What would you say if I told you that there are five secrets can that boost your home watch business today? I know, you’d want me to share them with you and I don’t blame you. These are secrets that I have tested several times and each time they have been successful. If you are looking for ways to make your new home watch business successful, I know these secrets will produce.
Secret 1 – The Name Game
The best tool that will ensure success with your business is the name you choose to call it by. You do need a good name and that does not mean something silly, something hard to spell, pronounce or remember. The idea here is to come up with a generally simple name that is easy to use and is timeless as you will be using it as your brand identity. It also has to make sense. For example, you can’t call you business Fred’s Odd-Jobs if it is a home watch business. So remember that your business name should also be relevant to the type of business you conduct.
Secret 2 – The Free Ad Ride
Once you settle on a good name for your business, you need to get the word out that you have launched your home-based business. But ordinarily advertising costs money but thanks to new technology, you have many different methods available to you that won’t cost a thing. You can launch your business online with social media pages on all your favorite social media channels (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn) and also by placing free ads in online classified ad sites. Also, use free listings in online directories and to claim your Google My Business page.
Secret 3 – Sticklers For Stickers
I’m a big fan of promoting a business on the cheap but sometimes you have to spend a few dollars to receive a great return on your investment. This is why I strongly suggest new business owners invest in signage that can be put on your vehicle. Aside from the obvious tax benefits, you may receive a with ‘company car’ there is a much bigger bonus in this. With signage on your vehicle with your business name, logo and contact information, wherever you choose to park that vehicle it will become a billboard advertising your home watch business.
Secret 4 – Use Packages For Services
Think about when you go shopping. Have you ever found a better deal or were more likely to spend money when the item you were looking for was part of a package that included other great additions? This is something that works very well in the retail sector. It is also common in the food services industry where a meal can be purchased as a combo which would include additional items that would cost you more if they were purchased separately.
I’m suggesting you use this very same principle with your home watch business. When you design your service listing where you would be featuring each of the things you would offer potential customers, take another look. If you can identify any of the choices that could be put together in a combo, do that. It will make some of your services look more attractive.
Secret 5 – Expand Your Net
This is sort of a compliment to the previous secret I just revealed. When you get the list of services put together that you plan to offer customers as part of your home watch business, you can do something more. That is to add new services that would fit into the concept of your home watch business but would probably not be considered obvious choices if someone were to hire you. An example of normal services would be a weekly interior and exterior walkabout with a visual check of all doors and windows for unauthorized entry. The add-on to this that could help expand your business could be a weekly pick up of your mail to remove it from sight as to not tip criminals off that your home is vacant. I find that with extra add-ons that may not readily fit within a combo, you can find potential new customers that may hire you based on the add-ons your home watch business provides.
Bonus Secret – Treat Your Customers Well
This may go without saying, but you will eventually notice that your success has come from loyal customers. To keep your success, it is a wise choice to treat your customers well. This ranges from customer service to providing perks and just being attentive and treating everyone nicely. When you are genuine, your customers pick up on it and will respond. Some will become regular, loyal customers and others will bring you extra business through referrals. There has never been a bad thing that has happened to a business owner who treated customers with respect and kindness. Adopt this approach and success will come your way.
In Conclusion
There have been a lot of books published on trade secrets that relate to various types of businesses and business industries. While many of them may be very good and can give you an edge in dealing with others or are designed to be a self-help type guide, sometimes you just have to toss the reading material aside and get back to basics. I am always promoting the need to stick to simple business practices that are probably considered old school by today’s standards.
But you know what? If you are just starting with your first-ever home-based business venture, it is easier to work your way to success with tips like my insider secrets rather than having to take a course on business management. Sure, business management courses are great but many of them forget that one special thing: to teach the importance of doing things that please your customers because if you do, your customers will, in turn, please you by giving you their business.