does advertising your sucess make new customers want to try you?

[huggytree]

its time for my 2011 flier to be designed...im pretty much planning on doing the same concept ive done for a long time now....i pick a theme and slightly adjust the bullet points to that theme.

i thought of using '2010 sales up 45%! We continue to gain market share, find out why!'

something like that

does bragging about the 45% = customers wanting to switch to me?

ive used a similar theme in the past 'we continue to gain new builders in a down market' was a theme 2 years ago...it worked just fine

is it a turn on or turn off?

i obviously think its a positive because everyone wants to do business with a winner
it shows i have something the others dont

ive also changed my slogan from 'reliable, honest & on time' to ' Integrity, Intelligence & Excellence'....any thoughts on that switch?

ive gone from focusing on service to focusing on quality..the old slogan was more geared for service, but the new one is all quality....im finding people dont purchase on service. Service is something they just expect...people purchase on quality and price....service is something that effects repeat business referrals, not new customers.

I cant come up with a smart catchy slogan and like using 3 words to describe my companies difference...when i hire employees it will be something i can define and teach to keep my company different...

let me have your opinions?

[Dan Furman]

I personally LOVE your changes to the slogan - it definitely represents how you see yourself. Those are good words, too. I like (a lot).

I also like advertising your success - personally, it resonates with me, and as a writer/marketer, I think it's a fine strategy.

Good work, Huggy!!

[KristineS]

I like the new slogan. I wish I could think of a word that begins with I that means excellence though. I like alliteration.

I have to agree with Dan that advertising your success is a good strategy. People tend to be drawn to companies and people who are successful. There's nothing wrong with pointing out that you're doing well.

[Steve B]

I think it's a good idea to brag about your success. Everybody loves a winner.

I disagree on the new slogan however. I had to read it three times to make sure I got it right. I think because "intelligence" didn't seem to belong in there for me. I actually don't think it would make a bit of difference no matter how good the slogan was - as long as it wasn't a turn off. I just think intellgence is a bit out of place. We all want our plumber to be smart enough to do the job right - but, that's just wouldn't make the top 50 if someone asked me for words to describe my ideal plumber.

[greenoak]

i think its a little braggy..... somethinhg around ``join our satisfied customers``` might be better....more about them and what they are looking for, satisfaction, not so much about your numbers...or at least dont have your numbers in the headlines...
and in about any situation, if you get reliable,honest and on time .... thats the best...and in a nutshell what we hope for...... why change that...?
intelligence isnt always a plus....we have some intelligent idiots in our worlds...i do anyway...lol....

[Spider]

I think it is good advertising to mention your success, but I think it is even better if you can address it in terms that mean something to a prospective customer, as Ann suggests. I mean, "Sales up 45%" is great for you, but what benefit is that to the person reading your ad? You make a step in that direction when you go on to say, "..find out why," and then seem to stop short.

I could see a 3" button that you wear on your coveralls that says, "Sales up 45% - ASK ME WHY" because you are right there and can tell them when anyone asks you. But, on your website, I think you need to go on and tell them why.

"Because 85% of our business is referrals from satisfied clients."
"Because we focus on satisfying clients and they give us more referrals."
"Because our clients brag about us to their neighbors."
"Because our quality fixtures and quality workmanship gives more satisfaction."
"Because we are in greater demand due to our efficient and cost-effective service."

All these things refer to benefits to clients. You aren't successful because you are good, you are successful because your clients find that you are good and recommend you.

Explain the benefits to your clients and your prospects will associate with that and will seek out those benefits for themselves.

[huggytree]

Thanks Spider....i hadnt thought the whole concept through yet, so thanks you just saved me a little time....great advice

GreenOak- its more than alittle braggy...its very braggy...thats why i was asking......i wasnt sure if it was too much

KristineS- i also have been trying to come up with a I for excellence....i agree 3-I's would be the best

thanks everyone....any more feedback?

