One of the logical first questions a new business owner asks himself is ‘How do I go about finding clients?’ Or, more appropriately, “How do they go about finding ME?
First step: make a list of any and everyone you know. These may range from your doctor/dentist/dry cleaner to your minister/plumber/piano teacher and everything in between. Get out your old Christmas Card lists: sort through your e mail in-box. Contact family, friends, colleagues, neighbors, community leaders, teachers, past employers and casual acquaintances.
Knowing your business in intimate detail as you do, organize these contacts by category: a) Extremely likely to buy B) Maybe likely to buy and C) not at all likely to buy. Ditch the latter and focus on the first two.
Next: create a brand identity or special logo/slogan to use every day and in every way for your business. Make sure that whatever you come up with will promote the unique flavor of your business and ensure subsequent recognition for your product. Use this on your business cards, fliers, promotional mailings, post cards, on-line ads, website, print advertising and brochures and anything else that goes out to the general public.
Assuming that you have done your homework and actually have a product that is a saleable one, you will doubtless find out what every other business owner has discovered—notably that customers don’t buy from BUSINESSES. They buy from PEOPLE—like YOU! They buy because (a) they like your product/service; (b) they like the way you handled their order and (c) they trust you. If you treat your clients respectfully, providing prompt, courteous and professional service, they will not only remember you, but also refer you in the future to family and friends they know.
Keep your eyes open for various ways in which you can promote your business—from advertising on the coffee cups at your local restaurant to hosting a neighborhood beautification day where you donate seed packages with your logo and business contact information on them.
Pay attention as well to community activities such as local fairs, festivals and parades to distribute coupons or other special offers. Join forces with those who have a wide “reach” in the community. i.e. Realtors or lawyers would be a good group to start with. Participate in your homeowner’s association, parent-teacher organization, religious gatherings, sports events and so on.
As you ‘connect’ with these various sectors and make contacts, it is likely that you can establish yourself as the person who…. “repairs furniture/makes terrific cakes/creates affordable wedding invitations/walks dogs/cuts hair” and so on. Make it a priority to encourage positive word-of-mouth endorsements of you and your business. You’ll find that this will constitute your most loyal customer group, and the one who provides you with the most business.
Most importantly, don’t forget to ask for referrals if you’ve done a truly great job. Often such referrals come in the form of ‘testimonials’ that you can incorporate in your advertising or pass along to prospective future clients. (Whatever you do, make sure to correct any spelling or grammatical mistakes in the textd you’re working with.)
Make it a point to seek out other businesses that could link to you…i.e. a wedding planner will be glad to know that you can offer photography services to her clients, just as a computer sales business will welcome the fact that you can repair machines for clients after they are sold. Remember to talk about your associates and you will both prosper.
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