taping business cards to doors

[dpld]

Originally Posted by PVMS So,......Don't make offers in your marketing... Don't use flyers..... Don't introduce yourself to anybody?? Got me beat how you have a business at all. To not use "old fashioned" marketing media means not contacting 50% of your potential clients. Most people intend to look someone up to call them, but either forget or put it off for what ever reason. If you give them a good reason to call "you", they will. It really does not need to take a long time to build a business. I had 100 clients in my first year. I made a deal to myself from the start, that if I was still on the tools myself after 5 years, I would have to reassess my way of thinking. As far as sticking a business card on a door, Its not something that I would probably do myself, unless the card had an offer of some kind on it, otherwise i feel it may be better than nothing, but a quite passive form of marketing. well, the only thing i can say is you are compareing apples to oranges. what i mean is i have had the benifit of being in business for 23 years and for me personally my business is well established and being all i do is commercial work i really don't have to market no more like i did because i am in business to business directories as well as i get a ton of refferals from management co's. to top it off the area i live is so saturated with landscapers that people have a landscaper,roofers and home remodelers knocking on their door everyday so in my area it would be more like standing in a line to knock on your door. plus, my state and all the towns are so hoily toily that god forbid you knock on someones door you will probably have the cops called on you and summoned for solicataion. i am sure things may vary from state to state but for gods sake man you are in another country and there is obviously nothing wrong with that but i am sure things are drasticly different with the good people down under vs the usa and how things are percieved. people here are so paranoid that you are staking out their house to rob it or see if a woman is alone in a house that when their alarms go off in their head that knock on a door can lead to trouble and that would not be worth it as well as i would hate to see a hard working guy starting out trying to make a honest living get the shaft and his only crime is trying to drum up some business.

[PVMS]

Lawn care business tips

Originally Posted by dpld well, the only thing i can say is you are compareing apples to oranges. what i mean is i have had the benifit of being in business for 23 years and for me personally my business is well established and being all i do is commercial work i really don't have to market no more like i did because i am in business to business directories as well as i get a ton of refferals from management co's. to top it off the area i live is so saturated with landscapers that people have a landscaper,roofers and home remodelers knocking on their door everyday so in my area it would be more like standing in a line to knock on your door. plus, my state and all the towns are so hoily toily that god forbid you knock on someones door you will probably have the cops called on you and summoned for solicataion. i am sure things may vary from state to state but for gods sake man you are in another country and there is obviously nothing wrong with that but i am sure things are drasticly different with the good people down under vs the usa and how things are percieved. people here are so paranoid that you are staking out their house to rob it or see if a woman is alone in a house that when their alarms go off in their head that knock on a door can lead to trouble and that would not be worth it as well as i would hate to see a hard working guy starting out trying to make a honest living get the shaft and his only crime is trying to drum up some business. Wow, things must be rough over there,......the crime rate must be very high for people to be like that. I was referring to residential propertys and not commercial. I would not door knock for that kind of work. We get also get alot of people knocking on doors selling electricity contracts and cable tv who are pains that I hate dealing with, but when I have done it in the past, I only introduce myself as the local contractor, and hand them a flyer with no sales pitch, other than to keep us in mind if they need sombody, and leave. I let them ask for a quote, which they more than often will. I also put welcome letters in propertys that are for lease in my area. I stongly believe that its far more efficient going to the client with marketing compared to waiting for them to search for me on the net.

[dpld]

Originally Posted by PVMS

Wow, things must be rough over there,......the crime rate must be very high for people to be like that.
I was referring to residential propertys and not commercial. I would not door knock for that kind of work.
We get also get alot of people knocking on doors selling electricity contracts and cable tv who are pains that I hate dealing with, but when I have done it in the past, I only introduce myself as the local contractor, and hand them a flyer with no sales pitch, other than to keep us in mind if they need sombody, and leave. I let them ask for a quote, which they more than often will.
I also put welcome letters in propertys that are for lease in my area.

I stongly believe that its far more efficient going to the client with marketing compared to waiting for them to search for me on the net.

well, its not that we have a high crime rate it is just the state of mind of the stuck up high and mighty people with money that we have here as well as it is also perception on how these kind veiw someone knocking on their door.

most of the common everyday hardworking class people here do their own lawns and when i did do residential i concentrated on the high income households because they got the money to pay you to do everything. they are more concerned about keeping up with the jone's and living the high life where they can not be bothered. but i find people with money which ultimately is the ideal type of client that all landscapers want don't generally hire door knockers as well as they just don't commonly do business that way and more often then not are turned off by that.

[shadrach]

Originally Posted by WorkForMySelf

Other than that, are you going to get too scared to knock on a door? Just sit at home and waste away because in 2012 there is not a much better way to get clients that I have found. If you are a 20 year old company then maybe you should stay out of the conversation. This thread is for helping new businesses.

He makes some pretty good points, especially about higher end clientele.

[Hedgemaster]

While I don't suggest leaving business cards, I thought I'd touch on the comment about taping things and leaving a sticky mess...

I keep a roll of 3M IV tape in my truck in case I ever need to leave a note or something.
It tears off by hand, sticks to almost anything, and peels off easily without any risk of damage, or leaving behind sticky residue.

[PVMS]

Originally Posted by shadrach

He makes some pretty good points, especially about higher end clientele.

When I was just out of school 20 years ago, I was a weekend warrior cutting lawns for extra cash. At the time I targeted one rich suburb, which turned out to be a big headache for me.
I found the very rich clients would often call all hours, and be very demanding on very short notice. If they had a party or what ever on, I would get a call in a last minute panic to come and clean things up. Most of them were tighter than a fish's bum too.
My best targets are middle class people with a nice car in the driveway, and long grass. Single women and the elderly are my best payers and best clients.

This is purely an Australian point of view though,.....things may be much different in the U.S.

[sunsetlandscaping]

The problem with my area, is that it is kind of a touristy location, in a small town. So the locals tend to kind of do there own thing, and most of the people I work for are out of towners with second homes here. So when I think about it, knocking on doors would kind of be pointless. I am a start up obviously, but am getting in the phone book this Sept. Has anyone had any luck with this?

[shadrach]

Originally Posted by PVMS

My best targets are middle class people with a nice car in the driveway, and long grass. Single women and the elderly are my best payers and best clients.

This is purely an Australian point of view though,.....things may be much different in the U.S.

I think this is pretty much the same here. "Middle class" tend to be easier to deal with as far as expectations & older folks are the most likely to pay on time & without hassle consistently.

[shadrach]

Originally Posted by WorkForMySelf

Your absolutely right. The very rich view workers as slaves to work and to be paid how they please, and work when they please.

I don't see problems like this with people that are " well off ", its the ones that want everybody else to think that they are that can be a problem.

[dpld]

Originally Posted by WorkForMySelf

unless you already have warrants your going to get a ticket... i have been soliciting for years and only person I have heard get arrested was when I was at another company and he was a sex offender (background check time) Other than that, are you going to get too scared to knock on a door? Just sit at home and waste away because in 2012 there is not a much better way to get clients that I have found.

i speak from experience and have the success to back up anything i say and if you want to take you advice from other " new businesses " then you will never become a established business.

once again this is 2012 not 1940 and we are trying to sell a professional service not vacum cleaners and vegetable peelers and unless you live in some hick state with trailer parks, most communtities have signs posted and ordinances that prohibit door knocking and soliciting.

and yes, i am helping new businesses in this converssation. i am helping them avoid looking like a pan handler and show a little dignity in how they conduct themselves so they are not veiwed by their community as a desperate door knocking street urchent.