If you were around in the 80’s like I was, maybe you remember the “generic brand” at your local grocery stores.

I’m talking about the plain white packages with only black block letters and a bar code on them.

Those black block letters spelled out things like BEANS, BEER, COLA… and who could forget LUNCH LOAF.

It’s not the most appealing product name, but you could probably argue that “Lunch Loaf” is no less appetizing than the word “Spam.”

A far cry from all the cool brand names and catchy slogans we’re used to, the marketing strategy behind the generic craze back in the day, was simply to be cheap.

That’s it. Low price. That was the only goal, and it was also the only competitive advantage this brand had.

Today the generic brand is gone, but in its place are numerous private label store brands nachrichten herunterladen. And if you asked most consumers, you’d find that the majority of them believe that their local grocer’s  “private label” store brand is of equal if not better quality than the national brand.

Many recent studies have shown that private label products are growing at a steady pace, and in the grocery business, private label brands now account for a lion’s share of the grocery business.

Think about how you shop. When you buy eggs, do you feel like you have to buy a major brand? Or are you just as happy with the store brand? If you’re like most people, you’re perfectly happy to buy the eggs with your local store’s logo on it instead of the national brand.  In fact, because it’s local it may be MORE trusted as well.

All the egg and lunch loaf conversation aside… you’re probably wondering how this applies to you as a contractor.

The same principles that have turned numerous companies in other industries into profitable private label masters can also be applied to service contractors android 6.0 herunterladen.

Believe it or not, in some areas of the country the local private label service contracting company brand is more trusted than the national brands like Carrier, Trane, Lennox and others.  Now I’m not saying that you should hide the brand of the equipment you are selling.  However, emphasizing your service as the main benefit that people purchase increases the trust for consumers.  Basically, YOU are taking responsibility for the performance of the job and NOT pushing it on to the manufacturer.

If you want to reap the many benefits of a private label strategy and be able to teach your team how to execute it, you’ll need to know the best practices in creating the brand of YOU…

Best Practice #1: Find a Partner Who Already Gets it

Perhaps the best-known example of private label branding is Sears. For years, Craftsman, DieHard, and Kenmore have been the backbone for Sears from a brand perspective. The  Sears’ website declares:

“Throughout its history, Sears has committed itself to quality private-label brands. For Sears, its brands are more than just the names of product lines. They are symbols of the company. Sears stakes its reputation on the strength of its brands flash videos download firefox. Products must meet the most rigorous standards of quality and safety before they earn the right to bear such names as DieHard, Kenmore, and Craftsman.”

The companies who actually manufacture the products for Sears are basically trading brand recognition for increased business volume in this arrangement – a trade they’re happy to make.

The manufacturer in this situation is demonstrating the “Pure Motive” I’m always talking about by supporting the people (in this example, Sears) who sell and service the products they manufacture.

In the HVAC industry, Goodman who also owns Amana, is a great example of a company who’s on board with the private label philosophy. Their number one customer is the contractor and their number one goal is to support the contractor’s business.

That means everything Goodman does (all their marketing and support) is focused on helping contractors serve their clients – not on building a monument to their own brand hidrive dateien herunterladen.

For this private label strategy to work optimally in our industry, the manufacturer needs to have premium, mid-range and economy level products to choose from, and the selling brand (you) needs to be able to offer those same varying levels to its customers in warranty and financing options.

The smartest and easiest way to start marketing the brand of you is to partner with a company that already embraces the private label philosophy – not one you have to sell on the idea and drag them into it kicking and screaming.

Best Practice #2: Differentiate Your Own Private Brand

Private label brands are most effective when they operate in an obviously different way than their competitors.

For instance, do you remember Saturn cars? They were manufactured by GM, but sold under the Saturn label.

So other than a different logo, what made Saturn anything other than just another General Motors vehicle herunterladen? The way they did business. The customer experience.

All Saturn customers paid the same price. Remember “No Haggle Pricing?” And when you bought a Saturn, the dealership would round up the troops and throw a little party for you.

That was the difference. It was still a GM vehicle. But the people, the strategy, and the experience at the local dealership made buying a Saturn a unique buying experience.

And in our industry, it’s no different. What makes your private brand premium and exclusive?  It’s really nothing more than the way you choose to position yourself and the customer experience you provide. You can choose to put your own logo on the equipment or not – but the important thing is that

You can choose to put your own logo on the equipment or not – but the important thing is that YOU are the memorable brand – not the manufacturer prozentrechner herunterladen. And the way you do that is with world class service.

