Are you frustrated with empty promises from those get rich quick schemes?
The sewing machine repair business is a real doable business, like all real businesses. Success depends on successfully doing three things: Attracting Customers, Satisfying Customers, and Holding On To Customers.
For now, consider how you can Find new customers.
One essential for every business is gaining customers and making sales. Failure to get customers means there really is no business. Any time someone tells you that you can make loads of money without selling, finding customers, or making sales; just recognize it as a lie. In real business, you must continually find customers.
Advertise or have others advertise for you. These are your options if you intend to attract new customers. Initially, think about what advertising you can do.
What advertising choices do you have? Think about it. Where have you seen promotional items? You may come up with your own list of dozens, maybe even a hundred different choices.
The advantage of marketing your business is the speed and ease with which you are able to contact potential customers. In a matter of hours or days, you are able to reach literally hundreds or thousands potential customers.
The problem with marketing is that it can be extremely expensive. At the beginning, it is not uncommon to spend more on advertising than you make in your sales. This can be devastating for a start-up company. You need to tightly control your advertising expenses. Set stringent standards for return on your advertising investment. For every dollar you invest in advertising, you must produce enough sales to pay for the advertising and all the other costs of servicing that sale. Ideally, a dollar in advertising should produce ten times that investment in sales. Another way to view this investment is to calculate your advertising expenses at 10% of each sale. This is easier to do once you have established a track record.
What advertising will work for you? You have to decide. Weigh the effectiveness, cost, and potential of each medium. Just because a type of advertising works for someone elses business is no reason to think it will automatically work for yours.
Think about your business. If your business is going to operate out of your home or garage, what marketing do you think will best reach your prospects? If you have a store front, how does this change the dynamics?
If your customers are going to bring their sewing machine to your home, how will you attract them there?
A common beginning point for new business owners is newspaper promotion. The theory goes that everybody reads the newspaper, but is that true? How many people will actually respond to you ad and become your paying customers? In a sense it does not matter what the ad costs. What matters is how much money your ad earns for you.
When people pick up the newspaper, what do they do? Read the headlines, look at the pictures, read an occasional story, and of course check out the classifieds. It is here that you can often get your best bang for the buck. Your ad is strategically placed in the category appropriate to your service. When people see it, they know you want their business.
Have you considered direct mail, direct distribution, or batched promotion? Going directly to people is very powerful. Mailing an attractive postcard can cost as little as seventy five cents per address. Remember to consider costs for mailing list, piece production, and postage. Some organizations distribute fliers, door hangers, etc. for local businesses. These too can be very cost effective when properly managed. Sending out your ad with several others in a package like ValPak, can also work.
Generally, I would recommend against high priced media promotion like radio and TV. Control your promotion investments.
Promote your business aggressively, but wisely. Track your results. Use common sense when you set up your ads. Always keep the question in your thoughts, How will I Attract customers? Consider your return on investment, the effectiveness of the ad and media, and the overall results. Avoid spending your business into the ground by ineffective expensive marketing. - 15634
The sewing machine repair business is a real doable business, like all real businesses. Success depends on successfully doing three things: Attracting Customers, Satisfying Customers, and Holding On To Customers.
For now, consider how you can Find new customers.
One essential for every business is gaining customers and making sales. Failure to get customers means there really is no business. Any time someone tells you that you can make loads of money without selling, finding customers, or making sales; just recognize it as a lie. In real business, you must continually find customers.
Advertise or have others advertise for you. These are your options if you intend to attract new customers. Initially, think about what advertising you can do.
What advertising choices do you have? Think about it. Where have you seen promotional items? You may come up with your own list of dozens, maybe even a hundred different choices.
The advantage of marketing your business is the speed and ease with which you are able to contact potential customers. In a matter of hours or days, you are able to reach literally hundreds or thousands potential customers.
The problem with marketing is that it can be extremely expensive. At the beginning, it is not uncommon to spend more on advertising than you make in your sales. This can be devastating for a start-up company. You need to tightly control your advertising expenses. Set stringent standards for return on your advertising investment. For every dollar you invest in advertising, you must produce enough sales to pay for the advertising and all the other costs of servicing that sale. Ideally, a dollar in advertising should produce ten times that investment in sales. Another way to view this investment is to calculate your advertising expenses at 10% of each sale. This is easier to do once you have established a track record.
What advertising will work for you? You have to decide. Weigh the effectiveness, cost, and potential of each medium. Just because a type of advertising works for someone elses business is no reason to think it will automatically work for yours.
Think about your business. If your business is going to operate out of your home or garage, what marketing do you think will best reach your prospects? If you have a store front, how does this change the dynamics?
If your customers are going to bring their sewing machine to your home, how will you attract them there?
A common beginning point for new business owners is newspaper promotion. The theory goes that everybody reads the newspaper, but is that true? How many people will actually respond to you ad and become your paying customers? In a sense it does not matter what the ad costs. What matters is how much money your ad earns for you.
When people pick up the newspaper, what do they do? Read the headlines, look at the pictures, read an occasional story, and of course check out the classifieds. It is here that you can often get your best bang for the buck. Your ad is strategically placed in the category appropriate to your service. When people see it, they know you want their business.
Have you considered direct mail, direct distribution, or batched promotion? Going directly to people is very powerful. Mailing an attractive postcard can cost as little as seventy five cents per address. Remember to consider costs for mailing list, piece production, and postage. Some organizations distribute fliers, door hangers, etc. for local businesses. These too can be very cost effective when properly managed. Sending out your ad with several others in a package like ValPak, can also work.
Generally, I would recommend against high priced media promotion like radio and TV. Control your promotion investments.
Promote your business aggressively, but wisely. Track your results. Use common sense when you set up your ads. Always keep the question in your thoughts, How will I Attract customers? Consider your return on investment, the effectiveness of the ad and media, and the overall results. Avoid spending your business into the ground by ineffective expensive marketing. - 15634
About the Author:
Find out more about sewing machine repair instructions with Author David Trumble's extensive sewing machine repair courses including topics like how to repair sewing machine foot control. Download your copy of his free beginner's course.
