1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
148
149
150
151
152
153
154
155
156 
W hether you're an owner-driver or a fleet operator, you need
Page 45
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
to promote your operation successfully to the outside world. Initially, potential customers will not know how big your business is or anything about its reputation. They must be convinced that you are right to look after them. Their first contact with you may be by letter, phone, e-mail or faceto-face, but to get the work, you have to market your business. And the best place to start is with the basics.
Think about your stationery—your letterheading, business cards, invoices and receipts, Have they been professionally designed and printed? Do they reflect your real image? Do they make you look like a professional? Speak to a graphic designer for advice: it will pay dividends. While you're doing this, get advice on the design of your livery so that your vehicle stands out from the crowd; it's a moving advertisement for you. Try to keep your trucks clean when they are in the public eye; you never know when a potential customer will draw up next to your unit at the lights.
Contact your local newspapers right now. They always want news of local people and are often willing to write about local businesses. Make yourself a local personality—get involved in charity work, perhaps—and they will have more reasons to write about you.
If you tell them about your successes they will often use this information. When you have success with well known customers this can, with their consent, be particularly effective. Think about it: most of your business could be from local firms. Keep the business press (CM especially!) informed of new contracts or other stories about your development. Other readers may be able to offer you partnership work from their area. if you cannot afford display advertising, consider a campaign of cheaper classified advertisements which need be only one paragraph long.
Place them in the local media where you are currently working. Do the same with the business telephone directories. Consider local radio too; it can be relatively inexpensive and very effective.
Direct mail can be effective. Its success depends on you keeping track of your customers and then sending them regular reminders. You might want to direct mail to other hauliers too so that you can set up network partnerships.
In any case read your letter carefully to ensure that it projects the best possible image of your business and consider having it produced on a laser printer; this looks more professional. There are companies that specialise in supplying mailing lists at a price and they will carry out the entire operation once the you have supplied the leaflet. Alternatively you could select names from a business directory where you can manually extract the information you need, key it into a computer and make up your own mailings. This might be prohibited by the directory publisher so check the front of the book first as the legal status of the contents should be listed.