Dan

DanHolohan

Which of these 10 do you competitors NOT offer? You must be absolutely positive here.

DanHolohan

How

would you like to do this, David?

DanHolohan

Okay,

let's start with this: Give me 10 compelling reasons why I should have you do the work. How are you better than the competition. Please be specific.

Empire_2

Just an ad here, but here it goes.......

It chill's us to the bone, but your not alone.

We Understand that you have been trying.....

H-Vac's our business,

We know what we're doing,

To prevent your furnace from dying,

So trust us indeed, It's our company deed,

To Help You or, no charge for trying!!!

?????? HAVC COMPANY: Call Us!


Mike T.

Is that what you are looking for?

No Dis Dan H., but I had to put it on paper. If you believe in it,.....Anything with integrity flies........

P.S. is the watch still ticking??? Wall gift from years back?

Mike T.

Empire_2

Dave?

National Fuel in the Western New York about 8 years back was doing something to what you mentioned. They were performing a combustion test and basically stated that their readings was the efficiency of the appliance,...?? They were actually giving the actual AFUE combustion reading that they were taking, BUT, people thought it was how efficient the furnace was!!!!! Get the confusion?

They had to stop due to misclassification of what they were actually doing....... No Diss intended to National Fuel, but you see where this can go.

Mike T.

Unknown

We have a Gas company too

That gets to send their boiler advertisements free in their gas billing every month. Talk about unfair practice.
So when I know im bidding against them I let the customer know that they have employees that come and go and even though they do drug checks they dont do state to state criminal checks. With a family owned business it wont be some stranger knocking on the door at midnight for a service call. After all people like to have people they know come into their home. I have a guy that fixes my appliances, Ive known him for years, I leave the door open for him if im not home. There is no way im gonna let someone from Sears or the Gas company do that. To many wack jobs out there. I think approching it from this angle helps people appreciate the value of a small Family owned business and the real value to them and their familys.
Just my thoughts on it.
TONY

DanHolohan

David.

Same question. Which of the 10 do your competitors NOT offer?

DanHolohan

What's in it for me?

Notice how all the points made so far are features. As a potential customer, I want to know what's in it for me. I want to hear the BENEFITS of the features.

So if you take each of the features that you are sure your competitor does not offer (because if he does, why shouldn't I just call him?) and end each feature by adding, "and that means. . . " And this is where you explain the benefit to the potential customer. Hire me and this is what will be in it for you. This is what we can do that others don't do, and this is how it's going to make you safer, happier, and better off. This is the BENEFIT of hiring us.

So what are the benefits?

DanHolohan

David,

you believe that getting 90% of the jobs done the first day, and charging more for this feature, is what makes your company better than all the others. Do you think that your potential customers feel the same? Can you survey them, or just ask around the neighborhood in an informal way?

Question: Would you pay a premium price to have your heating service completed in one day rather than two days? If so, how much more would you pay?

It will be interesting to see whether they see an advantage to this.

We could start another thread and ask the homeowners who visit the Wall the same question if you'd like.

DanHolohan

I've posed the question to homeowners

in a thread above. Let's listen to what they have to say.

Happy New Year, Big Man.

rogGoarfsoony

Ad

"You've tried all the rest, now try the best" Who did'nt see that coming?

eluv8

Show me what you know about steam heat

moved to the appropriate thread

CC.Rob_11

as a HO...

I'd find these reasonably compelling arguments that distinguish you from the competition and show that you value my time. Particularly if I didn't know any more about your company or skill set compared to others I was calling about the work.

Mark Custis

Dave

We all have unique markets. I am not sure if it is geography, or the business owners bias.

What makes you special is YOU.

We fired cleint last night. I can go broke at home I do not need to go to work to do it.

2009 will be better, but only if you let/make it happen.

David Nadle

I admire what you're doing

I'm a small business owner myself and in my opinion positioning yourself is one of the hardest things to do. I'm pretty sure I'm no good at it. But I have had a rule of thumb for a long time -- "better to be known for only one thing than to not be known at all." Your impulse to focus the message you're sending out is a good one.

