Our shop built a decent-sized kitchen cabinet job for an old-time builder some time back. He was very happy with the work, and at the end of the job, we asked for his opinion on spreading the word about our shop’s services. The advice he gave us was memorable; he told us to take the dollars we were thinking of spending on advertising and put it all into customer service. That would be, he told us, the best marketing money ever spent.

Time has proven him right in many ways, and although our shop has spent money on other effective marketing avenues, it’s definitely good to start out taking good care of your existing clients.

In our operation, however, we found that, with marketing, you have to concentrate on two things: keeping your customer base, and growing your customer base.

KEEPING YOUR CUSTOMERS

Solid marketing techniques start with the basics – all of which cost you money, but for which you may not be able to budget or keep track of. Take care of the obvious, and the work will continuously come your way.

Do quality work consistently and the projects themselves will do the marketing, if albeit a little slowly at first. Your name will gradually get out there, as people tell their friends and colleagues about your shop. That Craftsman-style cherry kitchen that you built 10 years ago, if it holds up, will be an excellent piece of advertising for you later on.

Delivering on time is another great marketing tool for your firm. In a business where custom-made cabinets are often late to arrive, you’ll be ahead of the competition – and will be perceived as such – if you can get the work to the job site when you say you will.

Fixing problems is also another way in which you can advertise without paying for advertising space. If the oven cabinet you made is too small for the appliance, the quicker you can take care of the problem, the more you’ll be remembered in your customer’s mind – and that’s the basis of marketing.

Another good way to market yourself is to treat and keep your customers as part of a family. A newsletter could help here; send it to everyone who’s bought from you. Sure, it requires effort to put this kind of thing together, but it’s a good way of connecting regularly with people who are fans already. They may well pass your name around, and that’s the best marketing of all.