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Category: Branding

Published on Leave a comment on Could This Be The Reason Why All Your Customers Want a Cheap Price?

Free Mini Course "Carpet Cleaners... End Price Shoppers Forever" reveals how to get higher prices for your carpet cleaning https://coaching.success4carpetcleaners.com/getfreecourse

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Need a new van? How about some new equipment? With the banks unhelpful at the moment, have you thought about asking your customers to help out? Now, you’re probably thinking…why on earth would total strangers lend me money when they don’t know me?

Well, that’s an interesting question that I put to the test a while ago. I asked my customers for money and they simply sent it. Let me explain.

I had a large tax bill coming up in a month or two. I had the cash available in  the bank but I didn't want to use it for a particular reason that I won't mention here.

So I told this story to my customers and offered them ‘Cleaning Bonds’ at a preferential rate if they were going to have their carpets cleaned later this year. And they sent me hundreds of pounds! They included notes with their cheques…“Hope this helps”…and “Sorry to hear that you are in trouble.” This is the power of ‘Relationship Marketing.’

Some years ago I heard one of the bosses at Tesco’s announce about relationship marketing… “But our customers don’t want a relationship with us!” I beg to differ. I think they do. Not in the “lets have them round to dinner” sort of relationship. But in the matter of trust.

This is particularly important in our business. After all, the checkout girls at Tesco are not in their customers’ bedrooms like we are! Our customers have to have a relationship of trust with us.

So how do we build it?

First of all, it must be genuine. We must genuinely put their interests ahead of our own. Marketer Jay Abraham calls this a Strategy of Pre-Eminence. We would NEVER do anything to them that we wouldn’t want done to ourselves. Including sub-standard work, including ripping them off in any way. We must be their ‘trusted adviser’ in the matter of cleaning their carpets and upholstery.

How does this come about?  Send ‘Thank You’ cards and letters after each job for example. Many years ago when I bought my first mobile phone (you know, the sort that was the size of a small suitcase), as soon as I had signed the contract, the salesman said “Thank you very much” I was staggered. In fact I can still recall how I felt to this day.

Now, why was this so amazing?

Simply this: No-one had ever thanked me for giving them business before. Yet just that simple act had such a profound effect on me that I can still remember it! And I still feel good toward him to this day. This is ‘relationship marketing’. It’s not a sales gimmick but is built on genuine care.

And how about special client offers not available to anyone else? Or regular communication with a monthly newsletter. Not filled with ‘image building puffery’ but genuine information to help your customers that will cause them to bond to you.

All of this builds a genuine relationship with your customers…and who knows when you might need a short-term loan?

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I was recently consulting with a carpet cleaner and looking at every aspect of his business. After discussing what was different about his service from his competitors, his sales systems to convert a prospect to a paying customer, his systems for referrals and his advertising and marketing amongst other things, he said “Yes, yes, but all I want is for the phone to ring more!” It’s the view of many carpet cleaners.

All very good. But if you don’t have everything else in place to provide exactly what your customers want, the marketplace will just find out that you can’t deliver what they want. And if you advertise to get the phone to ring and it does…they’ll find out even quicker! Presumably there was a reason why this cleaners’ phone wasn’t ringing more.

Just getting the phone to ring may well get you an initial customer. But if the experience was not as expected they will not use you again or refer you. And repeat customers and referrals are the lifeblood of any business. Especially carpet cleaning.

So before you want the phone to ring, take a look at your carpet cleaning service from the viewpoint of your customer.

Is there a good reason for them to phone you in the first place as opposed to phoning your competitors? This is the first thing that should be addressed. It’s often been called a Unique Selling Proposition. I sometimes prefer to call it a Unique Buying Advantage. It’s the unique clear reason why your prospect has to call YOU. There’s two mistakes often made here.

  1. Selling by Price. If you can run profitably at the lowest price (and want to) then by all means just tell your marketplace that. You’ll have an instant competitive advantage. You probably don’t need much of a sales system either. Just tell them you’re the lowest price. However most customers aren’t looking for lowest price. They know there’s usually a reason for it. And often it’s poor quality. And don’t forget, there will be someone cheaper sooner or later.
  2. Selling by Method. “We use a truck-mount” is not a differentiator if your competitors use one too. But pre-vacuuming with a water filtration vacuum cleaner that improves indoor air quality might be!

It’s much better to design your business for the kind of service your prospects actually want and then charge a premium price for it. So if you can get carpets dry quicker…design your business around this benefit and then promote it to those that want it. If your customers don’t have to move any furniture at all…design your business around this benefit and then promote it to those that want it. Everything comes back to your Unique Buying Advantage. And make sure everything delivers on this promise.