[Dan Furman]

i think its a little braggy..... somethinhg around ``join our satisfied customers``` might be better....more about them and what they are looking for, satisfaction, not so much about your numbers...or at least dont have your numbers in the headlines...
and in about any situation, if you get reliable,honest and on time .... thats the best...and in a nutshell what we hope for...... why change that...?
intelligence isnt always a plus....we have some intelligent idiots in our worlds...i do anyway...lol....

see, to me, "join our satisfied...." and then "reliable, honest..." is soooooo overdone that it's almost mind numbing. It's like when a corporation lists their core values. Every one of them says the same thing. When I write for corporations, I don't do that garbage. The feedback is very positive.

Personally, I think a little arrogance is good.

What he's doing is going to garner a little more attention, in a positive sense.

Again, I love it Huggy.

[Harold Mansfield]

I say go for it, just temper it with humility. You don't want to sound like you don't need the business or have people think that you are going to be overly expensive or difficult to work with.

[TotalPC]

i think advertising your success is a good thing, and social proof is powerful. People want to go with the crowd.

but rather than say "We continue to gain market share". Maybe something like

2010 sales up 45%! Find out why more customers are choosing us!

[vangogh]

Harold pretty much said exactly what I was going to say. Let people know about your success, but temper it with a bit of humility. You don't want to come across as bragging. You want to come across as successful. The best way is probably to show your success instead of talking about it. A few years ago one internet marketer showed his success by taking a picture of himself with a 6 figure check from Google for what he earned through AdSense. It was on the bragging side, but it was clear proof he knew what he was doing in regards to AdSense.

There's probably a fine line with how much mentioning your success sends off an impression of bragging and arrogance as opposed to just being about the success. That line probably also shifts with different people. I' guessing you'll run the risk of turning off some people, but at the same time others are going to be swayed by your success. Maybe it's something you need to test a little to see how far you can push it.

[SCUBA9097]

Just my opinion, but I think the new three word slogan sounds a little "cold" and impersonal to me. I like the original better, but there's a phrase you wrote, "Service is something they just expect" that seems to hold a little promise to it. Perhaps "Service beyond expectations" or something similiar?

[greenoak]

guess i should have said a little too braggy...to me any bragging is un attractive.....and its hard to not go there in advertizing , for sure....

one more thought...if you grew last year thats very good and very unusual.. most businesses cant say that..
. .so in that case shouldnt you think your current flyer, web or advertizing is pretty darn good? ..... and maybe thnk about the danger of throwing the baby out with the bathwater in the new flyer....something is working great...
..we have used the same words and have used one flyer anyway for over 10 years....we think its working....and the key words, well i would go for a change if i really thought it was better...but not just because im getting tired of them...
how about adding a testimonial?

[Spider]

Again, lovely Ann hits the nail on the head --

IF IT AIN'T BROKE - DON'T FIX IT!

[huggytree]

my fliers are all pretty much the same....a new back ground, some new photo's.....they pretty much say the same things over and over.....repetition is what makes them work....im not changing my website at all

and yes i will add 1 or 2 testimonials at the bottom....

i like Spiders stuff and i will be starting out with his idea and developing it over the next week or 2....

i print 1000 of them and mail them out 3x during the year....i used to go 3 different ones, but realized that was foolish....1 a year works just as good...

i will be mailing them in 7 weeks just as the market is picking up for spring

thanks for all the advice..im going with it

[Reflo Ltd]

i thought of using '2010 sales up 45%! We continue to gain market share, find out why!'

I love it. I want to sign up and I don't even know what you do.

[Dan Furman]

I love it. I want to sign up and I don't even know what you do.

see, that's kind of how I felt too.

[HRuley]

I see no reason why you shouldn't let prospective customers know that your business is successful. It's natural that people gravitate towards things that other (similar) people think are good (it's called "social validity").
Your competitors will be the happiest that you are not letting people know of your success.
Will people think you are a show off? I can't remember the last time I ever thought "I don't want to do business with this company because it is so arrogant about it's own success".
However, I can remember many times where I felt to uncomfortable to walk into a restaurant because it looked like no one had been there for weeks.
It may even have the added effect that your employees know and feel they are working for a winner (and even better, that they are part of the time).
My two cent.

