How to Be a Card Shark in Business

A smoke-filled room, the dealer in his tuxedo, putting the cards on the table one player at a time and calling out the lie. Each player considers his move before laying out their bets. Being a card shark in business shares many characteristics with a classic game of poker, but there are dozens of dealers, and thousands of players whose money you want on the table.

Playing the card game in business has many key elements, first of which is to assess your future, current and past customers. Who are they? Where do they come from? What characteristics do they share? If you are going to stack the deck, you need to know who is most likely to place a bet. If you are opening a new business, you had better have already studied the market, and have answers to all of these questions!

One of the trickiest things to obtain will be a mailing list that fits your demographic market, with a small amount of 'bleed' on the edges. You want a little 'bleed' because the reasons you are laying out the cards is twofold. First, you want people who are most likely to purchase your products or services to have in their hands a solid object that tells them you exist, and what you do. But, you also want to achieve a certain amount of 'buzz' in the market, getting people to talk about you and your company.

Create a message, a single message and repeat it over and over again. But every time you send out a card, put in a different graphic, something that is worthy of going on the side of the fridge or in a desk drawer for later reference. The image should be representative of the message you are sending, perhaps abstract, but not too abstract. Be sure your logo and contact information are completely legible. The concept of being a card shark in business it to burn three images into the customer's mind - your name, your logo, and what you do.

Timing is critical, and you will be repeating the same motions on a regular basis just like a good card dealer. If you are a brand new business, or wanting to reestablish your presence in the marketplace, the customer needs to be 'hit' on a regular basis, about every four weeks to begin with, then gradually spacing the time out to about every ninety days. You want them to have a hand full of cards within the first six months, so you are in their mind when (if you have the right mailing list) they are ready to buy.

Being a card shark in business takes a commitment of time and resources - but it is also one of the most cost-effective methods of reaching your target customers with the message you want them to have.