Count me out! I am a firm believer that one should be rewarded a decent living for a good day of work. The current business climate is SURVIVAL.  I started this blog with the intention of providing insight to small business owners about growing their business. Let’s be real, it’s tough and on the internet, there are a multitude of people who know business better than I. 

The one thing these “experts” lack, is real world, in the trenches knowledge of what it takes to be a small contractor. Being a pool builder has many similarities to that of a general contractor. The building of a pool requires 10 or more phases of construction and 5 or more subs. Very early on, a decision is made to either complete every phase in-house or work with subs. Taking all work in house means you’ll be very limited in the amount of work your company takes, or that you have grown very large and have the capital to employ 50 or more.

Small general contractors share many of the same obstacles. And one vary LARGE tactical advantage!

When the economy gets tough, small gc’s are nimble. The large companies are laying off employees to save money, but in most cases, still have to cover large overhead expenses. It’s hard to downsize a large office and yard, especially when your name is on the mortgage.

What mom & pop GC’s and other small GC’s need to learn, is how to gain new business from advertising and marketing without the costly expenses of the media(television, print, or radio). What does that leave, direct mail? Door hangers? Yellow pages? The problem I see with these options is conversion. The ability to have a potential client call as a result of your advertising.

Direct mail - Yes, this can work, but not very well. The last time I sent out a mailing of 500 post cards I received 3 calls. Sound familiar?

Yellow pages - When was the last time your client told you they found you in the yellow pages? I counted, last year I had 2 out of 180 new leads.

Door hangers - Yes, these can work and at the same time be very effective. If and only when you personally deliver them to potential clients when canvassing a neighborhood on a Saturday morning.

Bottom Line: The only way to get your name in front of people these days is the internet! If done right, where else can you expose you and your company to thousands of potential clients for less than the cost of a dinner out with your significant other? 

Domain name - www.domain.com cost you +/- $15.00 a year
Internet hosting - the company that provides you email accounts and a place to put your website +/- 100

The bare minimum cost of having a website is $120/year. I am very familiar with all of the options available. I’ve heard of companies charging in excess of $5,000 to build and host a website. For most, that is definitely out of the budget for this year! 

The best news of all. I will help you to understand:

• How to get your company on the internet.
• How to build yourself and effective web presence or if you choose, other affordable alternative to the DIY.
• How to build credibility online.
• How to network with others who share your same passion for business.
• How to advertise your goods and services cost effectively.
• How to generate FREE publicity.

Admittedly, this all sounds too good to be true!

Well, it’s not. And I’m going to PROVE to you, I can and so can you. Business grows when you give more value than your competitors! The value I will give to you are all the resources and tools to help you grow your business in your community and online. I’ve spent years researching and using these same techniques that I will give to you ABSOLUTELY FREE. You certainly can go elsewhere for this information, but it will cost you.

So stick around, subscribe to my newsletter for updates to this site. And better yet, for the annoucement coming early next month, for a one of a kind, invitation only, contractor website. The admission won’t cost you a dime, but you will have to …

Details to come! Be sure to enter your name and email address for exciting announcements!

This past weekend I received a disturbing message from a dear friend. His business wasn’t generating all the income he needed. He’s exhausted all savings, started depleting credit card reserves and badly needed money to pay this month’s mortgage… Ouch! I wish I knew sooner…

Whether it’s pride or just human nature that keeps professionals from asking for help sooner, it’s just plain silly to keep “toughing it out” when there are so many strategies for generating new business fast.

You see, there is really no shortage of new business, there is only a shortage of knowledge how to get this business.

So if you are one of those professional folks who could use a few hundred bucks to help out with this month’s mortgage, here are a few strategies to get your business buzzing with new customers or clients:

1. Get on the phone!
Pick up the phone and call everyone you know. Contact all clients, prospects, friends and family. Make sure they all know what you do, who you are looking for as a client, and how to “give you away.”

2. Get out and meet people!
Sitting in the office, shuffling paperwork and piddling around with emails will not take you far enough fast enough. You need to be talking to people who can buy your product or service. Set a goal of how many people you want to see in person every day and find ways to meet that goal!

3. Stop competing and start leveraging!
Instead of being mad at your competitors for stealing all your business, approach them and offer to help out. At times we all get projects that are too big, too small, or too “whatever” for us to take on.

Contact your competitors and ask if they would be willing to outsource their “too whatever” jobs to you - so that you can both make some dough. (Yeah, I know, it sounds like eating some humble bread – but hey, I think it beats living under a bridge

4. Ask for referrals!
You should be doing this anyway. Have a conversation with all clients (past and current) and help them think of people they can introduce you to right away. Oh, and don’t forget – just because a prospect says “no”, it doesn’t mean he or she doesn’t know someone who would gladly say “yes”.