I came over from the other thread. To be frank I thought the finish in one day thing is not a winner. The things you mentioned that most appealed to me were the combustion analysis and the hydronics.

I also think that you have to see advertising as a long campaign and not a one time deal. You may want to pick several focused messages and test them one at a time. Repeat them in a cycle and see if you can measure a difference in the response you get. Good luck and happy new year.

D107

this late post of yours says alot

and maybe says the very thing you need to say more of:
you love hydronic heat. you have some of the best servicemen in the southeast who have been 'carrying a tool bag' since they were old enough to walk. maybe their family was in the business, and the tradition was passed on that way, maybe for you too. that's great flavor.

Perhaps your ad could invoke some negative scenarios that you know your potential customers are familiar with and then show how your company is different and WHY you're different and then prove you're different. Because of pride in your work, because of knowledge gained over many years of servicing hundreds of customers (see testimonials). because you really know how upsetting it is to have a heating system break down time and time again. Show some of that knowledge in your ads.

anyway, just some ideas for the pot.

Best,

David

Jim Pompetti

Ad I ran

Steam heat doesn't bang , steam heat heats evenly . The 1st week the ad paid for itself . But now you need to back it up.

To Learn More About This Professional, Click Here to Visit Their Ad in "Find A Professional"

Joe_136

David wrote:
"I really want to get out to the public we are one if not the only company that offers combustion testing and carbon monoxide testing."

Homeowner here. First off, In the ad I would explain to the consumers what combustion testing is, how you do it, and show them what the equipment looks like that you do it with, and display some actual printouts.

If you are, in fact, the only one in the area who can actually do combustion analyzing, and your competitors don't have the equipment, they can't come in and bluff the customer and say that they to "testing" also and cut in on your action.

I only know what testing is because I read these columns. I think it would be a good selling feature, and if you explain to them it is like the carb. on a vehicle running rich and wasting fuel and by adjusting it you will save fuel- you will open their eyes- it is something they can understand. Who doesn't want to save money and be spared CO poisoning?

I only think of two things the consumer wants, what with me being a consumer and all. We want to be warm and we want to save money while being warm.

I talked to one of our local "Heat and Air" guys and asked him if he had a combustion analyzer that he could check my Munchkin....... "a what?"

DanHolohan

David,

what do you think at this point? Should you change the focus of the ad from one-day service? And if so, what should it be?

What's in it for them?

This is a good exercise and it will change the way you see your business. I go through this once a year. It takes me a week.

Hvacman

David,

Of all your comments the one I would value most as a homeowner is that "the owner" (you) is servicing accounts every day with your 2 trusted and skilled techs. Your customers get to go straight to the top with every call, your guys have many years experience under your wing, and you all know what you are doing.

You are the home team.
Personal service.
Skills.
You are focused on the needs of your customers.
You won't let "just anybody" into your custmers home.
Picture in the ad?
Techs pictures and names too?
Trustworthy
Competant
Local

Mark Custis

Brian

That brought tears to my eyes.

Thanks, it has been barrowed.

I learned when I was a pup selling Life Insurance, there is no new sales logic. Just stuff you forgot you learned, or stopped doing because it exceeded your comfort level.

DanHolohan

David?

Your thoughts on this?

Hvacman

Mark

These qualities are my goal each day, they are seen all too seldom... Glad I could help folks refocus.

Mark Custis

Now take what you learned.

and go do what you need to do.

D107

I hope thread is not quite over

I would be interested in knowing--after David sorts through and thinks about all the posts--what he comes up with. I think we could ALL learn from that. I think Dan's ideas of business promotion are applicable to many businesses, not just hydronics, and I know how hard it is for many of us to keep re-inventing ourselves as we go along, adjusting to changing conditions. I'd like to see David's proposed ad when he thinks it's ready; perhaps another round of comments might tighten it up even further.

Best regards,

David

Mark Custis

Mr. Goldman

I thank you for your insite.

I too, will watch.

When I am busy doing, it becomes difficult to do the things that keep us busy.

It is a bad day when I do not learn a few new things.