Residential Business Growth For Idiots Dummies?
Small business owners are often endowed with many bad habits but the worst is our tendency to take something simple and morph it into something complex.
For me it was almost a sick hobby.
Simplicity is the ULTIMATE sophistication" Leonardo Da Vinci
It was almost like I enjoyed overanalyzing what should be an elementary concept until it became a bloated 17 point plan that I really had no hope of executing on a consistent basis, if I am honest with myself (but I usually wasn't back then).
I remember in the early days of my business getting so stressed out reading all of the latest forum posts online regarding marketing techniques. There were so many marketing options but so little time and budget.
So much to absorb but so few hours to invest towards learning in any meaningful way.
So I did what most do, a little bit of everything.
I skimmed through pages and pages of online posts from the keyboard warriors of business talking about marketing, growth and whatever else popped in their head after putting back few on a Friday night.
The credibility and background of the "online authors" was sketchy at best but "Hey, I was the new guy, who was I to question it."
I didn't know any better so I did what so many others do.
I tried it all.
Yard signs, door hangers, fliers, direct mail, radio, newspaper ads, restaurant placemat ads, referral programs, employee up sell systems and even sponsoring the local T-Ball team.
Surely the T-Ball team was the home run I had been waiting for, right?
I could smell the millions, until I couldn't.
Today, I call this "buffet style marketing" and similar to a real Chinese buffet it typically only brings with it pain, suffering and a splash of disappointment.
So what is the answer?
The truth is that any of the methods I tried could work just fine if I had actually went DEEP enough with it.
Typically, in my observation, most businesses do "just enough to fail".
They put out just enough fliers or door hangers to almost make a big difference.
My friends, we need to go DEEP, not wide.
We need to focus on becoming a ninja master at whatever method we choose rather than doing a "little bit of this" and a "little bit of that" in a sad attempt to build our little empires.
From T-Ball to $200,000 Per Month
By the time my small business was cranking out close to $200,000 per month in cleaning revenue I had finally figured it out.
It was embarrassingly simple and right in front of me the whole time.
Ready for the secret sauce? Here it comes.
The most powerful marketing strategy on the planet comes from the following two sources.
1: Your current customers
2: Their neighbors
Anticlimactic? (Sigh)...I hear ya but let me explain.
The foundation for ALL small business growth needs to contain the following three elements:
-Simplicity
-Organized
-Consistent
WARNING: If you actually "do" what I am about to lay out for you be prepared for your business to DOUBLE over the next 12 months.
Grab a piece of paper and some crayons so you can take notes, this is good stuff.
First of all, the neighbors of your current clients have some unique benefits that need to be pointed out.
1: They have similar income levels to your current clients.
2: They have similar needs to your current clients.
3: They are located in the BEST possible location because you are already there working.
4: They talk to their neighbors.
5: They are often trying to "keep up" with their neighbors.
These people are literally your perfect avatar! (an avatar is a metaphorical person that represents the perfect client for your business)
So, whats the plan Josh?
Step 1: BLOW the minds of your current clients by being a rock star at every aspect of their experience with you.
-This starts on the phone then moves to an estimate or pricing of some kind. Next you actually schedule the work and then perform the services. Lastly, you should be following up and every single one of those touch points is your opportunity to be epic so...be epic.
Step 2: ASK your current customers in a direct way (look them in the eyes) for the referral of their neighbors.
-Do it exactly like this at the end of the service.... "Did we meet or exceed your expectations today?" The moment they say "Yes!" (and they will because you were so epic) you say this next exact script. "Great!, can you do me a big favor? We are a small family business and we rely on referrals from people like you. Could you mention to your neighbors how happy you are with our company?" They will say "Sure, of course" because you're so epic.
Step 3: LAUNCH a simple "5-Around" strategy targeting the neighbors of your current customers.
-Leave them a piece of literature saying you just did epic stuff for their neighbors.
-Put a real price on it specific for their home
-Put a killer special offer
-Put an expiration date on it
That's it!
The fun part about doing this is that it ALWAYS works 100% of the time IF:
-You are epic.
-You actually do it everyday for ever and ever and ever and ever... ok... I think you get it :)
Let's RECAP This Legendary Article
Don't overcomplicate business growth.
Keep everything you do simple, organized and consistent.
Stick to one or two growth methods and become a ninja expert warrior at them.
Be epic.
