Not to be Mr. Negative but Mr. Blunt and a NSA type of guy/frog, I'll give you few of my deals.
I did a feasibility study after giving up on the unsatisfying corporate grind. What did I like to do? I always have liked fishing, ponds and landscaping. So that is where I started.
What businesses that generated actual income were in that arena. Koi, all areas, some retail, management, landscaping, consultation. In all my stops in my career, I was customer service leader, or tops in customer satisfaction. So service more than sales. Fits my work ethic better anyway.
Koi pond market is flooded. Maintanance and installation. I'm really not into that. Nor do I have the equipment. I know plants, have a green thumb and know fish. So pond manager/consultant was a better fit, and there are very few of them. Almost no competition. Got lucky and got a good .com, but what to put on it, I'm a good guy?
People want proof, photos, before and afters, references. Better get good at what I do, before I start direct marketing. I have some time to keep my day job and earn money for housing food, and most important take care of my family.
So I get down to nuts and bolts of business. Find least expensive ad helper, vistaprint. Get some cards, shirts, caps, card door magnets. Brochures to follow. Get all permits FBNS, licenses. Start studying weaker areas. Study, and study some more.
Make contacts, wholesalers, already knew fish farm operators, aquatic stores, suppliers. Let them know I am in business. What do I do? I have been a property manager before, as far as bare land, I can be nasty good with a chain saw, brushcutter and weedeater. I can plant and stock fish. I can dianosis and plan. And can perform corrective and preventive maintenance. I can landscape anything. It's almost what can I not do.
I do a lot of ticket punching. Slang for volunteer work, helping out, free consults, trades, you name it. I do this for some time. In rich communties, for HOA's, for business owners. Pretty soon people are seeing the quality and the results of my work. My professionalism. My proposals and my interaction with the community. Always a can do, positive let's make this happen and get you up and running kind of guy.
Pass out business cards. Nice no gimmick cards. People use them to clean thier teeth or toss it in circular file, cost a couple of cents. But some people contact you, I saw that work you did. Your that pond frog guy. Put your name on your work, and make your work and advertisement for your business. Look for opportunites and pitch, I can handle that, and let you do what you do best, your business, and I will do my business for? I'll trade services, I'll work for noncash jobs. But I never just mail it in or give half ass serive, I give my best effort without exception.
If you consult people like I have seen this before stories. It inspires confidence. They like professional or commercial equipment. But the most important thing, they liked to be listened to. It is suprising how basic that is, but how important. I'll whip out a notebook, and politely ask, do you mind if I take notes? It makes them feel good. Too many service providers give lip service, anything the customer says goes in one ear and out the other. They just do what they want, not what the customer wants. I never do that. I'll reinforce that by saying, let me see if I have this right. Then as the job proceeds, I'll ask for feedback. Is this the way you wanted it? How are we moving along?
Give honest estimates, honest timelines and a honest days work. Never ever bs a client. Keep commitments, show up early or timely. Show respect always, do little extra things, from picking up trash, I'll bring a tootsie pop for kids, or a frog, a polliwog display, anything. Always give a little extra, as in go above and beyond. And don't sell that, let it speak for itself. What you want to sell is your solution, but not a pitch, a cause, reason and benefit. A this is why we should do this, and what we hope to expect. Use we, it's inclusive of the customer. They are paying the bills.
Follow up. It's huge. No one night stands, no wham, bam thank you mam. Either by phone or in person. How did that work out? Are things going well? Did it come out like we planned? Is there anything I could have done better? Can I get you anything else on me? That is gold. I can drop off anything, a load of polliwogs, turtles, gambusia, replace a underperforming plant and customers are impressed. They never forget those little thinga that may cost you nothing but time. Because you cared and did not forget them.
Well here are a few extra cards, if anyone you know needs any quality work done, you can honestly say, this guy took care of me. Listen, compliment and show respect, every interaction. Stay positive no matter what. Even in bad situations you can turn it by saying something like, it going to be rough, but we can make it happen. Not I'll try, or I think. Erase doubt.
Pretty soon if you did everything right, people know and respect you. You have an earned reputation. They ask for your card, and say hey friend of mine said you really took care of him. You will get business, more business and pretty soon, it will all click. I cherry pick jobs now. I do work very long hours during peak seasons, Saturdays, Sundays and holidays. Customers love that. I'm working my day off becasue I wanted to get this done, no extra charge from me or holiday pay.
In the consulting business, it is soft sell, hard work succeeds. Results speak volumes. Look at a pond, a job site and even put your sign on it, all work done by Pond Frog. You better be proud of every job. How can the customer like your work if you don't?
Just to keep busy I am starting a second business where I have connections to free supplies. It is through my ticket punching program. A business owner last night, a respected winemaker gave a small speech during an event and thanked me personally for making his winery look so much better. I had complete strangers come up and compliment me on my work and ask for a card. I never asked for anything of that. In fact he said please stand up, and I was not around so he said he is probably off smoking his after dinner cigar. I was. But my business cards are there in his winery.
To be honest, I have just scratched the surface, and have a waiting list and turn jobs down. My website stinks and I do zero direct marketing or cold calling. I will get to that, but I just don't have to with the way I am set up. I honestly tell my customers, after all my years of working the corporate gring, I am blessed to finally be doing something I love and am passionate about. Sometimes I might even say, would you rather have someone working for you for a paycheck, or someone working for you that loves what he does and is thrilled to be doing it? It's rhetorical but boy does it get the point across.
I hope that helps some.
