F.I.T. Money Magazine, September 2009

©

2009 September 3

Rise of Nostic Global Rise of Nostic Global Rise of Nostic Global Rise of Nostic Global pg 10

From idea to reality: We speak

with Leroy Lee Gittens on what it

takes to achieve success.

Marketing Brand You pg 6Marketing Brand You pg 6Marketing Brand You pg 6Marketing Brand You pg 6

Rochelle Hill explains how we

need to make our selves the first

person thought of regardless of

where you are now

Dress for Success: Dress for Success: Dress for Success: Dress for Success:

12 pc Essentials pg 912 pc Essentials pg 912 pc Essentials pg 912 pc Essentials pg 9

Fatima Tan ’ ia Tells us how to

look magazine fresh for the

work place.

Facebook friend save Facebook friend save Facebook friend save Facebook friend save

my business my business my business my business pg 14 pg 14 pg 14 pg 14

What social media is to you

S.O.S. pg 18S.O.S. pg 18S.O.S. pg 18S.O.S. pg 18

Doors open but no customers?

Do they know your there?

Get over yourself pg 16Get over yourself pg 16Get over yourself pg 16Get over yourself pg 16

How to stop blocking your

success from you

A Brand Introduction pg13A Brand Introduction pg13A Brand Introduction pg13A Brand Introduction pg13

What branding is not is the best

way to tell you what branding is.

Advertise with us!Advertise with us!Advertise with us!Advertise with us!

Great rates to F.I.T. any budget!Great rates to F.I.T. any budget!Great rates to F.I.T. any budget!Great rates to F.I.T. any budget!

Email us: [email protected] us: [email protected] us: [email protected] us: [email protected]

Call us: ( 212 ) 662Call us: ( 212 ) 662Call us: ( 212 ) 662Call us: ( 212 ) 662----1288128812881288

www.fitmoneymag.comwww.fitmoneymag.comwww.fitmoneymag.comwww.fitmoneymag.com

www.webstarts.com/Perception-And-Co

2009 September 5

Welcome to the most exciting time in your life:

the beginning. At the start of anything new- a

relationship, a business venture, a long awaited

vacation, a move to a new city- there is always

the same feeling; ANTICIPATION; the long

awaited desire to see the outcome of our jour-

ney. When we set out on our journey, we usu-

ally have no clue about what the trip will look like. We only think of the destination. We never factor in the many postholes in the

road or the detours we must face to get to our destination. We are filled with hope, excitement and passion from the time we say

“ g o ” . And for most people, there is no turning back.

We are taking that same journey here at F.I.T. Money. We were spun out of an idea to educate the urban community on the

benefits of financial literacy and self empowerment through entrepreneurship. With the state of today ’ s economy, it seems we

are right on time. But we have grown to be more than just a magazine, we are a phenomenon!

We look forward to sharing the experiences of all of our entrepreneurs in the making and mini-moguls out there. We hope you become inspired by their struggles while learning how to tackle your own. Our goal is to be your online resource for business information. Is there something you would like to see, let me know here : [email protected].

We believe in you and your dreams and we ’ re here to show you the way…

Until next time…stay F.I.T.!

6 September 2009 F.I.T. Money Magazine

Mike Street Mike Street Mike Street Mike Street is a social me-

dia expert based in New

York City. He has headed

various social media pro-

ject for various Fortune

500 media companies

Rochelle Hill Rochelle Hill Rochelle Hill Rochelle Hill is president

of Precision plus communi-

cations based in New York

City. She is also co-chair of

Harlem Cares Mentoring

Movement.

Fatima Tan ’ ia is the founder

of Perception & Co an image

consulting and personals

styling company based in

New York. Information on

workshops coming soon.

Join our team!Join our team!Join our team!Join our team!

Interns and salespersons neededInterns and salespersons neededInterns and salespersons neededInterns and salespersons needed


Call us: ( 2 12 ) 662Call us: ( 2 12 ) 662Call us: ( 2 12 ) 662Call us: ( 2 12 ) 662----1288128812881288


2009 September 7

At the end of the day, whether you are an en-

trepreneur or climbing the corporate ladder, deci-sion makers, co-workers, clients, and colleagues are making deals with you, not your product or idea and not your company. How you market yourself can sometimes be more important than the actual product, idea or concept you are trying to sell or obtain support.

