Contractor Marketing That Works

The Power of Referrals

noreply@blogger.com (Adams Hudson) — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 13:31:00 +0000

Andrew Leslie is a man they don’t make anymore. Hard-working, Cajun born, duty driven. If the deep caramel skin (that’s about as smooth) and the tell-tale accent reeling quick witted tales didn’t make you question his age, his overbooked work ethic would.

Though just days from an age 65 retirement, I’d suggest training if you tried to keep up with him. I’ve seen his own shadow almost give up in frustration.

He had a full time career with J.R. Smith, helping assemble a few million specialty plumbing products, then moved into receiving, spanning as he told me, “23 years, 5 months, 2 days and about 6 hours… or thereabouts.” Andrew is rarely without supporting evidence.

Yet his “other” full time job was being a father to son, Eric, who’s with the Federal Railroad and daughter Rachelle, vice president of a bank. Andrew also unhesitatingly calls his nieces Kerry and Kimberly – both business owners – his “daughters” since they raised them as well. His wife, Eva, was equally active, but Fibromyalgia and Arthritis had other plans, enlisting Andrew as supportive caretaker for the last 14 years.

And his other full time job was lawn maintenance. He probably did other things, but I am getting tired of listing them all. Yet atop all this…

He was also a master of generating referrals, as many as he wanted, when and where he wanted. At the price he said, and here’s how he did it.

He was our lawn maintenance guy. Did it by himself too. Pulled a neatly-crafted and packed trailer behind his trusty silver Dodge Ram truck. Weed eaters, blowers, and a Snapper Mower than was more an extension of his hands and feet than a separate machine. Many a Saturday, I’d see Andrew, turning a zero radius circle around one of too many pine trees, never dropping a shaving of bark nor the ash of his Kool, with the fluidity of an ice skater, (yet thankfully in khaki instead of spandex.) Where he willed, the Snapper went.

And if our yard wasn’t enough, he had the neighbors to the left. And the right. And two doors down, plus the next one, and a couple more he’d hit on his way home. Master of efficiency, he had to “disengage” from one customer who was well off the route. “I had to tell her the drive was too much for an old man” he said to me once, adding “She wasn’t all that darn nice either.” I laughed, but he wasn’t done. “I hope she doesn’t move to a yard that’s more convenient”.

You can tell by the ‘connection’ to customers that if Andrew got one job, he’d get all the other ones he wanted, where he wanted, at the price he said. Shopping was over. Why? Because Andrew’s referrals were so enthusiastic you’d half question if there was some pyramid scheme of sudden riches coming to the referring party.

He got jobs – at will – in our neighborhood of yard-crazy people (historic neighborhood in the deep south, need I say more?) that is regularly patrolled by the ‘big’ companies. Their postcards were tossed, their TV commercials rendered us blind, the radio ads made us deaf. All we knew when prodded was, “Andrew does our yard,” usually recited like unwavering, slobbering robots. And we were.

Until Andrew retired from us.

Finding his “replacement” will be in word only. Oh sure, the “new” guy may have a little more bounce in his step, some more “moderness” to the approach, and potentially more eagerness for additional clients. But he ain’t gonna be Andrew, and that’s a fact. The beauty of Andrew’s legacy, only briefly shared herein, has a marketing thread of fascination for me in that he scored 100% of the jobs he wanted, sans price-shopping.

He “Advertised” his work while doing his work. A neat truck, parked out front, with good well maintained equipment was better than an interstate of billboards. If you’re NOT doing this, plus yard signs, and/or parking pylons, and/or door hangers, and/or windshield signage, how are the neighbors to know you’re ‘endorsed’?

Focused marketing efforts. Andrew controlled his jobs instead of the other way around. Sure, he could’ve gotten jobs in multiple inconvenient locations, but he focused on a particular customer, in a particular area, and “owned” that area.

Pricing insensitivity. Andrew could price a job since he had to move his truck a few feet, spreading the ‘windshield time’ over the adjacent yards, where others had to quote from a ‘rate sheet’ that unwisely assumed a trip charge regardless of relative proximity. Smart.

Established a Referral chain. Each new job came with a blessing and endorsement from the previous. This was the ‘first step’ in a three step process that followed with…

Asked a simple question of the potential referrer: “If I introduce myself to your neighbors, is it okay if I tell them that I do your work?” Who’s gonna say ‘no’ to that? No one did. Thus the near simultaneous 3rd step…

Qualified Introduction: Andrew would introduce himself as being the lawn maintenance professional for and wondered, “I love this area and these great lawns. If you’re looking for someone to take care of it, I’d be honored. The said it’d be okay to call them to ask anything you’d like about my service.”

Generally a phone call would ensue, which began the blathering, which ended in “SOLD!”

Regular re-endorsement and relationship building – We got an invoice monthly, sometimes with a hand written note (bill stuffer anyone?) and a Christmas card every year. It’s the small stuff that can make the strongest glue.

If Andrew had been a “company” of more than one, I’d have recommended all these, but using media to broaden the message. The message remains the same…

Your referrals will not “just happen” in the numbers you could get if you “made them happen”. Andrew made his happen. You must target, ask, follow up, and perform as promised, then repeat. If you do this for 23 years, 5 months, 2 days and about 6 hours… or thereabouts, you can grow your referrals and retire happy too.

Happy retirement Andrew. Me and my overgrown yard already miss you.

Questions for You:

■ What “ACTIONS” do you take to ensure that one customer leads to many? I’d suggest a 7 step follow up procedure, beginning on the first day following a new customer contact, spread over the next 120 days, with 2-4 ‘programmed’ contacts until they moved, died, or told you to go away.

■ What “SYSTEM” is in place to make sure the actions don’t get “forgotten”? This is a biggee. Our “Endless Referrals” program is designed to be just that, putting a single person in charge of this (should take 20 minutes a month) to enact.

Calendar Marketing

noreply@blogger.com (Adams Hudson) — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 20:33:00 +0000

I don’t like it when contractors read the weather page to see whether they’ll be busy or not. To me, an utter loss of control. Yet in the 5 “Ms” of marketing, “month” is number 4 and thus mightily important. (This week’s poll: What are the other “M’s”? Guess and you may win fame, shame, or something in between.)

There is great validity to marketing within a known field of “timing” relevance. That is, chocolates during valentines, anti-depressants during the evening news, stuff like that. For another example…

At last report, it had rained 732 times in the past 4 days. It’s so wet, the fish are complaining and I’m going to see if Al Gore can arrange some “Global Drying”. This is neither politics nor weather.

This is about relevant timing and opportunity. In the past 45 days…

We have called a plumber for persistent drainage problem. A roofer for small leaks in two buildings. An HVAC contractor about dehumidifier in one of those buildings. An electrician for a leak-related fault in some track lighting. A neighbor about his gutter system (that he couldn’t see). A landscaper about a diverting berm and French drain.

There were 2,600,000 homes (NOT including commercial) affected in the recent high rainfalls in the southeast alone. Though I’ve occasionally felt like it, I trust I’m not the only one who needed a contractor. Multiply that by at least 6 trades, that’s lots of service calls.

Question: You want them Google searching or YOUgle Searching? Thought so.

This applies to the first cold snap. Most lightning strikes. Most burglaries (for home lighting and security). Most rain, hottest, driest. Energy prices up, energy prices down. And for you, your slowest months need the most attractive off-season offers. (See “Swimsuits in the Winter” ads in your PowerPack and many others, for example.)

All have a timely relevance in the mind of the homeowner, and YOU need to be in their mind when the need hits.

So, while other contractors are scanning the weather page, crime reports, or moaning about how energy prices have risen, you’re forcing your way into their conscious mind, up front and out front of the others leaving it up to chance.

Look at your calendar right now. There is your ‘map’ to marketing relevance. Each month, a wave of consciousness overtakes and replaces the previous. Your job is to be in front of that wave to get the call, as opposed to behind it waiting and hoping. Big difference.

Did you get your free 12 Month Marketing map yet? We publish about 2,000 per year, and give all of them away, with ZERO chance of “reprinting” once they’re gone. Friendly advice: Make a polite request and get one now. You are now in competition with 12,000 other contractors.

Aside from getting into prospect’s minds ahead of the need, you’re also ‘programming’ your marketing, sometimes up to a year in advance. Think of the load off you, your staff, your budget, and your media contacts. You can use your calendar or ours, but use the season as the reason to program your marketing plan.

If your “negative” voice is saying, “Hey, WHAT IF I market for an item in a month that does NOT produce the highest need for that product?” Then what have you lost?

Was it second highest? Did it only make new 3 times instead of 5?

You may wonder, “What if something just HAPPENS and it was not on the calendar?” Then you readily and aggressively market that.

Quick Case Study: Tornados had stricken an area, resulting in much insurance-covered roofing work. Yet HVAC contractors started getting calls for repairs that should’ve been part of the now-released coverage. Our tactic: Created newspaper, postcard, and radio scripts that began, “Do NOT settle with your Insurance Company until you read this”. And that my friends, landed millions in necessary, legitimately covered work for hundreds of happy homeowners.

The market has a barrier of relevance and you want to penetrate it, with consistent regularity. Be the company who’s “there” in their consciousness as the needs arise. Lead the market, don’t trail it.

Questions for you:

What are the TOP ‘calendar driven’ items coming up in the next 90 days?
What products and services help solve problems related thereto?
What marketing pieces do you have exactly relevant to that solution?

The opportunities are there. Are you? Contact us for help.

Crack for Clunkers

noreply@blogger.com (Adams Hudson) — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 20:28:00 +0000

Maybe I missed something. Just read that the Government Used Car Lot traded in 700,000 soot factories on wheels they call ‘clunkers’. Good that we got some unsafe and/or vile vehicles off the road to save Americans from our dependence on foreign oil. Read on.

Given that the average clunker got 12 miles per gallon and the pristine ‘new’ car (with a pristine payment book for our formerly non-spending shoppers) gets 25. Driving 12,000 miles a year, the deathmobile uses 1,000 gallons; the bluebird of vehicular happiness uses 480. Love it.

That’s 520 gallons saved per vehicle. We are geniuses! For the 700,000 vehicles, we just saved 364MILLLION gallons of fuel. We are even more smarter than geniuseseseses! Since we get 23 gallons of automotive fuel from one 55 gallon barrel of oil, that’s about 16MILLION barrels of oil we don’t have to buy!

Take that, Oily Mongers! Since we’re currently gulping down 6million barrels of your crudeness a day, we just saved nearly 3 days worth! HA! Go find another customer!

For my next to last calculation (because my abacus is smoking) at $75 per barrel, that’s a savings of $1.2billion dollars. The savings are racking up like crazy now! The only slight negative here is that it cost us $3billion to save the $1.2b.

If anyone in the health care debate brings up “Cash for Cankers,” I’m moving to New Zealand.

By the way, this is not political commentary, policy debate, or assailing the effort to save fuel or car dealers. This is about shallowness and mismanaged relationships.

Though the Clunker program brought great throngs of people trading in $500 cars for $4500 and the ensuing “great news” of heavy spending surge, I have a fairly dire prediction for the next couple months: ain’t nobody trading in any more clunkers unless you pay ‘em handsomely. Sorry. Get ready for really ‘bad’ car sales numbers. We’ve built an expectation we can’t continue, and it was NOT based on loyalty.

The best relationships may start with an inducement, an urgency, a ‘reward’ (faster service, discount coupon, tax credit offer) but will not last unless one of two things happen. Whether a car dealer or a contractor, the same rules apply:

Offer another incentive, equal or better than the last. This shallow “gimme” based relationship is why I caution that over-using Direct Response is like crack, i.e. ‘more is better’. This is a downward spiraling, profit robbing model.
Build a solid (preferably programmed) plan of contact that deepens trust, instills confidence, reinforces value, and requires cooperation from both sides.

The first one is easy to offer, harder to maintain. The second is harder to start, easier to maintain. And the second one kicks bootie every time.

You wanted something more glamorous? You wanted me to talk about getting more leads for less dollars, or how to guarantee differentiation in your market? You’d rather learn how to turn one sale into many? You feel our time would be better spent discussing the nuances of phone-melting headlines?

Well, if you practice the rare art of “active” customer retention, all of those things can happen. It is truly, the “X-factor” in a contractor’s marketing arsenal.

Of course, this is already known by a small, well-rewarded group of contractors who’ve held a tight lid on this weapon.

In fact, a few years ago, I began polling contractors on “Who uses customer retention?” and only about 6% did. Now that figure is nearer 11% - and growing.

Given that contractors don’t spend where there’s no result, I’ll let you conclude why this number has nearly doubled in three years. This is also the marketing method that has gotten most of the credit for “saving” contractors in this recession. The profitability among “those who do and those who don’t” seems to be widening as well. Makes sense.

Regardless of which group you’re in, you may find the following useful.

If you already have a Customer Retention program:

Increase your aggression for maintenance agreements in stand alone mail/email and in your newsletters. Do not limit newsletter mailings to MA customers only, since you want to increase the natural ascension from “normal” customers to MA customers.
Push for greater differentiation through IAQ initiatives, which, due to a high-tech nature and health slant, can elevate your marketing position considerably. (Request a free IAQ Marketing Report from us if you want to read more.)
Stealth pursuit of web-based lead generation allows “customized, flexible lead flow” largely under the befuddled noses of your competitors. Those who get in early tend to maintain an advantage. This is inexpensive and fast.
Continue to wean yourself from Yellow Page addiction to fund and extend your newsletter, thank-you campaigns, and follow-up referral sources. Allow your remaining YP ad to be a pure lead generator – small, fast, and uncluttered.

For New Retention Marketers

For those who have just recently begun a customer retention campaign, allow it to build momentum. Too many contractors get the instant differentiation benefit and positive comments from customers, yet have a tendency to jump to the next thing. These sporadic efforts lose the momentum and bring confusion to your staff. Remember, retention is a program, not an event.

Also, realize that the effect of retention marketing is like compounded interest – the true benefits requires continued application. It builds on itself, multiplying the effects, allowing low-cost marketing advantages for the earned loyalty, shorter sales cycle, easier upsells, more referrals, and a greater response rate.

For the “I’m Still Thinking About it” Group

The remaining 89% of contractors who leave their customer base at risk are either “hoping” their customers come back or must regularly initiate an incentive to generate new leads. Doubtless if you’ve read this far, you’re looking for change.

The first one is to change your mindset. And since it’s my job to be your personal tour guide for guilt trips, check this mind-shift:

The “normal” contractor gets a customer in order to make a sale.
The “marketing” contractor gets a sale in order to make a customer.

Admittedly, that sounds odd, and the scarcity of those who actually understand this mind-shift is almost the point. But this should make it clear…

The contractor who is wisely counter-intuitive in marketing wins the marketing. Period. Those who think, act, and do like everyone else get results just like everyone else. I’ve also noticed that his or her complaints are just like everyone else’s too.

So, by really understanding and applying the contractor marketing mindset, you’re automatically in the small segment that has differentiated from the pack. No matter how you initially get your leads and customers, make sure your effort to keep them proves you value them. After all, they’re customers, not clunkers.

Request a free Customer Retention Report and Fall customer newsletter sample.

Corduroy Pillows Are Making Headlines!

noreply@blogger.com (Adams Hudson) — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 13:30:00 +0000

Get it? HA! Okay, that was bad, but it got you here. (Marketing Lesson #1: Your headline's main job is to get your prospect to your next statement.)

So, what got you where you are now, and where are you going next? I mean, humans are presumably the only of God's creatures who think of the 'future', though someone needs to tell me how we know this. (Did scientists poll wolverines and platypuses with questions about living out their dreams?) Regardless, the past is an awesome teacher about the future.

The core of every survey, the reason we "apply" for loans, insurance, jobs, etc., is to allow the past to be a vaguely reliable predictor of future behavior. (The sub-prime mortgage research teams apparently overlooked this fact. Too busy interviewing wolverines.)
I get calls from contractors who say they're 'stuck' at a certain sales level. As an overpaid consultant, I'm trained to ask, "And what have you done differently in the past 24 months?" The highly predictable answer is "Nothing much." No changes equals no change. And why was there no change? The core cause - usually unspoken but obvious - is fear.

During this "R-word" economic time, contractors more often call to get marketing 'suggestions' to get out of their financial calamity and make the phone ring. We make suggestions, by the dozens, in both broadly publicized media and to private coaching clients. Results shared, stories retold, strategies revealed.

Oddly, the ones who never did anything different during good times are just as resistant to change anything during bad times. Why? "Fear", plain and simple.

