In need of some help bad

I just moved to virginia two month ago from New Jersey. I am trying to get my business back up and running down here but no advertising is working. Newspapers no good, Flyers getting no response, direct mail was a waste and I have called every apartment complex and nothing. All I have left is to try telemarketing to banks and other small commercial. If that get nothing I'm not sure what to do. Anyone have any ideas? Any help would be considered gold at this point.

Lawn care business tips

1. perhaps start to hit up some of the other local landscaping, irrigation, and nurseries. Ask them for referrals or some work 2. Start to attend local meetings; townships, city, county. Also attend perhaps some home shows and just network. Really try to push the networking put of the business 3. Go door to door to local homes and businesses and introduce yourself. Try the personal approach and really introduce yourself, tell that you just moved into the neighborhood, and are looking for new customers 4. Try putting up doorhangers at residents. 5. Put your name and phone number on your vehicle for people can see it when you are traveling down the road or doing work. 6. Ask to insert your business cards with other local irrigation or landscaping companies mailings (offer to split the cost of the postage if they let you) 7. Offer referral discounts to your current customers 8. I know that it is too late, but advertise in phone books with yellow pages. I personally have had great results with yellow pages 9. Put up your flyers and business cards in local businesses or on their bullentin boards. 10. Join a local green industry organization. Might be a way to network and pick up new work 11. Look around for bids that cities, companies, or other places are offering up to bid. They are usually located in newspapers or even just contact the city and ask to be put on the notification list. 12. Put signs on the back of your trailer or the back window of your truck for people behind you can see your name and number 13. Talk with other friends, family, co-workers for referrals. Give them a cash bonus for helping out 14. Participate in a local trade show with a booth 15. Offer a free presentation of your service 16. Join the local chamber. Network with them and put fliers in their monthly newsletters. Also attend their meetings. 17. Billboard signs along the side of the road 18. Make lawn signs to post in customers properties why working on their property. 19. Talk with real estate companies about whether they need to have some properties maintained 20. Read all trade magazines, participate on every forum, and get educated in what you do.

Thanks for the reply. Most of that I am doing now or I am getting ready to do. I am just getting fustrated here because in NJ I was doing real good. I hit 180,000 last year. Then I move here and zip nada zero. Not sure if it's just because of how rural it is here or what but either way it will happen.

[Steve]

Hi coastline,

Well you did start from scratch again so don't be too hard on yourself. You can make it happen, you just need to take things step by step. Don't give up.

Thanks Troy for your insight.

yeah i just forgot how bad starting from scratch sucked.... Thanks for all the help and encouraging words tho. Nice to see a forum where people actually reply to new users. A lot of good info on here too. I will be sticking around.

[Steve]

Hi coastline,

You are welcome. Starting from scratch is always a pain. It can take quite a while to pick up that momentum again.

If you get a chance, check out this podcast. If you find it helpful, please let others know on other fourms as well.

Thanks.

I use this forum all the time. *The free marketing advice and marketing templates on this forum is unbelievable. *

http://www.gophergraphics.com/forum....1;t=942 *Go here for some marketing stuff

[LawncareMarketingMagic]

Coastline,

Starting over can definitely be frustrating. It sounds like you're doing a lot of different things to get business and that's a good thing.

In addition to examining the activities you're doing, you might consider these ideas:

- Who are you targeting? Are they qualified prospects? What this means at the most basic level is do they have a need, can they afford your service, and would they typically purchase lawn care service?

- What message are you delivering? Are you talking about your business and how you're starting over and really need customers or are you talking about how beautiful their lawn could look when you're done with it?

- Are you using direct response marketing instead of image advertising? What this means is are you delivering your sales message then telling them exactly how to respond? If you're just listing your services without presenting them with an offer they can respond to, you're losing a lot of potential business.

Use these questions to examine your marketing efforts and if you're not already doing them, apply them and I'm certain you'll quickly generate some business.