Find More Customers, Get More Sales–In the Neighborhoods You Already Have Clients In

Find More Customers, Get More Sales–In the Neighborhoods You Already Have Clients In
By: Renee O'Brien

Just imagine..you provide services to a few good clients in a particular neighborhood. And you wouldn't mind having a few more clients like those, especially in that particular area.

So, you create a marketing campaign that identifies prospects in that neighborhood who might need your services. You send a letter, the neighbors start calling, and soon, you've got all the business you could want in that one neighborhood. The benefits keep adding up - not only do you increase sales, but you save traveling money because more of your clients are in the same area. Plus, the more the neighbors see you working in the area, the more likely they are to ask you about your services..and now your sales are jumping even faster!

Whether you're a roofing company looking for new business or a cleaning company trying to find people who just moved into the area (or any other home service that wants to improve its sales), increasing your customer base in this way is much easier than it seems. It's also one of the least expensive and most successful ways to get more customers in a particular neighborhood. How do you do it?

First, you need to create a form letter that tells prospects you're already working for the neighbors, and that you're available to work for them, too. A good direct marketing letter mentions either the neighborhood you're working in, or better yet, some of the neighbor's names you currently have as clients. Try to get a testimonial or two from your happy clients and include those in the letter as well. You might also try offering a special discount or a free estimate to entice the neighbors to call you. Just remember to leave space in the letter so you can personalize it with the exact names and addresses of the neighbors. Which leads me to the next phase of this project.

You've got your letter, and now you need to gather the neighbor's names and addresses. How do you do this? It's quite simple, and can be done in several ways.

The least expensive way to gather the names and addresses is to visit your local library and ask for a criss-cross street directory, such as the one Cole Directories provides. Simply look up the addresses of your clients, find the names and addresses of the neighbors, then copy the information to create your mailing list.

You can also use the computerized Reference USA directory available at the library itself or on the library's website. This computerized directory allows you to search for, then download the names and addresses into your computer so you can merge the information directly into your marketing letter.

Other directories can be purchased or used online: just type ''cross-reference listing'' into your Web browser to see what's available.

Then it's just a matter of adding the names and addresses to your form letters and sending them out. One last bit of advice: make sure it's easy for prospects to contact you via phone and/or e-mail.

Now, get ready to field calls from new customers who want the services you're offering, and find out how powerful direct marketing to the neighbors can really be!