Finally, a book that offers more useful marketing informationthan the usual “Offer a good product and they will come”mantra. Money Tree Marketing has unique, cheapideas for selling your product or service. We spoke with co-authorPatrick Bishop to get a sneak peek at the tips inside.

How can a small-business owner get paidto market a product or service on TV stations orradio?

Patrick Bishop: A majorityof cities have talk radio stations that will sell you 30 or 60minutes of airtime; you can start your own radio show for less thanit would cost you to buy 10 60-second commercials. They’llallot you a certain number of spots you can sell to sponsors tocover your costs and make a profit. For example, a health foodstore in Oklahoma City can buy one hour of airtime from a localstation for about $150. It could then sell five or six sponsorshipsto such businesses as a massage therapist, a chiropractor or aweight loss clinic for $50 to $100 each. [The health food storeowners] would be promoting their own business and, in the process,become health experts. Many well-known national celebrities startedout this way.

How can a small business get acelebrity endorsement?

		Learn More Find other ways to get inexpensive radio and TV coverage inAdvertising On The Cheap.

Bishop: This is done with alicensing agreement. Let’s say you have a business that sellsT-shirts and you want to expand your business. You could sign alicensing agreement with a popular band like Pearl Jam and agree topay them a royalty for every T-shirt you sell with their name orlikeness on it. It’s obvious that you’ll instantly sell alot more of the shirts with Pearl Jam on them than the oneswithout. Think of all the merchandise sold with the names ofpopular bands or colleges or Pokemon on them. It’s amultibillion-dollar business, and almost anyone can take advantageof it.

Do you have any special tips forhomebased business owners who sell a product-say, handmadebeads?

Bishop: A product such ashandmade beads would be ideal to market through nonprofitorganizations such as schools. There are thousands of schools andorganizations within the schools that have fund-raising projectsonce or twice a year. They’re always on the lookout for uniquefund-raising ideas. By using this technique, you would havehundreds of people selling your product and promoting yourbusiness. You just need to be sure that you’re capable ofdelivering enough finished product.

What about any special tips forhomebased business owners who sell a service, such as graphicdesign or accounting?

Bishop: A service businesssuch as a graphic design or an accounting firm can dramaticallyincrease business by taking advantage of referrals. Referrals are atremendous way to build a business because it takes very littleoverhead and you can use the power of compounding to youradvantage. It’s easy to approach referrals because someone theyknow referred them to you. Thus you make optimum use of your timesince you’re dealing mostly with people who are alreadyinterested in your product or service.