Be Different -it’s a Good Thing.
Let’s face it painting isn’t really all that hard to learn, and purchasing the basic equipment needed to get started doesn’t require one to win the lottery. It’s no wonder that the residential painting industry is so competitive. I know that’s why it appealed to me when I started my painting business shortly after graduating high school.
Even with limited money and planning, I was able to eke out a living with only determination and persistence on my side. I soon realized those two qualities alone weren’t enough to be successful. I knew that marketing was essential to success, but I wasn’t sure exactly what marketing was; only that I better start doing some, or I’d always be just “eking out” a living!
I started doing what my colleagues were doing. Running the same ads in the same places, and making the same promises. I wanted to be one of them and guess what happened? I became one of them; just another house painter in an already flooded marketplace. Fighting for every job I could get, it seemed like I was always battling it out in low price wars.
Most of the jobs I was awarded was because I was the lowest bidder. I soon realized that was no way to run a business and that I have no one to blame but me. Why? Because I fell victim to the “me too syndrome” I was just like all the rest of the painters in my area, saying the same things and offering the same services instead of finding ways to stand out.
Your prospects have little choice but to make price the determining factor when choosing a contractor if everyone seems the same to them. Don’t let this happen to you!
Create the perception that your service is one of a kind, capture people's attention and make them remember.
Your expertise and that of your competitors may be the same. You’ve all had many years of experience and are successful to varying degrees. It’s vital that you take a good look at your marketing and company image, look for ways to be different and unique.
Here are a few simple questions to ask yourself that will help you “stand out and get noticed.”
What are the most important benefits or results your customers will achieve by using your services? Is your reputation above reproach? Do you provide the fastest service, the strongest guarantee, or the best follow up process? Be sure your prospects understand all the benefits they’ll receive by hiring your company.
What can you do better than anyone else? Do you possess hard to find or specialized expertise? Your prospects are rarely looking for a jack of all trades. They want someone who has the knowledge and experience to provide the solution to their specific problem. If most of your competition bills themselves as generalists while you’re a specialist, guess who will be remembered more often?
What makes your services more outstanding, more unique, and more desirable than your competitors? Do you have the lowest prices or the highest quality products in the industry? Do you offer free color consultation, impeccable references, or outstanding customer service?
Be proactive - if you want to get noticed and position yourself as an expert in your field, don’t expect prospects to seek you out on their own. When it comes to marketing, job one is to make your business, products or services stand out and seem different from the competition. Because if your business looks, sounds, and/or seems just like everyone else’s there is absolutely no reason for someone to notice, let alone hire you!
Only you can determine what makes your business unique. Then you can emphasize your uniqueness to make your website and marketing materials stand out from the crowd and set you apart from your competition.
If you can define your distinctive offering, you’ve got bragging rights. And brag you should. It’s called marketing; tell the world what your “winning idea” is and why they will beat a path to your door.