Forget The Politics Of The Following

This editorial has nothing to do with Global Warming (or that my 430 horsepower car is contributing to it, so just BACK OFF!), or Health Care issues, or even hanging chads. It has everything to do with presentation of your message. Whew. I bet I still get hate mail, sued, or potentially both.

McCain won New Hampshire. Romney came in second. McCain is the best speaker and presenter. Romney is second best. Please notice the parallel. No, this isn't always the case, but for a job in which your presentation can override presumption, it is of tremendous, far-reaching consequence.

I have blabbed to you frequently about "image" and "relationship building," which I realize are weenie and conceptual topics for this contracting audience. I knew that then; I know it now. But it doesn't mean the value is diminished. Quite the contrary. Here we are talking about the Presidency of the United States, where everything is measured, weighed, and scrutinized including whether there's an over-abundance of ear hair before entering the voting booth. And yet "we the contractors" feel the public turns a blind eye when inviting a "trustworthy, reliable, and honest" person into their home.

It's "packaging," boys and girls. And if I don't like yours, I'm not calling. If I KNOW that "Toothless and T-shirted Larry" can frame a wall or unstop a drain or bang in shingles better than you, then he's proven himself. But if I don't know that as 100% of his hopeful "acquisition market" does NOT, then he's not getting the call. Doesn't matter how cheap he is, and it sure doesn't matter how good he is because I'm never going to find out.

The market has moved. The retailization of Contractors isn't just here, it's being modified as we speak.

The bar has moved. "Fast Service" is a sad threshold to tout, as nullified as saying "Color TV!" on your Hotel Marquis. Quantify your service speed and excellence to me.

The sales environment has moved. When Og heated his cave with a stick fire, that was "good enough" for Ug. Sadly, Og's commodity-thinking is still pervasive (with commensurate image) in product, solution, and presentation. Homeowner's are 3 clicks, 1 cell phone call, or 0.2 seconds from specific, personal, adaptive, custom solutions for virtually every whim they have. When your online florist reminds you of your anniversary AND your wife's preference AND suggests a complimentary gift for your receptionist (strategy right there), it'd be reasonable that your contractor could remind, schedule, and professionally upsell with appreciated services, too. All automated, by the way. Og'll never know what hit him.

The credibility quotient has moved. You think I need to read another story about elder rip-offs, break-ins, child abduction, or assorted scams to think "just any contractor" is fine in my house with my wife and children? Sorry, welcome to the millennia of unquenchable skepticism countered only by burden of proof, most of it yours. Did we mention your image and relationship building yet?

3 Strategies to Differentiate in 2008

Effective "packaging" and presentation strategies are well-known. We've been pushing a few, worth re-mentioning (and more detail in the links below) but make your move toward: 1) Customer Retention with a referral campaign linked inside it. This has moved way beyond newsletters: live or electronic follow ups, automated reminders, website involvement. 2) Publicity and PR. Huge this year. The ACCA Conference has an entire seminar devoted to it; some of the strategies revealed have NOT been popular with everyone! 3) Cluster Control of neighborhoods. Sequential surround mail, door hangers, thank you's, all intertwined.

These are exciting times. Made more exciting by the contractor willing to change his or her thinking to embrace. Know that the marketing methods we squawk about are less about lining my pocket and more about you raising your company's image and "attractor factor" now. More than ever, 2008 is poised to surge contractor choices in your market, thus "distancing" your company from the other candidates will never be more important.

Regardless of who provides your marketing solutions, make sure your "Differentiate in 2008" campaign cry is well-known. Let the "voters" choose you. The attraction to great packaging is not "debatable" nor is it new...

Post-debate television interviews, for the first time ever, were able to calculate millions of voters who "instantly" shifted their Presidential preference to a well-packaged candidate named John F. Kennedy in late September of 1960. All due to their admitted bias that "He just looked and sounded so good."

I'm voting for you to do the same.