WE'VE MOVED!

We are proud to announce our NEW community destination. Engage with resident experts and fellow entrepreneurs, and learn everything you need to start your business. Check out the new home of StartupNation Community at startupnation.mn.co

Is There a Different Strategy to Market Services?

unfrazzled1unfrazzled1 subscriber Posts: 1
edited September 2006 in Marketing
Hi All!
Just wondering if anyone has any ideas about strategies for marketing a service as opposed to a product based business.
I own a personal concierge service, and we don`t have a tangible product to demonstrate or include in photos on the website.  Since the services we provide are only limited by the client`s needs (and of course the law!!) we are finding it very difficult to describe briefly what we can provide and why a prospective client would need us without a lengthy Q&A session!  lol
Any thoughts?  Thanks in advance for helping out a newbie!

Comments

  • SnowflakeManSnowflakeMan subscriber Posts: 3
    Hey there unfrazzled
    I am not sure if this is the same type of product but look at www.headconcierge.com</A>
    I used this last year, not actually for myself but as a Christmas gift for my Assistant who was getting married the following year. An assistant to help my assistant - She loved it for those last minute emergencies.
    If you are already operating you will have some incredible anecdotes that you can use in your marketing. Finding a 1-hour dry cleaner at 3am so a client could attend a meeting at 6 after his flight got in late, finding hot chilli sauce in Denver at 4am, catering for the ambassadors party with just 3 hours notice after the last guy let them down.
    I would see a concierge service as a full time employee/team on-call with the benefit of only paying for them if I use them! Ideal for small and large business alike.
    Sign me up!!!!
    Best of Luck!
  • unfrazzled1unfrazzled1 subscriber Posts: 1
    Wow - thanks for all the wonderful input!  It is greatly appreciated.  Snowflake, your`re my kinda guy - hiring an assistant for your assistant!  That`s great.
    CraigL - I really like the idea of focusing on the benefits and why the client will be better off for using us.  As far as the corporate thing goes Nat, I have been going back  and forth aboout whether to jump into that.  I have been gathering information on some local companies and may start to approach them soon.  I was very encouraged to hear of your success with that avenue.
    Thanks again everyone, for your support and have a wonderful day!
    Lorie
     
  • unfrazzled1unfrazzled1 subscriber Posts: 1
     Shonika - you have the same sense of humor that I have! 
    I have done some ads that have the same type of one-liners that you mention - the ones you suggest are the ones I haven`t gotten around to yet!  Hope you don`t mind if I steal them? 
    Seriously tho, the hosted evening - Brilliant!  We have a cigar bar here that is the hangout of many of the people I want for clients.  I am going to contact them ASAP to see if I could host a little gathering there. 
    As far as pioneering  a market - I am sadly too well aware of that. Comments like yours really give me ideas to help people `get it`.
    Thanks so much for taking the time to respond -- it is truly appreciated.
    Lorie
  • unfrazzled1unfrazzled1 subscriber Posts: 1
    Well, actually I do use both terms (concierge and assistant) but I have found that people were thinking about a personal assistant more in terms of being a secretary.  Not that I have a problem with that, but secretarial services are not really what we provide(although we certainly could if it were needed).  I`ve seen some people in my business use the terms errand service or even lifestyle management services.  From what I have been able to tell, no matter what they bill themselves as, they offer basically the same services.
    I agree with you about there being some ambiguity - that`s really what my challenge is.  The name of my company is Unfrazzle Yourself, and that has been a help since most people seem to "get" that we can help them feel less frantic in some way.  Folks tend to ask me how I am going to Unfrazzle them, which is great - but I feel like I end up going on too long many times.  As I mentioned in my OP, trying to get it streamlined is really my biggest hurdle.
    Thanks again for your thoughtful comments - you keep giving me things to think about!  I truly appreciate it.
    Lorie
Sign In or Register to comment.