How important is marketing your business?

The percentage of importance marketing is for your business?

  • 10%

    Votes: 2 2.7%

  • 20%

    Votes: 4 5.3%

  • 40%

    Votes: 3 4.0%

  • 60%

    Votes: 7 9.3%

  • 80%

    Votes: 16 21.3%

  • Other %

    Votes: 1 1.3%

  • Does Not Matter

    Votes: 3 4.0%

  • Everything 120%

    Votes: 39 52.0%
  • Total voters
    75
I believe marketing is certainly not everything but does need to have a strong foundation for a business that’s going to be exceptional financially.

I realize that some folks run their businesses wonderfully off word of mouth and that’s great. What I’m talking about are those like Matt Bryan who run large companies that do X amount of millions a year. Ducts unlimited in Chicago do several million a year.


I think marketing can be the foundation, from there we have the quality and the service end that need to hold up. But without a good marketing campaign I don’t believe you could achieve the same status as a major player.

Over the years I have seen bad companies succeed because they have a strong foundations with marketing.

I would really like to key in on some marketing tools and provide ideas and forms right here for everyone to use.

One of my strongest things I do is the mailer. The second probably is the photo proposals. With consistency I mail x number of mailers and proposals a week. This insures we will receive x number of calls per week.

If you want to grow your business where your located tune in because we are going to release some tools to use that will honestly help you grow your business.
 
I think marketing plays its role so I voted 60% but lets not forget that quality playes a major role also I would have rather seen a 50% but it wasnt there. Marketing and Quality oh ya and communication.
 
I certainly agree that quality is very important in keeping customers. I think it’s a must, I just believe that we never talk enough about marketing. I just think its the foundation of witch things can be built on.

Of course there are many other things that you need to be successful.
 
Ron,

What is your return rate on the mailers that you send out? I assume they are fliers and postcards?
 
my return rate per job is low, my revenue per customer is high.

I stopped playing that game long ago, some here may understand and most vets do.

I dont even waist my time tracking that data anymore.

Its not about one magic post card or flyer. frankly i hae not done a flyer in so long i cant remember the last time.

We send dvd and cards, packets when we make a conections.

many different wigets, pad,pens,hats,shirts, ect.
 
I voted for 80%.
Because I'm new the area, getting my name out is vital.
As the years go by, marketing will go down of course.
Three years from now, i'd like to at 10%.
Just so people can find my # if they moved and don't get
my Christmas cards.
 
I voted "Everything 120%". Let's face it, if all you do is work from referrals, isn't that marketing too. We market EVERYTHING. From your forms, shirts/uniforms, The way you shake hands, down to the colors of your logos. It's all about marketing. Referrals is just another type of marketing. You do a good job, give the customer a handful of your cards and say "Give these to your friends". That's marketing too. And, if there wasn't ANY marketing, you would be working, basically.

So, yeah, I say it's everything. A more appropriate poll would be how important is advertising. Some marketing gurus will say that they are the same. But, just in my opinion, I think they are different.

Let's say that in your marketing you came up with some lame business name like "All-Star House Washing". Ok, it starts with "A", so you get bumped up on lists, be it the phone book, contractor listings, or someones rolodex. Let's say you read a book on which colors are more marketable to men and women and all that psychological stuff and found out that yellow is more appealing to women, and blue is more appealing to men. I'm still marketing here. Now, I differentiate myself from my local competition by doing residential only. I'm the only one. Now, thanks to Kyle, I don't know if I'll be the only one in my area doing free demos, but, I will be the only one saying that. All that was marketing.

Now, take all that, and put it out to the masses. NOW, we're talking advertising. Marketing purists will say that HOW you advertise is also marketing. That may be true. I'm sure I will get put straight here in the next few posts. But to me, you HAVE to draw a line between marketing and advertising. But, where? When is advertising just advertising, and marketing just marketing. Or, is this some type of symbiotic relationship that feeds each other.

