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Starting out offering services to small business - a few questions

by NowMadam
6 replies
Hi there,

This is my first post but I'm not completely new to marketing, I've worked for various companies developing targeted phone/mail campaigns for years. I recently quit my job and decided to go it alone. Mostly because sitting in meetings with recent graduates of marketing school and listening to their jargon and "creative" ideas just gets too much - I believe marketing agencies are failing small businesses with their obsession with quirky campaigns that win awards.

So anyway, my "business plan" is to market myself directly to small businesses that need help with contemporary branding/marketing (Facebook, Google Places, SMS campaigns, PPC) but don't have the money or time to hire an inhouse team. I've been putting in 14 hour days getting my offers and website set up, and I'm ready to start approaching businesses but I had a few questions for experienced people here:

Is it generally a good idea to registair a limited company straight off and use 'we' instead of 'I' when approaching small businesses? This could be a regional variable and unanswerable but I'm interested in any comments. I'm not worried about legal advantages of having a company, just whether small businesses tend to respond better to companies than sole-trader types.

Do you guys set up websites that go in depth into the specific services you offer and feature pricing outlines? My website is set up like that, but I'm wondering if a more general website that simply offers 'marketing services for small business' and has a bunch of blog posts/articles on specific types of marketing has shown to convert better (I'm using direct marketing and don't care about my search engine ranking right now).

Do you guys ask for payment of the full set up fee up front, or work on a deposit and then invoice the rest at the end of the month, or when work is 'complete'? I'm really unsure about this as I have never dealt with the billing side of things before and I don't know what an acceptable convention is.

Sorry for the noob questions and long post - I just want to make sure I have a tight approach from the beginning because my area isn't that big with only a few million people and I don't want to harm my reputation immediately. Thanks for any comments.
#business #offering #questions #services #small #starting
  • Profile picture of the author Jason Kanigan
    The answer to all these questions is "It's up to YOU."

    Your questions are the same as many other techies who get into offline and suddenly realize they now have to deal with clients. Read this.

    Don't expect anyone to just hand you a business model. These things cost time and pain to learn and nobody is going to give them over for free.

    Most of your credibility is going to come from the quality of the questions you ask, not your technical ability. Talk about technical things and you'll brand yourself as a commodity.
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  • Profile picture of the author Site87
    I have to mostly agree with the comment above. I've had to offline consulting business and some marketing techniques worked better for one business while others worked better for the other. Just try to use your best judgement and try things out, but here's what I tend to do:

    I'm just a guy, but when potential clients call and ask me if I can send a representative to meet with them, I say yes, and guess who that representative is going to be? Me, but I refer to my business as "we" all the time. That works for me, but may not necessarily work for you or or business model.

    Also, for me what has worked is this. Website with basic outline of the services, but I always come back with a precise quote after I talk to them about what they need. Sure, it may take longer to close a deal, and I might lose some along the way, but that's how I like to do business.

    Lastly, I always collect a deposit upfront, no matter what time of service we'll be providing. Local business owners are busy people, and it still amazes me how sometimes they simply don't pick up the phone, disappear for a few days, etc. even though I'm doing something to help them. So, money always up-front, even if it's just a deposit.

    Hope this helps,

    -Mario
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  • Profile picture of the author ImDanHoward
    I also agree, it really depends on the type of client you are going after. I usually ask for half up front and the remaining after completion of the project and the monthly payments to follow if that is what you have agreed upon.
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  • Profile picture of the author NowMadam
    Yeah, I guess it's a bit hopeful asking for black and white answers to those sort of questions, I guess I'll go with instinct in regards to deposits, and just test the responses to my website for a while - it's an amazing luxury to be able to test campaigns with no pressure actually, i should just take advantage of it

    . I'm designing sales letters at the moment and I think I'll compromise by writing them in a personal tone (saying call me on my cell) but referencing 'we' as a small company I run. I'm pretty much going niche by niche and writing sales letters that reference certain specific lingo or concerns of each niche and then personally addressing them to each director (25 for each niche at the moment for a test) . It takes AGES but hopefully the results will be a lot better than generic offers.

    I also plan to contact web design companies who deal with small businesses and offer a free service I can provide for their clients (I'm thinking customizing their Facebook business pages for when the Timeline comes) in exchange for an endorsement letter that advertises my other services... Is that a well trodden path? I haven't seen much mention of it on the internet but it seems like an obvious tactic.

    I'm only worried about putting myself out there with ridiculous, unprofessional offers and damaging my name from the beginning, but reading this forum and other resources (Gary Halbert!) make me feel a bit more confident that my practises are acceptable. Thank you for commenting - and the link, kaniganj. I really appreciate everybody who takes the time to share their marketing knowledge here, I've learned so much in just a week or so of lurking.
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    • Profile picture of the author racso316
      Originally Posted by NowMadam View Post

      I also plan to contact web design companies who deal with small businesses and offer a free service I can provide for their clients (I'm thinking customizing their Facebook business pages for when the Timeline comes) in exchange for an endorsement letter that advertises my other services... Is that a well trodden path? I haven't seen much mention of it on the internet but it seems like an obvious tactic.

      You definitely have the right idea.

      If you're starting, how do you find clients easier and more cost effective? You look for businesses that your prospects are already doing business with.

      In this case, web design companies. Don't think of them as competitors. Form alliances, build relationships with them, help each other and work together in order to create more business both ways.

      Go to a web design company that is currently not offering your services and strike a simple deal in which you work for them for free in exchange for an endorsement letter to their list in your behalf, only if satisfied with your services. Tell them it's a win-win for them because they will be giving more value to their clients, creating more trust and rapport with them. Also a win-win because you will give them a decent percentage of the deals you close.

      You can also set up a referral system in which they refer their clients to you for services you offer and they don't and you send them clients their way for web design services. Percentages offered both ways.

      This doesn't just end with web design companies by the way. Brainstorm businesses your prospects are already in business with. For instance, financial advisors, printing shops, restaurants, lawyers, accountants, banks, etc. Just to name a few.

      Hope this helps,

      Cheers
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  • Profile picture of the author NowMadam
    Printing shops especially are a great idea, thanks for mentioning. I'm worried about approaching web design companies as they might see me as competition (since many offer online marketing services as upsells to clients), but if I can get some advertising print companies on board I could send my clients their way, they can send their clients my way with no overlap. Not sure how I could convince non-advertising related companies to do that sort of deal, but I'll do some brainstorming as you say. Great help, thanks.
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