One of the most difficult things to do when growing a business is getting new customers. You may have the best service and best team, but if no one buys your product/service then you don't have a business. Below, I have listed out five methods to drive sales. There are definitely more, but these are the most common ways right now. I hope they help your business grow and become even more successful.
Cold Calling
Cold Calling is one of the most time-tested methods for drumming up new business. It is also one that has fallen out of favor with people when there are so many other methods to attempt to connect with prospective customers. While not the go-to anymore, cold calling is still a solid method for scouting and obtaining customers. Beyond a quick review of your local area on Google, you can find a number of services, like Fiver, that will provide you with a targeted list of companies or individuals to contact for very little money. You can then use those lists to either email or call. In any case, cold calling will provide you with a number of opportunities that you might not have found elsewhere.
Referrals
Referrals to your company can be a great way to acquire new clients. People will trust their family, friends, and peers to give their honest opinion on services, so referrals should be your greatest resource. Referral clients will give you referrals to their friends and family who will in turn refer their friends and family. All your commercial clients will be referred to you by your clients and employees and it helps to stay in touch with the people you serve. That connection, along with the natural human desire to work with people they know, will drive inbound referrals to you for as long as you own your business and provide amazing service.
Social Media
The internet is constantly evolving and changing. It is essential to stay on top of it. The easiest way to get feedback and ideas is to simply reach out to the community. Join groups on social media platforms and discover what your peers are doing to be successful. Once you understand, use social media to spread your message and search for new customers. You could create videos or post articles that show your knowledge and understanding of the market. Any content that you post could provide you a connection or sales opportunity. You can also use services like LinkedIn to build a more extensive social network. Together, your multiple social media connections and content distribution strategy can drive a significant amount of business your way.
Building a business has as much to do with your hustle as it does your service.
Partners
One of the best ways to find commercial cleaning business partners is to simply ask the other owners in your social network. Many successful peers are looking for help in different geographic areas. This allows them to sell to larger companies and provides you with stable work in your local area. Every professional cleaning company is looking for more business, so ask them what they are doing right, what made them stand out and how you can duplicate that success. When people see the results you are getting, they will want to work with you and your team.
Thumbtack.com
One of the services that you can sign up for is Thumbtack. The service allows you to market your company and services through their platform to individuals and companies in your area. They do the marketing to get you work and you pay them when you get the jobs. While it is not going to be the sole source of income, it can provide a growing company the extra work it needs. Since there are no up front costs, it is an opportunity to get leads and business easily while continuing to focus on the other method to grow your business.
Conclusion
There are many ways to drive sales, but the bottom line is that there is not one perfect way. Each of these methods are a way to drive business, but may not work for everyone. One company may thrive on cold calling while the next gets nothing. One may live in an area where Thumbtack gets a lot of attention and leads while another area may get nothing. The key is to try multiple methods and see which ones get you the most traction. Building a business has as much to do with your hustle as it does your service.
