The ultimate list to get customers on and off line : 96 tools !

Find new prospects is a leitmotif of companies. In fact, the natural erosion of its customer base requires constantly find new customers to replace those that disappear.

Some studies estimate that companies lose annually about 10% of their customers (choosing a new supplier, closure, change in consumption habits ...), so that after 5 years if we do nothing half its customers disappear ...

To find new customers, many tools are available to companies, so here is a list of the main tools to use to recruit new customers. Note that these tools are not ranked by importance.
Part 1: The traditional marketing tools to find a client.

Tool 1: The flyers and leaflets. They can be distributed on the street or be left behind (in the enterprise or with partners). The format can be exotic or classic (A5), the important thing is to propose a simple and clear messages, with a call for immediate action and a very visual impact.

Tool 2: The display advertising outside the store, be it buses, urban displays, taxis, elevators, escalators, building facades ... The goal is to offer products and services in places of transition from its customers.

Tool 3: The man sandwich, whether by men (or disguise simple panel) and even animals that can be dressed in advertising.


Tool 4: The window panels and displays in the store. These are traditionally the major elements to attract customers in a shop. The window must be changed regularly (avoid posters bleached by the sun which give a bad image of your company). You can follow the example of those bakeries and pharmacies.

Tool 5: Vehicles such as cars, scooters, trucks of supplies ... which are media of communication that are near your customers, and can be parked in areas of high transition to generate awareness.

Tool 6: The answering machine and message waiting, often neglected these are tools that can generate additional sales during a waiting call. Your documents (letterhead, invoices, quotations ...) can also accommodate commercial messages (promotions ...).

Tool 7: The uniform employees is a key to create a differentiation in the minds of its prospects. So we just do not buy a product or service, but an atmosphere and image. The uniform can be "classic" as in Fast Food, or give a "high end" as in bakeries Paul.

Tool 8: networking evenings and work network (via email, regular calls ...), it is often overlooked sales tool by the new contractor, or is one of the best ways to generate recurring business via word of mouth and recommendations. However this requires a lot of time and this can only work several months after the first steps ...

Tool 9: Sponsorship, whether by its employees or customers, is an excellent tool to generate lower cost of sales. Indeed they are your customers who are transformed into business for you, putting forward their credibility because they use the solution and their impartiality because they often earn a symbolic gift. It is also a tool that you do not pay to performance, ie when a sale is made.

Tool 10: Loyalty cards are used to return a client "zapper" more regular in-store or to avoid part to competition, allowing the final generate more turnovers.

Tool 11: The sign and advertising signs in the store are used to generate additional sales, the fitted range of impulse buying ... by making known to its prospective customers and the extent of its range. The exterior must immediately inform the supply store and how it is different to encourage customers to return, signs in stores (as is the flat screen TV or the classic ... PLV) to finalize the sale.

Tool 12: The advertising has several objectives, either remain in the memory of the client after a visit, a show ... or thank a client for a large order, or be delivered by a distributor to its prospects. The Tshirt is an extension of advertising because it allows its clients to transform men into sandwiches.

Tool 13: The lounges for business and individuals are intended to come into contact with hot prospects. 1 or 2 days together in one place for people interested in your products, make them a quick and try to sell your product (or obtaining information for an appointment later).

Tool 14: Exchange of visibility, whether in the media, newsletters, in boxes of product on the POS, on packaging ... aims to make a complementary product. Since this is an inexpensive marketing tool it is beneficial to both parties, who may make gifts in kind.

Tool 15: Business cards are essential tools for all businesses to leave the details of their business to prospects. This card can be named or generic (mini flyer) if a customer is not followed by a commercial.

Tool 16: The sample and the trial offer is a key to convince reluctant prospects. This can be done to taste their products, or allow 30 days of testing of the solution.

Tool 17: The mailing is the traditional tool of direct marketing, it can send a tangible medium and high value-added to 100% of its customers (everyone in an address). The disadvantage is its cost (about € 1.5 to 2) and time of transmission.

Tool 18: SMSing and MMSing use mobile phones as a tool of transmission. As recent media still reading rates are still very high (80%). It is a medium for the immediacy and the call to action. Its cost is relatively high (between 0.08 and 0.15 € / message).

Tool 19: The faxing is a tool that provides immediacy and a physical medium, it is excellent to start a special promotion. It is against unattractive when there is a complex message to convey.

Tool 20: press designed to achieve a reputation in the media, whether through the dissemination of press releases, press kits, or press conferences (to the attention of bloggers and journalists). But remember that the media relay the information interesting and value-added, they are not there to make your free advertising.

Tool 21: The radio, whether local or national, is a media which aims to generate a strong reputation in a short time and allows for short messages and promotional materials.

