Easiest way

The easiest way to get new customers is to ask for referrals. If you have people who have high dollar value purchase and high frequency, they're the best people to refer new customers to you.

The other best source for new customers is a competitor. Your competitors are your best source for new customers. Why? Because you cannot create demand, you can argue over it, think about it, debate over it, and you can't create demand.

Re-Channel and Re-direct

Proctor and Gamble can't create demand. Apple Computer could not create demand. All you can do is re-channel and re-direct it. You have to look at where the demand is in the marketplace and channel it over to you.

U.S.P.

That's where competitive advantage comes in. That's where unique selling proposition (U.S.P.) comes in. Unique to what? Unique to your competitor.

Sam Walton spent more time in his competitor's stores than he did in his own. Why? That's where all the great ideas were. That's where all the creative imitation happens is in your competitor's store. It's not stealing, it's research.

Don't be an ostriches

Most people are like ostriches they put their head in the sand and they only look at their own business and that's blind. Look at your competitors. It will broaden your mind. It will expand your mind and it will give you new ideas.

By being different from them you are being original. You may be the same and you don't even know it. The only way you're going to know what's available out there is knowing what the demand is, and the only way to know the demand is to go to your competitors online and offline.

With the online world it's so much easier to do competitive analysis now. In fact, when you're going to submit a business plan, one of the key factors is competitive analysis. Where is your advantage? It's the easiest place to get new customers.

Remeber, the easiest way...

So remember, the easiest way to get new customers is through existing customers or through your competitors. Pay attention to what they're doing and see how you can implement it in your own unique way to get more of the business attracted to you.