Electrician Marketing

[pjbelectrical]

Hello all, new to the forum but have been reading some intresting threads over the past week so thought I'd take the plunge.

For a bit of background I had worked in the interior fit out market since leaving school and worked fitting out stores of numerous well known brands. I gained my C&G part 1 and 2 qualifications but never undertook the NVQ/Apprenticeship route as I was fortunate enough to be in decently paid employment.

I relocated to the the West Midlands for family reasons a few years back and set up my own fit out firm offering complete fit out packages with myself undertaking the electrical elements of the projects. Turnover and profit was good, turnover of over £1m in 12 months, then the recession bit a few of our clients went into CVA's I lost a fair bot of money and closed the company. Marketing was virtually non existant due to the number of contacts I had in the sector it was just a case of phoning around my contacts and preparing the tenders, plenty of work was available.

I am a fully qualified and registered spark and not one to be deterred set up an electrical contracting company to service mainly the domestic market, reason for this being the value of the projects undertaken being relatively low value therefore reducing my risk of bad debt, once bitten twice shy etc.

I have been going now for 3 months and lady luck was with me in the first month as I picked up a few decent projects, however as time has gone on I am finding it difficult to pick up enquiries and would like suggestions on issues below;

I have a website and undertook a PPC advertising campaign with a good click through ratio but no enquiries came through. I believe SEO would be a better route but I am not up to speed on the net, so advice would be welcome or if someone can recommend an expert to help in this field this would be much appreiciated.

I have ran a small ad in the experts section of our local newspaper, few enquries through but just covering the cost of advertising really so the ROI not that great. Splashed out on a few bigger ads with offers which again I got a few enquries through but again just covering the cost of the ad. One of the contacts was a landlord and I won the project and he is keen to use me again so I can see this method getting results, just the initial outlay for a sustained campaign is not viable at present.

Ran a leafleting campign, full colour both sides again with an offer, 5000 posted in total but as of yet no response. This was cheap to do but time consuming delivering. Is 5000 enough?

I joined a few work sites such as MyHammer, Rated People etc and have found that Rated People is the best of the bunch I pick up between £500 and £1000 worth of work a month through the site at present.

Targetted Estate Agents and Letting agents with introductory email with half price offer on first order, 40 have opened this with no further responses as of yet, however this was only started on Tuesday of this week. Does anyone have any experience in this field, is it better face to face or formal letter, any ideas on what copy to write etc

I am booked to go to local networking event next week and I am going to target local builders, lighting shops, mortgage brokers etc. In addition I have tried writing a number of press releases for local paper but gain struggle with the layout and content.

Any advice or guidance would be very welcome. I know I am asking a lot but hopefully this will help me and others too.

 

[marketingquotes]

Possibly the most effective and cost efficient advice is for you to do a leaflet drop to houses in a 2 mile radius.

Regards,

Marketing Quotes Support.

 

[pjbelectrical]

Thanks for the advice, I have already done a leaflet drop of 5,000 full colour flyers but I am yet to get a response from them, do you think 5,000 is enough and also what response rate would you expect. I am also on a number of electricians forums, some say they work others say they dont, I thought it was down to layouts of flyers etc. I have included a special offer on them but as of yet no bites.

 

[marketingquotes]

Yeh I did notice that.

The thing is, people will only use you as and when - so if a need arrises, they need to respond.

Marketing is all about sowing seeds - perhaps the mailing just landed at the wrong time - so repeating it once a month would be good.

Maybe creating something that can be pinned to peoples notice boards (as opposed to a flyer) will be more fruitful - as they may keep your name to hand for when an occasion arrises.

Plumbers and Electricials are like gold dust when you need them - so you have to get your name out there.

Web advertising you are competing against the big boys - so best do local marketing.

Regards,

Marketing Quotes Support

 

[estwig]

Possibly the most effective and cost efficient advice is for you to do a leaflet drop to houses in a 2 mile radius.

Regards,

Marketing Quotes Support.

Yeh I did notice that.

The thing is, people will only use you as and when - so if a need arrises, they need to respond.

Marketing is all about sowing seeds - perhaps the mailing just landed at the wrong time - so repeating it once a month would be good.

