Hello everyone, I'm new here--so I'll give a little background before i get into my question. I've been working for a small landscaping company for the past four years. it started as a summer job and has grown into a passion, I've since switched majors from marketing/finance to horticulture. now this upcoming year i have the opportunity to take on more a sales/design role in the company, given the current economy it should be a tall task .
As of right now, most of our work comes from one builder, HOA maintenance contracts from the communities they've built, and a few residential customers. which, IMO, isn't bad considering he hasn't done any advertising other than being listed in the yellow book and some networking.
So here is my plan,
- Get a website up with a portfolio
- Setup a Google Ad words account
- Use craigslist/yahoo
- Start a monthly email newsletter that offers some gardening/landscaping tips. everyone likes free, so we can use this to get our name infront of existing and new clients, push referral discounts/promotions/reminders/etc.
- Send 5000 postcard mailers out early spring to neighborhoods with household incomes of 80k+
- Get a packet together with a cover letter/company info and take it around to realtors/management companys and ask to be put on there bid lists.
If anyone has any feedback on this i'd love to hear it, the biggest question i have is, whats a good company to use for the postcards? i suppose i could look locally, but i'm figuring that i'll find a better deal online some where.
I was just told about a post card service today- ModernPostcard.com
They handle printing, mailing list, mailing, etc. Sounds like a turn-key solution.
Regarding the website, if you just want to quickly get a portfolio online you might want to look at a service such as Carbonmade.com or Landscapedia.info. These are free services. This could be a temporary solution until you design and build a full-scale website.
I have used Club Flyers.com http://http://www.clubflyers.com/pro...roducts_id=118 and PS Print Print Custom Business Cards, Stickers, Postcards & More Online Printing Services Serving The Whole Country From Brooklyn New York to San Francisco Bay Areawith great success for postcards and flyers. Two-sided, multiple colors, glossy finish, very reasonable price. I have personally seen that door hangers have lead to a much higher ratio of work compared to postcards. I will say that I may have sent out my postcards a bit too early in the Spring, but it wasn't that early. As a matter of fact, the door hangers that I put out in late October for Fall Clean-ups and Snow Removal services have lead to almost $4000 in work sold for a $500 investment. I have the potential to earn five or six times that from the snow accounts the door hangers landed. I know that people have success with mailings, but I feel that door hangers show a little bit more gumption and desire.
I also know that Vista Print http://www.vistaprint.com/vp/ns/defa...8%3a03%3a58+PM is supposed to be very reasonable, even providing certain amounts of free items. For newsletters or other paperstock mailing, I try to use local printers. Ask around because several of the local printers are VERY competitive, at least in the Omaha area.
- Get a website up with a portfolio EXCELLENT IDEA - THIS IS BY FAR OUR BIGGEST LEAD GENERATOR. MAKE SURE THE SITE IS PROFESSIONAL WITH GOOD PICS AND PLENTY OF INFO ABOUT YOUR COMPANY CREDENTIALS. LOOK AT A BUNCH OF CONTRACTOR WEBSITES - THE REALLY BAD ONES WILL STAND OUT.
- Setup a Google Ad words account ANOTHER GREAT IDEA - CHOOSE YOUR KEYWORDS AND LOCATIONS CAREFULLY
- Use craigslist/yahoo NOT TOO MANY HOMEOWNERS LOOK FOR LANDSCAPING SERVICES ON CRAIGSLIST - LAWN MAINTENANCE MAYBE, BUT NOT LANDSCAPING
- Start a monthly email newsletter that offers some gardening/landscaping tips. everyone likes free, so we can use this to get our name infront of existing and new clients, push referral discounts/promotions/reminders/etc. THIS IS A FINE IDEA; BUT WE TRIED IT AND REALIZED IT IS A VERY LARGE UNDERTAKING TO PULL OFF. YOU NEED TO KEEP IT FRESH AND RELEVANT, SO AVOID THE PREPACKAGED "NEWSLETTERS" THAT OFFER TIPS ON HOW TO WATER YOUR LAWN AND MAKE GOOD BLUEBERRY MUFFINS.
- Send 5000 postcard mailers out early spring to neighborhoods with household incomes of 80k+ BLIND DIRECT MAIL HAS BEEN AN ABSOLUTE WASTE OF TIME FOR US OVER 5 YEARS. FOR AN EXISTING CLIENT LIST MAYBE, BUT THINK OF HOW MANY PIECES OF JUNK YOUR MAILBOX SEES IN A GIVEN DAY
- Get a packet together with a cover letter/company info and take it around to realtors/management companys and ask to be put on there bid lists. GOOD IDEA, BUT YOU ABSOLUTELY MUST FOLLOW UP WITH EACH PERSON YOU GIVE IT TO.
And most of all, keep at it! Many contractors (and every news broadcast) have surmised that the economy will never right itself, Americans will stop buying things, all domestic production will cease and we all all doomed. That's a pretty good sign to boost your business development effort, becuase many of them will give up.
Here are some off the cuff ideas to your original post, albeit a week or two late:
Get the website up ASAP - You'll want to get it ranking by March, so that's the course of this meal you'll want to start cooking early.
Craigslist - I know there are some people that swear by it, but more often I swear at it. There seem to be more loonies surfing those pages and replying to our stuff than anything, anywhere. Though I think a woman was hitting on me once, responding to an ad for free fill. So I guess there's that.
