Find New Customers Without Breaking the Bank

Iris Shokoff, freelance media consultant, counsels clients: "Never buy retail. Only if you absolutely must have page 3 or page 5 of a major magazine should you pay full price."

Consultant Lois Boyle of J. Schmid Associates says the first decision to make is whether to ask prospects to request a catalog (two steps) or actually buy a product (one step). The price of your products often will determine the appropriate method.