Maybe creating something that can be pinned to peoples notice boards (as opposed to a flyer) will be more fruitful - as they may keep your name to hand for when an occasion arrises.

Plumbers and Electricials are like gold dust when you need them - so you have to get your name out there.

Web advertising you are competing against the big boys - so best do local marketing.

Regards,

Marketing Quotes Support

People like you really get my goat, you tout yourself on here as a marketing expert, but give the worst advice possible. You should burn your keyboard before you do damage to someone's business!!


Back to the OP, leaflet drops are a waste of time and money for you.

Get your adwords (PPC) going properly, it works wonders, absolutely fooking marvellous if done properly. You could read adwords for dummies or ideally get Vernon from http://www.kksmarts.com or look up his partner on here Mike Seddon, on the case. These fellas are sh*t hot.

 

[pjbelectrical]

Thanks, intresting point you make, I will look into that, maybe put emergency numbers for suppliers or info from Electrical Safety Council with web address on a postcard so that it is of more use than a basic flyer. Did toy with the idea of using a comical postcard but thought that this diverts away from what we do and may cheapen our brand, I am really an amateur when it comes to marketing so all idea greatfully recieved.

I do go to a lot of call outs where 'cowboys' have had a bash and made a complete hash up of the job and 9 times out of 10 they always say they were recommended, so word of mouth is an important part, works for cowboys so I should clear uponce i'm up and running.

I have ran some figures and I reckon that I need a client base of 350 people to build a sustainable business in the sector.

 

[marketingquotes]

@ Estwig - maybe you need to grow up and try being helpful and less childish.

 

[pjbelectrical]

Estwig, strong words, I dont want to start a war on here only after advice, I have tried numerous avenues some with more success than others, and really here for guidance.

I have tried adwords with great click through rate but no success, but thats down to the fact that I dont really have a clue what i'm doing when it comes to the net. Spent the money got burnt time to pass it to someone who specialises in that field.

Thank you for the links, will get in touch with these guys. Recommendations are great as the web is awash with 'experts' so its always good to speak to someone who has tried them before.

 

[marketingquotes]

PPC is indeed a good marketing route - but people that are looking for electricians/plummers etc. would not use the internet.

Most people are looking for someone local, so either go with that has been dropped through their door, or ask a neighbour.

Regards,

Marketing Quotes Support.

 

[pjbelectrical]

I have tried sites such as rated people etc and as stated in my original post I generate between £500 to £1000 of business a month through that site.

People do go through the internet to look for tradesmen as I have found out with Rated People. With rated people they get 3 tradesmen to quote on the project this usually entails a site visit unless its an emergency so its not price sensitive as once your in the door you are selling your experience and work ethic to the customer and I suppose it comes back to the customer giving the project to the contractor they have most confidence in. Its profitable work and I get 1 out of every 2 jobs. I pay them a fee for the lead and the leads are usually good quality, any issues with a lead and they credit you back.

The point I am making is that people are using the internet to find tradesmen, I use the internet to find almost everything these days and it is a market I would like to tap in to.

 

[estwig]

PPC is indeed a good marketing route - but people that are looking for electricians/plummers etc. would not use the internet.

Most people are looking for someone local, so either go with that has been dropped through their door, or ask a neighbour.

Regards,

Marketing Quotes Support.

No you are completely wrong, lots of people use the internet to find a local tradesman. I been using adwords for over 3 years to generate local work, it's fooking marvellous.

Leaflets do not work for tradesmen, if someone wants a plumber or electrican, etc, they look in the places they expect to find one, yellow pages, classified ads, parish magazine, Google. Speculative marketing like leaflet drops, do not work for trades.

 

[estwig]

@ Estwig - maybe you need to grow up and try being helpful and less childish.

No mate, what I need to do is stop idiots like you from making out you know what you are talking about, you don't have a clue. You could lose some poor sod a lot of money and in my book that makes you scum.

 

[jonmcculloch]

Get your adwords (PPC) going properly, it works wonders, absolutely fooking marvellous if done properly.

Adwords and online marketing doesn't work for every business, Estwig. I have had hands-on experience of one where leaflet marketing was the second best method we found.

