Jason Kanigan
New member
"I want to make 10 new sales for a basement development company by the end of this summer. Does anybody have ideas on how to market this business?"
I was asked this question on an expert platform.
Here's my answer:
OK so you are selling for a contractor who renovates unfinished basements into completed rooms?
What you need to do is encounter people who are just reaching the moment when they realize they want to turn that empty unfinished basement into real rooms they can use.
Then you need to sort those into people who will do it themselves (not your market) and people who are happy to pay someone else to do it (there's your market).
Your website alone is not going to do that. It's just sitting there. Since you didn't share the site, I can't tell you anything about how good it will be in achieving the #1 marketing objective it has.
Your thinking now should be towards: Where do people who are looking for someone to finish their basement GO?
What stores do they visit?
What Google searches do they enter?
What questions do they want answered right now?
Has your marketing been designed to respond to these kinds of questions?
Here are some actionable things you can do right now. Some take guts. But if you don't believe you can actually help people, you probably shouldn't be doing what you're trying to do.
1. Craigslist ads
Easiest and also easiest for your competition to flag.
Cheap to post. And people will be looking on CL for a contractor.
2. Walk up to people in building supply stores and ask them if they're your target audience.
Yup, this is the one that takes guts. But if you're in the aisle where the drywall is, don't you think it's likely that someone wanting to finish their basement is going to come in there?
Use a negative reversal to qualify: "I don't suppose you're finishing a basement, are you?"
Then if they say, "No," it's not a big deal. "Didn't think so," and go back to waiting for the next person. Or have a quick conversation about their project.
If they say yes, now you can tell them you work for a contracting firm and ask if they're OK with talking about their project for a minute.
Now you can qualify further to find out if they are a Do-It-Yourselfer or open to someone else doing the job.
Don't spend more than a couple hours at a time prospecting this way.
This is the fastest way to find customers.
3. Newspaper ad
Yes, people--particularly older people, who generally have more money than their younger counterparts--still look in the Classifieds or through ads in the paper.
4. Radio ad
This option could be far cheaper than you think. Media prices in the town I'm in are rock bottom compared to what I expected (I'm a TV show producer here and when I learned what it cost to put a show on the air I was flabbergasted at how cheap it was).
The key with radio is relentless repetition.
You need to do some research and testing to find out where your target market's age range is and when they are listening. Then you can choose the best station that matches that demographic and run that spot over and over.
Stay away from TV. It's too risky for you right now.
5. Look for lists of qualified prospects
This is where you really start using your brain, which is frankly why most people never get this far.
WHO is in a position to want your services right now?
In my 10 seconds of considering the problem, my brain says:
"People who just bought a home."
Many people DO renovate right after purchasing, don't they.
Homebuyer lists are not hard to get.
And in fact, couldn't you partner up with realtors to recommend you and only you as a favorite contractor to their buyers...in return for a referral gift?
THIS is where real power in the marketplace can begin. When you get the lead immediately, before anyone else has a chance, and are referred by someone the customer trusts.
I was asked this question on an expert platform.
Here's my answer:
OK so you are selling for a contractor who renovates unfinished basements into completed rooms?
What you need to do is encounter people who are just reaching the moment when they realize they want to turn that empty unfinished basement into real rooms they can use.
Then you need to sort those into people who will do it themselves (not your market) and people who are happy to pay someone else to do it (there's your market).
Your website alone is not going to do that. It's just sitting there. Since you didn't share the site, I can't tell you anything about how good it will be in achieving the #1 marketing objective it has.
Your thinking now should be towards: Where do people who are looking for someone to finish their basement GO?
What stores do they visit?
What Google searches do they enter?
What questions do they want answered right now?
Has your marketing been designed to respond to these kinds of questions?
Here are some actionable things you can do right now. Some take guts. But if you don't believe you can actually help people, you probably shouldn't be doing what you're trying to do.
1. Craigslist ads
Easiest and also easiest for your competition to flag.
Cheap to post. And people will be looking on CL for a contractor.
2. Walk up to people in building supply stores and ask them if they're your target audience.
Yup, this is the one that takes guts. But if you're in the aisle where the drywall is, don't you think it's likely that someone wanting to finish their basement is going to come in there?
Use a negative reversal to qualify: "I don't suppose you're finishing a basement, are you?"
Then if they say, "No," it's not a big deal. "Didn't think so," and go back to waiting for the next person. Or have a quick conversation about their project.
If they say yes, now you can tell them you work for a contracting firm and ask if they're OK with talking about their project for a minute.
Now you can qualify further to find out if they are a Do-It-Yourselfer or open to someone else doing the job.
Don't spend more than a couple hours at a time prospecting this way.
This is the fastest way to find customers.
3. Newspaper ad
Yes, people--particularly older people, who generally have more money than their younger counterparts--still look in the Classifieds or through ads in the paper.
4. Radio ad
This option could be far cheaper than you think. Media prices in the town I'm in are rock bottom compared to what I expected (I'm a TV show producer here and when I learned what it cost to put a show on the air I was flabbergasted at how cheap it was).
The key with radio is relentless repetition.
You need to do some research and testing to find out where your target market's age range is and when they are listening. Then you can choose the best station that matches that demographic and run that spot over and over.
Stay away from TV. It's too risky for you right now.
5. Look for lists of qualified prospects
This is where you really start using your brain, which is frankly why most people never get this far.
WHO is in a position to want your services right now?
In my 10 seconds of considering the problem, my brain says:
"People who just bought a home."
Many people DO renovate right after purchasing, don't they.
Homebuyer lists are not hard to get.
And in fact, couldn't you partner up with realtors to recommend you and only you as a favorite contractor to their buyers...in return for a referral gift?
THIS is where real power in the marketplace can begin. When you get the lead immediately, before anyone else has a chance, and are referred by someone the customer trusts.