About 15 Years Ago...
I was sitting in the Hollywood, FL Barnes & Noble, sifting through some business books.
Looking around, I noticed people strolling here and there... lazily browsing the store... some curled up in hoodies and even blankets, and nestled in big, oversized chairs. "Man, that looks comfy," I thought.
Just before I could focus my attention elsewhere, along comes a tall, middle-aged man with wire-rimmed glasses headed towards the financial section.
If ever there was a man on a mission, it was definitely this guy.
Without warning, he scoops up about half of the top row of books, indiscriminately, and plops them on the nearest table. He had probably gathered about 15 or 20 books.
Unfazed by the thump of the books, he sits down, digs deep into his pocket, and pulls out a stack of business cards.
Then he starts to...
Methodically Slip A Card In the Center Of Each Book
Once he had finished this odd task, he placed the books back on the shelf, in their proper place, and then pulled the rest of the books off the shelf, and followed the same procedure.
He repeated the process -- pulling books off the shelf, inserting a card in the center, and then reshelving -- for shelf number 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6.
Eventually, I couldn't take it anymore. Curiosity got the best of me.
So I walked over, just as he was about to leave, and asked him about what I just witnessed:
Why Did He Do It... and...What Was On Those Cards?
Nino (this man's name) was surprisingly forthcoming.
He told me that he was a local financial planner and that this little trick has been one of the best lead generating methods he has ever used.
He explained that if someone is willing to leave his house... drive all the way to the bookstore... spend time looking through a stack of books (even if he doesn't buy a book), then this person is highly interested in this topic.
As they browse through some of the books, he said, they'll notice my card. Let's see... they're looking through a book on financial planning... and lo and behold... they find a card from a local financial planner INSIDE the book.
"What do you think is the first thing that comes to mind?" he asks rhetorically.
Then he looked over at the bookcase and said,
"I Just Planted 200 Perfect Leads!"
When I pressed him on how successful this method was, he replied it had always produced at least one good client every time. Sometimes two, sometimes three, depending on the bookstore and the number of books.
LIGHT BULB MOMENT:
Then the wheels started turning. Because I had been helping a large number of lawyers with marketing, I began wondering if lawyers could use the same system -- stuff cards in legal books -- and get clients?
Was it legal? Was it ethical? (In a word... NO!)
Well, the thought was fleeting because lawyers are not encouraged (even prohibited) to use this type of solicitation technique.
But I've never forgotten about it. Here was a financial planner, spending about 30 minutes on marketing, with $0 out of pocket cost... yielding $5,000, $10,000, $20,000 or more in revenue.
Not too shabby!
Now, I'm not advising you to copy this man's methods. Not only can it get you kicked out of the bookstore, but it can also be considered solicitation, loitering, etc.
So please don't think I'm telling you to copy this method. I'm not!
I'm telling you about it because I want to expand your thinking, give you a new perspective and get your creative juices flowing.
This Man Did 3 Crucial Things:
1. Perfectly identified his target market
2. Went to where he KNOWS they are
3. Made his pitch
This 3-step formula is MONEY! Literally and figuratively.
How can you apply this type of thinking to your business? Give it some thought.