I have a professional marketing consultant in my corner and we fight (discuss) this issue all the time. I'll call him and say "Hey Jeff, I need some advice on doing some advertising." He'll say "No, Jason. You need advice on marketing" ARGH!!! drives me crazy!

******* Keep in mind that this is only my opinion and not based on any type of scientific or analytical statistics. I don't intend to start a debate on marketing vs. advertising. Just talking here. But if you wanted to discuss (not argue!) the finer points of advertising vs. marketing, someone can start a new thread for that.
 
A-PLUS said:
I voted for 80%.
Because I'm new the area, getting my name out is vital.
As the years go by, marketing will go down of course.
Three years from now, i'd like to at 10%.
Just so people can find my # if they moved and don't get
my Christmas cards.
Click to expand...

david, i think we all have that dream. i gotta tell you i dont think its out there.

continually you will have to market i'm affraid till you quit or die.
 
I think Marketing is very important starting off, Once you get a good reputation based on quality work, and professionalism, you can back off of it a little.
 
I would agree that marketing is up there in the 90% range .

What ever business we are in that business is only the vehicle to create income or wealth .

Those who have built big business es have learned that in order for to their business to grow they have learned how to work on their business and not necessarily in it .
We can hire people to do the labor.

I also believe that while we each spend money for new customers most do not realize that our best revenues come from existing customers , we should be spending the same amount of money keeping customers as we do getting them. Thank you cards , monthly news letters, referral contests.

While quality service and excellent work are a must our customers need to see more form us than just a bill for services each month.
 
I only gave it a 20%. I have tried all types of marketing over the years, and i still think that face to face talking to the man or gal in charge still works the best.
 
I call my marketing, targeting. I target companies and people and I don't stop.

If i wanted to do other types of commercial work I would target it. If I wanted a chain of Dunkin Donuts or a chain of banks, whatever I would target them, not once or twice or even 3 times, I would constantly go after them. I would try to find out who's in charge and direct something at them every 1-3 months. whether its a phone call, a post card, a letter or trying to meet with them, give them an unsolicited proposal/contract. Many ways to skin a cat, you just have to be surgical about it. Would I get everyone I target, of course not, but many after seeing your targeting after 1, 2, 3 years theres a good chance you may get a call, then its what you make of it. Some you will never get a call from, but for the price of a stamp and a post card a few time a year, you don't need to get them all, just some nice ones

I also believe in going after and keeping present customers. Like it was just said, sending an invoice every once in a while isn't keeping in touch with them, send them a newsletter, a post card, flier, a hat w/logo a pen, let them know you appreciate the work and want more

Everything is marketing/targeting,

I don't track anything, its a constant thing that doesn't need tracking, I know it works when I get that 1st call
 
jlpressure said:
I call my marketing, targeting. I target companies and people and I don't stop.

If i wanted to do other types of commercial work I would target it. If I wanted a chain of Dunkin Donuts or a chain of banks, whatever I would target them, not once or twice or even 3 times, I would constantly go after them. I would try to find out who's in charge and direct something at them every 1-3 months. whether its a phone call, a post card, a letter or trying to meet with them, give them an unsolicited proposal/contract. Many ways to skin a cat, you just have to be surgical about it. Would I get everyone I target, of course not, but many after seeing your targeting after 1, 2, 3 years theres a good chance you may get a call, then its what you make of it. Some you will never get a call from, but for the price of a stamp and a post card a few time a year, you don't need to get them all, just some nice ones

I also believe in going after and keeping present customers. Like it was just said, sending an invoice every once in a while isn't keeping in touch with them, send them a newsletter, a post card, flier, a hat w/logo a pen, let them know you appreciate the work and want more

Everything is marketing/targeting,

I don't track anything, its a constant thing that doesn't need tracking, I know it works when I get that 1st call
Click to expand...

Jeff, that sound like that ron musgraves guy. did you read that book? LOL

Just kidding jeff, right on
 
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