But marketing brand you is not as complicated as you may think. At every touch point of inter-action with an individual, you are being summed up. Are you using the business acumen of your industry? Is your wardrobe appropriate for your workplace? Are you well versed in a particular area that interests your boss or client?

When you walk into a meeting, where do you sit? Are you one who networks with a plan? Or do you attend the networking event to get a free cocktail and hang out at the bar? Believe it or not, the answers to these questions factor into the image that brand YOUYOUYOUYOU is projecting. If you are getting resistance from your clients, boss, colleagues or co-workers to your ideas or recom-mendations, perhaps you should take a look at how you are marketing yourself with the hopes of turning things in your favor.

Have you ever been in a meeting and made a sug-

gestion that people either ignored or received much resistance on only to have someone else suggest the exact same thing and receive praise and support? It is not what you said that received the rejection or resis-tance; it was brand YOUYOUYOUYOU that received the resistance.

Brand YOUYOUYOUYOU can turn things around by marketing yourself in an effective way. Here are a few ways to project the brand image that gets the attention you de-serve.

1. Listen more:Listen more:Listen more:Listen more: If you are often the one with ideas and suggestions at team meetings, save them for an-other moment. Oftentimes, if your idea is great this week it will be great next week. Just listen and let others go through and exhaust all options in the meet-ing. Then, a couple of days later, send a short note to the key decision makers with your well thought out idea addressing all of the issues in need of a resolu-tion for your client, department or company. You will be seen as a result-oriented and solution focused in-dividual. Brand YOUYOUYOUYOU will have a point of differentia-tion, breaking through the clutter ( all the ideas being tossed around ) and at the next meeting you might even be asked for your opinion.

How others view you is important to your business. Take these steps.

By Rochelle HillRochelle HillRochelle HillRochelle Hill


your field? Being aware of current events in general, demonstrates you have a global view, but being well read in events that affect your business, your clients’ business or company’s industry will make you savvier in your business dealings and may move your leader-ship points up a notch or two. Doing daily Google searches on your industry interests cuts down on pur-chasing various periodicals. A trip to your local busi-ness library is also a great place to find industry news, trends and competitive information. You will be per-ceived as a forward thinking individual and a critical thinker with a thorough knowledge of the industry lan-guage/business acumen. Brand YOU will be consid-ered the trustworthy source. “your brand

YOU

marketing

plan can use

some

revisions”

2.R e a d m o r eR e a d m o r eR e a d m o r eR e a d m o r e : “ R eading is funda-mental, ” is actually not just a moniker that should be used to convince adults to help children to read, i t is a rule which should be followed by any em-ployee or entrepre-neur. What is the news for your indus-try? What is the lat-est technological advance men t i n

3. Prepare morePrepare morePrepare morePrepare more: When going to office socials or

networking events, prepare for the engagements with a plan. Will it be a lunch or an after 5 affair? Is it a sit down or a mix and mingle? Dressing appropriately for either is important as you do not want to offend the host but you want to make sure you are comfortable. You probably do not want to wear new shoes if you will be standing for most of the time and will need to work the room. You may want to visit the venue be-fore hand. How is it situated? Is there one entrance? Picking a central location to stand will allow for you to meet as many people as possible. A couple of days before determine the two or three new people that you will meet. Someone in another department who is advancing quickly within your company, a keynote speaker, or the potential client you have been dying to meet. Do research on these folks. Find out what they are responsible for within their jobs, what city they originate from, their biggest coup and what col-lege they attended, for instance. Brand YOU will gar-ner key positioning to strike up a conversation by

being in the right place in the room having informa-tion to hit on personal cues with those you aspire to meet.

Clients, co-workers, colleagues must buy-in to what YOU represent before feeling comfortable with buying in to what you are selling. Is brand YOU the go-to person when one is looking for information? Are you unique in your approach? Are you reliable, trustwor-thy and well versed? If you answered no to any of these questions, your brand YOU marketing plan can use some revisions.

By beginning with these simple steps, you are on the road to implementing a brand YOU marketing plan you can have confidence in.

.





