Two acquaintances asked me for some advice about marketing personal in-home services. The businesses were very different, but both offered to come to the home to provide useful personal care services. One offered to become a personal stress coach while the other focused on a personal home organizer. My advice to both was to focus on generating leads.
They had a clear target in mind and offered a well-positioned service that was specific, narrow, and focused – not too general. One was starting to get traction, while the other was having some trouble. What was the difference, a focus on generating leads?
Lead Generation
It is so easy to get distracted by the fun and shimmering of social media, but it can become a tremendous time suck. And, when you are starting a business, you need to spend almost all your time networking, connecting and reaching out to prospects.
Generating leads and opportunities for solopreneurs needs a laser-like focus on new connections. Here are several ideas to help that apply to many small businesses.
Create an email list of as many people that you know. Whether it is five, fifty, or five hundred people, build a list. I would build it in MailChimp so that you can easily communicate with all of them. Or, use your current email platform like Gmail, Yahoo, etc.
Sending Emails
Craft a well-written outreach note. It can be virtually the same message with a little personalization but keep it short and to the point.
- You are starting a business that helps people with X challenge.
- You are looking to offer a free in-house trial as you are building your business.
- Would they be interested or know someone who would be?
- The offer is free – no strings attached. You will come to their house to provide the service.
Why Email?
Email is easy to do, doesn’t cost anything, and you can quickly tap into people who know and trust you. Friends are the gateway to their friends, especially if your offer is easy to understand and taps into a pain point.
If you can’t explain in a few words what you do, maybe your challenge is more fundamental. If you can’t explain to a ten-year-old what you do, work on your messaging. Remember, people buy benefits. They do not buy features.
If you can help someone tone their body, so they are in swimsuit shape, sell that – not the exercise program. Sell the benefit of a hot body, not the drudgery of a personal trainer pushing you to work harder. The woman with the organizing services sells the benefit of coming home to a peaceful space. She doesn’t go into detail about how she does this work – just how people will feel after she leaves.
Generate Leads and Give Away Trials
What this simple outreach campaign does is focus you on sampling or trialing your service to as many people as possible who might become prospective clients. Don’t be afraid to give away a half-hour or hour session and consider it part of your investment in growing your client base.
If, after doing a dozen free sessions, you find that three of the twelve become clients, then you see what is necessary to grow your brand. For every four people you trial, one becomes a client. The marketing cost becomes your time – but you start to have a path to grow your business.
What’s Next?
Next, find another twelve prospects, with the hope and expectation that three people will want to hire you. Generating leads, prospects, and opportunities are where you should spend your time. Websites, social media, advertising, and brochures should come later.
Focus all your effort on outreach.
Does your business need a marketing coach, guide or sherpa? Are you generating enough leads? Is your marketing underperforming? I can help.
You can set up a time to chat with me about your marketing challenges using my calendar. Our initial conversation is free. You talk, I listen. Email me jeffslater@themarketingsage.com or call me. 919 720 0995. Visit my website at www.themarketingsage.com Let’s explore working together today.
Photo by Katy Anne on Unsplash
