Are you working with intellectuals?

Intellectuals think before they act or feel. They may have less ability to express their emotions. But watch out because they may make up at least half of the U.S. population because our society tends to value this trait highly. Are you an intellectual? If so, you can count Tom Brokow, Vice President Al Gore, Hilary Clinton, Katherine Hepburn, Rev. Jesse Jackson, Mary Tyler Moore, Mozart, Elizabeth Taylor and Prime Minster Margaret Thatcher in your company.

Three great marketing tips

1. Carry business cards with you all day, every day. Give prospective clients two cards, one to keep and one to pass along.
2. Develop a site on the World Wide Web. It's inexpensive and has the potential to reach a lot of people. Do it here right at OneFamily.com
3. Submit "tip" articles to newspaper and client newsletters.

Identify and describe your customer.

Who are the people who do not have to be persuaded, bribed or coerced into buying your paintings (on velvet) of Elvis in his early years? Who has been waiting impatiently for someone to create a new and better cookbook featuring rhubarb and tofu recipes? Determine early on if your niche market is too narrow. Perhaps rhubarb and tofu enthusiasts, albeit dedicated and loyal, are too few to make the million dollars you hoped to salt away by Labor Day. Or perhaps the market you've identified is too large and needs a little reeling in. If you've identified all of China as a potential market segment and you have $10,000 allocated for next year's direct mail campaign, promotional brochures, advertising and Internet promotions, you may want to narrow your focus.

Concentrate your first efforts on customers who cost the least to reach and maintain. Spend one-third of your marketing dollars on testing new markets, and then use a portion of your resources to figure out what works and what doesn't.