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A couple of ideas come to mind:
You can begin attending networking groups to meet well-connected people before opening your business. It may help to have a brochure that describes your services and a projected start date or "coming soon" message.
Ask people you meet if you can add their email address to your launch announcement, then send out an email newsletter that details your services. Include a coupon for first-time customers to encourage them to call.
You may want to budget for some pro-bono projects for local business groups or non-profits to help get your name out there.
Study the existing competition to figure out where they get their repeat customers. Try to reach those customers with a special offer to try your service instead. Or, carve out a different niche and focus on specific industries that your competitors are not tapping into.
Good luck!
You can begin attending networking groups to meet well-connected people before opening your business. It may help to have a brochure that describes your services and a projected start date or "coming soon" message.
Ask people you meet if you can add their email address to your launch announcement, then send out an email newsletter that details your services. Include a coupon for first-time customers to encourage them to call.
You may want to budget for some pro-bono projects for local business groups or non-profits to help get your name out there.
Study the existing competition to figure out where they get their repeat customers. Try to reach those customers with a special offer to try your service instead. Or, carve out a different niche and focus on specific industries that your competitors are not tapping into.
Good luck!
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The best way to start is by going to events where you can meet people. Nothing beats an in-person introduction. As a design and printing firm your potential customers are varied and many. Therefore, I recommend you:
Once you have a few names, Andrew's comments below are a great way to move into the active sales phase.
- Join local professional groups. A business council, chamber of commerce, trade group (not just for your trade), etc. Anything with a membership that might include potential customers.
- Show up at events. It might be awkward at first, but soon you will get to know a few people and they will introduce you to more. By showing up regularly you will become a familiar face. Familiarity builds a basic level of trust.
Once you have a few names, Andrew's comments below are a great way to move into the active sales phase.
s...@gmail.com commented on 16 Dec 2011
Thanks Megan, I am already working on it. I hope I will be able to convert them into clients.
Thanks Megan, I am already working on it. I hope I will be able to convert them into clients.
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Mark Wright advised on 30 Nov 2011
Business consultant to turnaround situations bringing to bear over 30 years of corporate and mid sized company leadership and success.
A couple of obvious points 1) proof your writing - advertisers need to be perfect (waist=waste east=easy) and 2) gaining references is only "easy" if you do great work that meets and exceeds expectations from clients.
IF you are clearly determined to follow your dream, you could do one or more of the following: a) form an informal advisory board choosing people that can help with the formation of the business and potentially refer you to clients b) scope out your competition and accumulate information on their capabilites and possibly clients (make this as detailed as you can) c) identify "holes" in the market for your firm to exploit d) if you are a minority firm, find out what paperwork you need to have in place to be acknowledged as one and figure out how to get it completed for a successful filing with whatever agencies you need to receive the appropriate designation e) join your local chamber or businessman's association and attend gatherings to get a sense of who's who in the community f) find out what local charity or charitable affairs attract some of the clients you may want to do business with and join it and get involved in a committee (you will be giving time and mixing with potential clients) g) make sure when you part ways with your current employer to leave on good terms and reread your employment agreement or have an attorney read it and interpret what or who you can or can't talk to h) accumulate examples of your work i) accumulate metrics used by your company to determine profit margins and the like for different types of work/projects j) write a business plan (keep this simple but real - too many small business folks focus on the projections and not enough on the clear definition of what they will be and accomplish in their first 24 or 36 months of business - be sure to establish timelines that are real) h) make a list of what you will need to set up an office (maybe work from an office in your home until you have monies to support the overhead of leased space i) be prepared to work on a very tight budget and do a lot of the grunt work yourself and find other independent folks you can go to on a project by project basis until you can afford staff j) find an accounting firm to advise you on type of business and record keeping.........
I could go on, but think you've got enough to get started.
IF you are clearly determined to follow your dream, you could do one or more of the following: a) form an informal advisory board choosing people that can help with the formation of the business and potentially refer you to clients b) scope out your competition and accumulate information on their capabilites and possibly clients (make this as detailed as you can) c) identify "holes" in the market for your firm to exploit d) if you are a minority firm, find out what paperwork you need to have in place to be acknowledged as one and figure out how to get it completed for a successful filing with whatever agencies you need to receive the appropriate designation e) join your local chamber or businessman's association and attend gatherings to get a sense of who's who in the community f) find out what local charity or charitable affairs attract some of the clients you may want to do business with and join it and get involved in a committee (you will be giving time and mixing with potential clients) g) make sure when you part ways with your current employer to leave on good terms and reread your employment agreement or have an attorney read it and interpret what or who you can or can't talk to h) accumulate examples of your work i) accumulate metrics used by your company to determine profit margins and the like for different types of work/projects j) write a business plan (keep this simple but real - too many small business folks focus on the projections and not enough on the clear definition of what they will be and accomplish in their first 24 or 36 months of business - be sure to establish timelines that are real) h) make a list of what you will need to set up an office (maybe work from an office in your home until you have monies to support the overhead of leased space i) be prepared to work on a very tight budget and do a lot of the grunt work yourself and find other independent folks you can go to on a project by project basis until you can afford staff j) find an accounting firm to advise you on type of business and record keeping.........
I could go on, but think you've got enough to get started.
s...@gmail.com commented on 16 Dec 2011
Thank you for your expert advice. I will proof read before submitting anything. I have already worked on points c,e,h,j,i. Now plan to work on the rest.
Thank you for your expert advice. I will proof read before submitting anything. I have already worked on points c,e,h,j,i. Now plan to work on the rest.
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Anise Smith advised on 10 Jan 2012
Anise Smith Marketing: Specializing in QR Code Marketing, Mobile Web, Social Media Optimization, IFrame Apps & Analytics
Social Media is a huge way to immediately start working on your brand even before you officially start your business. Create a brand for yourself, then create social media channels promoting that brand. Start with basics like a Facebook business page, Twitter profile and a blog. Use your blog to focus on your industry and brand. Increase your blog traffic by promotion on your social media channels. Also, look into Triberr.com as a way to promote your blog as well.
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start collating the blogs related to printing and add your suggestions and comments .. and ensure you compile the list of persons who responded to your post / comment... start building the relationship.
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Megan Kahn Shaw advised 6 months ago
The best way to start is by going to events where you can me...
The best way to start is by going to events where you can me...
Thank you Andrew for your advice. I am already attending the Chamber of Commerce events and trying to connect with people. I like the idea of "coming soon". Will surely give it a shot.
I want to do volunteer work for NGOs to establish contacts but don't know how I should go about it.
The niche of my business is to help medium size companies (15 M and above) to have better marketing material and help them to present their company in a better way without charging them outrageous fees.
Also, I am collecting data from Hoovers.com and studying each company to see if it can be my target audience.