“Lunch & Learns” and “FREE DEMOS” are a must in everyone’s marketing plan.
Annie Baeten & Jen Mazur
All of us get caught in rut or become dependent on incoming advertising leads when it comes to promoting/marketing our concrete lifting businesses. Often thinking “back to basics” is the key to diversifying our businesses or reducing our cost of a leads or cost of sale.
Remember back to 2 day training when it was recommended that you do demonstrations for Public Works officials and warehouse property managers. The recommendation was to sponsor a lunch and tell them to bring a friend since “birds of a feather flock together.” At times offering to do a job for free for a potential referral source if he/she is willing to invite others for a demo when you do the work is all that is required. These venues can result in recurring free leads and referrals. Why do these initiatives work and often pay dividends?
EFFICIENCY – Group presentations are efficient. In one hour, you can demo your knowledge, skills, and abilities to scores of key buyers and influencers.
NETWORKING & COLLABORATION – Bringing professionals together allows them to focus on you and you’re offering while capturing the value of group excitement and awe of repairing concrete problems in minutes vs. days.
MORE FACTS/LESS SELLING – Group participants love to impress each other with good questions. When you answer a question, it does not sound like selling. It feels like information sharing and problem solving. (Should you seed some questions with participants you know – DUH – YUP!)
DISPROVING TWO FALSE COMMON BELIEFS: 1) You cannot repair concrete for ½ the cost of replacement & 2) There is no such thing as a free lunch.
Who is the target? You should start thinking about lists of commercial property managers, local heads of Public Works, Trip Hazzard Attorneys, builders, property brokers etc.
As with any sales initiative the trick is to make it easy for people to say yes. Be sure to offer to manage the invitations, catering, and logistics. All you need from a sponsor is a list of friends and contacts.
You can lecture, preach, and promise until you are blue in the face. “If you want to sell’em then show’em!”
