I believe we usually have the answers, we just don’t trust them, or don’t want to accept or believe them, or they scare us. Often when I’m interviewing a new client, I’ll ask them to tell me what has worked best in the past, for getting new customers. About 80% of the time, it’s something they no longer do. Perhaps it took some time and effort, and when the calls started coming in, it was “All hands on deck!” Then, when it was slow, they would again focus on getting customers. Eventually, whoever did the work got tired of it or quit, and no one else picked up the project. The company had never made it into a “campaign.” There was no system to continued success!
This may seem obvious, but if you do something that works, keep doing it!
Why stop? Here’s one example that’s real simple, and really, really obvious! One of my clients had a modest, locally-based business. He had used display ads, classifieds, TV spots, even people on the sidewalk with sandwich boards! He said the one thing that made his phone ring off the hook was the magnetic signs on his truck! He’d get calls forwarded to his mobile phone while he was sitting at stoplights!
As I was leaving, we walked out to the parking lot behind his building. There, buried on row three, was his truck, signs and all. I immediately jumped on him! “What’s it doing out here… why don’t you park it on the street? It won’t get you any calls parked back here!” He’d never thought about it! To me (and I hope, to you as well), it was an obvious, simple and cost-free way to get new business. Hiding it in the parking lot was like hiding the proverbial candle under the bushel. If no one gets told, no one can buy. For him, he was saving quarters (parking meter fees) by parking out back. Hello! Talk about tripping over dollars to pick up dimes!
