Ways to Find New Customers - Part 3

I guess I could be biased, but I love the library. That could be because this year I was selected to serve as a trustee for my local branch. But it's also because I have been going to the library since I was 3 years old, with a huge break in my 20's - I rarely went during that decade.

Here's what I have discovered about how a library can help you from a business perspective. There are dozens of reference books at your disposal to help you identify new customers. There are two that I use frequently. One is the Business Directory by directoriesUSA.com, a division of InfoUSA. This book tells breaks down businesses by city, by yellow pages directory category, by major employers, and manufacturers by city and SIC code. So you can use this directory to look at a particular city and the kinds of businesses in that city, or you can identify a type of business (ie: medical manufacturers) and look at all businesses within that SIC code. I can assure you that as well as you THINK you know your area, you WILL find businesses that you never knew existed. You WILL find new opportunities.

The second one is the Lexis Nexis Advertising RedBooks. These books tell you the names of companies by city, their sales, the # of employees, a description of their business, key personnel, their advertising expenditures and what types of advertising they invest in, and who is their agency of record. Again, this list companies as big as Sears and as small as a 5 person shop that
makes ball bearings. You can find out who the president or Chief Marketing Officer is, what kinds of advertising they buy, and develop your talk track and approach around the research that you have done. Imagine the powerful position you can be in if you approach a president and say, "My job is to help you sell more ball bearings. I see that you invest half of your marketing budget on trade shows and industry publications. I have some ideas for direct marketing that can increase your sales by as much as 20%. Should we talk about this further?" Who is going to say no to you?

I'll go one further. I am offering to go to your local library with you and spend one hour doing research with you. You just have to make it before Christmas, as I will likely be going on maternity leave til the 2nd quarter. Drop me an email telling me you want me as your research assistant, and I'm all yours. I'll even buy lunch!
kmallozzi@solutions.canon.com