Concierge Business Guide

By Joyce E.

About The Author:

Congratulations on your first step towards succeeding in the start up of your concierge business. Having a personal concierge is fast becoming a necessity for many and a lucrative and rewarding career for the person who loves to save the day. Maybe you have chosen to pursue a career as a personal concierge or maybe, like myself, the career has chosen you.

I was already employed as a legal assistant at a small law firm. One of the partners of the firm was having a huge party for her 5 year old granddaughter's birthday. It appeared it was going to be a gala event with tents, ponies, the huge inflatable slides and ball rooms for the kids. Like I always do, I arrived an hour early to see if I could be of some help with the set up. When I arrived, nothing had been done about the food preparation and the decorating had just began. I rolled up my sleeves and got to work filling balloons, preparing food and setting up the buffet and along with the help of my husband, we grilled burgers & hot dogs for about 150 guests. When the party was over, we started the clean up and breaking everything down. My boss was more than pleased and enjoyed the day with her granddaughter. The party was a success and I had the satisfaction of knowing that it was largely attributed to our help. I also couldn't believe that she wasn't able to foresee the need for the additional help at her party. That was the day I realized how much I loved being the hero and how much of a need my boss had for a concierge and personal assistant. Some of the guests at the party were other members of the firm and business associates in real estate and finance. All, very busy people and possible clients, who had witnessed my take charge attitude. That was the day I took a leap of faith. I knew I was cut our for the concierge business and even though they were sorry to lose me at the firm, they were surprisingly excited for me and my new venture and I began lining up jobs immediately, and have been doing it ever since.

Who Needs a Concierge:

If there is one certainty, it's that everyone wishes they had more time. In this day and age, it seems everyone is running around in a hustle and bustle. How many time have you heard someone say, "If I only had another set of hands I could get it all accomplished." As people's lives become busier, quality time becomes a premium. Where there is a supply, there is a demand and more people are finding a need and willing to pay for that extra set of hands, hence the personal concierge.

36% of workers say they feel completely used up at the end of the workday.
85% of workers have daily family responsibilities to go home to.
78% of workers have spouses who are also employed.
70% of all parents say they don't have enough time to spend with their children.

The client base using a concierge service business runs from the busy mom to the corporate millionaire and the range of jobs a concierge can provide is even more abundant. Your first market should be the people you already know, your past employers, colleagues, friends, people from your church, people from your children's school, etc.

Small Business Owners
Corporations
Busy Professionals
Senior Citizens
Busy Mom's
Real Estate Offices
People Relocating

Most of your clients will use you regularly, however, you may have clients that use you sporadically or even just once for that special event. Maybe they'll intend to use you just one time but when you wowed them with your professional service, they realized how nice it was to have that additional stress in their lives removed and a comfort to know you are a phone call away. Remember, everyone you come in contact with may be potentially your best client.

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Getting Started:

Your success in your concierge business comes down to the difference between managing your work or letting your work manage you. What's it going to be? The biggest contributors to clutter are those good old fashion letters, junk mail, memos, e-mail printouts and sticky notes, So how do you sort through all the junk and all the distractions and concentrate only on the things that are important to you and your business? In business ownership and management, as in war and other activities, you are only as good as your last success. Just as you always have to be on the lookout for the next opportunity, you also have to be on the alert for the next crisis. That is what being organized is all about. You don't want to waste your time on useless trivia when important issues that have significant impact on your customers or your organization deserve your attention.

Starting, owning, and operating your own concierge business can be a complicated process. The process is filled with decisions from everything from choosing what types and shares of stock to issue for a corporation to choosing a name for the business. All of these decisions must be made in the backdrop of a multitude of legal and practical considerations.

One of the first decisions an entrepreneur must make is to determine the legal structure i.e. sole proprietorship, partnership, corporation, etc. that is right for the objectives of the business and all of those involved. I will touch base on the differences of each of these business types in the section on Licensing and Incorporating.

Now that you have begun the process of starting your concierge business I would highly suggest you look into your necessary insurance requirements. I did my best in trying to explain your different options in the insurance section.

Most people starting out in business for the first time have little to no idea what is needed for their bookkeeping. This is an extremely important part of doing business, however it is not as difficult as it looks. I have put together a simple system of tracking your expenses and income in the forms section for those of you who don't want to use a computer to do this work for you.