Www.fitmoneymag.comWww.fitmoneymag.comWww.fitmoneymag.comWww.fitmoneymag.com

2009 September 9

What do I wear to work? What do I wear to work? What do I wear to work? What do I wear to work? This is a question that every professional has asked themselves. Business dress codes are a never-ending battle in the workforce. Whether you're young in age, wise in years, entry-level or corporate bound we all riddle ourselves with this. How do you express your creativity while also remaining pro-fessional? Getting dressed for work does not necessarily mean leaving your unique style at home. Mixing your personal pizzazz is essential, however you must remain professional. With the “ 12 essential work12 essential work12 essential work12 essential work----attire must attire must attire must attire must haveshaveshaveshaves ” you will be prepared to take your office by storm. Before we can get into what to wear we first need to address the guidelines concerning what is acceptable for the office.

In today's business world what is considered proper business attire varies. There are two major contributing factors that define what proper work apparel is. How does business casual differ from business formal? Business casual allows employees to work comfortably while maintaining a professional business-like image. The rule of thumb is as follows: dance club, sportswear and beach attire are huge work No No's and are highly inappropriate. Business formal is a dress code meant for a much more professional environment. ( Tip: Good quality suits will last a lifetime; refer to expected pay ) . There are alternative garment choices that you can wear without breaking your employer's guidelines. Instead of wearing a shirt with spaghetti straps opt for a sleeveless top. You may not be able to wear shorts to work but you can spruce up your outfit with a pair of cropped pants. Miniskirts are never acceptable in the work place but you can choose to wear a skirt that is slightly above your knee ( but it must be a formal fabric like linen, wool, cotton or a blended synthetic ) . It is not improper to wear a shirt with pictures but be aware it may offend someone in your work place. So, choose to wear a shirt with the company logo.

Some employer's may acknowledge a dress down day allowing its employees to wear jeans or other casual at-tire. Remember to dress in clothing that is not disrespect-ful or too revealing. It's imperative that you find the per-fect balance when choosing what to wear.

No matter the dress code your attire should always be neat, tailored, ironed and clean! The ultimate goal is to look professional no matter what the dress code. To as-sure you are always dressed accordingly use the “ 12 “ 12 “ 12 “ 12 essential work attire mustessential work attire mustessential work attire mustessential work attire must----haves ”haves ”haves ”haves ” check list. We have referenced the expected price points for a quality item that will stand the test of time.

For the ladies, these are a can ’ t miss: Little black dress (LBD ) , $79.99; Class white boyfriend shirt, $49.99; Trench coat, $99.99; Cardigan, $39.99; Ballet flats, $49.99; High heel shoes (black ) , $79.99; Hobo bag, $129.99; Pearls, Starting at $79 for freshwater strand; Classic men's watch, $89.99; Denim Jeans (no holes or fray ) , $49.99; Dress pants, $49.99; and a Blazer, $69.99.

Guys, we haven ’ t left you out. Here ’ s your “honey do ” list: Suit (navy, gray, deconstructed ) , $129.99; Clas-sic white shirt, $79.99; Shoes (black ) , $109.99; Blazer ( navy ) , $89.99; Sport coat, $109.99; Belt, black; $39.99; Overcoat/topcoat, 3/4 length - $169.99; Dress pants, $64.99; Neckties, $39.99; Classic watch, $129.99; Briefcase, $89.99 and Jeans, 49.99.

If you are ever uncertain on what to wear to work ask for a dress code guideline from your Human Resources Depart-ment. Familiarize yourself with the dress code policy to en-sure you are always dressing accordingly. When you awake in the morning, while preparing for your work day, if you sec-ond guess what you are wearing than it is probably not the right choice for the office. It is always better to dress more conservative than to assume a garment is appropriate. How you dress plays an important role in how others may perceive you at the office. Perception is everything, making your first impression a lasting impression. Success in the 21st Century is largely based on your image so be sure to choose the right one.


