My experience and the success of my clients I coach point to the fact that if you watch your expenses and control your debt, do good work and take care of your team and your clients, you have a very good chance of being successful.
Oh sure, there’s a lot more to a successful business than just that. However, the aforementioned works well. My clients also know their costs. They know their numbers and they are empowered to make great decisions as a result. Since they know their numbers, they know which clients are good and which ones are not.
And that leads me to the marketing tips I want to share with you in this month’s column. Here are my top four:
1. Practice relationship marketing in a 2-1 ratio to lead generation marketing. Relationship marketing is the things you do to keep in touch with a client. It’s calling a client to see if they need anything. It’s visiting a client’s property to walk around. It’s sending them a birthday card. It’s inviting them to a show at the performing arts center. It’s simply just keeping in touch with them, like you would a friend. This is NOT easy and it takes time. People do business with people they know, like and trust. To achieve that, you have to spend time with your clients. So, spend twice as much time on that as you on lead generation. Lead generation is the marketing you do to make the phone ring. My last 3 tips are all lead generation marketing functions.
2. Make sure your website’s SEO is fully maximized. If I do an Internet search with the words “landscaping, and the name of the town you service” and your company’s name is not one of the top 3 that comes up on the search, you have work to do. Hire an expert to achieve that. Consumers don’t use phone books anymore; they go on the Internet to find a contractor and if they can’t find your company and be impressed by your website, your phone will not ring.
3. Mail postcards. Yep, those simple cards that have been around for years. They still work. However, here’s the key: mail them to homes and businesses where you already have a presence. Blanket mailing to neighborhoods where no one knows who you are normally does not work well. If you have trucks in a particular neighborhood or office park, your postcards will create more awareness and will help you get more leads. Before you try to branch out, get density in areas.
4. Company introductions. At Grunder Landscaping, we call our networking “company introductions.” We don’t call it cold-calling or warm-calling. I used to call it that and my team and my coach pointed out (yes, even Marty has a coach) that’s not really what we do nor is it what we want to do.
Our selling process involves selling to people the way they want to buy. No one wants to be accosted by someone with commission breath telling them to do business with them. What people appreciate is a soft, polite introduction that is quick and to the point.
I have four sales professionals, although everyone at Grunder Landscaping is a salesperson, and each of us is required to make 100 of these, or about two a week. So we’re mailing notes, knocking on the doors of neighbors of current clients, sending e-mails and even making phone calls.
Focus on what you can control, know who your ideal client is, develop relationships, make sure your website is maximized for SEO, mail postcards and work on introducing your company to as many people as you can. I know you will make more sales if you buy into what we just shared.