From a business standpoint, Pinterest may be the next best social media community and an opportunity to connect with your customers in a powerful way. If women are your target market, you are in the right place. A flat out sales pitch is not a good first approach. Consider instead how to make friends and influence people. Social media is replacing the backyard fence. Relationships first. Then, add some relevant, entertaining images of what you do, why and how…

That’s Right, 2 cents a contact! What is it? Email Marketing. The fastest, easiest, and most effective way to communicate with your customer base is also the least expensive. Creating a customized campaign is not as difficult as you may think.

I speak with plumbers all the time. The biggest question I ask is what are you doing differently to grow your business? Maybe when starting a business the most important consideration is the technical aspect of getting the job done and doing it right. That remains to be an important aspect in business, however as the business grows and matures many other aspects become equally important.

Sales, Marketing, advertising, brand identity; Fleet Management, etc just to name a few. It reminds me of a restaurant I went to once. It had just opened and the food was great! The next time we decided to go there, it had closed. We never saw any local ads, coupons, etc. That just goes to prove, you can have the best {fill in the blank}, but if no one knows about it, the business will not grow. In summary having a great technical skill is just one aspect of running a business.

Gauging what customers think of you is a fundamental business duty. The card attached is part of the back cover of our job ticket forms. It is printed on perforated postcard stock, enabling the customer to tear it out and drop it in the mail. The backside is a postage-paid self-mailer. This makes it simple for customers to respond.

We generally receive between 125-150 of these replies each month, about 5% of our total customer calls. They help us monitor the job done by our telephone service employees, as well as tell us things every businessperson ought to know about his/her firm. By reading between the lines you also extract useful information about customer psychology.

Here’s a summary of some of the more important things we find out:

I picked up my phone, “Welcome to Bare Bones Biz…ready to make more money?” That’s our standard greeting.

“Yes, I am. I called you because you may be able to help me achieve my goal.”

“Why, I would be happy to help you reach your goal,” I replied. Then, we introduced ourselves and visited for a few minutes about life and weather.

“OK, what’s your goal?” I asked.

“To be the biggest plumbing company in the world,” he replied.

“Great. Good for you. How many employees do you have now?” I asked.

“It’s just me. My wife helps with the bookkeeping.”

“It’s a start. Let’s set up a time to visit for a half hour. I’ll send over a brief Questionnaire. Just fill it out and fax it back and that will help me get an understanding of your business as it stands now. Please, send over your financial reports, too, and we can hit the ground running when we visit on our next call.” I do this so that I don’t get caught up in the heat of the moment. If he is committed to his goal, he’ll do this much.

Once again Service Roundtable will be hosting our exclusive seminar, Brand U, the first day of HVAC Comfortech. The seminar will be held in the Baltimore Convention Center making it convenient for our members to attend. Keynoted by Drew Cameron of HVAC Sellutions, we’ve assembled a panel of contractors who have taken their companies to the next level through branding and they are ready to share their insight and wisdom with you!!

You may remember seeing Benjamin Franklin Plumbing®, Mister Sparky, America’s On Time Electrician®, and One Hour Heating & Air Conditioning® appear on The Celebrity Apprentice recently. In their episode, the first ever featuring a service company, wily project manager Bret Michaels came up with catchy and creative jingles that won Mr. Trump’s challenge and the hearts of the company’s executives. These catchy jingles are now being used nationwide by the brands.

Is your furnace, boiler or air conditioning on its last leg or costing too much to operate? Then let Blau come up with the solution. Our installation department can replace your present equipment with Space Age technology at down-to-earth prices. Make an appointment today with our customer service assistant who will be with you in just a moment.

This is an one of one of eight messages our customers hear when they get put on hold after calling our company. Here’s another:
Thank you for calling. We’re proud to be the only company in town serving over 24,000 satisfied plumbing, heating, and air conditioning customers yearly. Please hold just a moment longer.

Serendipity: The faculty of happening upon fortunate discoveries when not in search of them.
I love the moments that take me completely by surprise. When I expect one thing and find another. The other day I received a call from a woman named Cathy…

“Hi Ellen, I read your article in the local business journal and I would like to invite you to our association meeting.”

“Well, how thoughtful of you,” I replied. “What is the name of your group?”

Proudly, Cathy answered, “The Home Based Businesses of the Ozarks.”

Immediately, I pictured a room full of good ol’ boys in overalls. “Hi I’m Billy, owner of Hillbilly Billy’s Moonshine. Try a snort of this!”

I collected myself and replied, “Gosh, thanks, Cathy. When do you meet?” I was stalling for time, trying to think of a gracious way to decline.

“We meet the second Tuesday of every month. In fact, Ellen, we would really like you to come and speak to our group about how to make more money. Profitability is always a hot topic in our break-out discussion groups.”

Now, I am all about helping people make more money. Cathy was asking me to do just that. Sigh. I agreed to go to the next meeting as a guest, and get a feel for the group. I could do my presentation the following month.

“OK, Cathy, I’m in. Where do you meet?”

“You know the Smitty’s grocery store at the corner of National and Republic? There is a little coffee shop in there. That’s where we meet.”

Sure it is.

Your trucks pass hundreds, if not thousands, of customers and prospects every day. Truck graphics provide a wonderful opportunity to generate brand awareness. Your truck graphics can make consumers familiar with your logo, company name, services and contact information.

Just adding this information to your trucks, isn’t enough. Put yourself in consumers’ shoes. Are they staring at your trucks, hanging on every word, the same way you do? Sadly, no. Some are engrossed in their radio programs; many are distracted by street signs, billboards, store signage; and a scary number are focused on their cell phone conversations. The point is, to get the most out of your “moveable billboards,” you need to think carefully and creatively about your truck graphics.