Mountain Views News          Saturday, June 30, 2012

14

BUSINESS NEWS & TRENDS

 Mountain Views News Saturday June 30, 2012 

BUSINESS TODAY

The latest on Business News, Trends and Techniques


By La Quetta M. Shamblee, MBA


BUILDING YOUR BUSINESS WITH CREATIVE 
CROSS PROMOTIONS

Collaborating with other business that compete for customers may seem like a strange, 
counterproductive idea, but it may be one of the most strategic and profitable moves that the owner 
of a small business can make. Joining with the competition for collaborative marketing activities 
can be a win-win for all of the businesses involved. By joining forces, the limited resources of small 
businesses can be combined to create a broader and more sustained marketing impact than would 
ever be possible doing it solo.

Large retail chains and big businesses understand the power of joining forces. Auto malls, regional 
shopping centers and auto repair shops are a few examples. Cerritos Auto Square is among the first 
and the world’s largest “auto mall” of its kind. The cluster of competing businesses visible alongside 
the 210 Foothill Freeway as it runs through Arcadia, Monrovia and Duarte, provide other examples, 
including auto dealerships in Monrovia and Duarte along the 1norh side of the freeway. Along the 
same stretch, nine major hotels within walking distance of the Huntington Drive exit (Courtyard 
Marriot, Doubletree, Embassy Suites, Extended Stay America, Hampton Inn, Hilton Garden Inn, Oak 
Tree Inn, Residence Inn, Springhill Suites) - and this doesn’t include at least six other smaller hotel 
properties located on Huntington Drive within 1-3 miles of that same off ramp. The plentiful choice 
of major restaurant chains and independent eateries creates an extensive “restaurant row” along this 
same corridor.

This business model of similar businesses choosing locations in close proximity to the competition 
has become a part of the American landscape. Why? Because it works. By attracting a greater 
number of potential customers, all the businesses in the vicinity benefit form the increased exposure. 
The majority of individuals who will come to patronize the competition also have the potential to 
come back and patronize similar businesses in the same area.

Obviously small businesses are unlikely to have the financial means to relocate to these types of 
environments. However, small businesses can create the same effect by adapting a creative approach 
to this concept. Consider “1-800-DENTIST” or “1-800-THELAW2.” These are nothing more than 
referral services for a directory of professionals and companies that have undergone an eligibility 
screening process and pay a fee to be listed. Likewise, magazine-style books filled with discount 
coupons for local businesses that get mailed to residents within a certain geographic area are another 
example. When cities and organizations sponsor art walks, festivals and other community events that 
attract large number of people, it is a variation of the same business model. Events serve to attract 
new customers who may become exposed to local businesses and products for the first time.

Business owners can take the initiative to approach neighboring businesses to discuss the most 
obvious opportunities for joint-promotions (i.e. clothing boutique partnering with a salon to offer 
a discount package that benefits both businesses; a restaurant partnering with local theatres to offer 
a discount or free desert by presenting a ticket stub). By the same token, cities that are designed 
with a “downtown shopping area” or clusters of businesses that create mini “shopping districts” are 
sitting on potential gold mines of opportunity to develop create collaborative marketing campaigns 
with their business neighbors. The opportunities are numerous, but it will take someone to ignite 
the effort. That someone may be a sole proprietor who understands the value of this approach, or 
leaders of local business associations, Chambers of Commerce or trade associations that can play a 
role in educating and mobilizing the local business community to design marketing campaigns that 
can attract new customers.

5 WAYS TO GROW YOUR EMAIL LIST

If you market your business through email, it’s important to use an email service provider like Constant 
Contact because they follow the Can-Spam Act – a law that sets the rules for commercial email. Email 
service providers have systems built in their tools that comply with the law. 

Email service providers require you to build your list of emails with permission. In email marketing 
your reputation is on the line. You don’t want to be seen as a spammer. 

Here are 5 ways to help you build a quality, permission based email list:

1. ASK! When you are in front of a live audience or exchanging business cards at a networking 
event, ask for permission to add them to your e-mail list. 
2. Include a sign up form on your web site. We recommend that you position your sign up 
form on the top right of every page of your web site. People might be able to find your web site, click 
around a bit but once they click away, you’ve lost them. Your web site should allow people to stay 
connected with you by signing up to receive email updates, special promotions, reminders, offers etc. 
3. Include the sign up form on your Facebook Page. If you use Constant Contact, they have 
a sign up application you can put on your Facebook page: www.facebook.com/ctctjmml. In 2011, 
Constant Contact reported that over 1 million people signed up for their customer’s email lists 
through Facebook. 
4. Have a sign up form or guest book at your front desk or at a trade show booth. Make sure 
you let them know what they are signing up for and how often you will send your emails
5. Print a QR Code on your business card and other print collateral. People can scan your 
QR code with their smart phone and it will take them directly to a sign up page where they can enter 
their email and join your list. In Constant Contact go to “Contacts,” then go to “Grow my Contact 
List” and look for “Scan a QR code.” This will automatically generate a QR code for you that you can 
start to use. 


About MJ: MJ and her brother David own HUTdogs, a creative services business that also specializes 
in Social Media Education for business owners. Join their conversation on Facebook and get good tips 
and tricks about social media, www.facebook.com/hutdogs 

For a list of upcoming classes go to: www.hutdogs.com/workshops/schedule


OMG! OH MY GOSH DID YOU 
KNOW………………..


WOMEN AT WORK HAS SEVERAL 
QUICKBOOKS WORKSHOPS.....

and I am happy to say that I am one of their 
Trainers. 

Women At Work is celebrating 33 years as a career and job resource center with the mission to 
help clients reach their full employment and earnings potential in a supportive environment. 
The nonprofit agency recently celebrated the conclusion of the first year of their new Training 
At Work division with an open house and ribbon cutting on Wednesday evening June 27th.

Training At Work customizes and designs training programs based on business needs 
in order to provide staff training and development that leads to organizational success. 
Wednesday evening during their open house a simulated training session was provided in 
order to demonstrate the eight-station, mobile computer lab that Training At Work will be 
happy to bring to your organization. This event was an exciting culmination of four separate 
but interrelated objectives of Women At Work as an organization; Training At Work as a 
program; Patricia E. Richardson, MBA, as a professional trainer; and a Women At Work 
client who participated in the demonstration along with other volunteers. 

The mobile provides flexibility, allowing the trainer to customize workshops quickly. For 
example, at the last minute (1:00pm on the afternoon of the open house) the demonstration 
the trainer was asked to change the structure of the demonstration. In order to meet this 
requirement, the demonstration application was changed from Microsoft Publisher to 
Microsoft PowerPoint. As the volunteer participants in the simulated training session 
began to arrive they were informed that they would have the opportunity to participate in 
a PowerPoint training demonstration. The first volunteer to arrive exclaimed that this was 
a wonderful opportunity because she had a job interview on the upcoming Friday and she 
would need to demonstrate her PowerPoint presentation skills. 

An hour and a half later, this volunteer effusively confirmed that Women At Work had 
fulfilled an immediate job-related need, by giving her the confidence and training to prepare 
her for Friday’s interview. The Training At Work division fulfilled its mission by providing a 
training program for the community that allow flexibility to meet the needs of clients.; and 
the Trainer fulfilled her mission of helping individuals to learn and acquire new skills to be 
successful. 

For professional training services that can be customized to meet your needs, contact Patty 
Richardson at patti@qbworkshop.com.


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