In my over
60 years of sales and marketing I have seen my share of problems involving new
startup businesses and old line well established companies. There comes a time
when the product sales just seem to dry up and you just can't seem to make a
nickel.
I have
seen my share of recessions come and go ever since the 1930's. I was old enough
to understand that my Dad just couldn't seem to get a job during that period in
our history. We seem to have been in and out of these bad business cycles my
entire life and yet I still know of companies that have ran successfully the
entire time before, during and since the great depression.
There are
several reasons that these companies have always succeeded. The main reason is
that they had products that were always in demand. They still
faced competition like all of us do, but the smart companies always saw to it
that they had an edge on the competition.
Things
that give you an edge are price, quality, customer service, brand recognition
and a good strong marketing program. The simple fact is that you can offer the
best products, prices and services in the world, but if people don't know you
even exist then you are doomed to failure.
Here at
Battery Chem we are constantly researching for new marketing ideas. We
especially look for ideas that will not cost our associates a fortune because we
know that money is tight these days. So it really boils down to how hard are you
willing to work to get those badly needed customers and accounts that you need
to succeed?
I would
like to review what kinds of very basic things that you should be doing in order
to market your products successfully.
You need
to establish a name, location, phone number and hopefully a web site for your
new company and all this should go on a business card even if it takes both
sides of the card to make it look professional enough. The name of the business
should reflect what the business does. Like "Battery Service and Reconditioning"
or "Battery Sales and Maintenance". I'm sure that you get the idea.
There
should also be Key words on your Web page so that Google's search engine will
pick up on them. Here are some examples of Key words, separated by commas.
Batteries, lead acid batteries, battery, reconditioning, maintenance, cars,
buses, trucks, golf carts, electric forklifts, rebuilding, repairing, distilled
water, repairs, service, etc. These key words draw customers to your pages; we
put them on all of our videos too. When you make your web site be sure to put
your full contact information and your photo on it. No one wants to deal with
nameless, faceless suppliers or service people.
Let us
make a free video for you to place on You Tube and embed in your web
page.
Word of
mouth is excellent. Hand everyone you meet a business card and tell them what
you are doing. Ask them to pass the information along to their friends. Go to
large warehouses and leave a card with the person in charge of paying the bills
for their forklift fleet. You will quickly get their attention. These forklifts
are highly subject to employee neglect. Sulfation, low water and undercharging
are the leading causes of major battery failures.
Do the
same for golf cart and other equipment fleets of vehicles that depend on lead
acid batteries for their efficient operation. Don't be afraid to talk to people
because you are providing them a needed service that can save them thousands of
dollars. As I always like to say, "Who doesn't like to save money"?
Calling,
mailings and face to face visits are the number one way to get new business.
Believe me, when I was a young man and a shy country boy I had to force myself
to do it, but it paid off. Business is not for the timid or the faint of heart.
To summarize, tell everyone in sight who you are, what you do and where to find
you. Be sure to make it clear that you will stand behind your product and your
workmanship. If you keep your customers happy they will send you hundreds of new
customers and if you don't keep them happy you will pay a heavy
price.
There are
many shoppers' guides around with very low or free advertising rates in them. We
have had good luck over the years with them. Your local Craigslist is an
excellent source of sales leads. Also, any publication that reaches company
owners or executives is a good bet because they are really concerned about the
bottom line and you are offering to save them a great deal of money.
An
electric forklift battery can easily cost up to $8,000.00 dollars to replace and
golf cart batteries can run up to $1,000.00 a set to replace.
If you can
afford it, you can try some ads on the local cable channels and radio stations
However, I do not suggest spending too much money on radio and TV.
If you can
set up a booth at local trade shows and also sell Battery Repair kits at flea
markets and swap meets it's not a bad way to go. There is a very strong do it
yourself market out there that you can take advantage of.
The main
thing is to use your imagination to promote your products and services. Do
whatever you have to get your message out there to the marketplace.
In case
you are interested our company is rapidly expanding here and
overseas.
We can
supply you with video ads for your web sites if you tell us what you need
imprinted on them.
Please
don't forget that you can always sell new batteries too. We can help you with
that if you need it.
I will be
writing to you more about this in the near future. If you have any questions or
problems please do not hesitate to contact me at 401-725-8141,
www.BatteryChem.biz.
Thanks,
Walt
Barrett President
Battery
Chem
A to Z
Global Marketing Inc.
P.S. I had very good news today. I was
just told that I have one of the top 5% most viewed LinkedIn profiles for 2012.
This just shows that many people are interested in saving money. A Battery Chem
business could change your life and your financial outlook! Visit our
website today...www.BatteryChem.biz and see for
yourself.
