Tying in with my IT-business integration post, I figured I'd offer some related advice on it.

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Most major retailers these days ask for some form of information from you upon purchase or order, and this information is potential gold to them. The information that you give to them allows them to continue to market their respective products, new lines, etc. all with various cost-saving volume/investment techniques like new product cards that are mailed to your shipping address.

The point of this is to help you see how you can utilize such techniques to increase your sales or services flow with low-investment.

Collecting Information

Successful warfare is the proper use of information, and in economic times like this - business is most akin to warfare. Collecting information from your customers should be considered an art, and there are plenty of different ways to do it - you just have to be creative. I can't help you with that, I can just help you to think about it. Find ways for them to give you their information voluntarily, so make it both attractive and logical.

Following Through

The information is not going to translate itself into sales. You have to use that creative streak that you have awakened within yourself to use the information you have collected to reach out to your customers and alert them to sales, new products, savings, etc. - just about anything you might normally advertise, but delivered with a cheap twist.

Hope this has helped. <3