The past behavior weaves its nasty way, right into the future. Goes both ways.

The hyper-active, hyper-achievers seem to relish in differentiating behavior. (Marketing Lesson #2: Market leaders, by definition, don't copy and can't wait on the crowd. However, they often sensibly "reformulate" based on proven criteria.) Those stories, new successes, and "breakthroughs" carry them into the future. They tend to see a wave coming and prepare to ride it ahead, while others frantically splash about.

Which way are YOU going next?

5 Things the Super Successful DO NOT Do

1) Accept the Norm – A few examples: If “normal” contractors spend over half their budgets in the YP and perennially complain about the sorry results, the leaders shun same. Our top clients spend about 20% in the yellow pages – less if we can make a business case for it. Likewise, the “normal” ad is a stupid, puffed up, ego-driven and ridiculously ineffective ad designed for “Free!” by the staff whose design criteria is to “not stand out too much”. Leaders advertise with customer-focused direct response ads that DO stand out.

Likewise, if the “crowd” is not having success with Maintenance Agreements, the leaders find a way to pile them on. If the “crowd” is not getting publicity, the leaders focus on it. If the “crowd” doesn’t want to invest in customer retention, the leaders quietly amass legions of devoted fans by using it.

2) Resist Outside Advice from Qualified Experts – The “fear of change” aspect again. Leaders typically hire specialists in finance, estate/succession planning, insurance, legal, marketing, sales, personnel, and technical training. They see these as “investments”; the crowd sees them as “unnecessary costs”. In time, the gap between the investor and the fearful non-spender widens. The “crowd” calls them lucky. The leaders would call the crowd names, but they have bigger things to focus upon.

SIDE NOTE #1: Our Coaching Clients typically say things like “just having someone on my side, giving advice and urging me forward is worth several times the fee”. That was NOT a plug to join OUR Coaching Program, but to find someone, some place, where you get a regular “sense of mission”. Looking at the same walls, the same employees’ blank faces, generally will not do it.

SIDE NOTE #2: This month’s Coaching Call is with none other than sales superstar Joe Crisara, who had one of THE most provocative (and successful) short sales videos I’ve ever seen here. Coaching Clients WILL get a double earful of Joe’s “Triple Your Sales” magic on this call. Be ready. (Not in Coaching? Click to find out how to join.)

3) Refuse to look at the “Hole in the Bucket”. If the website visits are going down, there’s a reason. If the response to direct mail has sunk, there’s a reason. If your ‘old’ customers aren’t calling you back, there’s reason. If you regularly hear people ‘not’ requesting a certain tech of yours, there’s a reason. All are costing you. Turning the other way doesn’t make it go away or get better.

Self Admission Time: Though our ‘renewal’ rate for newsletter clients had gone up, I still wondered about those who did NOT renew. So we launched a 3 part mail/email/call campaign to all who – for any reason at any time – didn’t renew. It’s amazing. Many new phone calls, old clients feeling “appreciated”, and new orders came in. The hole in the bucket, now smaller.

There are negative habits, practices, trends in your company NOW that are reversible. Take a hard look at them. Be the leader who a) Admits b) Takes corrective action c) Measures and repeats accordingly.

4) Being ‘Hurt’ by Criticism. Sorry, but we’ve become wimpy, politically-correct, crybaby prone fence-sitters concerned about everyone’s self-esteem. This is, to me, the ‘fear’ behind change. We fear resistance, reluctance, ‘making a wrong move’ (so we make NONE) or offending. Respectful leaders forge ahead without bullying but also without regard to slings and arrows of sideliners. Most critics do little other than criticize. So, if you have something you’ve “been thinking about doing” for awhile, there’s a God-given reason it won’t leave you alone. Apologies to Nike, but just do it.

5) Expect New Results from Old Habits – The “old” model has died. This economy just gave it a not-so-respectful funeral. Those who change are going to manifest their destinies accordingly. Yet following the same marketing pattern, sales presentations, going to the same discussion boards and same industry events with the same speakers, are NOT going to bring change.

Best thing you could do is buy a plane ticket to visit a business you want to become and find what they did. Ask whose advice they sought, what ‘systems’ they have. You’ll find that they were never afraid to change. Emulate that.

Watch for these 5 nasty habits in your business, and pick one thing you can change now. You’ll soon make far more headlines than corduroy pillows.

Questions to consider:
1. Which of the above 5 are most damaging to you now?
2. What people can you involve to change it?
3. What’s the FIRST step you can take to change it?
4. What day will you do that? Now, go do it.

The Pricing Spiral

noreply@blogger.com (Adams Hudson) — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 14:48:00 +0000

My son is 16, which of course means that I have been downgraded in intellect to somewhere between a sponge and a dead moth. My “inclusion” in many of his activities is often restricted to no closer than 3 zip codes. I remember being a teenager too. So, imagine my elation when he suggested a summer trip and I got (sort of) invited!

What was his idea of a trip with Dear old Dad? A roller coaster tour. Yes, a tour of the best parks in Ohio, whose new state motto is, “Come Hurl in a Loop-D-Loop!” Sounded like fun to me. Let me back up a sec.

First, he’d never been a wanton, crazy thrill seeker. Second, I’ve scarcely mentioned a desire to go 100 mph upside-down in a spiral either. Third, Ohio? Are you nuts?

Turns out I was wrong about Ohio. The drive was beautiful. I mean, 'Get out of the car and take a picture' beautiful. Gorgeous green rolling hills, picturesque farms, Amish Cheese flowing out of Amish Cheese wells. Unreal.

So, we went to two terrific parks: King’s Island near Cincinnati and Cedar Point in Sandusky. These are not your normal amusement parks with people with questionable hygiene – and a low inventory of teeth to prove it.

These parks are immaculate. The rides are incredible and the focus of their incredulity is on “Roller Coasters”. If you’re thinking “up the clickety hill, down the other side, ‘Whee’, ride’s over,” you’d be criminally mistaken. They’re rocket launchers on tracks. They hurtle into outer space, narrowly missing other planets at speeds that actually put you into the future.

>> Click here to read if Adams still has most of his organs AND the marketing lesson in PAYING someone to make you go upside down at warp speed >>

Value Lesson: It may be worth noting that the average attendee spends $50 to enter, is totally on their own to navigate, figure out ride choices, and spends – on average – 90 minutes per ride standing in line. This means, in 8 hours, with eating, walking, and required bathroom visits, they can ride 4 rides, 5 if they forego food. (Not the worst idea.) My son and I rode 19. Our average wait? Under 2 minutes. Lunch? Free. How’d we accomplish such a thing?

Given that I only plan on doing this once, and Cleveland is 1070 miles from my house so I can’t really “drop by”, we did what’s called the VIP tour. Our personally-appointed guide knew exactly which rides did what. She also got us in through the “exit”, meaning no wait. Ever.

One ride, called “Top Fuel Dragster” was new to Cedar Park. It was so popular that the wait was – get ready – just under 3 hours. The ride lasted 40 seconds. Lest you feel that was being gypped to Madoff like proportions, please know a couple fun facts - -

It was 41 stories tall. Not a typo. You start off, strapped into a padded car that renders you paralyzed from the eyelids down. Then it shoots horizontally, from 0-120 mph in just under 4 seconds. When your eyeballs almost hit the people behind you, the thing turns 90 degrees straight up said 41 stories to give your thoughts time to catch up. But no, they over shoot and merely orbit with space junk among other thoughts, many of which are just two words, starting with “OH”. You turn around at a navigational satellite next to Ursa Major and head straight down 180 degrees – in a spiral – to make sure your spleen comes out smoothly (no one knows from where) and clears the horrified onlookers below. By the time it stops at over 1g, you know exactly what snorting Red Bull laced with LSD must be like. Before you exit, you check your pants for potential waste fluids, and stagger away.

People waited 3 hours for this. We rode it twice in 6 minutes. But I had the time of my life, albeit now sans spleen.

So the questions for you, oh seeker of the truth, are…

Q: Am I cheap?
A: Yes. But I like to call it “value oriented”.
Q: Am I easily sold?
A: You ever read these editorials?
Q: How much is the VIP package worth?
A: You tell me how much it’d be worth it to you to ride the rides, on a once in a lifetime trip with your child, building far more memories than standing in line having to go to the bathroom for the last half of the wait. Send your guess here.

This is about “price elasticity”. You think your drain cleanings are ‘x’ because that’s what people charge. You think your services should be ‘y’ because that’s what people charge. Price elasticity exists in all markets, for all people. You must locate the ‘value’ for them and charge accordingly. Next issue will explore that.

Part of my value – and one clearly known by the amusement park people – is that a vacation is typically not repeatable. The “best time” means making the most of that time, with price an often secondary consideration. I assure you, I never once considered price while spiraling upside down, out of control wishing I’d never heard of blue ice cream.

Finally, I don’t know about you, but time with my children is special and moving by faster than any ride at the park. Now where are those seat belts?

Questions to consider:

1. What do you charge for a “normal” service for the top 3 most common services you do?
2. What would customers pay extra for to make this extraordinary? Name 3 things.
3. What would they pay? Ask around. You’ll be surprised.

Love Hurts

noreply@blogger.com (Adams Hudson) — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 14:48:00 +0000

I love contractors – seriously. That’s why you get to read exploits with the various good, bad, and ugly varieties out there, hopefully learning along the way. Today, we’ll look at a bad and a good, while I play the role of the ugly.

Now, this may be a shock, but the deep south is hot. This causes electrical panels to erupt, irrigation systems to work overtime, and hvac systems to burn their little bearings up. Contractors love it here.

A couple weeks ago, a tenant at our old office (we still own) called the property manager to say, politely, that she thought the ac vents were blowing hotter than the ‘bad place’. (No, not Cleveland.) The property manager suggested his “ac guy” take a look, and I agreed. Told him, “Whatever he says, I’m probably fine with it. Just get the system and her cooled down.”

After about 3 hours for him to actually make it out to the property, he checked the outdoor unit (without announcing himself to the tenant – take a note) and surmised that it was too small for the building. This was made more astonishing since I later found his company had done the installation. He also said the duct system (which they didn’t do) was “a mess”.

I waited for him to give me a suggestion, or options, but he said nothing else. So I just asked, “Then your only recommendation is to replace the system? That’s it?”

His response? “Yeah, that’s about it. If you’re interested, I can go back, do some more measurements and give you a quote.”

Let's see, it's 103 ̊; this is Alabama; it's late July, I have a tenant who is about to ignite, and his statement, in case you missed it, is: "If you’re interested, I can give you a QUOTE."

Not terribly impressed, I felt stuck, so I answered “Sure, I’d like a quote, but in the meantime, can you do SOMETHING, like make sure the charge is up, the system clean, or even let me rent a couple window units to help her out?”

“Nope, I don’t do that. Plus, I'm kind of shorthanded right now. I’ll try to get back by there in a couple days.”

Maybe I expect too much. But my blood pressure was just under the level required to boing your eyeballs out on cartoon like springs.

Mr. "Get a Quote in Days! Not Hours!” seemed a little lacking in the customer service department, and perhaps a couple pounds shy of coolant himself. Given this, I made my way to the dreaded Yellow Pages, called another company I had used in the past. Can’t remember now why I didn’t use them again. (Take another note.)

Says they’ll be there in about a half hour.

Wondrously, he’s early. The tenant lets him inside (note). He handles her very professionally, apologizes for her inconvenience (note #3), takes a look and calls me. “The unit probably is a quarter ton too small, but mainly just dirty, both of which are exaggerated by the heat. BUT, we’re gonna clean it up, reduce some flow to the storage room she’s hardly using, pump that to her office (note) and I recommend you install some solar tinting on the back of the building. I don’t do this but have a pro who can” (note)

Whoa. Not bad for the first 20 minutes. “How about the duct system?” I ask.

He replies, “Beautiful. All hard pipe, well-crafted. Not sure who did it but it’s first class.” (note)

Credibility of Contractor #1 goes subterranean. “Can you help her out a little now, and then go ahead and schedule whatever repairs will make the unit work for her?”

“Sure thing. I don’t have window units, but I have a bunch of desk fans I picked up at Harbor Freight and left her a couple. She seems appreciative. I’ll call the window tinter now and give him your info…”

“No need to,” I interrupted, “just have him do it and bill me”. (Please note, sales occur quickly with a trusted referral.)

One day later, Contractor #2 does the work, drops the temps in the office, re-calms the tenant, reclaims his fans. Calls me to give the update.

He then quotes on a Maintenance Agreement for the building. Done. Asks what else I need. He’s installing a new system at a warehouse as I write this. We’ll see how that goes.

Funny thing. A little turns into more, long as you keep the momentum with some customer service and good sense. Don’t make doing business with you too hard. Rivers of money are forged with the path of least resistance.

Questions for you:
1. Is solving your customers’ problems your first concern?
2. How much income do you lose a year if this scenario is repeated in your business just once a month?
3. Once your image is shattered, it’s hard to repair. How are you using service to keep a higher image in your market?

Death of a Salesman

noreply@blogger.com (Adams Hudson) — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 20:58:00 +0000

“Billy Mays here, for Oxy-Clean.” Wow, we won’t hear those words again, unless his near clone of a son, Billy Mays Jr. does it. At the moment, unlikely.

Those of you in our Coaching Group have heard me laud Mays’ show, “Pitchmen”, regularly due to the background of how products were positioned, priced, and pitched. A fascinating introspection into the world of influence on a mass level, quite applicable on the individual level.

I’ve also encouraged you to pay attention to most any oft-repeated infomercial since it was a) Successful and b) Worthy of study for the ‘sales triggers’ and sequence of pitch to apply to your own business.

Billy Mays had a sixth sense about such things. Getting to ‘know’ him through the show allowed us to see past the tightly groomed beard and over-zealous voice affectations rising and falling under the blue starched shirt.

To him, and to those who do any craft well, their zeal is real, thus credible. We knew without any pretense, that he was there to ‘sell’ us something, something new, amazing, wonderful, and probably something we could live without.

Do I really need to Mighty-Putty a hose reel to the wall in 4 minutes flat? Didn’t matter, nor that this product (plain old two-part epoxy) wasn’t ‘new’ at all. When Billy Mays pitched it, “For the incredibly low price of just nineteen ninety-five… here’s how to order”, over 10 million orders poured in.

That’s $199,500,000 from a 1 minute commercial folks. Not too shabby for a product that had sleepily laid in bins at auto parts stores, hardware stores, general merchandise stores, grocery stores, and drug stores for nearly 20 years. And therein lies at least 1 part of the sales epoxy: the ability to ‘see’ the opportunity others miss.

These sales masters clearly don’t “need” a new product, only a new way to package or angle the product, re-aim it to a different audience, remove the mystery of its use, while maintaining the mystery of its miracle (very important). And the second part was the Mays’ epoxy – we’ll call it the hardener – is the beauty of the pitch.

There are 5 parts to a well-crafted pitch, as old as PT Barnum, as cutting-edge effective as the iPod, and as copyable as a slow dance. Here they are –

“The 5 Step Pitch of SuperStar Salespeople”

Anyone who says, “A pitch is a pitch,” may as well be talking about baseball, because neither is true. There is art, craft, timing, skill, indelibly linked to a single emotion of persuasion. If you’ll watch the infomercials closely, you’ll see they all start at the same place, which is precisely where you should start…

1. The problem. Be it weight loss, wrinkles, an overcrowded purse, no time to go to the gym, acne, flabby abs, halving meal time preparations, or by golly needing that darn hose reel to stay stuck on a brick wall, the “problem” is framed harshly.

No one cares about solving a minor problem, so the “old” method of trimming the dog’s toenails (which seemed fine only moments ago) will now cripple him and get you turned into the SPCA. Those “old” pants you used to fit in would be great if you didn’t have a rear end the size of Missouri. And that wrinkle on your forehead that TO YOU seemed small is actually making strangers on the street call hospice for you or have you carbon dated.

There’s no time in direct response for minimizing the issue, and actually there is no point. You either agree or you don’t, and are welcome to change the channel, unless of course…

2. The Proof convinces you. Whatever you “thought” or “suspected” is now confirmed. A dude in a lab coat with an unpronounceable last name tells you so. The Swedish Sleep Institute has confirmed it, NASA took that crap into outerspace, the 4 half-drunk neighbors think YOUR Magic Bullet Margaritas are the best, and Tony Horton – whose biceps actually won the Kentucky Derby – swears you’ll be able to bench press a building by Friday if you’ll just watch the DVD.

