Reputation is Still the Best Advertising

Branding, name or icon recognition, is the “holy grail” of marketing in today’s advertising arena. I guess it has always been that way. The difference, today, is electronic devices and media saturation. You can’t swing a cat (for you cat people, I speak figuratively, not literally) today without being bombarded by advertising for something. Even subliminal advertising assaults you without your even being aware. 

Advertise, Advertise, Advertise

We are constantly bombarded with catchy slogans, jingles and the like, on every media outlet there is, for every conceivable product or service. Advertising space is even being bought on people’s private autos, homes and even their bodies, all in an effort to persuade someone to purchase a particular thing. The really good ones stick in your mind like Coca Cola or McDonald’s. Most of the others simply fall by the wayside. The sole purpose of all that effort and money is to get your attention!

Do you, or your company, have an advertising strategy? Budget? Plan? If you don’t, you should consider it. Advertising is something that all contractors do to one degree or another. Attracting new business as well as keeping established clients is what it is all about. 

Getting a Program

Even if there is no coherent, conscious effort on the part of a business to advertise, the mere fact that one is in business and does a particular job is advertising. When someone sees the work you do, whether it is done by one man or by a large crew, they form an opinion about your company. Good, bad or indifferent, you are advertising your business.

Whether or not you have an advertising plan and/or a budget for it, you must be aware of how you and your company are perceived by your clients (both existing and prospective). Let’s face it, if you are in business, you want and need a strategy for creating a steady income stream(s). Even if you aren’t interested in repeat clients (unusual, but possible) you still need to get new business to keep your doors open.

So, what is the very best advertising a business can have? Even in today’s super-saturated advertising market, the answer is startling in its simplicity: word of mouth. That’s right, your reputation is the very best advertising you can have, and it costs less than any other kind. Whether you are a residential service-oriented company or a commercial/industrial shop, your reputation is your calling card. We’re not talking about your personal reputation exclusively either. How you handle the day-to-day operation of your company is one facet. How you and/or your employees interact with your clients is another. Further, how you and your company interrelate with other trades, the project owners, architects and sub-subcontractors also color how your company is viewed and evaluated.

It is (or it should be) a point of personal pride when you get a referral phone call from someone who was sent to you by a satisfied customer, architect, engineer, general contractor or supplier. That type of referral is what sets a company apart from the crowd.

Service Has More Than One Meaning

A service company lives and dies by its reputation. Mr. or Mrs. Homeowner, or businessperson, can be your best salesmen or your worst nightmare (think YELP!). It all depends on how they perceive the service you rendered to them. 

Did you arrive on time? Did you have all the material you needed to affect the repair? Did you work clean (drop cloths, shoe protection, vacuum up after completion, etc.)? Did you explain everything to their satisfaction? Did you warranty your work? If you get a callback, do you execute it promptly with the same vigor of the original call—and with a smile on your face?

None of the foregoing requires anything more in the dollars and cents category (except, maybe a callback... but that’s a different story), but the perception of your client is like money in the bank. How likely a customer is to refer you to a friend, neighbor or relative is directly linked to how well you present yourself and your service to them. It’s not nuclear physics. It’s just good business.

Big Guys are Not Immune

As a commercial contractor, you are no less susceptible to this kind of scrutiny. When you work in the commercial realm, contracts are king, but relationships are the lingua franca of your business. You can grab a set of blueprints from a general contractor off of the Dodge Reports and, maybe, you’ll get the job on your price alone… maybe. More often than not, general contractors work with subcontractors that they have worked with before, or whose work they have seen or heard about from other general contractors, architects, engineers and/or owners.

Having a reputation as a solid, performance-oriented company is the difference between “street bidding” and getting on those short list bids that are much more lucrative. When a general contractor knows that you’ve done a particular type of project successfully, he is more likely to want you bidding on his job. If you’ve worked with this particular general before, you are even more likely to be able to negotiate the project without having to bid against a long list of competitors.

Reputation for quality workmanship, on time performance, personal and professional integrity will always open doors. It is the very best way to grow your business.