Extend Your Reach

Start your year with a marketing push that will help add loyal customers, even in a challenging economy

Can you suggest some marketing ideas?

Question:

I was wondering if anyone had any ideas on how to get more customers? I have heard of sales staff, Yellow Pages, fliers, signage on restrooms and Internet ads; what else is there? Does having a lower price work? Maybe talking about the service works better?

I am under the impression that you have to have new equipment, new trucks, clean all the way around and have professional service. I do the billing myself and I admit I make mistakes, but I always give the customer the benefit of the doubt when I make an error.

Anyway, ideas I’ve had were putting brochures in special event restrooms, putting ads in our units so the customers know all the services we provide, Google ads, signs on telephone poles. Feedback?

Answers:

You have to be better than your competition. Always! Not just when it slows down. Satisfied customers are your best advertisement, in my opinion. I know that’s not the magic answer or a quick fix, but to be honest, I’m glad there’s not a cheap advertising trick to create a solid pumping business. This way it’s about competition, and the one who creates more value for the customer wins. Not the one who operates under five different business names, and runs full-color, double-page, Yellow Pages ads for each company.

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Get your technicians to ask for referrals. When you have a happy customer, ask if they are pleased with your service. When they say yes, ask if they will tell their friends or neighbors about your service. If they say yes, then thank them and let them know this is appreciated. When they say yes, they made a commitment to do this, and more often than not, they will follow through. Best wishes for business growth!

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Implement a reminder program. It won’t help right now, but in a few years it will make a difference. For now, mail out fliers, put an ad in the paper that explains how the septic system works and why it needs to be maintained. Post your business cards on the corkboard at the local convenience store. I’ve hung brochures on doorknobs with some success. These things won’t necessarily bring you business today, but the more your name is out there, the better off you will be. The very best thing is word-of-mouth. Be the best you can be at a pump job and they’ll tell others. Be clean, helpful, friendly, efficient and quick and they’ll remember you.

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Here are some ideas you might want to try:

Sponsor local youth sports teams. This gets your name out to all the parents and the teams they play. Parents feel like “we should call him because he supported our son/daughter.”

Insert a flier in the local Sunday paper. This can just be a simple 8.5 x 11 flier that promotes your services or offers a coupon. The local paper just charges you an insert or blow-in fee (you pay for printing the flier).

Highway billboards. Depending on your geographic location, billboards can be inexpensive, yet effective marketing tools. “I was driving to work, saw your billboard and remembered I needed to get my septic tank pumped.”

Uniquely painted or brightly colored and lettered service vehicles. Pink, orange, bright green or even black with nice lettering. Make your trucks rolling billboards.

Direct mail postcards. Start with a small area for a test, either residential, commercial or both. Lists can be purchased based on geography, income, area code, ZIP code and other criteria. Visit www.infousa.com to build a list. Postcards are cheap to print and mail and can be done in small quantities. I would suggest someplace like www.overnightprints.com because they will do small runs.

Refrigerator magnets. These have a long shelf life and usually don’t find the garbage can right away.

Submit articles to your local newspaper about septic maintenance, restrooms or anything that they would be interested in that applies to your business. Publishers love (good) submitted material and will run it if they think the public will find it interesting. In return for printing your story, ask them to run a byline with something like “John Doe of XYZ Pumping has been serving Anytown, U.S.A., with portable restroom rentals and septic tank service since 1956. They can be reached at 888/111-2222 or online at www.yourcompany.com.”



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