Billy Mays showed Magic Putty pull a Naval Carrier; Oxy Clean turned a vat of red dye clear; he erased stains, greened lawns, and uprooted weeds right before our eyes. What other proof does a person need?

Aside from my playfulness here (done to dramatize their universal existence) the preponderance of proof is what takes you from mental query to mental acceptance. This is the exact step they want you to be at, and as your mind enters this “what if” stage, out comes…

3. The Probe. These are deeper questions that ask your subconscious for a “yes”. Once asked for and gotten, you’re just millimeters from whipping out your Visa, but not yet. You must now ask yourself, “Could it be that I’ve gotten that out-of-shape?” or “Wouldn’t it be fun to scrapbook?” or “Can I get my vitality back?” and “Why do I pay the exterminator when that plug-in thingy will electrocute any bug that even considers coming to my house?” The probe appears to be an impartial judge, merely an internalizing of a fair question. This is the same thing you’d do presenting your prospects with your contracting offer.

“Why put up with that leak any longer? Why not be comfortable in your own home? Shouldn’t you lower your energy bill?” Get your prospects to probe and make their subconscious seek you as a solution. This bring us to…

4. The Presentation. Ta-da, here’s the solution. You asked, and here’s the answer that supports your very own conclusion! “I am sick of my partner wanting a ‘too firm’ mattress, so check it out – a SLEEP NUMBER BED!” Or “Man, I do need exercise, but don’t like the confines of the gym, so that Tryke thing is for me!” And “Yes, I hate hours of back-breaking labor or paying a detailer hundreds of dollars, so the ‘Miracle Wax’ is the answer!”

Each presentation is indeed the rabbit-out-of-the-hat syndrome. Your contracting offer must ‘answer’ or ‘solve’ the initial problem you handed your customer. I don’t care WHO handed it first, your job is to make it stink to the rooftops (at least) and present your solution as the fragrance from on-high.

This step also contains the price and the negating thereof, known as the guarantee. There must be an offsetting acceptance where the gain far outdistances the pain (price) and IF that is just hype, there’s always the fall-back (guarantee).

Your presentation is not separate from the price; price is a merely a trivialized component. The dollar amount is ONE element within a well-crafted presentation, minimized to nothingness. “Sure, you COULD throw all these hopelessly stained clothes away, or eliminate the stains and save hundreds!” Or “A private fitness coach is $200, $300, $400… but you get 28 sessions of P90X, each like a one-on-one private lesson, for just $90.”

The dollar amount is then dropped again in one of several ways. Payments are extended. The amount of product is doubled at the last second. The last payment may be dropped entirely. In any of these, the lingering pain of payment is dropped to a non-issue. But if a molecule of hesitancy remains…

The guarantee saves them. It is the safety net of perceived risk. The bolder the better. “We guarantee you’ll save 25% on this 16SEER system, or we’ll write you a check for the difference.” “We guarantee this water heater will be the last one you ever buy for this house, or we’ll give you a new one, all you pay for is minimal labor.”

Billy Mays’ presentation helped turn Oxy-Clean into a $300,000,000 soap. How? It was safer, faster, worked better, less harm to your clothes, less toxic than the competitive (bleach), worked ‘naturally’ (a great distrust over the unnatural in case you wondered), was cheaper (more loads due to concentration), and who could argue with what they saw?

Once you’re nodding, or salivating, the final frontier is upon us.

5. The Push. Also called the “Call to Action”. In this, a sense of urgency pervades. “Operators are standing by for your call, but you must order in the next 7 minutes to get all the bonuses mentioned.” I don’t need to elaborate here, we all know them, and they do work.

In contracting, you don’t use these enough. Inventories run low, and people HATE to wait, so why not use it? Price increases do happen, but few contractors use that as an incentive to act. Crews get busier in the summer, so a return to normal NON discounted pricing is expected. The Tax Credit rebate ends in 2010, but who knows when they could pull this program? We can schedule you in for Tuesday, but if you wait, it could be another 10 days. All of these are legitimate “pushes” to help make the decision, and to make it faster.

In fact, using the 5-step pitch can radically change your business. Too many contractors focus on “product” which you’ll notice was NOT one of the “P’s” covered. Why? Because no one wants a drill… we just want the hole. Focus on solving the problem, with convincing proof, and a credible presentation filled with price and pain minimizers. Then gently push toward the acceptance.

Billy Mays showed that sincerity coupled with a gift toward the dramatic, we all wanted cleaner clothes, better lawns, sharper knives, and better glue. And we’d buy any of it from someone we trust.

So relaying that homeowners want safer, more efficient, cleaner, and more comfortable homes shouldn’t be too hard. But wait! There’s more! Because since they trust you to help them make good decisions, it should make both of your lives easier.

Questions for you:

What problems do I solve for homeowners?
What 3rd part proof do I share with them to support the solution?
What probing questions do I WANT them to ask themselves?
Is my presentation convincing? What are the steps I take to convince. (If you answered ‘none’, you’re NOT convincing, you’re hoping.)
How to I incentivise action? How do I follow up to help?

Why I Hate Twitter

noreply@blogger.com (Adams Hudson) — Thu, 07 May 2009 19:36:00 +0000

I could almost just generalize with “Social Media” in the above headline, but it sounds more violent and unruly to hate something with a cartoon name. I mean, it’s like “I’d Like to Scrub the Toilet Bowl with Sponge Bob”; who wouldn’t read that? (Power in a headline.)

Anyway, “Twitter” and other social media sites are indeed the rage. Facebook, with a mere 200 million users, is hardly a kiddies’ playground anymore. LinkedIn (sort of like Facebook for business) is “the” social hangout for commercial connections. With myriad other discussion groups, subgroups, and topical hotspots for micro-niching, how’s a marketer to make it anymore?

Heck, we got kicked off of two social sites in 40 minutes because my 20-something year old intern failed to read the rules. He posted a mildly promotional link (“mildly promotional” to a marketer is like “moderately costly” to a Government Official) on both, we got an “instant death” email, and that was that. Oops. Been kicked out of better places.

But we continued down the Social Media paths as an experiment, attempting to see why it was so crowded, being reminded of Yogi Berra’s famous quote: “It’s so crowded, nobody goes there anymore.” As it turns out, he was more prophetic than imagined.

Before you get your twit in a wad, or unlink me from the scintillating post that “you’re going to breakfast soon”, please put on the marketing glasses for a second. My first and main interest is the “who”. It is the defining, crowning, all-valuable “who” that dictates the message and its hopeful response.

If a market’s sole value is sheer numbers, then there’d best be a unifying language, problem, villain, or passionate cause in their psyche or the marketing is for naught. Have fun with that “branding” campaign; just don’t ask me to pay for it. Thus, my “who” needs definition. The reason I also hate card decks (Money Mailer et al) for contractors is the same: big, broad, ill-defined numbers.

By all accounts, staying “active” long enough to define your Social Media groups is time consuming. (I’m bracing for the email response now “IT IS NOT! MY BOSS WOULD BE MAD IF I SPENT MORE THAN 7 HOURS A DAY DOING IT!”) Some experts claim just “30 minutes a day” but I ain’t buying it.

Any interruption in our ADD prone world takes 10 minutes to refocus, so if you’re tweeting your little pecker off (bird analogy) at each twit, that’s a lot more than any 30 minutes. And going “silent” in this group is not endearing. Plus, given the parameters of the group, “marketing” to them is not nice or socially acceptable. Seems a three-time loser in productivity.

Yet, in a nearly redemptive statement that all marketers do not have leprosy, FaceBook has just announced sweeping changes to their advertising rules. They may now realize that ad revenues actually support media. (Just ask XM and Sirius.) We’ve got an experiment going there too; I’ll let you know.

In Twitter, you get 140 characters per Tweet. (Every time I talk like this, I imagine myself wearing huge orange shoes, scanning for Sylvester the Cat.) This is scarcely what we’d call “long copy”, and without a TweetDeck (organizational tool) you’ll be mind-numbingly insane before you establish enough of a relationship to even mention what you do for a living. Snidely, you may be in the minority there anyway.

So, back to the numbers. The hours spent, the nose-time invested, the “ad aversion” mentality, message brevity, and response reaction time all lead me to conclude this is a currently sorry place for B2B. For the time/productivity wasted, you could buy a radio station and get your following that way.

Twitter has its place – obviously - but do NOT consider it as anything other than a tangential media. It is really NOT for business any more than hanging out at the bar or golf course is designed for business. That may come as a long-term, profitable way to rationalize the time spent, just don’t mistake the mission.

So, let the crowds check it out; let the Today Show feature it; and let the marketing gurus laud it (and be sure to watch for their “how to” packages, kits, training on “mastering it” at an e-commerce site near you soon!) You’re advised to spend your time more productively.

Next time, FaceBook and LinkedIn.

Until Then, Here are some thoughts on how (or if) you should consider Social Media...

Common sense first. Do your target buyers use social media? If so, READ THE RULES and register. Follow the lead of those claiming success. Basically, understand the WHO.
How big is your database? If of the above group, ask them to sign up for your Facebook page or follow your Tweets. See how many do so.
If your database is under 500, is building the list on social media the way to go? Similar to #1 above, you must know who they are and if they are online.
Once you’re POSITIVE social media is right for you: start a Facebook and Twitter account. Stay focused on your profession, not what an idiot your Congressman is, or how Dale Jr keeps getting the shaft this year. Let people know you by your profession, and put SOME personal things in there, but never damaging or unnecessary polarizing.
If it gets active, get a Tweetdeck. Far easier than the Twitter tool. In a shocking display of efficiency, Tweetdeck helps organize your posts, replies, and followers.
Provide quality content. Just like the golf course scenario, it helps to ‘give’ advice before expecting someone to pay you for it. You can discuss technologies, ‘green-ness’, point to articles (hopefully ones you’ve written), other sites, books, more. you need to be a “Helpful authority.”
Get Promotional and Get Gone. This is why you do #6 instead. If it becomes the “you show”, then you can get banned, deleted, cancelled and otherwise “offed”.
There are some benefits to consider:
a. Fast feedback. (Quantity and quality of your responses is a great measure of your success.)
b. Good posts get spread virally. Clever, informative posts get shared on other networks, creating more links and exposure.
c. Cross –promotion. You can put other sites, blogs, of yours on Twitter, Facebook, linking them back and forth. (Of course, once on your site, you can promote.)

Let us know your THOUGHTFUL thoughts, reactions, responses, or suggestions by sending an email to TwitThis@HudsonInk.com. Some selected comments may make it to our editorial or blog. Thanks!

There's Goodness In The Badness

noreply@blogger.com (Adams Hudson) — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 13:22:00 +0000

Housing starts are up. (What? Someone in this country is being paid to build an actual house? Someone tell CNN!) Pending home sales up 2.1% from February to March. Unemployment slide slower than expected. Retail sales better than both 3rd and 4th quarter projection. Consumer confidence – perhaps the most important of the indices – plateaued in March from a 6 month freefall.

Sure, you’re used to me doing April Fool’s jokes, but this time I’m leaving that predictable hilarity to others. (“Contrarian” being my continued advice to you.) This is good news for real, though the perceptions remain “bad”.

People are paralyzed, polarized, or both by “bad” news (it also sells media, opinions, and short-term dependency.) Yet people are magnetically attracted to good news, and right now, “good news” is the attractive contrarian approach more than ever.

You can change one perception into the other, because as an entrepreneur, you’re in charge of both.

In other good news, the Hudson family returned with all the ligaments we had before our ski trip. (click to read last editorial if you missed it.) If the ski vacation business mirrors America even slightly, then more people are staying home (important to note contractors), saving more, and being more sensible. This is certainly not a bad outcome, even though skiing vendors say post-boom business is off 30%. Considering the escalated prices paid for dinners, they’re making more money off of less food. Complaints were few, because regulars told me they enjoyed their trip more due to less crowding. Take two marketing notes there.

Yet the whole buying public seems to be in a holding pattern of collective schizophrenia: “Capitalism is good; gluttony is bad.”

A fine line of perception divides them. Hard to spend your way out of a recession when – to a large degree – the inability to save enough for a “proper” down payment triggered it. (Feel free to disagree openly in your comments; I’m not running for office.) Regardless, most buyers aren’t inclined to plunk down for the unnecessary when they might need supplies during the apocalypse. “Showy overbuying” is definitely out. Makes you feel good to be a supplier of required services doesn’t it?

So, what perception isn’t selling now? Okay, cars, namely American ones. The perception is that this is due to a “quality” issue. Sure, the US Auto Industry has its woes, but quantifiable quality is not among them. To wit: since its inception in 1990, Lexus has won the world-acclaimed “JD Power Customer Satisfaction Index” (the top “Oscar” of automobiledom). Until this year. It was won by the very American Buick. The most “unreliable” car on the list? Suzuki, which last time I checked was Japanese.

However, the perception (important word for salespeople and marketers) among the public is that the average unreliable Buick is driven by a 112 year old female who needs a periscope to see above the steering wheel. Sorry if that’s NOT you, but that IS the perception. (I owned a turbocharged Buick Grand National, loved it, but every time I drove it I had the irresistible urge to shop for dentures.) Likewise, we think, “If Japanese, then reliable.”

Both are factually incorrect; perceptionally intact.

So, perceptions are running the asylum, and you and I are inmates.

What perceptions are in the market now? The general perception is that contracting is down (as an industry). Yet the #1 reason our clients miss a paid coaching call: “We’ve been too busy.” They’re having record months, amassing customers from quieted competitors because services are in high - and potentially increasing - demand.

That’s one perception you can drive a stake in. Good riddance. I’ve written so often about not becoming a silent statistic to your customer base that I’ve chosen to only give the shorthand list here –

1) Thank you cards 2) Scripted Thank you calls 3) Scripted Follow up surveys/referral generators 4) Newsletters 5) Maintenance Agreement bumps 6) Radius Mailings 7) Google and YOUR own website “Rankings” (no one is taking this seriously enough; thus a leadership role awaits you)

Then there’s the public perception (not your customers) that contractors are messy, unprofessional, and on the edge of trustability. Whatever, I don’t make the opinions. Your job is to obliterate that perception about you.

As an entrepreneur, you’re the Chief Perception Officer out there. For the last several months, we’ve urged clients to resist the dour attitude, find the good news, focus upon finding more. Become the “anti-contractor” image. He’s quiet; you’re loud. He’s amateur; you’re professional. He forgets his customers; you tattoo your logo into their frontal cortex. His ‘fleet’ looks like extras from a crash film; yours like a showroom. And on it goes.

So if the “norm” is to gripe and become a long-term repellant, then the “contrarian” becomes a relevant long-term attractant. You’re an entrepreneur, this is what you do.

In his February 24th State of the Union Address, Barack Obama publicly declared that “The future of our economy relies on the imagination of our Entrepreneurs.” Regardless of your political convictions, those 12 words are about business, and the perception of your role in it. Curl up with the complainers or gather gold with the gainers.

Benjamin Franklin – our nation’s first millionaire by the way – persevered through adversity, always seeking the “good in the bad”. He said, “Any fool can criticize, condemn and complain… and most fools do.” He followed that up with, “All mankind is divided into three classes: those that are immovable, those that are movable, and those that move.”

Get moving.

Some Much-Kneeded Time Off

noreply@blogger.com (Adams Hudson) — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 14:56:00 +0000

My left knee hates me. We go back a long way together, and I thought we were past that little “episode”. Apparently not.

My family is taking a ski trip for Spring Break. (The word “break” already having a dual meaning.) I had resisted such a trip, since a time when both knees loved me equally and I went to Colorado with two college friends. We were 25 and stupid, which may be redundant.

They told me it’d be fun to drive cross country, which the way we figured, was just under 7,000 miles. And they insisted it’d be fun to ski, “ESPECIALLY if I’d never done it”. The logic in this – and I use that term loosely – is that basically anything, such as sticking a hot needle in your armpit would be fun, ESPECIALLY if you’ve never done it. I oddly never questioned it, nor readied my body for the trip.

I was in “reasonable” shape and took care of myself. As a bachelor, this means Cheet-O’s are one of the major food groups, along with coffee and Slim Jims. I was limber enough to touch my toes, provided my toes were 18 inches long, so I had that going for me. And I could watch someone on TV work out for hours without even breaking a sweat. With this rigorous training, we headed to Colorado.

After a month of solid driving, we arrived. The first day we went to “Hit the slopes” (ski lingo for “accelerate down a mountain with no provision for brakes”) but wisely decided to get our skis first.

