Promoting a business of this nature.
Promoting a business of this nature.
(OP)
Hi
I get plenty frustrated when doing cold calls promoting my business and you get inside the door and there is a "No Solicitation" sign on the door. Any one want to share their ideas about this. I know networking is huge However I am new to this area and then to trump it with a new start up business It seams to be stacked against a business at times.
Norb.
I get plenty frustrated when doing cold calls promoting my business and you get inside the door and there is a "No Solicitation" sign on the door. Any one want to share their ideas about this. I know networking is huge However I am new to this area and then to trump it with a new start up business It seams to be stacked against a business at times.
Norb.





RE: Promoting a business of this nature.
RE: Promoting a business of this nature.
RE: Promoting a business of this nature.
Phil Van Herle, PE
Zzyzzx, LLC
Huntington Beach, CA
email: pvanherle@hotmail.com
RE: Promoting a business of this nature.
I appreciate the ideas presented here. I had forgotten that I had posted this question. I have went forward in that I am having some professional bifold mailers made up,about $.70 a piece. So with abit of time put into a cover letter, I will mail these out to targeted companies. I was out looking at different towns website in my area. I noticed the chamber of commerce area alot of these towns had and several had lists of members and then had links to these companies web site. then alot of times in the contacts page of these sites there is a name of a engineering manager to contact. I figure I have just over a dollar in the attempt to get an interest.
I have 3 associates that are owners of their own software and hardware and we have all worked together in the past at different contracted locations. We are kinda independent type of people. However we work well with one another and know each others strengths and weaknesses. So if either of us gets a project that is larger than what we can handle individually we share the work/wealth. We are marketing ourselves sometimes under our individual company names or since I have stepped up to have sometype of publication made they are beginning to use my material. We each are responsible for our own customers as that contact and then as said use each other as needed. a small percent of the gross goes into a general fund that helps pay for resources needed by all and then in the end of the year we have a good supper and divide the left overs as a bonus. It works well its just a matter of having the patients to get it started.
RE: Promoting a business of this nature.
Paper flyers are generally a waste of time. They go from the envelope to the wastebasket sometimes without being opened.
I would suggest a trinket of somekind accomping the flyer. You have to select the trinket so it is something that will not be throw away by most people. It has to have your name, address, phone number etc. on it. Look around your own desk at the junk you keep. Engineers and technical types are very suseptable to "Nerd Toys".
They will cost you more money to buy, but if the retention is higher. When someone needs your services they will be able to find you easily. You of course will need to be more selective about passing them out.
RE: Promoting a business of this nature.
I have been thinking of this. I look at what I keep and throw away. I have decided that the weight of the "package" makes a different. I have developed a scientific caluculator that I plan on in the very near term to load on a business card sized cd inserted in the mailing. This calcilator will also be available in a free form on my site. Once inside the mailing, the first point I present is an understanding of being equitable, understandable, and simple, second in the cover letter I quickly let the prospective client know I will not swamp him with unsolicited telephone calls. I present my numbers to him and ask him to reply by email in reciept of the mailing and to give an indication of interest for further communication. Since this is "new" to me I will keep track of responses.
I wish I could find a cd with a little magnet imbedded in the plastic so they could "hang" it on the file cabinate after loading the calculator. PRETTY DETRIMENTAL TO COMPUTER EQUIPMENT HEY LOL
Thanks for the reply.
RE: Promoting a business of this nature.
I’ve looked into the business card CD’s. They can be almost as cost effective as a brochure to produce. (Around $US 1.25 each) You could replicate your business card on the face of the CD so they would have your contact information handy as well.
You can put about 50 Meg or so on one so that’s lots of room for an electronic resume, some sample programs and examples of your work. I would include a v-card with all my contact information for easy importation into Outlook.
I am in the process of developing an application for construction contract administration (from the consultant’s approach as opposed to the contractor oriented software that I can find.) I will most likely be distributing this in demo form on a business card CD.
A big factor in the business card CD’s is that they are still somewhat of a novelty. That should get people to if not keep them than at least run them once to see what they can do.
Rick Kitson MBA P.Eng
Construction Project Management
From conception to completion
www.kitsonengineering.com
RE: Promoting a business of this nature.
People are more likely to keep a CD if it has something usefull on it. There is non copyrighted information you could put on one that would make people want to keep it. Say pipe dimensions, viscoity of fluids etc.
ProDesigner00, Be carefull with a magnetic CD. The first time it puts a paper clip in someones CD drive they aren't going to be happy. I think a better deal would be a CD holder that clips or sticks to a computer/ monitor/ cube wall etc and holds a few CDs. Better yet if you design have the patent on it. Once people read your brochue ( and throw it away) they will remember what you do. The nerd toy with your anme and phone number will assure thay can find you when they need you.
RE: Promoting a business of this nature.
The expresion "by George I think you've got it" comes to mind while rereading your note to me about the cd holder. My mother-in-law sent me a book for Christmas one year that is quite the story on fad millionaries. It is called How to create your own fad and make a million dollars. By Ken Hakuta. He is the guy who brought to America those wall walkers in the early '80's. you threw it against a window and it hung for a moment then rolled down the window shaped like an octopus.
I apreciate all the ideas and comments
Thanks
Norb.
RE: Promoting a business of this nature.
RE: Promoting a business of this nature.
If you would like someone to test your construction contract administration software and help debug let me know. I've been in the construction business for 15 years now and have been with a large GC and currently providing consulting services for owners.
RE: Promoting a business of this nature.
The program is nowhere near ready to be released. I’m still at the outlining stage of the program.
I’m at least a year from being able to field test it. (In large part because I want to write it all myself so that i can support the final program.)
If you want to contact me off line, I’d be happy to discuss some of the features that I am planning.
Follow the link to my web site for my e-mail address.
Rick Kitson MBA P.Eng
Construction Project Management
From conception to completion
www.kitsonengineering.com
RE: Promoting a business of this nature.
join every possible (low price/free) legal organisation you can, where your clients would likely be assembled, chamber of commerce, golf clubs, community groups, etc. etc. Sooner rather than later, you will get to know the various owners, and hence get the referrals.
RE: Promoting a business of this nature.
http://www.sideroad.com/Marketing/generating_leads...
Cheers,
Harold