| In a previous article, I introduced you to the six systems | | | | » The recommendation of someone you trust |
| that control the fate of your construction business. To | | | | who has previously bought the product or used the |
| refresh your memory, they were: | | | | service? |
| 1. Marketing | | | | It's human nature to take the word of a trusted advisor |
| 2. Sales | | | | over all other information. The one thing we all hate is |
| 3. Staffing | | | | spending money on something that disappoints us. So |
| 4. Planning | | | | we take the word of someone who already |
| 5. Tracking | | | | purchased and wasn't disappointed to avoid regretting |
| 6. Financial Control | | | | our purchase. |
| In this article, I am going to expand on the seven | | | | Now flip that around. Your customers can be your |
| components that should come together to form your | | | | most effective sales people if you encourage them to. |
| marketing system. Do you remember that the sole | | | | To stimulate referrals, you need to: |
| purpose of your marketing system is to generate a | | | | (a) Ask for the referrals. |
| flood of qualified sales leads? | | | | (b) Make it easy for them - create the referral letter. |
| Whether you cash in on those leads is a sales issue. | | | | (c) Reward them for the referral. |
| Do not expect your marketing system to close sales | | | | Referrals always work best when your customer |
| and ring the cash register. Do not expect your | | | | contacts their friend on your behalf. Getting the friend's |
| estimator to do that either, that's not his job nor is he | | | | name and mentioning that you were referred works |
| well suited for selling. | | | | nowhere near as well, but it does work better than |
| To generate the volume of quality leads your business | | | | having no referral. |
| needs to achieve your sales goals, you need | | | | 4. Collecting Testimonials. |
| marketing systems for: | | | | Testimonials should be the fuel of your advertising |
| 1. Generating leads from new customers | | | | efforts. Testimonials overcome buyer resistance. They |
| 2. Generating leads from existing customers | | | | have greater influence on buying behavior than almost |
| 3. Prodding referrals from existing customers. | | | | everything else short of a direct referral. |
| 4. Collecting testimonials. | | | | A process for collecting testimonials should be built into |
| 5. Building relationship with your customers | | | | your customer close-out. Typically, if you ask for one it |
| 6. Publicizing your business | | | | will be granted. Most satisfied customers are happy to |
| 7. Developing new advertising pieces. | | | | provide testimonials, assuming you give them some |
| Let's dive into the seven marketing systems, discuss | | | | guidelines. |
| their purpose, and highlight a few tricks that will make | | | | Store your testimonials in accordance with the benefits |
| them productive for you. | | | | they speak to. That way, you will have them ready at |
| 1. Generating Leads From New Customers. | | | | hand to prove you will meet your prospect's needs |
| Here is the mountain all businesses must climb - | | | | when making a sales call or submitting a proposal. |
| generating opportunities with new customers. Getting | | | | 5. Building Relationship With Your Customers. |
| them is really not the problem. Getting them without | | | | People buy from, and keep buying from, people they |
| breaking the bank is the problem. | | | | like. |
| You can't afford unlimited advertising. You can't afford | | | | You need a system for maintaining your relationship |
| to hire a large staff of sales personnel to cold call | | | | with your customers. Typically, that means tracking |
| everyone. You need an efficient and effective system | | | | and celebrating their birthday, their spouse's birthday, |
| for generating new leads. | | | | their children's birthdays, etc. |
| Here a couple of tips for that. | | | | Send handwritten greeting cards on their special |
| Get your website up and ready for prime time. It is | | | | occasions. Send handwritten Thank You cards upon |
| your most cost effective method for capturing quality | | | | completion of the work. Track their hobbies and send |
| leads. You may not be computer oriented, but your | | | | them interesting information as you come across it. |
| customers most assuredly are. | | | | Make them think they are never far from your mind |
| Second tip, copy the successful advertising practices | | | | and you will have a customer for life. |
| of a best-in-class peer. You will need to contact | | | | 6. Publicizing Your Business. |
| contractors outside of your city to pull this one off. | | | | Since advertising is so expensive, you need to be set |
| Track down the best in the business. Get the owner's | | | | up to take advantage of every opportunity for free |
| name. Call them. You'll be amazed how generous | | | | publicity. |
| non-competitive peers will be if you approach them | | | | Local newspapers are often looking for content. Any |
| humbly and with genuine respect of their incredible | | | | time something of substance happens in your business |
| success. | | | | you should send it to them as a press release. That |
| Every time you put a new lead generating system in | | | | would include landing large or high profile contracts and |
| place, monitor its effectiveness. Tweak it and monitor | | | | receiving industry awards. |
| the improvement or lack there of. Keep tweaking until | | | | Get to know the business columnists in your area and |
| you learn the most efficient method for generating the | | | | become a source for quotes. Give interviews to |
| quantity of new customer leads you need to fulfill your | | | | magazine editors and feature writers. |
| sales goals. | | | | Give presentations to Rotary, Lions, and other clubs. |
| 2. Generating Leads From Existing Customers. | | | | They are always looking for presenters. The subject |
| You need a system for stimulating repeat business. | | | | doesn't matter. They will remember someone |
| Sam Walton used to say that the first time someone | | | | representing your firm spreading goodwill among |
| bought, he had a sale. The second time someone | | | | business leaders. |
| bought, he had a customer. | | | | Strike up joint ventures with other businesses that |
| Your easiest sell is to your existing customer. | | | | serve your clientele. |
| You need to prompt those repeat sales. If your | | | | All of these efforts need to be organized, scheduled, |
| service is cycles (landscaping, pavement maintenance, | | | | and assigned to someone. They need to be part of |
| painting, roofing, air conditioning) send out reminders | | | | system. |
| when they should be approaching on the date they | | | | 7. Developing New Advertising Pieces. |
| would need new service. | | | | The development of a new advertising piece should |
| As a job finishes, ask your client what future projects | | | | be the result of a well executed design process. |
| they are considering. Put the information into your | | | | Start off by identifying the market segment you wish |
| scheduling calendar and start calling them or mailing | | | | to target. Choose the problem(s) you are going to |
| them prior to that time. | | | | solve. Come up with a killer offer. Round up the |
| If you have multiple services, send advertisements and | | | | appropriate testimonial or three. Then find a graphic |
| coupons that invite them to try the services they | | | | artist and copy writer to pull it all together for you. |
| haven't used yet. If you offer a maintenance service, | | | | Do not outsource your advertising decisions to an |
| send educational materials that explain what | | | | advertising agency or consultant. They do not know |
| maintenance should be done...and offer to do it for | | | | your customers as well as you do. You or a trusted |
| them. | | | | employee should make all final artistic decisions. |
| If you already have a large customer base, expand | | | | To make sure the advertisement is going to pay off, |
| your services to tap into all the goodwill you've already | | | | set a budget for the advertising and the expected |
| created. Your existing customer base is the most | | | | income. Share the budget with your designer. Set a |
| valuable resource your business has. Learn how to | | | | deadline for when the advertisement will be ready for |
| mine new sales from it. | | | | delivery or distribution. |
| 3. Prodding Referrals From Existing Customers. | | | | Before releasing the money to print the new piece in |
| Word of mouth advertising is the most effective | | | | quantity, it should be tested for effectiveness in a test |
| means of generating leads from new customers. | | | | run of a small set of prospects. Track your results and |
| What carries more weight with you when deciding | | | | modify the headline and offer until you arrive at a |
| whether to buy something or hire someone to perform | | | | combo that produces a significant increase in buyer |
| a service for you? | | | | response. Then roll out the full advertising and start |
| » Advertising? | | | | raking in the new sales. |
| » Exhaustive research? | | | | |