The guy who rented me skis and poles (also known as the “Weed Technician”) must’ve instinctively assessed my powerful a) experience level b) physical prowess and c) fear of ramming a pine tree, because he skipped all those dumb “aptitude” questions and merely asked, “MasterCard or Visa?”

Soon after, all three of us, dressed and looking like overserved Michelin Men waddled off, chafing madly toward the ski lift. If you’ve never skied, the ski lift is basically a proctologist on a conveyer belt.

Everybody else knew how to “ride” it gracefully to the top of – I think it was Mount Vesuvius – while sipping bubbly and chatting about moguls. We however, all peered nervously over our shoulders braced for a highly personal trip up Witch Mountain. Soon as realize your skis dangling far above the earths’ atmosphere, you must “dismount”.

Again, the bubbly-sippers eased out, shooshing gaily away. There’s not really an “Exit” sign per se. You’re suddenly aware, “Hey, this stupid thing is turning around, and I’ll be the only doofus in all of Mountain Time Zone riding it BACK downhill if I don’t jump out NNNNOOWWWW!” and you do. Two of us busted it, while the third looked like the Tin Man in a windstorm.

So, we stood atop Mount McKinley, peering down. One by one, we descended. Except I called a cab. Not really, but just before I went, I had an “epiphany” (where you realize how stupid you were a moment ago): Once high atop the mountain air, I understood why people would trudge 7 or 8 miles vertically up a frozen mountain, then strap long, thin strips of metal coated in Z-Max to their feet and let gravity, ice and a rather large rock do whatever it wanted to you for several terrifying, defenseless minutes. Makes perfect sense. So I did it…more than once, sort of.

My second trip down Mount Saint Helens was even more exhilarating. I exited the proctologist with ease, and not wanting to look like a “newcomer” (since I HAD been down once) I turned left instead of right. Soon I saw a different sign. “Golly, a Black Diamond Slope. That must be the pet name of this fun hill” I thought, much in same way a slaughter-house pig says, “Hey, let’s follow Larry into that fun barn!”

For those not in the know, a “Black Diamond” is technically not a slope since it has “0” angle. It’s a gigantic, ice-encrusted fireman’s pole that’s several miles tall. The easiest – and perhaps only - way down it is by helicopter. My “weed technician” failed to mention this option.

I did however see others heading down it, in an ever-speedier parade of death. I joined them, since my brake pads must’ve fallen off. As I picked up speed, I noticed various 12- year-olds, smiling and shooshing their overly-agile selves, not even realizing the horrific fate ahead. Once I hit the speed of sound, my only option was to jump the children or forever impale them in sort a ‘kid kabob.’ This would’ve been very difficult to explain to horrified parents at the bottom of Mount Rainier.

Yet, I needed ballast, and I needed it now.

So in an act of heroics, I took an intentional fall at roughly 700 mph. This caused whatever held my left knee together to go shooting over the next mountain and land in Montana. I never looked for it, but I’ll bet it caused a stir in some quaint shopping village. Once I came to a halt, I felt lucky I didn’t burst into flames re-entering the atmosphere. Plus, though most of my clothes and ski garb were scattered over the mountain, my left ski was still firmly in place! You sure don’t want that baby coming off when you’re doing a nuclear pirouette!

To be honest, it hurt. And I’ll never ever forget it. Pain does that.

You’ve got two ligaments per knee (or should) called the interior and anterior “cruciate” ligaments. From this, we get the word “excruciating”, so they were well-named. I’ve had a great recovery, actually enjoying stretching exercises ever since.

Yet as soon as we began “thinking” about going skiing, my left knee started tugging at forever-shortened cruciates, saying “Remember Mount Everest?” That’s all I needed to hear. Plus, something’s wrong if you keep up a conversation with your knee.

Plus, it reminded me that the world’s best marketing message is “Absence of pain.” Pain, and the avoidance thereof, has a long memory.

We’re going to Park City, Utah. My athletic kids and my dear healthy wife will have a great time skiing. I will be an easy sale of anything my knee wants. I plan to enjoy a few hours of marketing study on my iPod, a book, a few car magazines and may even take a day trip to a quaint Montana village, just to um, look around.

Have fun in your business.

http://www.hudsonink.com/

Numbers, Members, Reminders, Blinders

noreply@blogger.com (Adams Hudson) — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 13:14:00 +0000

This was not a shy group. Nor a depressed one, unlike the relatively pervasive mood out there. Their questions were top-drawer stuff, seeking the “next thing” in this now-changed economy. Plus, I’m always appreciative when people don’t throw blunt objects at the seminar leader. In a dark room, there’s so little time to respond.

Having just returned from the ACCA National Conference, I’m glad to report they had record attendance. I don’t mean “if you count everyone twice” or any other statistical hogwash, I mean “biggest ever”. This, the result of a few things, nearly all marketing based:

1. Relentless retention efforts. Members of the “old” way were contacted infrequently, and then generally about something thrilling like IRS codes. Current members get weekly, snappy communiqués, membership benefits are regularly restated (take note if you have an Agreement program) member-discounts are liberally announced. Likewise the “disconnect” fee should you rescind membership is painfully stated, as it should be.

2. “New and Improved” is powerful for a reason. The “old” events were primarily aimed at the deceased (and I’m being kind) with hushed changes – if any – as not to cause any stir. The “new” event formats are jiggered, adjusted, yanked, stretched to the point of mild confusion. The question for you and your company “What’s new?” had better have an answer.

3. Relevance. Upgrades and updates are a regular subject in their newsletter, magazine, ezine, and platform announcements. (Note how many ways they communicate with members.) Mainly, ACCA “gets their point across” to members that they’re not just “behind” members, but “ahead” of them too. This helps breed a dependent community (vital for membership, as it is for “customer-ship”) that appreciates the service. You want to become irrelevant? Quit telling your customers what you do for them, what you’ve learned, how you’ve changed.

4. Education. ACCA offers their annual Conference but now has ComfortU (acclaimed topical monthly webinars.) Two smart moves here. Instead of just telling members they should “get smarter” ACCA actually offers, organizes, schedules and wisely charges for it. Likewise, it gives them another way to communicate directly, reinforce value, enhance membership experience. Even if you NEVER took advantage, you couldn’t blame them for educational deficiency. With your customers, this is done by any form of regular communication (newsletter) where you marvel at how different your company is from just 5 years ago: diagnostic gizmos, GPS, billing, training, hiring standards, etc. If you just invest in this stuff and don’t tell your customers, how in the world are they to value it over Lonny the Half-Wit and his #2 pencil? Too many contractors invest in “customer enhancements” and fail to tell the customer.

All these things have been done front and center, for all to witness over the past 5 years, and the transformation has been remarkable. Attendance and membership continues to climb while loyalty (retention) to the mission deepens, as well it should. Of course, I focus primarily on the marketing initiative behind the incredible content, value, and leadership, but that’s my job. It is applicable to all contractors, all those who’s “service” can occasionally be hidden behind what a customer might deem a dull exterior. In a crowded market, trying to cut through the clutter is tough enough. Now, in a fairly dismal mental state, getting noticed is even tougher. Attempting to do this through frightened silence, impossible.

Please note, that a common theme in their message has been “regular reminders of value”. You’d be wise to emulate. Yet be prepared for the negative “advice” you’ll get...

When other membership groups decided to “save money” and go with cheap, very deletable, very forgettable email only, ACCA improved their magazine. When others talked of the dismal 2008 event attendance and how this year would be worse, ACCA put on the blinders (if not the earmuffs too) and marketed earlier, harder, smarter, actually adding targeted events to the schedule. (Four marketing lessons in this paragraph. Click here if you caught them all – a prize awaits.)

In many ways, ACCA had a harder challenge with contractor members than you have with your customers. (“Optional vs. Required” comes to mind.) Make your presence known to customers; rattle your competitor’s cages; push while others pull back. It’s a changed market out there. The thinking that forced many contractors to the brink of insolvency is not the same thinking that’ll keep you from it.

How to Make A Recession

noreply@blogger.com (Adams Hudson) — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 21:42:00 +0000

You’d think there was no business shortage. You’d think it was business-as-usual. Maybe we all dreamt up this “recession” thing, because these people can’t be having one.

3 Examples of the Apparently Fake Recession

#1: I needed tires for a weird old car. One tire was badly worn, the other three “passable” but too old to try and match. I told my wife it was for safety reasons. (This is how car guys justify most purchases, including paint jobs.) I called a tire place I’d dealt with a few times before.

When I called, I asked tire dude if he was looking at my account. “I don’t need that now” he says, “I’m out in the shop; can you call me back in an hour or so?” This is a pet peeve of mine, shared among the customer public: We called YOU already. So now we’re supposed to set a reminder to call and ‘guess’ when you might be available? The other problem was I felt like an unknown; no history nor regard for any prior relationship (marketing lesson). I never called back.

Called the competition, was treated fairly, paid slightly more (most customers value service and reliability above price anyway) and have my tires. I guess the other company, where I’d bought 16 tires previously figures I’ll “remember” to call them one day. More likely, I’ll remember not to.

#2: Our church needed banners to display in the very Gothic sanctuary and being a formal “traditional” church, the ones from Kinko’s wouldn’t do. (Picky picky.) They wanted tapestries and it was my job to find them. Fortunately, with digital printing technology, this can be done without employing Turkish women from the 11th Century. If you’ll do a Google Search – and gosh why wouldn’t you (marketing lesson) – you’ll see roughly half of America is in the church banner business.

In this apparently competitive field, I chose 4 companies, and completed the dreaded “contact field info” for my query (marketing lesson in the word “dreaded”). I filled out all the little boxes and emailed them saying basically that “We want to purchase 4-8 tapestries, with custom designs, and were excited to speak with them about this project.” I don’t know about you, but some might call that a “buying signal.”

I guess the tapestry business is booming. I guess those looms are humming ‘round the clock, because exactly ONE company called me back. I couldn’t even compare services. I won’t say she did a great sales job, but she did comply with Woody Allen’s mantra: “Half of life is just showing up.” She showed up, got the business.

I guess the others are weaving their own little tangled webs about why business is off.

#3: We painted our house 3 summers ago. Had some mildew attacking the sun room windows. (This is Alabama; if you don’t keep moving, you’ll mildew. We cleverly use Tilex as a Body Spritz.) I called the original painter, who collected $21,000 for the work 3 years ago, that I’ve not heard from since but referred one job to, nearly immediately afterward. (Actually 2 lessons in that sentence.)

I wonder if he’d stayed in touch, acknowledged the referral, or had a referral ‘system’ if he’d have gotten the apartment building job down the street, my small warehouse downtown, or gotten introduced to the ever-popular interior designer next door? Just a thought. Anyway...

He gave me some home-made chemistry lesson on how/why the mildew attacked my fairly new paint (though it didn’t happen with my old paint, go figure) but said he could pressure wash, etcetera, and use some new/different/better paint to correct. All on my tab. I wasn’t enthused, but agreed. (Painters: have you ever considered a maintenance agreement? I’d have one if it existed.)

He did that job, and just for being here, (proximity and recall, very important in future sales) my wife ‘remembered’ two other small jobs inside, that he also did for a fee.

I made the mistake of asking him how business was. Told me that times were hard; no one is doing anything, he has laid off 4 painters, may be selling his other truck and calling it quits if things don’t pick up this spring. (My knee-jerk reaction: Does the calendar tell you what to do? Farmers rely on seasons too, but THEY PLANT SEEDS to get results.)

While he was inside, he never noticed that our stairwell looks like it’s been sandblasted (I have two teenagers) and that our baseboards may have Chicken Pox (teething puppy). Never asked us if we were even considering getting this done, or any new work to our house, even though the aforementioned Interior Designer has been nearly camped out here helping us with a Kitchen remodel. (Lived here 12 years, it’s about time.) He was blind to the opportunity less than 6 feet from where he was standing.

I mentioned, “What if you mailed all your former customers in this area, told them about your ‘House Wash and Touch Up’ Service that could make their house look like it had been repainted, but for a fraction? Told me no one would do it, even though I just had.

I mentioned, “What if you agreed to give a free ‘Painting Check Up’ – inside and out – to gain audience with customers and find other jobs they’d neglected?” He said, “Too much trouble for the work, probably no one would do it.” We just did that too, and he was holding a check as evidence. Sigh.

With that, I knew he’d been beaten. Had nothing to do with his skill or availability, but everything to do with a self-created limitation. His attitude pummeled his aptitude, limiting his altitude in the process.

Sure, there may be ‘victims’ of the recession, yet some hoping not be left out, become partners as well. Here’s to the victors.

Marketing Research You Can Copy Now!

noreply@blogger.com (Adams Hudson) — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 16:15:00 +0000

“Talk to your doctor about Cialis,” said the overly friendly voice at the end of the Super Bowl commercial. Just then, there were some less friendly warnings that I think said, “Stop taking Cialis if you experience cramping, or if your liver starts kicking your duodenum, or if an image of the King of Clubs appears on your forehead.”

All prescription commercials seem to follow the same, apparently lucrative even if warning- filled format. Yet, they likely figure, “Since 80% of our prospects will be ‘turned off’ by the little, tiny, insignificantly debilitating side effects, let’s mark up our price to 812 times what it costs us to make it.” Then all the 3-eyed board members laugh manically and go to lunch at the nuclear power plant.

Yet – legally required warnings aside – the pharmaceuticals have several zillion dollars (each, rounded up) to spend on research including demographics/psychographics and the most likely hour we’ll arise in the middle of the night to deal with that little “going and going” problem.

You’re not seeing ED drug ads during the Tyra Banks show but you are seeing Anti-depressants during the Nightly News. You are seeing ED drugs more before Valentine’s Day, but less allergy medicines after allergy season wanes. Not exactly coincidental, and the results are staggeringly profitable.

You think predicting a plumbing problem is difficult? You think aiming your furnace message to the right crowd is tough? Try combing through 2 billion people who all claim individuality, and would like to keep their medical problems to themselves.

Four marketing lessons emerge from these gargantuan models, worthy of emulation. If, in a downward-spiraling economy, you’d prefer to copy than to re-invent with your own wallet, I offer.…

$660,000,000 of Marketing Research You Can Copy Now (This sample will ONLY be open to the public for 24 hours; thereafter only for Coaching Members.)

1. Direction or Call-to-Action – Drug companies always give specific “call to”, “ask” “get a free DVD” advice. Tell your prospect what you want them to do. Especially in a downward economy, leaving them to “guess” is a bad idea, a waste of your ad space, time, and money. This has been my advice for 8 years in a row; significantly more important now. No guessing allowed.

2. Damaging Admission – Drug companies are law-bound to mention anything that occurs in a certain percentage of cases, laughably-frightening or not. Yet in marketing – and here’s the lesson - there is an “automatic filter” that we all employ when an offer sounds too good, too perfect, the be-all, end-all of our misery. Thus, a “damaging admission” is a honesty-inducer, effectively opening the filter toward credibility. Such as - -

“We have the most popular colors and the biggest selection in town!” is ‘typical’ ad schlock, filter set to “high”. Then read, “We have virtually all colors, but navy blue sells out the fastest.” This one is far more specific, interesting, urgent, and allows the customer to ‘accept’ other statements more readily. The trick is to make your “admission” positive.

What is worthy of admitting? What % of calls are handled same day; how often are you late; what’s your customer retention rate; what’s the warranty claim rate. Any of those ‘exacting’ numbers are more believable, turning, “We have the #1 Best Service Department in Town!!!!” (Unqualified, highest “filter” rating, common) into “Voted #1 in with a 96.6% Excellent Rating!” (Specific, limited, credible.)

3. Targeting – This is actually the most important one, but put here on purpose. The “who” you want to attract must match the audience for the media. This is why you won’t see Viagra ads on the Tyra Banks show, but you DO see anti-depressants during the Nightly News. Not coincidence. What is your targeted audience watching, reading, listening to?

The best target – by far – is your current customer base. Immediately after is a shocker: former customers. Then referrals, then those “like” your customers, then those in proximity to customers. This is the most efficient method of contact, with the highest “probability” of sale, now more important than ever. Leaving your customer base “to chance” financially suicidal. Your competitors will gladly invite them to dinner, serving you as the main course.

4. Benefits over price – In a weakened economy, “cutting prices” up front is common, but often interpreted as “desperate, quivering, weak” negating any real gain. They don’t know how much a furnace tune up should cost; discounting up-front is pointless.

