I've been surveying since 1986, and I still stink at marketing my, our, business. I have 5 surveyor licenses in 4 States, and still feels as if tho marketing my skills and service offerings is a drag.
Anyone got tips for me, so I avoid spinning my wheels with the wrong efforts?
If you haven't read https://rpls.com/forums/discussion/looking-for-book-by-dan-beardslee-a-business-management-handbook-for-land-surveyors/ then that would be a good start on business matters.
I had a marketing class as part of my accounting major. I enjoyed it and learned a lot about interesting business strategies (like if you sell a high end product, you might as well be your own lower cost competitor), but when I started my solo business not much of that was relevant. I quickly learned the biggest success factor was high end referrals, and you get those by delivering a quality survey in the shortest time possible. Both the quality and the time are critical for architects, engineers, attorneys, and developers.
For years I taught survey seminars for title companies and attorneys (and surveyors) and that got my name out front as someone who put a little more effort into it. When we started our own little business my wife mailed announcements to everyone we knew, and that was it. I’ve never been in the phone book (you do remember the phone book, right) and I just briefly had a web page.
In my opinion if you have a good name, use it, which is why my company name is Bruce Small Surveys, Inc. Not ALTA Surveys R Us or anything like that.
Just like Bruce stated....Deliver high end product and do what you say you are going to do. High starts from initial conversations all the way through finally delivery. I am seeing more and more small time guys opening one man shops delivering the minimum standards work with poor drafting, etc.....and then closing soon after. Create high end value and you will get high end referrals.
I did have a web page (that leads to price shoppers) but I focused on calling on engineering firms without geomatics. Then I didn't sell myself, I sold what they wanted in their survey that they currently weren't getting. Case in point, you would not believe how many surveyors think a design topo is limited to the property boundary and not the utilities and streets in front of the parcel.
Also, this will sound weird, but don't build a massive backlog and disappoint clients on delivery. Keep a controlled backlog and don't be afraid to turn work away. Think about it like a restaurant (not a chain one).....A wait list would indicate to you that the food is good, but you aren't going to stand in line for 3 hours waiting. Now an hour wait you may decide to stay or you might decide to return another day out of curiosity of what is making the food good.
Certainly not a pro in marketing but have been doing our fare share. Mostly digital marketing. If you want some guidance or have any specific questions I can give our two cents. Or I'll go ask our marketing guy!
I like the advice about the quality and time frame of the work you do. Great advice.
I have been thinking on this since you first posted. The above is absolutely necessary. Do good work do it in a timely manner. That’s a given.
Now let’s look at just a few things that can help. Your crews. They are the face of the business that’s who the public sees everyday. They don’t need to be in a suite and tie. But they also don’t need to look like they were found in a homeless camp either. I use to keep an extra polo shirt hung up behind the seat or a button down. I didn’t wear pants with holes or t shirts with vulgar or political sayings. I did wear t shirts especially in summer time but the we’re usually the solid ones with a pocket. I kept briar pants and extra pants in my go bag in truck for those days where we were in some thicket and swamp for the first job and would often change to something cleaner when arriving at a different job site like a big construction project or a property survey where I would meet the client or homeowner. Yes I was a hot sweaty mess a lot of the times dirty for sure but we did try to be presentable. Now days a lot of companies have logos on a variety of shirts and hats. I am a hat guy. I like 2. One for nice office one for the field. I will swap the dirty one grab the cleaner shirt and throw it on when I go sit down to dinner or lunch often. My personality is I never meet a stranger. My wife hates it. I can be pumping gas and get to know someone right next to me. Even got the opportunity for my old boss to bid projects that way just being sociable. Now not everyone is an extrovert. But everyone can install common courtesy wherever they go crew members especially. I know some things are geographically inclined. But I open the door for ladies help someone when they need it. I wish I had a nickel for every lot survey where the lady or man elderly was coming out to take trash. I will do those little things. The next thing is that truck. One doesn’t have to have a new rig. But when that door or tailgate opens Friday night’s after work party doesn’t need to fall out on the ground. A organized truck neat makes great first impression plus it makes crews more productive. They don’t have to move all the trash to find a hammer. I have seen some great surveyors have flagging and beer cans hit the ground on every job. That’s what people see. Doesn’t mean the work is bad but it is a first impression. The little things are bigger than one can imagine.
