Cold calling, brochures, e-mails and 10% discounts...

[J.D. Landscaping]

Hi all, what should my approach be to selling our service to business' ie, care homes, hotels, business parks, basically any business with grounds that need maintained, I want, ukbf's finest, to help me gain the edge, to mentor me in sales techniques, as I have never had any formal training in this and get over my fear of cold calling and the knock backs that are bound to happen.

I have a website, i'm getting a flyer / brochure constucted, I'm putting together a list of potential targets, after that, I'm kinda lost, any tips would be massivley apprecieated.


What should i offer as a offer ? discount on exsisting genuine contracts, say 10 % ?

Promise of better service or money refunded ?

Regards Dave.

[ComputerCoders]

What is your USP?

[liquidauctions]

what you need is a gimmick, something that people dont see on every flyer around. One of my many many specialities is in sales and i have been very good at it over the short number of years i have been working. Get a good gimmick and ensure it isnt too obvious.

[telemax]

Every Wednesday afternoon, on behalf of one of my clients I take a stack of business cards and go out knocking on doors in local industrial estates. Every time I end up with either an appointment or a qoute for business.

I knock on the door and say something like " I've never spoken to you before but we are a local company so can give a great service, I just wanted a complements slip with the person's name and email on".

About half the time I get a polite not interested, most of the rest are comps slips with contact names that I can follow up by phone and email. Once or twice I speak to the owner and find some interest.

This is the way to get a quick answer, people are very polite in their rejections, and its good excercise! Ohh and make sure you wear a suit.

I hope this helps

Jonathan

[JEREMY HAWKE]

Every Wednesday afternoon, on behalf of one of my clients I take a stack of business cards and go out knocking on doors in local industrial estates. Every time I end up with either an appointment or a qoute for business.

I knock on the door and say something like " I've never spoken to you before but we are a local company so can give a great service, I just wanted a complements slip with the person's name and email on".

About half the time I get a polite not interested, most of the rest are comps slips with contact names that I can follow up by phone and email. Once or twice I speak to the owner and find some interest.

This is the way to get a quick answer, people are very polite in their rejections, and its good excercise! Ohh and make sure you wear a suit.

I hope this helps

Jonathan

Exactly what I do Johnathan .

Its one of the best ways to drum up some business .Many people in this health and safety age are just too scared to do it and you rarly see people doing it now.
Down here in the South West people are more talkative anyway and its very easy to drum up a conversation with somebody it quite often leads to a booking or two .
You cant beat getting out their and talking to real people

[telemax]

Exactly what I do Johnathan .

Its one of the best ways to drum up some business .Many people in this health and safety age are just too scared to do it and you rarly see people doing it now.
Down here in the South West people are more talkative anyway and its very easy to drum up a conversation with somebody it quite often leads to a booking or two .
You cant beat getting out their and talking to real people

I think it works well in this part of the country too. I've worked Central London before also. Thats a tougher nut to crack!!

[Pulse Print UK]

Referral schemes can work very well once you get a few clients through the door. There's noone better suited to promote your services to a client, than the client's best friend.

[Scorch London]

It mustn't be overlooked that once you get the business in, you need to make sure that you do an amazing job, over-deliver on what you promise and they will not only be repeat customers but they will recommend you too.

Getting new business in is very important, as long as you remember to be the best there is at what you do.

[LicensedToTrade]

What should i offer as a offer ? discount on exsisting genuine contracts, say 10 % ?

Promise of better service or money refunded ?

Regards Dave.

Selling a serviced based product using price promotions is generally a no-go area. Service cannot be measured like for like so don't try to price accordingly, especially the notion of overing a 10% markdown on their existing contract, how can you be sure that the current contractor doesn't operate on an 8% margin? If it transpires that you will make a loss you can't very well negate on the 10% discount as it will leave a bad taste.

I'd focus on service levels. Take the time to come up with a declaration of core values. Think of a list of about 5 'guarentees' but never promise something that is impossible. 1. We guarentee to respond to all queries as soon as possible, 2. We guarentee that our work will be of the highest quality and where it falls below your standards we will work to rectify it.

These create an atmosphere of credibility, but you MUST live these core values, if you negate on them they will count for nothing.

Getting customers to switch contractors is notoriously difficult. Even if they aren't over the moon with their current provider they often can't be bothered with hassle of handling the change over. Make your offer as simple as possible, you need to make it so that changing to you is the easy option.

[Be Known PR]

One idea might be to approach a local hotel/pub/restaurant and offer to do a free make-over of their gardens in return for them hosting a 'garden party' that you can invite other local businesses/potential clients to. This way you are getting them in and showcasing your talents - which is going to be your biggest selling point.