The forms and contract section goes over some of the necessary forms you will need for your day to day operations. I have also included a basic concierge business contract that should be reviewed by your attorney before using. Every state has slightly different laws and your attorney can make sure it is written in a way to protect you. All forms are capable of being downloaded. Just go to the section forms and contracts to view these forms.

Bookkeeping:

It is very important to start your concierge service business bookkeeping system from day one. You will have expenditures to enter from the first day of business including the purchase of this information. The more detailed and accurate your records, the easier to see how your business is doing.

No matter if you use a program like QuickBooks, or hand write all of your entries, the basic principles are all the same. Keep all of your receipts of every payment and expense your business has. Enter and total these entries either daily, weekly or monthly. You can use these entries to summarize your profits or losses.

Things you will need:

A day planner or some way of keeping track of your daily activities. I use a large day planner. I write down the clients name the time I start, mileage any purchases I may make on the clients behalf, tolls I may have had to pay etc... and what time I stopped and the ending mileage. I also always make a note of the clients account balance by their name before I start the day.

You will need an accounting program. I use QuickBooks online edition. I like the fact that I can accept credit cards without needing any external machinery or software. I believe they are coming out with a mobile version also which will be great. You can easily and securely store credit card information to use when needed.

Get started:

Once you have these few items in place it is easy to keep up with. First thing you do when a client purchases a membership with you is have them sign your concierge business contract if possible.

Then open 2 accounts for them with QuickBooks and give them a balance of what ever package they purchased plus an account with $300.00 dollar deposit for purchases.

Now you will charge your out of office hours against the member package account and charge your in office services and purchases on the client's behalf against the deposit account. Your client can use the same credit card for each or use a different one for each.

When you name the accounts just name each one the same except add the word purchases to the last name of the deposit account. E.g. John Smith would be the membership hours purchased account and John Smith Purchases would be the deposit account.

Now at the end of each month or when your clients membership hours run out you can easily mail or email them a complete list of charges and ask them if they would like their membership account hours renewed. If they do not want the account renewed then email them a check for the remaining balance in their deposit account.

You should always offer them the higher hour package if they run out of hours early in the month to show that they could save money by choosing the premium membership package.

Licensing Incorporating & Insurance:

Now that you have chosen your name, lets make sure it is available for licensing in your state. One of the first things you need to do is go down to your local municipality and find out their requirements. Businesses that use a name other than the owner's must register the fictitious name with the county as required by the Trade Name Registration Act. This does not apply to corporations doing business under their corporate name or to those practicing any profession under a partnership name.

If you are going to form some type of corporation you will also want to search the database to make sure it is not taken. You can go here Incorporate Your Business with American Incorporators, Ltd to get the ball rolling on starting a corporation and find out if your name is available. You also will need to apply for your federal employer identification number.

You can apply online here FEIN. Until you receive the (FEIN) number, the federal government will let you use your social security number.

Every state issues a sales tax number to anyone who will be reselling goods and merchandise at the retail level. Some states will also have you charge sales tax on services rendered. This is something you will have to look into with your state's department of revenue.

A great place to go for state and local information is your local SBA (small business association) . They are always willing to help and they offer a lot of valuable information and discounts on different aspects of owning a small business.

Depending on the structure of your business and the type of services you will be providing, insurance needs will vary greatly. Some people starting out are already wealthy people and therefore will have more to lose and require more insurance. The largest amount you could possibly be sued for is the amount of insurance coverage to obtain, not what your business is worth. These are only suggestions and I wouldn't presume to dictate what you need. It is best to discuss your individual needs with a professional insurance agent.

Burlington Insurance Group will write for us as they actually have a specific category for Shopping and Errands: 877-434-2667 call and tell them you are looking for an representative agent/broker in your area, they should be able to refer you to someone in your state to write a Burlington Policy. I do not have them listed under my insurance links on this site because you are better going to them last, they are expensive.

Advertising & Website:

How and where you decide to advertise your concierge service business depends on a couple of decisions from you. First, you need an advertising budget so you don't put to much financial strain on your concierge business. Some businesses decide on a specific dollar amount that they are willing to spend. Many, including me, take a percentage of gross profit to spend on advertising. With this method your advertising fluctuates as your business grows without spending to much or not enough at any given time. I use 5% of my gross sales. Now, you need to know what market you are going after. For instance, if you are going to focus only on party and event planning your advertising can be geared towards a much broader audience then a concierge who wants to do a little of everything which is probably going to be focused more towards professionals and corporate executives.