What experience do you, personally, have with offline marketing like direct mail, word-of-mouth, endorsed mailings, joint-ventures, advertising, free PR, and all the other ways there are of marketing a business offline?

What kind of volumes have you done, and what was your response rate ad ROI?

I won't deny Adwords CAN be a very effective and efficient way to grow a business -- even an electrician's business.

But to say leaflet drops don't work for tradesmen is demonstrably incorrect.

True, if your leaflets look like advertising and are just there to sell the service, your response can be very low. But if you, say, make the leaflet useful in and of itself and too good to throw away, you'll find people DO keep it and DO refer to it when they need someone.

Alternatively, you could splash out and deliver a small but useful booklet. Costs more, but your marketing cost should always be measured in terms of your ROI.

Or send them to your website to generate leads (by offering them something of value -- like the aforementioned booklet).

And saying anything is the "best" way is not only demonstrably incorrect, but it also violates elementary logic (because it presupposes you have tested every single alternative marketing method out there, and since there are an infinite number of those, you can't have).

Similarly the statement "Get your adwords (PPC) going properly, it works wonders, absolutely fooking marvellous if done properly." is what's called an "unfalsifiable hypothesis", meaning the presupposition is Adwords always works and if it's not working, you're not doing it right (read Popper on unfalsifiable hypotheses and how they render the hypothesis meaningless -- like yours).

I have no doubt you know a lot about adwords. I don't think you know much about offline direct marketing, though.

Warmly,

Jon

 

[sean.browne]

...but people that are looking for electricians/plummers etc. would not use the internet.

I have to disagree. If I did not known one, the Internet is the first place I would look.

'plumbers in cardiff' from my android phone is exactly what I would do.

 

[jonmcculloch]

I have to disagree. If I did not known one, the Internet is the first place I would look.

'plumbers in cardiff' from my android phone is exactly what I would do.

Some do, some don't. A big mistake business owners make is solipsism.

The search numbers prove beyond any doubt people do search online for plumbers and electricians.

But that doesn't mean everyone is, it doesn't mean that where the best and most qualified leads come from, and it certainly doesn't mean there's no one searching offline and using all the other ways there are to find plumbers.

For example, carpet cleaning -- there's a lot of online searches for these. But my client's direct mail brought in business with an ROI measured in the thousands.

And a guy I know in Cork gets 80% of his business from the Golden Pages.

Apart from anything only a real idiot would use Adwords to the exclusion of all else -- simply because if you get a Google slap, you're buggered.

Warmly,

Jon

 

[sean.browne]

I don't think google slaps adwords adverts do they?

 

[sean.browne]

Regarding leaflets, I would say they can work for services. Let me explain.

Leaflet 1.
Need an electrician? Call us now we are really good.

I wouldn't expect a great response as you would only get calls from people who need an electrician right now and you catch them before they get to google.

Leaflet 2.
Do you live in rented accomodation? Too many rented houses have dangerous electrical installation which are an accident waiting to happen. Protect your family now with a free visual inspection. If we find any item that needs addressing we will contact your landlord directly and it won't cost you a penny.
This free inspection offer ends Friday so you pick up the phone now and book your free inspection.




Maybe post your leaflet up and see if anyone can offer constructive criticism?

 

[jonmcculloch]

I don't think google slaps adwords adverts do they?

Yes, they do.

Warmly,

Jon

 

[estwig]

I have to disagree. If I did not known one, the Internet is the first place I would look.

'plumbers in cardiff' from my android phone is exactly what I would do.

Exactly and if you are looking for 'building plans in Kent' on your phone, at the top of google you would see a click to call button, you click it, my phone rings. It works.

Adwords and online marketing doesn't work for every business, Estwig. I have had hands-on experience of one where leaflet marketing was the second best method we found.

What experience do you, personally, have with offline marketing like direct mail, word-of-mouth, endorsed mailings, joint-ventures, advertising, free PR, and all the other ways there are of marketing a business offline?

What kind of volumes have you done, and what was your response rate ad ROI?

I won't deny Adwords CAN be a very effective and efficient way to grow a business -- even an electrician's business.

But to say leaflet drops don't work for tradesmen is demonstrably incorrect.