On a warm summer evening, I had a wonderful oppor-tunity to sit with a rising entrepreneur that has his pulse on the urban wear industry. With successful experience as a restaurateur, real estate investor and various other projects, Leroy Lee Gittens is the ren-aissance entrepreneur. Just listening to Leroy, also known as Lee, as he delves into his entrepreneurial roots showcasing how the business ownership and investing spark was turned into a flame makes you feel inspired and thrilled. Lee was willing to give us his inside tips on what he did to get to his level of suc-cess. I must stress, the strategies being reported on here are for informational purposes only; use at your discretion. We met Lee at his home in Harlem, New York; the Mount Morris Park Historic District. The area is known for a host of exclusive brownstones represent-ing the architecture of the early 1900 ’ s and Lee is in the thick of things. I enter his home, location to one of his offices as well, and am immediately struck by the lovely esthetic appeal. Humidor on the fireplace man-tle, Bamboo flooring, granite counter tops, recessed lighting; are a few of the comforts that Lee has to make sure his home is comfortable. We reach his office and let ’ s just say Lee is laid back as well as knowledgeable.

FITFITFITFIT: Let ’ s begin. Mr. Gittens, how would you like me to address you? LEELEELEELEE: Well all my friends call me Lee. Anything else makes me sound too old ( laughs ) FITFITFITFIT: Ok Lee, we won ’ t talk about your age. What kind of business are you in and how long have you been in it? LEELEELEELEE: My business started officially in 2003 as a small investment company. We invest in new products, other business ventures, real estate and the like. FITFITFITFIT: So would you call yourself a venture capitalist? LEELEELEELEE: Yes, but on a moderate scale. We know our limits FITFITFITFIT: On a moderate scale, ok, we get it, but how did you decide that being a venture capitalist is what you wanted to do? LEELEELEELEE: Well it was kind of simple. I, myself, don ’ t have the time to give 100% to every business or business idea I ’ m involved with and I would rather have a part-ner; or partners; that can give the business the time. This way I get a small percentage of many businesses rather than a lot of one or two. At the end of the day it all adds up. I ’ m always on the lookout for something new to move on to. FITFITFITFIT: That ’ s great. I like that thinking. So what are you focusing on now? Any new projects on the horizon? LEELEELEELEE: Right now, I ’ m working on an urban clothing line Nostic Global clothing. This was started back in 2007

2009 September 11

What every man wants:What every man wants:What every man wants:What every man wants: Two t-shirts from the Nostic Global line due out this fall. Just in time for back to school and the holidays. For store locations go to

www.NotsicGlobal.com to find a location near you.

and things have been great. We began with men’ s apparel and sometime in 2010 we will introduce some female pieces. We just inked a deal with Dillard ’ s department store. We think it ’ s great considering the times were in. We are just making it grow and really getting it off the ground. Our men ’ s collection right now includes t-shirts, jeans, hoodies; you know the things guys like. We are really focusing on getting the brand out to the public from east to west coast. FITFITFITFIT: Wow! It sounds like you ’ ve been busy. LEELEELEELEE: Just a little. ( smile) We are also projecting implementing men ’ s and women ’ s accessories such as hats, eyewear, belts, etc.; to the line in the future. Right now we are just getting the brand out there. With urban wear, you focus on getting the men ’ s line out. That ’ s where the market and the larger profit margin is so that ’ s where we go. The others follow if you have a strong following. FITFITFITFIT: Do you have a strong following? LEELEELEELEE: I feel we do because our numbers are strong. Any business that can post the smallest of profits in a recession is doing great.

FITFITFITFIT: It sounds great. So let me ask you this do you see yourself as an entrepreneur or a small business owner? And could you tell me the difference between the two? LEELEELEELEE: I think a small business owner focuses on that particular business. I see a small business owner work-ing 14-16 hour days on that one business. Whereas I and my partners we invest in small businesses to help them grow. As they grow I grow. FITFITFITFIT: What would you say to the person who knows they don ’ t want to be stuck in their 9-5 job and they are desperately seeking something else to do? What ad-vice would you give that person? LEELEELEELEE: ok first, not to kill anybody ’ s dream but every-body can ’ t be an entrepreneur and some people are meant to work for others. Saying that you have to sit back and think of something you would like to do, cre-ate or invest your time in. You may have the idea, a friend, spouse, or even your child and you may want to invest your time into what they ’ re doing. Remember everything is timing. If you need funding, you can get it but what are you willing to do to get it. What can you offer in exchange?