So first give your prospects a good reason to phone and then deliver what you say you will. Suddenly you have a good (and unique) reason to communicate with prospective customers.

Once you have this clarity and are delivering exactly what your marketplace wants…and you can communicate this clearly…suddenly your phone will ring more.

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If I had to use only one marketing strategy in my business, which one would I choose?

Without doubt it would be to send a monthly newsletter to my client base. Why? Because newsletters, pound for pound, dollar for dollar are one of the most effective marketing tools available.

Let's just consider the reasons why every carpet cleaner should be sending a monthly newsletter to their customers.

Reason 1: Newsletters help you retain your clients.

How often have you heard people say that they've had their carpets cleaned before and were "very satisfied" but just can't remember the name of the person or company they used. This is a tragedy. One of the most costly expenses in a business is the cost of getting a new customer. And now when it's time for the carpets to be cleaned again, the customer can't remember who cleaned them! Newsletters help keep you ;top-of-mind' with customers. When your newsletter arrives they are immediately reminded to think about whether their carpets need cleaning again. Newsletters also get in 'under the radar'. They are not perceived as a sales pitch and can therefore be used to educate and inform about other services without the usual resistance to a sales message.

Reason 2: Newsletters help with referrals.

If your newsletter is interesting and of value to your customers, they may pass it along to friends or relatives. In fact, just seeing your newsletter can prompt friends to ask what it's all about, perhaps leading to a conversation about the need for cleaning carpets. And of course, your name will be on hand to pass on.

Reason 3: Newsletter help build your brand. 

Brand-building is normally too expensive for a small business to use as a standalone strategy. This is because the usual way for a business to build a brand is by means of image type advertising which is very costly and the results uncertain. However, sending a regular newsletter automatically builds your brand name. I like to think of my ˜brand" as the likelihood of my clients using me again and of referring me to others. I know that technically a brand is the sum total of every experience with my business and how my clients and prospects perceive it. Or something like that! Branding of course is all in their mind. Therefore a regular newsletter has the potential to affect how clients and prospects think about my business. And that's very powerful!

Here's an example of the cost-effectiveness of sending a regular newsletter:

A lady who had not used our services for a few years recently responded to an offer in my newsletter. I estimate that she has received about 75 newsletters in that time. If the cost of sending a newsletter including printing, paper, envelope and stamp is say 50p (here in the UK) that means I've spend less than £40 to re-gain her. (Work out YOUR cost of acquiring a customer and you'll be very surprised!). The PROFIT on the job will be in excess of £200. That's a return on investment of over 5 to 1. Even sending a newsletter for many years without response can pay off eventually. Most of our clients respond long before seven years, making it even more profitable.

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Should a small carpet cleaner focus on "building a brand"? Surely you say, well that's OK for the likes of Coca-Cola and Nike, but I just run a small business! And don't make the mistake of fondly imagining that all you need to have a brand is a new slogan or a redesigned website or brochure.

But what exactly is a brand? Too often even marketing professionals don't have an answer, and too many have their 'own' answer.

But it really all boils down to this: A brand is a collection of perceptions in the mind of the consumer. I like to think of branding as the likelihood of someone using our service again. (or for the very first time). Therefore it's something that is intangible!

This definition makes it clear how to build a brand. A brand is built not only through effective communications or appealing logos. A brand is built through the total experience that it offers.

According to Al Ries in the book The 22 Immutable Laws of Branding, the power of a brand lies in its ability to influence purchasing behaviour. But a brand name on a package is not the same as a brand name in the mind of the consumer.

A few years ago on a Greek island I wanted to buy a cola drink. Now I don't particularly like cheap cola. All the labels were in a language I could not understand. But one had the clearly defined logo and corporate identity of Coca-Cola. And so I bought it. Now it wasn't just that the logo was the brand. It was the fact that it would deliver a promise, that I knew it would be the same as I could buy back home. In other words it would deliver the quality I wanted. The brand was all in my mind!

That's why it's so important for us to focus on giving our customer what she wants and to have systems in our business to make sure that happens.

Here's an example:

I've just come back from a two week holiday in Cuba. I stayed at the Melia Cayo Guillermo on the north of the island. I've never stayed at a Melia hotel before but what I experienced there made sure that it won't be the last.

From a welcome drink on arrival, very quick check-in time to problems being sorted quickly it was evident that we were going to have a good time. All the staff including the gardeners who kept the place immaculate said hello and were very friendly. When we left I saw something I have never seen before. Virtually the entire staff including the manger came to wave us goodbye. The manager even remembered the names of repeat guests. I found out over the course of the two weeks that several of the guests had been here multiple times. The staff genuinely cared about the satisfaction of their guests.