True, if your leaflets look like advertising and are just there to sell the service, your response can be very low. But if you, say, make the leaflet useful in and of itself and too good to throw away, you'll find people DO keep it and DO refer to it when they need someone.

Alternatively, you could splash out and deliver a small but useful booklet. Costs more, but your marketing cost should always be measured in terms of your ROI.

Or send them to your website to generate leads (by offering them something of value -- like the aforementioned booklet).

And saying anything is the "best" way is not only demonstrably incorrect, but it also violates elementary logic (because it presupposes you have tested every single alternative marketing method out there, and since there are an infinite number of those, you can't have).

Similarly the statement "Get your adwords (PPC) going properly, it works wonders, absolutely fooking marvellous if done properly." is what's called an "unfalsifiable hypothesis", meaning the presupposition is Adwords always works and if it's not working, you're not doing it right (read Popper on unfalsifiable hypotheses and how they render the hypothesis meaningless -- like yours).

I have no doubt you know a lot about adwords. I don't think you know much about offline direct marketing, though.

Warmly,

Jon

Don't try and baffle me with big words, unfalsifiable hypothesis, WTF is that!!

I have no need or desire to justify myself, but I been in the building game in one form or another, selling into the domestic market for over 20 years. In that time I have always considered myself above all a marketer, a salesman.

Nothing happens in business until you have some business.

I get very tried and irritated by the lack of so called marketing experts like yourself and the other person in this thread, ability to understand how a tradesman can and should generate some business. Leaflets, booklets, email newsletters, mailing lists, etc, do not work. Possibly you will say they do because there is money in this for you?

If done correctly, adwords works and works very, very well. As do classified ads, yellow pages and a good choice are ads in a local parish magazine.

 

[estwig]

Yes, they do.

Warmly,

Jon

No they don't, not if done correctly.

You marketing people really get me at times!!!

leaves a sour taste in my mouth.

 

[maxine]

I do marketing for trades and it can be tough going initially but usually builds up very quickly.

Estwigs words may have been a bit strong but actually I totally agree that leaflet drops for trades perform worse than lots of other methods. The only leaflet campaigns that perform well in my experience (from standing around in the cold all day doing it myself) are either outside DIY centres, Builders Merchants, or with other targets in mind such as certain business estates, residential estates with work going on etc.

From market research that I do regularly for trades around 90% of people indicate they use the internet (not exclusively as also word of mouth recommendation rates higher too).

I would encourage the Op to think about what type of work they want to attract and then work backwards from that as a domestic campaign is very different from business.

I posted some ideas on another thread fairly recently so I'm gonna go and find that and copy on here as it may help with the advice and ideas being generated.

Good luck

 

[maxine]

You marketing people really get me at times!!!

leaves a sour taste in my mouth.

Oi!! Do you mind!!

 

[maxine]

Freebie marketing ideas

* Get a landline deal with unlimited calls and get ringing around other trades - plumbers, builders, carpenters, plasterers as they will all have contacts, referrals, customers. Ask for email addresses and permission to send marketing emails.

* When you have exhausted calling all the trades start ringing local consumers subject to a TPS check (www.tps-manage.com gives you 5 free checks per day or £10 per month unlimited from selectabase) This may feel uncomfortable but it's free and just takes time and effort. Again ask permission to email.

* Sign up to a free bulk email marketing service such as Mailchip, add your email contacts to it (who have given you permission) and start sending emails with special offers, photos of work, details of availability etc.

* Stand outside DIY places (with permission) and ask people for email addresses to send info to on special offers. These bank holidays coming up are the best times in the year to do this and you are selling to a captive audience. If you can scrape some money together for some leaflets (£20 or so) then even better as money well spent.

* Get yourself a free wordpress.com account and start to blog about your work with samples, pictures, explanations.

* Get yourself on twitter and do some local search marketing by using tools such as www.twitterfall.com to find people in your local area who may be looking for electrician. Obviously be careful how you approach them ie; not too spammy but it works!

* Do some videos of work and get onto youtube. Don't worry about having the best kind of video... phone videos are fine for trades. Another free and fab resource that just takes time.

* Set up a facebook business page and get your name out locally with friends and family. You can add in photos and all sorts to show people samples of work etc.

