Smaller service businesses, such as cleaning services, tree cutting services and landscaping services, have had a need to adjust to the new business environment, which large corporations have been operating in for some time now. In the present economic times, people are still trimming down expenses and are not eager to spend money on the service jobs that were once a regular part of their budget. People are also increasingly busy and don’t have the time for meeting with contractors if they can avoid them. The business is now more than ever based on relationships.
So businesses have adapted. Entrepreneurs, who could not turn on a computer before, are tweeting about the last promotion of the season and inviting all of their Facebook friends to a Halloween party, where they give away bags of candy and prizes to the kids and chat with parents about the fall special their business is offering. That is the right way to do business. Entrepreneurs know that most often the only way they can get to visit with someone is by becoming friends with them first, so networking is key for today’s small business owners.
There are three basic steps that lead to revenue in the networking business model
1. Entrepreneurs and their representatives befriend prospects on a personal level.
2. They probe and meet the prospect’s need thus creating a customer.
3. They ask who the customer knows and enter into his network.
By repeating this process over and over, businesses create a loyal network of friends (in Facebook terms).
Meeting with busy prospects, though, is just half the job. Selling to them is another story. It is about meeting the real need the prospect has at a fair price. Service businesses have adapted by trimming costs and providing free estimates and special promotions. They follow up and keep in touch. It is all about relationships, and relationships mean revenue.
Small and mid-size business owners today know that they have to become part of family and a part of the community to gain trust. Tree Toppers in san Antonio, Texas have used this strategy: they have been part of neighborhood since 1974 and have earned the trust in their community by working hard, providing honest customer service, fair pricing, and a having solid reputation for quality. They now have a Facebook and Twitter button, allowing their customers to share the website with their friends. They offer free estimates on individual and commercial services and treat every customer like family.