What’s harder than getting a new customer?

Being a new customer sucks. 

Inviting a complete stranger to my house and paying them thousands of dollars isn’t my idea of fun. 

The end result of a home improvement project is exciting but the process isn’t. 

If you’ve ever bought a car, you know the feeling. 

The idea of a new car is exciting but the process of going to different dealerships, test driving multiple cars, and negotiating with a sleazeball stinks.

As you know, owning a business isn’t all peaches and cream, it sucks at times. But when you have a strong pipeline of new customers coming in every month, it sucks a little less. 

So let’s make everyone happy. And make it super easy for customers to work with and trust you. 

Marketing is all about knowing your customer and their buying process. So instead of marketing to everyone, I target my strategy to Linda.

Who’s Linda?

Linda is your target customer. A middle-aged woman who owns a home, has money, and needs your help.  

Now I’m not a middle aged woman (so take what I say with a grain of salt), but here’s what I think her buying process looks like. 

Scenario #1 Avoid inviting a stranger to her home

She'll ask someone she knows/trusts to see who they used for the home service. 

• a neighbor, friend, family members, co-workers, etc.

If someone I trust trusts you, I’m more likely to trust you. It’s how referrals work. 

At least 75% of your business should come from word of mouth. If it’s not, you're either starting out (acceptable) or your quality of work isn’t up to par (unacceptable). 

Scenario #2 Hire a stranger to help

If Linda doesn’t know someone who can help, she’ll need to search and vet companies herself. 

So she’ll open her iPhone (with the large font setting) and google the service she’s looking for.

Let's say she needs her roof replaced. She's going to open her phone and search something like 'roofing contractors near me'

From there she’s going to 

1. Look at the first 5 to 8 companies that show up in her search. 
2. Call 4 to 7 of those companies. (half won’t answer her call)
3. Get quotes from 3 of them. 
4. Sign a contract with one of them.

If you want to get a call from Linda, make it easy for her. 

A lot of businesses make it hell for Linda. 

And they don’t even know it. 

So I created the Linda Test - a highly irresponsible way to measure Linda’s buying experience on your site. 

At the end of the day whoever is easy to find and easy to work with will get the most new customers.

Online marketing helps with the first part, your work ethic takes care of the second.

A few examples of what I mean when I say be easy to work with:

• Linda doesn’t have to look under a rock to find your company.
• Your website is user friendly and phone number is easily accessible.
• Easy to trust - Good reviews and quality pictures that show proof of work. 
• You answer the phone or at least call back within 24 hours.
• Do what you say you’re going to do. 
• Don’t be an asshole - be as nice as possible without getting walked all over. 

Now that you know who you’re marketing to, it’s time to tailor your online presence to that customer. Starting with your Google Business Profile.