Take a simple test. Search online for the product you sell. Limit your search further by adding your zip code. Are you there? People are using the internet and search engines to everything these days. If your business is not being found you are missing out on a lot of sales.

A good place to start is with Google Places. This free service allows any business to list themselves and the products that they sell. There is space for you to describe you business in detail and you can add photographs and logos. That’s a lot of advertising for free.

Bing and Yahoo also have similar listing services. Make sure that you complete your business profile on each service. Take advantage of the listing by using keywords about you location, goods and services. This will help to “put you on the map” and let your future customers find you.

In the old days you would join a fraternal organization, the local Elks, Moose or Eagles Club. Maybe you were more into the religious sector, the Masons, or Knights of Columbus. Possibly it was just the country club to play some golf. Whatever, it was it was a social event. 

Read more: Who Knew?

Are you relying on yellow pages to generate sales? Recent studies show that more people are finding the businesses, products, and services they are looking for with a search engine instead of the yellow pages. For many years just about everyone looked for a local business in the yellow pages. Today the computer or smart phone using the internet, are the preferred method to locate your business and products.

Read more: Fingers Type More Than They Walk