Remember that exceptional service always wins. The experience is worth more than the equipment. World-class service and an outstanding customer experience is something you can offer your customers that no other brand name can.

Maybe your premium solution comes with WIFI temperature control with home monitoring cameras that will activate when the kids come home from school.

What if you created an exclusive “President’s Club” where you have a client appreciation barbecue or tickets to a ballgame?

You could package your “Signature Series” with premium perks like all the filters, bulbs and consumables, 15 years of planned service or other exclusive benefits.

Let your imagination run wild and take your relationship with clients to another level.

Best Practice #3: Verbally Package Your Brand

Verbal packaging basically means to very carefully and skillfully choose your words to persuade herunterladen. It’s the art of naming and describing things properly.

As an example, Trader Joe’s does an excellent job of verbally packaging their lines of ethnic foods.

• All Mexican food is sold under the name “Trader Jose’s.”
• Their Italian line is sold under “Trader Giotto’s.”
• You’ll find all Asian food sold under the label, “Trader Joe-san.”
• And vitamins and supplements are sold under the name, “Trader Darwin’s.”

Notice how carefully each verbal package is utilized to indicate expertise or quality with each item.  Also notice how each of the sub-brands connects back to the main brand by using the word “Trader” as a starting point.  Can you think of anything that you could verbally package to indicate higher quality for your clients?  Here are some examples…

• Acme Comfort Signature Series Hybrid Comfort System
• Acme Commercial Grade Equipment Protection Package
• Acme Surgical Grade Air Quality System
• Acme Smart Home Temperature, Lighting, and Home Security System
• Acme “Can’t Write a Check” Signature Warranty
• Acme “Can’t Write a Check” Planned Service President’s Club

These are real examples being used by actual contractors today to differentiate and sell their services at a much higher value than just offering the equipment as a stand alone commoditized product wo kann ich windows 10 downloaden.

Best Practice #4: Get Your Service & Sales Team On Board

To sell successfully, you must first be sold yourself. This means that the first people who need to buy into the value your company creates are your owner, your management, and the entire tech/sales team.

How do you get your team on board?

By only allowing your team to offer the premium services and packages with your private brand and NOT with the other brands. Your people have to believe that there’s better service and higher quality in using your private label brand over the name brands.

For instance, at Nordstrom’s, the store brand has better warranty and support than any of the external brands that it sells.  If you purchase the Nordstrom’s brand you are treated to the highest level of service available.

When you package your best warranties and service packages only with your private label, you’re showing your team that you believe in them more than you believe in the manufacturer.

To get your team on board, just communicate that the in-house brand is covered no matter what and the other brands are covered only according to industry standards warranty and service packages.

Best Practice #5: Bundle & Package Private Label Solutions

A true best-in-class private label brand develops bundles that include premium, mid-range and economy choices for their clients – removing the need to shop anywhere else.  If you bundle premium solutions and features together then you’re offering something exclusive that none of your competitors will ever think of much less be able to offer.

Here are some important factors to think about when offering bundles and packages…

1. Which option is shown first to your clients?
2. Are the solutions are personal and customized?
3. Carefully crafting the verbal packaging of your premium, mid-range and economy solutions?
4. Are you offering the right number of solutions at each economic buying point?
5. Are you creating the proper price difference between each solution?
6. Are you creating the optimal range of pricing between the top and bottom choices?

The most profitable contractors in the United States sell their name and their service as the main thing their consumers purchase.  

So whether you decide to actually privately label your equipment or not, you have to commit to The Brand of You – and not to selling “just equipment.”

To learn more about leveraging The Brand of You by creating the perfect options every time (as outlined in the 6 points above), and emphasizing superior service – check out our new Best Ever Flat Rate Guide. It’s easy to use and sets you apart from the competition, positioning your company as a unique brand in your market.

So are you all in?

What are your thoughts or experiences with private label brands?

Let’s talk about it in the comments!

Your Personal Economy

One of the earmarks of a great service professional is that they refuse to participate in a bad economy.  They know that one thing for sure is that the economy always improves whenever a good service or sales person shows up at the door herunterladen.

The same is true of your personal economy linux betriebssystem 64 bit download deutsch kostenlos. It always gets better when we create better results. Yes there are stories of carnage in the contracting industry with record numbers of businesses failing snes mini games. But there is one thing to remember. This truth is undeniable. That truth is that a sale is never lost. It just goes to your competitor.