Make sure your price cuts are positioned powerfully after benefits are spelled out. The drug ads speak initially of “improvement, health, increased energy, no soreness” and other benefits, then offer a free 1 month Trial, making it irresistible.

Offering a free energy survey, plumbing ‘freeze free’ inspection, 4 outlets for the price of 3 had better come after value points made. Also, better to “bundle” services as a discount once in the home, such as, “I’ve invoiced you for the water heater today, but since you’ve already paid for the trip charge, we’re reaching out to customers who’d rather not pay it again on a small repair. So, with your permission I’d be glad to take care of any other smaller repairs while I’m here, or could I ask you a few questions about your plumbing and heating system?”

See, this way, you’re adding to the transaction size, getting closer to an agreement sale, locking in the customer, and filling up a tech’s time with billable hours, gaining valuable “future sales” information simultaneously. Not bad for 2 sentences.

LIMITED TIME CASE STUDY ACCESS: Problems on the website, and several other places too

Okay, now the LIMITED TIME ACCESS to a free rewrite, using most if not all the above. This was for a P&H company’s website, which was about stupid looking anyway. No one could find it either. (Not my specialty, so I sent them to www.markethardware.com)

The home page copy was rotten. But it was taken right out of their oversized, junked up Yellow Page ad. (A failure from the start, but they told me, “But we already had it!” as if that was a bonus. Like saying, “No need for Salmonella, I already have syphilis!”)

Then, if you DID call them, their CSR had NO CLUE how to “convert” a call into a sale, upsale, or an appointment for that matter. Very pleasant, but largely ineffective. (This wasn’t my specialty either, but we spent a year on this subject and found it is a profit sinkhole of epic proportions. Get this fixed. Call or email here for options.)

I was hired to do the copy rewrite, several pages, lots of good money invested. Here’s the OPENING paragraph only, rewritten using the lessons you’ve just read:

‘Typical’ Company A Opener: “Our Plumbing and Heating company is always available, 24/7, to serve the needs of our many customers. We’re #1 in the service area in quality and dependability. We know plumbing and heating. We have a great selection and best prices too! So, for ALL Your plumbing or heating needs, call on us today! XXX-XXXX.

Okay, even though I’m about to throw up after writing that schlog, which is painfully reminiscent of virtually every amateur with a braggy but low performing ad, here’s the rewrite...

‘Atypical’ Company B Opener: Your plumbing and heating system doesn’t always work perfectly. (Nothing in my house does!) But your call is welcome here – 24 hours a day – and routed to one of 5 stocked trucks, with a skilled tech that can solve your problem in ONE visit, 94% of the time! (We’re working on the other 6%!) Company B doesn’t waste your time hunting parts or guessing. Gives us a call at XXX-XXXX.

Be specific. Target your message. Give “admissions” to raise credibility. “Position” yourself powerfully, not negatively. And finally,

“Ask your marketing doctor about advertising. Should you experience pain or lack of customers in this recession, stop taking the advice of your whiny competitors and contact someone who’s actually solved the problem in real life, not just seen it on TV.”

NEXT UP ON THE CALENDAR:

Adams Hudson heads to the ACCA Conference and Expo in Fort Worth, February 23-26. Will they change the locks while he’s gone? Will anyone in his seminar learn the methods that put nearly 400 people in a Home Show booth or increased a post card’s results by 17 times?

MegaMarketer Coaching Call – next Wednesday, February 11 at 1:00 Central
TOPIC: Continuity Income and Maintenance Agreements.

Contractors Are Fired Up!

noreply@blogger.com (Adams Hudson) — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 14:17:00 +0000

At some point, it’s just ridiculous. And I love it.

Tuesday, we had a Teleseminar called “Your 90 Day Contractor Marketing Map”. This was under-promoted (intentionally) to a tightly controlled list.

For reasons I’ll let you figure out, we got 41 pages of questions. I couldn’t answer 41 pages of questions if you gave me a two week head start. (I did answer about 15).

But that’s not what I want to tell you now, this is -—

Contractors are fired up. They – I mean you – are not taking this economy sitting down. Oh sure, you got some lazy dogs with less excitement than McKain’s wardrobe designer, but those people are in every industry. I’m talking about the scads of contractors who are pro-active, revved up, and fully accepting that we all make our own economies.

Now, if you work for someone else, this doesn’t apply. But if you’re at the helm, in a commodity, “must have” service then you own your future. You can “re invent” the commodity to become more valuable, more desirable, with better benefits than any “normal” commodity by some creative marketing and packaging.

And that fires me up. But what happened after the Teleseminar choked me up a little, yet excited me far more….

When I read the 41 pages of questions, I saw it written between the lines. I caught the enthusiasm to “Change what you can and not complain about what you can’t”. Good enough for me. Things are changing, they will not go back to the old way. The economy, customers, marketing efficiency, contractor/client relationships, but more than anything, your attitude – even amid dismal headlines – is inspiring.

We pay each other, you and I. I get paid in dollars to straighten out a marketing mess, you get paid in dollars from the hopeful result. Yet when it comes back here in the form of appreciation, or excitement, or the motivation to get to the next elusive level, I feel like we were paid with something far more valuable than currency.

What I “suspected” was in the now-famous 41 pages of questions, came back in the form of your response to our effort to answer, solve, simplify. If you were any part of the following, I thank you from the bottom of my little capitalist heart. If you weren’t, doesn’t matter. You’ve read this far and that’s enough for me.

It’s going to be a great year. Yes it is.

This is what contractors are saying about our teleseminars:

“You Marketers seem to make sales sound so easy! Very encouraging. You have a strategy for everything; looking forward to learning them!”

Larry Baxter
Medicine Hat Refrigeration & Air

“The teleseminar was the most information packed hour I have ever been a part of.”

Skip Farinhas
GMC Air Conditioning Services

“Great information on all aspects of running a contracting company. I couldn’t take notes fast enough!”

Debbie DeGrace
Comfort Air Distributing

“Fantastic info – I can put these ideas to work right now!”

Dana Mack
Atlas Butler Heating & Cooling

“Adams is crazy. Excellent information – why give it away?”

Brian McDonald
Outer Banks Heating & Cooling

“Missing these teleseminars would be detrimental to my business!”

Juan Cardona
JC Heating & Cooling

Let Me Tell You A Story

noreply@blogger.com (Adams Hudson) — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 15:05:00 +0000

Ahh, the nostalgia of car trips. Took one this summer with the whole family, written about in these pages and was only KIDDING about trying to drive and swat my children simultaneously. I actually stopped the car. Anyway.…

Just got back from taking my son to the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans. It’s a 5 ½ hour drive there, even with 515 horsepower from my grossly “un-green” car that may cause Global Warming all by itself. Yes, I’m a consumer pig. But to all you Prius owners, I only drive it 1500 miles a year, causing less than half the pollution your battery packs take to make and properly dispose of. So there.

The above paragraph is an illustration of how numbers don’t have to be boring. There are 4 sets in there, but you got caught up in the “story” a bit. I teased you emotionally with my son; others wondered, “What car has 515 horsepower?” or “Why only 1500 miles a year?” Still others got your Lithium batteries in a wad because you thought I was running mate to the Al Gore Anti-Christ. I created “opposition” and tension on purpose. A scant few of you might’ve wanted the story to go on.

Even though I really DID make the trip outlined above, I’m asking you to make your contracting ‘story’ more interesting. There’s a story in every job, every home, every drop of energy saved (or wasted), every procedure you offer. And it sells.

The clients of ours who have been getting a lot of press for having their best years ever in 2008 (some of it NEGATIVE if you can believe it) know a “story” sells. They sell their story in their ads. Their CSR sells their difference instantly, their techs know and tell why they’re better, how the homeowner WINS by choosing them, “…just like all these others in these testimonials.” (Social proof.) Their support materials – proposals, leave behinds, newsletters, even invoices - reflect the story. It’s a good one, every time. People buy.

Mostly, they compound the reasons (we call these “Sales Stackers”) why the customer should buy, pay more, buy more often, stay longer, and refer willingly. That little list, properly addressed in your sales and marketing process, can make you millions. (Note: Sales Stackers will be ONE strategy discussed at our next national Seminar at the ACCA Conference & Indoor Air Expo, Fort Worth TX, February 24th. (I’d register now if you haven’t already.)

The record-setting guys are beating up many of you –even subscribers to this very newsletter – partly because they’re getting more leads. Duh. You knew I’d say that because that’s what I’m overpaid to do. Many think my job ends when the phone rings. They’re telling a story in the ad, however, that’s only 1 of the 4 parts it takes to multiply your sales in this or ANY economy. The entire list is:

Lead Generation
Conversion
Margin Boosters
Repurchase and Referral Rate

That’s it. There are no more. Sure, you can “save” some expenses, but name all the business breakthroughs you know about from “great savings”. Growth comes from the above.
Your ads are the most “visible” place you tell your story. Lay two ads side-by-side, same size, same product, same color usage. In less than 5 seconds, ALL of you can pick the one that “appears” higher-quality, higher imaged, and more professional.

You’ve just proven – again - that legitimacy desensitizes price resistance while adding to quality perception. (This is scientifically proven by people who do such things for a living.)

Gosh, and I never mentioned COMPETENCY of the contractor in the ad, did I? Clearly, I didn’t need to.

No one will ever get to know your competency if your ad repels people from the start. (I’ve published lists of contractor ad mistakes for years; no space to cover again.) But don’t mistake a good ad for a “slick” ad.

I got a Manufacturer’s Marketing book the other day (HVAC) and almost laughed. All the ads were all very slick… and mostly stupid shrines of self-absorption.

Here’s the kind of questions that only about TWO manufacturers out there will NOT be offended by:

Have their “marketing people” ever been to a prospect’s home? Do they have any idea why customers call you? It’s pitiful. These ads tell virtually no story about why a prospect should choose you – the contractor – yet more than enough to present that “Manufacturer X” is a big, bloated blow-hard whose products have a nice paint job.

Then, on occasion, an ad gets you inside a home. Once there, you’ve been brainwashed into selling “against” others (brands, competition) instead of “for” the homeowner. (Unless you’ve been coached by Drew Cameron, Joe Crisara, Rick Hutcherson, Charlie Greer, Bob Sinton, alarmingly few others.)

I’ve hired enough contractors, spoken to several thousand others, interviewed hundreds of customers on their experiences and it’s all basically the same.

For the most part, contractors rehash boredom, blending into the sea of sameness that virtually assures that the contracting image problem will remain healthy for decades. There’s no excitement, no energy, no story.

The Formula Works. Not Implementing the Formula Fails.

Most “sales presentations” have less enthusiasm than a funeral program. (Component 2 in the Formula fails here.) Most contractor value propositions for upsells are boring or non-existent. (Component 3 fails here.) Reasons to stay in the information loop or get the Agreement program are told about as convincingly as a Rod Blagojevich campaign promise. The follow-up process generally consists of an invoice, followed by immediate short-term memory loss that you actually had a customer. (Component #4 fails here.) Good luck on that referral stream.

You think this economy is going to reward that? It’s not. You’ve got to change it, and 2009 seems like a darn good time to get started. The economy is going to eliminate marginal players anyway, but why become collateral damage because you “seemed just like them” in your story? Guilty by association is rarely rewarding.

Get different. Get a little radical. Tell a Marketing and Sales Story that makes me want to buy, and I will.

Tell a story just like your competitors and I’ll yawn. Hide like the scared ones and I’ll forget you exist. Thump me ‘til I pay attention, make me glad I did, and I’ll tell the world.

Questions for You to Consider

Can I instantly pick my ads out in the Yellow Pages?
What distinction am I “known” for? (If you say, “I don’t know”, that is a problem.)
Is my customer funnel a pro-active process… or a manic reaction?
Why would someone call me again and refer me? (If you say, “Because I’m good and fair” please know that I “guessed” this because 90% of your competitors said the same thing. Think “process”.) And lastly…
Why does Adams drive overly powerful, gas-guzzling cars with little or no social redemption and even less luggage space?

Need a Marketing and Sales Story of your own? Get a plan, some quality marketing, a solid sales process, and retention methods that are so good they’ll scare your competition either into obscurity… or working for you.

“Your Marketing Map for the Next 90 Days” Teleseminar (free to register) is January 20. Click here to join. I’m only getting a couple hundred lines this time and about 160 are gone. Register for free here.

Plumb Dumb Sales Crumbs

noreply@blogger.com (Adams Hudson) — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 17:34:00 +0000

Maybe my plumbing system is paying me back.

A previous editorial about "How Not to Sell Plumbing" got tons of response from every contractor type. Most of you "saw" your techs or knew of others just like that: a mild aversion to selling a customer, even one who virtually handed them a Visa card, with upselling hints as subtle as Paris Hilton's nightie.

Apparently, other parts of my plumbing system were getting jealous.
The toilet in my children's bathroom started making some sort of gurgling noise. Mostly at night, when I was the only one awake, just to be creepy. I'd be blissfully reading my Road & Track, when at 1 a.m. the sound of someone strangling a Bullfrog would emerge through the walls. Most unsettling.

The toilet in their bathroom was from the "Pre-Stupid-Era" when men were men and toilets were resource-wasting ceramic cyclones. You could flush a full grown Coconut Tree – nuts and all - down this thing without a whimper.

Yet yesterday morning, telltale leakage spelled the end. The whimpering was mine.
So, we called a DIFFERENT plumbing company this time, hoping for a dose of professionalism and long-term concern. (HINT 1).

The appointment was painless enough. The CSR's lack of enthusiasm had me imagine she was past president of the insomniac's club, but she got the facts right. (HINT 2.) Oversights: Didn't ask if we had an account. Nor if we were "Agreement" members. (Both 'yes' to our commercial property, but NOT at home. I'd have thought this important.)

Plumber arrives an hour after stated appointment window, sans apology or explanation. Didn't ruin my wife's day or anything, but during Christmas, schedules are tight. (HINT 3)

After a brief description followed by three grunt-filled responses, he skulks upstairs to survey the problem. Seems the whole company has a "Let's Have a Lethargy Contest!" attitude. (HINTS 4 and 5). Question: How enthused are you in the face of full-fledged sourness? Just a thought.

Finally, after pondering the situation, he utters a gravely misleading comment that he THINKS is doing us a favor. It isn't.

He says, "Yeah, this thing is worn out. We can replace it. I'd recommend a to replace it." So far so good. My wife is nodding in acceptance. Then he says it:

"You could go to Lowe's or something and get it cheaper. Then we can reschedule for next week and put it in."

My wife, queen of budgetary sense, thought this was a "nice" thing to do. I, however, staggered for words. Still am if you can believe it.

I speak with contractors every week who "wonder" what happens on jobs, what happens with the CSR, the upsell, the Agreement program, customers leaving… and they never know stuff like this goes on. They never know the risks being taken, the words being said, the sales being given away.

Undeniable Truth: The tech thought he was doing me a favor to save some money. That's how he buys. Ever had a waitress at a 5 Star restaurant say "You can get that steak cheaper if you cooked it yourself"? Please tell me the difference.

The point is to DELIVER on the request. My request, the company's mission, the solving of the problem.

The lead and the job was theirs. It was "in the bank". A referral source.

If I'd wanted the ultimate in money-savings, I'd have gone to "Big Box Enemy of Mankind" myself, and called "Larry the Halfwit" to install it. Four bolts and a wax seal. I get it.

If I'd wanted to go to mountains of trouble to save $50 or $100 or whatever, would I have called a legitimate service company?

Oh, and let's not forget… there are other plumbers who actually install toilets.

Since I was already going to Lowe's, I stopped to see the stunning array of toilets. After seeing 47 variations on waste evacuation - fully expecting to find one that'd turn the magazine page for you – I asked the very helpful Lowe's Lady for her opinion. She had one by golly.

She was clear, concise, informed. Talked me "out" of a more expensive one, and actually chose the EXACT same model as Mr. "Please Don't Make Me Sell You Something". Then she asked, "Are you putting this in yourself?" After turning around to see who she was talking to, I answered, "You can't bet your rear I'm not." Guess where this conversation is going.

Smiling she said, "I've got a list of plumbers here who'd be glad to get the work, all qualified, all reasonable."

And therein lies the trouble. Not only did I try to give my money and my business to them, they willingly referred me to the jaws of the competition. Lots of them. All to "do me a favor." I don't want a favor. I want a toilet. (HINTS 6-10. At least.)

The dramatic conclusion to My Toilet Saga will be coming to an ezine near you soon.

