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SERVICE TECHS - What minimum sales revenue goal does your company expect from you every week?
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View Survey Results
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VIDEO: The Science Of Selling
Courtesy of the PBS series Frontline
Can marketers really get inside a consumer's head to influence the choice they will make? For market researcher Clotaire Rapaille, the answer is yes. He believes all purchasing decisions really lie beyond conscious thinking and emotion and reside at a primal core in human beings. As chairman of Archetype Discoveries Worldwide, he helps Fortune 500 companies discover the unconscious associations for their products . . .
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VIDEO: How Your Website Can Generate Leads
Here is a great video interview featuring contractor website consultant Aaron O'Hanlon of Footbridge Media. In this video he talks about some of the things needed for contractors to be able to get actual leads and service calls from their website. Watch this informative video and see if your website measures up. . . .
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AUDIO: Generate More Leads For Your Company
Tele-Seminar With Aaron O'Hanlon
By Joe Crisara
Contractor website consultant Aaron O'Hanlon of Footbridge Media is our guest in a fun and informative teleconference designed to help you avoid the biggest mistakes that contractors make when building their websites. Has the internet become the new yellow pages? For many contractors the internet has already surpassed the yellow pages as their prime source for service calls and sales leads. . . .
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E-Book: Referrals On Auto-Pilot
By Joe Crisara
These 64 powerful referral strategies will help you when you are brainlocked and cannot think of what to do to get the phones ringing. This E-Book contains some of the most powerful proven ideas that I have seen to "make it rain" customers in the middle of your toughest draught. Read through these ideas and implement what you feel will work best with your business. . . .
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The Referral IQ Test: Would You Pass?
By Joe Crisara
Many people doubt the validity of getting referrals as an actual mix of their marketing. By accident, many people get referred by customers that love them. So let's face it, referrals start by doing great service that people notice. In my thinking, if you can make something happen on accident, then you can make it happen on purpose. As usual, the reason something doesn't work is usually screwed up in the beginning not at the point the problem is apparent. Let me go over the most effective way to get referrals. . . .
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DOWNLOAD: The Science of Sales Letters
ContractorSelling.Com Exclusive
Sales letters can be a powerful and effective way to communicate your message to your customer or they can be a colossal waste of time and money. This course will ensure that yours do not fall into the second category! By the time you've completed this course, you will have created a sales letter that applies scientific research, emotional appeal and persuasive communication to hit its mark . . .
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ARTICLE: Weatherproof Your Service Contracting Business
By Joe Crisara
Have you ever felt like you are at the bottom of the barrel and you have no calls or opportunities coming in? Things seem hopeless? The phone isn't ringing or worse yet it is only ringing with vendors calling to look for their payment? If so, then you remind me of myself early in my contracting career when I didn't have a clue about what to do. You are left with two choices as I was back then. . . .
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DOWNLOAD: Referral Letter
The best qualified sales leads you can get come from asking satisfied customers to refer their friends and neighbors to use your service. While it makes sense to ask customers face-to-face for advice about getting more referrals, it is also wise to have a standard letter available to use for this. A letter often makes it easier for the customer to give it some thought of who would be the best referrals for you, and to get back to you at their convenience. . . .
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ARTICLE: High Response With Low Cost Post Cards
By Footbridge Media
Picture this...Tom arrives home from work, parks his car in his driveway, and walks to his mailbox. It's cold out, so he hustles. He reaches inside, pulls out the day's deliveries, and then hurries inside the house. After greeting his family, he begins to sort through the mail. Tom's a busy guy and doesn't like clutter, so he doesn't need much of a reason to throw mail in the trash. . . .
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DOWNLOAD: PR - Energy Audit Can Dent Energy Costs
By Joe Crisara
This is a template you can use for a press release or info ad in your local newspaper. This is inspired by a piece done in the local paper for one of our New York clients who greatly profited by the coverage his company received because of the story, He had hundreds of calls after the press release ran which in turn created opportunity to provide solutions and gain new clients. . . .
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DOWNLOAD: Neighbors Going Green Mailer
By Joe Crisara
This download is a post card type mailer that is not trade specific and is meant to generate a "Home Energy Improvement" evaluation. This evaluation could be anything form a blower door test to an evaluation of the HVAC, plumbing and electrical lighting plan. The headline plays on the trigger of social validation in that the neighbors are trying to save energy . . .
