How to Compete Without a Big Advertising Budget

We work with over 1,500 home service contractors across North America and, time after time, we hear them worry about finding more customers. Without customers, businesses fail. As we heard one contractor say, Im successful because I never stopped knocking on doors. However, we have found there are really two sides of the search for more customers. First, you have to keep the ones you have. Then, you have to make yourself known to more people and help them to understand how you can help them. A number of websites offer ideas like advertising in the Yellow Pages and other costly methods. The purpose of this e-Book is to provide suggestions that may help you find ways to spread the word about your business while spending hardly anything at all. We hope you find it helpful, thought-provoking and enjoyable. We also hope you will send us any other free or low-cost advertising ideas you might have since we are already looking forward to another edition of this book.

Plumbers Success International the emphasis is on Success!

PSI is part of the most successful contractors affiliation group in North America. It is built around a proven system to help contractors find more customers, operate more efficiently and earn more profit. PSI also provides an outstanding opportunity to network with business owners facing the same daily challenges as you, and to find the solutions proven to work best. Members are also part of BuyMax , a $4.5 billion per year buying group that helps members save big on everything from replacement products to gas for their trucks.

To learn more about membership in Plumbers Success International:

Call: (877) 312-9830 Online: psi101.successfulcontractor.net

1. Drop flyers to neighbors of existing clients 2. Visit your neighbors and introduce yourself and your company to them 3. Put an ad on Craigs List 4. E-mail your clients with a special offer 5. Review past jobs and follow up on recommendations 6. Tell your team to ethically find work 7. Slow down your techs so that they will talk more with customers and find more opportunities 8. Send a press release to your local paper 9. Volunteer in your community 10. Contact another service provider in your local market such as a local car dealer, dentist, lawyer or local store and share databases 11. Put your card or flyer in a local variety or grocery store, community center, doctors or dentists office 12. Post yard signs 13. Take the dog for a walk, talk to people along the way 14. Pay it Forward. Pay for the person behind you in the fast food drive-through and ask the window attendant to give your card to them as well 15. Hold a giveaway contest. Youll attract customers and acquire names for your mailing list 16. Give free talks, consultations and demonstrations. Youll establish yourself as an expert and publicize your business at the same time 17. Post on websites, bulletin boards and other online communities. They offer countless opportunities for spreading your business message 18. Feed your clients. Sending cookies or offering free refreshments at your place of business will set you apart from the competition 19. Setup a YouTube account and post videos of your work and team. Show potential clients how professional you are! 20. Hold an open house for your clients and prospects 21. Mail Forget-Me-Not Flower seeds to clients 22. Implement a Club Membership Program offering discounted inspections and other benefits 23. Contact Club Members for their inspections 24. Perform home inspections on every call 25. Answer your phone one half hour earlier and later each day

26. Slow down your calls and build client value 27. Implement call debriefing after every call 28. Use 10-digit marketing to find potential acquisitions 29. Use quick inventory turns to improve your bottom line 30. Reward existing customers 31. Print business cards that advertise a specific product or service and drop those cards everywhere 32. Send your best customers handwritten letters 33. Send your customers holiday and birthday cards 34. Send your customers a newsletter (mail and e-mail) 35. Send informational brochures when a new product or service comes out that customers may be interested in 36. Help further your customers knowledge by sending them tips or advice bulletins 37. Send industry updates such as electrical, building or gas code changes 38. Generate referrals using business tip programs 39. Help your customers look good by offering your services to help them in a meeting, seminar or other event 40. Ask your customers how you can better serve them, listen and make the changes necessary. Celebrate the changes. 41. Get written testimonials and put them everywhere, including online 42. Set up a suggestion box (offline, online or both) 43. Place stickers/fridge magnets/valve tags on your products so your customers always keep you top of mind 44. Ask a group of customers to be part of your advisory panel and run new products, services and ideas by them 45. Send branded calendars to customers 46. Include a promotion with invoices you send to commercial clients 47. Offer an employee discount to commercial clients you service 48. Offer your product as a prize for a local store, charity, or radio show contest 49. Offe r s o m e t h i n g f re e : a c o n s u l t a t i o n , g i f t o r pro d u c t d e m o n s t r a t i o n 50. Put something on sale 51. Distribute cards offering customers something free after a certain number of purchases 52. Offer discounts to a target group, a special club or event attendees

53. Give coupons for the completion of a survey 54. Hold a contest such as oldest electrical panel, toilet or furnace 55. Place balloons outside your business 56. Hand out coloring books and crayons to clients children 57. Offer dog or cat treats 58. Have a special promotion just for your best customers such as an Elite Club Membership 59. Invite a non-profit group to hold an event or meeting after hours in your office 60. Have ready-to-launch direct mail for when it gets slow or to target an area that may have a specific concern such as a neighborhood campaign for drain problems or old dangerous wiring 61. Inform your clients of energy saving rebates 62. Target your market and watch for news trends and events that affect that market 63. Look for advertising interns to help you create and execute a marketing plan 64. Create package deal pricing to differentiate yourself from competitors 65. Volunteer to be on the board of an event 66. Have each employee volunteer for a charity or non-profit group 67. Volunteer your product to non-profit organizations and businesses 68. Sponsor local teams 69. Offer to buy logoed winter coats and t-shirts for your team 70. Donate to a charity 71. Wear shirts, hats or other items with your logo or business slogan 72. Get a listing of all local fairs/carnivalscanvas them with flyers 73. Get a listing of local church/school public gatherings and canvas thosemaybe donate a raffle gift 74. Give pencils with company info to schools and boy/girl scout clubs, etc. 75. Donate your services to Habitat for Humanity and ask local media to participate as sponsors. 76. Create a company Facebook page and invite customers to friend you there. (Offer coupons to friends of the company. You can post your event participation and giveaways here as well.) 77. Post helpful and informative videos on your company website 78. Send mobile greeting cards to say thank you to current customers and contact prospects

79. Offer a coupon to friends and family of your current customers 80. Offer FREE system inspections 81. Have your technicians place door hangers in neighborhoods where you make service calls 82. Place ads in the classified section of your local newspaper 83. Put a Finders Keepers coupon on the back of your business cards and leave them wherever you go 84. Offer coupons to staff at local restaurants you frequent 85. Park your truck in highly visible locations when not in use so it can work as a mobile billboard 86. Offer seasonal specials build around holidayseven Groundhog Day! 87. Add a special offer signature to every e-mail you and your employees send 88. Create reciprocal links between your website and those of other local businesses 89. Ask customers who have had a good experience to post reviews on Google Reviews and your Facebook page 90. Collect e-mail addresses from everyone you service and meet 91. Offer Groupons and LivingSocial coupons 92. Claim your free listing on Google Places and set up online accounts in local business directories like Yelp and Yahoo! Local 93. Use downtime to follow up with recently serviced customers 94. Personally respond to customer satisfaction surveys 95. Offer coupons and rewards for customer referrals 96. Address concerns and answer customer questions through your Facebook account 97. Start a company blog giving customers advice and information 98. Offer yourself to the local media as an expert in your field They will contact you first to quote on local issues 99. Sponsor or get a company group to volunteer for charitable events such as breast cancer walks or Toys for Tots . 100. 101. Make sure your contact information is complete and clearly visible on your website home page Talk to realtors about advertising in their new home packets

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