Getting Close!

Everything is coming together for my yard care business and we should be ready to go full out in about 2 weeks. Which is good, because there's already snow in the forecast. I think this is the first year I can ever remember being a little excited about snow. Not really excited, just a little bit.

We've been focusing heavily on our marketing plan (makes sense, we only have 1 customer so far). A lot of what I've been learning has to do with marketing. In a couple of weeks, I'll know if all of these people who seem smarter than me really are.

One of the things that has made the most sense to me is that the goal of marketing should be to develop leads, not sales. "Wait a second though...I thought I want to sell things, that's why I'm marketing??" That's what the little voice in my head says. But it makes sense. Really. Imagine if you walked up to a girl (or guy) that you've never met and asked them to marry you. You probably wouldn't get very far. You need to develop a relationship first.

The same thing applies to business. Most business owners (including myself at one point) believe that people will come simply because they have a business. Wrong! People want to know something about you first. That's why places like McDonald's do so well, while places like Joe's Burger Joint (no offense if you happen to run a place called Joe's Burger Joint) don't always do so well. People know McDonald's. If I go to McDonald's, I know I will get a mediocre meal at a decent price. Every time. I don't know anything about Joe's Burger Joint, and I'm not always willing to risk going there.

So how do I develop a lead? Instead of offering something for sale, think about who your target market is. What do they want? Offer them something (usually information, or maybe a sample) with no obligation. Show them how helpful you are. Gain their trust. Once they get to know you, they are much more likely to buy whatever you are selling. Or at least recommend you to someone else.

That's the theory anyway. It seems very sound to me. I am about to find out as all of my marketing will be going out this week. I will let you know soon how it turns out. Hopefully we can all learn something.

Dad