No, not go skiing. Well not yet at least.
Last year at this time of year you said “this was not going to happen again”. You were going to plan ahead this year so you would stay busy throughout the winter.
The summer and fall was busy leading into a busy beginning of December. December started with a bang, calls then started slowing down, your inbox was nothing but spam mail. No estimates going out and
the work weeks were getting shorter. We thought to our self “it’s just the holiday”, Now it is the second week of January and it is quiet.
We can not change the past but we can change the future.
There is hope and there is work waiting, but some days you have to remind the customer you are still around without trying to sell them something.
If you have no money to spend on your business try these FREE options, BUT DO NOT DISCOUNT YOUR PRICE:
- Email the last 10 customers you had sent a proposal to and ask for an status on the work to be done
- Call the last five customers and ask them if they are please with the work and would they be needing any more work performed in the near future
- Email everyone of the unanswered proposals you sent last year and offer to honor the price for the next 30 days.
- Call 5-10 of your best clients and offer to perform two hours of touch ups around their home at no charge (YOU’RE NOT DOING ANYTHING ANYWAYS)
If you decide to want to make an email offer or a Facebook offer, DO NOT OFFER A DISCOUNT. Instead offer more value like a painted ceiling with every room painted, not including paint.
They were as busy as you were during the holidays and they might of placed the proposal on the stack in the corner of the desk or an email to review later.
If they say “NO” you didn’t lose anything because you didn’t have any additional business from them before you called.
What if they say “YES”?
You will be surprised of how many of the potential clients you provided a proposal to never had the work completed.
Worst case they say no, BEST case scenario they give you additional work and you can be face to face with them.
If you start discounting your services some of your customers are going to wait for your SALES and others will brand you the “cheap’ painter. And most of all your profits will plummet and you will be broker than you are now.
Approach the local coffee shop, pizza parlor or bakery and ask if they need any painting for payment with gift cards. Take the gift cards in $ 5 or $10 denominations and use these as gifts for other customers and or contests.
You have a couple dollars to spend but want to do it wisely:
A tried and true method is a personal note card handwritten by you and a hand addressed envelope.
- Use Blue a blue ink pen.
- Apply a FUN stamp to catch their attention
- When writing a note on the note card, DO NOT ask for work.
Hand deliver a small gift, we like Apple Pies from the local baker to our best customers which we refer to them as *CHICKENS.
Facebook business page contests.
- Initiate a contest on your business Facebook page and award the winner a gift certificate your received when you traded services with another local business mentioned above.
* What is a Chicken you may ask? Well there are chickens and eggs. Eggs are one time clients and CHICKENS are the clients that continually provide you work or referrals.
We do not want to look back and think to ourselves “Would of, Could of, Should of”. Take action now and become Top of Mind (T.O.M.) to all your customers.
We have all just begun a new year and now it is time for that change you promised yourself last year.
Make sure you download our FREE Estimating Bundle and also our FREE Testimonial Checklist.
How about you? Share in the comments blow…