One of the best things that worked for me other than word of mouth was I managed to get the names of a couple of pharmaceutical reps in the area and I gave each of them 5 gift certificates for my silver package to give to the doctors they wanted. Since it came from a drug rep and someone the doctors have been doing business with they all used me and eventually I kept all but one as clients. The drug rep loved it because she was capable of giving something that the other reps didn't have access to.

Your sales pitch is vary important when talking to potential clients. A good tip I learned when you feel like the client doubts your abilities? Come right out and say "You seem a bit unsure of my abilities to do the job, and I'd like to address that. What are your concerns?" Try to keep the client answering and asking questions. The longer you can keep his attention the more comfortable they will feel. Only use your natural words that you use every day, do not try to be someone you are not, because it will be obvious and you will loose them.

Concierge Business cards are a must. Make sure you purchase the best quality card you can and keep it clean and neat. This is the first thing your clients will judge you by. Make sure you try and keep the same look and feel on all your stationary and your website. A concierge needs to show professionalism if they are to succeed.

I definitely recommend having a website for your concierge business. I was told HODI Hosting is going to offer a great deal to you so I would look into it. One thing a website does for you is it gives your clients easy access to your contact information when they are at their office or home. It helps potential clients research you somewhat on their own without feeling pressured to make a decision right away. It also gives you a chance to explain any promotions you have and how your service works. So without a doubt have a website.

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Forms and Contracts:

All forms, especially any contracts should be reviewed by an attorney. Most contracts need to be adjusted and correctly worded for each individual states laws. All forms below are either in Microsoft excel, word or a PDF file. you must have these programs to view them after download. Download any form by clicking on the one you want then saving it to your computer.

All business forms I now create with QuickBooks. So the need for things like cash flow worksheets and such are now generated on instantly. This way you will know how your business is doing at all times. You can detect the problem areas and start fixing them before they become a major problem.

Knowing Your Competition:

Don't drive yourself crazy worrying about your competitor. They are always going to be there in some form or another. The important thing is to be aware of what they are doing. Don't change your concierge service business vision and direction based on your competition's direction. Remember, if they are smart they are going to try to position themselves away from you, not closer to you. Don't follow them unless their direction coincides with yours. Generally, it won't. Go your own way and do your own thing. Do what you love and the money will follow. If you follow this advice, you will avoid wasting time and money reacting to perceived competition while building a better and more competitive business.

Advice To Beat The Competition:

Be courteous and considerate. Make an appointment and be on time.

Prepare your presentation. The research you have done earlier on the client will pay off in creating your presentation. It should focus on one main point:, which is how you can meet the client's needs and fulfill all their requirements.

Keep your concierge business presentation short, on point, and clear, and be sure to practice, practice, practice. Keep necessary supporting materials or documents out of the presentation in order to keep it short and focused; you can hand them out at the end. Don't just memorize the presentation (when the client asks a question in the middle of it, you may get lost.) Memorize just the important points you want to cover. Talk it; don't just read it and don't just wing it.

Be yourself. Don't put on airs and don't try to make yourself something that you're not. Expressions like "I can do anything" or "I can do whatever you want me to do" are usually a turn-off. They make you sound desperate, not impressive. Be honest and realistic about your capabilities.

Say it well and say it once. In other words, present the capabilities of your company in the best light possible and when you have done that, stop speaking. If you continue, redundancy tends to set in and you start telling them again what you just told them. If you are uncomfortable with the silence after you have finished, you can throw it back to them and ask if they have any questions. Never just say: "We do good work." Instead prove to them that quality and delivery are central to your business.

Never just say: "You can't go wrong with us." Instead refer them to other customers that will attest to the quality and reliability of your work. Never just say: I've been in the concierge business for ten years!" On its own, this statement probably won't impress your client. But, explaining how you have made your business more efficient over the years and producing a long list of satisfied customers over the 10-year span will.

Never just say: "We'll do anything and everything for you." Very unrealistic. Instead, let the client know that you are ready and willing to abide by their requests, and fulfill all of their requirements.

