Business packet for "cold visits"

[cstech]

I was wondering if anybody has put together a "packet" of information to help promote your business to other businesses. Something like an introductory letter and some marketing materials on your services. What did you put in it? Was it effective? Why do you think it was effective or not?

I am still "the new guy in town" with IT services so word of mouth is slowly helping but it is VERY slow. I offer services that non of the other "guys" here offer that are very beneficial to the small business market we have. My problem is, I am a tech and a business owner, I am not good at marketing and advertising at all. I am also on a very small and very tight budget as I am having to bootstrap it. (downsizing was my motivation to start business) I am connecting with my local chamber, small business center, and a few other organizations however just not really seeing a return from those either. ALL of my current clients are from word of mouth advertising so far but I need to find ways to bring in more clients. An introductory packet that I would hand deliver to the office manager at some of the small businesses here in town I am hoping will be one cost effective way. I figure for the time and cost of materials if I hand out 25 packets and get just one service call out of it that I can then turn into a full client then it would have paid off.

So what kind of advice do you guys (and girls) have? Maybe I am overlooking something obvious?

 

[MotzTech]

I've taken two approaches to this in the past.

The first time I just walked around downtown introducing myself and handing out my business cards. I got 2 new clients from this, plus plenty of referrals from those clients. A rough guess, 7 new clients this way so far, after referrals.

The second time I did something similar except I brought along a bunch of literature. I also hit about 3 times as many businesses, I got ZERO results from this.

I think the reason it failed the second time is I was not targeting them correctly. People don't care about computers until something does not go work. They don't care about me or what I offer until they need someone to fix it and quick. I figured the literature just got thrown out. Where as the cards are smaller and easier to hold onto.

Are you trying to sell managed services? I find that trying to sell those directly is like pulling teeth. Instead I sell mine after an issue has occurred. With the line like, you know, this whole issue could have been avoid with my maintenance service or something along those lines. It depends on the situation.

EDIT: Also get permission from you current clients to drop their name when talking to prospects. People are more likely to trust you if you work with other companies that they know.

 

[frederick]

We put together a brochure (when I first started). The nice little trifold, when opened went based on what they are going to see first, aka, opening it up, but not all the way. One the left it gave a scenario, and then on the right, how it could have been prevented. Pick something common, ours is a computer virus, slow internet and a failing computer. When you opened it up all the way, it went over all the services we offer. We've changed/added some things since then. Keep it sweet, keep it simple, and keep it short. Don't give them a novel, pick your images carefully, etc. When we head out to a new business client to help them out, once we get done, we go to the businesses around them and say we just helped out X Company with Y Issue and hand them a brochure. They respond, and sometimes go talk to them when they have a problem, or call us after reading our trifold. It's still a low return on who calls us back, and many of the ones who do call us already have/had an IT support company in place helping, but were doing a unsatisfactory job of maintaining them.

Just because they are a small client, never treat them that way. That's how we got a lot of our new customers at the start (1 to 5 computers, no servers, a dedicated workstation or external HDD). Some of these clients were paying almost a thousand a month for support, and basically getting neglected by the provider. We stepped in, charged them based on their size and needs, and make sure to squash issues before they become problems. We make money off them, without stealing all their pennies. Because of this, small mom and pops, salons, barbers, etc., referred us out to larger clients.

That's how I started. Hope this helped.

 

[Tony_Scarpelli]

I Spent months and $$$ thousands having professionally developed brochures and portfolios...what a waste of money and time. I still have them some where I do not even take them out with me. They are just another form of junk mail.

Get a nice logo, good name not too cloony but serious, and get business cards. Then pickup 3 dozen donuts and go visit people until you run out of donuts. Do that one day a week and you are on your way to building a heack of a business.

Do not BS. Do not pretend to be something you are not. Call it straight and people will pickup on your sincerity and you will get the type of customers you can handle and as your skills grow so with the types of customers you attract.

I was wondering if anybody has put together a "packet" of information to help promote your business to other businesses. Something like an introductory letter and some marketing materials on your services. What did you put in it? Was it effective? Why do you think it was effective or not?

I am still "the new guy in town" with IT services so word of mouth is slowly helping but it is VERY slow. I offer services that non of the other "guys" here offer that are very beneficial to the small business market we have. My problem is, I am a tech and a business owner, I am not good at marketing and advertising at all. I am also on a very small and very tight budget as I am having to bootstrap it. (downsizing was my motivation to start business) I am connecting with my local chamber, small business center, and a few other organizations however just not really seeing a return from those either. ALL of my current clients are from word of mouth advertising so far but I need to find ways to bring in more clients. An introductory packet that I would hand deliver to the office manager at some of the small businesses here in town I am hoping will be one cost effective way. I figure for the time and cost of materials if I hand out 25 packets and get just one service call out of it that I can then turn into a full client then it would have paid off.

So what kind of advice do you guys (and girls) have? Maybe I am overlooking something obvious?

 

[cstech]

I had thought of the doughnut idea and have seen things like that mentioned around here and other business related forums I browse through. It sounds like a wonderful idea and probably one of the best for my situation. I have business cards, I do need to see about redoing a logo but the only local person I know that could work up a good one is $300 for a logo and right now I can't really justify that expense. (oh the joys of bootstrappin) I have a basic, nice, and simple logo that is distinguishable so for now it is what works. I am getting established and trying to become a name people recognize in the community as I try and attend as many "business events" as I can. I am trying to get established in the local chamber as well and have a lot of people know me by name already and only been at it full time for a few months. I have at this point abandoned the idea of a packet of information for cold visits. What I am planning on doing starting this coming up week is something similar to the doughnut idea taking a bunch of my business cards around. I am going to start with some of the businesses I have met through the chamber and move around from there. I am going to keep a record of who I visit and on what day so I won't repeat anybody and just become that annoying guy. My biggest hurdle as a business owner is I am a quality tech and do well with technology but when it comes to marketing myself and getting out to other businesses or residents I am just not as confident. Thanks for all the help and words of wisdom.