Does anyone have an awesome idea for advertising a product we can sell/service. Next year I plan to hire my first employee and I want to have the phone ringing off the hook when that day come. I thought of the idea of marketing "Safety in the Home" We'll come in and upgrade your 10+year old smoke alarms and GFCI's throughout your home and get your home up to date when it come to safety. For like $599.99 or something like that. Show an ad with a quote from a NFPA about how your smoke should be updated every 10 years etc. I think people want first and foremost to be safe. I think this will get me in their homes and other safety concerns will become extras.... What do ya guys think?

For anyone wanting to know the real facts about advertising - or marketing - there is but one place to go;

"My Life in Advertising / Scientific Advertising" by Claude Hopkins.

Quite affordable, and readily found at Amazon, B&N, etc. Written at the start of the Great Depression, it's every bit as true today as it ever was.

IMO, the best marketing tool you can have is word of mouth.
This is generated by good workmanship and your manners around your customers.

In over 2 decades I haven't found anything that will make the phone ring off the hook.

Dave

How about being too busy to take any more for a while?
That usually gets my phone to ring.

I don’t do residential, they whine, are demanding, don’t pay well and will gladly waste your time diagnosing a problem and getting your quote, only to later go with some guy working out of station wagon who is 2% cheaper than you. They also not steady enough for my needs.

Commercial customers on the other had, whine are demanding but they mostly pay on time and are a steady gig. They still shop your number but they guys in the station wagons don’t usually have insurance so they are out.

If you are looking for work, and want the phone ringing go talk to the maintenance men or building managers at your local commercial buildings, a lot of them are on the look out for a good contractor and if you make them happy they will send work your way. Retail and office buildings are the best, because they have turn over and when the new tenants come in, one of the first people they ask for a recommendation is the building manager, and if you come to mind then you get the first call for a quote.

Make sure you have a big stack of business cards, when you go and go more than once, get to know their names and make a good impression. Another thing you can do is to offer to help if they need budget number for new leases or remodels or lighting retrofits.

95% of my business is from word of mouth, and being on bidders lists. If you do enough small jobs for the national contractors who do the small retail spaces you will get on some bidders list, and if you do them well you name will get around. GCs are always looking for a good electrician.

Some guys do well in the residential service market, I am just not one of them.

My advice is worth what you paid for it…

There's a carpeting outfit that does TV ads out of Chicago. They're broadcasting to a 60 mile (minimum) radius from Chicago, so I guess their territory covers 3 states. They used to have a spokesman, now he's digital. He whips out a carpet, the furniture jumps up & the new carpet is in!!!

I'll bet their phone rings off the hook.

Dave

Business is like peeling an orange - once you get it started, it's pretty easy, but getting into it is the hard part.

Your ad idea sounds pretty good. Remain flexible and observant, as your market is probably different than any of ours. Find your niche by keeping your eyes open, and don't be afraid to think creatively when marketing yourself or pursuing new markets.

Good Luck!

Thanks Zapped positive thinking is always good to hear. I peeled an orange once and juice squirted in my eye. I realize you have to be careful what your getting yourself into with business. What type of market are you in?

I split my work between new construction and HOA work. When one is slow, the other pays the bills and vise versa.

In other words, I do just about anything for a buck!

I will go with "word of mouth". It worked for me and others I have worked for.
I have some simple steps that may help you.

1) Hire only the best. Clean cut, drug free and the ability to find other paying jobs on the same site. You get what you pay for.
2) Make sure your service truck is clean inside and out. Well stocked. Your employee is clean and well mannered. First impressions are very important
3) Have business cards. To pass out when you meet with potential customers. Always have a few in your pocket or wallet.
4) Advertize in the newspaper.
3) Advertize in the Yellow Pages. If you don't have a company name, pick a name that will be the first listed in the directory if possible. Like "Abel Electric" The sky is unlimited in a name.
4) Always follow up with customers AFTER a job and make sure they are completely satisfied.
5) If you tell someone you will call, check on something ect...make sure you do.
6) Others here may have many more suggestions. Read them and decide what is best for your company.

Note: During your interview proccess, while the prospective employee is with you, have someone go out and look inside their car or truck. If it is filthy and piles of McDonalds bags are piled up on the floor. Think of what he or she would do on the job. Would he clean up after himself? Would he leave hand prints all over the customers walls? And on and on.
I know this sounds a little over board, but we tried it at a big company I worked for and we found that if the car or truck test passed, we were happy with each of those hires. They made us proud.

go with 60/40 rule you get 60% of your business from 40% of your customers. Do a mailing to existing customers, flyer or newsletter. Or announce your new tech arrival in a flyer run a special in his/her honor replace all your 10 yr old smokes and get a free co2 detector or something. Just some thoughts:)

Ob

the best marketing I ever got was a fly-by night I hate to call it that but I don't know how else to describe them. they offered a blitz package with radio and tv for a pile of non-competing businesses - the price was dirt cheap (like $85)
and (coincidentally?) my phone DID ring off the hook for the month following. the problem: it was a one shot deal and the agents had moved on to the next town.
Aside from that, the long slow uphill climb of reliability, integrity, neatness, honesty (satisfied customers in your wake wherever you go - allowing for the occasional unsatisfiable customer)