A Marketing Lesson From A Housekeeper Who Barely Speaks EnglishWhen my wife and I returned from our fantastic vacation in Costa Rica, one It was under our doormat, slightly soaked from water damage. She thanked us for choosing her to do our housecleaning. And then she asked for referrals. But she didn't leave it at that. She gave us an offer... For every referral we send her way she would do one of several housecleaning chores for free, averaging about $25 each. We get to choose which one. This reminded me of many important marketing strategies and business management techniques. Here are two important ones to implement right away... 1. Always ask for referrals 2. Reward for referrals
Answer: Roll up your sleeves, get to work, and start delivering your marketing message any way you can. Can't afford direct mail? Wondering why you can't make an effective cold call? Drive or walk your neighborhood, or drive or walk to your clients homes, and deliver your marketing message. I guarantee she got several referrals from this brilliant strategy (and it's brilliant because it's simple and she DID SOMETHING), and it cost her maybe $6 in printing and gasoline (assuming she drove). Yeah, I know, you're thinking, "I'll just pick up the phone." You can do that too. But how many agents or planners do you know who hand deliver a marketing message like this? None. Our housekeeper has more grass roots marketing skills than 90% of the business owners and sales people I've met. She didn't read a marketing manual or pay a consultant. She used common sense, and she used direct marketing without even knowing it!
Another Story... This also reminds me of a story I heard about a dead broker carpet cleaner. Several years ago he was desperate. He spent all his money on pretty business cards, Valpak ads, and a yellow pages ad. He didn't get one call. He started reading about direct marketing and all the great things you can accomplish with it. But he didn't have a dime... So he spent his last $50 on his credit card and printed up a bunch of special reports, sealed them in an 9x12 envelope and wrote something like, "Throwing This Package Away Will Be Like Throwing $79 In The Trash. Please Read My Special Report Inside..." His next step was to hand deliver them throughout one of the nicer neighborhoods in his area. I don't think he went to these homes in person to see if they read his report (he should have). But the result was he got at least 10% of them to hire him to clean their carpets. He made more money in a week than he had in the last several months. Now he is a millionaire. Whether you are a millionaire agent or planner, just starting out, or you are desperate for a new client, roll up your sleeves and make things happen. But use effective marketing to maximize your efforts.
My Very Best To You, Brian Maroevich
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