I think it was Charles Vanderkooi or Marty Grunder that said that the best times to do mailers are April, May and September. Depending on the weather, March may be too soon.
You're right about everyone liking free. Problem is, the ones that like it best are rarely the ones willing to hire you. Having a newsletter for existing clients is a great idea, but I would opt to make the focus more about personal interest items, things going on in the community, and new services you offer or customer testimonials, photos of your work, etc.
Adwords can also be utilized well. Keep close tabs on it after launch, to see what's bringing in traffic. Keep tweaking it until you have the right mix of ad text, bid price and traffic.
BTW, I like using Adco for my postcards. I prefer to design the stuff myself, and they print nice stuff, dirt cheap. It's a no frills print shop out of Florida. I built my own mailing list because I tried to use a good, reputable company and got a bad list. This part takes awhile, but can be well worth it. But if you're in a hurry, you might be better off buying a list. Or you can go with the outfits that do the whole thing - list, postcard design, printing and postage. I think the upcharge is about $.20 per postcard for them to do it all, if memory serves.
I like all of your above ideas, and I have two more to add. I'm starting a new design/build landscape business too, and have been racking my brain lately for new marketing ideas. Here's one:
#1 DIRECT TRAFFIC TO YOUR WEBSITE:
Do you ever drive or walk by a large building or home jobsite and see an "after" image of what the proposed building project will look like when it's finished? It's usually a catchy dramatic water colour or perspective sketch done by the architect who designed the project. It catches your attention, and of course, your interest, so you check it out, and compare the image to what has been built so far.
Why not do something similar on one of your jobsites? Put up a sign with the usual (company name, logo, contact info) and then something like : "TO SEE WHAT THIS PROJECT WILL LOOK LIKE FINISHED VISIT WWW.YOURWEBSITE.COM". On your website you can have before images of the site, what's currently happening on that project, and most importantly some dramatic images of what the final design will look like. People by nature are curious and nosey creatures. Neighbors always want to know what others on their street are up to, especially when it comes to home renovations!
#2 INTRODUCE YOURSELF TO THE NEIGHBORHOOD.
Once you've spent a few days on a new jobsite, and the neighborhood has noticed, spend a few hours one evening and do some gorilla marketing. Have in hand a letter, and a door hanger, and start knocking on the doors in the neighborhood, introduce yourself, tell them you are working down the street, and make a good impression. The first question they will ask is what's being built down the street. Tell them to come on by the jobsite and you can show them, or direct them to your website. If they are not home, leave them a letter that does the above.
I haven't done this yet myself, but I am going to start early this spring. What do you think?
I like your idea Shorescraper about using your job site sign to direct people to the project's rendering on your website.
Speaking of signs on the job site, another thing I've done in the past is place an "attachment" on the top of the sign saying "Coming Soon". I would put this on the job site as early as possible before ever starting the installation. This would create a "buzz" in the neighborhood. This combined with the idea above I think would really create buzz and drive people to a website.
__________________ Chris Heiler
Green Industry speaker and writer www.ChrisHeiler.com
Be careful about inviting others onto a customers property, especially a working job site. There are liability issues as well as privacy concerns that need to be addressed first.
my first thought was also privacy concerns - as a client I would not even entertain the idea of allowing photos of my pre, during, and post project photos being broadcast to the whole neighborhood and world really.
__________________
Sales are vanity, Profit is sanity, and Cash is King.
I like the doorhangers in the neighborhood idea - did that myself years ago, seemed to work OK. Not great, but there wasn't much time or money invested, so I don't think it was a waste. I don't recall if we invited people to the jobsite or not, but the concerns raised here are valid ones. That being said, I would bet not many of the contractors here have not had a neighbor or two wander onto the jobsite to ask questions, and I'd also bet that prospective client didn't get run off the premises for fear of liability. (I only did that once, and it was for extended family of a client who was letting their toddler children play around our moving skidsteer.)
That being said, I would bet not many of the contractors here have not had a neighbor or two wander onto the jobsite to ask questions, and I'd also bet that prospective client didn't get run off the premises for fear of liability.
I agree with that completely. However, I think there's a difference in a neighbor wandering over to have a look-see and the whole neighborhood being invited over without the homeowners OK first.
I started my business in 94' with door hangers. I did them in person for the first 3 months. I got to talk to a lot of people and I sold some small jobs directly from some of those conversations. Some people get upset at salespeople knocking on the door so after a while I would just smile, or say, "Hello, nice day". If they were open to conversation, I might mention something about their yard or sprinklers. I would get calls from the door hangers with a deal or a time limit. They get looked at, but they have a short "shelf life".
I think the idea of putting the website and, "Look what we're doing at your neighbors house", would be interesting. I'll bet the neighbors end up on your website.
__________________
Yes, this is Phoenix. Yes, it's REALLY hot here. Yes, I love it.
All good ideas. I have heard horror stories about direct mail, but if you design your postcard well, I would ask a question to peaque their curiosity, you might make out ok. Also, don't go with a bulk mail stamp thing, put a live one on it. More work, yes, but greater chance of accurate delivery. Keep in mind, you generally get a 1% return on your direct mail in terms of the number of jobs you get, but if the numbers are big enough, you'll do more than break even, you'll make a profit. And, look at all the other people your company's name is out in front of. Don't just do one mailing...do several. It takes people to see your name at least 3x. So they say. Yes, there's a lot of
For those of you who DON'T rely solely on word of mouth, what else do you do?
.
