21 Day Video e-Course: SECRET 1 - Market Yourself First
Have you ever wondered why some service contractors have all the customers they could ever want, while others struggle to get new and existing customers to do business with them? This question holds the key to secret #1 of superstar companies. Superstar's Market Themselves First. . . .
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21 Day Video e-Course: SECRET 2 - Position Yourself As An Expert
When a superstar positions themselves as an expert at what they do, then their reputation as a place that customers and employees are magnetically drawn to grows by leaps and bounds. If you have seen this type of superstar contractor, you know them as a company that picks and chooses their clients, whereas "prospectors" beg, hustle and struggle to get clients. An "expert" commands respect and never feels as though they "must get" every job because they always seem to have a fresh flow of prospective clients. Where again a prospector, having worked so hard just to get an opportunity, feels compelled to beg for each job they get. . . .
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21 Day Video e-Course: SECRET 3 - Generate Leads By Giving Valuable Information To Your Market
The best thing you as an HVAC/P contractor can do to gain market share and become a superstar in your local market is to establish that you are knowledgeable and can be trusted. Most of us do business with people we trust. Even if you have the lowest prices, if your prospect doesn't trust you, it will be difficult to close the sale. This is the basis for Info-Marketing. Info-Marketing is a powerful marketing strategy that establishes trust and credibility using educational messages. It is the direct opposite of traditional marketing, which uses selling-based messages. . . .
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21 Day Video e-Course: SECRET 4 - Inspire Others With A Compelling Vision of Their Company
Every great communicator was once a neophyte. But superstar contractors not only learn how to speak and communicate to both the clients and employees, they also have a gift for inspiring others to see the vision of the perfect company as they see it. How did they, and hundreds of other successful contractors, rise from obscurity to significance? They rise as a person first, and then as a leader who communicates. Here are some of the core values that the great ones share that inspire their team to achieve greatness. . . .
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21 Day Video e-Course: SECRET 5 - Superstar Contractors Have A Follow Up System
One of the biggest power point difference makers that I have observed in whether or not a service contractor is a superstar is the follow up system or lack of one that exists in their business. Not following up with your prospects and customers is the same as filling up your bathtub without first putting the stopper in the drain! But don't be upset if you're among the 96% of business owners I talk to that don't do any follow up. The good news is you have ample room for improvement. . . .
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21 Day Video e-Course: SECRET 6 - Superstar Contractors Price Their Services On Perceived Value of Solutions
Superstar contractors understand that people buy based on value of the service, not on hourly price. If you want to sell more valuable services, you have to understand what value is. Think of value as a matter of customer perception of the service versus the price of the service. Take any repair or service and think about how to increase the perceived benefits of it while you hold price constant, your value will increase. Conversely, if you increase your price without increasing the perceived benefits of your product or service, the value goes down. . . .
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21 Day Video e-Course: SECRET 7 - Superstar Contractors Are Focused Specialists
Become a specialist, not a generalist. This is a big one. Highly successful contractors are specialists at one thing that a specific group of customers want. When that group thinks of that one thing, the specialist comes to mind. Prospects who want that one thing will pay top dollar for advice and solutions, and are magnetically attracted to the company. I'm sure you've heard how vitally important it is to identify and define your target market. I can't overemphasize the importance of this. Without having a crystal clear idea of who you are, in terms of your strengths, gifts, talents, and experiences, and who you will support based on those attributes, you are literally shooting yourself in the foot. . . .
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21 Day Video e-Course: SECRET 8 - Choose a Niche Market and Dominate It Completely
Superstar contractors know that one of the most powerful marketing weapons is the power of niche marketing. Niche marketing is simply marketing to customer groups that have a common problem. The thing that makes it even more powerful is that you have a unique solution for this problem. For instance, if you're a residential heating service specialist, instead of marketing your services to anybody and everybody, why not market your services to a specific homeowner that has problems such as lack of return air in a new construction neighborhood? . . .
