Taproot September/October 2011 : Page 1
A Publication of the Idaho Nursery and Landscape Association Supporting Our Members to Advance Idaho’s Green Industry September / October 2011 T a p roo t T he September / October Taproot 2011 . Using Your Membership To Stand Out by Mike Jefferies In the past 10 years, working with hundreds of home service contractors has amazed me that few, if any, take full advantage of their membership in a trade association or group in their marketing. When a typical homeowner/prospect is looking for a contractor they really don’t know how to evaluate each company versus their competitors. They don’t know what questions to ask or if they do know what questions to ask, they don’t know what the answers should be. Here’s what we’ve found after surveying and talking to hundreds and hundreds of homeowners. Please keep in mind that prospects always want to know “what’s in it for me” or “why would this be important in my decision”. There are 3 general areas that they want information about you and your company: • Reputation and Stability of Your Company • Experience With a Project Like Theirs • Follow Up and Customer Service Armed with this knowledge you can now use your membership to help position your company as the obvious choice to do business with. Virtually all of our clients are members of their trade association. If our clients are not members, we strongly recommend that they join. BTW -Most of the “good guys” in each industry belong to their trade association. The problem is that many contractors don’t take the time to explain to their prospect what their membership means to them. They simply put the logo on their marketing, ads or website and leave it at that. Remember, the homeowner has no idea what that logo represents, so part of your job is to teach them. For Example: It’s estimated that 3 to 5% of all contractors belong to a professional association for their industry. For many industries the % is a lot less. What else could you teach your prospective buyer about this? How about: • Your code of ethics • Ongoing industry training in best practices • Guidance in complying with new regulations and more What if you hold or have held an officer or board member position? People like to know that you are responsible and that you take an active role in your association. What professional certifications do you hold? The number of professionals with certifications is even smaller than those that belong to an association. In most industries it is far less than 1%. Again – don’t just tell your prospects that you have the certification – explain the amount of time involved to get it, what % of your competitors hold it and what additional skills it gave you and how that will help the prospect get the service and results they really want. Keep in mind that the real problem is most buyers are too embarrassed to ask questions about your membership. Many are afraid that this might make them look “dumb.” It is easier for them to think “he or she seems nice so they must be honest too.” Your goal is to never lose a prospect to a competitor that doesn’t take advantage of all the benefits of belonging to your trade association. Not even one. You need to educate your prospects about the benefits of hiring you and by doing that they will realize the risks in hiring someone that is not a member. For more information please contact Mike Jeffries, Rivers of Revenue LLC, Mike@ClosingSuccessSystem.com .. INLA . . P age .1
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