It seems that every restoration contractor wants to get commercial work, but most don’t have a clue about how to get that kind of large loss. Many contractors think that all that’s needed is for the marketer to visit a nursing home, hotel or church and drop off a business card (and maybe even a flyer).
That process will almost never get you “top of mind” when disaster strikes their facility. According to SalesForce, it takes as many as eight (8) visits or touches before they remember you. If you aren’t in the forefront of their mind – remembering you when they need them, simply dropping off a business card or even getting them to download an APP, good luck.
We have learned over the past many years that property owners or managers don’t even remember that they downloaded an APP. There are numerous companies that have developed the “cutting edge” concept of an APP, yet most property owners don’t even remember that they have that APP.
Since it takes at least 8 visits or touches (and 8 emails don’t count), it becomes necessary to visit them and deliver something tangible as well as memorable. Personal branding is certainly one way to encourage them to put them top of mind. Even if you have some personal branding, a great message, and a way to may it tangible, it will still take you as many as 6 visits to get in front of the decisionmaker!
According to the Brevet Group, it takes an additional 5 visits of follow-up to finalize a project. Also, that same Group found that 91% of customers say they will give referrals, mut only 11% of marketers ask for them.
Since most marketers really don’t take the time to learn their clients’ business and industry, clients tend to believe the marketer doesn’t remotely understand their business. The Brevet Group further claims that only 13% of customers feel that the marketer really understands their pains, headaches, issues, etc.
It is widely held that continuous training and coaching earns as much as a 50% higher number of sales – including dollar amount. Even with continuous training and coaching it takes upwards of 8 – 12 months for that marketer to be fully productive. So, I’ll ask the obvious question… “how can you think that dropping of a business card will result in a client calling you with a $500k, $100k, or even a $50,000 disaster loss?”
One of my clients (the marketer) developed such a great relationship with a nursing home that as of today (January 2023) that client has had 5 water/sewer losses – and called our client to clean the disaster up – each time. That relationship, along with a tangible PREP™ manual and a couple other steps of the onboarding helped the nursing home call them each time. (All five jobs totaled about $150k).
Apparently, most marketers believe they can call on a property owner or manager once – and that’s all it takes for the client to call them – even a year or two later – with a disaster project. Most of us can’t remember what company serviced our garage door last, or the company name of the plumber you had to fix your leaky faucet.
Over that past several years I’ve had an occasion to call a garage door company two times. Each time one of the torsion springs broke. Each time I scrambled to find a repairman, and both times I used Google to help me locate someone. Since the first company failed to do anything to help me keep the top of mind, I ended up calling a different company the second time. Although they wouldn’t visit my home periodically, they could have emailed me, texted me, and sent me promo’s quarterly.
That seems in line with the statistic that companies lose between 10 and 30% of their regular customers each year. Even knowing these statistics, most restoration companies fail to spend the money to properly train their marketers. Sadly, most marketers simply don’t have the right skill set. Here’s a short list.
They…
- fail to follow up
- don’t have a memorable message
- make it about themselves
- drop of a business card and/or a brochure
- think promo materials are enough
- don’t have a written goal or target
- fail to ask for referrals and introductions
- believe that passive promos on Social Media are enough
Especially in the Commercial world (direct to the end user), the property owner/manager needs constant awareness, tangible concepts or interactions, and a way to keep the restoration company in the forefront.
I’ve had hundreds of conversations with owners that have convinced me they are “winging it” with directing their marketer on who they should approach and solicit. Some owners have told me they like (or market to) property management companies, and others will say they like industrial or hospitals. The fact is those are some of the most difficult to approach and establish a long-term relationship with for a commercial portfolio.
On the CREST Network website (you must be a member), there is a detailed list of excellent potential prospect verticals (industry types), including incredible details about each vertical. There is also a complete downloadable list of the appropriate documents for you to use in compiling your own PREP® manual for your clients.
Have questions? Call me now: Dick Wagner 419-202-6745
Co-founder The CREST Network and the CREST Library