Paying for leads can be expensive and generating new business is hard work! We pulled together a shortlist that will help you do that for little to no cost.
Podcast Transcription
About This Guest:
Sam Riegsecker
Marketing Operations Manager - Double A Solutions
Sam manages not only our websites and Facebook pages but also works closely with our sales team to generate leads. Lead generation can be a sticking point in the realm of growth but by using a few good resources, you can generate fresh leads for your business without breaking the bank.
Generate More Leads
We’ve rounded five affordable ways to generate leads to your cleaning business. You don’t have to implement everything at once, but if you’re not using these methods yet you could be missing out on business.
You’re probably making use of customer referrals but you may not be incentivizing them or incentivizing them in the most effective way you could be.
Referrals
There are two types of referrals that you can make use of in your business; customer and partnership referrals.
You’re probably making use of customer referrals but you may not be incentivizing them or incentivizing them in the most effective way you could be. If you’re not incentivizing your referrals then you may be leaving business out there for others to snap up. People love to talk about the latest movie or a good clothing brand they found, but they don’t usually spend their lunch break gushing about the great cleaning service their business has.
It’s not that they don’t appreciate what you do, but it’s likely not at the forefront of their mind, nor are they asking questions to find out who among their friends needs your services. So incentivizing your referrals is a great way to increase them.
We recommend incentivizing those who have worked with you for a while to share by giving them a referral card/code that is unique to them so both parties can get a discount when a new referral uses your services. Also make sure you are incentivizing them for bringing you customers that stick around, not just for the sign-ups. You can do this by awarding the bonus or incentive after a certain amount of time has passed.
The other type of referral is a partnership referral and these are the kings of untapped potential among businesses. Why? Because many businesses don’t create partnerships that are truly effective, mutually beneficial, and valued by the business.
When establishing a partnership, consider a few things. Is their business complimentary to yours? Can you benefit from each other’s services in some way? Why would they send you customers and vice versa?
If you can answer these questions in a positive way, then you may have the potential for a partnership. Also, consider if you’re people enjoy working with their people. Just like when you hire, you want to make sure that you consider the team dynamic. A strong relationship and appreciation for each other make businesses a lot more inclined to share business.
Lastly make sure your partnerships in which you’re sharing referrals are exclusive, meaning you don’t have partners who are competitors with each other.
Friends and Family
The mistake we often make is not utilizing the personal connections we have to spread the word about what we do. In fact, do your friends and family actually know what you do for work or what your business does as a whole?
If you answered yes, how much do they actually know? If you answered no, then challenge yourself to think of a good reason why they don’t.
You don’t have to be annoying, but if you’re proud of your business and you show that to the people closest to you, chances are they will start to appreciate it too. You should be the first person they think of when someone needs your type of services.
Speaking of referrals, your family and friends are a great source for them! You don’t have to incentivize them and if you’ve done a good job in explaining what you do, then you will receive more high-quality referrals.
Local Newspapers/Catalogues
If you’re a digital-only sort of person, don’t roll your eyes. Paper newspapers are still being printed and delivered because people are still reading them! There are also community catalogs and booklets that many areas have. Both end up on tables at the nail salon, the dealerships, the hair salon, and more. Who goes to those places? People who could be your potential customers.
The great thing is that the cost of print ads is much less than what you pay for digital ads and you’re still able to reach a lot of people The purpose of this largely branding exposure and to put yourself in the back of people’s minds. The more they see your brand, the more likely they’ll see you as professional and think of you when they need your service.
Community catalogs are also great to add faces of your team into the mix and put a face to your brand, which makes it more personable.
Local Social Media Pages and Groups
Are you engaged with other local businesses on social media? Are you on social media? If you answered no, then you’re missing a free opportunity to attract more business.
Social media platforms are cultivating ever-growing online communities and your own local community is definitely on there having conversations and getting to know one another.
We covered one of our favorite resources, Facebook Groups, in our last podcast episode and blog, but there’s more than that out there. There’s LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter, and now Tik Tok. Don’t worry, you don’t have to jump on Tik Tok (Though don’t rule anything out. The world is ever-changing.), but you should consider making sure to be on at least Facebook and LinkedIn. Instagram is also a great way to connect to younger business owners and decision-makers.
News sources, businesses, and organizations of all types are already on these platforms and you could be exposing them to your business without having to shell out hundreds of dollars for marketing.
The one thing to be careful of is that you don’t spam Facebook or LinkedIn Groups with your content. They’re not your private channel, so you shouldn’t make your own posts as often. Do share valuable content once a week or so and engage with others in the comment sections.
Cold Calling
Cold calling is one of the most dreaded tasks out there when it comes to driving sales and yet, a lot of companies still do it. The reason is simple; it’s still effective!
Cold calling may be daunting but reaching out directly to people is still a great way to connect and let people know of your services. The best part? You get to put a human behind your efforts and address any concerns or questions the person has that may be holding them back.
Cold calling is a two-step process of acquiring a lead list and actually making the calls. You don’t have to pay big bucks for a lead list either. Local libraries and other places often have lists for local businesses that you can use to do things like send postcards and pull a calling list.
Sometimes a Google search in your area can also pull up a great list for you to use.
If you’ve already invested in a good CRM or similar system then you have somewhere to put and track those leads and a power dialer makes cold calling a lot more effective and goes much more quickly.
nice work