What reached out and grabbed our SFS site readers during 2011? This recap let’s you know what our little “band of brothers” focused on last year. WHAT? You STILL haven’t acted on any of these ideas? REALLY? Well- I’m giving you ONE MORE CHANCE with this review. Just don’t let 2012 leave you in its dust. And if you happened to miss any of these practical articles, sign up now for our emailed-every-Tuesday QuickTIPS. (We link to all the newest posts in each weekly tip. Sign up here.)
Steve
#1- Five bucks to get started off right with your carpet cleaning client
This is the perfect marketing combo- powerful AND cheap! Soothing your customer’s fear of letting a unknown tech into their home is smart marketing and the “right thing to do”. Don’t over complicate this. A simple photo ID badge not only give your customers confidence. ID badges also send a message to your employees that they will be held accountable for their actions. Wonderful!
#2- Burning out with janitorial in New Zealand!
Cleaners world wide are fighting with burn-out.How can a New Zealand owner-operator provide for his family short term while also building “something of value” to support his retirement? Good question! Steve says you must not only work IN your business you must also work ON your business! Sounds like a plan for 2012 don’t ya think?
#3- How to get plumber water damage referrals- FREE!
No surprise- how to get plumber’s fighting to refer their water loss calls to you was hugely popular in 2011. Even better, Ivan Turner (who is actually DOING this stuff) shares a program that is FREE! (Ivan says giving “kickbacks” is a slippery slope that you don’t want to start down.) Reach out to local plumbers NOW with Ivan’s concepts!
#4- Winning Over the “Price Shopper” (Without losing your shirt!)
This one is a classic. Thanks to our recent (some say “ongoing”!) Great Recession it is now fashionable for even your well-heeled customers to “haggle” on price. Don’t blow these people off by dismissing them as “dirty, rotten Price Shoppers”! Instead, play their game AND still make money! Stop the insanity. Read this information.
#5- A simple card to warn (and soothe) your carpet cleaning customer
This one surprised us on how popular it was. But hey- the simplest ideas are the most effective. Those sweet little interactions we call Moments of Truth in SFS add up to create a Customer Cheerleader. Remember that a Customer Cheerleader is your ticket to a fulfilling, profitable business now AND eventually a fabulous retirement!
So what did our most popular 2011 posts tell us about business in the year to come? Simple! Humans will always be human. So focus on the Emotional Dynamics of why people buy from (and refer) you and 2012 will be a great year!
This is EXACTLY the stuff that Jon-Don’s Strategies for Success focuses on! So check out the schedule for your upcoming Strategies for Success seminars HERE. Hope to see you there!
I just stumbled upon your site a few weeks ago, but we’ve been a Jon-Don customer for a lot of years. I was impressed to read Ivan Turner’s articles on Plumber Referrals. I know Ivan and I highly respect his opinion on marketing (I actually called him today for some business advice), but our company chooses to go the alternative route of “paying to play.” We rebuilt our company four years ago on this very concept…Paying $400 to every plumber that gives us a lead that we sign up…All I can say is, it works for us.
Those relationships maybe founded on dollars, but they’ve built into true business relationships. We have instituted a type of working relationship that would make a plumber feel like he was cheating on us if they dared to give business to another restoration company. This has become more evident in the last six months when a new company came to town offering $500 for every job. Each one of our plumbers called us personally, and told us about their interactions with this new company (if they were going to give business to someone else, they never would have told us). With that being said, we know first-hand that the money we have given has helped some plumbing techs keep from losing their houses and some plumbing company owners keep from losing their best techs (and thereby losing their business). This is not make-believe…These people have told us this.
I wish I could post a picture of the banner, but in mid-December 2011, we had a Christmas party at our office for the plumbers. On the wall was an 8 foot banner that read: “So far in 2011, DEC Fire & Water Restoration has given $181,200.00 in referral fees…How much did you get?” I can’t tell you how much those guys are still talking about that banner. All I tell them is, by the end of the year, that figure topped $200k… Now they all want to be a part of it.
We also added a new caveat to the program that has our plumbers recommending new plumbers and the original plumber gets $100 for each referral the new plumber sends (up to the first five). Now THEY are becoming part of OUR marketing team, too.
We know this is not tithes, this is not donations, and this is not charity…This is simply giving back to someone that gives to you.
Y’all let me know what you think…And, oh yeah…Roll Tide!!!
Jay Compton
DEC Fire & Water Restoration
Birmingham, AL
Wow, Jay. One of our best written comments ever! Thank you.
I honestly don’t think you and Ivan are all that far apart. Both of you are focused on “partnering” with the plumber and what a great concept it is! Please don’t be a stranger here and I can tell already I’d love to see you and your key people at a SFS seminar!
Steve
PS With DEC’s focus on building relationships our “Value Added Service for Technicians”(VAST) seminar at your location would be a perfect fit. Read more about VAST on the drop down menu above under “About SFS”.