Offline business marketing continues to be a part of what I do, yet I seldom discuss the strategies that work well for these brick and mortar businesses. I’ll share some of what I did recently with a small business that provides drapery cleaning, as well as some other services for residential and commercial customers.
Every business must answer the question ‘What’s for sale?’ if they are to become and remain profitable. You may think that your prospects and even your current clients know exactly what you have to offer, but that may not always be the case. Let’s use the drapery cleaning business as an example. Without knowing anything more than what type of business this is, it would be safe to assume that cleaning draperies would be the logical service they offer. But what about other related services, such as cleaning upholstery, blinds and shutters, and even carpets? Would these also be logical services for this type of company to offer their prospects and customers?
By writing a sales page for your primary products and services, you can accomplish two goals. One is to let people know exactly what you do have to offer and the other is to make sure you are not leaving any money on the table by omitting products and services that you take for granted after being in business for a number of years or losing money by offering something that does not add enough to your bottom line.
Start with a general headline that grabs the attention of your reader and entices them to continue reading. For this business, something like ‘Do You Have Draperies As Old As Your High School Age Daughter, Yet They Haven’t Been Cleaned Since She Was In Kindergarten?’ That headline will definitely speak to many readers and will get them to continue reading down the page. You would go on to tell them about the germs and parasites that are hiding in their drapes, as well as some other problems that can arise when you live with unsanitary conditions.
Next, tell a little about the history of how your business was started, and what your vision is for running your business. Perhaps it was a family business started by your grandfather, or it came into existence after you saw a need in the marketplace as a consumer some years ago. This is of great interest to potential customers. Further down on your sales page you will mention the other services your company has to offer, and how they are related to your primary service of drapery cleaning.
Use testimonials from existing clients, as well as lots of photographs of your work. Before and after pictures work extremely well for the purpose of demonstrating what you are capable of with a ‘show instead of tell’ approach. Now it’s time to make a list of what your company offers and see where the profit centers are located. Maybe you earn the most profit from cleaning draperies and upholstery, while not earning much from cleaning carpets. Then you must make the decision whether to abandon the carpet cleaning completely, offer it only to those who use your other services, or to refer this work to someone else in the community.
The bullet points of your sales letter will give you even more ideas as to what to offer. Perhaps a membership program, where customers pay monthly or annually for a specific list of services would make sense. Maybe a discount coupon for services would be appealing, where customers could pay a specific amount for the coupons that would be worth up to ten times as much as they paid for them. Be creative, while always thinking about your bottom line.
If you are willing to spend the time writing this type of sales letter, you may also uncover hidden revenue streams that you hadn’t thought about in the past. Setting up a referral program, where one client recommends a friend or neighbor and receives cash or a gift card would work well in your business. And make sure the completed sales letter gets printed out and posted online.
The recession is over, and now is the time to use smart marketing strategies to increase your business profits. Next week I’ll share more about how I market for non-profit groups and organizations. This has become my passion as I continue to see lives changed around the world by the work that is accomplished.
