I witness a lot of funny & not so funny things as a business & marketing coach. Today, I witnessed a couple things in the area of contractor marketing that I thought I should comment on. Please be advised that the following two examples are not a good idea for your business (unless you live beyond the ‘Cheddar Curtain’ and wear Green & Gold half shirts years round). Sorry, that was for my in-laws….
1. I saw a Cleaning & Restoration company vehicle…very nice truck…great branding…they clean homes, deal with smoke damage, etc…. So, what was it that contradicted their great marketing?
The dude driving was smoking so much you’d have thought he would’ve been wearing a blindfold and standing in front of a few guys with rifles. The great marketing was wiped out by the bad marketing of employee appearance.
2. I saw a carpentry truck…again with decent lettering, etc…what did he have on the back of his truck? No, it wasn’t the naked lady silhouette…it was some totally ‘dark & wicked’ skull-type of sticker. Maybe it was his favorite band? Maybe it was his own art?
My first thought?
At least it wasn’t a set of those artificial balls that hang off the trailer hitch!
The point of all this you ask?
I notice stories.
Your potential clients notice stories too. These companies probably do good work. The people driving were probably good people. But, there were two stories being told. The first story was of two solid companies with clean images. The type you’d feel good about rolling the dice and hiring.
The second story (the chain smoker and the ‘dark side’ guy) was telling me that my home may smell like smoke after it is “cleaned” and that the heavy metal music will be cranked up loud when my kid is trying to nap.
Let’s be clear: I know a lot good people who smoke and I LOVE HARD ROCKIN’ MUSIC (In fact I play drum and have a big tattoo myself). But, not enough to overlook the second story being told.
Key takeaway for you…make sure you tell the the right story consistently.
