Three effective strategies for targeting the right commercial carpet cleaning leads for your business
You’ve worked in the commercial cleaning industry for a long time, and you’ve seen trendy marketing and sales strategies come and go. Some businesses get stuck in a rut, wasting time and money on the same old mailing lists and cold-calling techniques. Others remedy this by casting a wide net and trying every new tactic, but it can be overwhelming and difficult to know if you are reaching the people who are most likely to be looking for your services. If you’re looking for a way to break out of a rut, or to better focus your strategies, here are three proven ways to get on target attracting better commercial carpet cleaning leads.
1. Direct mail advertising, with a modern mapping twist
The United States Postal Service is still a fantastic, reliable way to get your advertising efforts into the hands of other businesses that need commercial carpet cleaning services. Their Every Door Direct Mail service allows you to target simple, effective postcard advertising to specific zip codes or regions to reach the best possible customer base for your business. Stop posting in local newspapers and hoping people see your ad. You can put promotions and coupons directly into their mailbox and hands!
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2. Share your expertise with an eBook
Use your expertise as a marketing strategy and provide bonus value to a prospective client. Publishing an ebook on your website in a universally downloadable format, like PDF, is a fresh way to attract clients who are looking for your services. Focus the topic on things you know and do well, and give it away in exchange for their email address (you can follow up with them later).
Does your service have expertise in green cleaning products? This is useful, compelling information for other businesses who are trying to decrease their carbon footprint and raise their profile as environmentally and socially conscious.
Does this sound daunting? It doesn’t need to be. Many eBooks are only 5-10 pages long. You can write it in Microsoft Word and save it as a PDF. Need an editor? Use a tool like Grammarly.com to edit yourself or pay $100 or so for their proofing team to look it over. Still seem like a huge task? Break it into parts. Start writing short blog posts on your website and repurpose those blog posts into chapters of an eBook. Come up with anecdotes and sage advice, such as “How to Hire a Commercial Cleaner” or “Keeping Your Office Clean for your Employees.”
Be sure to get some basic lead information in exchange for the free eBook download! Name, email address and zip code is all you need to ensure you’re focusing on nurturing local leads. Bonus tip: an optional address field might also encourage folks to “opt in” to receiving those great direct mail promos we discussed above!
3. Go talk to people
Sometimes in sales, people try to take shortcuts by doing all their communication digitally. While technology goes a long way to help you organize and streamline your sales processes, it can’t replace everything. If you aren’t out talking to people, you might be missing connections with that commercial carpet cleaning lead!
As Mina Chang, CEO and President of Linking the World International says in her Forbes piece about face-to-face meetings, “…this prioritization of speed over face-time grossly underestimates the power of human interaction and the importance of face-to-face communication. If the point of business were simply to accomplish as many tasks as possible, then yes, an email would probably do. But that’s not what real leadership is about.” Whether it’s making introductions at a sales conference or delivering a pitch face to face, there is nothing better than making that personal connection to demonstrate the value of your business.
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One easy way to show that value is to establish yourself as a leader in your local business community. Get involved in community events and neighborhood business associations. This makes you more than just a business name and allows you time to get to know potential commercial carpet cleaning leads and see what they’re looking for.
This also promotes a strong referral base among other business leaders, and the more people you meet, the more likely your name will come up as a trusted business owner. Be accessible so they can introduce you to these contacts; a handshake is faster than a phone call when it comes to connecting. At the very least, you’ll get a few minutes to establish a rapport and exchange business cards, so you have all the information necessary to follow-up strong!