Questions for you:

How do you train YOUR techs to handle a situation like this where the equipment isn't "on the truck"? Are they actually doing it?
Have you ever asked your techs if THEY offer "Money saving options" to customers?
Do you have a "policy" on selling what you sell… and not what others sell?

Send any responses to this article to mailto:questions@hudsonink.com

Forward this editorial as much as you darn well feel like it.

The Timing and Training of Market Leadership

noreply@blogger.com (Adams Hudson) — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 18:03:00 +0000

"Black Friday” sounds rather ominous to me. Though retail in-store sales were “only” up 5.1-7.2% over last year, depending on which horrifically negative expert you choose to fear, this was to be followed by a booming “Cyber Monday” for online retailers.

No matter the outcome, this’ll be followed by “Identity Theft Tuesday”. There’ll be the traditional day of rest to filter your personal data, and then it’ll be “Male Enhancement Offer Thursday.” There’s nothing like Spam for the Holidays.

True as this is, there’s much to be learned from the onslaught. “Congruence” with the season matters, as does incremental timing within the season. (You wonder why we put “Holidays” instead of “Christmas” on our Card offerings? It ain’t for being PC boys and girls – my stance there is well-known – it’s so ‘your’ card has a chance of staying relevant ‘til New Year’s.)

Likewise, we’ve all heard the lazily disregarded radio ads that tout “Summer’s almost here!” in September or “School’s just around the corner” in November. Sadly, we’ll continue to hear Christmas references until it becomes an utter embarrassment to all Wise Men.

The money spent on being perceived as “late, lazy, and/or irrelevant” undoes most any claim you’d have to being fast or efficient. Your example trumps your words, sort of like parenting, but with faster public humiliation. (Spears and Hilton families may beg to differ on this point.)

The antidote for the perception of being behind is of course, to lead. You may ask, “Lead what? Lead how? And what ever happened to your request for submissions on the not-so-sharp non-salesperson who missed 3 sales opportunities while he was replacing your water heater?” Talk about timing!

Leading is an even more fearful concept in a time of great hand-wringing, “holding back” and “Let’s just wait and see what happens.” I’ve long persisted that the last one is more correctly stated as “Waiting to see what the leaders in my market do first, so I can make sure it’s safe to do something.” The leaders lead. The followers follow.

Most would say they would unfearfully lead if they only “knew” what was coming. Let me remind you I’m not talking about going into battle. Or before a Grand Jury. I’m only talking about marketing leadership, or in the case of the current economy, a marketing presence while others retreat. An unrisky strategy if ever there was one.

So, “marketing leadership” becomes easier when a bunch of “me too’s” falls from existence. The marginal contractor, made moreso by his marketing invisibility, will likely fail in 2009. There’s not enough excess to support the invisible. The corollary of “visibility” holds true and can easily be deemed as leadership. Would you rather run a race against 25 competitors or 10? The timid’s response is “Depends on who’s competing!” And the answer will always be, “The leaders”. I presume you’d like to be included.

Yet this year, marketing visibility with efficiency will be our push at Hudson Ink. There will be no “street wise” example overlooked, no tightwad’s angle cast aside. Likewise, though I’ve been saying it for 5 years, your bloated YP budget has got to go. Now. Your resistance to lead before the need arises, cannot wait any longer. A healthy market is forgiving to slackers in the pack; a tight market grants no leniency. Same goes for us.

I’m in this thing with you. (I won’t bore you with our plans, but suffice to say they’re identical to the ones suggested for you.) I’ve joined another Coaching Group, helping create an entirely “different” Coaching Group (more about this in upcoming months) and am staunchly encouraging readers to join in their own. Why?

A mastermind group’s input is potentially the most efficient system on earth. Problems get sliced, diced, repackaged, solved by example, and focused upon with laser-like intensity. You don’t feel like your market’s only pioneer (the ‘arrows in back’ analogy coined by followers no doubt) when you hear a gaggle of “Go for its” from those who’ve been there, done that.

Yes, we offer Coaching Groups but I’m not trying to “sell” you ours (Platinum is sold out anyway) yet I urge you to get involved in one filled with a leadership mentality. You rise – or fall – to a bracketed level of performance and attitude.

NOTE: We are having a F*R*E*E ACCESS Teleseminar for ALL SMI READERS on December 10, 2008. I’m putting 6 of the highest paid Contractor Coaches on the phone for ONE HOUR. All are required to share a strategy or tool worth at least $10,000 to you. I cannot accept more than 500 attendees. You must register here.

Quick Report on a couple of Groups to Avoid and Embrace here.

Now, this finally brings me to the smorgasbord of “Group Think” support by listing the answers to a question posed two issues of SMI back.

The Missed Sales Opportunities

Sometimes I think I have all the answers, and just then God laughs at me and makes me trip over something. Like the other week, I asked for “three ‘missed’ sales opportunities" from the plumber who was at my house. From a DELUGE of reader emails, it appears he missed FIVE opportunities. Counted ‘em myself. Here you go…

The Sump Pump. This was so obvious Stevie Wonder and Estaban both wrote in with the right answer. Of course, I told the plumber that I wanted him to look at it before he left and let me know. He didn't. I still have the problem and will call another to solve it. Sorry.
The “Tankless” water heater. Ugh. He actually told ME about this option, to which my wife, also known as, “What’s a budget and why would you want one?” expressed interest. Never told me the price, availability, installation time, benefits… nothing. Me and my “budget” are secretly relieved.
The Maintenance Agreement. Talk about a softball. I’m standing there in 4” of mud on a Sunday, faced with Emergency OverTime Double Secret Upcharges with hints of gas fumes in the background… and not ONCE did the word “Agreement” emerge. (This company DOES offer them. I guess you have to beg them for it, along with certain quotes.)

Nearly all of the respondents got those right, for example:

“I would recommend our Maintenance Plan or complete home plumbing inspection – this reduces the chance of another one if these last minute, Sunday afternoon issues and maybe save water,” said Tim Bruce, General Air Conditioning, Inc.

“He missed the upsell on the water heater (tankless or high efficiency), cost to bring gas installation to code, and replacement/repair sump pump. Not to mention a service agreement on the new unit,” explained Garth Hepler, Roth Heating & Cooling.

Yet the real “thinkers” added the following….

Paul Guzman of O'Connell Plumbing, Inc. wisely suggested a Flood Detector/Alarm.

And Tom Hawkinson of Air-Tech Services saw another angle when he suggested, “Hey, Ronnie turned off the water heater for you so you wouldn’t die from carbon monoxide poisoning. Good move on Ronnie’s part (maybe the only one). But wait…how do you prevent carbon monoxide poisoning in the future? Well, sell the customer a carbon monoxide sensor, of course.”

So there you have it. Timing, success, and mastermind thinking all rolled into one. Makes you think there might be a connection among them. Hope you’ll join us on our F*R*E*E* Coaching Teleseminar on December 10. I may not ever invite these people back here again, so you’d better go register and see what the heck’s going on. You might learn something from us, and almost certainly, we’ll learn something from you.

Have fun,

Adams Hudson

Marketing MapQuest

noreply@blogger.com (Adams Hudson) — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 14:55:00 +0000

Last issue’s editorial, about how to “NOT” sell things to customers in need set a record. It achieved the highest click through rate of any editorial in 2008. (If you don’t know about “click through rate” it has nothing to do with how fast Dorothy and her Ruby Slippers get back to Kansas. Nothing.)

Why do I tell you this?

To brag. Look, I’m a marketer; we live for stuff like this.
To let you know that your customer’s response is a vital measurement of your message relevance.
Measure anything you want to improve.

None of the above affected the story’s popularity of course. (Read here if you were one of the 3 people who missed it.) The above list is merely the outcome, the result, and the trailing indicator of what to do next.

Wall Street is full of trailing indicators that give forecasters the upper hand (and lower GI issues) in picking what to do next with the money... if anything. Equally in marketing, trailing indicators help you spot rising trends, products on plateau, those in decline.

Trailing, Forecasting, Surprising Results

In these pages and in coaching groups, we’ve long been pushing “down” in YP expenditures. Seems illogical since we design ads for a fee, indicating either business idiocy or inability to cite profit as a sole reason to recommend.

Results are generally a huge savings, with either no discernable lead drop (provided the ad is improved) or an increase in lead count.

Though certainly not due to contractor’s insistence for better cost per lead, yesterday’s Wall Street Journal cited that the Yellow Pages print and online are in serious financial straits. Shares of R.H. Donnelley and Idearc (top publishers) have plummeted 99% in the past year. Looks like the world realized the decline of relevance all at once.

Though there are a couple dogs in this next media, we’ve pushed way “up” in targeted direct mail, meaning a higher quality list at a lesser quantity of mailing. Our real push started in June 07 as the new construction fallout was apparent and markets were poised to be flooded with low-cost competitors. The higher- than-expected results help launch what we now call “Cluster Control” (Entire Seminar devoted to this winning strategy at the ACCA National Conference, February 24-26 in Fort Worth, Texas.)

Conversely, we’ve advised “down” for broad mailings – Card decks, blind “occupant” mailings, and others chosen primarily for volume. Bad idea. Let your competition be fooled after a huge mailing has him saying, “Why isn’t the phone ringing?” Hear me: Frequency over reach.

As the economy worsened through Spring 08, contractors began reporting better than average returns on a proven cash producer.

Customer Retention got a large, unintended boost this year. Seems if “asset protection” is wise in a downturn, it’s hard to name an asset more valuable than customers. (If you shout “Money!” please recall the source of that money.)

What’s Working Now

When you read the above, you can sense the leading indicators. Though I’m a little shy to project too far out, there’s broad insight from contractors who’ve shared healthy results.

Example from Real contractors…

Bill Stribling at Sullivan Service Company is a great guy. Very well-liked by customers; but, like many contractors, sort of “overlooked” Customer Retention. He got more serious about it last year. He said, “To say things have been slow is putting it mildly – we were almost to the point of calling our own numbers just to make sure the phone still rings! Then the newsletter you did for us went out. Suddenly it’s all anyone is talking about – church members, friends, and thankfully, customers!”

Jimmy Eanes, another contractor friend of ours told us “I sent out 6800 issues to my customer base and during the next 4 weeks, over 124 calls came in. Some of them we hadn’t spoken to in 3 years! We sold $169 tune-ups (great idea) yet normally have trouble selling them at $79! Plus we sold 12 complete systems for $62,728. Basically, my customers love the newsletter… and we do too!”

Juan Cardona in West Virginia noted, “Though I sure don’t tell my wailing competitors, we just had our best October ever. It feels good to be able to serve more people.” Main factors: Good hire from summer; Fleet-wide truck wrap; “Clustered” Direct Response; Newsletter.

What’s clear from the above – Decisiveness. Action (largely resistant to over analysis or needing approval), Willingness to change and track. Not easy in turbulent times. Maybe you need.…

Your Marketing Map for the Next 90 Days

To help all of you move forward, we’ve launched the most ambitious schedule of our lives, with 2 upcoming events in December, another TBA in January -

Marketing Map – Webinar on December 3 hosted by ACCA for ComfortU members. Go here to join or register.
First Time Ever. No plans to repeat. Coaching Club Bonus Meeting – December 10. Six of this nation’s hottest (and most expensive!) contractor consultants will be in my office visiting. I figured, “Why not put ‘em to work!” Basically, there’ll be $35,000 a day worth of talent on the phone for those who register soon. Sales, Hiring, Customer Service, and Marketing topics covered. Require each expert to “GIVE AWAY” a tool or idea worth a minimum of $10,000 on the call. Thought about making you pay for this one ($1000? $500?) but it’s a no-cost event. Limited to 500 lines. Am not buying any more than that. Register or miss out, your choice. A surprise announcement may be made.

“Hey, Let’s Lose Some Sales! Blame it on the Economy and Cheap Customers!”

noreply@blogger.com (Adams Hudson) — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 19:01:00 +0000

A True Story (much as I hate to admit it.)

It happens. I was nervously preparing a speech to my church, (for BOTH services, 2500 members or so) and as you might guess, I’m “just a tad behind” getting ready. I decide to take a shower at the last possible second, since its considered bad form to reek at the lectern. Then, since I have remarkably sensitive powers of discernment, I notice….

NO HOT WATER!

That’s right. Go ahead and laugh. I took a shower that would give a Penguin hypothermia. As a result, I complete the entire cleansing process in 2.8 seconds. Possibly God’s way of making sure I wasn’t late.

Anyway, the water heater was in the home when we moved, 11 years ago. Figured it’d be “on the list” soon enough. We did the roof three years ago (no, I don’t remember by whom, haven’t heard back) and paint the next summer. (I referred him ONE $11,000 job, never acknowledged, never got re-contacted. Oh well. Guess I can’t remember him to refer for the neighbors across the street.) Since we’re now contemplating a kitchen remodel, the water heater must’ve gotten jealous.

When I swung open the basement door, I though I heard, “FIX ME, FIX ME! I’m gross and underappreciated!” in a rusty little voice. So by golly, we did. Called the plumbing company that also does our heating and air. Things went downhill from there.

The rest of this story might be a tiny bit painful. Please know I don’t do individual consulting any more (except for Platinum members) but thought you might find this valuable. Also realize that most homeowners would just be happy to get hot water again. They’re not even THINKING of telling you where they might be “sellable”. This story reveals the other side of the sale...

The answering service on Sunday had no idea who I was. Understandable actually. Told her everything again. Tech calls me back. “HAY!” he says at Volume 12 “CAIN’T GIT THERE FOR TWO HEURRS.” Understood. What he lacked in couth he made up for in conversational economy. He said he was busy, but his timing bore a remarkable resemblance to the NASCAR race. Ten minutes after the final lap, the doorbell rang.

“HAY! I’M RONNIE WITH and…” since I refuse to put the rest of this article in capital letters for fear of grammatically-correct hate mail, just know that Ronnie doesn’t have an “inside voice”. People two blocks away became startled when he spoke.

He did a good job telling me of his “trip charge” for a Sunday visit. Understood. Said it had gone up from $69 to $80 recently due to fuel prices. However, my wife promptly pointed out that fuel prices had “dropped dramatically… so was the trip charge going back down?” For the first time in our 87 year marriage (rounding up), I actually gave her “the look”.

I gave Ronnie an out by complacently saying, “It’s a moving average, so…” but Ronnie interrupted, feeling compelled to defend it anyway.

For 5 minutes he discussed the $11 rise. He told of customers who were mad about it, didn’t understand it, and the problems the CSRs were having with explaining it. Frankly, this sounded more like “their” problem than mine, so guess who wasn’t interested?

Sales mistake: Ronnie forgot that my “real” problem was no hot water. NEVER confuse your customer’s problem for a reason to vent your own or to create a problem that clearly wasn’t. It got worse.

Ronnie and I ventured indoors, he stopped. “HAY! I GOTTA PUT ON THESE!” Sorry. He put on his Shoe Covers, but instead of “GOTTA” he should’ve said, “At , these are required to protect your property.”

Small Sales Infraction: “Justify” your behavior, habits, and practices as your “difference” on every opportunity. Otherwise, is it a burden… or branding?

As we walked toward the Neolithic Water Heater, just past the dinosaur bones, I pointed to my sump pump, which had worked overtime scavenging the water produced by the erupting heater. “HAY!” I said just to get him back, “After you finish with the water heater, my sump pump is very erratic. Works when it feels like it.”

“Will do” Ronnie said as he fondled the water heater. “OH man, this is gonna be a problem…” and his voice trailed off. I left the basement, Ronnie, and the heater to work things out.

Eventually, Ronnie tells me he “can’t” get a gas water heater down there like I had. Said the last plumber fouled things up. Said it was too dangerous, code wouldn’t let him, plus if he did (though he’d already said he “couldn’t”) he’d have to move it way away, run more gas lines, lots of cost. Recommended full electric, but said there was another option for “instant” hot water, no tank, a bit more cost. Would get us the estimate on both. Stop right there.

Two sales mistakes: Told me everything he couldn’t do, compounded this with “bad history”. Sometimes this is done to support the upsell, but in this case, he told me what a mess things were, how the last plumber was an idiot, “code violator”, etc. Failed to mention why his company had stood inches from this area repairing a sink drain, but never mentioned my water heater was a Saturn V rocket, spewing Carbon Monoxide.

