Me Jane. You Tarzan.

It is perfectly fitting that the first interview that I do for the Great Small Business Adventure is with Jane from Tarzan promotions. Speak the name of her business and it immediately conjures up images of the jungle. However, I will refrain from using any cliche phrases.

Jane specializes in making sure that your company leaves it's mark on the most important thing in your world, the customer. When we sat down at the local Biggby for a chat I had one thing in mind. What is the "it" product that is going to be the Holy Grail of my customer loyalty? The answer was surprising to me.

Jane started her company in 1994 mailing greeting cards for companies wishing to stay in contact with their clientele. After the housing decline she lost 50% of her greeting card business because her main client was real estate agents sending cards upon closings. Closings were at a stand still. It was truly a jungle out there.

Couldn't help myself.

Luckily, her customers had lead her into a more diversified business by requesting other promotional materials to supplement the mailings. Diversification saved her business and helped her keep her profits up throughout the recession. Jane enjoys helping her clients stay in contact with their customers. She believes her business is all about making other businesses successful.

An area car salesman has been employing her services for years. Initially, she sent out automotive repair tips on post cards every 3 months to his customer base. Eventually, you run out of tips. Jane suggested that he send recipe cards. This is the point where even I had a question mark written all over my face. Jane explained that she surveyed the customers that received the recipes, male and female, and found that they either prepared the recipes themselves or gave them to a foodie they knew. No one she could find threw them away. Recently, the car salesman was shocked and grateful to find an old customer he no longer remembered walking in his door ready for a new deal three years after the original sale! SCORE!

So here comes the big question. What is "the" thing. Are you ready?

Urinal Screens.

Yep, you got it. The screens that are put into urinals can have your logo emblazoned on them and they are all the rage at the promo shows! The good news is that Jane acknowledges that the next big thing may not work for you. Every business is different and it's all about finding what will work in your industry and for your customers.

Jane does not peddle products, she finds solutions that help businesses become memorable to their customers.

Check out Jane from Tarzan Promotions and the 850,000 promotional items she sells. By the way, she still sends greeting cards too! If you want to meet her in person, I usually find her at a Capital Area Local First event. You can also follow her on Twitter @tarzanpromo!