Ever feel like you’re just spinning your wheels? It could be in growing your business, accomplishing things on your ‘To Do’ list, or just life in general. To be perfectly honest and upfront, I feel like that quite often. Now, that’s not to say I am in fact spinning my wheels, it just feels like I’m going a million miles a minute, but not really getting anywhere.
When this happens to me, here’s what I do. I stop what I’m doing, pull out my list of goals and the associated list of things needed to accomplish each goal, and I pick one task that’s listed. Then, I focus all my time, attention, and energy to completing that one task.
I’ve found that as long as I’m doing SOMETHING to move closer to the goals I have set, I don’t feel like I’m spinning my wheels as much.
So the next time you’re frustrated with the way things are or aren’t going, stop and ask yourself if it’s helping you move closer towards reaching your goals.
I was thumbing through the latest issue of Turf magazine and came across the section of postings from one of the big lawn forums sites. The question was “Is There Such Thing as a Free Lunch?” and the printed posts went on to debate the merits of offering a free cut upfront in order to acquire a new customer.
Here’s my take on this debate. First, you should be willing to break even, and in some cases even LOSE money to acquire a new customer. The reason for this is because once you get a new customer, if you’ve priced your services appropriately, you will more than make up for any money you lost or didn’t get on the first service over the life of the relationship. The Lifetime Value of your Customer is a critical number to know when it comes to knowing how much your average customer is worth to you over the life of the relationship. If you know that number, you’ll know exactly what you can afford to spend, or in this case lose, in order to acquire the customer.
Now, even though I just said you should break even to acquire a new customer, this doesn’t mean you should GIVE your services away. It is my belief that you should give some type of discount or additional services in order to acquire the new customer. You want to give them an opportunity to try out your services without losing sleep over the fact they just signed a lengthy service. You want them to feel like they got a FABULOUS deal and that the value of the services were more than worth the price they just paid.
So when it comes to giving a free cut on the first visit, I recommend NOT doing it. However, do look for other premiums or incentives you can offer. Free spot treatment of weeds. Or free shrub trimming of a limited number of shrubs. Or a free Spring spruce up treatment. Basically, give them something that doesn’t cost you a whole lot in hard costs or extra time, but is perceived by the customer to be of great value.
Follow this suggestion and while you probably wont make as much up front, you’ll go a long way towards cementing your position as a service provider that provide excellent value in exchange for the prices you charge.
This post is a reprint from one of the many blogs I read daily. This one is EXTREMELY appropriate for any LCO that’s thinking about adding a website to the marketing mix. Or better yet, for those thinking their business doesn’t need a website.
It was written by Michele Miller and can be found at www.Grokdotcom.com.
Here’s the post:
This past weekend, I had the pleasure of presenting a seminar on the topic of marketing to women, to the National Association of School Music Dealers. During the segment on the importance of effective websites, a participant raised his hand. “We don’t have e-commerce on our website,” he said. “If we’re not selling online, is it really important to invest in a good website?”
I could have given several answers, but with limited time, I simply presented him with one statistic. According to a recent study cited in eMarketer.com, 58% of broadband users who did research on a product made the purchase in a store.
Not surprisingly, the room became very quiet. I had just provided a wake-up call.
You may not be selling product online, but you’re definitely selling your brand. You’d better do a good job convincing me online that you’re my best choice; otherwise, you probably won’t see my face in front of your cash register.
Now, even though the post cited the number of users researching then making a purchase in store, I firmly believe the numbers are very similar to the number of consumers researching their service providers online. With the power of the internet, it’s easy for your potential customers to go online and find out about the people they’re thinking about hiring.
That being said, are you ‘there’ so they can research you? If you are, what does your website say about you? Better yet, what does it say about the benefits they’ll get by selecting you?
Here’s a great quote from one of my favorite business leaders and philosophers of all time, Jim Rohn:
You don’t get paid for the hour. You get paid for the value you bring to an hour
Makes you stop and think about how you price your services, doesn’t it?
Even though I’m not a big fan of telemarketing, and with the ‘Do Not Call’ lists that can cause all sorts of headaches for non-compliant businesses, there is one list you can and SHOULD be calling on. This list is that of your existing customers.
Now I know there are many business owners that say you’re just asking for trouble by contacting your customers, but in reality it’s just the opposite. If you DON’T contact them periodically to find out how things are going and to let them know you appreciate their business, that’s when you’re really asking for trouble.
So, set aside a few minutes each day or week to call on a handle of customers. Let them know you appreciate their business and ask them if there’s anything you could do to provide better service. In most cases, they’ll be pleasantly surprised that you took them time to call and they’ll probably tell you you’re doing a fantastic job.
Well, that’s all for today. Remember to always be in marketing mode so you’re pipeline is always full of qualified prospects!
As you work to grow your business, how do you view your customers? Whether you believe this or not, your existing customers are the most valuable asset you own. That’s right. It’s not your truck, or your equipment, or your employees, or anything else you could possibly have.
Without your customers, you don’t have a business. And I’m not just talking about your new customers. I’m referring to ALL your customers, both past and present.
So knowing this valuable insight, how do you think you should treat your most important asset? Well, if you’re like many business owners I speak with you’re probably seeing them only as dollar signs. Now not to say that’s a bad thing, but if you really want your business to grow and be around for the long term you need to view them as more than dollar signs.
To be truly successful in business you need to view your customers as a relationship to be nurtured and developed. The more you’re able to do this, the more valuable the relationship becomes, and the more profitable your business becomes.
So the next time you hear someone tell you that you should just ‘mow and go’, don’t believe them. Instead, think about ways you can strengthen and nurture a relationship with your customers so that they feel vested in your business and have no desire to go elsewhere for lawn care or landscaping service.
On Monday, I’ll be announcing a new service that will make doing this brain-dead simple so stay tuned!
Whether people want to admit it or not, people judge books by their cover. This holds true in everything from, well, books, to the people they date, to the cars they drive, all the way to the companies and people they do business with.
If you’re not conveying an image of professionalism from the moment someone sets eyes on you then you’re fighting an uphill battle. And that includes everything including your transportation, your equipment, your clothing, and your communications.
So take a look at yourself and the image you convey. Do you see someone you’d like to do business with? Does your clothing and the way you present yourself convey professionalism and someone that’s going to get the job done? Does your equipment and transportation convey the message of someone that’s going to do a good job?
Now, don’t get me wrong and think I’m telling you you need to get a brand new, fancy pickup truck to haul all your equipment. Or completely outfit your company with brand new uniforms. Or go out and purchase all new equipment.
No, you can make do with what you have. Just make sure it conveys an image of professionalism. Wash your truck and equipment and keep them in good running condition. If you can’t afford a golf shirt with your logo on it, at least spend a few dollars and get a nice t-shirt with your logo or company name screen printed on it.
These small acts won’t cost you very much in monetary terms, but if you ignore them, they’ll cost you much more than you’d ever want to know in terms of a damaged reputation.
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