Tool 22: TV ad on national television, local, or DTT / Cable, and reaches thousands of people with a strong value message with a very strong image creation. The concepts of current TV Low Cost enable SMEs to large to use the media previously inaccessible.

Tool 23: The film is a marketing tool that affects the young and AB +, with a high degree of attention from the target. But the cost of producing a film advertising is still very high compared to the number of contacts affected.

Tool 24: Advertising on unusual places such as benches, toilet bars, barriers during the concerts, parks and public places ... are interesting to use when large events or to receive an urban population that is somewhat blasé by traditional advertising (provided you have the rights to this promotion).

Tool 25: Create an association or interest group brings together professional actors of a sector (or even competitors) to both disseminate good practice (barometer, award prizes, ranking ...) but also to pool costs and organize events strongly generating images (eg associations, night markets ...).

Tool 26: The sponsorship allows the company to involve in a sport (or team) to provide visibility of it. This can also be used to infuse a spirit of sportsmanship in the company.

Tool 27: The Datasheet is a cornerstone of the sale, because it allows more customers and distributors on product features. This paper or electronic form must detail the characteristics of the products, answer any questions before selling the leads and to indicate in which order.

Tool 28: Demonstrations, whether through live demonstrations in stores, or via demonstration videos on a website or a CD-ROM or a DVD with a movie. The aim is to visually demonstrate the benefits of the product in order to convince the prospect to buy. The demonstration can also be a TV + video store.

Tool 29: Make a quiz is an excellent way to generate traffic but not very focused. It is essential to a relay on and off line because the lots in themselves not enough to generate interest. We must therefore devote a significant portion of its budget to its communication (basic purchase, advertising, channel distribution ...).

Tool 30: The bands and the billboards are essential components to announce events (store openings, sales, promotions ...), many public locations are available at reasonable prices.

Tool 31: The bags used to gain visibility in the place of sale with customers who use them. First, the client carries just after his races and possibly later if any re-serves. But it is also a good way to gain visibility on a lounge where visitors seeking larger bag to store their documents throughout their visit.

Tool 32: The survey and market research used to identify a project for setting up, but they also identify hot prospects in its research phase. It is therefore interesting to keep the details of those interested. After starting a business, market research and survey to identify its customers and prospects of persons likely to order a product, and even to define the profile of best customers.

Tool 33: The recorded voice messages via the phone on the answering of phones and laptops also have a very high reading. It is a great way to ensure the dissemination of a short message and impact.

Tool 34: The professional directories or general paper like The Yellow Pages, Kompass ... still one of the most used tools to search for a supplier. It is therefore important to be present.

Tool 35: The smell can be a tool to attract prospects, that through artificial scent diffuser (eg smell of coffee) or natural (eg a bakery), but it can also be used to provide an atmosphere store to make it unique in the eyes of the client (eg: Sephora ...)

Tool 36: The vendor and company staff are essential to business success. A good commercial will convince the prospect by his arguments. But all the staff is also there to promote the company and give a positive image of the company, the standard delivery driver.

Tool 37: The sponsorship creates a positive image of the company in the eyes of the public, but also to get free press coverage. Sponsorship can be artistic (purchases, gifts of works of art) or with charitable donations to associations (eg Telethon).

Tool 38: The Phoning and telesales, whether by employees or through a sales force for action suppletive punch, can very quickly generate sales and appointments from a file qualified is available.

Tool 39: The purchase of lists of hot leads (prospects = hot), will retrieve qualified prospects and thus to obtain full details and an initial needs analysis in order not to waste time exploring "in the hard. " The drawback is a high cost (minimum 20 €) and often low volume.

Tool 40: Newspapers and local and national magazines are excellent tools to reach a population is large or targeted, and to allow a very good quality reproduction. The drawback is the lack of statistics and a cost of dissemination sometimes expensive for a small company that wants to advertise in glossy magazines.

Tool 41: The spread of sound is also a communication tool often overlooked, but which is important. This may be the dissemination of music in the store to give a specific identity in the store, via the distribution of music on the outside to attract customers. It is also possible to announce the opening of a store or promotion using speakerphone or music.

Tool 42: VRP, the hosts of sales (mainly supermarkets) or selling the home (by individuals or professionals) are also marketing tools to promote products and attract customers.

Tool 43: The open door (in business or in a rented) are an excellent way to create an event and give a "pretext" to attract prospects. The open day should always be relayed by a communication device important to attract as many people, but also to ensure their participation.

Tool 44: The introductory course in schools or even in the company are excellent ways to introduce prospects to a product or a trade. This helps to identify those interested in a product, and to attract anything other than the hard sell. It is also a way to generate additional revenue for a company.

