Non Traditional Means Fairbanks, who sells sunrooms, uses proximity marketing in a different way. He sets up at least one, often two, open house events nearly every weekend. “We get a better response and an opportunity we wouldn’t get from canvassing, because we can do this in a gated community,” the Ocala contractor says.
Typically, Fairbanks Construction mails to the 400 nearest owner-occupied homes. That usually produces a number of prospects — six to 15 couples — comfortable in a single home for an event lasting just three hours. Mailing immediately before the event has proven most effective. “We like them to receive the postcard on the Wednesday or Thursday before the Saturday event,” he says. The follow-up is done by an automated phone message just one day prior to the event.
All this produces a steady stream of “better qualified” leads. Fairbanks estimates that out of every 10 attendees, he sets three appointments. “The demo rate is 100% and closings run about 40%,” he adds.
These and other home improvement contractors prove that proximity marketing can be both productive and cost-efficient. Yet many still don’t take advantage of it, even as leads become harder to generate. “It comes back to the same thing,” Grosso says. “Programs work if people work them.” —Jay Holtzman is a freelance writer based in Jamestown, R.I.