Boots on the ground marketing?

[ryleylamarsh]

Hello fellow sign makers,

After a number of years in the industry working as a production manager at a few different sign shops, I have decided to go my own way. I am nearly fully equipped to run a small shop out of my garage.

Outside of setting up a decent website, I wanted to get some thoughts on Boots on the ground marketing. I am minutes away from an industrial area and was hoping make use of my networking skills by quickly introducing myself to business owners in the area. Drop off a brochure with a list of my services etc.

I realize that most people dislike residential solicitation, but I feel like B2B is different animal.

Anyone have experience wiith this?

Thanks!

 

[mpn]

I'm curious to know if you aspire to an industrial area type shop or stay home based?

 

[JBurton]

We used to call them cold calls, but boots on the ground marketing makes it sound more... tactical? Whatever gets someone out pounding the pavement works.
That being said, take your first couple of calls to gauge how your area will react. Having a nice/premium business card is fantastic, brochures are less so, pens and notepads are always in style (probably on their way out, but today I'm taking notes on a metal supplier and printed flex face supplier pads.) Can't beat a solid steel bottle opener.
You'll likely only have a couple of seconds to shake hands with an owner or facilities manager, leave a card, ask if they have any issues you can help with at this time, if not, feel free to call/email, and that's it. This is where the trinkets will help. With a nice card, you can reckon they may not lose it, will likely find it again, and will remember you better than economy vista print card guy.
I've seen so many brochures get picked up, thumbed through, and dropped like a hot turd. It's like a reading assignment, while someone tells me what they do? Why do I get both. Why not direct someone to the website if they are interested?

Have you picked a company name yet? If my name rhymed with Randy Marsh in the least, I'd be selling Tegridy Signs!

 

[mpn]

I did well with a couple of pens, 2-3 scratch pads a brochure (maybe a couple Jolly Rancher's / Tootsie Rolls) shrink wrapped together and a business card in my hand. Like J Burton says above be quick and don't take up their time. What worked for me was saying.. Hello I'm so and so with company x I'm not here to take much of your time, just wanted to drop off some goodies to let you know we're in the area. That always opened the door for them to respond and that'll let you gauge if it was going further.

 

[ryleylamarsh]

I did well with a couple of pens, 2-3 scratch pads a brochure (maybe a couple Jolly Rancher's / Tootsie Rolls) shrink wrapped together and a business card in my hand. Like J Burton says above be quick and don't take up their time. What worked for me was saying.. Hello I'm so and so with company x I'm not here to take much of your time, just wanted to drop off some goodies to let you know we're in the area. That always opened the door for them to respond and that'll let you gauge if it was going further.

 

[ryleylamarsh]

Thank you! I like this!

 

[MrDav3C]

We tried a similar approach a number of years ago during a quiet Jan / Feb (we often expect this time of year to be quieter than usual).

We focussed on businesses who's signage could do with a bit of TLC, that have large fleets of vehicles or a regular requirement for a decent number of labels / decals etc.

To be completely honest we found it to be generally a waste of time and resources with an extremely low if not non existent success rate of actually generating business.

We found more success through advertising / posting on local social media groups, speaking to our existing client base to offer additional services and the occasional targeted phone call to new potential customers.

Obviously some businesses don't like cold calling whether it's via the telephone or in person but generally we found that businesses were more willing to talk over the phone to a local business offering a genuine service than if you were making a cold canvas call from a call centre in some far away land.

 

[JBurton]

We focussed on businesses who's signage could do with a bit of TLC

This is always smart, but it can have a less than desirable effect. For instance, one of my bank customers recently received an unsolicited 'night audit' of their signage by another company, which only p*ssed them off. Between not know how they got her email, and the barrage of pictures, they couldn't care less, they sent all of the info to me. There's a fine line to walk between 'your sign looks like sh*t' and 'let me know if you'd like for me to make any recommendations on sign work.'
Also, agreed, chocolate is always enjoyed.

 

[ddarlak]

I have been in business 28 years, my first year I tried this and I got nothing from it, waste of time. Do great work and your work sells you. I think it took 3 years before I could take a regular pay check.

 

[Texas_Signmaker]

This is always smart, but it can have a less than desirable effect. For instance, one of my bank customers recently received an unsolicited 'night audit' of their signage by another company, which only p*ssed them off. Between not know how they got her email, and the barrage of pictures, they couldn't care less, they sent all of the info to me. There's a fine line to walk between 'your sign looks like sh*t' and 'let me know if you'd like for me to make any recommendations on sign work.'
Also, agreed, chocolate is always enjoyed.

Yesco? They do it to my clients all the time. Not sure how they find the managers email addresses

 

[Texas_Signmaker]

I immediately started getting work when I went out on my own by knocking doors. I targeted independent companies.. not big chains where decisions aren't made locally. If I was doing a sign in a shopping center, that's a good reason to hand out cards and talk to other tenants. I think 1 out of 10 contacts I made turned into some kind of sale.. which is damn good. Going after distressed signs is an easy excuse to talk to them. If they say no the first time, go back in a few months and give them another card... Going back I felt lets them know you're sticking around and not a fly by night one time deal.

 

[GrafixOnDemand]

Grind mode is so much fun! It’s all just a game to me at this point. Love negotiating.

Best of luck on your venture. For What it’s worth; the transition to business owner / operator in ‘works’, is easy peazy. Can’t say the same for the mental game. Stay strong and create enough passion to push through the ‘vallies’. (lol unsolicited opinion)