Watermelons and Sales Leads

You might not think of watermelons when you consider how to bring in new leads, but one of our clever coaching clients shared with me a method he’s used this summer to attract new leads for his business.

Chris goes to summer gatherings such as neighborhood fairs and takes along some watermelons. He sets up a little table and starts cutting the watermelon into small pieces. He tries to cut pieces that would be about 4 to 6 bites for a child – enough to enjoy but not make a big mess.

He hands out watermelon pieces to the kids that wander by, and of course that brings mom and dad by as well. He hands them his brochure and business card. On a recent weekend, he got 8 to 10 new leads and at least two sales from that effort.

I suspect those are smaller jobs, under $20,000, but the investment to get those jobs was small. He’s bringing work in the door, building his client data base and establishing his brand in the local community. He’s building his business just as he should be. The best part is that he will be busy in November, December, January and February while other contractors who don’t want to be bothered with small jobs will be sitting home doing nothing.

Good job Chris, we are proud of you.

Michael Stone

The knowledge and experience Michael Stone gained in his 60+ years in construction has helped thousands of contractors improve their businesses. He is the author of  Markup & Profit Revisited, Profitable Sales, and Estimating Construction Profitably, and is available for one-on-one consultations. More here.