Howard Larson Featured Member August 2009

How do you describe your business?

This is the 4rd edition or evolution of my company with next year being our 35th year in continuous business. We are a target marketing / telemarketing company working in lead generation and new account generation to find new customers for small to medium sized businesses. With a double major undergrad degree in Biology and Philosophy and a Masters / Doctorate in Marketing there is not too much that can really slip though my fingers.

How did you come to be in your business?

When I graduated from college my father suggested I start up a business to create tax deductions. I knew the advertising business from my father so I opened a Photostat company.

What are the three best things about doing the work that you do?

1st we focus on results at a low cost for companies that normally would not have access to a company with fortune 500 advertising and marketing experience. 2nd, we produce fast results for our clients, within 2 weeks they WILL have sales appointments and information requests. 3rd we take the biggest fear (cold calling) away from a salesperson so they can do what they are trained to do, make sales presentations.

What has been your biggest frustration in creating your business?

Talking to potential clients who come to me too late to save their companies from lack of customers and/or have no money for growth. Second is talking to companies who think there product or service is so complex. With my background and education almost nothing is too complexed that 20-40 hours of study can’t get me to the point of being educated in their business and field.

How do you view the question of spending time working on your business... as distinct from working in the business?

For every 3.5 hours spent in my business I spend .5 hours on my business. With this balance I am able to keep a steady flow of new accounts going through.

What has been the biggest change that you've seen in your market since you started your business?

Changes in quality of work and technology. The things we did and the way we did them does not exist anymore. There were no computers, no internet, nothing. We used stat cameras to reproduce things, did layouts on a art board, we have specialty people doing concept, layout, writing, typography, camera work etc. now most of those specialty professions are gone never to return. And with the loss of these specialty people so disappeared really great advertising and marketing.

Where do you see the trends for your line of business in the next 5 years, and what do you foresee as opportunities and threats?

In the next 5 years this version of the company will be nationwide (USA) or franchised out across the country. I am also looking at the possibilities of expanding into Canada, UK, and Australia and other countries where laize-a-faire capitalistic is allowed to exist.

Who has been your greatest role model, and what lessons have you learned from them that you've taken into the way you do business?

My greatest role model is was my father. The man is an advertising genius who could do anything! We worked together until 1996 when he retired, and the agency business was not fun anymore without him (He was creative I was sales) so I sold out and went in a slightly different direction.

What is it that you believe, sets you and your business apart from others in your industry?

We focus on results and only results. Not long term planning but short 1 month or under planning for results. We don’t put (most) of our clients under any long term contracts so when they are done with us and what we can do for them, they can sever the relationship. Most don’t. Our defined market area is smaller companies that are under the radar of our completion so we have a pretty open field with little competition.

If there were one thing that customers believed about your business, what would you most like it to be?

We produce tangible results in finding companies QUALIFIED leads and customers NOW!

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