In the business world, being just like everyone else is a formula for failure. That’s why differentiation – setting your business apart from competitors – is so critical.
There are a number of ways to separate your company from the pack. Some contractors do it with eye-catching vinyl wraps on service vehicles and other equipment. Others rely on technologically advanced equipment that makes their service faster and more efficient.
Some create a professional image that stands out in customers’ minds and helps generate word-of-mouth referrals. Still others do it with comprehensive marketing campaigns. No matter how you do it, there are clear advantages to being mint-chocolate chip instead of plain vanilla. Here are some strategies that three contractors use to differentiate their businesses.
“Top-of-mind awareness is the key to differentiation,” says Derrick Jackson, owner of Precision Plus Plumbing in Philadelphia, Pa. “You want customers to think of you and know about you before they have a particular problem.
“I do that by writing an article every week in a local weekly newspaper to educate customers. When they have a problem, they’re going to think about the guy that’s been giving them free advice.
“We advertise in the paper, and they allow us to write an article for free. It’s a benefit to their readers. I found out about it by asking. I ran some paid advertising first, then came up with the idea and presented it to them. They loved it because it’s one less article they have to come up with on their own.
“Customers see my face and know my name before they even call me. So basically, I’ve become the expert, and that helps out quite a bit. I also operate with clean vehicles, and require technicians to wear uniforms with an ID badge and to put a red mat down when they work in customers’ houses.
“All those little things separate you from the competition. White shirts tell customers we’re clean and professional. We also have a vinyl wrap on our trucks with a picture of a family.
“Our phone number is 215/748-PLUS, to coincide with the name of the company. I want it on the minds of all my customers. I developed a jingle for a radio ad, too. I knew how I wanted it to sound, but I’m not a musician or a singer, so the radio station handled that part. I’m not running the radio commercials now, but when things turn around, it’s something I plan to use as a tool to get our name and number out there.
“Everything about your company should be different. If it’s not, in your customers’ eyes, you’re just like everyone else.”
“Our specialty is maintaining and servicing septic systems and cleaning out lines in those systems,” says Ben Hatcher, owner of B & H Services in Owensville, Mo. “Our main selling point to differentiate ourselves is that we take care of the whole system from the house to the end, not just the septic tank itself. A lot of guys don’t worry too much about the lateral lines and what’s behind the septic system.
“I also jet out the line from the lateral turnup back toward the tank, and flush it all back to the tank. I’ve rigged up an adapter that allows me to use a pressure washer on the turnup. It reduces the connection down to make a watertight connection. On the turnups, there’s a 1 1/4-inch female thread, and I use a quick-connect valve on the pressure washer that adapts to the female thread to make it watertight.
“Then I can use the portable jetter to pressure-wash the line. It’s just a simple thing I came up with by thinking outside of the box – using my experience to my advantage.
“I also speak to homeowners and try to educate them about their systems. I convey to them that they don’t have only a septic tank, but a dispersal system as well. That has to be maintained as well as the septic tank. No matter what you have out there, you have to maintain the whole system, not just specific components.”
“We differentiate our business with service and getting to a problem and solving it honestly,” says Rick Stowe, working manager of Lang’s On-Site Services in Southfield, Mich. “We explain to customers that they’re not dealing with a third party or a commission-driven employee trying to sell, sell and sell something they don’t need.
“We also differentiate by keeping our equipment updated and well maintained so it doesn’t break while on the job. That’s paramount. We operate with a clean, modern and nicely lettered truck. We work in a very wealthy community, so our equipment and employees have to be clean.
“We also take extra time to educate homeowners. I was at a job recently and spent two hours on a one-hour call, but I spent that time showing the customer things he never understood before, and now he understands why I did what I did. I guarantee we’ll be back there. There’s no doubt in my mind. A little time spent now is like planting a seed for the future.
“You have to talk to customers in simple terms that they can understand. Remember, you’re supposed to be the professional. This is your forte – the expertise you’ve accumulated from years of experience.”
