Recently, I have had the opportunity to think about marketing as it relates to other businesses. Chet Holmes sums it up pretty well when he says that too many business owners try to do 4000 things instead of doing 12 key things, 4000 times. Self storage is all about trying new things, finding those key things that work and them doing them 4000 times!!!!!!

Has anyone tried anything lately that is out of the norm?

BMX....Lot's and lots of BMX. 27 and still picking up new tricks. Actually, my bike is where the real life lessons came from. BMX is all about persistence and self-confidence. If you believe it, you can do it. If I believe I have the best product, I KNOW I can sell it.
The racing side of BMX has a few lessons from it too. Mostly that you can slip up, and it's okay. Say I drop an F-bomb at the wrong time, or (actually happened.) check a truck over with a customer and say "let's check the back to make sure there's no dead bodies back there" only to find out that they're moving because of a death in the family. Is it disaster? Yes. Do I have to lose a customer over it? No. I just have to work harder to keep them.
And then there's the flow...But if you don't ride, you'd probably miss out on that, and what it means.

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Consistency- It's only a virtue if you're not a screwup

We recently put up a banner and used a tracking number to see how many actually drove by and called us. Impressive results and quite low cost.

Unfortunately where I'm located the city just inacted some insane banner ordiance laws/extremely HIGH permit fee's + banners must be permanently installed with a FRAME onto one's office/business building's outside street-facing wall and even THEN it must be taken down every 7 days/wait another time period and THEN permit has to be renewed every month!

We can't do banners at all either. Really stinks as most of our business is from driveby customers.

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Consistency- It's only a virtue if you're not a screwup

How about some young high school kids or family? They can stand out in front holding the banner. Not attached no permit required. I've done it. Tax time you see it everywhere. Let's side step the bureaucracy!