| I would recommend you have a good foundation of | | | | area. Today I don't market to the business sector at all, |
| marketing knowledge before you begin your business. | | | | though I still work for my business customers that I |
| Reading a copy of Guerilla Marketing for the 90's will | | | | originally had.After narrowing my focus to only |
| give you the proper foundation you need to plan your | | | | concentrate on the residential sector I began |
| marketing strategy effectively. You don't need the | | | | experimenting with various marketing methods to |
| newest edition. Buy it if you want, but you will pay | | | | effectively reach this sector. My initial objective was |
| several times the price. Good entrepreneurs get the | | | | simple. I needed to inform as many residents as I could |
| most for their money and the important concepts | | | | that I was here. A friend told me about a local |
| talked about in the book have not changed much since | | | | newspaper that runs once a week and is specific to |
| the 90's.In this article I will talk about what my marketing | | | | his community of Dunwoody, Georgia. I picked up a |
| strategy was when I was starting out, how it changed | | | | copy of the paper and skimmed through it. The first |
| over the year, what worked for me and what did not | | | | thing I noticed was that the classifieds section was |
| and the marketing lessons I learned from my | | | | clear and easy to read. The headings and sub |
| experiences. | | | | headings were clearly defined. I could easily open up |
| My very first form of marketing was flyering | | | | the classifieds section and quickly locate the category I |
| mailboxes around my neighborhood in early 2003, back | | | | was looking for. I looked at the computer section and |
| when I was doing computer support only part time. At | | | | saw that there was about 3 or four people advertising |
| the time I had never picked up a marketing book and I | | | | there already. I sent an email to one of the businesses |
| knew absolutely nothing about the subject. I only knew | | | | advertising in the computer section asking them how |
| that people needed to know what I was offering. This | | | | they liked their results - I did not mention what business |
| method was mostly effective in my own condo | | | | I was in. I got a response back from the person saying |
| complex because on each flyer I wrote " **the name | | | | they got more new customers from that paper than |
| of my complex** resident offering computer support | | | | from any other. He also asked me what business I |
| for **name of my complex**. In this way I think the | | | | was in so I told him. I also told him I was grateful for the |
| flyer did not seem like such an intrusion, as each | | | | info he had given me and that I would be happy to |
| resident was getting the flyer from one of their own | | | | share with him what was working and not working in |
| neighbors, not just some everyday solicitor. I flyered | | | | my own marketing efforts but I never heard back |
| other complexes but never matched the success I got | | | | from the guy. Probably he was miffed that he had |
| in my own.Soon after flyering some calls started | | | | helped out a competitor. I don't really understand this |
| coming in. I would go do a job for one household which | | | | kind of attitude. I think that - to a certain degree - if |
| would often lead to referrals and those referrals to | | | | businesses help each other out everyone wins out in |
| referrals. In one case I got a total of about 6 new | | | | the end. But that's a subject for another post.I paid |
| customers from just one referral. Eventually I grew | | | | about $60 per month to have a 5 or 6 line ad in this |
| tired of flyering and stopped it altogether. I always felt | | | | paper. I made sure the text in my ad was different |
| very shady while I was doing it. Later I found out I was | | | | from the others. The ads already running were all |
| right to feel uncomfortable as a search on the Internet | | | | offering a very braod range of services; business |
| informed me it is illegal to put anything in a mailbox that | | | | support as well as home support. I wrote my ad so |
| does not have postage.During the two years that I | | | | that it was more specific - my ad stressed home |
| was doing computer work part time I got all my | | | | technology support , not home and business. I also |
| business from flyering and word of mouth. It was not a | | | | made sure my website URL was in the ad.During the |
| lot of business because computer support was just a | | | | first few months that the ad I ran I was very pleased |
| side gig and I didn't have the time devote a lot of | | | | with the results. My phone was ringing and I was |
| resources to getting more business.When I went | | | | getting some good business. One thing I noticed during |
| completely on my own in January of 2005 I was still | | | | this time was that my ad appeared first among the 3 |
| not very knowledgeable in marketing and did not have | | | | or 4 ads in the computer section. Also the first line in |
| any kind of formal plan or strategy, nor did I know | | | | my ad, my business name High Tech Homes, was in |
| what my target market was. Starting off I figured | | | | bold lettering. After a few months the response |
| every sector and category was a potential customer. | | | | started leveling off and then diminished altogether. |
| It didn't matter if it was a fortune 500 company, a 4 | | | | When the responses stopped coming I picked up a |
| family house, a 15 employee office or a car dealership. | | | | copy of the paper to see what might be wrong. It |
| As for services, I thought I would simply offer anything | | | | quickly became clear. I was no longer the first |
| and everything - from installation of DSL Internet in an | | | | computer business in the section. Also for some |
| apartment to setting up an entire IT infrastructure for a | | | | reason the name of my business was no longer in |
| 20 person office and everything in between. If | | | | bold lettering. Without the bold face my ad was more |
| someone asked for it and I didn't know how to do it, I | | | | difficult to pick out. By this time however I was getting |
| would simply learn how to do it or gather a team to | | | | enough residual business that I did not need to |
