It's generally not worthwhile to advertise a credit counselling business on radio and TV, unless you do so, on a 'per inquiry' basis.
After any free radio and TV talk shows, and newspaper feature stories about your business, the next best method of spreading the word about your business will be via the guest speaker route at civic club meetings. And don't forget the women's clubs. Your talk to these groups should be 'scripted', simply explaining the alarming number of bankruptcies, the great losses suffered by business because of bankruptcies; the exasperatingly poor record of the American people with money management responsibilities; and urging for support to get 'back to the basics' and teach practical money management courses in the schools, and be example in the home. Such a talk should bring you a big round of applause and a continuing source of referrals.
To carry this effort just a little further, set up Credit and Debt Counseling Seminars or Workshops. You can arrange to hold them in the banquet rooms of well-known restaurants in your area, meeting rooms at your local community college, fraternal club meeting halls, motels, or even churches - because of the suspicion that you are setting up to sell something when you don't charge an attendance fee. Most people are aware of the bottom line - which you are trying to sell them something w hen you invite them to a seminar or workshop. However, most feel that when there is a cover charge, the basic information you will be giving will be more useful than that given when there is no charge to attend. And if they have paid some kind of fee, they will be more at ease in listening and evaluating, without the pressure when they have come "for free."
Seminars are one of the most lucrative (and fastest) ways of getting a new business of to a running start. When you stage seminars, it is imperative that you flood the area with advertising, being sure to promote the seminar, not the product that you are really selling.
Your seminar script should be basically the same that I have outlined for you as a guest speaker, the difference being that instead of closing with a call for more education in money management, you briefly outline the simplicity of the 'envelope deposit' system. You then close with an open invitation for those with particular problems or needing special help to call you office and set up an appointment for personalized counseling service.
Even before you officially open for business, you will want have a tentative list of people you can possibly train as employees to handle the workload as your business grows. Rather than pay these people a salary, simply give them a commission for each client they handle. In other words, you can sign a client for $100 over 10 months, sell the account to a factoring company for 80% of the total, collect $80 in cash immediately, pay your commission counselor $30, and bank $50 in profit with no real work involved on your part. And if you have hired a good counselor, you can rest assured that your client has been well served.
Basically, that is how easy it is to put this kind of business together and make it start paying off immediately. Remember, you must be constantly soliciting new customers, and building the number of customers you or your counselors talk to each day. You should strive for an average of three counseling sessions per day, five days per week, before seriously considering additional help.
At $10 per month from each account, this will give you $150 per week or a total account billing of $1,500 per week. By factoring your accounts at 20% of their total value, you will have an immediate cash income of $1,200 for the week. The factoring company will handle all the billing and bookkeeping, eliminating your need for those services.
The way to success in this business is, however, to keep this happening every week. It will depend upon your advertising, the service you give, and the reputation you build.
The prime requisite will be work and perseverance on your part, but once you are established, with a few commission counselors working for you, the business can easily gross $150,000 per year in even small to medium size cities. You now have the knowledge; the rest - the action part - is up to you. Best of luck! |
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