The other is your mantra or a statement or phrase in which you brand yourself and company. Like We won’t let you fail. Or we are here to help. No job is to small or to big. This is your vision keep it simple use it often as appropriate have your crews your cad techs you LS managers use it when appropriate. It’s what is done to get you to buy any product all the time. Advertise a little ditty.
Next take your knowledge either you or one or a few of your top notch employees that have a gift for gab and teaching and volunteer to teach realtors on what a boundary survey is or why it’s needed Do a CEU class at chapter meetings or conferences or wherever is appropriate. Use this time to brand your company your vision statement. You can give a generic presentation on say GPS error sources. And have that company logo and the little phrase or keyword in the power point etc. Mr Hershey didn’t believe in advertisement if you asked he had it on the wrapper. Hershey nothing fancy simple. It was seen by all . Your quality of work and timing to get the job done on time no matter what will keep that client. All the other will open the door to a client.
I am sure someone here can make more since to my jibber jabber and use the correct words but I know this works. Get a good logo if you don’t have one put on a box of shirts high vis lightweight for summer and some polo and long sleeves for office and meetings mostly. These are cheap things the big boys do but they have a team that does this. You can do what they cannot because your overhead is much lower . So ya don’t need a whole staff just some little things. Buy decent hats that look good. Give them to clients. My grandfather was an estimator he had hats from so many and he gave his out as well. Everyone likes a hat even if they don’t wear it they sit it on the shelf at the office. That’s a touch in sales one touch. That card that crew chief that mentions the phrase and company name is another. Someone tells that same guy about you. There is another touch. After so many he is calling you up.
You should be teaching class yourself on this!
I agree quality work and getting it done on time are important. But yeah, how we show up matters too. It’s all about finding that sweet spot between looking sharp and being someone folks feel comfortable chatting with.
Your crew? They’re the ones people see out there every day. They don’t need to be all buttoned-up, but a bit of spit and polish never hurt. Keeping a spare polo or a clean shirt handy, and maybe swapping out those muddy boots for a fresh pair after slogging through a swamp, can make a world of difference. And those company logos on shirts and hats? They’re like silent shout-outs for your biz.
A catchy slogan or mantra can stick in people’s heads like a catchy tune. It’s a low-key way to make your mark and tell the world what you stand for, without saying a word.
And here’s a thought – why not share what you know? Teach a class, chat with realtors, get out there and spread the word about what good surveying is all about. It’s a chance to show off your smarts and get your name buzzing.
Bottom line, it’s the mix of solid work, a bit of style, and being part of the community that tells the story of who you are. It’s not just about the job; it’s about the vibe you bring and the connections you make.
Well, perhaps because I frequently dig in the dirt for boundary monuments, and it is sometimes 115 in the sun, but I often look a mess. Quite filthy, you might say. I remember several times when a store clerk gave me a free drink, or upgraded me to a larger one, thinking of the poor old suffering soul in front of him (true), when in fact I was anything but poor. Bedraggled certainly. Even worse if I'd been out in the desert and been scratched by the sticky bushes so often the blood was running down my arms and I looked like I spent the day sword fighting. Ah, those were the good old days.
No desert where I started. But those briars thorns and devil cane tore me up for sure. I was in Africa and fought that heat surveying. Djibouti. Good grief. I could drink water all day nearly continuously and only go to the restroom twice a day and that was forcing myself. Yeah a good hot day high humidity cutting line all day can show. I have come in looking like a mess for sure.
"I have 5 surveyor licenses in 4 States"
Are you offering your services in four different states? If you are, how cost effective is that? Can you mobilize quickly to any of the three states outside of your home operation, or do you have a presence in an office in each state?
The number one rule of successful marketing is brand recognition, things like the Nike swipe of professional athlete's gear, followed by the paid endorsement of excelling athletes that promote their products. Should we, as professionals take the same approach? Absolutely not!
When it comes to brand recognition on a professional level, is social media advertising, and Linked in advertising going to do you good? Nope, the people with the need for our services are not shopping in the internet, they are looking for proven performance through recommendations.
Some of the comments that I have read made me chuckle when the related to the crew's appearances. Yes, they should look respectful in physical appearance, they should be polite in talking to the public, even when it is difficult at times, but, having a change of footwear when boots get muddy and a Polo shirt hanging in the truck to change into? Overkill!