Your Clients Needs:

In a nut shell, being a concierge is providing the best customer service possible to your client. It's about treating every client like they are your number one customer. Make them feel important because they are! You are going to work hard to get your clients so the last thing you want to do is lose them. Remember, your customers are your business.

Some things you can do to keep your clients are:

Be conscientious! Show care and concern for them and their property. Show your client you care about the quality of your work. Call your customers and ask them if they are happy with the service you provide.
Send birthday, holiday and reminder cards.
Send thank you cards for the business your clients give you, always include some business cards.
Be observant! Remember, your client is busy and maybe he/she has overlooked a much needed service. Make a suggestion to your client. Most likely, they will be glad you did and you will be making additional money.
Be dependable! You are providing a service to alleviate their stress, not add to it. Follow through with your service in the agreed amount time frame.
Be resourceful! Being able to find anything and everything is a wonderful asset.

Here are some statistics to always keep in mind:

98% of dissatisfied customers never complain, they just leave.
85% of dissatisfied customers tell nine people about their poor experience and 13% tell twenty people.
A satisfied customer tells just five people.

I would like to suggest you start by asking yourself some questions that can flush out the things you need to know about your customer, and what your customer needs to know about you. If you have targeted a market, what is their challenge, issue or problem. The better prepared you are to answer that question the better prepared you will be to know what your customer needs to know about you.

Finding Your Niche:

Be realistic about your available funds. Some concierge services will require a higher initial investment than others. Determine what your operating budget is and stick with it, especially in the beginning. Search out services that suit your present financial situation.

Then what you need to do is evaluate your talents and what is attractive to you. Investigate the abilities needed for the services that appeal to you. Talk to people in those businesses to get a feel for them.

Do your research. Start with the Yellow Pages. How many offer the concierge services you would like to offer are in your area? What are their specialties? Compile a comparison chart of prices and services. Is there a particular niche that is not being covered? Make a list of the different groups and organizations in your area. You will find that almost every organization uses some form of service a concierge has to offer.

Some concierges may specialize in just one of the services offered by concierges. The list below will help you understand what you should expect to be asked to do for a few of the concierge services that seem to be able to support themselves as a stand alone business.

Party / Event Planner:

Clients range from the everyday person to highly paid executives and corporations. There is a very large customer base for this service.

Birthdays
Graduations Family / Company Picnics
Retirement
Sports Events
Weddings
Award Ceremonies
Christmas
Anniversaries
Bar mitzvahs

Personal Shopper:

Boutiques, department stores, shopping centers all employ personal shoppers as well as professionals, busy parents, the elderly and the list goes on.

Anniversaries presents
New baby presents
Bar mitzvahs presents
Birthdays presents
Get well presents
Graduations presents
Retirements presents
Valentine's Day presents
Weddings presents
Groceries
Hard to find jewelry

Personal Assistant and Errand Business:

There are increasing demands for these services from business owners, executives and professionals

Chauffeur pets to and from the vet
Deliver fresh flowers
Shop for gifts
Plan a special dinner
Take auto in for repair
Waiting for the cable guy
Coordinating maids and gardening personnel
Stocking the refrigerator
Trip Planning Making Appointments Ticket Purchasing

Managing Your Time:

It's action that makes the difference. Doing something that moves you forward helps you feel you have more control of your day and your workload. Just thinking about doing something is a waste of your time.

Delegate. Don't be afraid to enlist the help of others to complete projects that are time consuming or monotonous. Whether you have to hire a professional or your 10-year old son, do it.

Set goals. It's much easier to get something done if you know exactly what it is you're working toward. Set long-term goals first and then determine the short-term goals that will serve as stepping stones toward the larger goal.

Sort mail immediately. Mail can quickly become beastly, taking over every nook and cranny. When you get your mail each day, open it directly over the garbage can. Most likely, the bulk of it can be dropped right in. For the rest, determine what action needs to be taken and deal with it appropriately.

Make an appointment with yourself. Schedule at least one hour each day for "catch up" tasks such as work overflow, returning phone calls, answering emails etc. If you pencil time into your calendar, you're less likely to let the mundane (but necessary) tasks pile up.

Have an assembly line mentality. Complete like tasks together such as returning phone calls, answering email, sending out invoices etc. You'll be much more productive.

Work when you're most alert. Figure out your most productive time of day and set your work schedule accordingly.

Use checklists. For tasks that must be completed on a regular basis, make and keep simple checklists to ensure you don't overlook important steps in the process.