Ronnie had unwittingly entered the Serious Risk Zone: What if I had put the water heater in? Or my beloved, well-meaning, but now-deceased relative? Or an ill-guided representative from this company? Is Ronnie psychic, or just regularly prone to insert shoe cover in overly loud mouth? A brief detour…

In top automotive sales-training curriculum, you NEVER say or agree that the clapped out trade-in is “junk” even if the owner uses that word. You are to say, “Well, you’ve certainly extracted lots of miles out of that one…” or “You must be pretty good with maintenance to have nursed it this long” but you NEVER agree or suggest that it’s junk, or that “their mechanic” must be an idiot. Same thing here. It gains nothing.

Ronnie tells us he can’t finish the job that day, but has shut things off to be safe, which we appreciate. Says his supervisor will get with us early Monday to report and suggest. He does. Says to remove the old one (a job and a half) and install a new 50 gallon “low boy” all electric heater will be $850.

Two more mistakes: First, the “exact” number of $850 is too round, imprecise. Prices weren’t broken down. Since I don’t browse the water heather section often, how am I to know if or how this compares? Is the labor $50? Or $500?

Second is worse: Fails to quote us the “other” option that my wife was honestly interested in. We then would’ve had comparative value instead of mild sticker shock, and actually gotten to choose. In terms of the kitchen remodel we’re planning, this might’ve been worthy. Did he ask? Too late now. Ronnie needs to cancel his Psychic Friends membership.

Though very shaky in his sales presentation, we half-reluctantly bought from the company. (A lesson in there by the way. They mail us several times a year, call us for reminders, thank you’s, treat us very well on the HVAC side, and have an “agreement” with them. I’d call myself a “tentative” customer on this side. We’ll see.)

Would others have done so? Overlooked the missteps? Checked around? Bought more if asked?

Epilogue: Those of you convinced the economy is solely to blame for hurting sales; look inside to see if a little training investment mightn’t be well spent. Anyone in touch with customers needs it. (Hint: your CSRs commit even more sales infractions.)

If you think this is the “end” of the story because it was the “end” of the sale, then you’re definitely a candidate for improvement. Why?

Because some who were reading closely figured out that Ronnie also missed three, rock-solid, nearly guaranteed sales. But he didn’t even try. Send me your answers here: askadams@hudsonink.com

Questions:

How can you raise your average transaction size on every call, starting now?
Do you believe that great Customer Service Skills also sell?If so, what are you doing about it? (If not, please hand the reins of management to someone else, immediately.)
What are you doing to be remembered and referred that is different from “all the others”?

Simple Choices

noreply@blogger.com (Adams Hudson) — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 13:09:00 +0000

Article and text NOT by Joe the Plumber

(I did this only for the Google rankings. A marketing lesson already.)

My teenage son just got an earful (perhaps two) about having good judgment. “We’re just a product of our choices,” I said, trying not to call attention to any of mine.

He’s driving now, which causes me to squirm even as I write the line. We gave him a Driving Contract, which is required for modern day “with-it” parents. He signed it with slightly less enthusiasm than putting a Bic lighter to his own flesh. Somewhere in there, the topic turned to friends, influences, news.

I’m as sick of the economic non-news as you are. (Part of the reason its called “NEWS” is something in it should “NEW”.) I’ll go so far as to say the following, which could cause a flurry of hate-mail being sent my way.

I’m not crying about the Economic news, especially if....

We start looking at what’s more important in life than money. How can it be bad to return focus on family, simplicity, and doing without meaningless clutter? Gosh, we might read a book instead of forking over $50 to go to the movies. Which one could “enrich” you in two ways?
We remember that if we weren’t selling our stocks or homes when they were “up”, why in the world would we become anxious in contemplation of doing so when they’re down?
We recognize that the “value” of our gains was merely “potential” value, only becoming realistic if sold. Big difference between “potentially” and “realistically”. Potentially your service van can compete in the Indy 500. Realistically, you’d be better off on foot.
Embrace the “C” word. I’ve yet to see homeowners go without heat, or plumbing, or electricity. Be very thankful you’re in your field of work, and that commodity is not a four-letter word. And more importantly....
Just be thankful, period. You’ve got health, or the hope of improvement, plus family, friends, and faith in better days ahead. Even what Americans call “poverty” materially dwarfs 70% of the rest of the world. We need to show less attitude, more gratitude.
All this stuff is God’s anyway. We’re just renting it. (Some of us a little behind on the payments perhaps.) Regardless of your faith or belief, there’s a pretty decent chance you believe someone other than man made the earth, its resources, its glory. Further, I’ll imagine you’ve yet to figure out a way to take it with you when you’re gone. Want what you have.

If THIS is what the economic turmoil brings us, bring it on. It’s here anyway; neither you nor I caused it; we can only control how we respond.

A choice, as I see it.

By this time, my teenage son had passed out, bored into a slobbering heap. I hope some of it got through, and those are my hopes for you too. Now go share some good news. There’s plenty enough to go around.

Thoughts and considerations –

Do you have ONE PERSON you’d like to thank? I bet more than one. Why not ‘pay out’ with some thanks to somebody who could use it? Pretty darn easy, too. Click here to get started.
Do you have a whole BUNCH of people you’d like to thank at one time? Like, um, maybe YOUR CUSTOMERS? Take a look at Holiday Cards ANYWHERE YOU WANT. Ours are here.…
Would you like to triple your market penetration for pennies? Let us send you the Radius Marketing report, click here.

Recession Proof Your Business Now

noreply@blogger.com (Adams Hudson) — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 14:40:00 +0000

From BusinessBuilder.com - "There are some businesses that continue to thrive during economic down times, mostly because they offer products and services that are always necessary or in demand. These businesses are recession-proof. But many make missteps that cause even their own decline…”

As a contractor, you’re taught to almost hate the word “commodity”. It reeks of sameness, lowest-common denominator, “price is the only differentiation” type mentality.

Yet, in contractor marketing, we do all in our feeble power to create distance between you and “that” word. We promote uniqueness, value-driven benefits, creating an iron-cage of loyalty and referrals because of the service you provide.

In all of this, we know a damaging truth: the skill sets and products don’t vary tremendously among other contractors who call themselves “good”. The variance is how you market your particular company to create differentiation. Now, in the grips of an economic downturn, there is a word that has a sweet ring all its own:

Commodity.

If you and I were selling luxury yachts, or waterfront condos as a 2nd home, or any of a zillion businesses even remotely “optional” we’d be scanning the classifieds for work right now. Yet, in the contracting world of keeping homes comfortable and safe, with running water and a dry roof overhead, there is a silent word of thanks that this is our calling. Oddly, to offer a “necessity” becomes its own luxury. Yet, many contractors will do something that – as humans – gives us all reason to shake our heads in near disbelief.

They’ll go silent. They’ll hide. Presumably, they’re wondering if becoming invisible will make them visible. Sorry, I can’t figure it out either.

At the very point on the economically-dictated map when stepping into the light of availability would make the most sense, many contractors play hide and seek. The customer would prefer not to seek, but to find. Instantly, if possible. Thus, the cowering contractor who was “waiting to see how bad it really is” becomes his predictor of fate.

Yet the corollary to this assessment is where my best clients would rather I’d chosen to silence myself. It is that if enough contractors think invisibility is a good idea, then that throws the door open wide for them. It’s almost as if half, or more, of the competition has suddenly left the market.... which in true service terms, hasn’t diminished at all.

The HVAC system doesn’t read the newspaper, and will thus fail if it feels like it. In fact, more readily if unmaintained. The water heater is neither Republican nor Democrat, and will collect sludge at the same rate as always, choosing to rot at its normally scheduled time. My breaker box is just as old and crusty as most of Congress (yet more agreeable) and doesn’t change its rate of corrosion for anyone.

So, the service business is the same now as ever. Only difference is the fearful contractors are leaving it wide open, walking away as if the home’s systems are doing exercises at night to prevent failure. There’s even a sound argument that the service business will expand due to more “cocooning” (marketing speak for more time indoors, at home) resultant from the too-expensive off site vacations, restaurants, and entertainment. I for one agree, but don’t want to take you too far too fast, on the assumption that I somehow benefit from a “pro-marketing” push.

Oh, sure, we marketers always think marketing is “the” answer, and in my not-so-jaded reality voice, I contend it usually is the answer. But only to a problem that is related to generating phone calls, building image, recognition, RETENTION, and referrals. If you happened to notice one word in there more prominent than the others, there’s a reason.

I get paid most of my money to generate phone calls. So be it. You find this proclivity “mystical” but I find your ability to detect a leak you can’t see “other worldly”, so we’re even. So, my reverence and strongest advice is for retention right now. (You can call us to get your phone to ringing, but it’ll be a lot more expensive and quite honestly less productive than the following.)

See, “your” business economy is not currency. It’s customers. So, to go one alliterative step further, customers are your currency. They’re cash. They’re gold reserves. They’re your oil pipeline. And if any of those were in your physical possession, you’d do all in your power to “protect” those, right? Same thing here. Your focus upon your most valuable asset – customers – is premiere, right now, like no other time.

And for those of you who might slip into “fear-think” mode and say, “Hey, they already call me when they need me so I’ll just do nothing” are woefully misguided. I don’t know who told you that customers have 100% recall, 100% loyalty, and that all 100% have you on speed-dial, but sorry to let you know: they don’t. You think the American public doesn’t know and remember who Coca-Cola is? Then why-oh-why do they continue to remind us? Perhaps to continue building and maintaining their position of 65 year uninterrupted dominance in our brains, that’s why.

Your job is to service customers, not to disappear on them. So, if you want a marketing tip or two, be a good steward of both your resources and your customers by.…

Reach out. It’s not all about you – at least to your customers it isn’t. So when you make it about them you score every time. This is one reason why your newsletter is so important (ask for a free sample if you haven’t yet done yours for this season). You get to reach out to your customers about more than just their contracting needs – but you reinforce the relationship and their loyalty for when they do need you.
Remind. Do you remember everything that you’re supposed to do? Didn’t think so. So why would you think your customers remember every time their equipment needs to be serviced? Or who serviced it for that matter? Remind them that you can handle both for them with your branding and TOMA campaigns (call us if you don’t have one and we’ll get you started before more of your customers forget that they’re your customers).
Reward. If your customers repeatedly choose to buy from and refer you, why not make sure they’re getting something out if it? Use discounts, “bonus dollars” towards future services, or small gifts to reward them for their loyalty.
Respond. Your customers want to know that they’re being heard. That means when they call with questions, concerns, or outright complaints, you respond. When they know that you’re paying attention and not just ignoring them, they’ll know you really care – which strengthens the relationship and their loyalty to you.
Reap referrals. There’s no better way to gain automatic trust than through a referral. You’re covered under the umbrella of whoever referred you. And if you’re not asking for referrals, you’re missing one of the most valuable – and least effort – revenue streams available to your business. Not such a great idea with this economic forecast, eh? Call us for a free Endless Referrals report and start mining this high quality group now.

Before you say “why bother”, you may want to consider these cold hard facts:

It costs more to find a new customer than to keep an existing customer. It’s estimated that landing a new customer costs 5 to 20 times more than selling into an existing relationship. (Source: http://www.salesresources.com/)
Just a 10% improvement in customer retention results in a 30% increase in the value of the company: That’s absolutely huge, and although effort is involved, the process of implementing a sound customer retention strategy isn’t hard. (Source: Bain & Co.)
The probability of selling to an existing customer is 60-70%: And there’s only a 5-20% probability that you will sell to a new prospect. (Source: Marketing Metrics)
80% of your sales come from 20% of your customers. (Source: http://www.marketing.about.com/)
A 5% increase in customer retention can increase business profits by 25% to 125%: Read it again if you have to, because those increases again, are huge! (Source: Gartner Group and “Leading on the Edge of Chaos”, Emmett C. Murphy and Mark A. Murphy, 2003)

Neither of us can “change” the news. All we’re able to control is our reaction to it. Thus, the choices are to do nothing and cause that exact outcome in our business or to market prudently from a true stance of fearless invulnerability. I assure you, either choice will make a tremendous difference in your confidence, business and future.

The Great Email Backlash

noreply@blogger.com (Adams Hudson) — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 13:37:00 +0000

I hate it. We all hate it.

Email has turned into the digital telemarketer during dinner. It's too much, too often, and - in my lowly estimation – too cheap. I wish they'd charge for it so the spammers, slammers, and scammers could just go bother someone else.

In the meantime, you and I nearly dread the return from a vacation, finding inboxes crammed with promised millions, Viagra offers, male "enhancements" and some scandalous promise from the marketing world. (Yes, probably even me on occasion.)

So, the legitimate emailers of the world are sort of trapped by association. This very e-newslettter goes through massive filtration to keep out of the trash (though we lose a few some every issue) and has gotten 'dressed up' mightily over the years to maintain a credible presence. We've taken steps to greatly increase readership, get by the "wrong" filters though.

Many of you have ezines for clients who visit your website. Yahoo! Great move, that's an awesome babystep toward the relationship. But it cannot stop there, or in fact, it WILL stop there…. then retreat.

MarketingSherpa – an online marketing training company - conducted a study of 4,000 email/ezine publishers and found some startling news about email backlash. If you ONLY use email as a customer contact, they found that "Credibility and readership" were most at risk. Seems those might be important.

Shocker 2: They found many online, solely digital based businesses "finally" resorted to postal mail to drive customers to portal and commerce sites with resounding results. One seminar company ($40million in sales) that teaches how to make money on the internet found its biggest response to seminar attendance was from – gulp – postal mail.

Re-read the first 3 sentences of this article. Now read the rest of this article and the strategies you should consider now to grab your customer's attention while your competition is looking for the "cheap" way to drive them to boredom…

Bottom Line: Postal mail is back, in a big way.

Almost immediately, we launched a paper and ink newsletter mailed to our top clients (CRC and MegaMarketer members receive The Contractor MegaMarketer every month.) We've been bugging you about this trend, feeling it would only get worse. We were half right.

It got worse, but for two different reasons: "Distraction and interruption".

Whereas postal mail can be read at leisure, and other media can chosen or not, email continues to relentlessly 'bling' into place, ever heightening the stack of "unopened" mail, each begging for attention.… while some legitimate email lands in the SPAM folder for no discernable reason. (Case in Point: I'm doing a product exchange with a man I've communicated with for a couple months; today, without warning I see his proposal is in my SPAM folder…. and has been for 2 weeks. Why? He had a "dollar sign" in his email.)

It's Not A Youth Thing, Mega-Byte Breath

I was sure I was on the "other side" of the age group attempting to form a "Let's Kill the Sender of the Next Email I Didn't Request" party. But no, not by a rather long shot. And the "target" audience that contractors are after hate email more than you do!

So, here's where I admit I was half-wrong, twice in one article. Quoted from Vertis Communications study on readership habits and advertising response:

"Despite the rise of website, email and other electronically based advertisements, printed direct-mail marketing pieces are still widely read, especially by women ages 25 to 44.

"Eighty-five percent of women ages 25 to 44 (with email accounts) said they read printed direct-mail pieces compared to just 53 percent who read email advertisements. The percentage of young women who read email advertisements has not changed from 2005, when 54 percent indicated they viewed this type of marketing. Numbers for women 45-65 were 94% and 45%, increasing the email to postal gap markedly."

Double oops. Your "target" group prefers postal mail, and email readership hasn't gone up at all in 3 years. (Remember, the prediction was that the US Post Office would be nearly shut down by now!)

After a year of our print plus email versions, results have been astounding. We "point" from one to the other, engaging people at the level they prefer. Likewise, we point from email to web, web to phone, and mail to both. Email alone could never accomplish this. Also.…

Ever try finding 'that' email you so enjoyed 4 months ago? Sure, I can print it out and save it, but who does? But with "real" mail, I can keep up with it in one location quite handily. Mark it up, dog ear, write on it, rip a coupon and put it in my wallet.

Your strategy in a limping economy –

Build a huge, impenetrable fence around your customer base starting yesterday using a variety of media. Primary means is Direct Mail. Secondary means is Telephone (as thank you to every service visit, follow up to request referrals). Third means is email identified clearly as from you and NOT a solicitation.
Postal Mail contact frequency per customer: 4-12 times per year with at least 4 contacts as "soft sell" and/or educational pieces (newsletters, reminders, or other). Two to four more can be "celebratory" (birthday, anniversary, holiday, etc.) The remainder Direct Response offers.
IN ADDITION to above, you can email up to twice as often (since delivery rates are so pathetic) making sure every contact is run through a SPAM filter. More trigger words are added daily. CLICK HERE to get the most current list.

Remember, your credibility is contained in how you contact your customers. If YOU ONLY communicate in a way that's cheap and grossly overused, don't be surprised if you're "associated" thereby. Combine your contact methods. Let Postal mail "drive" customers to the phone and to your website; pound your name into their recall for their friends and neighbors.

