Have you tried Direct Mail?

My very first business was started 20 years ago, my background is residential construction and I merely struck out on my own. My first contract was one for $45,000 to frame a house for a Broker/Realtor acting as the general contractor for friends of his.

I landed that contract by using direct mail. Funny thing is, all I had at the time though was an old Smith Corona typewriter. I merely banged out a few short sentences explaining who I was, what I could do and that I was available immediately.

Funnier still... I wasn't even smart enough to make copies of the mail piece I created, I kept typing letter after letter. Fortunately, as I mentioned, the letter was short. Then hand address each envelope, including my return address, and place the stamp. I suppose I would prepare six or eight letters each evening for mailing the next day.

This only lasted for about two weeks as by then I had the results I hoped. After that, all my jobs came as result of word of mouth. Amazing.

If you are struggling to gain some traction with your business, give direct mail a try yourself. I don't mean full blown all out big list mailings. Just be you.

Write a short letter. Explain who you are and what you can do. Mail that letter to businesses and individuals you believe would hire you. Start locally and watch what happens.