Tool 45: The museum and the collections are designed to educate prior to convince, but to create a reputation and image for a company. It is not necessary to have a lot of content as the development is important (explain ...).

Tool 46: The shop (ie the site itself), is a key to the success of a business, and therefore it is essential to consider it as a communication tool in its own right. This shop can be clean for the enterprise (unique design, control of prices and services ...) or hosted on sites like sales mutualised PriceMinister.com, ebay.fr ... who are responsible for advertising and generate traffic .

Tool 47: The catalog and brochure are essential when selling goods and services, they aim to present the product range of the company so that customers do not leave the competition.

Tool 48: RFID and 2D bar codes are new communication tools to play on interactivity with the customer, whether through coupons (on the website, in magazines, on flyers ...) or on interaction with the customer through the RFID chip included in a loyalty card or mobile phone.

Tool 49: The WiFi and Bluetooth to communicate with computers, PDAs and mobile phones are increasingly used. It is thus possible to move or send messages in physical contact.

Tool 50: The asilage and Mailing bus (with or without partner) can offer its products in the middle of other promotions in order to share costs.

Tool 51: Prescribers are also a very important source of revenue. To do this we must ensure that they really affect the sales process and they have an incentive to prescribe the solution. You can encourage them to push your products rather than others through training, incentives ...

Tool 52: Communication event is to use your product unique situation, whether by placing the product in an unprecedented situation, either by creating an event around the product and its use.

Tool 53: Furniture advertising (in the shop or at your doctors) are used to highlight your brand and create a unique and differentiated. The furniture store may also help with the purchase, with such touch screens that guide the buyer to the best product. Going further, the vending machine is also an additional sales channel to offer your products or tools at times larger openings.

Tool 54: Postcards (to mail or free distribution) tools are inexpensive and interesting as they can be used in many contexts.

Tool 55: The sticker has the advantage to bring a "fun" to your products, and at a fair or an event you are sure to see the participants paste everywhere.

Tool 56: Promotions, whether of satisfaction or your money back, the test free samples, eat as much as you want, the price of call on a product ... are also a tool to publicize its offer . It should be noted that all products need not be cheap, just have a product priced memorable (eg the iPhone ®, Ricard ® ...).

Tool 57: Making an animation, such as a spectacle, a free caricature, a magician, a singer ... provides a magical dimension to an event.

Tool 58: Your attitude and his staff during that during the sale or the follow-up (during the delivery ...) and even in a non-commercial (eg in traffic jams be polite, learn and help people intend to buy your products ...). Brand your company affect medium and long term about your business.



Part 2 - Tools to find clients via internet

Internet has become indispensable in our daily lives, and it influences many decisions in purchasing or information retrieval. Therefore, a company must include in its reflection internet, even if it is a traditional trade.

Tool 1: The site is the base plate of the presence on the internet. The site must present the offer of the company and its USP (Unique Selling Proposition) and help to contact the company via a form. The site may also host a demonstration, testimonials, contact information ...

Tool 2: emailing and newsletter are the tools that are used by eCommerce, they can send to its customers and prospects targeted messages. It is also possible to rent (from 0.05 to 0.5 € / address) or buy targeted email files.

Tool 3: The purchase of keywords and phrases (listings) in Google Adwords / Adsense and other regulated (Yahoo, Microsoft ...) are one of the most profitable customers to recruit, because advertising is exactly what people are looking for.

Tool 4: Facebook is the leading global social network that allows for networking, dissemination of advertising and serve as a communication relay. This network, which mainly affects individuals is also a great tool for reaching professionals.

Tool 5: Referencing allows natural to appear in the commercial results of Google (90% market share in France). The key work is the domain name, trade links, the optimization of tags, the keywords on the page, HTML tags ...

Tool 6: The sites of coupons and bargains to be used before your special promotions and to attract bargain hunters.

Tool 7: Membership and store white label used to enhance your visibility by not paying your affiliates on the outcome.

Tool 8: The price comparison have the interest to generate extremely targeted traffic and thus provide visibility on hot prospects (software ...). You pay only click, which can pay to performance, but for now it is often necessary to have a new product or better price. Sites Cash-Back (partial reimbursement of purchases from buyers) are a good complement to the price comparison (eg Ebuyclub.com ...)

Tool 9: The market places, sites of intermediation (which bring together sellers and buyers) and download sites allow for the supply and demand in advanced sectors (construction, public works ... ).