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21 Day Video e-Course: SECRET 9 - Eliminate Discretion of Front Line Employees
The most common dream of the contracting business owner is the desire for their business to give them more freedom. The the challenge in reaching this dream stems from the fact that most businesses were never designed correctly from the very beginning. Superstar contractors know the principle of freedom and live this dream every day. How do these contractors enjoy such freedom? The answer is disarmingly simple. These contractors have literally "fired" themselves as employees in there own company. . . .
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21 Day Video e-Course: SECRET 10 - Never Take Away Premium Options From Your Customers
It only stands to reason that a company that considers itself a premium quality company would offer it's customers a premium quality option for any work that it would do. If you agree that this is true, then you would undoubtedly be shocked to find out the staggering number of contractors that think they are a premium quality company that fail to offer customers the most premium option possible. Most of the resistance to offering the highest premium option stems from the fact that sales people and sometimes owners of companies "mind read" customers and assume they would not make such a purchase due to the higher upfront cost. . . .
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21 Day Video e-Course: SECRET 11 - Never Be Held Hostage By A Shortage of Employees
Without a doubt, the biggest and most common concern of contracting business owners is the shortage of qualified people to service their customers. Many forward thinking "superstar" contractors have taken the bull by the horns and have decided to invest in becoming a "training" organization. These contractors do not just view themselves as business owners but also as people developers. They have decided to educate and develop the "right" person. Their company takes good people with the right "core values" but with very little experience, and turns them into super-techs who create high value for customers and generate high revenue for the company. . . .
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21 Day Video e-Course: SECRET 12 - Use The Power of Packaging To Increase Sales
Superstar contractors have learned what other industries have known for years. That packaging repairs, products and services can be a powerful technique to increase revenue, profit, and add more value. An example of this strategy is presented to you nearly everyday at fast food restaurants. When you buy a "super-sized meal," you are buying a package deal. Instead of purchasing a soft drink, fries, and burger separately, it all comes together in one package. Packaging is so common in the fast food industry that 98 percent of all sales are packaged sales. Assembling multiple products or services to sell in a package not only increases your overall sales but it also... . . .
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21 Day Video e-Course: SECRET 13 - Manage The Systems In Your Business, Not People
Have you ever tried to manage your own behavior but were unsuccessful? Think about times when you tried to lose weight, stop smoking or were determined to exercise more often but found yourself blocked by the thoughts of your own mind. The truth be told, we as owners and managers can barely manage ourselves and our own behavior much less trying to manage the lives of others. This is the fundamental principle behind how superstar contractors manage their people. Most managers spend their time trying to convince, coddle or persuade employees into doing the right job. Superstars keep managing their system and ask their employees to align themselves with it . . .
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21 Day Video e-Course: SECRET 14 - Never Waste Time With Lengthly Proposals On People Who Are Not The Decision Makers
One of the best time management techniques have seen comes from watching and learning from the very contractors I work with. This technique, although very simple is rarely ever thought of and used by the average contractor much less their salespeople. This technique is to never waste time doing "free consulting" with clients who are not committed or authorized to make decisions. What does the word "committed" mean? And, how do you know if you have a prospect or a suspect? These answers are simple; however they sometimes take some creativity to find out. . . .
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21 Day Video e-Course: SECRET 15 - Hire Slow And Fire Mistakes Fast
Over the past 25 years I developed thousands of relationships with small business owners. Very little has changed during that time frame when it comes to hiring and keeping competent employees. Over that time, there have been so many changes in the business environment that it boggles the mind&Yet the complaints I heard in the early eighties of not being able to find the RIGHT help, still resonates loud today among small business owners from all types of industries. So what gives with this "finding the right person" situation anyway? The one strategy that superstar contractors utilize in developing their winning team is to hire slowly and fire fast. . . .
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21 Day Video e-Course: SECRET 16 - Have A Transparent Operational System
The contracting world today is far different than the one I grew up with in the 1970's and 1980's. Such advances as the Internet and other resources give customers, business partners and employees greater access to more information about contractors than ever before. To be successful in the modern business environment, Superstar Contractor's have embraced a concept called "operational transparency." As a consultant on business strategy and organizational development, I have been made keenly aware of trends such as the move to open business environments by observing contractors in the new millennium. What I have seen is an unmistakable trend toward the operational system of the business being easy to see and understand. . . .
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