January is always my slowest time of year. Nevertheless, I try to use my down-time productively. I go to other online forums and BBs in the c.c. and floor services industry, and see what I can learn. I do online searches trying to find new techniques and products for solving problems I've had in the past, or to try and figure out how to perform related services. January is also when I sit down at my desk and draft letters to send out to prospective commercial customers. I usually try and stay with prospects in industries where I already enjoy some level of success, and try to build on this. In my mailing I include the name and phone number of one or more people who are already happy customers. (Always request their permission to do this.) If you are not in a climate where the snow is hip-deep, have some cards or door hangers printed up, and go distribute them at the homes in neighborhoods where you would like to get more customers. To make a business work in today's economic climate, you have to be somewhere between persistent and relentless in carrying out ways to promote your business. If you don't already have a website, it's time to get one. If you are not techie enough to do it yourself, find someone locally to do it for you. Load it up with CONTENT, not just flash and hype. The search engines will reward you with high placement. If you do hire someone to do your site for you, make sure they are current in SEO. SEO is SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION. If they don't seem to know what you are talking about, go elsewhere. Today on the internet, it's all about SEO, as well as Web 2.0. (They also need to know what web 2.0 means.)
Web 2.0 is kind of shorthand for all of the social interaction activitiesoin the web (facebook, twitter, plaxo, etc.) and their use as part of a business' overall marketing plan.
