Contractor Business & Marketing Blog

Why Contractors Need to Be Different in There Marketplace!

With clients being slammed with marketing messages each and everyday how do you get your contracting business noticed?

STAND OUT!!

Stop doing the same old things you have in the past. You must do things differently to be noticed.

When you go to home shows, how do you stand out? Do you raise your sign higher in the air. FREE GIFT HERE.

Do you sit behind your table and watch people just go by? Or do you STAND OUT in the aisle and meet and greet your future client?

Do you run the same ad that blends in the newspaper or do you STAND OUT? Run color for a change. Make an irresistibleoffer they can’t refuse. Have a strong call to action! Call now and receive dinner for 2 with every FREE estimate.

Do your trucks STAND OUT? With all the new wraps you can have some great and noticeable graphics made that stop customers in there tracks. How many white trucks can you see anyway? Only the ones that STAND OUT!

So dare to be different with your contracting business and get your self noticed and get more work because of it.Be known in your area that you are the contractor of choice for a reason.

I hope you can use this post to make a difference in your business because this is what my goal is. Please share this post with other contractors and subscribe to my RSS feed.

Happy STAND OUT and July 4th.

Glen Kohlenberg

Tags:   Contractors · Home Show · MarketingNo Comments.

How contractors can add new products for maximum profit!

I see a lot of contractors sell only one product or offer one type of service. I must ask myself is this a wise choice?

So, I went on the hunt to find out the good and bad of making this choice. I started out with my partner Josh which is in the seamless gutter business.

After talking with Josh he does only handle one product ,gutter. But within his product choice he has up sells that he can offer. He has Leaf proof gutter guard. He has gutter edge. Plus he does fascia overhang restoration.

So when you add it up he has 4 different product or services he has to offer his client. Plus he has 4 profit centers.

Now, with Josh being a young pup there are several more products he could add. He could add replacement windows,vinyl siding,outside decks and even roofing if he wanted to.

But when you add this to the product mix you also add more to the cost of doing business. You have more subcontractors or employees and more overhead. Plus you may add a few more gray hairs.

Some people are satisfied with a no hassle type of business. Yes, you still have some headaches but they are limited.

I checked with a close friend of mine that sells window film. Now he has been in this type of business for over 20 years. When he started he only did all types of vehicles.

He only did retail work and he had a nice store and he did a ton of business. Randy and his wife Susan are go getters and they work hard. Susan did the counter sales and Randy handled all the install work.

They made a nice living but Randy always wanted more work. I used to love to brain storm with Randy and in doing so we came up with adding several more services within his own niche. He added new car dealers and he started installing film on clients homes and business.

This has taken Randy’s business to the next level. He has tripled his sales but he only had to add 3 more employees to his overhead.

The other thing we set out to do for Randy and Susan was to set a pace and course for them to be able to sell there business in the future. They decided to sell there retail and dealer part of the business. This would leave them with homes and business because they wanted to slow down some and enjoy there children.

They are happy now and enjoy more freedom plus they added to there retirement nest egg.

So think about your type of contracting business and see how adding to your products or services.

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Happy Selling

Glen Kohlenberg

Tags:   Contractors · Marketing · Niche · ProductsNo Comments.

The Main Reason Contractors lose work!

Yes, something so easy but this is the kind of stuff that keeps you awake at night. Right!

So how do you make sure your client clearly understands how important this is to you. Sure we ask to make sure were apples to oranges and pending what kind of contractor work you perform most of the time just ask.

When were dealing with other contractors it’s easy to ask them. But if your dealing in the retail market your client holds onto this information.

I must say, I have gotten bolder on making sure that all bidders are on the same page and at times I have demanded to see all estimates.

After 25 years in the business I have seen everything out there when it comes to bidding. So if I am bidding with builders or commercial work I detail my contracts to where they clearly understand my bid.

I try to make sure that all the retail sales staff do the same also. I believe this truly sets you apart from other contractors. Plus if you do need to raise that ugly wild hair once in a while to see other bids then you will have nothing to be ashamed of with your bid.

So, again work hard to be on the same page with your clients and communicate with them and never be afraid to ask to see the compared bids.

If you like this post send it to other contractors and sign up for my RSS  feed by hitting the orange button.

Happy Selling

Glen Kohlenberg

Tags:   Apples · Contractors · Marketing · OrangesNo Comments.

How contractors can learn from this giant of a pitchman.

I am sorry to hear of the death of American’s favorite pitchman Billy Mays. I loved to watch him in action and I would watch all of his shows.

Marketing is in my blood and I study and use it everyday. I have a few marketing pros that I have followed for years. They all have there specialty but Billy caught me because of the way he pitched products.

He had a way to draw you into him, and this is harder then you might think. I used to love to go to flea markets and watch the guys or gals selling Ginsu’s knives or the famous chamois that even Billy had sold when starting out. This was how he was found and then made famous.

But how can contractors learn from how Billy sold products. What is the take away from the way he sold. First he had to believe in his product or service. Next he clearly understood who his client was. Then he tested to make sure his product was wanted by his client.  He also always gave a lifetime warranty on everything he sold.

