Cleaver Almost Free Marketing Techniques Back To Business Resources >>

(many of which our customers taught us!)

It’s our goal to maximize your marketing effectiveness and we do this a myriad of ways, many of which we don’t charge for, including listing you for free on Google Places, free website updates, which include graphics and logos, additional content development, free coupon development, etc. Though the bulk of our business can be achieved with an optimally developed Google AdWords campaign with continuous performance tuning, we’d like to give you some more help. Below is a combination of helpful marketing tips, some of which our customers taught us, that costs you almost nothing and will definitely bring in additional business.

1. If you don’t have a memorable company name – rename your company! You can keep your legal name, but simply create a dba (doing business as). This is a simple process that costs no more than filing a dba with your city and running a small ad (fictitious name statement) in your local news paper. We’ve run across hundreds of companies that have a high tech feel, but don’t resonate with the public. They have used names like High Tech Services (doesn’t say much does it?), where as Uncle Bob’s Plumbing, or The Whitehouse Plumbing, would be much more memorable.


2. Create a business tagline. This is another eye catcher to add to your vehicles, office banner, and literature. It should clearly state what you do in a memorable way. For example; Ben Franklin Plumbing – the punctual plumber.


3. Put your Business Name, Logo, and Tag Line prominently on all of your vehicles! Be bold in your use of colors and fonts to get your point across (please see our article on How to Write for the Internet). Make sure you get your point across very rapidly and that you stand out in a crowd. Your potential customers drive by quickly and must be able to read and comprehend what you do very quickly.


4. When you park your service vehicle, put cones around it. Did we mention above that potential customer’s driving by your vehicle, will have very little time to read and comprehend you message? The cones will slow them down! Problem solved. The cones also indicate that a big or important job is being done and this attracts more attention. You’ve just broken your potential new customer’s preoccupation (this is generally hard to do) with other things and you now have their full attention! But, they will remember you only if your company name and logo are memorable and you’ve stated in your tag line clearly what you do!


5. Put a tarp under you truck when you drive up. We know that you’re not likely to drip oil or spill chemicals when you arrive, but this shows attention to detail and that you care for your customers. Almost every customer has had a workman damage something while working on their home. They are very nervous how things will work out with you. This shows them that you care and reassures them you’ll do a great job. It’s very important to sway a first impression. Remember there is no 2nd chance at a 1st impression. If their first impression is bad, it will be very hard to change this over the course of the job.


6. Always use the customer’s first name frequently. Everyone likes to hear their name. According to psychology studies, the average person thinks about themselves 93% of the time. This is a powerful statistic, use it wisely. Train your service people to introduce themselves when arriving on the job and to immediately ask the customer’s first name. Have them repeatedly use the customer’s first name throughout the conversations while on the job.


7. Always compliment the customer. When your service people arrive at a job, compliment them on their house, garden, etc. Everyone loves a compliment! This alleviates any tension and gets the customer to open up. Always remember, your customer is thinking about themselves 93% of the time. If you let them talk they will feel that they had a great experience. Train you service people to ask caring questions and listen intently. Remind them that they have two ears and one mouth. They should listen twice as much as they talk. This will leave the customer with a good impression of their experience with your company.


8. After the job is completed leave a magnet or sticker. But not just any sticker… Most companies are content to leave these with all their information on it. Kinda sound’s like this is all about us, not the customer, right? Your message should clearly state “Preferred Customer” and X% discount. This is a flattering way to say that if they call you back for another job, they’ll get special treatment! Most of your customers WILL keep this on the inside of a cabinet door if it’s a sticker or on their refrigerator. Furthermore, offer a $10 Starbucks card or something similar if they give you a referral. Train all your people about this, since the new customer is most likely to mention the referral when you show up to the job, than the past customer. Print QR codes on these, which your customers can scan which will take them to your website for more information and/or coupons.


9. Create coupons and place them on your website. Potential new customers will often research you by going to your website. If you have a website with Performance Media Placement we will develop and post your coupons for free if you’re running an marketing program or hosting a website.


10. Get referrals. Your customers are a great source for referrals. Simply have your service personnel ask how they did when the job is completed and if they get a positive result, ask for a referral. These leads are 15X more likely to become a new customer than inbound calls.


11. Hire enthusiastic professional employees. We can’t say enough about hiring the right people. Your employees are the face of your company. Your customers evaluate your company on the behavior of your employees. These employees have the power to make or break your business. There is an old adage, “some can and some can’t”. If you don’t hire the right employees, you definitely can’t make them the right ones. Simply spend considerable time in interviewing and hiring the right employees. I many cases, a $25 Craigslist ad will generate 10’s if not many times this in candidates. Take your time to get the best employee.