FITFITFITFIT: Let ’ s switch gears up a bit. Tell us what your typical day is like. LEELEELEELEE: My day, well I get up early and exercise for an hour. Then I check my email before I leave for the office where I usually meet with buyers. I spend about 5-6 hours there then I ’ m off to various meet-ing to get the brand established it various locations. Some last well into the evening and I may not return home until 10-11p. That’ s after waking up around 7am. FITFITFITFIT: That ’ s a pretty long day? Are you sure you’re not the small business? LEELEELEELEE: ( Laugh ) That ’ s a good one. I guess I am a type “ A ” personality. I want to see it through to the end. FITFITFITFIT: With such a hectic schedule how do you make time for your social life? I mean I know business can sometimes lead to social and then there is the per-sonal component. How do you balance all of it? LEELEELEELEE: I ‘ ve learned to just do it. At one time it was just work, work, work. I didn ’ t pursue an active so-cial life. I realized that I have to put work away when

work is done and I need to spend time with family and friends. You will burn yourself out and then what? Everything suffers. You have to remember to give your loved ones, including you, some time. Take a day off, enjoy it doing something fun and come up for air. Learn to relax and don ’ t let the stress of the business wear you out. If you believe in what you ’ re doing, the success will come. Just take everything in stride.

Working in harmony Mark Lavalle(r.), Vice

President of Sales join

Leroy Lee Gittens(l.),

Marketing Director, and

myself on the office tour

at the Nostic Global

headquarters in NYC.

These guys enjoy what

they do!






2009 September 13

All too often, branding terms are tossed

around in today’s vernacular.” What is it?” “What does it do?” “Should it be attributed to people or products?” Marty Neimeur author of Bridging the Brand Gap says “A brand is a person’s gut feeling about a product service or organization. It’s not what you think it is, it’s what They Say it is.” Hence, branding is an emotional connection. To get a clearer picture, let’s introduce

branding by what it is not. Branding is not a logo, elevator pitch, tagline, color scheme or website. More is involved in developing a brand; one has to take into consideration their competition, their customer demograph-ics and what can be offered that competitors cannot. Branding is a totality of visual iden-tity, operations and social interactions. It is the essence of combining business and emo-tional characteristics to relay a core concept or message. Therefore when branding your business, consider the experience you want customers to walk away with. That’s your brand promise. Branding is not “Smoke and Mirrors.” It is

more substantive. There is a saying” Are you my brother’s keeper? Well in the branding world “Are you your customer’s keeper?” How do you maintain clients by your service prom-ise?

Don’t break it! And by chance you do, fix and fix it quick. Everything is viral and once the wrong message is out there, it’s time to start damage control. A Japanese system called Kaizen is used by many companies to preserve their brand promise and effective levels of customer satisfaction from all eche-lon within a business. That’s your brand en-gagement.

Consequently, branding is more than a product. If we look at Coca Cola’s brand (see above) we can see that it is worth $120 mil-lion dollars. If we shut down Coca Cola’s global production plants today and layoff all of its employees, the company will still be worth $70 million dollars. That’s brand value.

Branding is an experience; an “Out –of-Body” experience. In the business world, people are captivated with ideal truths that we care about what people think. This is why brand strategist and marketing departments are feverously crafting ways to gain our at-tention. They’re hired to interpret and predict what sells. However, branding is the reverse notion, its primal focus is what we are, how can we prove it and lastly how can people (potential clients) share in the valued experi-ence? When building a brand the end must justify the means.

By Kim N. Carswell


Many people are confused, baffled, and over-

whelmed by social media. They want to know

what is it and how is can work for them. What

many people miss out on is the fact that social

networking is relationship. You have to work at it,

feed it, nurture it, and if you can do it will you will

find out that social media has become your best

friend.

So what is social media? Well the term “social

media” is an umbrella term that defines various

online activities centered on the sharing of con-

tent. All of these activities integrate technology

and social interactions, around the construction of

words, images, video, and audio. So you might

ask yourself why you should care. Well you as a

business owner need to consider yourself to be a

brand. And brands are slowly entering into the

social media space and creating connections and

conversations with their brand loyalist. These

loyalists are the connections that you want to em-

power and turn into brand ambassadors. Once

you’ve empowered your ambassadors you want

them to start the cycle all over again. And then

before you know it you’ll have a small army on

your hands that will consume, comment, and dis-

tribute you message and brand.

