Success Story
Rodney and Betty Amason
Rodney and Betty first came to the SBDC for assistance in the spring of 2007. They wanted to buy a Mr. Sandless franchise and needed some guidance on what questions to ask of the franchisor. The SBDC counseled the Amason's on all of their start up questions and helped them review the Uniform Franchise Offering Circular (UFOC). Their consultant also recommended
that they attend the Amarillo Hispanic Chamber of Commerce's Franchise Center Educational Seminar. It was an intense two and a half days of seminars, but it was well worth the time. So, if you need your wood floors refinished give, Rodney and Betty a call.
Business:
Mr. Sandless
Owners:
Rodney and Betty Amason
Locations:
Amarillo & Lubbock
Phone: (806) 355-9663
Employs:
2FT and 2PT Employees
Website:
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Seminars
INTRODUCTION TO BUSINESS OWNERSHIP
This Free Workshop
Includes:
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Develop a business Concept
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Determine a marketing strategy
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Identify Business Operations
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Discuss legal structures
August 12 8:30 - 10:30 AM
August 19 5:00 - 7:00 PM
August 26 12:00 - 1:30 PM
Call 372-5151 to RSVP
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Presented by the State
Comptroller's Office
Thursday, September 18th
6:00 to 8:00 pm
FREE Public Seminar
Call 372-5151 to RSVP
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Funded in part through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration. All opinions, conclusions or recommendations expressed are those of the author and do not recessarily reflect the views fo the SBA.
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Secrets for Writing Better Ads
1. Open your sentences with unexpected verbs. Don't write, "When you come to Don Honkus Ford, you'll...." Write: "Tap-dance those happy feet into Don Honkus Ford..." or "Maneuver your old monster down to Don Honkus Ford." Nothing is so boring as the predictable.
2. Be specific. The Yellow Pages are a service directory for people without a preference. A jeweler who buys diamonds and competes with pawn shops to buy diamond rings from broken engagements, created a Yellow Pages ad with a huge headline: "We Pay 22% More Than Pawn Shops for Diamonds." Specifics like "22%" are more believable than generalities.
3. Write emotional scenes that are imaginable. The following is an ad for a courageous client who owns a small coffee shop. The ad worked miracles: "There it is again. The buzz-buzz, agh-agh alarm that crow-bars my eyes, loudly. Is this a dream or real? What day is it? Am I still employed? Where is that button of snooze? To do, to do, so much to-do. It's sweat and Daytimers, soap-on-a-rope, aftershave, moose with no grunts in my hair. Gotta go-go, I'm driving, driven to the machine that I love, muchly. And there you are, all ground up, waiting to waterfall in my cup. It's you and your big red eye. It's me and my 5-gallon travel mug. It's a marriage made in a paper filter. Sip-sip yum-yum I'm zooming, awake with visions of flying pigs, and everything's possible. You did it. The roasting, the grinding; magical. Who, what, how? Louie's Coffee. I'm in love."
4. Listen for the drumbeats. Which is better? "We'll get there when we said we would be there or you don't have to pay us", or "Always on time or you don't pay a dime"? The power of the statement isn't in the rhyme, but in the meter; the drumbeat rhythm created by its naturally accented syllables. Meter makes words musical in the mind, even when the words are read silently. "Bounty, the quicker picker-upper." Meter, not rhyming, is the secret of why we remember song lyrics more readily than ads. Do you want your ads to be as easily remembered as the lyrics to a song? Take the time to put your words in meter.
5. Ignore the critics. Everyone has an opinion about advertising. Most will tell you they prefer ads that are smooth, polished and professional. In other words, drab, boring and easy to ignore. But if you write an ad that has the power to move people, it's naive to believe that everyone will be moved the same direction. Don't let what I'm about to say scare you, but if you aren't receiving some negative comments and criticisms about your ads, they're not working as well as they should.
By Roy Williams |
Franchise Center Educational Seminar
Is franchising right for you? How do you pick the right business? How do you get started, handle the marketing and manage the risk? Recieve the answers to these and more questions from franchise experts at the 2 1/2 day seminar. Tuition fees are $500 per person with a $50 discount if you register by August 24th.
September 4 - 6, 2008
701 S. Taylor, Suite 118
Call 806-379-8800 for more information
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Veteran Conference
And Job Fair for
Veteran-Owned Businesses
The SBA Lubbock District Office and the Panhandle Regional Planning Commission are sponsoring a FREE Conference with our area businesses, area educational institutions and government entitites.
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Ambassador Hotel - Amarillo, Texas
12:00 to 5:00 pm
If you would like to reserve a booth to promote procurement and business opportunities to veteran-owned businesses or to reserve a booth as potential employer of veterans, reservists, and national guard please contact Edmond Esparza at 806-372-3381. |
Regional Practitioner Meetings
Hosted by: IRS, TX NATP,
and Northwest and Southwest SBDC
8 CPE hours for tax professionals.
Learn through a day of informative sessions,
and hear from officials of several IRS tax divisions.
Lubbock Corpus Christi
Aug. 6, 2008 Nov. 5, 2008
806-745-1637 361-698-1021
lfarr@delmar.edu
Session Time: 8:00 am - 4:00 pm; Check in 7:30am
Call or email your location to register. |
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Quote of the Month
"I am one who believes that one of the greatest dangers of
advertising is not that of misleading people,
but that of boring them to death."
Leo Burnett
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Content & Layout by Ana Ramirez
Typos & Errors are Property of the Finder.
Copyright 2008 by WTAMU SBDC | |
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