How to Market a Service Business? Get Real

Here's a real marketing tip for you if you own or operate a service business.

By real, I mean tangible. And by tangible, I mean you can hold it in your hand.

What is it? A humble thank-you note.

You know, I’m a huge fan of handwriting and mailing thank you notes after every important business transaction, whether it’s a referral you’ve been given, a new prospect you’ve met, or a sale you’ve just made.

And, actually, a thank-you note just helped me close a sale today -- a copywriting project I’ll be doing for a local business.

You see, I spoke by phone with a prospective client on Friday and after I hung up, while the conversation was still fresh in my mind, I wrote him a thank-you note and mailed it … with a stamp. He got it yesterday and today, Tuesday, when I called to follow up, he said, “Thanks for the note in the mail Kevin. I’m really impressed. You sure are a smart marketer.”

Now, ask any teacher I had in high school or college. They will tell you -- I am not smart.

But I do try to be thorough, I do try to treat other people the way I’d like to be treated. And I do try to do something real, something tangible, for people at every opportunity, because I sell a service -- copywriting -- which is intangible.

As a result of this tangible thank-you note, I’ll be getting a nice tangible check in a few days.

You see, it works like this: The more tangible things you do for prospects, clients, and people in your network, the more tangible, the more likable, and the more trustworthy you make yourself and your service business.

And, as we all learned in Sales 101, people prefer to buy from people they like and trust.

Simply by doing tangible things for your prospects and clients, you will stand out from the hordes of other businesses who try to get by using only email and the phone to sell their intangible services.

So, if you own or manage a service business, try getting real. 

After every intangible activity, whether it’s an introduction to a prospective client, an online sale, or an important phone call, try doing something tangible -- something real -- for the people who matter. It can be as simple as meeting them for coffee or mailing them a thank-you note.