While it's common to hold staff meetings to discuss sales, new company policies, or updates on jobs, few remodelers are scheduling one type of meeting that is guaranteed to bring in more business: the marketing meeting.
“People talk about things they should be doing but don't create any type of action plan,” says marketing consultant Adrienne Zoble of Adrienne Zoble Associates, in Fort Collins, Colo.
Zoble suggests that remodelers schedule a 20-minute marketing meeting to discuss their company's marketing efforts. Topics should include: how many calls came in last week; how many of those calls were referrals; and how those referrals were thanked. “If they refer you once, it's likely they'll refer you again, but you have to pay attention to it,” Zoble says.
The meeting should also include any comments from clients and subcontractors about the company's performance. “As an owner, you have to be open to that,” Zoble says, “and be open to constructive feedback.”
Zoble also suggests creating a marketing team, if your company doesn't already have one. This could be as simple as one or two employees who are charged with keeping track of where leads originate. “[Remodelers] don't pay enough attention to the calls that come in and they don't review them on a weekly or bi-weekly basis,” Zoble says.
The 20-minute meeting should have an agenda and be limited to the time allotted. Plus, the frequency of the meetings should be something the staff can adhere to. In addition to getting more feedback, employees will often have “extraordinary marketing ideas,” Zoble says. “It's because they're allowed to be creative and allowed to be heard.”
