http://www.contractortalk.com Sub-Topics: Online Leads Services en Sat, 21 Nov 2009 01:49:19 GMT vBulletin 60 http://www.contractortalk.com/images/misc/rss.jpg http://www.contractortalk.com http://www.contractortalk.com/f12/effective-marketing-68443/ Fri, 20 Nov 2009 17:52:39 GMT Many of you guys disliked my comments on Guerrilla Marketing. If you really want to market, follow the link below. A little about me. I taught marketing for 2 years (1977-1979) immediately prior to starting in construction. I did well enough in construction that I retired after 28 years, when... Many of you guys disliked my comments on Guerrilla Marketing. If you really want to market, follow the link below.

A little about me. I taught marketing for 2 years (1977-1979) immediately prior to starting in construction. I did well enough in construction that I retired after 28 years, when I was 56. My wife did not work nor did she provide any income, the construction company did it all.

I did have a significant advantage over my competition, I understood business. I have/had an MBA with management experience starting when I was in High School.

Marketing is not about a snazzy website with gobs of bells and whistles, it's about marketing the product your customer is looking for, where, and when your customer is looking for it.

http://www.starfire-properties.com-a...vicesmarketing ]]> thom http://www.contractortalk.com/f12/effective-marketing-68443/ http://www.contractortalk.com/f12/service-magic-exact-match-must-read-68435/ Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:25:35 GMT If by chance, you're utilizing the service magic "exact match" program, here's something to be looking out for.

Go to google. Then, type in your company's name. Nothing else with it, JUST your company's name.

Look towards the right of the results page--where the "sponsored links" are.

If you're company name shows up towards the right, more than likely in the color "blue"--and you click on the link,....it drives you directly to service magic's website.

These scum are taking what could potentially be a targeted customer looking to go EXCLUSIVELY to your website,...hi-jacking that information,...selling it to other area contractors, and then selling what should have been your OWN EXCLUSIVE LEAD BACK TO YOU!!!!

And the saga continues.....:no: ]]> handyhands http://www.contractortalk.com/f12/service-magic-exact-match-must-read-68435/ http://www.contractortalk.com/f12/van-colour-68433/ Fri, 20 Nov 2009 15:31:21 GMT Hello All,

Debating what colour scheme to have on our van. I was thinking definitely two colours as opposed to just one. I'm thinking nothing too outlandish but also something that gets noticed. :whistling

Any thoughts? ]]> zuridis http://www.contractortalk.com/f12/van-colour-68433/ http://www.contractortalk.com/f12/question-bdiamond-sales-related-68402/ Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:46:17 GMT you made some interesting posts. here is a scenario i am sure everyone has been in..since you do windows we will use that as an example. can you provide responses to each?

1)homeowner says they don't want anything expensive,they don't need the best.
2)anything is better than the windows they now have,even a cheap low quality window will be better.
3) John from down the street only paid 300 bucks per window installed and he is very happy,he's had then for 3 years. so why 750 per window?
4)before you start your presentation we just want to let you know we are NOT buying tonight.. ]]> davinci http://www.contractortalk.com/f12/question-bdiamond-sales-related-68402/ http://www.contractortalk.com/f12/guerilla-marketing-68388/ Thu, 19 Nov 2009 18:05:08 GMT I'm sure my business is like many others. The recession has drastically reduced foot traffic and propects (i.e., people who really intend to do a job and are financially capable of doing so). We do flooring, cabinets, countertops, kitchen and bath remodels. The industry, according to the trades, has been in recession since October 2006 and shows no sign of improving. If anything, it is deepening.

We can't afford expensive "marketing campaigns" like they teach in business schools and that every ad agency wants to do. (Very few companies have the marketing budget of a Lowe's.) Plus I've moved the store from a small town 12 miles from the metro area to Lexington recently, so it is a lot like starting all over.

Has anyone been absolutely successful with any kind of guerilla marketing in this environment? I've focused the last year on door hangers targeted in specific neighborhoods, but success has been modest. I also can't find anyone reliable to get out thousands of them (maybe 12-15,000 households within 3 miles that are good demographics) and I can't find the time to consistently do it all myself. Despite only modest success with them, it seems to me a better payback/lower cost/more directly targeted/creates some awareness with one impression than anything I've done with newspaper, newspaper inserts, radio, or cable TV on HGTV.

Like I'm sure many others in the industry, there are lots of great deals we can make to clients, but getting qualified prospects in the door or to call us is the problem right now. Any suggestions are appreciated! ]]> grahaminteriors http://www.contractortalk.com/f12/guerilla-marketing-68388/ http://www.contractortalk.com/f12/signage-68386/ Thu, 19 Nov 2009 17:43:30 GMT I've recently moved my store from a small town 12 miles from the metro area to Lexington on a dead end street that is parallel to one of the busiest streets in town. We are next door to the oldest and busiest high-end paint and wallpaper store in town. The location cannot be seen from the busy road - someone actually needs to drive between and behind some of the buildings that face that road. But many people who are our demographic come to the paint store and pass in front of us.

