Chapter 11
Prospecting for Customers
Who will hire me
You will have to knock on many doors to get customers. You are not like a commercial storefront business where you wait for customers to come in. You have to go find the customers! That’s why marketing and advertising are so important and WILL be your best friend when it comes to gaining customers. You can implement a plethora of tactics to snag some business.
Decide where you want to look for customers! Do you want to tailor it to residential work or commercial? Once you figure out that, you can narrow down your search for potential clients as well as WHEN to reach out.
When to prospect
Prospect until you are fully established, you have all your ducks in a row. Keep your business cards with you at all times, be prepared with any materials you think you might need or a potential client will ask for. Prospect after you finish a job at the end of a full day. Put some cards on people's doors or talk to one prospective client after each job.
Don’t go home early! Take the time to build clientele which in turn will grow your business. If you don’t put yourself out there, your business will take longer to become self-sustaining. Self-sustaining means that there is a full schedule of work at your disposal!
Where to prospect
Knowing where to look for customers is half the battle of building your business. Promotional mailing is a great way to get your company out there. Don’t forget good old-fashioned business cards and snail mail printouts. Cold calling is a great way to reach out to bigger businesses or if you don’t have the time to go out and physically prospect.
Take a look into homes in upscale neighborhoods, areas where new homes are being built, even consider going into real estate offices and leaving some business cards.
Independent housekeepers and home cleaning services usually don't clean windows, try getting some referrals from them, they’re usually happy to have someone they can refer to.
Strip malls and office buildings are a good place to start too! You can knock on plenty of doors in one day in a shorter period of time since they are typically closer together.
Just keep at it! You only need about 200-300 customers to make a good living. One customer can be worth thousands of dollars over a ten-year period. Customers will readily refer you if your work is first class. Following up on a referral call quickly can surely secure you new work. Remember, wherever there is a dirty window, you have a prospect.
