A 90-minute free workshop to help local enterprises with”Generating Business During Tough Economic Times” will be heldThursday at 8 a.m. in the State Bank State Room.

The event, sponsored by the Mississippi Development Authority,the Brookhaven-Lincoln County Chamber of Commerce and The DAILYLEADER, will be hosted by John Lindsey.

“John is a renowned and highly respected speaker on the topic ofsmall business marketing and development,” said Cliff Brumfield,executive vice president of the chamber. “He has a long history ofsuccess with working with mom and pop small businesses.”

The workshop targets methods to effectively market businesses byproperly utilizing their resources to capture income through sales,Brumfield said.

“Every business needs a marketing plan,” he said. “They need aplan of action that is driven by previously proven methods ofresults and not just spend money for the sake of marketingitself.”

The workshop will show attendees a variety of ways to design andimplement a marketing plan that works for that particular business,Brumfield said. Each business is different and marketing plans mustreflect those differences.

“Simply hanging a sign out advertising your wares won’t cut itanymore,” he said. “In order to be successful and survive thetimes, owners need to be creative in their marketing.”

One method that will be discussed in the workshop to achievethat goal is to tout a business’s benefits and advantages. Thosedifferences are what set a business apart from others who sell thesame product.

“People are drawn to a product because of its features, but theyultimately make a purchase decision on the perceived benefits andadvantages – what can buying this product here do for me that otherbusinesses can’t,” he said.

Other topics during the workshop will teach business owners howto create long-term customer loyalty, the 10 great commandments forbusiness success, how to design creative buyer incentives,advertise more effectively and to get their share of a very thinmarket.

For more information on the workshop or to reserve a seat, callthe chamber at (601) 833-1411.