Coupons That Work
By By Bette Daoust, Ph.D. 

Turn a coupon into a business card (or vice versa).

Coupons are seen everywhere; you clip them from the newspaper to save on groceries, you get them in the mail to save on brand name items, you even get packages in the form of booklets delivered to your door. Almost everyone believes in doing coupons. I always look to see if a restaurant I love is having a promotion and if my favorite ice cream is on sale at the grocery store, and I imagine that most people are the same. I am driven to using the because I regularly purchase the item whether on sale or not. Restaurants use to bring new people into the establishment. Some people even have a filing system for and make a hobby of collecting and making money in the process. I am not suggesting you go that far, but you can use a business card for a coupon.

If you want a customer to purchase your product for the first time and you happen to know that they are already interested, offer them a coupon on their first purchase. Retailers that want new customers for their credit cards do the same thing. Once they have the card in their hands, it is more likely that they will spend at the store. The same is true for any business

Apple Store - Buy a Mac for college, and get a free iPod touch.
Buy a Mac for college, and get a free iPod touch. - Expiration: 9/7/2010
HP Home Store - Save up to $585 instantly on the HP Pavilion Elite HPE-3...
Save up to $585 instantly on the HP Pavilion Elite HPE-350t series Customizable Desktop PC! Plus Save up to 30% Instantly on Accessory Bundles! - Expiration: 9/11/2010
Dell - Celebrate Labor Day with savings on Dell's most popular laptops u...
Celebrate Labor Day with savings on Dell's most popular laptops up to 25%! - Expiration: 9/7/2010
Dell - Enjoy exclusive back-to-school savings up to $354 on our performa...
Enjoy exclusive back-to-school savings up to $354 on our performance laptops like the Studio XPS 16 + get free shipping! - Expiration: 9/9/2010
Dell - Enjoy up to 30% off on popular brands of electronics and accessor...
Enjoy up to 30% off on popular brands of electronics and accessories! - Expiration: 9/7/2010
Dell - Save up to 26% our most popular laptops starting as low as $479.9...
Save up to 26% our most popular laptops starting as low as $479.99 + they ship in 24 hours! - Expiration: 9/9/2010
Dell - Back to school savings! Save up to 27% on popular Dell laptops + ...
Back to school savings! Save up to 27% on popular Dell laptops + get free shipping on select systems! - Expiration: 9/9/2010
Dell - Get the Dell Inspiron 14R for only $549.99 with a webcam, core i3...
Get the Dell Inspiron 14R for only $549.99 with a webcam, core i3 processor, 4gb memory and 320gb hard drive + 24 hour shipping - Expiration: 9/12/2010
Gap.com - Get 25% off your gap.com purchase 9/3 only; 20% off 9/4-9/5; 2...
Get 25% off your gap.com purchase 9/3 only; 20% off 9/4-9/5; 20% off 9/6; and 10% off 9/7. - Expiration: 9/7/2010
Cabela's - Free shipping on all fishing rods
Free shipping on all fishing rods - Expiration: 9/9/2010
ProFlowers.com - New Customer Special - Save 20% on orders $39.99 or more
New Customer Special - Save 20% on orders $39.99 or more - Expiration: 9/30/2010
Kmart.com - Online only Labor Day sale extra 5-20% off thousands of item...
Online only Labor Day sale extra 5-20% off thousands of items + free shipping on orders $60 - Expiration: 9/6/2010
Apple Store - The iPad. With a 9.7 touch screen and amazing new apps.
The iPad. With a 9.7 touch screen and amazing new apps. - Expiration: ??
Dell - Save $519 on the Studio XPS 9000 with a core i7 processor, 6GB me...
Save $519 on the Studio XPS 9000 with a core i7 processor, 6GB memory and 640 GB hard drive! - Expiration: 9/9/2010
Dell Small Business - Haier 40 HL40XSL2 1080p Ultra Slim LED HDTV only $...
Haier 40 HL40XSL2 1080p Ultra Slim LED HDTV only $649.99 after $450 Coupon Savings! - Expiration: 9/10/2010
HP Home Store - Save up to $505 instantly on the HP Pavilion Elite HPE-3...
Save up to $505 instantly on the HP Pavilion Elite HPE-310t series Customizable Desktop PC! Plus Save up to 30% Instantly on Accessory Bundles! - Expiration: 9/11/2010
Dell Small Business - Save $400 off PowerEdge T310 Tower Server, $565 af...
Save $400 off PowerEdge T310 Tower Server, $565 after Savings! - Expiration: 9/10/2010
Dell Small Business - Save 37% off Latitude E5510 laptop priced $899 or ...
Save 37% off Latitude E5510 laptop priced $899 or more! - Expiration: 9/8/2010
Dell Small Business - Save 30% off new Dell Latitude E6410/ E6510 laptop...
Save 30% off new Dell Latitude E6410/ E6510 laptops priced $999 or more! - Expiration: 9/8/2010
Dell - Save up to 25% our most popular laptops starting as low as $479.9...
Save up to 25% our most popular laptops starting as low as $479.99 + they ship in 24 hours! - Expiration: 9/9/2010
Dell - Save up to 25% on limited quantity systems starting as low as $29...
Save up to 25% on limited quantity systems starting as low as $299.99! - Expiration: 9/30/2010
Dell - Back to school savings! Save up to 25% on popular Dell laptops st...
Back to school savings! Save up to 25% on popular Dell laptops starting as low as $449.99! - Expiration: 9/9/2010
Dell Small Business - Save $200 off PowerEdge T110 Tower Server, $325 af...
Save $200 off PowerEdge T110 Tower Server, $325 after Savings! - Expiration: 9/10/2010
Dell Small Business - Peachtree Premium Accounting 2011 only $299.99 aft...
Peachtree Premium Accounting 2011 only $299.99 after $200 Coupon Savings! - Expiration: 9/4/2010
Dell Small Business - Peachtree Premium Accounting 2011 only $299.99 aft...
Peachtree Premium Accounting 2011 only $299.99 after $200 Coupon Savings! - Expiration: 9/10/2010

that wants new customers and also wants to form new business relationships. Hand them a discount coupon for either your products or services, or you can make arrangements with a local restaurant to purchase for a free meal.

Coupons are an excellent additional way to keep a business relationship alive. When I worked in a marketing department, my favorite thing was when our suppliers gave us tickets or for special events.

Bette Daoust, Ph.D. has been networking with others since leaving high school years ago. Realizing that no one really cared about what she did in life unless she had someone to tell and excite. She decided to find the best ways to get people’s attention, be creative in how she presented herself and products, getting people to know who she was, and being visible all the time. Her friends and colleagues have often dubbed her the “Networking Queen”. Blueprint for Networking Success: 150 ways to promote yourself is the first in this series. Blueprint for Branding Yourself: Another 150 ways to promote yourself is planned for release in 2005. For more information visit http://www.BlueprintBooks.com