Marketing Tips for a Struggling Economy

Ask David Wogsland, CEO, of Eden Prairie, Minn.-based Enhanced Home Systems for his opinions about affordable marketing, and he'll stress his mantra: "Personal contact."

"It's still the same old thing," says Wogsland. "Go meet somebody, and shake their hand." He reiterates, "There can be no shortage of personal contact. Go out and let people know you."

For Enhanced Home Systems, the market conditions of the last year or so have mandated an "all hands on deck" approach to business. While Enhanced Home once generated all of its business from partnerships with residential builders, it's now in the position of taking whatever jobs it can get.

"It's necessity time," says Wogsland.

For him, that means contacting past customers and seeing he can make a few upgrades. To do so, Wogsland says Enhanced Home Systems is "working to personalize" its communications.

"I mean personal contact," he asserts. "Phone calls. In the past, some of us have just been sitting in showrooms, and business just came to us. Now, we're going to have to do some something else."

Though his company hasn't employed the tactic just yet, Wogsland says one idea he's been mulling is to offer past and potential clients a free 30-minute evaluation of their home system.

"I imagine that, if we can get out to a customer's house, it could be worth the 30-minute stop -- maybe a TV and a remote," he says. "And maybe, while you're there, you can get them to add some security."

As an aside, Wogsland points out, "Think about it simply. If you had a thousand customers, and you got every one of those guys to buy a 50-inch TV, a Blu-ray player and a remote, you're talking about some real money."

Improve Infrastructure

Enhanced Home Systems, Wogsland says, is now taking the opportunity to carry out efforts to personalize communications over the Internet.

Ultimately, computerized processes will enable the company to track the systems it has installed, manage all of the budgetary and business operation data and help with customer contact.

"What we're working on is personalizing our mailings," he says. "We haven't really launched it all completely yet, but we've already seen our customers starting to call us."

In many ways, the company's pending e-mail campaign is new to Enhanced Home Systems. "We've never made a concerted effort at it," Wogsland says. "I think some of it has do with the market."

He says the e-mail effort will also coincide with some improvements to the company's Web site.

"We need to start expanding it to make it more interactive for people."

Use Some Traditional, Proven Methods

Wogsland is also not above some "old fashioned" marketing techniques. Door hangers, yard signs, auto signage, etc. -- they are all effective ways of generating leads, he says.

"None of this is new stuff," says Wogsland. "We can learn from the guys who sell driveways and roofing. When a roofing company is working in an area, they blanket the surrounding four blocks."

When Enhanced Home Systems is working on a project, it makes sure its signs are in the yard.

"Make sure you mail or put a door hanger that says, 'We're working in the area,'" Wogsland says.

These days, every effort counts. Wogsland says that Enhanced Home Systems is working tirelessly to improve its processes in every aspect of the business.

For example, the company is stepping up its efforts to "qualify" clients -- that is, determining how much he's willing to spend prior to the sales pitch.

It's also looking at its system designs as a profit center. "Architects, lawyers, dentists … no one gives their knowledge away for free," Wogsland says. "Even a landscaper charges for his designs; but a custom guy doesn't."

At the end of the day, Wogsland sees marketing materials as being analogous to military artillery.

"There is one thing I keep hearing: 'You can't just win a war with air power,'" he says. "This means you have to have an army, a navy, a support staff to win a war. You can't just have one element going out there."