Two questions. One is how to get people out on the main drag(s) to know where we are at. (No billboards in the immediate area, budget may not allow them anyway. City is goofy about not allowing many kinds of signs and/or locations thereof.) Second is I'd like to investigate if an electronic sign outside the store is feasible that shows photos, video, and text. I've seen this kind of sign in places like Gatlinburg, but no one can even give me a ballpark price. I've asked 3 sign/marketing people to come talk to me about it, nobody bothers to keep an appointment.

We do flooring, cabinets, countertops, kitchen and bath remodels, so it is a visual medium. (Personality-wise, I think in terms of numbers and text, so I have to make a conscious effort to communicate with visuals.) Any suggestions are appreciated! ]]> grahaminteriors http://www.contractortalk.com/f12/signage-68386/ http://www.contractortalk.com/f12/contractor-com-68366/ Thu, 19 Nov 2009 04:30:23 GMT Is anyone using contractor.com?:rolleyes: Is anyone using contractor.com?:rolleyes: ]]> jelliscarpentry http://www.contractortalk.com/f12/contractor-com-68366/ http://www.contractortalk.com/f12/haag-certified-68354/ Thu, 19 Nov 2009 01:05:00 GMT Anyone on here Haag certified? Just wondering what your experience has been with the certification! Anyone on here Haag certified? Just wondering what your experience has been with the certification! ]]> Roofman20033 http://www.contractortalk.com/f12/haag-certified-68354/ http://www.contractortalk.com/f12/rodney-webb-68336/ Wed, 18 Nov 2009 20:32:05 GMT I just called to see when his next boot camp was and we got talking. I cant make the time he is having it so he sent me to his new site. http://www.skillent.com/ It has a lot of good stuff on it and he says if i have any questions he will always answer them. He also said their will never... I just called to see when his next boot camp was and we got talking. I cant make the time he is having it so he sent me to his new site.

http://www.skillent.com/

It has a lot of good stuff on it and he says if i have any questions he will always answer them.

He also said their will never be a charge and he will never try to sell stuff to us. ]]> nlgutters http://www.contractortalk.com/f12/rodney-webb-68336/ http://www.contractortalk.com/f12/lost-sale-today-68332/ Wed, 18 Nov 2009 18:32:16 GMT Well, I don't know if I lost, maybe it just worked out in my favor.

Ya see it is my Dad's girlfriend. She has hired me for every little honey do thing since my Father knows enough to just stay away from such things. Biggest job was a deck this year.

So, she has a leak somewhere and it's coming into the basement through the wall and soaking the carpet. Over a year I have been talking to her about this because the leak comes and goes, not very big. Anyway, as I told her from the beginning we need to open the wall and or ceiling and see what's going on. Finally she calls and give the go ahead and I spend 2 hours digging and find the problem. Slit in drain pipe, in wall behind dishwasher which follows pipe all the way to the basement.

She says well this is an insurance issue I'm gonna call my agent. OK. Let me know... Can ya get it done befor Thanksgiving? Yup...

Now the insurance adjuster is over there and can't find the leak and wants me to tell him where it is. In hind sight I'm glad I didn't get the call, went to voice mail. She calls up later hemming and hawing about this and that. So, I know where this is going. "what's going on"? "Well, he says he can do it all in house, they'll even replace the carpet all the way to the stairs and they give a 5 year warrenty." Woopty ding dong! Who cares! So, I tell her "you need to do what you feel comfortable with" and left it at that. I'm not going to hard sell someone in the family. I'm already breaking that rule by doing work in the first place. Loosing it doesn't bother me.

But, I can't believe I got beat by the eefing insurance company! How does this work? Because I believe that most people probably don't understand that they can use someone else. How can an Insurance company sell themselves, to do the work? Isn't there some ethics involved here? What ever happened to customer getting 3 estimates? ]]> AJAX http://www.contractortalk.com/f12/lost-sale-today-68332/ http://www.contractortalk.com/f12/national-building-cost-estimator-68321/ Wed, 18 Nov 2009 16:28:59 GMT What do ya think, yeah or nay? What do ya think, yeah or nay? ]]> AJAX http://www.contractortalk.com/f12/national-building-cost-estimator-68321/ http://www.contractortalk.com/f12/homeowner-association-newsletters-68201/ Mon, 16 Nov 2009 02:11:25 GMT Does anyone advertise in Homeowner Association newsletters? Do you live in an association that has a newsletter and do you look at it each month? Thanks, Jeff Does anyone advertise in Homeowner Association newsletters?
Do you live in an association that has a newsletter and do you look at it each month?
Thanks,
Jeff ]]> http://www.contractortalk.com/f12/homeowner-association-newsletters-68201/