What’s Your Sales Pitch?

 

One of the biggest challenges for small business owners is the wheeling and the dealing of making sales. This can be a tricky art form, and a lot of people just aren’t that comfortable with making the pitch to their customers. As a former manager of a FedEx Office location, especially of a brand new one, I needed to spend a good deal of time getting my new neighbors aware of the new business and what we could do for them. It wasn’t always the easiest of things to do for me. There are tons of marketing tactics you can use – and we’ve talked about a lot of them here and here – but what if you want something that will make the pitch for you?


Having a sample book that features images and descriptions of your products or services is one of the best ways to help potential customers learn about your offerings. In many cases, it can do the talking for you, relieving some of the stress of having to make a hard sell.

Get Your Organization Noticed Year Round with Fundraising Calendars

 

Finding new and different ways to fundraise for your school, organization or local charity can be difficult – especially with limited resources or time. With the endless bake sales and car washes everyone else is already doing it can be tough to stand out! Plus, when those events are over, does anyone really remember who you are? Out of sight, out of mind, right? So if you’re looking for something new to try this year, why not personalize your fundraising efforts by creating calendars to sell at your next event?


·         The personal touch you can put on your own customized calendar makes it that much more appealing to people considering a donation. Fundraising for your child’s basketball team? Including pictures of each teammate highlights the cause and creates a special keepsake for whoever wants to support the team. Raising money for your college photography club? Showcase some of the club members’ best work from the last year. 

New Year’s Resolution Series: Stay Positive with Health Journals

 

If you’re like a lot of people I know (including fellow Out of Office blogger Leah), you definitely gave some consideration to improving your wellness in the New Year. Maybe it was to find time to meditate, have better posture, lose a few pounds or try yoga. Unfortunately – at least in my experience – many of these undertakings seem overwhelming and too often people give up shortly after starting.


For me, there is one piece of advice that I always try to remember when creating a routine such as an ambitious new workout regimen: always take it one day at a time. With this in mind, I’ve found a really helpful way to keep myself focused on my wellness goals – a health journal.


There are lots of ways to create a journal that will monitor your daily activities in a way that is convenient for your lifestyle and that will lessen the stress of meeting your goals.

 

Prepare Your Business for the New Year

 

With the holiday shopping rush past us, what can you do to keep your business top of mind during the rest of the calendar year (hint, hint)? With calendars, of course!


Consider designing a custom calendar with photos of your products, services, people or your logo. Think of it as a big advertisement that you pay for once and it stays on current and prospective customer’s walls all year long. 


This can be the perfect time of year to give this gift – and it offers more than one benefit. It can be a way to say thank you to loyal customers. It’s also a great way for people to have your contact information at their fingertips.


People are searching for a 2011 edition calendar for their refrigerator door (and think about how many times they say that each day), office, or desktop. Calendars allow you to stay top of mind from week to week and month to month. ...read more

Tips to Reduce Holiday Stress

 

With Christmas just three days away, my fellow procrastinators are most likely starting to feel that holiday stress settle in. Now is the time to make those last minute dashes to the mall for forgotten gifts or to replenish your wrapping paper stash. But before getting too overwhelmed by your holiday “to-do” lists, check out these helpful holiday survival hints for those of us who haven’t been preparing since post-holiday sales last year!


Don’t delay – get gifts on their way: The last day to ship by FedEx Express for guaranteed delivery before Christmas is tomorrow, December 23. For additional deadlines to ship your gifts in time for the holidays, click here.


...read more

Bring Them Back with Coupons

 

Almost everyone I know is in the middle of their Christmas shopping. One trend I’m seeing from my friends is that they are trying to shop locally to support businesses in their neighborhood during the holiday season. It got me thinking that this is probably happening in neighborhoods across the country – and I’m sure stores are really enjoying the extra foot traffic!

Hopefully if you own or help run a business, you’re seeing this trend of new customers buying products or services for the holidays. So after they’ve stopped in once, how do you get them to return? ...read more

Deliver Your Best Design

 

Calling all aspiring graphic designers, creative folks and talented artists out there…we want to hear from you! While there are thousands (literally thousands) of templates and designs for holiday cards on www.fedex.com/designprint, we know that there is no limit to creativity and that some of the best ideas come from you, our readers and customers. 


So, it’s time to get inspired and submit your best holiday-themed design to our first-ever holiday card design contest, Deliver Your Design. Visit www.fedex.com/deliveradesign to see the great prizes for the winning design and read the contest rules. But don’t delay, there’s less than a month before the submissions portion of the contest ends on Dec. 12 and voting gets started! ...read more

Show Me the Light!

 

Back in June, I shared some news from the annual FedEx Office Signs of the Times survey with our Out of Office readers. Our poll found that small business owners believed marketing and advertising were both key to driving business in 2010. And when it comes to attracting potential customers or promoting your products and services to current customers, signage can be a helpful way to share information quickly. Colorful graphics, bold fonts and catchy prose can help to draw attention to important information in an easy-to-read format. ...read more

Discounts & Deals:
$9.99 4GB Flash Drive at Your FedEx Office

 

Here’s a great tip for all our Out of Office readers. Do you have some large files you need to get to FedEx Office to print? Or are you looking for a place to back up those important documents or files? FedEx Office has a great way to help out. From now through October 24th, FedEx Office will be selling a 4GB flash drive for only $9.99. That same flash drive normally sells for $14.99 in our centers, so stop by your local FedEx Office and take advantage of this special deal! 


Disclaimer: Offer expires 10/24/10. Kingston 4GB DataTraveler #9514. While supplies last. No rain checks/substitutions.

Recognizing Your Team and Top Performers

 

This week FedEx Office will be recognizing its top center of the year. Over the past couple of days, senior executives from the corporate office came to the center to work for a day, taking over the daily duties of the team members in the wining location. This weekend, the winning team and their guests will be going on an all-expense-paid trip to Orlando, Fla.  While not every company can offer a reward like this, I think it’s a great reminder of how important it is for managers and businesses to take time out to recognize their best teams and top performers. They are, after all, the face of your business and the key to your success.
 

While a trip to Orlando is nice, there are things you can do on regular basis to show your team how much you appreciate them and reward their performance. ...read more

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