Selling to consumers requires a general advertising approach. Consumer advertising is most often used by retail stores, but may apply to some services businesses such as plumbers, contractors, etc.

The most often used consumer advertising medium is the yellow pages of the phone book. You should ask for discounts for first time advertisers, and any specials they may be running. Also, a sales person can sometimes obtain better placement, a little extra color or bold printing, or other little perks if you insist. However, you need to get these in writing in advance. Also, you may want to insist that they bill you separately instead of tacking it onto your phone bill (and thus enabling them to cut off basic phone service if you have a dispute).

Another commonly used consumer marketing approach is newspaper ads. Make sure that you have plenty of white space and big letters stating a "hook" to draw them in, plus your location and phone number. Any listing of the owner's name or picture is ego only - it rarely pulls in customers.

A low cost way of getting exposure is the coupon mailers that come in the mail. If you piggyback your mailing with other companies the cost can be quite low to reach a large number of homes.

Telemarketing can also be very effective. There are now federal rules on telemarketing. You must identify yourself and the business within the first 20 seconds. Call or write the Direct Marketing Association in New York to get a free booklet on the topic.

Often, unusual ideas can generate sales. For example, we talked with an entrepreneur who sells custom designed golf clubs. He ran an all day golf clinic for minority and disadvantaged teens. He supplied the clubs, convinced a local golf course pro that this would be a good community service project, talked the city into listing his clinic in its monthly publishing of government-sponsored recreational activities, and got a local convenience store to split the cost of purchasing drinks and sandwiches from them in exchange for letting them hang signs promoting their business. Then he took the city government's brochure along with a press release to all the local radio and television stations to let them know that his business was trying to give disadvantaged kids a head start by making it free for them to learn about a rich sport. The result was such favorable media coverage that his sales increased over 30% at almost no cost to him!