Small Business Coaching on 3 Low Cost Ways to Get Customers

By Allison Babb

You've got the small business set up with the business cards, the stationery, the logo and even your very own assistant. But you remain a bit in the fog on how to get customers... inexpensively.

Let's face it folks, when it comes to getting customers, small business owners don't always have a quick $1000 to pay for an ad, and quite honestly ads work best when you run them repeatedly (not just once) which increases the cost astronomically. Ads are NOT the best way for you to market their business. But people often (sometimes only!) think of ads when they think about marketing their businesses.

Here are 3 low-cost ways to get customers that really work for small businesses:

Network with others: I used to hate the term "networking" as I saw it as showing up for a meeting, bragging about myself, and exchanging business cards. I've since learned that supporting others in my networking group is the best way to network. When you genuinely support others, they support you. Go to google.com and do a search for "networking groups CITY" where city is where you are. You'll find tons of places to get known and bring in more business.

Get Free Publicity: For the cost of sending a fax (literally pennies!) I am able to get on radio shows and in the newspaper all around the country and get free publicity for my businesses. You can do it too. You just need to learn how. Reporters are hungry for stories and they're almost always scrambling to find guests. If only you would show up and share your expertise! And folks, it costs you nothing.

One mechanic I met got in in the newspaper just sharing what car owners don't know about caring for their cars. A chiropractor did a story on how to choose a chiropractor. A financial advisor did a story on how to plan your finances in a recession. A virtual assistant did a story on how small business owners can work less hours and take more vacation. The stories are endless the opportunities for media coverage is endless as well. Learn the media game, come up with a great headline, send out a press release, and get some media attention for your business.

Bring back old customers: Business owners spend so much time chasing after new business when they can actually increase business simply by coming up with a new offering for existing clients. The guy who painted my house 8 years ago could send me something reminding me that it may be time to do a touch-up. He plants the idea in my head and suddenly I start noticing the smudge marks and crayon my 6 year old put there, and I'm ready to call him to repaint a room or two.

You can send out %off coupons in the mail that expire in a short time frame and it brings people back. You can start keeping track of the birthdays of your clients so that you can send them a birthday offer in the mail which is a new offer for them. This is a low-cost way to bring back existing or former customers and increase your income.

Bookmark this or share with Friends/Followers

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this complete blurb with it: Allison Babb is an author, speaker and Small Business Coach to solo entrepreneurs. Allison publishes the "Small Business Success" weekly Ezine on how to create a steady stream of clients for your small business at: www.GreatSmallBusinessAdvice.com

View More Small Business Articles