I hope you had a great Christmas. Mine was (predictably) chaotic, but otherwise perfect.
In fact, I’ve still got a bit of a post-Christmas “buzz.” So instead of talking to you about SEO and PPC and marketing this week, I’ll be sharing what some MYM team members were thankful for in 2017.
Today, we’ll start with Kim (our SEO Manager) and Leslie (our Executive Administrator).
Kim McConnery, SEO Manager
“This year, I am thankful to have the chance to interact with our awesome team and clients from all over the country. I am also thankful to have been able to build amazing friendships that far exceed work. Working in the SEO Department has allowed me to grow not only professionally but also personally—I have been able to build a lot of confidence in myself over the last year here at MYM, and I am excited to see what the next year holds!
In general, I’m extremely thankful for the ability to spend this holiday season with my family! I am also thankful to spend it with my new dog Boomer. I found him this fall at the Niagara Falls Humane Society. He is a Boxer-Hound mix that was a stray from West Virginia and he has been a major joy for me this year!”
Leslie Gerbrandt, Executive Administrator
“Here is what I’m thankful for in 2017…
- Family – Family is everything! I have my husband and two kids, Nathan (11) and Anistyn (7). Oh, and my kids wouldn’t want me to forget our dog, Oakley. We sometimes forget how lucky we are to have each other, but we love to spend time together. Not just my immediate, family but also my extended family. We have regular family dinners, celebrate everyone’s birthdays, and have a Christmas tradition of singing together as a family. My Dad sometimes says “family is hard,” but we are so grateful to have family.
- A Home – Sometimes we may not keep our home as straight and clean as we should, but we are blessed to have a place to call home. Not only as a place to come out of the weather, but somewhere to have meals together, watch a movie, or have friends and family over.
- Friends And Our Church Family – These are relationships my family will have forever, and I am grateful for the ways these people are involved our lives and how much they love my kids. We can rely on them, and they are important to us.
- Jobs – We are very fortunate to have jobs that support us, so we can take care of our family. My family has experienced hardships in the past (thankfully, short ones), so I am grateful to be a member of the MYM team.
- God – I am thankful for a God who loves and keeps loving. I am grateful for the many gifts he has given me in my life.
I am so thankful for all the things in our life that we are fortunate to have. It is sometimes easy to get too busy and forget how blessed we are to have a home and food and people that love us. It’s times like these around the holidays that help us to remember all the many things we have to be thankful for. As I type this, I’m reminding myself that it would be good to remember what I am thankful for every single day.”
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Next post will be Part Two of what MYM team members were thankful for in 2017.
-Rich
Hi Leslie,
I’ve always been a sucker for Christmas stories. So many moons ago, I decided to write one.
It’s called Wise Men Still Seek Him, and it’s about what the symbols of Christmas (the colors, candy canes, presents, etc.) actually mean.
Of course, it wouldn’t be much of a “Rich” Christmas story if it didn’t have a marketing theme running throughout. I peppered in plenty of lessons you can utilize in your marketing plan.
Not to toot my own horn (okay… maybe a little), but I believe this is an uplifting and educational story that both you and your children (or grandchildren) will truly enjoy and get something out of.
Here’s a link to the post in which you can directly download the story: https://mymonline.com/mymblog/wise-men-still-seek-him/#more-1131
Merry Christmas!
-Rich
Some remodeling contractors ask me how leads generated by No-Risk PPC stack up to leads generated by Angie’s List, HomeAdvisor, and other 3rd-party websites.
My response?
Third-party website leads are the sad $1 McHamburgers you get when you’re in a hurry. The ones with the soggy bun, dollop of ketchup, a single discolored pickle, and a “beef” patty thinner than computer paper.
3rd-party leads
No-Risk PPC leads, however, are the gourmet burgers you get at an upscale restaurant. The ones with melted cheddar cut right off the block. Toasted artisan buns made from freshly prepared bread. Crisp veggies delivered straight from the local farmers market. And succulent ground sirloin patties so thick you can barely get your mouth around them.
No-Risk PPC leads
When it comes to the QUALITY of the leads, there’s no contest.
