My wife and I were on the way to Ikea this weekend, waiting for the bus to whisk us to the land of stylish-yet-affordable home decorating solutions. The retailer runs a free shuttle bus from New York City’s Port Authority bus terminal to its Elizabeth, NJ mega-store, and we figured it would be better to go by bus rather than risk the traffic.

So we’re standing in line, quietly waiting for the bus to arrive, when this guy starts walking up and down the queue handing out business card. “Hi, I’m Kerry. I’m the man with the van. If you’re buying anything at Ikea today or at any time, give me a call and I’ll deliver it to your home or office.” Well-spoken, card in hand, this guy moved briskly from one person to the next in an attempt to drum up business.

Impressive, I thought. I took the card, put it in my pocket and figured this might come in handy. But more to the point, I was impressed that this guy was working a group of prospects who most likely would need his help.

It got me thinking (and my wife hates it when that happens because I get really quiet and disappear into my own little world). What would happen if this “man with a van” ratcheted up his marketing just a little bit?

In looking at Kerry, he wasn’t to impressive to behold. Clean cut but wearing a t-shirt and baggy jeans, he fit the mold of a guy looking to pick up a few bucks on the weekend. But let’s say Kerry went out and spent a few bucks on a nice golf shirt and had it emblazoned with his name on the breast? How about a color business card showing him standing next to his van, smiling on a sunny day?

Then, rather than merely handing out his card and doing his little speech, Kerry could go up to each person and offer them a copy of the Ikea catalogue and shopping guide (both free for the taking at any Ikea store). Let them know that he was looking out for them, and offer to help them with any delivery issues once they had completed their shopping.

The point is that Kerry was really hitting the pavement (so to speak), working the crowds to make his business happen. But with just a little more effort (and by spending under $100) he could probably have raised his profile significantly.So, too, you can do these little things in your office. When a client comes to visit you, is your waiting room filled with old magazines or bar journals? Consider a subscription to the periodicals that your prospects would find interesting. Add a coloring book or two for the little ones who come with their parents to consultation appointments.

How about a plant or two in the office? They brighten things up, mute the harshness of industrial office lighting, and make things look “homey.”

If you really want to go overboard without spending a lot of money, consider this trick a colleague uses. Rather than having law books in the library, have some fiction and non-fiction to read. The Salvation Army, Goodwill and similar stores have books on sale for as little as $0.25 a piece, and the impact is astounding. People won’t feel as tense, and will relax a bit. You’ll be seen as a “real person” who is ready, willing and able to help.

If you walk in on a client thumbing through a book, offer to lend it to them. Write your name, address and phone number on the front page and let the client know they can have it for as long as they like, but that you’d appreciate it back when they’re done. Even if they don’t bring it back, your name and number is floating around town.

And if you see Kerry, the man with the van, say hi and let him know I may call him for my delivery.

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This entry was posted on Monday, January 15th, 2007 at 8:09 am and is filed under Marketing. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.