Turning connections into impressions is one of

the keys to creating a cycle of social networking

that will pay off for your business or let’s just put

it this way:

social media is like word of mouth market-

ing X 100,000 to your Facebook/Twitter/

YouTube Friends.

Did you know:

• 13 Hours of video are uploaded to You-Tube.com every minute.

• 3.6 billion photos are available to view on Flickr.com

• 3 million tweets are sent via Twitter per day. • 5 billions minutes are spent on Facebook each day.

• $6.5 million was raised by the Obama cam-paign via online donations.

• 93% of social media users believe that brands should have a presence in social me-dia.

2009 September 15

So where is your brand?

Your brand has to start developing a digital

media strategy that focuses on engaging

your brands community, empower your

brand loyalist, and creating connections that

will lead to impressions for your brand. Can

you can’t just put up a Facebook page and

pump in your RSS feed and hope for the

best. You have to dedicate someone to en-

gage the community, create connections,

foster conversations, and create a 2-way

conversation. It can’t just be all about you. It

has to be about YOU, your brand, and your

community. You need to listen closely to

what your community wants. You need to

analyze their conversations and put action-

able items on task so that you can keep the

momentum going and encourage your online

friends to become your online ambassadors.

Social media is NOT A GAME! It’s a full time

job that needs a full time employee or four

to make sure that the social media beast is

being feed. It’s not enough to post up one

YouTube video or to tweet once a month.

You have to tweet daily. You have to update

your Facebook status daily. You have to re-

spond to the questions coming from your

community daily. Or think about social media

this way…your competitors are ALREADY

there…why aren’t you? So go open a Twit-

ter, Facebook, YouTube, Flickr, Delicious,

Posterous and a slew of other accounts. Start

reading Mashable.com on a daily basis,

follow @streetforce1 on Twitter and most of

all communicate, share, and respond.

Social Media can be:

• Your brands Think Tank

• Your brands Customer Service

• A resource for Public Relations

• A resource for building Brand Loyalist

• A means to Collaborate with your

Community

• A MAJOR tool for Customer Acquisition

• A means to show your brands Thought-

Leadership

So now get out there. Start the conversa-

tion! Your community is waiting on you.







We all have goals that we aspire to achieve; the problem is we don’t always see them through to the next phase. What happens when you see the light at the end of the tunnel? Do you run to it or run from it? How often do you create the impos-sible by not following through? Can you see that you are your own brick wall that you keep run-ning into? I can see it in me but, in the end, how do we change the behavior? Before you try to an-swer, the beginning is a good place to find out what you are facing. When you give the enemy a name, he no longer has power over you. Self-sabotage; the enemy; is the killer of the

entrepreneurial dream. It is the one action that is totally, 100% controllable by one person: YOU. Anyone can place negative thoughts in your head but only you can give them power. As a good friend of mine once told me many years ago “Don’t let anyone or anything live in your head rent free.” The thoughts and actions upon which you contemplate should always propel you for-ward. The people in your life should always move you to greater heights. The vision you have cre-ated should always place you in the forefront. If what you think about negatively changes you

in any way, shape, form or fashion STOP

THINKING ABOUT IT! Never let anyone or thing change the essence of who you are. That also means when the little voice in your head says “No you can’t” just tell it “Yes, I’ll try first and then get back to you.” Effective change can happen and there are

steps to get you to that destination. Here are a few tips you can put into your arsenal to take ac-tion on today:

