What to do?

[Hamish]

What to do when Business is slow and/or is not even moving?

• Radio Ad's - No Calls
• Google Adwords - No Calls
• Car Signage - No Calls
• Ad in Newspaper - No Calls
• Flyers in the Newspaper - No Calls

I might call it quits soon if their is no other mediums to try! (I'm looking for suggestions)

Ham

 

[emsbronco]

My business has also been slow for the past 2 weeks. May and July are my 2 slowest months.

I did get 7 systems refurbed and on the shelf to sell.
Getting some other maintenance projects done around the office.
Working on a new business idea that will be co-marketed with 2 other local businesses.
Doing webinars with vendors to look at new products that I may be able to promote.
Next up - Update Quickbooks and verify all data is correct.

There's lots of stuff to do when it's slow. Just have to prioritize what your business needs. Because I know this slow period is my normal lull, I am not really concerned and have no problem working on the other business needs that get pushed aside during busier times.

 

[maclaptech]

Try Google Adwords...

I'm slow too but Adwords helps bring some business in.

 

[Appleby]

I've been in the same boat...not quite as bad because I've got a fairly large repeat customer base but they are not enough to keep me in business. I need new customers and the last couple months have been slow and the last 30 days have been almost dead for new customers. I've had the same results as you with much of my advertising except for the Yellow Pages, which are affordable in my area and have paid off in huge dividends.

I've been really struggling mentally with my business being so slow and to be honest, I've been praying about it and my business boomed today all from repeat customers. I picked up a whole weeks worth of jobs just today, including a HUGE job for new tractor dealership that will take over a month to complete. My point is, it's amazing how slow you can get and then BAM it all comes in at once. Granted, next week might be dead again....

I'm looking into direct mailings to local businesses. I was going to work on it this week but now I'm too busy. I am getting more and more business customers and they all seem to be less than happy with their current techs. I think, at least in my town, that is a huge market that can be tapped into. I've tried other avenues of ads like you and I'm thinking my last option for marketing might be direct mailings to business.

Oh one more thing to think about....I almost forgot.....I put some ads on Facebook and directed them to people only over the age of 21 in my area and I pay per click. I've gotten some decent business off these ads from time to time and the pay per click rate is CHEAP.

 

[Hamish]

Unlike you guys I'm also trying to break into a new market/area....

If it doesn't go well in the next week or so I'm going to have to throw it all in!

 

[Eddie]

Hit the road & hand out flyers directly to people or put it in their mail box.

 

[SmR13]

Networking is HUGE. Going a group like BNI.

 

[NWPhotog]

What to do when Business is slow and/or is not even moving?

• Radio Ad's - No Calls
• Google Adwords - No Calls
• Car Signage - No Calls
• Ad in Newspaper - No Calls
• Flyers in the Newspaper - No Calls

I might call it quits soon if their is no other mediums to try! (I'm looking for suggestions)

Ham

Your post is unclear. Do you mean no calls recently or do you mean you have done all of those types of advertising and LITERALLY gotten no calls? If the latter I would be checking phone functionality and the actual phone number!

 

[vdub12]

Your post is unclear. Do you mean no calls recently or do you mean you have done all of those types of advertising and LITERALLY gotten no calls? If the latter I would be checking phone functionality and the actual phone number!

The first week I started I did tons of advertising and never got a call, at one point I thought maybe I put the wrong number on my ads but the calls finally started coming in.

 

[SThompson86]

I am going to start hitting up parking lots and leaving my business cards on cars. I also plan on getting some door hangers made and going around neighborhoods.

 

[loaner]

kids out of school and such, vacations, warm weather, blah, blah. i wouldn't bail out just yet. wait until you're down to tunafish and crackers...then get out...

...goss

 

[NYJimbo]

What to do when Business is slow and/or is not even moving?

Give us a little background on the business. How long doing it, was it ever going well. What, if anything did work. When people do contact you do you get an idea why they dont take you up on a repair. Do you think there is something that is causing this lack of clients but maybe you are trying to pass it off as not the reason (not being a prick about it, we all do something like this now and then).

 

[edgepcs]

I have just got out of a 2 week drought. Not really sure what caused it, the phone just stopped ringing. Then all of a sudden I get a surge of calls and am now running along at a steady pace again.
I'm also expanding into work with small business' soon in order to keep a more regular flow.
Sometimes this kind of stuff happens, you just have to chin up and keep trying. But if it carries on for a longer period then I would consider stepping back and trying to figure out what I am doing wrong.

 

[Hamish]

Well I started the Business in a previous state and I was getting about 1 call a day (Started picking up within a Week) via Newspaper Advertising but due to Family reasons we moved to another state so I had to call that quits.

So now I'm trying to re-enter a totally new market, I've had to Redesign & Reword my company image so that it can appeal to the conservative market that we've moved into.

I've spent about close to $1,800 on Advertisements so far and haven't had one single call.

As My father grew up in the town I could easily ride off the back of his success in getting referrals but I'd really like to achieve something on my own, and with my own effort...

kids out of school and such, vacations, warm weather, blah, blah. i wouldn't bail out just yet. wait until you're down to tunafish and crackers...then get out...

...goss

Haha, It's been about 15c During the day and -3c at Night Remember I'm an Aussie.

 

[bsd13]

I am going to start hitting up parking lots and leaving my business cards on cars. I also plan on getting some door hangers made and going around neighborhoods.

Check local ordinances. In a lot of places doing that can get you in trouble. Kind of like putting fliers in mailboxes without it going through the postal system.

 

[SThompson86]

Check local ordinances. In a lot of places doing that can get you in trouble. Kind of like putting fliers in mailboxes without it going through the postal system.

Doing that here in about an hour.

 

[edgepcs]

As My father grew up in the town I could easily ride off the back of his success in getting referrals but I'd really like to achieve something on my own, and with my own effort...

I know this is kind of a pride thing but part of being in business is taking advantage of any kind of contacts or favours you can.
Maybe even if it is just to get you started, as you said yourself you haven't had a single call, at this point I would start doing everything and anything to get some money in.
Hope this helps and that things pickup for you

 

[Hamish]

Well I have had my first call! New PC Build, Which was good

Tho she did offer me some kind words of advice about the town, and that is that the locals prefer to visit the store than rather have someone come to you and take your PC away.

So in doing so I'm in the process of writing a Business Plan for my local bank as they are offering to lend me a sum of money to start up a shop in the town plaza.

 

[SThompson86]

and that is that the locals prefer to visit the store than rather have someone come to you and take your PC away.

Thats how my town is, The local shops here do not even have websites. I am not sure how my "mobile" business is going to work out.

 

[Hamish]

Half the stores don't even have EFTPOS!