Are You Commiting Business Suicide?

Marketing
1

As I look over my past marketing endeavors I find a massive chink in the armor.

I have been the type of person who loves to make ads and see response. Yeah, I have good responses, but what do I do? Base what I am going to do next on the success or failure of what I just did.

No steady monthly commitment.

I do not allocate x dollars per month that is set in stone. I back off when I am busy (even though I can slow down instantly and need to fire up the machine again) I back off in the winter. I am not really sure why I do this.

I was flying by the seat of my pants. Living in the moment (which I attribute every negative thing that has ever happened to me).

So after being slapped up-side-of-the-head and frankly, being very embarrassed from my coach pointing it out.

What will I do to get work tomorrow? How much growth do I want this year? What will I do during the soft months? What the heck am I trying to accomplish all-together? I sit and ponder my next ad instead.

As I sat and thought about what I do that is steady like- Send out 1000 mailings per month. Distribute 4000 fliers per month or whatever… I had no amount. I had no dollar figure to budget. I have NO way of making sure the machine is running at all times, not at my convenience.

Sadly, business is anything but convenient as you know.

It is strange but I will get a great response on my ads and in my prime months, I don’t attack with them. Reminding consumers over and over about me, and maybe catch them while they are in need.

I back off… until the phone calls slow to just the “lookers” (YP, PPC, etc) Then I scramble to get my ads made, takes about a week. Then I need to get them out… what a pain in the arse. And God knows the rivers of money and new customers I have missed out on. (I would go as far as to say $100,000+ over the past 6 years)

I want to be booked solid at least April-November. I don’t mean busy… I mean BOOKED SOLID!

Opportunity cannot be found unless we are aggressively seeking it out. I have gotten “lucky” before and stumbled into something, but I would be dead if I relied on that alone.

I now know how much I am going to spend each month no matter what (unless I spend more). I will automatically order my ads every 2 weeks and always keeping a steady flow of possibilities coming my way.

Keep that darned phone ringing!

I have a friend that advertises his business to the extreme. Always putting LOTS of money into that… and is very successful.

Attributes-

Me- Better marketer, better at my “skill” and no where near what I consider “successful”.

Him- He created a customer making system and he is still growing and growing. He allocates, implements and is unwavering on his marketing schedule.

He literally runs his business like a very well maintained machine and that machine keeps driving him to the bank.

just venting, thank you for your time to listen…

2

Not just a rant, you point out the failings of marketing a lot of us go through. We advertise hard when things are slow and lazily ride the wave when business is flowing. Everyday we should be asking ourselves where our next job is coming from. Even if we’re booked solid for the next 30 days, we should be thinking about day 31.

My suggestions for you, me and anyone else who’s thought about this.
[LIST]
[]If a flyer gets a decent response, repeat it the next month regardless of what new ideas you’ve come up with.
[]Implement your new idea, flyer, mailer, etc. and add it too your marketing arsenal.
[]If the new stuff works keep it and repeat.
[]Continue to improve and add to (not substitute with) your previously successful campaigns.
[]If this all means hiring some kid to run back and forth to the printers and distribute them for you then so be it.
[]Maybe even designate a specific day of the week (or every 2 weeks) to only focus on marketing. Your goal, to come up with a new flyer, mailer, newspaper ad and implement it the same day.
[/LIST]

I guess in a nut shell, marketing should be scheduled no differently than any other type of work.

3

Interesting post. Some cool insights.

I once read that when “we’re making the hay” is when we should be pounding the pavement the hardest, and I’ve found that to be true. Building the business while we’re feeling the strongest adds some subtle persuasiveness to our salesmanship.

I also believe that all of should be viewing [I]marketing [/I]as our main job, [I]not window cleaning[/I].

4

I VERY much view marketing as my job… but I have been leaving things out. Advertising is only a part of marketing (what I love)… I need to re-focus on the analytical stuff a little more.

I have a massive April- October campaign planned. It is the most comfortable feeling I have felt in a while… and it is about time.

5

Sounds like an excellent plan, i catch myself doing that even in small things. When i have a busy day i will sometimes forget to canvas the area of the house i just finished, because i figure at the time i have enough work.

I really need to start being proactive, and do everything i can to market.

I just joined the local Chamber of Commerce, which i am excited about. Supposedly it is the 7 th largest in the Nation.

Also i plane to be at a local fund raiser in May called the Human race it is a 10 k run/walk fund raiser, where all the local companies donate to a non- profit. I am having about 30 friends and family participate and they all will have shirts on promoting my business. i think i am going to even get a shirt for my dog:)

Shirt is going to say on the back "Come on, you know there dirty!"
Ha ha just joking that line always cracks me up.

Anyways my goal is to constantly finding new ways to promote by business this year.

6

The spectators will be the ones laughing if you spell “they’re” wrong!

7

Hi, I’ve been searching the threads trying to find ways to build my commecial/residential wc buisness. And as soon as I started writing it hit me. I need to go out and build my own commercial/residential wc business. However, I need help with developing a commercial/residential wc system of business. Can you help!

8

What does “wc system of business” mean to you? Do you mean a business plan specific to WC’ing?

9

Here is the short of my advice… build one or the other (commercial or residential) To try and do both from ground zero is very tough as they are 2 totally different animals. Once I made a choice I became successful, doing both made me broke…

Master one THEN move on to the other.

Just what I think, do whatever you feel you need to do. My way worked for me.

10

I use fliers, brochures and most of my ads to target residential to get the phone ringing. I am active daily picking up commercial because it is constant and pays the bills every month

11

Master one THEN move on to the other.

I had never thought of it before, but I like this advice…

12

Very very good advise !!! I spent my first two years on commercial, the only resi’s that I did came directly from my commercials. Then I spent one whole winter reading everything I could on how to market to residential. I had decent results, then another whole winter searching for everything I did wrong the previous year, and better results. Now its cruising, if only this rain will stop.