and well worth investigating by new potential buyers.