4 Every job is a free ad
The 10 to 40 houses that can SEE your work are the best list you will ever have. Same age house, same problems, and they can ask your customer about you.
The sign goes up on day ONE, not the last day
When you shake hands to start the job: "While we work, can I put a small sign in the yard? It tells the neighbors who is making the noise and it helps me keep the price down". The sign says three things, big: business name, what you do in 5 words and phone number. If you have a license and insurance, put it on in big letters. If you do not, leave it off: it is a fine. Real cost: $2.45 to $3.20 per sign with the stake. One owner counted $100,000 in decks from 25 signs. Others report less. It costs $3: try it with 20. A lead for under $5, next to the $91 paid one.
The 10 door walk, the same afternoon
Before you start the truck: knock the 2 houses on each side and the 3 across the street. 45 seconds per door. Learn the line by heart:
Ask your customer first: "do you mind if I mention your name to the neighbors?". Almost everybody says yes, and some are even proud of it. Never knock after 7 pm or on a Sunday morning. If the house has a No Soliciting sign, do not knock: leave the card and move on. If your town asks for a solicitor permit, get it one time. An old rule of the trade is still true: your next most likely customer lives in the three houses across the street and the two next door.
Door hangers on the same street
A door hanger is a flyer with a hook that hangs on the door knob. It does not go in the mail. You hang it yourself, by hand. 500 printed cost $75 to $125. One side: photo of the work, name, phone. The other side, one line that only works on that street: "We just finished the roof at 412 Maple. Free check on yours". Hang them on the 100 to 200 doors around the job the same day, with the truck still there. Honest response rate: 1 to 3% is normal. 500 doors = 5 to 15 calls. Never touch the mailbox (federal crime). Door knob only.
Letter your truck. Forget the wrap.
Vinyl lettering on both doors and the tailgate: $250 to $1,000 one time, lasts 7 to 10 years. About $5 a month for a truck that introduces you in every driveway it parks in. Magnets bend and blow off. A full wrap costs $3,000 to $5,500.
The handwritten card, with the photo, for the doors that did not open
Blue pen, 3 lines: "Hi, I'm [Name]. We did [the work] at your neighbor's, the [color] house. If you ever want a free check: [your phone]". Staple the photo of the finished job to it, printed at the drugstore for pennies. Fold it into the door frame. Nobody else on that street writes anything by hand, and a photo of the house next door beats any flyer. It is slow, and it is the most trusted piece of paper you can leave.