The difference between marketing a product and marketing a service becomes clear by taking a walk up and down the aisles of a mega grocery store or wholesale club on a busy Saturday morning. Someone hands a customer a meatball on a toothpick, he tastes it and if he likes it, he buys a whole bag. This is product marketing at its simplest. Unfortunately it’s difficult to do that with a service. What can you do? Set up a “sample” restroom and have the potential customer use it for free to see if they like it? This would not be efficient or affordable marketing.
Marketing a service differs from marketing a product because selling a service is selling a promise. Potential customers can’t kick the tires of service or take service on a test drive. By the time a customer realizes the service they selected is inadequate, it’s already too late. It’s out of the box and can’t be exchanged. Selling a service requires perfect planning and execution so that you deliver what you promised in order to have a satisfied and, hopefully, repeat customer.
But it IS a Product, Isn’t It?
Perhaps you are mentally arguing with me now that you are marketing a product because the restrooms in your yard are by far prettier and sturdier than the competition’s restrooms. Sure, you are partly selling a product … but you’re not trying to sell a million of them all around the world. And your customers don’t get to keep them. Mostly, you are selling the service of delivering restrooms, setting them up, cleaning them out and removing them … on time, as promised.
Sturdy and pretty will enhance your service. And sturdy and pretty might attract a new customer, but it’s great service that gets you repeat business, and good word-of-mouth advertising; especially service that goes above and beyond what is expected. High quality restrooms are an important marketing tool to give you an edge among the competition initially, but the service has to be what sets you apart because, as we all know, a poorly serviced restroom is not pretty.
Think Locally but Use the World Wide Web
Today, more than ever, businesses can ship products just about anywhere, and with the Internet, it’s possible to market to potential customers around the globe. A service business, however, will be limited geographically. It’s only economically feasible for a portable restroom operator to service a limited territory. And a service business usually has a finite number of customers they are capable of serving too.
Does this mean the Internet is not an effective marketing tool for a service business? Absolutely not. More and more PROs are telling us how many of their local clients are finding them on the Web. A good Web site is essential, and some portable restroom service providers also take advantage of sites like Craigslist, which provides free local Internet “classified” ads and has an area specifically for services. And people who find you in the phone book might not be using an actual book anymore. The Yellow Pages, which has historically been where many people go the first time they need a local service, are now on the Web too, and more and more people are opting to let their fingers do the walking on the keyboard to find local businesses.
Having a service business makes marketing different, not necessarily harder, than if you were selling only products. Here are four key ways to market a service business:
Get referrals and testimonials
Since you can’t hand out “samples” of service, have a sampling of testimonials from previous customers to give to potential customers. When a happy customer compliments the job your company did, ask them to refer friends, relatives and industry peers. Consider offering present customers a discount for every new customer they refer to you. And get permission to add some of their positive comments to your company Web site or in brochures.
Maintain existing relationships
Don’t take existing clients for granted. Make the effort to step up service for them to make them your BEST customers so they’ll cheerfully provide those referrals and testimonials. Remember, it takes a much bigger marketing effort to gain a new customer than to retain an old one. Keep the ones you have.
Be a joiner
Becoming a member of the local Chamber of Commerce or a similar business group will provide opportunities to market your service to other area businesses as well as representatives from local municipal governments. This will help you get referrals from people who may not have actually purchased your services in the past. They’ll refer you because your company is now familiar to them; and hopefully they like you and want membership in their organization to be beneficial to you so you’ll continue to be a member.
Target a market
Take the time to accurately map out your service area and those of your closest competition. You might find areas that are underserved where you can focus your marketing efforts. Remember, the number of people who might sign a contract for portable restrooms is far less than the number of people who might buy a bag of meatballs. They can’t be expected to just wander aimlessly by — you’ve got to seek them out. That, in a nutshell, is what marketing a service business is all about.
