Businesses to call on first
- No website, or a site that’s down. People who hear or see an ad will search for them and find nothing.
- A weak Google presence: a handful of reviews or a profile the owner never claimed.
- Slow or insecure websites that turn away the customers an ad brings in.
- Independent restaurants, retail shops, auto shops, salons and the trades, where the owner makes the decision.
- New businesses that need people to know they exist.
Open with their problem, not your rate card
Owners hear from ad reps all the time. What gets attention is a problem they can see in a few seconds. Search for their kind of business in your town on your phone and show them where they land, or that their listing has no website. Then talk about the customers they want more of, and how your audience reaches them. If they have no website, be honest that any ad needs somewhere to send people.
Build your list
- Drive your market and note new openings, “coming soon” signs and businesses advertising elsewhere.
- Google Maps, searched by category and town, checking each listing’s website and reviews.
- Your chamber of commerce and local events with sponsors.
- A prospecting map like Canvas Scout, which checks how every business shows up (no website or a broken one, a handful of reviews, an unclaimed Google profile) and puts the ones that need customers most first.
What to say
Visit at a quiet time and ask for the owner. Keep it short and specific:
“Hi, I’m Dana with Valley Media. I searched for auto shops around here before I came in, and your place didn’t come up near the top. What’s your slowest time of year? … I’d like to put together a small plan aimed at that month, so you can see if it brings people in before you spend more.”
Ask what has worked for them before and what hasn’t. An owner who got burned on an ad once needs to hear how this will be different and how you’ll both know if it worked.
Start small and measure it
A short test campaign around their busy or slow season is an easier yes than an annual contract. Agree up front on how you’ll measure it: a promo code, a tracked phone number, a landing page or simply asking customers how they heard about them. Never promise a number of calls or sales. Promise what you’ll deliver and help them track the rest. Some owners have co-op advertising money from brands they carry, so ask.
Follow up on the calendar
Local advertising follows the year: holidays, back-to-school, seasonal services, grand openings and anniversaries. Note each owner’s busy and slow months and come back ahead of them with an idea, not just a reminder. After a campaign runs, sit down and go over the results together. That meeting is where renewals come from.
Where Canvas Scout fits
Canvas Scout maps every local business in your territory and checks how each one shows up: no website or a broken one, a handful of reviews, an unclaimed Google profile. The ones that need customers most come first. See Canvas Scout for advertising sales reps, or look up how many businesses are in your territory.