Give everything a place. Don't waste your time trying to find things that seemed to have disappeared. Organize your workspace so that every item has a home. It'll make locating and storing items a snap.

Be prepared. Reserve 5 minutes at the end of each day to review your schedule for the next. That way, you'll have no surprises.

Services to Offer:

When you're starting out, you will want to try and focus on a certain cliental. You do not have to offer all the services listed below but the more diversified you are the more the phone will ring.

Business:

Plan meetings
Coordinate event details and catering
Arrange business travel accommodations
Secure temporary help for a short-staffed department
Chauffeur and limousine services

Entertainment:

Plan events/outdoor activities
Restaurant reservations
Entertain out-of-town guests
Purchase tickets to theatre, music, or sporting events
Schedule a tee time for golf
Night club guest lists

Personal:

Provide personal shopping
Find, wrap, and deliver a one-of-a-kind gift
Arrange vehicle servicing/repairs
Non medical home care assistance
Arrange massage, manicure/pedicure, personal trainer
Reserve seating at the perfect restaurant
Provide special occasion reminders and gift ideas
Collect a prescription, post office errands, get keys cut...
Order flowers and arrange delivery

Home and Family:

Handyman services for household repairs
Find daycare for a sick child
Arrange the delivery of meals
Key holding service
Children's entertainers
Garden maintenance
Schedule airport taxi and limousine services

Residential:

Laundry, dry cleaning and shoe repair services
Provide package delivery services
Maid/cleaning service
Coordinate moving and relocation services
Provide home and pet-sitting services
Travel
Chauffeur and Limousine Services
Taxis
Car Rental
Boat/Yacht Private Charter
Car & Motorcycle Washing
Car & Motorcycle Servicing
Flight Reservations
Hotel Reservations
Aircraft Charter

What to Charge:

My fees are charged in the following ways:

For all/any requests which can be arranged by phone from our office a fee of $20.00 per hour is charged.

They can place as many requests as they wish. As long as you complete these request within the hour then you only charge for the hour + purchases. E.g. They ask for a limousine for transport to/from your chosen location/destination, along with a reservation at a preferred restaurant, or one suggested by you, and finishing their request with a tee time arranged for golf. The above example should be completed within one hour, therefore a fee of $20.00 + purchases would be charged. All purchases would be made using the clients credit card unless the client is a premier, gold or silver member.

For all/any requests where you will be working on there behalf away from your office a fee of $50.00 + purchases per hour is charged with a minimum charge of 2 hours. This usually applies to clients who are only planning on using your services one time.

Clients that plan on using your concierge service on a regular basis I would break down the cost per hour depending on the block of time they purchased in advance. (Requests handled by phone in our office would be billed separately at $10.00 per hour for anyone who purchases one of the memberships below.) Minimum charge of 1 hour.

Premier Member 10 hr. block $350.00
Gold Member 6 hr. block $240.00
Silver Member 4hr. block $180.00
One Time Member 2 hr. block $100.00

Premier, Gold and Silver members must also keep $300.00 in our purchasing account to cover any purchases made on their behalf. This account will be automatically refilled whenever their account drops below $50.00. One time members will pay a surcharge of 15% for any purchases made by you that have to be reimbursed.

Surcharges are charged as follows. Any after hours work or Saturday's an additional $10.00 per hour applies to all members. Sundays and holidays an additional $10.00 per hour charge applies to all members.

Examples:

New client calls and needs you to make some arrangements for them that can all be handled over the phone and they do not wish to become a member. You would get their credit card information and charge them $20.00 an hour to take care of their requests. With a minimum charge of one hour. You would charge their credit card for any purchases and for your hourly charge.

New client calls and needs you to run some errands and stop in to where they are staying maybe a vacation home and stock the refrigerator with food and turn on some lights etc... they would have to purchase a 2hr block for $100.00, if this was going to be a one time member. Any purchases you make where you would not be capable of using the clients credit card, for instance the grocery store you would charge an additional 15% to their card for the price of the groceries when you billed their credit card. Just check and make sure that the card they used to purchase your one time member 2 hr block of time is the same one they want used to cover purchases.