[J.D. Landscaping]

What is your USP?

You have got me there, I'm currently trying to work this out, we aim for 100% customer satisfaction, It is after all a service and as such needs to be spot on, and as I'm on the tools, I get to run my critical eye over every completed job, I think that personal, hands on touch could form part of my USP ?

But I must admit, It's a struggle to convey this from my point of view, as the words dont come easy...

[J.D. Landscaping]

Every Wednesday afternoon, on behalf of one of my clients I take a stack of business cards and go out knocking on doors in local industrial estates. Every time I end up with either an appointment or a qoute for business.

I knock on the door and say something like " I've never spoken to you before but we are a local company so can give a great service, I just wanted a complements slip with the person's name and email on".

About half the time I get a polite not interested, most of the rest are comps slips with contact names that I can follow up by phone and email. Once or twice I speak to the owner and find some interest.

This is the way to get a quick answer, people are very polite in their rejections, and its good excercise! Ohh and make sure you wear a suit.

I hope this helps

Jonathan

This does help thanks, I just need to pluck up the courage to get out there and do it.

It's been a while since I approached potential clients "cold".

Any good reading you recommend on this, just to refresh the old grey matter ?

[J.D. Landscaping]

It mustn't be overlooked that once you get the business in, you need to make sure that you do an amazing job, over-deliver on what you promise and they will not only be repeat customers but they will recommend you too.

Getting new business in is very important, as long as you remember to be the best there is at what you do.

Our aim is to over acheive, now if only we could work this into our usp statement...

[J.D. Landscaping]

Selling a serviced based product using price promotions is generally a no-go area. Service cannot be measured like for like so don't try to price accordingly, especially the notion of overing a 10% markdown on their existing contract, how can you be sure that the current contractor doesn't operate on an 8% margin? If it transpires that you will make a loss you can't very well negate on the 10% discount as it will leave a bad taste.


Very good point that, thank you.

I'd focus on service levels. Take the time to come up with a declaration of core values. Think of a list of about 5 'guarentees' but never promise something that is impossible. 1. We guarentee to respond to all queries as soon as possible, 2. We guarentee that our work will be of the highest quality and where it falls below your standards we will work to rectify it.

These create an atmosphere of credibility, but you MUST live these core values, if you negate on them they will count for nothing.


A 5 point list of guarantees/ pledges is a fantastic idea, thanks again.

Getting customers to switch contractors is notoriously difficult. Even if they aren't over the moon with their current provider they often can't be bothered with hassle of handling the change over. Make your offer as simple as possible, you need to make it so that changing to you is the easy option.

We expect a certain amount of contracts to become available each spring, through contract lenght, retirements etc which is helpful, but as you say the swapover of contracts will be difficult, I do like the idea of " winning " them though, through our hard work.

[Be Known PR]

You have got me there, I'm currently trying to work this out, we aim for 100% customer satisfaction, It is after all a service and as such needs to be spot on, and as I'm on the tools, I get to run my critical eye over every completed job, I think that personal, hands on touch could form part of my USP ?

But I must admit, It's a struggle to convey this from my point of view, as the words dont come easy...

Afraid not - surely every service provider aims for 100% customer satisfaction? (which by the way is an impossibility because however well you do there is always going to be one disgruntled customer at some point). Equally a personal, hands on approach is something that everyone will say they offer.

Your USP (Unique Selling Point), has to be just that. Do you have a particular expertise within the work that you do that stands you apart from your competitors? Maybe you are especially skilled in hedge art or use a new method of fertilising, use organic plant feed, run your lawn movers on biofuel..................

For example, as a PR consultant, I aim to deliver an exceptional service, lots of coverage, sound advice and have great journalist contacts. However, that is exactly what I would expect any good, experienced PR consultant to offer. My USP is that I put my money where my mouth is and work on a pay by results basis, something that the majority of PR agencies won't do - that is my USP and is what attracts the vast majority of my clients. One of my clients is a divorce lawyer and his USP is that he is trained as a mediator and specialises in amicable divorces. Another client is a tour operator, his USP is that his business specialises in independently owned hotels and resorts in South East Asia. etc etc.

[telemax]

This does help thanks, I just need to pluck up the courage to get out there and do it.

It's been a while since I approached potential clients "cold".

Any good reading you recommend on this, just to refresh the old grey matter ?

