Dr Dave inspired a marketing idea. It might be crazy or it might be very effective.
I’ve often heard of direct mailings to the immediate surrounding neighborhood when a contractor lands a job. How bout doing a marketing blitz when you get underbid by someone that doesn’t sell on quality?
Maybe a letter or post card could go out like this: Dear homeowner, recently our firm was in your neighborhood and offered a proposal for some repairs. Unfortunalty, our firm specializes in high quality construction services that are professionally executed and we DID NOT get the job. Blah, blah, blah…..
Is there an idea in there somewhere?
The idea is to get noticed. That lead in could be on the outside of the envelope and a flyer with professional services might be inside.
This approach seems edgy and risky, but the risk is minimal because a small contractor really wouldn’t have a presence in that neighborhood anyways without some contact. The idea is to be different, kinda like the UnCola ad that Sprite uses.
I see several reasons why another neighbor might use the services: 1) they might know that the original client was a cheapskate and often made bad choices 2) the prospects might want to ” Keep up with the Jones” and beat them! 3) some prospects will “feel” safer calling some contractor that is familiar with their neighborhood and the letter will clearly indicate that the contractor is a good fit for their economic situation.
Just trolling a bit.
blue
“…
keep looking for customers who want to hire YOU.. all the rest are looking for commodities.. are you a commodity ?… if you get sucked into “free estimates” and “soliciting bids”… then you are a commodity… if your operation is set up to compete as a commodity, then have at it….. but be prepared to keep your margins low and your overhead high….”
From the best of TauntonU.
Replies
Sounds like sour grapes to me.
It's a gamble that the underbidding contractor will do poor work AND people not taken aback by your letter will call you for a bid.
One must be very careful in the sales arena when (even indirectly) badmouthing the competition. I am not one of those salespeople that says "never say anything bad about your competition"; but rather one who does so very carefully and only at the rare appropriate time - and only use specific and non-complimentary examples based in fact.
Should the low baller meet the minimum expectations of the homeowner and said homeowner shares satisfactory experience with others, you still have an opportunity loss.
I'd use normal marketing material and still canvass the neighborhood. You may get work from someone that sees the Joneses improving, but is unwilling to wait until the Jones job is done to start theirs.
In my best Yoda-speak: Troll not! Across the bridge stride confidently you should. Work on your reputation and skill you shall gain; on the poor quality of others not.
Risky
You might look like a sore loser to some----- they say there is no such thing as bad advertising, but with contractors I think it's different.
With so many contractors out there in any given area, word of mouth that one is a big baby might get someone to call someone else instead.
“When politicians and journalists declare that the science of global warming is settled, they show a regrettable ignorance about how science works.†Nigel Calder, editor of New Scientist
The openning line sounds like a Nigerian love letter to me
Welcome to the
Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime.
where ...
Excellence is its own reward!
Lol.
Okay, okay... I'm getting the message. Perhaps some day I'll do a market study on a job that we lose to a known bottom feeding contractor.
blue"...
keep looking for customers who want to hire YOU.. all the rest are looking for commodities.. are you a commodity ?... if you get sucked into "free estimates" and "soliciting bids"... then you are a commodity... if your operation is set up to compete as a commodity, then have at it..... but be prepared to keep your margins low and your overhead high...."
From the best of TauntonU.
Some folks will call you to get the name of the cheaper contractor.
Hey Blue, I pretty much agree with what the others are saying. Knocking the other guy may not be your best track... However, I think you are on to something with the bit about establishing yourself as somehow having a connection to an area. Way back when I was in real estate, that was one of our techniques. An agent would "specialize" in a particular area or neighborhood. The idea being that folks would feel more comfortable with, and therefore more apt to call someone whom they felt had some personal connection to the neighborhood.
By the way, I don't wanna pick on ya, but the uncola was 7-up... :-)" If I were a carpenter"
Could be perfect for some, but Rule Number One of Business: NEVER KNOCK THE COMPETITION.
With my mouth I will give great thanks to the Lord; I will praise Him in the midst of the throng. For He stands at the right hand of the needy, to save them from those who would condemn them to death.
- Psalms 109:30-31
Blue,
while I appreciate the acknowlegement, I would have to disagree with the method. You are assuming the other contractor is of lesser quality because he is charging less than you. The contractor could be fantastic and simply charges less. Perhaps the home was simply more comfortable with that contractor. Perhaps price had nothing to do with it at all. The flyer would likely be perseived by the nieghbors as negative advertising and sent out of anger. Negative advertising is what politions do and you see how much respect they get.
However, I think you are on the right track with localizing your advertising. A friend of mine owns a small paving company. when he is in a nieghborhood he sends a salesperson around knocking on doors. The pitch is "....Hello, I am with ABC Paving Company and we are in your neighborhood paving a driveway for one of your neighbors down the street. Would you be interested in a quote to pave your driveway?
The pitch is positive and you already have the "unofficial reference" of the current customer. You don't appear hungry, simply doing some convenient advertising. Just make damb sure your doing good work. Because bad work will get around faster than your flyers.
"However, I think you are on the right track with localizing your advertising. A friend of mine owns a small paving company. when he is in a nieghborhood he sends a salesperson around knocking on doors. The pitch is "....Hello, I am with ABC Paving Company and we are in your neighborhood paving a driveway for one of your neighbors down the street. Would you be interested in a quote to pave your driveway? "
Around here we sometimes get groups of Gypsies or Travelers showing up. They go around town trying to scam people for cut rate roofing or driveway sealing projects. Their standard practice is to knock on doors, saying they're working in the neighborhood, and by the time the homeowner figures out all they did was slap a coat of cheap black paint on their driveway, they're long gone. As a result, the local news always cautions people to look out for contractors who just show up on their doorstep.
I think flyers may be more accepted, along with a nice sign in the front yard of the house the contractor's working on (with the name of the contractor and their telephone number in big letters.) More than once I've found a contractor by seeing their work on someone else's house, then calling the number on their sign.
I like the sign on the front lawn. I believe your opinion has merrit. There are alot of hacks out there. But I can tell you, when my friend goes into a neighborhood to start one job, by the end of the day he picked up anywhere fron 1-6 more jobs. He's got to be doing something right. And I can assure you, he is no hack.
Dave
Dave
I just recently moved back here from a 3 1/2 year visit to Texas. I dont know how many times I got the "were in the neighborhood doing a seal coat on one of your neighbors driveways so........
I fell for it once, the worst job I'd ever seen. Two months later I get another, a month later another.......
I never did see anyone else in the hood getting there driveway done. One of my neighbors told me that these people will hit you up about 6 times a year, better to just brush them off then incourage them. They were known as "fly by nights"
Not suggesting that your friend is anything of the kind but once bitten Twice shy, I wont even give a guy that comes around soliciting the time of day.
Doug