Over the course of the last twenty years I have had the occasion to work with several very large non-profit agencies. One of the things that all non-profit agencies must get good at to survive is asking for money. The standard tool used in fundraising is something called a case statement.

A case statement, as the names implies, is a document created to make their case to the donor – to answer, why you should give us money.

When you think about it, there’s not that much difference between the profit and non-profit sectors. Almost every small business is proposing that the prospect trade money for something of value.

I have found the case statement to be a handy tool for cutting through the marketing hype and getting to reason why a prospect should trade their money for what your have to offer.

Dump the traditional sales a marketing speak and create a case statement to compel your target market to understand what they should give you their money. This one page document may be the most significant piece of marketing collateral you can produce.

Your case statement should address the following:

• A statement of a challenge, frustration or problem that your target market experiences
• An image of what life is like when the problem is solved
• How they got here in the first place
• A path for them to follow
• A directed call to contact you

Every scrap of paper that leaves your business is performing a marketing function.

Today’s idea is not earthshattering, but it is one that many businesses, large and small, overlook.

You send invoices, fax covers, memo, notes, request and all other manner of “non-marketing” related correspondence to – you guessed it, your clients, referral sources and prospects.

It’s a pretty simple thing to A) make sure that these documents also conform to the image you project in your marketing materials and B) make them sell a little.

There no harm in introducing a new product in every communication, regardless of how mundane.

• Put your company story on the back of work orders
• List all of your products and services on fax covers
• Insert a coupon for a special offering in your statements
• Put two business cards in your thank you notes

Many small businesses make the mistake of assuming that an existing client knows all about everything your offer. No, they probably know about the one thing they buy from you. Continue to subtly educate at all times.

Heck, resell your internal clients (your staff)by reinforcing marketing messages in your internal documents.
You get the idea. Again, not a big breakthrough here but something you should be doing. It’s this type of attention to detail that, over time, adds to the collection marketing momentum your business needs.

Scott Allen the entrepreneur writer at About.com, contributor to Fast Company and author of the Virtual Handshake named little old Duct Tape Marketing as one of the Top 10 Most Practical Blogs for Entrepreneurs

The entire list is well worth a visit and I am thankful to be a part of it.