I never leave home without my business cards because a potential customer could approach me throughout the day and my business card could open
doors for a new gardening or landscape contract.
A few weeks ago while walking my dog in the neighborhood I
saw a neighbor approaching me and they greeted me with a friendly hello and
stopped to chat. They asked me if I was
the gardener at the end of the block next to the nature sanctuary and I said
yes. Then told me that a group of neighbors viewed my backyard and liked what
they saw. I took this comment as an
opening statement for a possible new client and reached for my gardener’s
business card.
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| Grass Garden gets neighborhood attention and word-of-mouth clients. |
The neighbor wanted to know about my skills as well as my brief
work history. I responded by mentioning
a few clients that I did work for in the neighborhood and pointed out my skills
and expertise as noted on my business
card. I answered their questions and then ended the conversations by
telling them to call me if they needed my garden services while they were on
vacation or for general garden maintenance or specialty plantings.
Update: Two days later while tending to my gardens I happened to
glance at my driveway and saw the neighbor coming toward me. They said that they were going on vacation
and asked if I would look after their container gardens, and tomatoes, and water
their yard as well as pick up their mail.
We agreed on fees for my services and my new client signed the
contract.
I have been tending to gardens for a long time and have not needed to advertise my services. All new and repeat clients were due to word of mouth or from a casual conversation that ended with me handing them a business card.
My business card may have been tossed in the drawer
but when they needed a gardener they called me and for this, I am thankful because
I have a new client and a new gardening contract.