[Paul Elliott]

HT, you have already gotten some excellent feedback. Here are some more thoughts.


i thought of using '2010 sales up 45%! We continue to gain market share, find out why!'

More compelling is a more precise number like 44.7%.


does bragging about the 45% = customers wanting to switch to me?

This will work but it must be done carefully--excited, grateful, self-assured, confident, yet with thankful humility. People want to be a part of that sort of successful attitude and business operation.


ive used a similar theme in the past 'we continue to gain new builders in a down market' was a theme 2 years ago...it worked just fine

This would be a different market than the consumer market. The the retail consumer would have to be handled with more of the list of qualities above.


ive also changed my slogan from 'reliable, honest & on time' to ' Integrity, Intelligence & Excellence'....any thoughts on that switch?

I agree that "Intelligence" seems a non-sequitor in the retail plumbing market. "Precision," "Completeness," "Hassle-free," "Worry-free," etc.--get out the thesaurus--come more to mind. For example, when you dig up the front yard, do you make an effort to put the sod back and clean up or spread the piles of dirt, or is that just my "tough luck" for having a plumbing problem?

Keep up your excellent work!

Paul

[huggytree]

Intellegence is important because it means : 1. i can always find a way to accomplish the job, 2. i can find the best way and 3. i dont make stupid mistakes

Precision isnt a bad substitute...precision is closer to Excellence than Intelligence....

I dont like Completeness,hassel-free or worry free...they are more 'basic' every day words....you dont see Integrity, Intelligence & Excellence on many trade vans...

i stole the idea from a magazine article....i didnt come up with it by myself....the whole article fit me and my business so well...i think i read it 5x...id love to find a 'I' word that means Excellence to make it smoother though

[Spider]

Inimitable.
Incomparable

Or, you could stay with Excellence and look for e-words for intelligence and integrity.

[Paul Elliott]

Intellegence is important because it means : 1. i can always find a way to accomplish the job, 2. i can find the best way and 3. i dont make stupid mistakes

I suggest you explain it so that "Intelligence" as related to plumbing installation/repair is more clear to the average target of your message.


i stole the idea from a magazine article....i didnt come up with it by myself....the whole article fit me and my business so well...i think i read it 5x...id love to find a 'I' word that means Excellence to make it smoother though

Great! Adapt it carefully to YOUR business.

Keep up your excellent work!

Paul

[lav]

I like "Intelligence" I think its the most meaningful and modern word in your slogan in fact as soon as I read it I thought "I might have a slogan with intelligence in it too" haha jk

I think advertising your success is a great idea except like the majority of the world I dislike being sold to. So the word "sales" in "sales up by 45%" would be a killer for me.... "this guys a hard sell" .... is my first thought

[huggytree]

the fliers went out yesterday, so within 2 months we will find out if the idea works

[jpohl]

Let us know how it turns out....you know general consensus.

[jordandb]

This is my personal opinion on slogans:

People use slogans to decide if they're going to do business with you or not, right? It's about looking your slogan and then deciding that the slogan signifies that I (as your potential customer) should do business with you instead of your competitor down the street.

Here's the problem with slogans like "reliable, honest and on-time" and "Integrity, intelligence and excellence" — anyone else could say that. There is absolutely nothing unique about it. Think about it—there are probably tons of businesses in your home town that could technically use the exact same slogan.

So, how does that help me, as a potential customer, choose you over someone else?

Do get a good slogan, you should think about what is different/unique/extraordinary about your company or product or service—what is something you can say that no one else can say? Turn that into a catchy little phrase, and you've got a powerful slogan.

[queenvictoria]

I also like the slogan. It is very brief but absolutely convincing. Telling people what you have gained will change the way they look at your business. If at first, customers did not seem to feel your existence, they will then realize that your company is actually growing and that they should take a crack at whatever it is that you sell.

