Reader's question: What other things can I do to turn 'leads' into clients?

We are commercial and residential builder and things have slowed down tremendously. We have been in business only one year under this name, but were two companies that merged. Marketing is a new thing for this company and we are trying to find what works best. We have done a lot of trade shows this year that seemed to help, and have kept us going. Now the trade show season is slow (until spring) I have continued to mail my data base and email them, What other things can I do to turn these "leads" into clients?

Alisha Hale
Yukon Harbor LLC.

My response:

Alisha:

I looked at your website and sense you are doing much right. Referral programs, community association involvement, shows, and the like. So what can you do more, and better?

None of these suggestions, alas, will be a magic bullet. But maybe they will provide some clues (and you may be doing much of this already)..

1. Do you have a systematic free service call/checkup/fix up program for your clients? If so, you can schedule the visits during the slow period. This gets you into their houses and gives you a chance to build goodwill (especially if you fix things that need fixing.) It also gives you the opportunity to gently ask for referrals or receive invitations to do some additional work.


2. Have you polled your clients and established clearly their demographic, especially which media they read/view/which community groups they support, and the like. This may give you some clues about marketing strategies.

3. I don't see much of a personality or 'story' in your website; who are your company principals; can their faces, names, etc, go on the website; how did they get together and what is their background? And if you have live testimonials, let the world know them (and if you don't (but have earned them), collect them! They will help.

4. With roofing, sometimes opportunities are possible through a canvassing program if there are storms, etc, and insurance coverage is available. But my sense is this wouldn't be a great priority for you right now.

5. Unless you have established relationships where your brand is strong (and therefore you don't need to go to low price wins the job, I would not focus much on the commercial side of things -- too much price beating, and too much risk on payment/cash flow for the margins available.

6. You could contract with a consultant like Michael Stone who is geographically much closer to you than me. A little money spent on solid advice can go a lot further than flailing about with 'try this, try that' marketing.

One other thing I would explore with non-competitive peers (though industry associations/other markets, are strategies for winter works or winter initiatives.) There is seasonality in this business and you might simply need to budget for it.

In an email before granting permission to reproduce this response, Alisha wrote: "Thank you so much. We will get started on these ideas."

Please feel free to email your own questions to buckshon@cnrgp.com.

From the past and present to the future

Jeffrey Gitomer provides a tantalizing primer on effective sales call preparation in Predicting the outcome of a sale is easy. Sort of. I think what he suggests works best if you add an extra item (you can see the other points by reading the original story).

.5: Put your sales machine aside and understand -- really understand -- your clients' industry, and your own business.

I see far too many salespeople thinking purely in terms of the sales process, and not the environment in which that process operates. They tactically manage -- manipulate -- the situation, often so effectively they get the sale, once, twice or even more often -- but ultimately damage their business and its reputation.

The wiser approach, I believe, is to see selling in context of the entire business relationship we have with our clients and potential clients. This larger, more challenging, cultural approach may create an environment of receptiveness and repeat business where it seems that the salespeople are mere 'order takers' but, done right, they are much more than that. For want of a better phrase, they are brand ambassadors, communicating and respecting their business's relationship with current and future clients, and the community at large.

Integrated marketing

You'll want to read Steve Yastrow's books for insights into the importance of a clients-first approach to marketing. His latest blog entry is appropriately titled, "Your un-media plan".

I believe in integrated marketing; that is, your effective combination of internal and external methodologies to both your brand and attract new clients. Done properly, this need not cost a fortune -- in fact, you can often build an effective marketing strategy for little or no cash.

Your employees and current clients are 80 per cent of the picture.

Read Steve Yastrow's Brand Harmony -- then think about the overall client experience and how you can improve it. Dissatisfied clients bad-mouth you. Satisfied clients will purchase more. And truly enthusiastic clients will be your best sales reps. You need to make the entire process of doing business with your organization a pleasure -- in fact something clients truly enjoy. Frankly, with my own business, I see lots of improvements to be made here -- yesterday, I worked on a file where the contract had not been properly confirmed, we had sent inaccurate invoices, our collection department had 'pushed' for payment -- but not promptly returned calls seeking clarification -- and this is a long-standing and well-established customer! Ouch.

It is vitally important that before you spend any money on outbound marketing and selling, you ensure your internal processes are in order, and you can serve your current clients properly, effectively, and enthusiastically.

In reaching for new business, consider your clients' needs first.

Sure, you can force your way into the consciousness of potential clients by blunt force -- and maybe get some business. But this is expensive and largely ineffective. I know not everyone agrees with me, but this is why I have problems with dumb telemarketing and canvassing, where drones reading scripts call down lists in the 'numbers game'. But how many people do you irritate in the effort to get some response? (I'm not quarrelling with rational and creative canvassing and telemarketing -- if you are a roofer and drive around, and see roofs needing work -- maybe it makes sense to knock on the door, especially if you know the work now will save your potential client much grief later on.)

Multiple messages from credible sources will influence decisions.

Advertising, word-of-mouth, consistent logos and designs, and editorial coverage, will build the 'front of mind' awareness of your business, your positive awareness, and attract interest.

Your key marketing measurements should be the "cost per lead" and "quality of client satisfaction".

You need to measure your results, and your objective should be to achieve the most profitable cost per lead (note the absolute cost of the lead is less important than its lifetime value. Say, you need to spend $100,000 to attract one client -- but this will be a repeat client worth $1 million a year -- and a client with a large network of friends and colleagues, who can purchase your services as well.) But you will not have a sustainable business unless you deliver the goods and your clients are truly impressed with your service.

You need a plan, a budget, and the ability to change on the fly.

Some seat of the pants marketing decisions are rational -- you need to be able to seize opportunities as they arise, or adapt to changing economic circumstances. But you don't want to be flapping about desperately, or doing business just because one sales rep or another charms you about a particular media or leads service. With guidelines, consistent principals, and an integrated approach, you'll be able to evaluate competing marketing service claims and achieve the results you are seeking.