5. Crank up your follow-up!
Do you have a stack of cards from people who turned you down once before? Maybe it’s time to resurrect them. Reach out to your “old” prospects - even if you previously gave up on them. Give them a call, send them a postcard or an article, and give them a special reason to say “yes” now!

6. Forgive your ex-clients!
Frequently ex-clients realize they made a mistake by getting involved with another vendor – but they are too embarrassed to admit it. Give them a way to gracefully come back to you and many will do it.

7. Catch a COI!
Form an alliance with Centers of Influence who can introduce to a large number of prospects at once and give you instant credibility. Well thought out and carefully executed strategic alliances with COI can infuse your business with all the new sales you can handle.

8. Educate, educate, educate!
Regardless of what business you are in you can always find things your clients and prospects would appreciate learning from you. How-to tips, informative case studies, industry reports – those are all great tools that can easily attract prospects hungry for your “stuff.”

9. Start thinking strategically!
If you are having trouble attracting enough new business, the marketing tactics above should help you get things hopping, but to achieve a long-term sustainable success you’ll need to address your marketing on a strategic level.

Identify or re-evaluate your ideal target market, clearly describe the benefits your product or service provides, create a compelling marketing message, re-evaluate your business model and re-define your methods of delivering your product or service, etc., etc.

10. Stop getting and start giving!
When you are in the “how I can GET a client” mode, you are focused on you – and that doesn’t make you very attractive. Shift your thinking to “how I can GIVE clients more VALUE” and you’ll become an irresistible client magnet!

11. GET HELP!
When you are in the midst of a demanding situation you cannot always have the clarity needed to creating solutions. Collaborate with a successful associate, start your own board of advisors or a mastermind group, or hire a marketing mentor to pull you out of the quicksand. Remember, when time and money count – you can’t afford the expensive “trial and error” learning curve!

Oh, and one final thought – now that you are done reading - get busy implementing!

(c) 2004 Adam M. Urbanski

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Adam Urbanski, the Marketing Mentor, helps Independent Service Professionals and Small Business Owners attract more clients. For more promotional tips and a FREE 32-page marketing guide go to http://www.themarketingmentors.com

This equally applies in business! We don’t show up to an interview with tattered jeans and unshaven. We all strive at making the best first impression.

How do we turn this into a lasting impression?

Usually, we hand out a business card or brochure. Do you always carry a supply of business cards with you? Or, tell me true, is that extra card in your wallet written with somebody’s phone number on the back? For that matter, do you even have a couple of spare cards? And the cards that you do have, are they fresh out of the box?

I know, I’ve been there, hard as I try. I too have resorted to passing out the last card only to have it look like it was run over by a Mack truck! Below are 5 things you can do, right now, to never get caught without your first means at making a lasting impression.

Always carry a minimum of 5 extra cards in your wallet or purse. If you find that your are constantly running out, you might want to increase this amount.
Get in the habit of replacing any worn, tattered or bent cards in your wallet or purse. This is especially true if you haven’t passed out any cards in a while.
Have a small emergency stack of cards in your primary vehicle. I recommend putting these in a small Ziplock bag in your glove box or console. I can’t tell you how many times this has come in handy.
Another place to carry a supply of business cards is in your briefcase.
Make sure you carry a larger stack of cards when going to any sort of networking event. An example, a trade association convention, Chamber of Commerce lunch or frankly, anywhere there is a potential of meeting new people. If that happens to be a small intimate gathering, no problem. The cards in your purse r wallet should be sufficient. If this happens to be a convention, you will need to carry a lot more!

These simple tips will help you to make a better impression with a new acquaintance. Sometimes, we all need a little help in returning to the basics of networking 101 which can lead you to new clients. Some may gawk at the simplicity, I’ve been guilty myself. I can’t tell you how many sales people or business owners I run across that don’t have a card with them. Not having a card with you tells your potential client either your too busy or you aren’t very professional. And while you’re at it, as for their card in return.

The Secret Revealed

I just heard the other night from the Grim Reaper aka the News, there were two separate occasions where some poor soul was lucky enough to get to ask the President a question during a town hall meeting. The question: Mr President, I can’t make it…blah, blah, blah … can you please help? And interestingly enough, as a result of the publicity, both of these individuals have found new opportunity.

The first individual, a 60+ year old woman who was laid-off, living out of a car and struggling to survive. She has since been given the opportunity to live in a house rent free. Kudos for the Good Samaritan, and this woman.

