BRCbuilders e-zine

Dear Reader,

I was talking with a friend of mine the other day who is a RealtorŪ. After our casual exchange of greetings and comments about the weather, I asked him how business is doing. He said something I hadn't heard in awhile. He said:

"It's a war out there!"

I asked him to expound a bit and he said that the economy was horrible, gas prices are out of control, the cost of living is skyrocketing, and uncertainty of our policies overseas had him worried.

Not satisfied with his answer, I asked again:

"Yes, I know, but how's business?"

"Oh, terrible. I haven't sold a house in a month, everyone's complaining about the ripple effects of the Michigan economy.....", he carried on.

I retorted, "Paul, I know a realtor here in our area who is selling a lot of houses and says times are great, so what gives?"

What he said made me shake my head.

"She must be lucky."

Is my realtor friend just "lucky" like Paul said or is she doing something different from the rest of the pack? Read on to find out.

As you may recall, in the last issue of BRCbuilders e-zine I talked about the new show "King of Cars". Did you watch it? If you didn't, you really should. There are many little business lessons and reminders in each episode. Yes, it's over the edge and no doubt made a little bit showy for TV consumption, but it is entertaining and educational.

My friend, Karen, is a very successful Real Estate agent. Like The King of Cars, she is also very different from her competition. No, she doesn't dress up like a Blue Genie, but she is different from the average Realtor in many ways.

First, she's a Marketer who happens to sell The American Dream. In fact, her personal Unique Selling Proposition (USP) is exactly that - "I sell the American Dream"

Think of that for a moment - she doesn't sell homes, she sells the Big Picture; The American Dream. While her colleagues are scrambling around trying to sell stationary and boring buildings, she goes in a totally different direction and matches people with their ultimate goals and aspirations.

She is also well-known in the community and is a fantastic networker. She has built a name in the community through service, willingness to interact and help the community, support of local groups, and involvement in local politics. (not as a politician, but a vocal participant) How are you different? Do you blend in with the crowd or does your company image truly scream to your qualified prospects, "I'M DIFFERENT AND HERE'S HOW!"

It's time to grab your local Yellow Pages book and thumb through it. What does your competition offer that you don't, and vice versa? What are they doing to set themselves apart? Or are they simply blending in too? Do you see any areas where you can rise above the sea of similar companies? Why not go to your thrilled customers and ask them why they chose you? It's always best to ask rather than to assume.

Several years ago I did a survey of my cleaning clients and I asked them several questions pertaining to their likes and dislikes about our industry and company. If you want an eye-opening independent (and sobering!) look at your company, do a simple survey and you'll likely see things you assumed to be important to your client, but isn't necessarily so.

In my company I discovered that people appreciated that we were always on time, so we developed a USP based on the fact that we were always on time. USP's wear out over time as your competition starts to catch on. When we first advertised "On-Time or We Pay YOU!" as our USP, not only did no other carpet cleaners use that to their sales advantage, we had it easy because NO service company used that angle. Today's phone book is much different. Our competition is catching on. We have 2 cleaners in our phonebook now using similar USP's. How flattering it is to be copied but it's also a signal to start looking for a new USP.

In times of economic and political uncertainty it IS war, like my friend Paul said. But how are you preparing? Are you ducking and covering like Paul or are you going on the offensive like Karen? Do you simply provide carpet cleaning services or do you offer something much more than clean carpet? Perhaps you're doing one (or several) thing(s) different than your competition that you can seize and use to your competitive sales advantage.

Here are a few areas to consider:

Guarantees
Customer Service
Warranties and Guarantees
Promptness
24 Hour Service or Support
Longevity
Certifications or Achievements
Processes and/or Procedures
Owner on every job
Customer Interaction/Service
Buying Club
Specialism vs Generalism
Most Expensive
Cheapest (BE CAREFUL HERE! Our industry is littered with companies who priced themselves right out of business)
Quick File Closing (Restoration)
Guaranteed or Certified Dry (Cleaning or Restoration)
Same Day Service
Specializing in servicing a special group - i.e. Busy Professionals, Homemakers, etc.

The list is nearly limitless.

If you think we cleaners/restorers have a problem identifying ourselves from the dozens or even hundreds of competitors, we're certainly not alone. How many brands of toothpaste are there? But there's only one that "Controls Tartar". (Crest, of course) There are many brands of Acid Relievers, but there is only one way to "Spell Relief - R O L A I D S". There are many kinds of cars to choose from, but there's only one car that's "Like a Rock" (Chevy).

Paul was right, in a way; it is war, but how we react to adversity separates those who thrive from those who barely survive. Will you be a survivor or a thriver?

Become Wildly Successful!

Pembertons - 2006 - Date TBD

Flooring Institute of Ontario - Fall or Winter 2006

Click Here For More Upcoming Course Details...

This man is Dick Larkin and he's The Yellow Pages Commando. He and I are going to be doing a teleseminar together on Wednesday, May 10th, 2006 and you're invited! The time and instructions to access the teleseminar will be provided in the next BRCbuilders issue. We can only accept 100 calls so it's critical that you sign up ASAP! It will be first come, first served. If you want to pre-register (there's no charge beyond the normal long distance phone call rate) drop me an email by Clicking Here

If you presently advertise or are planning to advertise in the Yellow Pages, you do NOT want to miss this!