Finding Business
A critical challenge for any small to midsize business is finding new business for tomorrow while in the middle of completing today’s projects.
A critical challenge for any small to midsize business is finding new business for tomorrow while in the middle of completing today’s projects. This is especially true for AV systems integration firms, which often lack the resources to execute aggressive marketing plans. In fact, of all promotional methods that AV firms use, the one believed to be most effective is —you guessed it — word-of-mouth referrals, according to nearly one-third of respondents in this month’s MarketWatch survey, conducted by Pro AV magazine and InfoComm International.
Because they include an inherent endorsement, referrals are a powerful source for any business. But they’re also unpredictable, and AV firms can’t generate them easily. More proactive methods, such as exhibiting at end-user shows and using Web search engines, are gaining popularity among almost half of all survey respondents. Of those firms that actively promote their business, most (76 percent) spend less than 3 percent of annual sales doing so.