Billy had the Bribery pitch down to a science in a good way. His call to action worked and the numbers told the story, because he sold billions of dollars in products.

For me I would tape his pitches so I could go back over and over again and break them down into boxes so that I could clearly see how he sold in steps. Then I would insert my own type of product or service and make it work for my type of sale.

I just believed that Billy was my teacher and I was doing my homework. After all I like to take things that work in one industry and transform it into our construction world because lets face it we are selling everyday to our clients.

This was my joy and I loved it. Because there is nothing better then running that ad then watching the phone blow up with leads. Priceless!!

I will send my prayers to the Mays family because Billy touched the lives of so many that he never knew. For that I THANK YOU.

If you liked this post tell your contractor friends and sign up for my RSS feed. Leave me a comment or ask a question. I am here for all contractors.

God Bless Billy Mays and Family

Glen Kohlenberg

Tags:   Billy Mays · Contractors · MarketingNo Comments.

Here are some shortcuts to get the phone ringing for contractors.

Let’s face it here, nothing happens until you sell something. No matter how good you think you are you still need to market your contracting business.

Here is a short list for fast results marketing.

• Newspaper
• Inserts
• Postcards
• Radio
• TV
• Door Knocking 101

I will give you some quick advise on each one. Please understand my advise is for direct response, I what the phone to ring now!

Newspaper: Only run a bribery type ad. This means give something away for FREE just for calling for an appointment. Maybe [dinner for 2] Have a strong call to action with a date.

Inserts: This is your least expensive way to advertise. But be different and use a 11×17 size paper in color. Use this to bring NEW products or services to market. Again use a strong call to action.

Postcards: The nice thing about postcards is that you can pick and choose the zip codes and neighborhoods. Certain products or services to different areas. Be bold and use JUMBO cards with 4 color and again have a strong call to action.

Radio: This is a fast pace media and you only have 30-60 seconds to get your message out there. The main thing here is talk direct to your client NOT the masses. Plus give me a reason to call you right now!

TV: I like TV because you get to show before and after pictures and have client testimonials. Show off your best work and your client. But wait there’s more if you call in the next 30 minutes you will receive your FREE blank just for calling for an appointment.

Door Knocking 101 Yes this still true and tested method still works if done properly. It works best if your working in the neighborhood already for free estimates. Always look professional and be dressed in a company logo shirt. Give them a reason to buy today.

Direct response marketing is much different buts it’s the only way to market today. Advertise today and sell tomorrow. You also know what works and does not work in your marketing. Do not ever be afraid to make changes NOW if something is not working.

This is why your in the contracting business to be able to call the shots and make a good living for you and your family.

If you found this post useful then please share it with other contractor and submit to my RSS feed.

Happy Marketing

Glen Kohlenberg

Tags:   Contractors · Newspaper · Postcards · Radio · TV2 Comments

Do you believe contractors  can  predict the future?

In today”s crazy world why not? We have so much information at our finger tips now that if you do your homework I think anything is possible. I do believe in positive thoughts equal excellent outcomes.

So, I found you a crystal ball and thought I would leave it so you could ask it some questions or at least one wish? Go ahead ask me anything!

Tags:   Contractors · Crystal BallNo Comments.

Contractors beware of the next boom, because its going to be a big one!

Yes, we need to stay positive with this economy the way it is. But when did we ever say we can’t dream a little bit here.

I suppose I have had and heard enough bad things to last me a decade. So I believe it’s time to start moving forward to the next BIG thing. And no matter what you might think the baby boomers will be the next big thing!

Now, I for one thought that the boomers would have started but because of this little thing called a recession we had to stop and put our plans on hold for a while.

Yes, I am one of those boomers and I would have to say that most of my tribe, like me had to back up and regroup some what.

I mean if you lose half of your nest egg then yes it will take some doing to get it back. So what I drive an older vehicle for a while. Stay home more and count the pennies instead of going out to diner 2-3 times a week with friends.

Maybe I’ll buy a condo instead of that new home on the water with the new boat.

Now, I will stop with all the poor me attitude along with my tribe of boomers.

Believe me, we boomers will be spending a lot of money. We will not let a recession stop our plans to retire and have all the fun things we deserve. Think about this? Now is the time for us to buy that retirement home in Florida or Arizona or California or the Carolina’s because we can make up what we lost just by buying right now while the real estate market is still depressed.

Homes are selling all around me here in Florida. Who are the buyers? Baby boomers from all the winter states.

Contractors need to be looking into this market and talking to the Realtor in your area and keep your ears wide open because you won’t want to miss this opportunity.

First, there are hundreds of thousands of foreclosed homes in all these states and they all need some type of work. So now is the time to catch this wave of new home buyers at the beginning stage because this will last for over 10 years or more.

There are millions of baby boomers starting to retire and they will come with wads of cash and there checkbooks ready and willing to buy.

I hope you enjoyed this post and will pass it along to another contractor and don’t forget to hit the big orange RSS feed button.

