Cover -- Contents -- Introduction -- Chapter 1: In the Beginning -- Getting Creative Ideas -- What Are You Waiting For? -- What Does It Take? -- The Goals of Marketing -- The Commandments of Business Marketing -- Join Up -- Common Business Mistakes -- Action Plan -- Chapter 2: Smart Guide to Startup -- Home Business Setup -- Small Office Startup -- Your New Retail Store Location -- Mission Statement -- What's Your Marketing Plan? -- Naming a New Business -- Merchant Services for Credit Cards -- Startup Blues: Nothing Will Happen without Marketing -- Jump-Starting Your New Business before It Opens -- Making a Wish List -- Making a Bigger Impression -- Working with Suppliers -- Finding New Suppliers -- Pursuing New Customers -- Action Plan -- Chapter 3: Franchises -- What Franchise Should You Choose? -- Where Do You Find a Franchise? -- Questions about Buying a Franchise -- The Franchise Agreement -- The Franchise Manual -- The Training Period -- Big Brother Is Watching -- Is There Any Risk? -- Action Plan -- Chapter 4: Advertising -- Setting an Advertising Budget -- Advertising to Four Levels -- Print Ad Copy Questions -- Headlines -- Hot Words -- Where's My Ad? -- Is It an Ad? -- Competitors' Advertising -- An Advertising Agency -- Where's Your Business Card? -- Sign of the Times -- Do It Outdoors -- Your Moving Billboard -- TV Direct Response -- Let's Try an Infomercial -- Message on Hold -- Piggyback-Cheap! -- Co-Op Advertising -- A Final Thought on Advertising -- Action Plan -- Chapter 5: Publicity -- Publicity versus Advertising -- Press the Press -- Tips for Getting Publicity -- If a Reporter Calls -- On-the-Air Publicity -- Publicity by Speaking -- Publicity by Writing -- Do Something Outrageous! -- Action Plan -- Chapter 6: Direct Mail -- Mail Your Customers -- Effective Direct Mail -- Mailing Lists -- Consumer Targets.

Consumer Direct Mail -- Business Direct Mail -- Layout and Design -- Evaluate Your Response -- Direct Mail Timing -- Co-Op Direct Mail -- Action Plan -- Chapter 7: Business Promotions -- Coupons versus Rebates -- Show Off Your Logo -- Collaborate with Your Strip Mall Neighbors -- Special Discount Days and Nights -- Fast-Food Delivery Convenience -- Stick with Magnets -- Sponsor a Nonprofit -- Nonprofit Your Way to Profits -- Cross-Promotions -- Have a Contest -- Don't Be Unoccupied -- Celebrate Your Anniversary -- A Weekend at the Mall -- Some Other Fun, Profitable, and Outrageous Promotions -- Action Plan -- Chapter 8: The Website -- Purpose of Your Website -- Some Design Ideas -- Website Don'ts -- Promoting Your Site -- Lure Visitors Back with Interesting Bait -- Order Follow-Up -- Getting Attention -- Don't Let Your Site Get Stale -- Be Charitable -- Social Media -- Blogs -- Don't Quit Your Day Job -- Asking Permission First -- Action Plan -- Chapter 9: Pricing Strategies -- Pricing Headaches -- Higher Prices! -- Raising Prices -- Lowering Prices -- Pricing Strategies -- Offer Platinum, Gold, and Silver Levels -- Being the High-Priced Brand -- Loss Leaders -- Customer Quotes -- Price and Quality -- Prices on Window Items? -- Action Plan -- Chapter 10: Face-to-Face Selling -- What Is a Sales Professional? -- The Decision Maker -- Ears before Mouth -- Some Good Things to Know -- Don't Ignore the Advisors -- Closing Signals -- Make Lunch Pay Off -- The Honeymoon Is Over? -- Should You Take the Small Order? -- Ready to Buy? -- Your Personal Billboard -- Break the Ice! -- Play Your Cards Right -- Dress for a Sale -- Qualify the Buyer -- Sales Rejection -- I'm Still Waiting... -- Ace in the Hole -- Don't Lose More Than the Sale -- No Ceiling on Sales Commission -- Reduce Your Sales Staff -- Be a Yankee Peddler -- Action Plan -- Chapter 11: Retail Sales.

