How Do You Find New Customers?

Mark Browning

All of my top, long-term customers have come from networking. The absolute best networking occurs when my company does such an outstanding job that our customers brag about us. You can’t get any better marketing than a spontaneous referral from a respected and satisfied customer.

When facilities managers get together and talk about their problems, I like to have one of my customers chime in and say, “I know a company that can solve that problem.”

I’d like to have back all of the hours I’ve wasted in cold-calling, responding to “mass market” RFPs and bidding in reverse online auctions. I’d spend them shoring up service quality and relationships with existing customers. That’s where my bread is buttered!

Gail Sutton

Our company belongs to a few local Chambers of Commerce. We normally just network at monthly Business After Hours events, and these have brought us ongoing business over the years.

Recently we participated in a 5-hour trade fair put on by one of the chambers and got great leads and some repeat janitorial contracts.

I think locally-owned companies are glad to give other local business owners their business, so long as we are competitive in what we are charging.

Gary Walker

Networking is always important, but another tip would be to volunteer. Roll up your sleeves in your own community and give back, and it will always give back to you. You will learn that many of the people that do philanthropic endeavors are type-A successful movers and shakers that know they are blessed and want to give back. This is the golf course of the 21st Century. I see a lot of deals coming together over helping not-for-profit causes. When this happens, everyone wins.

General Patton once said, “When in doubt, attack!” There is not only doubt in our chosen profession, but in America, and it has us frozen with fear. You must be more aggressive than ever or you will find yourself on the outside of most business deals, or worse yet, going out of business.