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ARTICLE: Study Shows Some "Green" Marketing Off Code
By Joe Crisara
As the service contracting industry moves forward into the new "Green" future there are many who are looking to market to customers concerned about global warming and the environment. Could it be that some, if not all of their efforts are "off code" and will do very little to spark interest in the consumer? If you have paid to run advertising or marketing that will trigger a "green" consumer . . .
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DOWNLOAD: Customer Thank You Card
This is a "Customer Thank You Card" that you can download, modify and use to send out to your customers at the completion of each call. Many companies report a high response rate to this simple but effective "in-house" campaign that keeps a steady flow of customers coming in the door. . . .
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DOWNLOAD: Restore Energy Tune Up Card
By Joe Crisara
This download is an air conditioner maintenance tune up card that can be used to mail to specific neighborhoods, cities or counties. Please download and modify the file which was created in MS Publisher. Maintenance calls are great ways to stir service opportunities for HVAC businesses and this card features a picture of a middle aged couple and a quote from the U.S. Department of Energy. . . .
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DOWNLOAD: Customer Appreciation Referral Card
By Julie Crisara
This Customer Appreciation Referral Card can be used as part of your on going and continuous customer marketing program. This grass roots refferal program can be used to reward customers who have referred a friend or neighbor to your company. You can change the dollar amount to reward customers for their kindness in telling other about you. . . .
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Creating Leads & Opportunity Thru Ticket Analysis
By Julie and Joe Crisara
In this segment of Office Works TV we examine the invoice turn in and paperwork flow through process. Specifically we cover the many opportunities to create a more functional outcome to service and sales opportunities. We cover how to save lost revenue and profit as well as how to trade repairs towards installations after the service call is complete . . .
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VIDEO: Morey San Diego Living Feature Video
This video is from a friend of mine Jeff Morey or Morey Plumbing, Heating & Air. His company was featured on a local news show called "San Diego Living" which features a new local business. Jeff did a great job of being media friendly which in turn gave him some built in credibility. Media opportunities like this are all around us if we look for them. . . .
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ARTICLE: Get the Business You Wish For by Standing Out
By Tom Richard
A few years ago I was tasked by my company to hire someone for a marketing position. The ad was posted and the floodgates were opened. We received hundreds upon hundreds of resumes for one, single position. As I sifted through about 500 resumes, I quickly grew a new appreciation for Human Resource managers who do this every day. However, as I looked at this mountain of paperwork, . . .
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DOWNLOAD: Plumbing Water Heater Marketing
By Joe Crisara
This is a special report type of marketing article that can be used in many different ways to stimulate a call when people wouldn't normally call. In this case you are appealing to people who normally just "live with" hot water running out during the second shower. You can use this in many different media delivery methods that is only limited by your imagination. . . .
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Footbridge Media Website & Marketing Package
FootBridge Media brings you a complete website marketing program designed specifically for contractors. With our Complete Marketing System for Contractors, we take care of everything you need to get a powerful web presence and referral tools for your business. . . .
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VIDEO: Persuasive Selling
Persuasion happens on every sales call. Either the client persuades you that they would be better off not buying services and products from you or you persuade them that they would benefit. There is no denying that persuasion in the cornerstone of all sales. In this rare interview with Robert Cialdini who is regarded as one of the founding fathers of the study of human behavior regarding sales and marketing, . . .
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E-BOOK: The Green Glossary
GREEN is a term now widely used to describe buildings designed and constructed with minimal negative impact to the environment and with an emphasis on conservation of resources, energy efficiency, and healthful interior spaces. Sustainability is measured in three interdependent dimensions: the environment, economics, and society--often referred to as the triple bottom line. . . .
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DOWNLOAD: HVAC "Saved Our Marriage" Marketing Campaign
By Joe Crisara
This is an example of a customer testimonial based advertising campaign that can be generated by your company after you have solved a common problem that everyone in a particular neighborhood or subdivision is experiencing. In this case a testimonial from the customer that the company "saved our marriage" made for a great eye catcher and stopped many readers in their tracks . . .
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DOWNLOAD: 7 Ways To Bring Customers To You
By Tom Richard
Chances are you will have to go through most, if not all, of these steps with a prospect before they seriously consider purchasing your product. Each of these fundamental steps can move you closer to that wonderful sale, or become a devastating roadblock. If you get stuck at one, you may never make it to the final sale.No matter which step you're at, you must see the sale as a broad picture . . .
