As a building enterprise proprietor, I hate gross sales chilly calls. I don’t wish to get them, and I don’t wish to make them to draw enterprise from folks I have no idea. I additionally hate it when subcontractors I have no idea chilly name me to ask if they’ll get on our bid checklist. I do prefer it when my enterprise buddies and associates refer me to subcontractors they like as a result of they did an excellent job for them. And I actually find it irresistible when potential clients name me to ask us to work with them on their subsequent tasks. So, I developed a easy advertising and marketing plan that doesn’t require gross sales calls and encourages potential clients to name us after they want what we provide. I name it: “Bug ‘Em Til They Purchase or Die!”
Twelve steps to get clients to name you:
- Create consciousness and a notion of the worth of your online business
- Pique the curiosity of potential clients
- Keep on the high of the client’s thoughts
- Generate inquiries: Potential clients name you after they want what you provide
- Purchase a lead and observe up on the chance
- Qualify whether or not the client is an efficient match
- Get “stomach to stomach” and have a fact-finding appointment
- Put together after which current your proposal in particular person
- Observe up on the proposal aggressively
- Get ink moist—ask for the order, shut, and convert the bid or proposal right into a contract
- Construct and reinforce a relationship of belief with the client
- Ask for referrals and your subsequent alternative
The continued implementation of the primary three steps over time will construct consciousness of your organization’s capabilities and what you are able to do for patrons. If they’re conscious of you, you piqued their curiosity and stayed on the high of their minds, so they’ll contact you when wanted. When you get an inquiry, you may gauge the chance, meet them to seek out out the details, after which submit a personalized proposal or estimate based mostly on their wants. Then to enhance your possibilities of securing the work, remember to observe up and ask for the contract. Lastly, when you’ve gotten a buyer who likes and trusts you, work arduous to construct the connection, get referrals, and develop into their contractor of alternative.
Set your self aside
To get clients to recollect your organization, you need to provide one thing completely different than
your rivals. On-time completion, good service, or high quality work is predicted and never a differentiator. Creating consciousness of the the explanation why clients ought to rent your organization is predicated upon the “Rule of seven.” It’s essential to have a minimum of seven contacts with potential clients earlier than they bear in mind your title, plus really feel they know, belief, and such as you and can, subsequently, name you.
We use e mail and the publish workplace to verify future clients are conscious of us. We e mail or mail out one thing to our total goal mailing checklist a minimum of six instances per yr. As soon as isn’t sufficient. And we don’t simply ship any outdated boring items of mail however inventive, distinctive, and informative “Bug-em!” mail. Somewhat than sending out brochures or promoting about us, we offer content material that can assist potential clients enhance their enterprise. Our picture is saved constant and recognizable with an orange hardhat and blue background. Everybody acknowledges our orange hardhat on each piece of mail, logos, emails, job indicators, job trailers, vans, shirts, and on our proposals. We’re constructing consciousness that’s simple to recollect.
To create curiosity and be remembered, get loopy, intelligent, inventive, enjoyable, and distinctive. Stand out from the gang. By no means ship the identical outdated throw-away pens, ball caps, notepads, and “hire-us” messages everybody else sends. Ship professionally created supplies that persistently mirror your model. To pique a buyer’s curiosity, we mail cartoons, jokes, small arduous hats, espresso cups with hammer handles, golf tees, and ball markers, and American flags on the 4th of July. As soon as, we mailed envelopes crammed with nails and a banner studying, “When can we nail down your subsequent job?” A number of years in the past, I despatched postcards from Aspen, Colo., with this be aware: “Because of my loyal clients for sending me snowboarding. I admire your online business!”
Inform clients what you need them to recollect
Bear in mind, your aim isn’t solely to create curiosity however the correct of curiosity in you. It’s essential to inform clients what you need them to recollect about you. To indicate we’re greater than a “native” building firm, we despatched out maps indicating our many challenge places inside a 100-mile radius. To create a notion of quick service, we mailed out “on-time schedulers.” To mirror high quality workmanship, we despatched out magnifying glasses. Inform future clients what you need them to recollect—time and again and over.
Getting clients to name you is an extended, sluggish “drip-drip-drip” course of requiring fixed reminders and nudges over time. Advertising and marketing and buyer consciousness isn’t a one-time occasion; it takes one to 2 years to be efficient. I’ve despatched “Bug-em” mail each two to 3 months since 1984 and an e mail e-newsletter month-to-month for the final 20 years. I’ve by no means stopped as a result of it really works! I all the time get a lot of potential buyer calls after each mailing, and a few name us a few years after I added them to our checklist. One of the best half? They know, belief, after which name me!
Low price and excessive return
When constructing our building firm from $0 to $50 million in annual gross sales, we diligently mailed out “Bug-em” postcards, letters, or gadgets to 500 to 1,000 present and potential focused clients and referring events six instances per yr. In my view, postcards are a more practical advertising and marketing software because the recipient will contact and see your message versus shortly deleting an e mail. The common printing and mailing price, together with postage, is round $2 for every postcard or merchandise despatched. Our annual finances for six mailings prices round $12,000 per yr, and it’s value each penny instances 10. We use a low-cost database CRM software program program to maintain monitor of shoppers, which kinds by tackle, trade, buyer sort, or every other standards we’d like. You may also create personalised kind letters to mail. We additionally ship out an e mail e-newsletter to reflect the postcard or mailing.
We solely dedicate 4 hours each month to our “Bug-em” advertising and marketing program. We consistently search for nice concepts, articles, good mailing items, enjoyable flat presents, and picture alternatives. Photographs embody challenge tales exhibiting earlier than and after, our staff serving to clients, building actions in progress, and different distinctive or fascinating issues to get buyer’s consideration. To stay constant, we initially employed an area advertising and marketing and graphic design firm to create our model. We usually design a six-month advertising and marketing program twice a yr. We format and create the mailing items in-house through the use of an outdoor promotional merchandise vendor or on-line providers to print postcards, brochures, flyers, or mailing items. We deliver a school design scholar into the workplace month-to-month for a number of days to assist us design the e-mail e-newsletter, format postcards or flyers, print labels, assemble packages, and stuff envelopes for mailed gadgets, which is simple and reasonably priced.
Clients will name you
In any case this work, then we anticipate the telephone to ring. It all the time does. To get began in your plan, ship an e mail to gh@hardhatpresentations.com to get a replica of “Profitable Methods To Win Extra Work!” I just like the outdated saying: “Any plan is healthier than an ideal plan by no means executed.” The important thing to getting clients to name you is to often “Bug ‘Em Til They Purchase Or Die!” So, get began in the present day, and clients will name you quickly!
George Hedley, CPBC, is a licensed skilled building enterprise BIZCOACH, marketing consultant, and fashionable speaker. He helps contractors construct higher companies, develop, revenue, develop leaders, enhance estimating, and discipline manufacturing, and get their corporations to work. He’s the creator of Get Your Development Enterprise To All the time Make A Revenue—accessible on Amazon.com. To get his free e-newsletter, begin a personalised teaching program, attend his webinars and workshops, or get a reduction on his on-line college for contractors, go to his web site @ ConstructionBusinessCoaching.com, watch his movies on YouTube, or e mail GH@HardHatBizCoach.com.
