Jewel-Encrusted Cheesecake, Anyone? Absolutely!

The "Neiman Marcus Christmas Book" will arrive soon. We're breaking open the piggy bank this year to order the 4-lane bowling alley, complete with professional lessons, for the office. This starts at $1.45 million dollars. It just so happens that the coupon-cutting and sale-shopping we did over the past 11 months netted us $1.4 million. We'll just dip into the company till for the remaining pocket change. It's a write-off, right? Strike!

Who buys this stuff? Not us. Who cares? We should. Anyone who markets a business should take note. Neiman Marcus gains a ton of brand awareness from this catalog - increasing overall sales.

As the years progress, SHOCK and AWE are the necessary ingredients for successful Holiday promotion. Paper, airwaves, and all things media become more cluttered with messages of Holiday cheer. It takes more creativity than ever to get attention and resulting sales.

Do you have Holiday marketing that shocks your target audience to attention and awes them to purchase?

If you're a retailer:
Place a burglar in your display window, with a sign: "Steal Your Gifts!" Give customers 25¢ for every dollar they spend right now. Customers pay the ticket price now, but get the discount certificate for use during their birthday month (thus, "stealing their birthday gift"). Not only do you get an immediate, higher ticket sale, but you get the customer back in your door.

If you're a service:
Holiday time is down time for most service businesses. Send a "Happy Holidays" message that announces a free or discounted trial of a new service.

If you're business-to-business:
Invest in a new name tag: Scrooge. Call on your clients, and see how a simple accessory can take you to a new level in your conversations. You may find that your clients hate all the Holiday hoopla, too. If you're completely energized during December, try a name like this: Blitzen.

If you're a manufacturer or wholesaler:
Mail your December invoices in a box with some mistletoe and a note: "We appreciate our relationship with you. Join us in kissing a loved one, and be thankful for family, friends and freedom this season."

Just remember: SHOCK and AWE. Jewel-encrusted cheesecake may be beyond your best customer's budget (and bad for their fillings). But it's good for your bottom line.


WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this complete blurb with it: Marketing Spitfires Holly George and Leslie Hamp publish Marketing Blast, a monthly ezine filled with red hot strategies to blast your business to the next level. If you're ready to jump start your marketing, make more money, and stay on the fast track to business success, get your F.R.E.E tips and Marketing Mastery Success Kit now at www.boostyourbottomline.com