When asked what things they need to help grow their business, contractors usually mention two things—labor and leads. Salespeople in the LBM segment who call on these contractors often can help bring value to those customers. This month, ProSales contributor Brian McCauley focuses on a free source of leads that too few contractors are using, and even fewer LBM salespeople understand enough to really help them—Facebook.
For the past 12 to 18 months I’ve been posting training sessions I conduct on LinkedIn and Facebook. My goal has been to build momentum for my training programs and also increase brand awareness for me and my employer. I’ve learned a few things in that time and also gotten some feedback from contractors who use Facebook to grow their remodeling businesses. One thing I’m 100% sure about is your contracting customers can grow their business using Facebook.
While I knew I was beginning to build a training brand with my posts, the raw power of social media blindsided my family and me last summer while on vacation in NYC. The story is too detailed to go into for this column, but go to Google Images and type “John Calipari Hates Puppies” in the search box. You’ll see a picture of my youngest son Tanner, at a filming of the Today Show holding a sign and University of Kentucky basketball coach John Calipari’s Facebook & Twitter response that caused them to go viral. It’s an awesome story, and it demonstrates the momentum that can be gained when people share stories and experiences on social media.