Actually I can't really think of any books but do not go in with the purpose of selling to anyone. Your objective is simply to come out with contact details, and the name of the person you spoke to, so that you can follow up. If by chance you end up speaking to a decision maker then thats great. Just explain what you do, if they are interested they will let you know,

Regards

Jonathan

[LicensedToTrade]

Actually I can't really think of any books but do not go in with the purpose of selling to anyone. Your objective is simply to come out with contact details, and the name of the person you spoke to, so that you can follow up. If by chance you end up speaking to a decision maker then thats great. Just explain what you do, if they are interested they will let you know,

Regards

Jonathan

Agreed. Tearing into a sales patter with the woman who orders the stationery and cleans the toilet is a sure fire way to ensure that you never get to the decision maker (we call this woman the 'gatekeeper') You need to get past her with charm and polite concersation. Keep the big guns until you get to the boss.

[admagic]

Hi all, what should my approach be to selling our service to business' ie, care homes, hotels, business parks, basically any business with grounds that need maintained, I want, ukbf's finest, to help me gain the edge, to mentor me in sales techniques, as I have never had any formal training in this and get over my fear of cold calling and the knock backs that are bound to happen.

I have a website, i'm getting a flyer / brochure constucted, I'm putting together a list of potential targets, after that, I'm kinda lost, any tips would be massivley apprecieated.


What should i offer as a offer ? discount on exsisting genuine contracts, say 10 % ?

Promise of better service or money refunded ?

Regards Dave.

One very successful promotion in the garden maintenance industry - focussed on the headline

"The first cut is free!!"
which gets them to read - and then a set of promises about what you will do for them....including stonking guarantees... the point is, it gets you in, proves what you can do, more than any sales pitch - you can even qualify the customer, and get full details including their situation at the point they apply on the web.

Another approach is "monday morning is free" _ for which they have to register on the web a slot you book up.... you then point out , and point out to (all except seriously good catches) is that demand is so hight that your first free slot is 6 weeks away - but you are happy to do an x% Discount on another day...by this time you have their details, and can begin the marketing dialogue...

[admagic]

oh by the way - the key to getting public contracts - even minor such as small colleges, is to find when the contract is up for renewal, it is a very soft process, ringing up junior people in an estates department, asking who is responible for the gardens contract, when it is due for renewal, and how to register as a tenderer - at no point are you making a pitch, just a request for information As you ring them you will gradually build up a database for your areas of when to apply. Also contact minor facilities management companies, who will need lawn stuff.

be ready with all the safety, environment , equal opportunities policy tosh....public bodies are strong on that. Colleges are the easiest way to build a track record for more serious public contracts like police, hospitals and so on.

[J.D. Landscaping]

Afraid not - surely every service provider aims for 100% customer satisfaction? (which by the way is an impossibility because however well you do there is always going to be one disgruntled customer at some point). Equally a personal, hands on approach is something that everyone will say they offer.

Your USP (Unique Selling Point), has to be just that. Do you have a particular expertise within the work that you do that stands you apart from your competitors? Maybe you are especially skilled in hedge art or use a new method of fertilising, use organic plant feed, run your lawn movers on biofuel..................

For example, as a PR consultant, I aim to deliver an exceptional service, lots of coverage, sound advice and have great journalist contacts. However, that is exactly what I would expect any good, experienced PR consultant to offer. My USP is that I put my money where my mouth is and work on a pay by results basis, something that the majority of PR agencies won't do - that is my USP and is what attracts the vast majority of my clients. One of my clients is a divorce lawyer and his USP is that he is trained as a mediator and specialises in amicable divorces. Another client is a tour operator, his USP is that his business specialises in independently owned hotels and resorts in South East Asia. etc etc.

Ok, thanks for clarifying this.

[J.D. Landscaping]

Actually I can't really think of any books but do not go in with the purpose of selling to anyone. Your objective is simply to come out with contact details, and the name of the person you spoke to, so that you can follow up. If by chance you end up speaking to a decision maker then thats great. Just explain what you do, if they are interested they will let you know,

Regards

Jonathan

That has helped no end, the idea of not going in to sell has taken away the aprehension and anxiety almost completely Jonathon, thanks.

[J.D. Landscaping]

One very successful promotion in the garden maintenance industry - focussed on the headline

"The first cut is free!!"
which gets them to read - and then a set of promises about what you will do for them....including stonking guarantees... the point is, it gets you in, proves what you can do, more than any sales pitch - you can even qualify the customer, and get full details including their situation at the point they apply on the web.

Another approach is "monday morning is free" _ for which they have to register on the web a slot you book up.... you then point out , and point out to (all except seriously good catches) is that demand is so hight that your first free slot is 6 weeks away - but you are happy to do an x% Discount on another day...by this time you have their details, and can begin the marketing dialogue...

Excellent that, i like it a lot. That was the kinda thing i was looking to implement, I was gonna go about the offer in the wrong way, the guarantees, which yourself and Licensened to Trade suggest are also gonna be implemented. Many thanks

[admagic]

Excellent that, i like it a lot. That was the kinda thing i was looking to implement, I was gonna go about the offer in the wrong way, the guarantees, which yourself and Licensened to Trade suggest are also gonna be implemented. Many thanks

Tell us how you get on...