* Go through phone books or directories, look up websites, send a one off email with your contact details.

* Go through all the free listing internet directories - yes, you will get loads of sales calls to upgrade your listing but thats probably a consequence you can live with.

 

[sean.browne]

Yes, they do.

Warmly,

Jon

Your right, they do for poor quality, low performing ad's.

I was not aware of this, as it has never been a problem

It make sense for google to slap poor performing PPC ad's, and it shouldnt bother the advertiser as they got slapped because they weren't working.

 

[sean.browne]

Adwords and online marketing doesn't work for every business...

Again I would have to disagree. Who wouldn't want an advert that brings highly targetted traffic to your sales page / contact details, or you don't pay. I think every business should have one.

 

[maxine]

oh and in response to the point about bad debts, I would recommend getting some credit insurance too

 

[estwig]

Oi!! Do you mind!!

You knows me luvs ya!!!

 

[jonmcculloch]

Don't try and baffle me with big words, unfalsifiable hypothesis, WTF is that!!

Your lack of education really isn't my problem. Google it.

I have no need or desire to justify myself, but I been in the building game in one form or another, selling into the domestic market for over 20 years. In that time I have always considered myself above all a marketer, a salesman.

Of course you don't have to justify yourself. But if you really did know about marketing, you'd realise one of the most powerful elements in persuading people is the proof element. Your simply stating things and then refusing to substantiate them doesn't exactly give you a lot of credibility.

Nothing happens in business until you have some business.

Clearly wrong, otherwise startups would never start up.

I get very tried and irritated by the lack of so called marketing experts like yourself and the other person in this thread, ability to understand how a tradesman can and should generate some business. Leaflets, booklets, email newsletters, mailing lists, etc, do not work. Possibly you will say they do because there is money in this for you?

Even if this was true and it was self-serving, it wouldn't change the truth of what I say, so, please, stop the ad-hominem comments.

There are thousands of case studies where all these things are shown to be effective. Your denying them is a bit like a Creationist denying evolution in the face of all the evidence.

I'm really curious now... since you state flatly and with some apparent authority these things "don't work", how do you explain all the evidence which indicates the opposite?

Are you saying anyone who ever claimed leaflets, booklets, email newsletters, mailing lists DID work for them is a liar?

If this isn't what you're saying, what ARE you saying?

I really would like to know, because, you know, there are some really top people out there like Gary Halbert (well, he was out there but he's dead now), Robert Collier (he's dead, too), John Carlton, Dan Kennedy, Chris Cardell, Gary Bencivenga, and other greats, plus the big firms like Agora, Boardroom Reports, Nightingale Conant, and other, smaller firms, my clients among them (one of which just did a 30,000 piece mailing with an ROI in the hundreds of thousands of pounds)... and, you know, they're going to be pretty upset to learn they've been wrong all this time and Estwig is right.

How, if you're right and everyone else is wrong, do you explain all the evidence?

Are they lying, mistaken, or what?

If done correctly, adwords works and works very, very well. As do classified ads, yellow pages and a good choice are ads in a local parish magazine.

And, I repeat: there are some businesses where it won't work because there are no online searches for it. Moreover, even if adwords works, this doesn't mean other marketing strategies don't work.

Estwig, this is a pointless discussion. Offline marketing does work for many businesses. Leaflets can work. Direct mail can work. Postcards can work. Email marketing works for many businesses (my wife's blog makes her a few thousand dollars a month JUST by emailing to the list she has).

Your assertions to the contrary fly in the face of all the available evidence. And if you're asserting all that evidence is fabricated or just wrong, then you'd be doing a great service to everyone on this forum to tell them how you know this -- because then when you've proved your point, we can all stop wasting our time doing things our bank-balances tell us are working but you tell us cannot be, and do it your way.

And to answer the other post I just see you've made: Google does give Adwords advertisers the google slap. The fact you can avoid this doesn't mean it doesn't happen. it does happen, and the answer to the question "do they Google slap Adwords ads" is yes.

Warmly,

Jon

 

[estwig]

Your lack of education really isn't my problem. Google it.

