The Magic Of Email Contact

michaelzenga

Many Contractors make the mistake of not properly introducing themselves to their customers online. Most purchasing decisions are made after a merchant has made 7-10 contacts. Hence, if a customer is looking for a contractor to handle a major renovation of their kitchen or a major electrical job, what are the chances they are going to go to the customer's website and call for an appointment or place an order? There are 2 chances: Slim and None and slim just left town…

A different approach would be for the contractor to introduce himself or herself to the customer gradually or in small steps. The best way we found, and one of the reasons we grew our business over 5x in a year at my company ZN Custom Building, was to send our prospects a series of emails. The approach would work like this:

- Customer visits our site and sees that we have info on average pricing or a whitepaper on tips they can't get anywhere else
- The information isn't free however, they must trade it for their name and email address. Remarkably, over 30% of visitors will make this trade and give us their name and email address
- We send them a series of messages introducing ourselves

We send a choreographed series of emails called: Auto Responders; they are the nuclear weapons of internet marketing. They are a series of preloaded emails loaded into a email marketing management system like IContact, and everyone who comes to my site gets 10 emails - one ever 3 days from me automatically. I don't have to lift a finger. The first message thanks the customer for coming to our site and mentions that we will be sending a series of tips with information that many of our previous customers have found useful. If in fact they don't want to receive the messages again, there is a very easy button embedded clearly within the email that allows them to be taken off our list; but hardly anyone ever does.

Next messages might follow with "I bet you didn't know…" "One of our customers was very apprehensive about doing this type of job because… but they trusted us anyway and now the are so happy…"

Subsequent messages might merely provide them with a tip most people didn't know. The more good information you give away, the more people will trust you, and rightly so.

The Internet isn't an alternate universe; it is merely a communication medium. You should treat people as you would want to be treated. Take time to prove yourself and knowledge to people, give them your best information to build trust, and please don't ask them to do business as soon as they meet you!

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I didn't read the ad rules.

Home Services

Good post... we will ad this to our "to do" list.

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home improvement Peoria IL
bathroom remodeling Peoria IL
seamless gutters Peoria IL
kitchen remodeling Peoria IL

Magic Hammer

Wow, sounds like you guys are doing it right in email campaign. Who did the choreographed series of emails? In house or did I Contact help you.
How many emails do you send out?
Thanks for the post!

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Skye Builders, inc.
Decks,Sunrooms,Windows and Siding
www.skyebuilders.com

Jordy3738

Does this forum allow self promotion?

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Free-Cabinet Repair eBook | Adjusting Cabinet Doors | Formica Kitchen Cabinets

ATH

Can you please provide information about the study/studies that back up this statement? I often see similar data thrown around, but have never seen how this has been measured.

Thank you,

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Wayne
Around the House
http://www.MyPowerCouple.com

Handymanservice

I know this isn't the most current thread, but it sounds like a great idea. I know that I am an information whre, and I sign up to crappy email campaigns all the time.

I figure if I can learn one thing, I have not wasted any time.

If you have a series of emails that you would be willing to share, sort of a starting point for people interested, please post them or offer a email or pm. I would be interested in seeing these and developing my own campaign.

Anyone else?

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"You can shear a sheep every year, but you can only skin him once!" Remember that when dealing with your customers and pricing.

http://www.yourhandymansite.com

MattCoops

That's the reason we don't ask for the customer's contact info to give them information on their project or provide a brochure on materials/services.
I always get turned off by people who start a conversation with: "I'm [name] and we provide [service, business, product]" and go on about what they do and how great it is.
Selling involves building a relationship with a person.
And I believe, if people want to do business with you, they'll come to you. Sure, you need to put word out there about what you do. But I don't really believe in a scheme of getting their contact info to get useful information. Especially on the internet, which is a source for gathering information.

Plus, you're giving yourself an additional workload of having to keep in touch with these "prospects" and keep track of what level/stage of giving which message/information they are.
If you did great work for people and had a genuine care built for them and kept in touch with them, believe me, they would refer you to everyone they know.

I choose referral system over contact gathering system anyday.

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Matt with Cupan Custom Tile & Paint of Lowell, Massachusetts
Design and installation of ceramic tile and natural stone for floor, wall, and countertops
(978) 601-8774 | cupantile@gmail.com | view tile pictures and more

MattCoops

Oh, and by the way,
the messages you persistently email these people are called SPAM.

Most won't click a link to stop getting these messages sent. It's much easier to hit the checkbox for "mark as spam".

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Matt with Cupan Custom Tile & Paint of Lowell, Massachusetts
Design and installation of ceramic tile and natural stone for floor, wall, and countertops
(978) 601-8774 | cupantile@gmail.com | view tile pictures and more

Handymanservice

It's not SPAM when you request more information.

What it sounds like to me is they are trying to build value in the beginning of the relationship. Giving them information they can depend on, at no cost to them, whether anything ever comes out of the relationship or not.

A great example of this type of marketing would be Joy Gendusa at Postcard Mania, if you sign up to her website, she "freely" gives you a wealth of information that is useful. Also, she follows up with a series of emails that contain useful information.

I do not know what Michaelzenga includes in his email campaign, but from the sounds of his OP, I feel like he is not Spamming, but trying to build a relationship before trying to sell someone.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with that, AND, he makes it easy for them to "opt out" with a clearly defined button. Good Job.

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"You can shear a sheep every year, but you can only skin him once!" Remember that when dealing with your customers and pricing.

http://www.yourhandymansite.com

George Z

Personally,
I request information and I look forward to 10-15 sites
sending me periodic e-mails.
Some of course overdo it.
It is my inbox, my time, my permission

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Toronto Painters Commercial Painting Commercial Painting Toronto Toronto Office Painters
Painting Toronto Blog

MattCoops

Sending out a campaign of emails to a person in hopes of selling something is called spam.
Especially when you are doing this to a "bulk" of people that are giving you their contact information (when really, the just wanted to see the free report you ad showcased on your site).

If the information on your site is readily available, your site has worthwhile content that gets the user to come back, and you present yourself as a professional that knows their stuff and does outstanding workmanship, users will gladly call you for your service or use the form on your contact page.

You guys are showing good initiative at chasing down prospects though.

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Matt with Cupan Custom Tile & Paint of Lowell, Massachusetts
Design and installation of ceramic tile and natural stone for floor, wall, and countertops
(978) 601-8774 | cupantile@gmail.com | view tile pictures and more