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ARTICLE: The Do's & Don'ts of Television Advertising
By Joe Crisara
Is television advertising worth the price? This is a question that many contractors who are looking to "Fire Their Yellow Page Reps" are asking in the wake of all the uncertainty of the shift from analog (paper) to digital (internet) advertising. First you must understand that there is no medium that can take your company from a normal, average company that is struggling to stand out from the pack . . .
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DOWNLOAD: AD CAMPAIGN - 7 Dirty Little Secrets Report
By Joe Crisara
This is "special report" was coupled with an advertisement. The report would only be delivered in person and NOT left behind, It illustrates how your warranty and services solve many of the perceived problems that the typical contractor creates with their customers and how you are absolutely not like the "other guys." This report is part of an advertising campaign. that I used with great success with a client of mine in the . . .
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DOWNLOAD: AD CAMPAIGN - 7 Dirty Little Secrets Ad
By Joe Crisara
This is part of an advertising campaign that I used with great success with a client of mine in the Midwestern United States. It did a great job of both differentiating the company and also capturing the attention of the local community as many people called saying that they just "had to know" what the 7 secrets were. This is advertisement that was coupled . . .
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ARTICLE: Contracting Marketing Lessons from The Sopranos
By Joe Crisara
Seems everyone, including contractors along with all other segments of the population are wondering whether Tony Soprano got whacked or not in the last episode of the "Soprano's. Okay, I promise, this will be my last reference to this television show on this site! (That is until the movie comes out) I guess it's a bit of an odd topic to discuss on a website dedicated to showing contractors "best practices" for selling. . . .
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E-Book Download: Networking Know-How
By Tom Richard
Networking is like excercising. We know we have to do more of it but we are reluctant to start doing it. We'd rather sit in our comfortable chair and complain about how hard and expensive it is to market to our customers. Whatever your reasons for not making networking a top priority, it's time to get over it and begin now. Networking is a crucial part of any business and it's fun and easy if you just know how. Read this PDF e-book and learn how. . . .
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DOWNLOAD: A/C Tune Up Post Cards
Joe Crisara
Now is the time to consider sending out reminder cards to your customers about the importance of performing maintenane on their system. There are three different variations of this method including a 4 color card, a grayscale and a black ink on color paper theme that can be used to send out cards at a very low cost. . . .
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DOWNLOAD: Contracting Business Refer a Friend Card
By Joe Crisara
The refer a friend card is ideal to send to your customer base as a reminder to them that you need their help getting more customers. Some contractors like to send this to a customer after the first time they use the company and then once or twice per year after that. This is an excellent example of a transactional referral method that is a low cost and high yield "drip" method. . . .
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SALES LETTER: Have You Fired Us?
By Joe Crisara
A couple of days ago a prospective contractor member named Martin Hoover emailed me. He asked me if I had any sales letters he could send to his old clients who stopped doing business with him. He said if I had anything in my "vast archives" that I could give him that he liked, he would then join our platinum membership here at ContractorSelling.Com as his reward to me. Needless to say Martin Join our site today. If you need anything please challenge me. . . .
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E-BOOK: Using Customer Testimonials - The Power Tool Of Marketing
By Joe Crisara
THE most powerful tool in your marketing arsenal is your customer's testimonial about how they love your business. Many of you get letters like this weekly. Sure, you read them and they make you smile. Have you ever realized that the letter you are reading can be worth $5,000 or more in credibility? Download the e-Book here. . . .
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VIDEOS: Detroit Plumber Shows Marketing Genius - "Flush TV"
By Joe Crisara
When I ran across the Levine Plumbing company from Detroit, Michigan and their hilarious videos about the day in the life of a plumbing company kinda modeled after the show, "The Office" the first word that came into my mind was GENIUS. These guys wound up getting a front page story in the Detroit Free Press about the videos that they put up on the internet. This is one way of taking the challenges that most of you face and turning thos problems into pure gold. . . .
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Marketing Budget Calendar
This time of year is a great time to start planning your marketing budget for next year in case you already haven't done so. This excel spreadsheet can serve as a budget builder and also a reminder of what things you are supposed to be doing during different parts of the year. Also this can help keep you on track in terms of cost for you marketing. . . .
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Hot Yellow Page Tips
Yellow Page advertising is a unique animal. On one hand, placing an ad in the local Yellow Pages makes complete sense. Unlike someone thumbing through a magazine, most people who pick-up the Yellow Pages are looking to buy. On the other hand, when they turn to your section, they are immediately greeted with the ads of most of your competitors right there . . .
