| You put together a
quote (within one business day - remember, that designer's
potential customer is waiting for that quote) and fax it
back. A few weeks later the designer calls you and tells
you that the Smith kitchen is a go. 'Me cabinets have been
ordered and will be installed in 3 weeks. When can you template?" That
kitchen designer has just sold die job for you.
Working with professionals not only makes selling easier
and more scalable but it also does the same for marketing.
Marketing is the art of reaching potential customers to tell
them about your product and your company. If you have to
reach homeowners directly (beyond public relations), you
need to spend a lot of money to teach a lot of people. You're
faced with Yellow Page ads, postcard mailings, home shows
and the like. These marketing venues are costly, not very
targeted and not very convincing.
Some other benefits of relationship marketing:
• Marketing through professionals is inexpensive.
Usually the only costs are samples, perhaps displays, and
joining local chapters of associations. You need only market
to a small group of professionals, and they will in turn
market your product to the groups of potential customers
that they reach, multiplying your reach. And marketing to
that small group of professionals costs only your time and
energy.
• Marketing through professionals is extremely targeted.
They are exactly the people who are in the position to recommend
your product to potential customers and bring you highly
qualified leads. A lot of "tire kickers" go to
home shows, but only people who are actually planning to
build a house work with custom home builders.
• Marketing through profssionals is convincing. You
understand the power of referrals: They are convincing because
someone else whom the customer trusts is testifying to the
quality of your product and company. Marketing through professionals
has the same power because those professionals are a trusted
adviser to the customer. Having someone else talk about how
great your product is is much more convincing than you talkng
about how great your product is.
Think about what type of professionals are involved in the
projects you do, and get out there and convince them that
your product and service are worth recommending to customers.
Whether they are custom home builders, general contractors,
architects or designers, working with them will increase
your ability to reach customers, your selling power, and
the power of your marketing dollar. The result will be an
exponential increase in your business with only an incremental
increase in your costs.
Tom Ralston can be
reached at Tom Ralston Concrete:
241 Fern Street, Santa Cruz CA. Tel: (831) 426-0342 or
by visiting www.tomralstonconcrete.com.
<<<BACK
TO PRESS | PAGE NUMBER:
1 | 2 |
3 |