On the other tack, Do start ringing around the minor public bodies to get contract dates too, it takes time to build up the contract renewal database, since contracts can be 3-5 years.

[J.D. Landscaping]

Tell us how you get on...

On the other tack, Do start ringing around the minor public bodies to get contract dates too, it takes time to build up the contract renewal database, since contracts can be 3-5 years.

I will report back as soon as I get sorted, I'm scouring the phone books etc for Residential Homes and Hotels etc in the immediate area initially. I'll build a database and then go from there.

As for the minor public bodies, I was thinking of joining the Chamber, and networking, as i know a few of the folk are involved with the local town councils etc.

[MH1]

This is the way to get a quick answer, people are very polite in their rejections, and its good excercise! Ohh and make sure you wear a suit.


I would only add in general that dressing in a suit is not always necessary, better to dress correctly for the client. I would not think worse of a gardner approaching me in a smart work uniform rather than suit, in fact quite the opposite. I would see a suit as a salesperson, if approached in a work uniform I would see a working owner.

I currently approach low end type clients and suits scare the hell out of them, I don't even wear a tie, but still wear shirts and slacks, it puts them at ease etc.

Horses for courses comes to mind.

[admagic]

I will report back as soon as I get sorted, I'm scouring the phone books etc for Residential Homes and Hotels etc in the immediate area initially. I'll build a database and then go from there.

As for the minor public bodies, I was thinking of joining the Chamber, and networking, as i know a few of the folk are involved with the local town councils etc.

Many residential homes are owned by private people without formal contract tendering

The beauty of colleges is that as public bodies they always have a tendering process, so the questions are handled dispassionately by low ranking employees who see it as their duty to help all who call, not a manhood sparring contest, which can be what happens when you try to sell/negotiate with many business owner/entrepreneurs....

[Mailing Manager]

I would recommend that you keep in regular contact with your exisiting customers using something like a monthly email newsletter. This will keep you and your company at the forefront of their minds. If you share successes in your newsletters not only will you offer exposure for your clients but the newsletters will become very viral. People that are pleased with your service will forward your newsletter to colleagues and friends that they believe will benefit from a similar service. I would also recommend you add a subscription form to your website allowing people to subscribe to your newsletter, this will increase your subscription list, allowing you to reach more people, which should in turn generate more business. Offer an incentive to subscribe if you like ie a voucher or discount.

I hope this helps. If you need anymore info, don't hesitate to get in touch.

Regards

Tim Wilson

[SillyJokes]

Another approach is "monday morning is free" _ for which they have to register on the web a slot you book up.... you then point out , and point out to (all except seriously good catches) is that demand is so hight that your first free slot is 6 weeks away - but you are happy to do an x% Discount on another day...by this time you have their details, and can begin the marketing dialogue...

Personally I'm disgusted by this approach. I like to think I am a savvy business person and I'm disappointed by rubbish like this. It's like the photographer who offers a free sitting. You know fine well it's gonna cost you an arm and a leg before you leave in photos.

Still, if it works for you....

What I would advise is never, ever, ever break an appointment to do work. If you say you will be there at 9, be there. Don't cancel and move people about. That is very tiresome and makes the customer feel like they are not your number one priority.

[admagic]

Personally I'm disgusted by this approach. I like to think I am a savvy business person and I'm disappointed by rubbish like this. It's like the photographer who offers a free sitting. You know fine well it's gonna cost you an arm and a leg before you leave in photos.

Still, if it works for you....

What I would advise is never, ever, ever break an appointment to do work. If you say you will be there at 9, be there. Don't cancel and move people about. That is very tiresome and makes the customer feel like they are not your number one priority.

The answer is , it is wholly ethical PROVIDED it is real - if demand is substantial because of a good offer, that books up the monday slot, then more power to you, to offer a paid alternative. Genuine Scarcity works.

An offer made with the OBJECTIVE of switchsell is actually illegal under the 30 specific offenses annexe of the unfair selling regs 2008 - all marketerrs should get to know this stuff.

[keentolearn]

Great thread guys, plenty of good tips :D

[LJatSpear]

Hi J.D.

This may be a bit late if you have printed your fliers etc but if you do some research you could approach a local house, business, care home and offer them free services on the basis that they agree to you using them as a marketing case study. Take before and after pictures, they can provide you with testimonials and quotes for marketing materials and websites and they can provide you with positive references.

I did this when I started my Ltd company and the client I offered free work to has been a paying client for the last 3 years and continues to promote and support me with references and testimonials etc :)