Question

Topic: Advertising/PR

How To Promote/market A New Service Company?

Posted by Anonymous on 7/7/2005 at 1:33 PM ET 250 Points
Boy, I thought I had it all figured out when I dreamed up my new business but it is proving to be much harder to promote, get leads, interest & all that to get potential clients for me to talk to. Does anyone have some great promotional/marketing ideas for a new business that is based on a service not a product (other than the product being me)? I do not have much to invest so I am looking for best thing for my money or least cost as possible w/ most impact.
I am targeting Medical Professionals and providing Administratve services w/out all that is necessary to hire an employee. thanks everyone.
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RESPONSES

  • Posted on 7/7/2005 at 3:14 PM Member
    Miki, a similar question was asked last week by another person starting a virtual assistant business.

    In addition to the one I posted, there were many qood responses by other members.

    Please check out this question -- https://www.marketingprofs.com/ea/qst_question.asp?qstID=8329

    It should be useful
  • Posted by michael on 7/7/2005 at 3:41 PM Member
    If business is slow now you have to use your time out on he street. Your time is free NOW and info you gather will help whoever (whomever?) you hire later on.

    Just start knocking on doors and asking for business. Some consider it "crude" . I call it effective!

    You're answering a need they have. Don't kill yourself trying to convince each person. Sales is still a numbers game so move on to the next one. Now...if cold calling isn't your thing then you may have to spend some money on mailers to warm them up before you visit. That's a tough thing for us because most of my people enjoy the cold-call game. I'm probably the most rabid, preferring that to anything else!

    If you have to hire someone, try to get someone who will work on a per-call basis. But, make sure that you have measurement metrix for the the call.

    Michael
  • Posted by Pepper Blue on 7/7/2005 at 4:54 PM Accepted
    Hi Mivo,
    Have patience because it takes twice as long as you planned to get a new business to where it is self-sustaining.

    I would spend a chunk of time every day going over the archives here as your same question has been asked many, many times and you have the wisdom of dozens of extremely experienced marketing professionals that have answered them.

    Like Michael, I am a believer in cold-calling. When done professionally it is still hard to beat the effectiveness of it, and with time but not money, it is also the most cost-effective way to fill the funnel.

    One of my best and oldest customers came about as a result of cold-calling (I literally walked in the door and introduced myself) a week after I opened for business.

    This one customer has produced many wonderful leads that have also turned into great customers.

    While not for every industry, it may or may not work for yours, but rather than sit around waiting for the phone to ring or an email to come in, you are much more in control of your future by proactively calling on the phone or stopping in to visit pre-qualified prospects.

    The key here is to have your elevator pitch perfected. Don't waste their time, you have to open with a strong impactful statement to get their attention.

    Good luck!
  • Posted by mgoodman on 7/7/2005 at 8:34 PM Member
    Starting a new business without adequate funding is a formula for failure. It's *possible* to succeed without spending a bunch, but you have to know that the odds are against you.

    It doesn't matter how clever the business concept is, or how well you can deliver a valuable service to your client base. What matters is how the world is going to find out about the benefits you offer and why they need you. That takes time and money. It doesn't happen by accident.

    You've probably heard the "no free lunch" metaphor before. Unfortunately, it's true. If your budget is severely limited, it's likely the best advice we can give you is to find another business or a sugar daddy who can fund your start-up.

    Usually when you try to get a lot of marketing mileage from a small budget the result is that you don't reach an effective threshold, so all the spending is basically wasted and the business never gets the traction it needs.

    I obviously don't know your specific situation, and I'm not trying to be negative. On the contrary. I'm trying to help you by keeping you from inflicting more pain on yourself (and your pocketbook) if you don't have the ability to hang in there and invest what it takes to get your business off the ground.

    Good luck. I wish the message was more exciting and encouraging.
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