Adams Hudson

P.S. Do you want credibility and readership from your customers? Click here to receive a free Customer Retention report and customer newsletter sample.

The Concept of the Common Villain, and the Ugliest Yellow Page Ad I Ever Saw in My Life

noreply@blogger.com (Adams Hudson) — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 15:55:00 +0000

Headline too lengthy? At 17 words, it's 3 over the "expert's" limit, but since you've now read this sentence, apparently "they" are wrong. Again. The problem with experts, policy, rules is that it is no sooner created than refuted in the area of human psychology and persuasion.

Yes, I list "rules" in my seminars and writings. I do this to keep it simple, clear, relatively concise – and I'll defend to the death that there is a place for such. The pie crust recipe on the box is just fine for "standard"; it's your mama who made it better. She made it hers.

So far, I've hinted at two marketing lessons relative to the headline. The first is the elusive "they", a band of mysterious experts that most would like to see beat up somewhere. The second is "standard", which although representative of the majority, virtually no one claims to be a member!

Both, as it turns out, are rather subtle "enemies". You identify with each on some level, desirous of stepping aside while they pass.

Then there are the flagrant enemies, worthy of banning together and bashing against the tyranny.

All good movies and books have them. All super-heroes have them. All fascinating lives have them. And I have mine in marketing: Thank Heaven for the villainous Yellow Pages.

I applaud their sales nastiness, their cunning, marginally deceptive strong-armed tactics. I adore their awful, underperforming ads, dripping with world-class creative incompetence. I love that they're a really big, really expensive, and – in the realm of ad creation – an easily beaten foe. A Goliath needs a David. I have been happy to accept the role, however poorly, crudely, or undeservedly.

The ad agencies told me, not so politely, that I was insane to "charge" for a YP ad that the publisher would do for free. We started doing these because we knew we could do a better job than the schlock "they" did. And we could guarantee them. (Currently a 97% "keeper" rate! Something MUST be working!) We were paid, and the ads worked.

Oddly, that wasn't the main value.

Whenever I mentioned the Yellow Pages in a seminar or article, we found a near-rabid, froth-at-the-mouth, "Let's storm Frankenstein's castle!" type of rage toward the Yellow Pages. Contractors were livid, impassioned with stories of, well "un-nice" things. I'd stumbled upon "the enemy". Hallelujah.

Over the years, you've supported helping us take Goliath if not to his knees, at least a couple well placed shots to the shins. Thousands of you have gotten better ads (mine and your customer's opinions.… not always yours!) that saved you money, generated more leads, and got you to consider investing some of those saving with this "crazy marketing guy". It's been an honor.

You too have enemies to flail in front of your customers.

A few in our PowerPack in case you missed them, but whether you have that product of ours, take a gander at the "enemy" line up that causes your customer to sit up, take notice, and hopefully take out a pen to sign the "Bid Acceptance" form….

The Government – We yelled at them for the 1.6 gallon toilets (in the Plumbing PowerPack) and for their handling of the 10-12 SEER efficiency change. We did the "end around" for the efficiency rebates. (Greg Gill did over $2million is sales by himself with that promo. Showed that ad to a combination of applause and shock at two conferences. Mega Members have it.) We've used the Government as a "friend" when needed to support facts and figures. It's all marketing.

The Utility - If you can't make these guys enemies, you're WAY too nice. The rate shifts, profit gouging (perceived), and the assumption that all energy bills are going up, all the time, even while you sleep. Showing an ROI on energy – NOT PAYBACK! – is easier than my daughter's 9th grade math homework, by far.

The Competition – Be careful here. What you want is a "General" acceptance that "many" contractors make you wait too long, or don't show up at all, or "seem" to disappear when there's a warranty claim. That's easy because it's true. But customers need reminding. And many contractors don't drug test, or train beyond the "can you please walk upright" test, but YOU do drug test, and you send your techs/CSRs to school regularly. Plus, "others" may confuse the homeowner (undoubtedly) but you show prices up-front, and explain what you're doing. Guarantees separate you even farther.

The "Business As Usual" Approach – This is the "Whatever happened to Customer Service?" that McD and others have so ungraciously numbed us to. Making a point of follow-up, sending newsletters, thank you cards, and appointment reminders are not just me trying to 'sell' you something, it's for you to be a standout in a sea of Customer Disservice. Heck, I just spent a year on a CSR package because this industry needs to step out of the shadows. Making an 'enemy' out of sorry service is easier than Michael Phelps kicking rear in Marco Polo. You're different from the "norm"; make that thoroughly obvious.

Yourself – Funny one to pick, but you're different.… remember? You bought too many, you bought too late, you understaffed for the season, you forgot there was a price-increase coming ("so act before I change the price books"), you over-allowed/under-allowed for the mild weather. Oh, you can't "admit" a mistake to your adoring public? Then please show us the X-rays of the printed circuitry where your brain is supposed to be. We make mistakes; humans admit them; customers accept them.… and raise their trust of you while they buy accordingly.

If you're not employing enemies in your work, you're failing at the "contrast" customers use when they buy. Check your PowerPack for more, or call us to get you started.

QUESTIONS:

How can I make an obvious 'differentiation' in my business in every phone call? Every ad? Every form? Every customer contact?
Do my techs and CSRs know how we're different? Do they regularly "position" us favorably against the enemies and threats customers face?
WHAT IS THE UGLIEST YELLOW PAGE AD ever in the history of the universe? (Okay, it's not the ugliest, but it IS the one we chose for the Free Yellow Page Ad Makeover to be given away at Comfortech! Come by EXHIBIT 132 to see all the critiques! Or you can "CLICK HERE" to get the full report when it's published. This should be a hoot!

Is Your Business Enhanced with Each Job?

noreply@blogger.com (Adams Hudson) — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 13:54:00 +0000

Oops, I did it again. (Apologies to Ms. Spears, perhaps the only one she’s gotten in awhile.) But I – well, “we” since my wife is an accomplice – bought another project. It’s an old, dilapidated, run-down house, exactly the condition we like. Seems to be a theme with me: “HEY LOOK! There’s a project where I’ll need contractors in my work life AND nonexistent spare time! I’ll take it!”

Basically, I take all the money I earn from contractors and then give it right back to contractors. It’s one big circle of love. Or is it a slow moving drain?

The Realtor, attempting encouragement of said house, “Adams, you could do part of it and just leave the rest as it is.” This is like saying, “Michelangelo, if you get tired of doing that ceiling, you could just sheet rock over the rest of it.”

In an attempt to appear prudent, we hired a real architect and a real contractor.

Electrical – Complete rewiring. The old box had been painted shut in the 80’s, apparently just after the wiring was “upgraded” by Medusa’s hair stylist. It looked like a nest of light green snakes. Some switches in the house worked; I think a few of them were merely decorative to cover up the fist holes.

Plumbing – There were two bathrooms, sort of. One of the toilets was dated 1965, and worked, but it’s “per flush” volume was enough to cause area lakes to shift slightly. The other one swayed like a drunken Frat boy, and was about as presentable. My wife looked at each plumbing item and labeled them all with the technical term: “Gross”.

HVAC – Far as I could tell, there wasn’t an “H”, “V”, “A” or “C” worth keeping. Some contraption had been installed about 2” beneath the deck, whereupon its hot humid blower had rotted a 3 foot hole in the deck. One peek under the house revealed “ductwork” apparently engineered by Dr. Seuss of “Whoville Air Conditioning.” It had more kinkiness and joints than a backstage Hip Hop party.

Roofing – The most amazing thing: It didn’t leak, but it gave you that false sense of confidence of wearing, say, paper pants in a windstorm. Things could go bad wrong, quickly. You’ve heard of 20-year shingles? These were the slightly less reliable 90 minute version.

Aside from this, the house was perfect. So, why’d we do this project? Three reasons, only one of them makes any sense at all….

Item 1: Insanity in the face of a historical artifact. Item 2: Hoping to make what house flippers call a “profit” to fund a kitchen renovation at our “real” house. Since my wife and I timed this perfectly, we’ve invented a new term called “House Floppers”, where profit exists only in theory right before you buy it. Then there was Item 3.

The house is a 1,700 foot, late Victorian cottage, probably a 1920’s build date which makes it one of the oldest on this calm cul-de-sac across from a small but well-regarded college. It’s also about 300 feet from my city’s oldest Country Club. Property values – even in this “Chicken Little Real Estate” market – have remained healthy.

So we jumped in, blithely disregarding that item known as “logic”. Couple notes from the files - -
Plumbing – They did an awesome job. This was a well-respected company (not a one-horse sub like we’d expected) and it showed. They came when they said, did their work neatly, and got out of there. Very fair. I’d call ‘em for my home, no doubt. You think they knew about my kitchen renovation?

Electrical – Not so good. He was cheap, but we “paid” for expensive in many ways. One example: he made way too many return trips, each causing a Domino effect delay in the process. He’d walk right past dead outlets, never suggesting he replace them. The problem is his cheap subconscious: “If it sounds like I’m ‘selling’ they won’t like me.” My subconscious to his: “Oh shut up – be a pro and suggest what you know is correct and let me decide.” He had two minor flirts with dementia. First, he put the plug for the microwave/stove vent IN FRONT OF THE VENT. This makes access mighty difficult. Second, he mounted the doorbell chime SIDEWAYS. My 14-year old daughter didn’t even know what it was and asked me, “Why is that thing mounted sideways?”

If this person were our city’s only electrician, demand for candles would skyrocket. I wonder if he knows there are other electricians in town. Nah, he’s blaming his woes on the economy.

HVAC – This is the same company that did the plumbing. They did a great job, but unwisely failed to ask me if I wanted a higher SEER option on the original quote. Probably figured I’d be romanced by the low bid (understandable in the circumstances, but offering an upsell “option” is wise.) Had a refrigerant leak, they came and swapped out compressors instantly, no hassle. I’d call ‘em again. In fact, I already did.

Roofing – We went ahead and bit the asphalt bullet on this one. Just ripped the old one off and started over. Good thing too. Decking was a bigger sponge than Arsenio Hall’s entourage. Now it’s level, sound, firm, warranted, and a boost to buyer’s confidence. Plus, I hate complainers, and didn’t want to hear some buyer boo-hooing about the roof later. I’d use him again. Oh wait, already did.

One costly upgrade: My wife wanted Cedar Shakes on the front porch of the house. It looked great but added about $2grand to the $7,600 quote. My cheap gene over-reacted to her decision in a somewhat notable fashion. (More later.)

Finally, after roughly 700 contractors had done their work, the house was about 90% complete, and a prospect peered through the window with the very same Realtor® who sold us the house. They call me, locate the key, and go through the house with the cell phone on. I hear gasps of excitement about the hardwood floors, the refinished mantles, gorgeous ceramic tile work, and good paint colors.

After a few minutes of questions, the phone is handed to the purchaser who has been through the house and tells me “it’s just what I’m looking for.”

He wants to just look at it from the outside, “Oh my gosh!” he exclaims, which I thought meant he saw a cloud of termites emerge from the chimney. “Look at the cedar shakes over the porch. They make this house the best looking one on the street.” Forty minutes later, he makes a thoroughly acceptable offer.

And I make a thoroughly sheepish apology to my wife. (Guys, do this about 4 times a year, whether you need to or not. On second thought, you need to.)

Laughably, there won’t be any profit on this house, other than lessons learned and the “joy” of resurrecting an old house. We spent about $90,000 in renovation, and I figure about $40,000 of that was spent among 6 contractors I’ll never use again. The painter was over-exposed to solvents; the tile guy had one speed, known as “idle”; the cabinet guys had the collective IQ of a stapler. And so it went. Unbeknownst to them, their business suffers with each job. Think that through. Word of mouth does have a reverse feature.

Yet the others proved themselves to be worthy of the term “contractor”. Their business is enhanced with each job. How about yours?

For those worthy of the Contractor title, I’d like you to have a poster for your workplace. It’s called “The Contractors Code of Profession” and you can go grab yours here, under one condition – You promise to read it through, and if you agree, display it to remind you of your true work. And if you want to be a standout from the competition, get a sample of our custom newsletter here.

Take Nothing For Granted

noreply@blogger.com (Adams Hudson) — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 20:03:00 +0000

Woe is me. Seems my last editorial about a laparoscopy which was really a “colonoscopy” but who cares?) didn’t go over that well with some of the more “delicate” readers, one of whom simply wrote “GROSS!” on her re-faxed copy. How’d I know it was from a female? Because guys think burping and making noises with their armpits is hilarious; we don’t gauge gross…. we ARE gross!

Thus my apologies for mentioning the word “spleen” in an editorial. So today, in an effort to seek editorial “balance” we’re going to talk about ingrown toenails. JUST KIDDING.
Today, we’re going to talk about family stuff. (There’s a marketing lesson in case you were wondering.)

I’m a father of two teenagers. A few years back, they both thought I contained all the knowledge in the universe and could uproot trees bare-handed. I was protector, professor, and pro-wrestler in one package.

My, how times have changed.

Now they look at me in amazement if I can complete an actual sentence. I’ve determined that they see the world divided into two camps —

Teenagers = Cool beyond description, smarter than all other humanoids; highly adept and thoroughly relevant.
Parents = None of the above.

Almost as painful in print as at dinner. Yet, they cannot argue the following point: We’ve been teenagers.

We’ve been equally sure as we were ‘un’; equal parts child and adult, madly flip-flopping like a decked mackerel on any of a thousand points. We escaped into our music, our hair, our clothes, and whatever gadgets, authors, or movements supported our call to independence. We failed to see the irony that we were “being different” all together. Silly us. And then there were drugs.

Our contrarian, thrill-seeking, independent rebellion couldn’t be more “individualized” than taking our own personal vacation from reality. Yet what was once fringe element is now mainstream. And then there was sex.

What was once shameful and stigmatized, now called courageous and bold. What once was cleaned-up pornography in the brown wrapper behind the gruff man at the convenience store is now two clicks away from anywhere. (Such as wherever they are right this second.) Oh, and it’s not cleaned up. And then there were my children. And your children.

Time Together, Time Alone

This summer, I decided to take a week off every month. (Some may recall that I took off every Friday and Monday last summer. Just experimenting here. Next year I’m contemplating taking a month off every week.)

In June, we took a real-live, old-fashioned, “Are We There Yet” car trip through various states. In each state, I did what all of you do to commemorate the visit: Flailing my arm in the back seat area while driving to swat the first person I could reach, proclaiming, “YOU’RE BOTH WRONG BECAUSE YOU’RE DRIVING ME INSANE.” This of course was said in a loving sort of way. Ah yes, car trips.

We learned far more about each other than we did about geography.

In July, I took my daughter to JH Ranch (http://www.jhranch.com/) for a week, as I did with my son last year. This is a Christian-based adventure camp, where dumb dads help figure out different strategies with their children, or have “fun” dangling 60 feet in the air suspended by wires, or raft down a river screaming “PLEASE DO NOT HIT THAT ROCK”. Stuff like that.

The staff is remarkably well-trained, safe and courteous. They cook, clean, guide and care-take all summer with a service attitude that’d rival a 5 star resort. This is made more remarkable by two little facts: 1) They’re college-age students and 2) They’re 90% volunteer. Translation: No pay. They work for smiles and a higher calling. If they actually represented the majority youth of America, then America’s youth is just fine. Yet if they only serve as examples to my children, that’s great too.

This trip was of life long value. So you may be asking….

Did I buy a “camp experience”? A Christian experience? Did I buy rafting, tower climbing, rock jumping, and learning to sleep in an un-air conditioned cabin with 9 other dads? Yes, some of all. But mostly, I bought time with my little girl.

We got time alone, and time together. This is in precious, rare supply while at home. I’m usually doing the Dagwood Bumstead off to work; she’s doing whatever 14 year-olds do that don’t involve Dad. During this week, we found out that each of us are people, bred of the stock they call family, unified through a gift as miraculous as it is taken for granted. Its called time. We enjoyed each other’s company enough to make more time to be together.

My advice: Take nothing for granted. The time you get with your children and anyone else you consider “valuable” is a gift we don’t get to re-wrap and open again. Some of you are into grandchildren, and that message is truer than ever.

Relationships CAN’T flourish through reduced contact. Even dumb ol’ dads know this.

QUESTIONS to consider:

Who are you NOT in contact with enough? What can you do to change that right now?
Do you think your customers KNOW you’re their contractor? If ‘no’, is this because you don’t contact them? How can you change that?