Tool 10: Video of buzz is the tool that is often dream entrepreneurs, but it is very rare to get there. Dissemination may be through specialized channels on Youtube, Dailymotion ... or via its own hosting on your site. The ideal is to broadcast a maximum information on the web. The distribution of videos over the long term can be done via a Web TV that is used to create the image and educate about your products and services, or receptacle for your programs (eg Mozinor on Dailymotion).

Tool 11: Blog or Personal Pro can quickly and easily distribute content on the Internet (news, buzz ...) with the big advantage to be very well indexed by search engines. It is a tool to generate the long-term reputation and image, but requires work (2 to 4 hours / week).

Tool 12: Signature of email is one of the most simple, but often the most neglected. Yet it helps to disseminate information at a cost of 0 € to their contacts.

Tool 13: Communities and Wikis allow users to unite around a given theme. So we built a relationship over the long term and it enjoys the support of its members.

Tool 14: Forums and comments on the blogs used to publicize a company and its services while providing a service to users. It's a win / win relationship, to the extent that the company should not be used to advertise so outrageous ... and the forums should provide comments primarily on the value added.

Tool 15: Coregistration is a great way to capture prospect contact information via an additional site, not competitor offers as an option to receive information from your company. Of course you do the same with your own prospects.

Tool 16: advergames can get advertisements in a video game. Thus viralité the game allows you to be distributed freely by users.

Tool 17: The online advertising (banner ads, skyscrapers ...) allows you to relay your promotions on sites with large audience.

Tool 18: The banner exchange is private, or through networks of exchange allows for visibility without spending a budget too high. Using Google Ad Planner allows us to compile statistics of visits between the two sites.

Tool 19: Free ebook and other white papers are excellent tools to generate forms with contact information of prospects. It is clear that a content with high added value and to attract target users.

Tool 20: Digg Likes to share links to interesting sites among a community of users. It is a sounding board for a buzz or video content to add value.

Tool 21: Mapping the Internet (Google Maps ...) and nearby sites (Dismoiou.fr) are used to make his company's local search.

Tool 22: The eCommerce site is an extension of the plaque site, because it can sell directly to users.

Tool 23: Quiz and test online can also generate contact with prospects interested in a given subject.

Tool 24: eGoodies and freebies (wallpapers, API, blog design ...) will attract a prospect to recover contact information for selling your products with higher added value.

Tool 25: Writing articles and forums in content sites (eg journaldunet.fr, lepost.fr) or blogs can get the expert status and visibility to a targeted audience .

Tool 26: Sponsorship of the newsletter and purchase tickets to sponsorisés bloggers on your topic can very quickly gain notoriety on a large number of Internet users.

Tool 27: Twitter is a communication tool in full bloom, for the time being the preserve of technology enthusiasts, but it is a new channel of communication.

Tool 28: Viadeo & Linkedin and all social networks allow professionals to reach a target of professionals, whether made by direct contact, messages in groups, to relay information from your news ... Social networks for teenagers as Myspace, Beboo ... are quite interesting to be known for the hundreds of thousands of registrants.

Tool 29: The mini-sites and landing pages allowing you to offer pages specifically optimized to convince the customer to buy your products. These pages should be used in conjunction with Google Adwords and banner advertisements.

Tool 30: Sites of jobs and classifieds sites can also serve as the visibility of your business, but the impact is much lower because these sites offer little visibility or at a significant cost.

Tool 31: Powerpoint presentation with pictures and funny videos allow for viral dissemination as they are relayed by emailing and hosting sites jokes and humor.

Tool 32: The generic directory (Pagesjaunes.fr ...) or business sites, government and local authorities (town halls ...) provide a communication space sometimes free to run your communications.

Tool 33: The RSS feeds are now required to disseminate information to a population faithful (promotions, news ...). Nevertheless, the newsletter should be preferred classical as it will retrieve the details of your visitors.

Tool 34: Co-creation and Guerrilla Marketing 2.0 enable the brand to use the Internet as a generator of content. For example, the creation of advertisements by Internet via blogbang.com, selling photos on fotolia.fr ...

Tool 35: Virtual worlds (Second Life ...) and virtual exhibitions are still in their infancy, but progress towards a 3D Web is moving ... This new way of using the Internet to allow more interactions with customers and prospects but also to establish new sales channels.

Tool 36: Widgets and APIs (eg iPhone) allow customers and prospects to have always at hand to your order.

Tool 37: The presence Marketing allows you to converse with your customers and reduce barriers to the purchase and sales cycle. Chat, avatars, agents conversational automatic ... offer a new interaction with the user.

Tool 38: The purchase of keywords via the "Ad Links" allows you to get visibility on content sites and provide a communication tool alternative to Google Adsense.

With this list you have the full arsenal to find your first clients ... remain to keep and retain chains via loyalty, empathy and responsiveness ...