After a lot of thought and planning, you have decided that you want to go into a service oriented business, but you don't think that there is a market in your city for what you plan to offer. Think again. There is a market for any type of service; you just need to know how to tap into the existing market, or how to create your own.

Assess and Research

You will need to assess the city where you want to do business. Research will need to be done, and must include these items:

• The demographics of the area
• The culture
• If the city is big enough to support your business
• How much competition you will have
• If you will you be able to set your service apart from other businesses that provide the same or a similar service
• What your sustainable competitive advantage will be
• What the business licensing requirements are
• If you can do business in nearby towns
• If there any particular state laws or city ordinances governing your type of business

Identify Your Market

How you define your market depends on what kind of business you are considering. For example, if you want to do fashion advising, what type of clientele will you cater to? People that can use this type of service are people that must look professional, attend black tie parties and events, or need to have fashion advice for other reasons. Clientele in this market include:

• Physicians
• Lawyers
• Business owners
• High profile executives
• Top-level administrative people
• Anyone that must be professionally or very well dressed

Another example is helping other people to get organized. Customers for this market would include:

• Busy parents
• Office workers
• People on the go
• Working people
• College students
• Traveling salespeople

After you get setup and are ready to offer your service, there are many ways to market yourself and the service that you have to offer. First, you will need to promote yourself to your target customers. People tend to do business with people that they know are reliable and trustworthy. If your target market knows you or knows about you, and is familiar with your business style, you'll have much better success with your marketing efforts. Your expertise, skills, reliability, and commitment to excellent customer service has to be sold before you can sell your service. Contact as many people in your target market as you can, and let them know what you are offering. Leave some marketing materials with them that they can refer to and pass on to people in their inner circle.

The selling of your service will flow naturally with the promotion of yourself as a business person. In addition to word of mouth, these advertising methods will help you with getting your name and service in front of people:

• Business cards
• Newspaper advertisements
• Flyers
• Radio ads
• Website
• Promotional item (pen or key ring)
• Bulletin board ads
• Signature in emails --name of business and contact information
• Newsletter
• Discount coupons for first time customers
• Brochures

Keep your marketing efforts small since you are marketing a service and not a product. Products can be shipped all over the world; a service can only be as good as you are able to provide it. If you take on too many customers and try to be in too many places at once, you will wear yourself out and your work and reputation will eventually suffer.

With the exception of newspaper advertising, the advertising ideas mentioned above aren't expensive. Creativity and an open mind is the key to getting your service to the people that need and want it. If you don't think that there is a market for your service and you don't try to create one or tap into what already exists, the only one that is losing is you. Don't be afraid to get out there and make it happen.

© Copyright 2007 Patti McMann. All rights reserved.