Your business is all about getting clients to buy what you offer. If you repair sewing machines, you must get customers to bring you their machines to service. If you sell widgets, gadgets, or whatnots; you will always need new customers. Servicing and retaining customers follows, but only after you get them.
Sewing machine repair is a real business that you can do. It requires getting customers, satisfying patrons, and keeping patrons. The exchange of money is always secondary. The real issue will always be the client.
If getting customers is your number one job, how do you do it? Advertising can work, but it costs money. Getting others to advertise your business works even better, costs less, but requires some work.
Getting others to advertise for you is one way to leverage your promotions. You may still have to spend a little, but your returns can be much better.
One traditional way to apply this principle, is by asking existing satisfied patrons for referrals. This involves a simple but vital program to achieve any real results, however, no advertising is as effective as a referral. In the world of direct sales, you would collect the names and contact information of the customers friends, relatives, and associates who might be considered as prospects for your product. You might actually pay the patron to give you those referrals. Then you would contact the names supplied and pitch your product or service.
There are three basic challenges with traditional referrals. Customers do not like giving them. Often you feel awkward asking for them, and therefore fail to do it consistently. Tracking referrals can also be a challenge.
For the sewing machine repair business operating from home or from a store, referrals are vital. Instead of asking for the traditional referral, however, try this. Print up a bunch of GIFT CERTIFICATES for $5 or $10 dollars of your services or products. Print on the certificate For New Customers Only. Leave the name of the recipient and the name of the giver blank. Now explain to your existing satisfied patron how they could pay for their annual or semi-annual sewing machine service by simply giving away gift certificates to her friends, neighbors, sewing associates, even complete strangers.
To make this work, the existing client must understand three things. They are giving away a real gift with real value. Their friend must redeem the gift by becoming your new patron. They will, themselves, receive credit toward their next purchase from the business. In this way, you get the best kind of referrals, the best kind of advertising, and the best possible results.
People know other people. People influence other people. People in groups are especially vulnerable to the influence of the group. Therefore, plug into groups of people that can promote you and your business. Sewing clubs, quilt guilds, library societies, schools, and church groups as well as many other groups offer opportunities to reach people through groups. Offer special seminars or demonstrations. Give away token gifts, but spread the news. Get people excited and they will broadcast your information to others.
Are there other businesses looking for new customers? Of course. So, get together with one or several of those other businesses and cross promote. Give away each others gift certificates or sales coupons. It is amazing how inexpensive advertising is, when other businesses are adverting to their clients for you.
When someone buys a sewing machine from Walmart, where do they get help learning how to use it or getting service? You can be their solution. Why not let Walmart help you build your business. Sometimes you can make inroads with managers, but you certainly can enlist the help of the workers. What you want is referrals. What do you think the Walmart worker might want? What does your prospect want.
As a sewing machine repairman, I have discovered a great way to let others promote me. I made a list of all the quilt shops and fabric shops in my area. I contacted the owners and explained what I do. I offered to pay them to help their patrons by allowing them to conveniently drop off their sewing machines at their shop for sewing machine service. Once a week, I stop and pick up the machines. It may be one or five, it does not matter. I service and repair the machines and return them. I pay the shop $5 and charge the patron $95. The shop collects for me.
To get the biggest return on your advertising investment , empower others to market for you. Get others to promote you. Let your patrons sell for you. Everybody wins.
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