Of course you don't have to justify yourself. But if you really did know about marketing, you'd realise one of the most powerful elements in persuading people is the proof element. Your simply stating things and then refusing to substantiate them doesn't exactly give you a lot of credibility.

Clearly wrong, otherwise startups would never start up.

Even if this was true and it was self-serving, it wouldn't change the truth of what I say, so, please, stop the ad-hominem comments.

There are thousands of case studies where all these things are shown to be effective. Your denying them is a bit like a Creationist denying evolution in the face of all the evidence.

I'm really curious now... since you state flatly and with some apparent authority these things "don't work", how do you explain all the evidence which indicates the opposite?

Are you saying anyone who ever claimed leaflets, booklets, email newsletters, mailing lists DID work for them is a liar?

If this isn't what you're saying, what ARE you saying?

I really would like to know, because, you know, there are some really top people out there like Gary Halbert (well, he was out there but he's dead now), Robert Collier (he's dead, too), John Carlton, Dan Kennedy, Chris Cardell, Gary Bencivenga, and other greats, plus the big firms like Agora, Boardroom Reports, Nightingale Conant, and other, smaller firms, my clients among them (one of which just did a 30,000 piece mailing with an ROI in the hundreds of thousands of pounds)... and, you know, they're going to be pretty upset to learn they've been wrong all this time and Estwig is right.

How, if you're right and everyone else is wrong, do you explain all the evidence?

Are they lying, mistaken, or what?

And, I repeat: there are some businesses where it won't work because there are no online searches for it. Moreover, even if adwords works, this doesn't mean other marketing strategies don't work.

Estwig, this is a pointless discussion. Offline marketing does work for many businesses. Leaflets can work. Direct mail can work. Postcards can work. Email marketing works for many businesses (my wife's blog makes her a few thousand dollars a month JUST by emailing to the list she has).

Your assertions to the contrary fly in the face of all the available evidence. And if you're asserting all that evidence is fabricated or just wrong, then you'd be doing a great service to everyone on this forum to tell them how you know this -- because then when you've proved your point, we can all stop wasting our time doing things our bank-balances tell us are working but you tell us cannot be, and do it your way.

And to answer the other post I just see you've made: Google does give Adwords advertisers the google slap. The fact you can avoid this doesn't mean it doesn't happen. it does happen, and the answer to the question "do they Google slap Adwords ads" is yes.

Warmly,

Jon

Your whole post combined with a quick look at your website, reinforces why I find marketing experts like you so infuriating. You completely miss the point. Marketing an electrician to domestic clients, is a very separate and individual form of marketing and your techniques and ideas, do not work.


I won't rise to your questions, I don't tout myself as a marketing expert and have nothing to prove.

 

[jonmcculloch]

I don't tout myself as a marketing expert and have nothing to prove.

Yet you claim to know better than they do?

Amazing.

I love your ad-hominem attacks. People tend to do that when they can't substantiate their claims.

Are you going to explain the variance between your claims and the evidence, or not?

Warmly,

Jon

 

[jonmcculloch]

Again I would have to disagree. Who wouldn't want an advert that brings highly targeted traffic to your sales page / contact details, or you don't pay. I think every business should have one.

Sean, some businesses sell services for which there is no appreciable online search volume.

Perry Marshall (adwords 'guru') has a good article on this here. I'm sure Estwig will soon put Mr Marshall right, though.

A specific case from a couple of years ago was a client who sold a very particular kind of legal service to people in their 70s and up. There was zero online search volume. The only thing coming close was searches from people for whom it was too late to help.

This will change, no doubt, in years to come as the youngsters of today get older. And I daresay when the volume is there, the ads will probably work (in fact, I'd be amazed if they didn't).

We found the best way to get business for him at the time was people standing in garden centres pre-qualifying prospects and setting appointments; and the second best way was leaflets.

Which reminds me, I better call my client and tell him to stop all this stuff that works, because Estwig says it doesn't.

Warmly,

Jon

 

[estwig]

Yet you claim to know better than they do?

Amazing.

I love your ad-hominem attacks. People tend to do that when they can't substantiate their claims.

Are you going to explain the variance between your claims and the evidence, or not?

Warmly,

Jon

No.


You can ad-hominem my ar*e!!!!!!!