[huggytree]

1 year later.....advertising my success had no measurable uptick in getting new customers....2011 was a horrible year locally for all business...i think it was the bottom of the recession for WI.....so i didnt gain much in any way until November when business picked up dramatically....

so either advertising success doesnt work or there just wasnt any business to be had at that time

i most likely wont use that approach again

[queenvictoria]

It must be the timing. Recessions do not stay for good. It happens from time to time but history proves that the country’s economy always finds its way back to its favorable state. We use this approach or not, we should never lose access to our consumers :)

[Dan Furman]

1 year later.....advertising my success had no measurable uptick in getting new customers....2011 was a horrible year locally for all business...i think it was the bottom of the recession for WI.....so i didnt gain much in any way until November when business picked up dramatically....

so either advertising success doesnt work or there just wasnt any business to be had at that time

i most likely wont use that approach again

Just a thought - Maybe it did work, and kept you from doing even worse.

My mother's friend just had a heart attack. She's 68. My mother said "well, she exercised and eats right - guess that doesn't work". I said to my mother "perhaps doing those things kept her from having one at 58?"

We tend to look at the result too hard sometimes, and not the reasons for the result (oh, and the friend is going to be ok).

[vangogh]

Great point. You can't really compare what would have happened had you not advertised like you did. You can compare to what happened in other years, but conditions were different in those others years and so the comparison isn't as good as it might seem. When we're in these situations and can't draw an accurate comparison we tend to compare to what we hoped might happen or what we expected would happen, which are even less accurate.

Not suggestion you should try this again, but don't know if there's any way to truly know how well it did or didn't work.

[WisemanSays]

I believe numbers can sell, as seen by marketing efforts such as the "Preferred by 7/10 of Geriatricians." Although, there's a difference between marketing numbers, and marketing statistics. Numbers can be used to entice the customer without having to look like a salesman. For example: "Those who chose to quit smoking using Nicotine Patches have seven times the chance of quitting than those who go cold turkey." That's an informative statement with numbers in it. If the consumer is interested, that's a study that is likely found using Google. Now statistics looks something more like this: "Our customer base has grown 75% in the past year, come see why!" That stat is one that only the business could possibly know. That develops skepticism in the customer.

The goal is to have them see your advertisement (banner, flyer, etc.) and think to themselves, "That company looks trustworthy and has value." Because in an economy where consumers are still hoarding their money, choosing the right business for your needs is more of a process now.

[vangogh]

I think it's more than the numbers making the sale, though the numbers have their part. They're there to help show proof and lend credibility to what you're saying which I think is what you're saying. And of course the numbers have to be legit. You can't make them up since people will find out, which will do more damage to your creditability than the numbers would have helped.

With the case of the company saying we made x% more money or grew our customers y% I think you're right in that it doesn't work because the numbers aren't verifiable so they don't give the claim credibility. When you're talking about your own success if can also come across as bragging, which can turn people off.

[JohnVDW]

I have to disagree with the concept of spuking your success. The primary thing a prospective buyer - user - client wants from you are answers and solutions to their needs. Advertize WII-FM (What's In It For ME), and show you can solve their problems and they'll flock to your door. Very few prospects will care what your logo is they only want their needs satisfied. Advertise your "Knock Your Socks Off" service, always give them more than they expect, be more interested in their needs than your own and People will trust your ability.

As a sure fire way of advertising your success is to use real and honest testimonials from previous clients. If you haven't got any testimonials don't make them up. Call your successful clients and ask them to write you a few words of recommendation then use them in your marketing.

Cheers.

[huggytree]

ive sent out testimonials along with my fliers before...ive seen no increase in new contractors because of it....i actually just sent out 250 of them 1 month ago...not 1 call....

[natalia]

I learnt a lot of this discussion. Advertising your business is something that I learn everyday.

[Paul Elliott]

HT, I'm revisiting this and do not recall whether your flier had a good call to action. If it did, what was it?

What is your "slogan"? Do you use the same one for contractors and for homeowners?

I agree with Dan Furman that your campaign kept you from losing business vs. your competition.

Do you have a system for approaching those plumbers going out of business to acquire their "customer assets"?

Be sure to keep testing everything!

Keep up your excellent work!

Paul

[BNB]

250 flyers is not a large enough data set to understand if this is working. Advertising your success is definitely something you should be doing, and this takes many forms. Many companies advertise who they work with, who their clients are, testimonials, etc.

