Holiday Inn Express Has The #1 Guest-Rated Showerheads. Why? Because They Constantly POINT AT THEM!!!
Holiday Inn Express Has The #1 Guest-Rated Showerheads. Why? Because They Constantly POINT AT THEM!!!
Do You Ever Feel Like The “Best Kept Secret”?
How To Use Confirmation Bias To Your Advantage In Contractor Marketing.
By Rich Harshaw
A few years ago, my wife and I decided to put our sanity to the test by embarking on (what turned out to be) a 4,975 mile cross-country trip in a silver Chevrolet fifteen-passenger van with our six lovely children. Yes, it’s true—in an era of shrinking family sizes and conveniently pre-packaged vacations, we have bucked all trends by not only churning out six of the little dickens, but also by having the courage to venture on a cross-country vacation Clark Griswold-style in the family truckster.
While the kids labored through at least 179 DVDs and countless hours of video games (whatever happened to the license plate game or the “A-B-C game”???) I found myself discovering interesting marketing principles all the way from Southlake, Texas to Meridian, Idaho and back again. I recently told you the lesson I learned about the role of repetition in marketing while driving through South Dakota, and in an upcoming article I’ll teach you a principle of perspective I learned in southern Colorado. For now, let’s go to the Beehive state.
After two relatively uneventful days of driving, we were descending out of the mountains into the little community of Ogden, Utah and started looking for a hotel. As fate would have it, the first place we found was a Holiday Inn Express. It met our basic requirements—relatively new, breakfast included for free, and a swimming pool.
As we checked in, I couldn’t help but notice a sign on the counter showing that Holiday Inn Express was the home of the “Stay Smart” Showerhead by Kohler. The sign showed a picture of a giant showerhead that appeared to be bigger, badder, and bolder than any regular showerhead could ever hope to be. I didn’t pay that much attention—just another sign on another counter—no big deal.
When we got to our rooms, the kids immediately started jumping between the beds, turning on the TV, and generally causing a ruckus. Next to the TV on the dresser was another sign showing the picture of the hulking showerhead and inviting me, at my earliest convenience, to check out the “Stay Smart Bathroom,” featuring the “Stay Smart” Showerhead by Kohler.
Okay, I’ll bite.
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The Website Took A Loooong Time To Finish… But It Was Worth The Wait!
The Website Took A Loooong Time To Finish… But It Was Worth The Wait!
Here’s A Good Example Of A Website That Looks Great, Oozes With Identity, And Makes Prospects Absolutely FALL IN LOVE.
By Rich Harshaw
Note: This article is part of Monopolize Your Marketplace’s ongoing “Client Success” series. All of the information is real and current; please respect the privacy of the companies mentioned; they don’t want to be overwhelmed with questions and comments.
Normally, I like to get things done fast. Really fast.
I met my wife in mid-October, 1992; we were engaged on January 7th, 1993, and married on May 1st that same year. You read that right: five and a half months from “met to married.”
Then my first son was born fifty-one weeks later.
I can buy a suit in fifteen minutes. One-click shopping from Amazon with free two-day shipping is my best friend. I lease my cars because all I have to do is call my leasing guy on the phone, tell him what I want, and he delivers the vehicle to my house two days later and only requires four minutes to sign all the paperwork.
I just don’t like to mess around.
So when we launched a website for New York contractor Upscale Remodeling earlier this month—nearly three years after starting the project—you might be surprised to know that instead of anxious and antsy, I was feeling calm, cool, and collected.
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Driving Around And Literally LOOKING For Homes That Need Your Services Is A Quick Way To Round Up Easy Leads
Driving Around And Literally LOOKING For Homes That Need Your Services Is A Quick Way To Round Up Easy Leads
Use Your Brains Instead Of Your Checkbook To Generate Home Improvement Leads
By Rich Harshaw
A few years ago I was talking with one of my clients, the owner of a very successful metal roofing company in Indianapolis. We were working on a dizzying array of sometimes complex roofing marketing campaigns including everything from high-frequency mailers to radio, pre-positioning materials, home show displays, phone scripting, email marketing, and more.
At some point during one of our many conversations he sighed and said, “It was so much easier when I was young and new in this business. I got all the business I could handle by driving around high-end neighborhoods in my truck with a handheld microcassette recorder looking for homes with roofs that clearly needed to be replaced. I’d make a note of the specific addresses on the recorder, then go back to the office, jot them down, then send them a simple hand-addressed letter saying I had noticed their roof had some issues and would it be okay to come over and give it a formal inspection?”
When I quizzed him a little bit more about how many letters he could send in a day (ten to twenty, a few times a week), how many responses he would typically get (two or three for each ten sent), and whether or not the inspections led to quality sales (yes), I asked him the only remaining logical question:
WHY ON EARTH DID YOU STOP DOING THIS!?!?!
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