The key to brand recognition is to get your name out there. Shrink wrap your trucks with your company logo and contact information, provide your field crews with protective colored tee shirts, safety vests and even winter wear.
The most important thing is for you and your other licensed people to get out of the office, attend networking groups, contribute to local causes and attend social events, not to leave out donating to local causes.
If you want to grow your business, be sure that you have a solid business plan to stick to and make sure that that you have a potential talent pool to pull from to maintain a quick and quality turnaround.
If you are going to have branded merchandise to give away, please make it high quality.
There is nothing that says "cheap" like some of the tawdry tat offered up by certain equipment manufacturers.
The last keyring I was given looked good, but lasted less than 2 days - not impressed.
No need to give away trinkets and no need to attend trade shows where people of the same profession are handing them out at when all, essentially, offer the same services. When it comes to our surveyors' conferences or conventions, the exhibit hall is full of venders offering different brands, with the booth manned by salespeople with giveaways and your chance to win this or that if you drop your card or scan their QR code for them to collect marketing info. If you think that the lucky winner is drawn, based on chance, sorry, almost never drawn of the spot and will always go to a company review of the entrant that has the most potential to buy their product or service.
True that.
Speaking as the vendor are you saying you would rather see no trinket then some cheap trinket or marketing ploy to get you into the booth? Simply presenting a good quality product is more important than the trinket and free by chance giveaways? I say that with a smile of course. And speaking of the survey conferences/conventions.
Oh I am not able to teach this Stuff at that level. I just do a lot of reminiscing on what things I saw in common with those who were truly successful in a variety of businesses including surveying. I can visualize in my mind the overlapping common things that each owner or company did. Like circle graphs overlapping. Now I can’t spell worth a crap lol.
I use to be totally afraid to the point of freezing when doing public speaking. An old gunnny broke me of that the hard way. Then I learned a valuable lesson. That old saying when in Rome. Well before teaching know your audience know the audience so you speak to them not over them. Business seems to be the same Company A goes after certain work so a certain clientele. Company B does a different. Yes some overlap. Now company A gets in a pickle and does work for company B type clients. They are capable but there processes need to adjust to the clients needs to an extent or they will not be as successful. They speak another language. I saw this during the recession. All my clients were very concentrated in different disciplines in the surveying realm. Some land development some commercial etc. well some made it some did not. One client that had been in construction for almost his whole career very successful and I had a chat one night. He bid on a project that was way outside his realm. It had to do with surveying GIS inventory of multiple counties. He adapted learned tried new things. Through his processes out the door a bit and made it work. He grew from a small shop to a good size company with more diversity. He didn’t give up. Found the experts and kept his company afloat. Now he lost some that could not change. Marketing advertising we all sometimes mix up the different tools we use. Like digital social media. Those are bridges to the client base a certain type of client base. If I want client John Doe and I do my research. A simple trifold and box of donuts dropped off at the front desk might be all that’s needed. Another client maybe a social media presence. People way smarter than I know this stuff better than me. I see big firms using everything. I call it throwing darts and see where the land with blindfold of course. We all know that relationships are king. Just have to use the different tools to get that opportunity started. I helped sell a service for surveyors I was part owner in a rtk VRS network. The 2 primary partners were some seasoned smart guys. We all looked at everything marketing had. What really worked was the vacuum cleaner method. I would hit every survey office in an area not to sell but to show them teach them how they could use our service to make money. We were prepared. I had a database with every monument in the area. I would send out fliers before and give a CEU or oh class at a hotel conference room. Work hard and it paid off . I even told some this will not fit your business model you could pay Joe down the street to do your control so never lied to them. Earned their trust. And we promised we would not let them fail. And we did not. Support 24/7. Always a phone call away. Made some long drives from one end of the state to the other when I could not fix them over the phone. I think the recession killed us from growing larger at the time and might have saved me. I was burning up the miles. I had many days in a month where I was on the phone 8 to 10 hours. Going from one call to the next. Plus trouble shooting data. Long days. But I had fun while it lasted lol learned a great deal. Especially about myself. Now I try and have balance in my life of work fun and family. Back then I was just about being successful and growing the business. The OP is successful he has made it for a while. Just needs to tweak a few things probably but he might not either. He may be set the way it is. For his clientele.