Why Should Customers Shop at a Small Store? -- Finding Retail Employees -- Hiring Part-Time Employees -- Entice Customers to Visit the Store -- Be Customer Friendly -- Customer Satisfaction -- So You Want to Have a Sale -- Overstocks, Deals, and Consignments -- When Goliath Moves into Town -- Why Offer a Discount? -- Use Gift Cards -- Offer a Big Selection -- Senior Sales -- The Unfriendly Customer -- The Indecisive Customer -- Impulse Buyers -- Slow-Day Marketing Ideas -- Hey, I've Got a Coupon! -- Get Visitors' Business -- Retail Payment Choices -- Let Their Fingers Do the Walking -- Store within a Store -- Keep It Clean -- Free Displays and Signs -- Action Plan -- Chapter 12: Business-to-Business Sales -- Finding New Business -- Respond Quickly -- You Score Better in Your Ballpark -- You Must Follow Up -- The Lowest Bidder? -- Be Their Associate Buyer -- Reorder Reminders -- All Your Eggs in One Basket -- Taking the Order and Billing -- Late Deliveries and Problems -- Coupons, Bells, and Whistles -- Host a Seminar -- Letters of Recommendation -- Problem Customers -- Action Plan -- Chapter 13: Tradeshows -- Finding the Right Shows -- Reasons for Exhibiting -- Tradeshow Expenses -- Selecting a Space -- Getting Your Exhibit/Display -- Generate Tradeshow Traffic -- Working Your Booth -- Lead a Seminar -- After the Show -- Getting the Most out of Attending a Tradeshow -- Action Plan -- Chapter 14: Telemarketing -- Inbound Telemarketing -- Outbound Telemarketing -- Hiring Telemarketing Employees -- Planning and Making the Call -- Telesales Lead Finders -- Cold-Call Fears -- Voicemail Smarts -- Is Telemarketing Paying Off ? -- Check the Laws -- Some Final Telemarketing Don'ts -- Action Plan -- Chapter 15: Customer Loyalty -- Get Close to Your Customers -- Ways to Create Loyalty -- Ways to Destroy Loyalty -- Your Business Personality -- What's Your Brand?.

Customer Cards and Tracking -- Loyalty Breeds Referrals -- Tell How or Tell Who -- A Doctor's Loyalty -- Action Plan -- Chapter 16: Customer Service -- Keep Your Customers -- Wear Your Customers' Shoes -- The Customer Is Angry -- Customer Service Don'ts -- Look Down to See the Profits -- Rally the Troops -- Reward Great Service -- Employee of the Month -- Don't Lock 'Em Out -- Pay Attention -- One-Hundred Percent Satisfaction -- Transaction Time -- The Good, the Bad, and the Real -- Action Plan -- Chapter 17: Financial Crisis -- Financial Crisis Planning -- Know What You Need -- Unemployment Numbers and You -- Banks and Small Business -- Hold Your Prices -- Defer Debt -- Reduce Fixed Expenses -- Sell Off Anything -- Keep Marketing -- Network, Network, Network -- Contingency Plans -- Action Plan -- Chapter 18: In the End -- Know Your Competitors -- Cultivate Your Ideas -- Risk Taking -- Small-Business Networking -- Cornucopia of Information -- Buy Your Umbrella When the Sun Is Shining -- Why Businesses Fail -- Strength in Numbers -- A Final Thought -- Appendix A: Myths of Small Business -- Appendix B: Additional Resources -- Index -- A -- B -- C -- D -- E -- F -- G -- H -- I -- L -- M -- N -- O -- P -- Q -- R -- S -- T -- U -- V -- W -- Y.