Many of you — especially if you're located north of the Mason-Dixon line — have been hibernating the past few months. Hopefully you emerged from climate-imposed slumber long enough to join me at the Pumper & Cleaner Environmental Expo last month. But as you pull this magazine out of your mailbox, you're likely facing a few more weeks of seasonally diminished demand for your product.
Hopefully you've used this downtime to service and maintain equipment, update your website, and generally tidy things up after the 2012 busy season. Now it's time to get ready for 2013 and all of the challenges that presents. And while you wait for the phone to ring with requests for your restrooms and other offerings, thoughts might turn to jobs you dream of snagging one day.
GETTING TO WORK
You know what I'm talking about: picking up one of those prize portable sanitation plums in your service territory. These are the jobs that can help your company make a significant revenue jump, perhaps even stimulate enough business that you can think about buying that new truck, adding a driver to help out, or purchasing a VIP restroom trailer.
I can imagine you daydreaming right now. You're looking out the window at a snow-draped environment, envisioning a clean, new vehicle pulling into the driveway and beckoning you to run a route in new found comfort and style. Snap out of it. It's time to stop imagining that new truck and think of ways to land a new event that will help make that rig happen for real.
Where do you start? I've compiled a few ideas to jumpstart the sales process. Remember the old adage, "nothing ventured, nothing gained"? As the March blahs keep you from a lot of paying work, it's time to venture. Try these networking ideas for landing a new special event this year:
Get on the phone and chat it up.
There's nothing like rockin' sales old school, and that means cold calling and asking for five minutes with any event planner you can think of. Spend some time on Google searching event websites in your territory, then compile a list of, say, a dozen prospects and start making phone calls. Prepare yourself psychologically for the inevitable string of rejections you will receive, and celebrate the occasional victory of nailing down a brief in-person visit with a potential customer.
When looking for folks to call, go beyond the obvious contacts. Think about acquaintances and other business owners in your area, then ask them for friend-of-a-friend introductions to potential customers. And when researching events, think outside of your usual territory. You probably wouldn't travel an extra half hour beyond your typical boundaries to serve a one-off construction account. But an event where you might place 30 units for a weekend? That's a different story.
Work a few charitable sponsorship deals.
Approach special event organizers as a collaborator or a potential partner, not just another subcontractor on the expense ledger. Most PROs are asked to donate their equipment and services to smaller events now and then. Don't wait to be asked. Go out and offer to donate half the cost of necessary portable sanitation equipment for an event in exchange for sponsorship of an aspect of the event.
You can feel good about contributing to a local special event, sure. But there is real value to being an event sponsorship partner. Many event boards include community leaders who work for or own local companies, and those companies may one day need portable restroom service. And your goodwill gesture may be noticed by an event attendee who needs your services. And, most obviously, your willingness to support the event could lead to a long-term contract for services.
Explore the social media connection.
Worm your way into a festival or other event's inner sanctum by schmoozing it up via their Facebook page or by following and responding to a key organizer's Twitter feeds. Maybe you wouldn't dream of sidling up to the president of the local county fair and making small talk when you see him in church on Sunday. But social media platforms can be magical places where informal chitchat is expected and a casual question like, "Hey, do you need any help with the portable restrooms?" would be welcomed as helpful interaction.
In a way, social media turns the traditional "rules" of promotion upside down, favoring informal and forward communication over careful cultivation of relationships. More than ever, it's all about quick shouts and responses, and a "What can we do for each other today?" attitude. Business people are stretched for time, and in that environment, spur-of-the-moment contacts are expected, and swift rejections shouldn't be taken personally. So get out there and start mixing it up and see what happens.
Tap into tourism.
No matter your location, there's probably a visitors and convention bureau covering the area. Get acquainted with the organization, read its promotional magazines from cover to cover, and mine its calendar of events for any opportunity. Call and make an appointment to speak to a representative of the bureau who can connect you to decision-makers for various festivals, fun runs and art fairs. Remember, these are the people who want your community to shine for visitors. Let them know your super-clean, well-maintained restrooms and professional drivers will reflect well on any event and the whole community.
MAKE IT HAPPEN
Clearly, going out and landing a lucrative account is one of the biggest and most time-consuming challenges of running a portable sanitation business. But it's also one of the most rewarding tasks before you. And there's no time like the present — before you have to gear up for the busy season — to get moving.