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Four Steps To Increase Your Job Sign Marketing
Source: Renovate Your marketing.com
It's no secret that using a job site sign can be an effective way to market your company's services to neighborhood homeowners. But most job sign marketing isn't done as effectively as it could be. Here are four tips for getting the most out of your job sign marketing: Do It. Most home improvement contractors post a sign when they've got them, when they remember, or when working on a really nice project. This defeats the whole purpose. Every job, no matter how big or how small should get a job sign. . . .
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Networking Productively at Events
This piece is like a book report on what to do at networking events such as chamber of commerce meetings and meetings with other businesses that you may run into and which may be suitable to help you cross promote each other. Mainly this document gives you a game plan to make your next networking event a productive one. If you prepare for such opportunities then you will succeed. Remember if you fail to plan then plan to fail. . . .
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Phone Numbers That Make Money
By Bill Quimby
This book is written for small to medium sized contracting businesses that are looking for a unique way to brand their call to action into the heads of their customers and prospects. Service Contractors do an enormous amount of marketing to keep the phone ringing. This book can help you generate more customers and sales when marketing your business. Is a toll free or vanity phone number right for you? Read on... . . .
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DOWNLOAD: Tune Up Card
This is a post card format tune up card that you can send out to all of your existing customers to remind them that a maintenance call is needed. As a bonus there is a free carbon monoxide test to sweeten the pot a bit. Although this card is intended for your loyal customers, I have found that it works for new home owner move ins as well. . . .
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DOWNLOAD: 100% Refund Referral Program
The 100% referral program is a great way to reward your customers for doing what they already do naturally. Spread the word about how great it is to do business with your company. Please note that there are two pages to this file. One page, the 1st, is the letter to advise your customers about the program and the 2nd page is the coupon that you would create to give to you customer to share with their friends.
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DOWNLOAD: Wet Windows Advertisement
By Joe Crisara
This is an ad I did sometime ago that you can use as an inspiration to stimulate business during slow season. The ad offers a free assesment of a problem that can sometimes be caused by a lack of fresh air in homes. The solutions to the wet window problem may be an HRV or an ERV, too much humidity or something as simpe as adding more combustion air to a home. Either way it is a way to generate a call during slow season.
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DOWNLOAD: Strategic Marketing Alliance
By Footbridge Media
Strategic alliances are often referred to as, strategic alliances, business alliances beneficiary relationships etc.
Whatever is is called, the principle is always the same... it's about related business teaming up and combining skills, products, services and resources to create new streams of income and profits.
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DOWNLOAD: Direct Mail Works
By Aaron O'Hanlon
Any advertising, in any media, can be direct response. The difference between direct response and brand marketing is that direct response is designed to produce an emotional response in the customer. It directs people to take action - an immediate response. This action could be a visit, call, purchasing decision, whatever. . . .
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DOWNLOAD: Creating Online Success
By Aaron O'Hanlon @ FootBridge Media Inc.
The Internet has indeed proven itself an awesome agent of change and progress. For home improvement professionals, continued success is dependent upon a sound understanding of two shifting dynamics. . . .
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DOWNLOAD: I Love Referrals
By Aaron O'Hanlon @ FootBridge Media Inc.
Many home improvement companies and service contractors have spent thousands of dollars on advertising, yellow page ads, radio, canvassing, and other costs, but still aren't generating the sales that they would like. Each day, consumers are bombarded with marketing and sales pitches, making them skeptical when it comes time to search for a desired home contractor. . . .
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DOWNLOAD: The 7 Steps To Developing A Contracting Business Marketing Plan
7 Steps To Developing A Contracting Business Marketing Plan In my consulting experience with HVAC/P and Electrical contractors I have noticed a similar attribute common in most entrepreneurs and business owners. Most are "doers", not "planners." In reality, being a doer is perhaps the ultimate mark of a successful person. It's what makes entrepreneurs a rare breed. Rather than thinking or wishing, they get out there and make something happen. . . .
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DOWNLOAD: Prospecting For Opportunities
By Joe @ Contractor Selling.com
As a sales professional in the trades, too many times we are just standing around waiting for call to come in during slow times. The truth is that the best customer to sell to is one that is a friend of a current customer or just someone who really needs our services but do not know who to call. This shows you haow to make that connection. . . .
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