Wikipedia defines a contrarian as a person who takes up a position opposed to that of the majority, no matter how unpopular.

If you are in business, it is important that you be a contrarian.

I had a conversation recently with a client who was asking about other things she could do to improve her marketing in addition to the online strategies she already has in place. When I mentioned direct mail marketing, her first response was – “I didn’t think anyone does that anymore”.

My response was – “That is exactly the reason you want to do it!”. She has a very targeted list, which is important, and makes a few thousand dollars from each client. So for under $100, she can do a small direct mail campaign and probably get at least one client for her efforts … if she has GREAT copy for her campaign.

By “great copy”, I mean something targeted and written specifically to her target audience. It will be a one-page personalized sales letter written in a way that gets the recipient to take action. It can’t be something like the junk mail most of us receive everyday. And it has to be more than a postcard like everybody else sends.

Another example that comes to mind is from one of my many mentors. He beefs up his business and marketing in December when most people are saying – “Nobody does business over the holidays”. He generates a seven-figure income for his efforts because he is a contrarian and does the opposite of what most of his competitors are doing.

So think about new strategies you can put in place to enhance what you are already doing. Do the opposite of what your competition is doing and watch your client base grow along with your bank account.