You get a client that wants to purchase one of your membership packages. They decide they want to purchase your gold package. They would pay you up front $240.00 for the 6 hour block of time and $300.00 to keep in their account for purchases. The 6 hour block of time would only be used for requests that needed to be done from outside the office. All requests that were capable of being done over the phone inside the office you would charge $10.00 per hour and it would come out of the $300.00 they have in your account set aside for them.

The minimum charge for a phone request is $10.00 so if they gave you 10 requests that you completed over the phone in 1 hr. then the charge would be $10.00 but if they called up and gave you one request that took 10 minutes over the phone the charge would be $10.00.

Now let's say they wanted you to pickup their dry cleaning a bottle of wine, flowers, birthday card, 2 concert tickets and pay for a limo to take them to and from the concert. This took you 2 hours and cost $280.00 this would leave them with 4 hours of time left and $20.00 on account so you would automatically charge their credit card on file the $280.00 to bring their account back to a $300.00 dollar balance, if they chose this option when signing the contract.

Perks and Discounts:

Over time you will develop relationships with certain businesses and their associates. Because they need you as a customer just like you need your clients they will give you free promotional items such as box seats at sporting events, concert tickets, green fees for golf, the list goes on. Some items I use some I pass on to my regular clients as a perk for them.

Before you start purchasing items for your clients you should make a Business Startup Guides that you know to be dependable or someone else you know recommended. After you make the list you need to stop in and see the owner or manager and give them your business card. Explain to them that you have started a concierge business and at the current time you have been using their competitor down the street. Do not tell them who. Tell them you are starting to grow fairly fast and that you are interested in using a more professional establishment. Ask if they would be interested in your business in the future. If the answer is yes, ask what type of discount you could receive if you started ordering from them. They will probably tell you 10%. I would tell them that is a little low but you will give them a try with your next order. Once you start using certain businesses over and over make sure you keep track of how much business you do with them. After some time passes do not hesitate to get your discount bumped up to 15 to 20%.

Now that you are getting a discount, use this as one of your perks for getting new clients. If the client orders a $200.00 item and you save them $20.00, using you became very reasonable. Now, when you get the business establishment to increase your discount to 15%, keep the other 5% for you, the money adds up real quick when you start getting busy.

Dealing With Vendors:

I have a idea for you to think about if you are running into obstacles getting vendors to work with you percentage wise. See if you can have them agree to the idea below.

If you give them 9 referral orders, will they give you the 10th one free (at a value = to the average purchase for the previous 9 purchases.)

This is essentially the same as a 10% commission, and you are establishing yourself with your vendor. You can then sell the 10th item to a client and receive all the purchase price, or...

You can also build your business by taking the free item and use as a advertising tool. For example, if you refer flower orders to a florist, take the (free one) and display it in an office lobby with your business cards and brochures next to it. If you tell the florist this is what you plan on doing with it, they will make it extra special because in the long run it increases their business also.

Good Tips:

Hiring Tip:

Great hires are always the result of good preparation, good information, and good decision making. You can probably teach a turkey to climb a tree – but it is easier to hire a squirrel.

Avoid hiring in a hurry just to get a body on board
Know what you really needed – not what looked good on paper?
Get the word out to a variety of sources so that the best candidates could apply?
Pay attention to the right things during the interview the required competencies?
Prepare for the interviews ahead of time and do your homework about what to look for?
Ask focused questions to draw out the candidates skills, knowledge and experience?
Have real proof that the candidate can do the job get behavioral examples?
Make a timely decision and not procrastinate for fear of making a wrong choice?
Use both your head and gut in determining the best candidate for the position?

Why Keep Advertising:

Advertise to reach new customers. Your market changes constantly. New families in the area mean new customers to reach. People earn more money, which means changes in lifestyles and buying habits. The client who wouldn't consider your business a few years ago may be a prime customer now. Remember 20% of families will move this year, 5 million people will be married and 4 million babies will be born.

Advertise because your competition is advertising. There are only so many consumers in the market who are ready to buy at any one time. You'll need to advertise to keep regular clients and to counterbalance the advertising of your competition. You must advertise to keep your share of clients or you may lose them to the more aggressive competitors. Advertise because it pays off over a long period of time.

Advertising gives you a long-term advantage over competitors who cut back or cancel advertising. A five year survey of more than 3,000 companies found, advertisers who maintain or expand advertising over a five year period see their sales increase an average of 100%. Companies, which cut advertising, averaged sales decreases of 45%.

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