Brand Building

Brand management doesn’t just mean defending yourself against people who are negative about you. It means defending yourself from people who are wrong about who/what you are. Left unchecked, that becomes your brand, not what you have been working on in the marketplace! So defend your brand all the time at all costs! Can’t see the video, click here.

One of the problems I run into with smaller contractors is that they don’t have strong “brand identity” in their marketplace. Brand identity comes in the form of a logo or tagline, or both. A logo helps you brand yourself with an image that goes along with content of your ads across all of your marketing. You bigger contractors have problems too. You have never “grown-up” with regards to your logo or branding as your company grew.

Let’s face it; it’s getting harder and harder to express who you are and what you do in a crowded home services market. But one of the best ways to stand out is by utilizing a logo. But getting a logo design done right costs hundreds if not thousands right? Well, I hope I have a solution for that.

My Construction Logo Service for Contractors

I get asked a lot to do design work for ads, which I don’t do. I am a salesman and a marketer, so I always have to outsource my design work. Well, not anymore! I have hired my own design person, Harry, to help you get noticed in the market so you can close more business!

This service is perfect for you if you:

• Currently don’t have a logo
• Think your logo could use a freshening up
• Want to rebrand your company after adding new product lines

No other method gives you the ability to position your company in the market like a logo can. You put your logo on your cards, invoices, vehicles…anywhere and everywhere, and it works for you 24/7…for free!

Here’s what you get:

1. 2 Initial Design Concepts
2. Unlimited Revisions – We won’t stop until we get it right!
3. 1-3 Day Turnaround with 24 hour “Emergency Service”
4. 100% Copyright ownership delivered to you
5. All High-Res formats JPEG, PNG, GIF, PDF, PSD

Want to see some of the new guy’s work? Click here and scroll to the bottom.

As a marketer for contractors, I am limited in the types of offers I can use that traditionally raise response rates.

• Limited time offer
• Money back guarantee
• Free trial

All clever marketing tricks that traditional marketing uses to increase take rates. But construction marketing is different since we obviously can’t offer a free trial of a new kitchen.

So how can you differentiate?

One of the first questions I ask a new client is about their guarantee or warranty. They I compare that to what is standard in their industry. The next to last question I ask is how often does someone act on their guarantee or warranty.  The answer is usually quite low if at all.

My last question is – why not double it?

A strong guarantee does a lot to remove doubt when the consumer is on the fence and doesn’t know which contractor to hire. A strong guarantee lets the homeowner know:

1. That you do quality work
2. That you stand behind your product or service
3. That you are probably better than your competition
4. That they should expect to pay a bit more for your service

If you do decide to offer a better guarantee than the rest of your market, you need to shout it from the rooftops in all of your marketing and advertising. Put on work orders, business cards, your work vehicles, anywhere the public sees your message, let them know that you are the company that doubles the guarantee.

Photo credit: Steve Snoodgrass

We all know we need to treat customers well, but there is no manual or blueprint that tells us how to do it properly. Unfortunately for many a contractor, the treatment of customers is left to each individual’s interpretation. Some think showing up on time while bidding the cheapest price is good customer service, while others believe that charging more and over delivering is what constitutes going above and beyond for the customer.

Today is your lucky day because I’m going to make it easy for you

Customer service has nothing to do with your price or your product, instead, it has everything to do with treating people like a skinned knee. What do I mean by that? Well, I was listening to a podcast the other day and the commentator mentioned how his Grandmother would smother him in kisses if he fell and skinned his knee.

So, do you remember when you were a little kid first learning how to ride a bike?

Your Dad finally thought it was time to take off the training wheels, so one sunny Saturday afternoon, there you were sitting on your bike next to your dad (without wearing a helmet, knee pads or elbow pads mind you) as he prepared to jettison you down the driveway and towards your first taste of freedom. Now, if your dad was anything like mine, I’m sure he said “Don’t worry, everything will be fine, I’m standing right here”.

Which was soon followed by me crashing into something

And when I did, skinned knee and all, I ran into the loving arms of my Mother who doted on me as if my leg was falling off. Warm compresses, kisses, ice cream — all things that made the boo-boo feel better and made me less likely to leave a skateboard at the top of the steps for my Father.

This is the picture I want to paint about how you treat your clients

Those warm compresses, kisses and bowls of ice cream are what constitute above and beyond customer service in today’s world. You see, in the big picture analysis, you aren’t competing against other contractors in your field, you are competing against the homeowner’s expectation of being treated well, and treating them like a skinned knee is what will allow you to maintain premium pricing while developing quality referrals over the long-haul.