So using the test of ˜the likelihood of using you again" the Melia in my mind has created a strong brand. I would definitely stay there again. I have never felt so well-cared for on holiday. And I am more likely to try other Melia hotels.

Now how can we transfer this to our carpet cleaning business?

According to Al Ries, a brand is a singular idea or concept that you own in the mind of the prospect. In other words we must be unique in the customers mind. The worst thing that we can be is a commodity, interchangeable with any other carpet cleaner. So we need to give the perception that there is no service on the market like ours.

We also cannot appeal to everybody. We cannot be "all things to all people" We can't be the lowest priced and the highest quality service. So we need to choose our target customer, price accordingly and exclude everybody else.

And we need to be in the "relationship" business. Genuinely care about our clients. Give them exactly what they want. Regularly keep in touch with them through a newsletter and reminder cards. Thank them when they do business with us or refer us.

And most importantly, put all of this into a system so our clients get the same experience every time.

Ideally we'd like to get to the point with our business where people instead of asking for an expensive Swiss watch, ask for a Rolex.

That's why it's so important for us to focus on giving our customer what she wants and to have systems in our business to make sure that happens.

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If you were to seek advice on improving your business, you would likely be told that you need to “build your brand” or create “brand awareness”

Typically this means spending money on a fancy logo and generally telling the marketplace what a great business you are. If you do this, you are following the lead set by many, many corporate type companies.

But is this the best way for you as a small carpet cleaner to get more sales?

I was intrigued recently while watching Manchester United play Arsenal at football (soccer) to see that the travel firm Thomas Cook have changed their logo. It was on one of the electronic billboards.

A bit of research on the internet revealed more:

  • “This week the Thomas Cook Group unveiled the next stage in its journey back from the edge of a financial abyss: a new corporate identity known as the "Sunny Heart"
  • According to the firm, "The new, unified brand captures the essence of Thomas Cook: how it delivers inspiring personal journeys as the trusted pioneer in global travel." (The Independent)
  • “Thomas Cook says that the new visual identity and branding looks to reflect the ‘warmth and approachability’, ‘trust and personalisation’ and ‘message of High Tech, High Touch’ of the brand.”
  • “Tour operator Thomas Cook has ditched the globe logo it first used in 1880, replacing it with a 'Sunny Heart', as the tour operator continues its recovery from near collapse. The 172-year-old firm unveiled the design alongside a new slogan - 'Let's Go' - spelling the end for its famous motto 'Don't just book it, Thomas Cook it.' The rebranding is part of a root-and-branch overhaul by new boss Harriet Green, who was recruited last year to save the household name from collapse, after it was bailed out by its banks.” (Daily Mail)

You’ll notice that in response to near collapse, they have decided that the answer is…a new logo!

But surely the most important question of all is..will this lead to SALES?

Let’s ask one of its valued customers…ME!

I’ve travelled with Thomas Cook twice in the last 18 months. What has been my experience? On my recent trip to Mexico the transfer took two and a half hours arriving at my hotel at the equivalent of two in the morning. The problem? The advertised transfer was one hour. The previous year with a rival firm was 35 minutes. Apparently they had crammed in more drop-off points before ours!

On a previous holiday to Egypt, they cancelled an entire plane leaving passengers bound for Manchester to travel via Gatwick. An add-on of several hours. Incredibly they didn’t let the Manchester bound passengers know until they got to the airport in Egypt. It also meant that although I had pre-booked a window seat, I ended up sitting in the centre row.

I decided there and then that I would NOT travel with this company again unless I had very little choice.

Would the money spent on “re-branding” not be better spent on improving the experience for the customer? Frankly I don’t care about their logo or their “trust and personalisation” or their “warmth and approachability.” But I do care about getting what I’ve paid for. A re-brand (“new pretty logo”) does not fool me!

So what brand strategy should you follow?

  • Forget “brand awareness” You don’t know whether it’s successful or not as it can’t be measured.
  • Forget advertising to simply remind people of your existence. Killer advertising is simply salesmanship multiplied according to copywriter Gary Halbert
  • A good ad will work the first time. They don’t need to see it 7, 15 or 20 times
  • Don’t be fooled that a brand is the most important thing. The people who give you money are!
  • Forget ‘clever’ type advertising with just your ‘image’ displayed. If your salesman acted strange or did a silly dance and then mentioned the name of your company at the end you wouldn’t want it. Instead you want them to find out what the persons problem is, what their objections are and present your product as the best solution. That’s salesmanship!

I’ll give the last word to Claude Hopkins who wrote about silly logo’s and image type advertising this way: “Instead of sales, they seek applause”

I say…Let them have the applause - my bank doesn’t accept it!