Things you will need:
Business cards, business cards and more business cards! You can easily find 1,000 quality cards for under $25, and this is an essential tool when promoting your service to local businesses.
Your business name. Something catchy, something available, and something that appeals to your community. Registering your business name is important, if only to make sure you don’t set up all the work just to have someone steal your name.
Obtaining your business license should be postponed. The first year you will charge nothing, assuming you build the business in preparation for a January launch, and it will turn out to be an unnecessary fee as a result. But we’ll get into that a bit later.
HOWEVER, there is an amendment to the above suggestion. There are many reasons to join your local chamber of commerce, mostly related to meeting and networking with other local business owners. However, this will require you to have your business license. Also, a business or two may not work with you without this. I’ve only had one person make a fuss. I went out and got my license the next day. But I still feel that this can be started without him, if you’re short of money.
How the process works:
Find companies that are willing to offer a year-round discount to select cardholders. With a little hard work, you should have no fewer than 70 businesses in time to print.
The point is that people will pay for the card for two reasons: because it benefits the community, through fundraising, etc., and because it appeals to them in the form of offering some significant savings. Big companies will often say no. Not always, but even if it’s offered for free, some people will think you’re up to something, or advertisers have bugged them for so long that they’re cold inside.
Don’t be discouraged. Start focusing on small businesses. These people don’t have a lot of money for advertising. They are excited to find something that is free. And once you have them, you have a legitimate image that paves the way for more companies to join.
Therefore, it will offer to add companies for free for the first year. This gives you the numbers you need, and let’s be honest, you really need them. But do not worry. Your card sales will generate impressive ROI, all of which will be used to continue next year with the goal of charging businesses $100-$800 to participate.
You’ll have to design the booklets yourself, assuming you’re a little short on money. Photoshop should work fine. If you stick to a basic color list, including a logo, discount, and contact information, you should be able to fit all of your businesses into one 8-12 page brochure. If you don’t have the technical knowledge, you should be able to hire someone locally and at a reasonable price.
Your plastic card must have your website, business name, and expiration date printed on the card. It should be classy, something people don’t mind looking at 4-5 times a day. If you can number the cards this will cut down on some issues later on, but realistically it will be more expensive and ultimately unnecessary.
Also, have a place for them to sign or write their name. You’ll find that business owners, whether it’s a deal breaker or not, will ask if the cards are numbered or if there’s a way to make sure a membership card isn’t swiped. A signature reduces this and provides peace of mind for business owners.
But really, if you don’t offer a place for your name, just say “who cares if you stop by? Regardless of whether someone paid for the card or not, they got to YOU because of your advertisement and discount.”
Plastic cards will cost you approx. $300 for 2000.
The brochures will cost approx. $500 for 2000.
Both can be purchased from various online stores. Study hard. You’d be surprised what a good deal feels like, until you’re kicking yourself for paying more than you had to.
And drum roll… BUILD A WEBSITE!
This is very important. Do you need a website. People expect it. Without a website, you might as well be operating out of the garage. And maybe you are, but there’s no reason for people to know that. A website can be built in such a way that YOU appear to be a TEAM of fancy business people. This is important to both clients and the companies you represent.
The website must be clean and SEO friendly. You should offer listings for all of your businesses. Chances are your customers don’t always have your brochure with them. Also, they will not always be on the internet. The website and the brochure will work hand in hand.
Dixie Rewards is a business started by Dan Bringhurst. The Dixie Rewards Card was started following the guidelines written above, and the website, while only one part of our business, is an essential tool without which we would not be in business.