| get it done. I attended seminars on how to win | | | | advertise in that paper any more. |
| government contracts and made appointments to | | | | Anytime I met with a customer I would try to gain an |
| meet with certain government officials that might help | | | | insight into their consumer behavior by asking my them |
| me make the right government contacts, not realizing I | | | | why they chose my ad and not the others. If my ad |
| did not have the resources to take 3 and 4 days to | | | | was not the first on the list the response I usually got |
| write detailed 10-20 page proposals nor the proper | | | | was that they simply called the first add on the list and |
| business history to win these contracts. From a | | | | got no answer, at which point they moved onto the |
| marketing standpoint I was clearly a ship without a | | | | second ad which was mine. From this I learned two |
| sail.My first method of marketing was to simply tell | | | | things. It helps to be the first ad in your category, and |
| everyone I knew what I was doing. I utilized my | | | | the importance of never missing a business phone |
| parents by getting good leads from them or having | | | | call.I've learned some important marketing lessons in |
| them call their friends who were business owners to | | | | the time I've been in business.* Try to focus on a niche |
| tell them about me. This worked out well, landing me | | | | marketOnce I abandoned the business sector things |
| my first quality business client; a small office of about 6 | | | | got much easier for me. I was able to focus my |
| employees. This client was a good source of revenue | | | | marketing efforts more effectively.* When advertising |
| for me in the early days.Next I took a stab at what I | | | | in classified sections, I've found the most success with |
| would soon find out is the toughest form of marketing | | | | papers that have clear and concise classifieds.The |
| out there - cold calling. I now have respect for anyone | | | | papers that did the worst for me were ones where |
| able to do this for 8 hours a day and be successful at | | | | the classifieds section was messy and the major |
| it. I simply do not have the patience or the tough skin | | | | headings and categories were not well defined.* |
| for it nor do I take the constant rejection well. Most of | | | | Differentiate yourself in your advertisingIf your ad is |
| the businesses I called did not have a need for me for | | | | going to stand out from all the other ads it is going to |
| one reason or another - they were a franchise and | | | | have to be different. When forming my strategy for |
| got their IT support from the franchisor, they got their | | | | some phone book advertising I opened up a copy of |
| support from their corporate parent, they had a | | | | the phonebook I had and thumbed over to the |
| support agreement with Dell and called them for all | | | | computer section. I was surprised to see that almost all |
| their needs. Maybe I would have found more success | | | | the ads looked the same. All the businesses were |
| with this method had I stuck with it longer, but I did not | | | | offering the exact same thing - upgrades, virus help, |
| have the patience to put a lot of effort into to it. The | | | | system crashes, networking, high speed internet. Ad |
| funny thing is, on my very first cold call I was able to | | | | after ad, all with the same services listed in bullet point, |
| schedule a meeting with a small business located right | | | | all blended together with the occasional picture of the |
| across the street from where I lived. We had the | | | | computer monitor with a frowny face or a guy |
| meeting and to this day that client is my best business | | | | standing over his computer looking frustrated. I fired up |
| customer. Since I landed a great client on my very first | | | | Adobe Photoshop and came up with an ad that is |
| cold call I started wondering what everyone was | | | | completely different, offering a totally different set of |
| complaining about with cold calling. Turns out my next | | | | services along with a couple of the usual ones just so |
| one hundred or so calls landed me nothing and I quickly | | | | the viewers know that I can do all the usual stuff as |
| gave it up.I had some business customers but was not | | | | well.* Be creative in your advertisingGoing back to my |
| having the success I wanted to have in this sector. I | | | | previous example, nothing that I saw in the phone book |
| was growing tired of writing a lot of lengthy proposals | | | | was very creative. The ad I made up is very attention |
| for projects just to be turned down. Looking back one | | | | grabbing. As I write this the ad will be coming out this |
| of the problems was that I was only one person. I | | | | very week. While I can't say for sure exactly how well |
| didn't have the resources to hire a full time staff that | | | | it will do, I have a very good feeling about it.If you are |
| could back me on projects. Instead I was trying to rely | | | | starting out I hope that what I've written here will help |
| on hiring associates on a contract basis who were | | | | you to improve your own marketing strategy. If you |
| already working full time. I didn't feel completely | | | | have already been in the game for awhile you may be |
| confident going into meetings to sell large projects or | | | | able to concur with some of the things I've said based |
| contracts because I didn't have a full time staff behind | | | | on your own experience. If you have anything to add I |
| me, and that lack of confidence probably showed | | | | would like to hear it, either in a comment posted here |
| through in my presentation.I began to realize I was | | | | or in an email sent to me. Happy |
| having much more success in the residential and work | | | | entrepreneuring.Carlos Cabezas writes about |
| from home markets. Since each job was smaller, I | | | | entrepreneurship and solopreneurship on his web site, |
| didn't have to spend hours or days writing a proposal | | | | He runs solo computer business called High Tech |
| for each job. I felt more confident because I could | | | | Homes and an online training and tutoring business |
| easily handle all the work by myself. I slowly began to | | | | called MyOnlineTutor.net. |
| market less to businesses and more to the residential | | | | |