1. Define the issue: Self sabotage is sim-ply your recognition of something great hap-pening or about to happen in your life and you get in the way of it materializing. One dictionary defines it as “a treacherous action to defeat or hinder a cause or endeavor.” Can you remember a time when something great was about to transpire in your life and all of a sudden you just went bezerk? I can’t begin to tell you many times that has hap-pened to me. 2. Identify the behavior: Now you know what the behavior is, can you pinpoint; with laser focus; the actions in yourself? Make a note of changes in your behavior when you approach certain topics: money, commit-ment, networking, public speaking, etc. Be aware of your feelings at that moment. What is the next step you would normally take? Now you can begin to change because you are being proactive and not reactive. 3. Create a counter measure: now you have found the negative action, create a di-version to implement when you see or feel yourself slipping into counterproductive ac-tions. Feel nervous? Smile and think about a funny moment. Angry? Look at yourself in the mirror. You won’t stay mad for long. De-pressed for no reason? Try skipping. You can’t skip and frown, it’s just impossible. 4. Accept and move forward: Refrain from beating yourself up because you made a mistake or you slipped back into a negative pattern. Accept where you are right now and be determined to move forward from this point. Leave the past behind you and stay focused on your chief aim. (continued on pg 19)

Get Over Your Own Brick Wall Are you stuck behind your own actions?

BY M. Natasha Reid

2009 September 17

http://www.startasticblogspot.blogspot.com


SAVE OUR STORE How to tell customers you are open for business

efore I get started, I want to apologize to my

fellow marketers out there. I know the next sen-

tence is going to cause several eyebrows to rise

and bring some blood pressures to a boil. I re-

ceive numerous S.O.S (Save Our Store) signals

from business owners because their marketing

firm has them so caught up on stats that they are

missing out on the cheapest way to get instant

recognition.

Here is my response to an S.O.S: forget your

demographics; forget your target market, for now.

Think about this how many times you have heard

this horrible phrase from someone who has walked

into a business and states “I never knew you were

here” or “How long have you been here, I live in

the neighborhood I didn’t know you sold this. If

this has happen to you we are going to fix this

problem.

Let’s get back to the old way of doing things be-

fore we had access to the information on the

World Wide Web. Let’s market in the neighbor-

hoods we do business in. My goal is to offer you

two strategies to add towards your marketing

campaign. These are grassroots tactics.

CAUTION: If you are not ready to work, turn

the page because the steps require time and

110% effort.

If you’re still here, it means you’re ready to

get to work. So let’s not waste anymore time.

Here are Two Easy Steps:

• Visit and patronize every business in your

immediate area. These people are a great

source of referrals. Ask yourself, if you are

out shopping and you ask your favorite ven-

dor where can you find a widget and they

tell you a couple of stores down wouldn’t

you visit the store? So, tell your follow mer-

chants who you are, what you do and invite

them to your open house.

• Host an Open house. People like to refer to

them as networking events these days, but

open house is a great way to display your

facility; educate your customer which will

keep them excited about what you do.

When hosting your open house/networking

event invite your old and new customer,

prospects, local merchants,

B

2009 September 19

(Continued from pg 16)Take action in new areas

constantly working toward your chief aim/

goal. Read new material with a partner, find

people online who are looking for something

more. If you are not affiliated with any social

groups, join one. Don’t know of any in your

area, do a Google search. Always be ready

to approach a situation with a new problem

solving technique. The more you believe that

you can make a difference the more you’ll

see new thing take shape.

Try it out and if it doesn’t work, try an-

other approach. I only implore you to do

something you’ve never done before to get

better

results.

Until next time...stay F.I.T.!

neighbor’s family and friends. You want

everyone in your immediate circle to at-

tend because these events provide nu-

merous opportunities; for one your cur-

rent customers whom are already ex-

tremely satisfied with your organization

can inform the new clients and prospects

about your product or service. What I

like most about an open house is con-

necting clients with one another. This

gesture in itself is worth its weight in gold

because people never forget where they

receive good leads. Period.

Are you ready? Did I scare you? If yes;

good. If no; good. These short action steps

will make the difference between a success-

ful business and always hearing, “I didn’t

even know you were here.”






Special Thanks:Special Thanks:Special Thanks:Special Thanks:

My Maker and Creator for blessing me

with the talent of teaching and learning

My Mom and Dad for always believing

in me

Chris and Valerie, my best friends; I did

it. Thanks for telling and showing me I

can.

To all F.I.T. Money contributors for

bearing with me.

And most importantly you for believing

in us and believing in your self to be

willing to take a chance on something

new.

Until next time...stay F.I.T.!

Date post:	29-Mar-2016
Category:	Documents
Upload:	fit-money-publishing-llc
View:	220 times
Download:	3 times

F.I.T. Money Magazine, September 2009

Documents