The No-Risk PPC leads are generated directly from YOUR website. Not some 3rd-party website that sells the same lead to you and 20 of your competitors. In which case, it’s like a contractor version of The Hunger Games—it’s a savage battle to be the last contractor standing to claim the lead.
These 3rd-party lead sites don’t even try to hide it. This is taken from HomeAdvisor’s FAQ page (text in bold is my emphasis):
“Q. How does HomeAdvisor work?
First we find homeowners looking for help completing home projects and collect information about their project. Our patented ProFinder technology then identifies relevant professionals, taking into account our pros’ availability, service type and location preferences. When we have a match, we send the homeowner’s information to the matched pro instantly so that he/she can win the job.”
So even though you get the lead, you don’t really get the lead. As HomeAdvisor says, you have to “win” the job once they throw the lead your way.
Yikes.
And, honestly, the quality and quantity of these 3rd-party website leads are typically poor. Here is a Google review a contractor left about CraftJack, another 3rd-party lead-generation website:
“They suck your money away and produce little to NO results! Go ANYWHERE else but here! They even blocked me on social media so I can’t post the truth about them to protect other small businesses from getting scammed!”
Once again: Yikes.
And what can you do to protect yourself from this? Nothing! Third-party lead-generation websites lock you in to a binding contract. There’s no escape… even if the website doesn’t deliver.
Here is an Angie’s List review regarding their contract situation (text in bold is my emphasis):
“When I was looking into signing up I was told that I would get about 2 or 3 calls a day because of the volume that they get in my Industry. After 2 weeks I did not get ANY Calls so I called and asked why. I was then told that I had to have at least 5 Reviews before I get listed after I paid them. I called my customers that were supposed to give my reviews and I was told that they tried but it was too complicated. I did have 2 customers that went all the way through the review process and Angie’s List told me that they were rejected.
I called and asked why they were rejected and was told that they didn’t know why and would look into it? So now I am locked into a contract for $100 a month with a company that is not willing to help me figure out how to make this work as promised. I tried to get in touch with the guy that made the promises and he won’t talk to me. Learn from my mistake and STAY AWAY from this company.”
I don’t want to keep trashing these lead-generation websites. But COME ON.
We can do better, people.
And MYM is leading the charge with No-Risk PPC.
No-Risk PPC doesn’t make you fight your competition over the same leads. Or lock you into inescapable contracts. Or supply you with low-quality leads that aren’t relevant to your company.
Nope. Instead, No-Risk PPC provides you with as many EXCLUSIVE high-quality leads as you can handle… at a guaranteed cost per lead of $200 or less. All with ZERO commitment or up-front money on your part.
Here’s a handy little guide explaining the differences between 3rd-party lead-generation websites and No-Risk PPC…
3rd-Party Lead-Generation Websites:
- Requires money up front to get started.
- Once you get a lead, you have to duke it out with your competitors to “win” the job.
- The lead quality is usually poor. (See contractor reviews above or the 8 million other reviews you can find with a Google search.)
- The lead count is usually low.
- You are locked in to a binding contract, no matter the results.
No-Risk PPC:
- No money down to get started. You pay for the leads we acquire—AFTER we acquire them for you. And your cost per lead with never exceed $200. Guaranteed.
- No binding contract. You’re free to quit the program whenever you want, for whatever reason you want. (But if it’s working, I’m not sure why you would!)
- The lead quality is excellent. The leads generated by No-Risk PPC are people actively looking for the services you offer.
- The quantity of leads is however many are available in your market. Set the bar as high as you want. We’ll deliver.
- The leads you get are generated directly from your website. You don’t have to fight with 20 of your competitors over the same lead to “win” the job.
To prove No-Risk PPC “walks the talk,” here are portions of a couple client invoices for PPC leads generated between January 10th and January 24th, 2018:
Client 1:
Client 2:
So if you’re still trying to sustain yourself on $1 McHamburgers (a.k.a. 3rd-party lead websites), stop. You’re slowly killing yourself. And you don’t even know it.
Instead, sink your teeth into a gourmet burger like No-Risk PPC. The quality and quantity is a thousand times better. And you won’t risk a penny.
Want more details?
Email noriskppc@mymonline.com or fill out the contact form on the No-Risk PPC webpage with your questions. We can supply you with all the info you need about the program and what it can do for your business.
Thanks!
-Rich
