What is on your Hors d’oeuvres tray? Think of all of your services and products as hors d’oeuvres. You are passing them around to your prospects and clients, a bright silver plated hors d’oeuvre tray topped with all that you have to offer.

What does your tray look like? Is it filled with a delicious spectacle of tempting delights, offering different shapes, sizes, colors and textures to all? Is there something there that resonates with each of your ideal prospects? Something to get your long term clients or former clients to come back for another “taste?”

Do you have everything that you need or does your tray appear to be empty? Do you need to change your recipe to spruce up the meal?

As a business owner it is your job to be the best hostess and to provide an overflowing and attracting silver plated hors d’oeuvre tray. Many businesses do not consider having a variety of items to choose from and feel that their main spread, perhaps a rich delight is all that is needed.

Today’s Audacious Marketer experts know it is important to be original, enterprising and spirited. A hostess of that title does not have a boring predictable menu.

What can you put on your tray? Spice it up a bit, have a mix of free items, perhaps newsletters, articles, tip sheets, promotional items such as gifts, coupons or other incentives. You can also have introductory products that allow you to establish a rapport with new prospects before asking them to engage in filling up on the main attractions.

Scatter your items around on your tray so that each person gets to pick what speaks to them. Some may grab for the beefy stuffed mushroom right away, others nibble for a bit on lighter fair until they get to know you.

On your tray your main products or services can also reside, even they can come in different variations, be mindful of the expected dieter who seeks a lighter experience.

Think about what is on your tray. You are the keeper of the tray, the hostess of the hors d’oeurves. Do you have enough to offer, something for the palette of all that visit you? This hors d’oeurves tray also serves as the marketing funnel for your business, offering that first nibble and enticing, through the aroma and display, other temptations in which your prospects and clients can participate. Like a funnel, it attracts prospects in, making them want to indulge more and more, moving through the hors d’oeurves and right on through to your main course, indulging in your marketing funnel with a predictable flow.