Also leave me a comment and give me your thoughts. I value your input.

Happy Boomer!

Glen Kohlenberg

Tags:   Baby Boomer · Contractor · FloridaNo Comments.

Thought I would show off some of our work and this is the job that we up sold and I will show you the outdoor kitchen when we have it completed.

Check out our new lighting system for our pools. Cool huh!

Remember it pays to rehash your unsold leads. Enjoy!

Happy Selling

Glen Kohlenberg

Tags:   Contractors · Lighting · Pools · UpsellNo Comments.

Sorry for the late post but I was in the hospital a few days for low blood sugar.

I am in the middle of saving a $15,875.00 job and also at the same time making sure my client understands that they are getting everything they have asked for and then some.

Now, since one of my sales staff has priced this job $4,000.00 less I need to find out why my price is much higher. Because if I was sitting in my clients shoes I would want to know why such a difference.

So I did something risky that I normally would not ever do.I ask for another appointment so that I could find out why my other sales staff was higher priced. But also for another reason of my own because I remember doing 4-5 jobs in this neighborhood.

So, once back to the office and a meeting with my sales person and a laptop price comparison I found the main problem. He had priced a concrete spray coating and design around the whole pool area and our client asked me for pool thin set pavers.

Bingo there was the $4,000 difference. Then I checked our data base and found that we had done 6 other jobs in the area and we had both types of installations. So I called 2 of my clients and asked if I could do a meet and greet with my new client. Of course they both said yes.

I made my new appointment with my client to see first the 2 different types of jobs and I also brought my salesman along this time for some education.

One more thing I what you to know about that one of my clients job had an outdoor kitchen that we had installed along with the pavers and this job was a show piece.

So ,we did our meet and greet and my new client fell in love with the outdoor kitchen and paver job. I mean to the point that I almost had to drag them out of the house.

On the way to my new clients home we were sure they would now go with a outdoor kitchen also. But first, I wanted to show my client both of our laptop prices to prove to them that we were not apples to apples pricing.

Of course they were fine with the price difference once we proved our case. But now of course they had to have the outdoor kitchen also and so we left the home with a signed contract of $34,267.85 along with a 10% deposit check. Yeah!

Now, let’s take a look at the impact of this mistake and what it cost our salesperson because to me he fell short of doing his job.

First, because I had to rehash the deal the salesman commission went to 5% instead of 10%. Then when I up selled the kitchen the house kept the 10% and the salesman received no commission on the kitchen. Plus the salesman did not get paid on the up sell of the $4000 for the pavers.

The salesman earned $593.75 commission but could have earned $3,426.00 only if he had done his job right. By right I mean he should have not been lazy and checked our existing client base first. Then he would have done what I did and he would have had no problem getting this job.

Now, for me this was a win-win for me and our company. First it continued my pride that after 25 years of doing this I still have what it takes to run with these young and cocky sales staff we have around here, plus it shows contractors all over the world that please take the time to rehash all of the jobs that go unsold.

After all you have paid for the lead cost and your overhead still keeps on moving along. So I hope this post can help you and if you liked it send it to your contractor friends and if you like more of these type of post hit the big orange RSS feed button.

Happy Consumer Selling

Glen Kohlenberg

Tags:   Consumer · Contractor · Marketing · UpsellNo Comments.

Customers must think they are buying a car, not home improvements from a contractor.

Yes, I understand things are a little different right now with the economy the way it is right now. But when the guys and gals out there selling everyday come back to the office telling me that the last appointment they were on the customer wanted to make an offer for the work they wanted done.

Now it took me awhile to control my laughter, but the sales staff didn’t think it was so funny. My first thought was do they think there buying a freaking car or what?

I mean OK on one hand they are closing most of the new car dealers in our town but come on people we sell true value for your home. Do you think things are that far out of hand?

Yes, we do have a ton of foreclosures in our 3 local county’s but Sarasota county is the 3rd richest in our state. This is a new animal for me to overcome because I am not used to our clients dictating pricing.

Oh, I forgot to tell you that the price they wanted to pay was about 1/3 less then we quoted.

But, I have been around long enough to no that I needed to call this client and set the record straight and try to work the back end of this deal and to also challenge myself to come up with a way to satisfy my client that they were already getting a great deal.

So, the client accepted my appointment to come out and talk to them. Now, the job was only $12,000 but hey it could have been $500 and I still would have been knocking on there door. It’s the principle to me.

I basically started from scratch with this client and I built value as I did my presentation and hit on all the benefits of my product and want the end result would be by dealing with our company.

Upon finishing my presentation and asking them for there approval by signing my contract they were stunted by my price being $15,875.00? They explained that I had to make a mistake because the last sales person from our company was about $4,000.00 less.

But, as I turned my laptop around and went down there list of things that they had ask for, when we got down to the bottom line of the sheet there was my price. $15,875.00

Now, you will need to come back tomorrow to find out the rest of my story with my client.Do you think I made the sale….

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Happy Selling

Glen Kohlenberg

Tags:   Consumer · Contractor · Marketing2 Comments