A tremendous amount of the effort of a successful direct seller is finding prospects for your product, and then quickly and efficiently qualifying their needs. Learning not to waste a prospect’s time, or yours, when your offering doesn’t fill their needs is one of the best skills you can acquire.
That said, you do want to continuously feed prospects into your “qualifying” machine. And, I don’t know about you, but I always seem to finish the season with a hand full of now outdated catalogs, brochures, etc. Don’t throw them away! These become excellent leave-behinds to get your product information into the marketplace.
First, make certain that your contact information is stamped, written, or labeled in the appropriate section of the material. In addition, I use my word processing program and make up a bunch of sticky labels that I put front and center on the catalog with the following:
“Please enjoy my catalog! If you would like to see the current edition, or find out more about our products, please contact me at XXX.”
Following is a list of place to leave your expired or out-of-season material. I didn’t make up this list – but I’ve had it for years, and you may have seen it before too. I suspect someone created it a long time ago, and it’s been edited and added-to, and grown since then. I added several ideas myself. I don’t take credit, but I also don’t know where to give it!
70+ Places To Leave Catalogs
· doctor’s offices
· dental offices
· mechanic’s waiting rooms
· laundry mats
· college campuses
· public restrooms
· library
· hair salons
· tax preparation offices
· orthodontist offices
· insurance offices
· dry cleaners
· Dairy Queen/Baskin Robbins
· bagel shops
· donut shops
· deli’s
· ATMS
· veterinarian’s offices
· nail salons
· day care centers
· retirement homes
· model new-home centers
· real estate agent offices
· 7-11’s or corner stores
· in front of magazines at check out lines
· with your tip at restaurants
· with toll booth collectors
· grocery store clerks
· video stores
· dressing rooms
· with bank tellers
· shoe stores
· kids resale shops
· Gymboree centers
· temporary staff offices
· flower shops
· restaurants
· pet stores
· dance studios
· grocery stores where you leave your ads
· mortgage offices
· computer stores
· school administration offices
· fabric stores
· the bakery
· print shops
· cashiers at dealerships
· tanning salons
· vitamin stores
· sales people at any store
· senior activity centers
· walk-in medical clinic waiting rooms
· credit unions
· restaurant supply stores
· park benches
· bus stops
· pharmacies
· bowling alleys
· clerks at post offices
· airline seat back pockets
· commuter trains
· law office reception area
· office break rooms (with permission)
· gas station attendants
· movie theater lobbies
· printshops
· furniture stores
· places where you pay your bills
· cable offices
· water and gas utilities
· any place where there are women receptionists or secretaries
· telephone answering services
*airplane seat back pockets
Copyright 2011