It's the bandwagon effect, when you see everyone else is buying from one company, you are far more likely to buy from them as well. It's also a great way to judge reputation instantly.

[vangogh]

250 flyers is not a large enough data set to understand if this is working.

True. I think more fliers would be needed for any results to be statistically significant.

[huggytree]

250 is all the prime contractors left in my area...there's probably 50 more, but they have been crossed off my list for various reasons

the market used to be 650 before the 2008 elections

I DO NOT HAVE A WAY TO BUY ASSETS FROM GOING OUT OF BUSINESS PLUMBERS.....maybe i should? it seems like everyone selling a business wants more than its worth.....typically delusional $'s

any thoughts on how i could approach this issue? (most large companies are shrinking right now to nothing and tons of small 1 man plumbing shops are sprouting up)

[vangogh]

250 is all the prime contractors left in my area

In that case 250 fliers sounds like the right amount to send. :)

Unless the company is filing for bankruptcy you probably have to make an offer for the whole business. You could consider what their assets would be worth to you and make an offer for the business based on that. These companies might be asking for more than the business is worth, but it doesn't mean they're going to get offered what they want. It's possible your offer is the best one they get.

[CallboxInc]

There is nothing wrong with bragging your success as long as you do not overdo it. People might get irritated if you do. Advertising your success means that you have done right with your company.

[srijan]

Yes to some extend it may help. But still the customers look for what you have to offer to him. Much depends upon what the customer looks in you. Many popular business may not draw customers because they don't give after the customer satisfaction.

[ClarkLorraine]

I think, given your situation 250 was a good amount. The success of advertising slogans is so hard to measure because of the other variables that go into whether or not you get customers or not. All you can do is, if you feel it’s not working, change it and see if that helps.

[chixfashionz]

Absolutely agree with this comment. Stick to the benefits for the customer. Talk about your years of experience, fantastic service record, high return rates with customers etc. Those are more meaningful to the customers. They don't want to see themselves merely as statistics in your P & L.

[Danhanes]

I think definately advertising success is good becuase it conveys the impression your custimers are pleased with your service/product. Testimonials are especially good for this. From my personal experience, testimonials are absolutely essential as they serve to reassure new customers that doing business with you does not pose a great risk. I agree with some of the members though that just having testimonials on your website isn't enough. A URL link along with contact details really help to flesh out testimonials. Ensuring that your customers appear to be credible businesses lends credibility to your business.

[StefanT]

250 seems right by what you are saying.

More than bragging, what is more important is to focus on how you can help solve another person's problem. After you connect with that person and can identify with their "pain", you offer them your solution and explain why it's the best for them in terms to how it can solve it for them. Focus must be on the OTHER and how you can help THEM.

[Elabusiness]

its time for my 2011 flier to be designed...im pretty much planning on doing the same concept ive done for a long time now....i pick a theme and slightly adjust the bullet points to that theme.

i thought of using '2010 sales up 45%! We continue to gain market share, find out why!'

something like that

does bragging about the 45% = customers wanting to switch to me?

ive used a similar theme in the past 'we continue to gain new builders in a down market' was a theme 2 years ago...it worked just fine

is it a turn on or turn off?

i obviously think its a positive because everyone wants to do business with a winner
it shows i have something the others dont

ive also changed my slogan from 'reliable, honest & on time' to ' Integrity, Intelligence & Excellence'....any thoughts on that switch?

ive gone from focusing on service to focusing on quality..the old slogan was more geared for service, but the new one is all quality....im finding people dont purchase on service. Service is something they just expect...people purchase on quality and price....service is something that effects repeat business referrals, not new customers.

I cant come up with a smart catchy slogan and like using 3 words to describe my companies difference...when i hire employees it will be something i can define and teach to keep my company different...

let me have your opinions?

Certainly true! Everyone wants to do business with winners. Because, thats the reality. You need to promote yourself, your success, your qualifications as much as you promote your business(products, sales, advertisement etc.)
Also, your new slogan sounds very good, sincere and professional.