 

[jonmcculloch]

No.
You can ad-hominem my ar*e!!!!!!!

In which case, all it remains to say is claims made without evidence can be dismissed without evidence.

Warmly,

Jon

 

[estwig]

Yet you claim to know better than they do?

Amazing.

I love your ad-hominem attacks. People tend to do that when they can't substantiate their claims.

Are you going to explain the variance between your claims and the evidence, or not?

Warmly,

Jon

Alright then, you wanna play.

Show me the evidence??

Evidence that your methods of generating work for an electrician work??

Remember electrician, the thread is about getting work for an electrician.

Put your money where your mouth is!!!!!!!!

 

[jonmcculloch]

Remember electrician, the thread is about getting work for an electrician.

Put your money where your mouth is!!!!!!!!

Your claim was:

"I get very tried and irritated by the lack of so called marketing experts like yourself and the other person in this thread, ability to understand how a tradesman can and should generate some business. Leaflets, booklets, email newsletters, mailing lists, etc, do not work."

Tradesman. Not "electrician". What do you class as a "tradesman"? Specifically.

So, what evidence would you accept from me to show a tradesman had generated business from one of these methods?

Warmly,

Jon

 

[estwig]

Your claim was:



Tradesman. Not "electrician". What do you class as a "tradesman"? Specifically.

So, what evidence would you accept from me to show a tradesman had generated business from one of these methods?

Warmly,

Jon

Alright then, tradesmen (carpet cleaners, double glazing, hot tubs, etc are not tradesmen and can be sold speculatively)

Tradesmen.

Whatever evidence you like, your the marketing expert.

 

[jonmcculloch]

Alright then, tradesmen (carpet cleaners, double glazing, hot tubs, etc are not tradesmen and can be sold speculatively)
Tradesmen.
Whatever evidence you like, your the marketing expert.

Oh no.

I need to know what evidence you will accept, so when I show you the evidence you will have to accept it -- and admit you are wrong -- and not just come out with excuses why the evidence isn't "valid", like fundies and faith healers do.

What will you accept? Would you take the word of someone who's done it? A testimonial, perhaps? What?

Warmly,

Jon

 

[estwig]

Hard facts and figures.

Anything else is pointless.

Do you have these, I doubt it, I doubt you even have the foggiest what we are actually discussing. Just another narrow minded, blinkered, direct marketer.

 

[maxine]

I think we are missing a valid point here that the Op has already done a leaflet drop of 5000 and didn't get anything. He has said that 3 times already.

What is infuriating is that the Op spent the time to describe their problem and circumstances and this was seemingly ignored just to jump in with one response that leaflets were the answer!

For a lot of small trades (builders, carpenters, electricians, plumbers, plasterers) etc leaflets are NOT a good solution compared with other marketing methods as they are not aimed at people with an immediate need and whilst they may work to increase brand awareness locally, they do not get perceived as successful as they do not make the phone ring quickly enough or with the quantity of leads that someone would like or where they can get via other methods.

This then leads to the conclusion that people could waste an awful lot of money on leaflets with very little return.

I think it is a shame that marketing people have not explored further with the op on what is requirements actually are before recommending solutions!

For example

Domestic clients - where are the areas that renovation work is happening? Who is applying for planning permission? This is why leaflets outside DIY centres does work for people who are in there because they have a need. Posting through random letterboxes is expensive, time consuming, and delivers a low rate of return compared with other marketing activity regardless of how glossy and how compelling the offer is. If they don't have a need you should be barking up a different tree. Who else can refer work ie; plumbers, plasterers, carpenters, painters, gardeners, etc. How to get them to introduce you.... adverts in burger vans, phone calls, letters, faxes should all get a mention.

Commercial clients - get on the phone or door-knocking to find out what they currently do then set appointments for maintenance contracts, offer a free consultation or something else maybe PAT testing initially, use direct mail letters/faxes for offers, gather email marketing permissions and regularly share information that is helpful, valuable etc with strong calls to action and reassurance of local business, reputation, service levels etc.

I don't think the argument is whether any particular method of marketing works or not generally - it's more important to put yourself in the Ops shoes and think what would give you the biggest bang for your buck!

 

[estwig]

Maxine knows.