The second, was a college student, he was complaining that he has been working at a minimum wage job for the past four years and he too was struggling to find a higher paying job. Hey, what are they teaching in college today??? May I digress. He has since been offered an internship at a local television station.

In both cases, because of the publicity, these individuals were helped. And it wasn’t the government doing the bailout! Are you seeing a trend?

So where’s your bailout?  I don’t know about you, but I learned a very long time ago; Work Hard, Save Your Money and Good Things Will Come Your Way. Don’t expect anything you haven’t earned.

The problem is:

We’re all too busy struggling to survive!  Methods and tactics we used in the past to gain new customers just aren’t as effective as they once were. And it’s highly unlikely any of us will get a bailout!

So what is the solution?

Publicity - the means of gaining public attention.

If we expect to survive in turbulent times, our businesses need publicity. Recently it was reported that the ousted Governor of Illinois had a public relations(PR) agency. And let me tell you, he really did need to be bailed out!  I’m not suggesting you call your nearest PR firm, but we all need to focus on getting publicity.

First, let me ask you a question? Does your business have:
a yellow page ad?
business cards?
brochures/postcards?
signage(buildings, vehicles, billboards, etc.)?
media advertising (newspapers, radio, television, etc.)?
website?

All examples of forms of advertising which hopefully leads to publicity. One of the many services provided by an PR firm is reviewing and suggesting ways to solidify all sources of advertising to support the “Brand” or image the public has when mentioning your business name. Quick - BUDWEISER did I hear Clydesdales? GEICO, how about the gecko? A couple of easy examples of the benefits of having publicity.

You need to take a moment to review all of the tools in your business. Do these items project the image you want your customer’s to have of your company? Is your slogan dated or is the message as strong as the day you first printed? Ask your employees, spouse and your business associates for their assessment and suggestions. This is an important first step in developing a plan for increasing the public’s recognition of your company, products and services?

Next, we’ll start reviewing the different forms of advertising and provide you with ideas to increase its effectiveness and delivery.

So let’s dive in…

How many times have you tried to make a phone call only to realize you forgot to write the number down or it wasn’t in your phone? Or finding out that the number you were looking for was not in your local phone book? I know myself from spending a majority of my time away from the office it is frustrating!

Solution: Call 411, no scratch that! I don’t know about you, but when I call 411 it’s a WHOPPING $2.00. The first time I really took a look at my cell phone bill and realized I had spent over $20 that month, I took action. What I found was a tool from Google that is FREE. No more waiting on hold and better yet,  two bucks I could use elsewhere.

1-800-GOOG-411 , easy to remember. I highly recommend that you take the step right now and enter it into your speed dial. I’d use the listing 411 or Google with the number 1-800-466-4411.

The things I like best about this FREE service are:

• You don’t need an internet connection
• Voice activated
• You can access it from any phone
• Works in the US and Canada
• If you’re on your mobile you can simply say “Text message” or “Map it.” to get even more details.

I have found this tool indispensable when traveling on the road. The only downside that I can tell is it doesn’t work from pay phones and you won’t be able to find out any residential numbers. Other than that, this is a great service. To learn out more, check them out here by clicking on this link.

And for my second indispensable tool…

JOTT - Here’s a service where you can make a call, capture your thoughts, create to-dos and set reminders. I don’t know about you, but I have kids and all they ever do is text message. I hate to text, and now in California it’s illegal while driving. To text, simply call JOTT and leave a message for the person you wish to contact. In return, your recipient will receive a text message on their phone. You could even go as far as setting up a group name and with one phone call text all your family members at the same time.

Texting is really secondary for me, what I like the most about JOTT is being able to make ToDo’s and take notes. Instead of scribbling on a piece of paper that inevitably will get lost or laundered, I call JOTT. When I get back to the office, I’ll login to JOTT’s website or my email, and can then copy and paste my note in whatever program I wish to use. No double work (write it down, get back to the office enter the notes into a program, etc.)

Talk about cool! With JOTT, I no longer go to sleep at night only to wake-up and remember something I forgot to write down. There is another capability that I will only mention, JOTT is able to Twitter. Now that brings up a subject for another time.

Unlike 1-800-GOOG-411, JOTT has a free week of service available for you to check out, otherwise, there is a nominal fee charged to use the service. Still less than a Combo Meal at a fast food chain, so well worth the investment.

Resources:
1-800-GOOG-411 - Free 411 service that you can use from any phone.
JOTT - Call, Capture Your Thoughts, Create ToDo’s & Reminders.