Because of this truth, ironically there are a few contractors who have grown enormously when they grab this seemingly “lost” sale download volbeat albums for free. That’s right. When you lose an opportunity to capture a customer, you not only lose the customer, the revenue and the profit but you also fuel your competitor by giving them the opportunity to gain from your loss.  They get the revenue, profit and the long term relationship with your potential client.  A relationship that if managed correctly can result in between $30,000 to $75,000 in opportunity over the next 5 to 7 years tomtom routes downloaden.

Can’t “Cutback” Your Way To Success

With this much at stake, you would think that the average contractor would be scouring the globe looking for a way to at the very least, know how to sell more on each opportunity. But alas, if you thought this you would as disappointed as I am to say what I am about to tell you right now. The plain truth is that most contractors who are faced with a tough economy, implode and “cutback” on their staff and their services instead of taking advantage of the weaker competition, or as I like to call them, “the herd.”

In the history of successful companies, there has never been anyone who has increased their service, their market share and their profit by cutting back. Each employee represents a profit center that businesses must hold accountable for a result. So if you are cutting back in profit centers, you are then cutting back on profit. You simply can’t save or cutback your way to success.

Who’s Getting Rich?

There are many stories of success in the midst of this dark and depressing economy. In fact, those that are succeeding are hoping the bad economy will last so that the limited amount or opportunity will put their competition out of their misery. Each week I hear story after story about contractors who have never made so much profit. What is the common thread that runs through all of their stories?

I have taken the liberty to share this with you…

They Capture Customers – These contractors have a “zero-tolerance” policy to lose opportunities. When an employee makes a decision to solve problems, they are determined to not leave until it is brought to a conclusion.

They Eliminate Competitors – They find out how other contractors have failed, essentially finding out what NOT to do on each call BEFORE they give a solution.

They Diagnose Whole Systems – Great service is not just doing repairs one-at-a-time. Offer options to RENOVATE the whole system as well just a band-aid. They give options not ultimatums.

They Create Bundles & Packages – They differentiate their services by offering and bundling more of them. They make it very easy for customers to purchase more premium options because they are not afraid to offer them.

Once you know how to sell to your customer everything will change for you and your company. Your economy will certainly improve. Your average call will increase to over 3 to 5 times of the average contractor. You will have happier customers who are buying more premium options. NOTE: You will not be selling the same thing you are now at higher prices, instead you will be selling services warrantu and renovations that you currently DO NOT sell right now for more.

Here’s an idea. Instead of cutting back or waiting to long, why not invest in yourself. Do you believe in yourself enough to do that? If you do, your family, your company and everyone you know will be glad you did.

Invest in yourself by attending a Total Immersion Summit NOW! Go to http://www.totalimmersionsales.com to learn more

One of the biggest weaknesses ineffective salespeople have is their desire to “look good” in front of their customer citrix receiver for free. If only this desire to feed the ego was as great as the desire to feed their wallet, life would be very different for these “happy losers.”

A Happy Loser acrobat reader kostenlos downloaden windows 7?

I use this term because it perfectly describes the salesperson who is happy to look good even if it means no sale. The need to look smart and sharp to a prospect is more important than getting the result they want herunterladen. Their success and their income suffer greatly because of it.

So make your choice right here and now. Do you want to feed your ego or your wallet?

A. I want to feed my ego.

B. I want to feed my wallet.

You Can’t Do Both

Are the two mutually exclusive? You bet they are. A job where you must sell your services is no place to get your emotional needs met. It is just a place you go to get paid. Selling requires far too much focus and concentration to worry about anything else other than getting a buyer to say yes.

What if you did the opposite of trying to look smart to your customer and instead used a technique I call the “dummy up?” This technique amounts to you acting like you missed something the customer said, which gets them to expand on their thoughts and essentially makes the customer sell you on what they want.

Here are some examples of effective “dummy up” situations:

AT THE DOOR

THEM: I don’t even really like air conditioning.

YOU: I’m sorry, Fred. I had no idea. The office told me you wanted it fixed. Well, let’s not waste anyone’s time, Fred. Should I cancel the call?

THEM: No, wait a minute. We can’t cancel. My wife would kill me if I didn’t get this fixed today before she comes home.

ABOUT THE COMPETITION

THEM: We had XYZ Company out here working on this before.

YOU: I didn’t know that, John. Hey, I don’t want to step on anyone’s toes. Would you feel more comfortable just calling them back?

THEM: God no! We had nothing but trouble with XYZ and I would never use them again.

AT THE CLOSE

THEM: I think we want to go with option number 3.

YOU: Really! I didn’t think you would ever like that one. Why do you like it so much?

THEM: Well, it has a better warranty and it comes with better service. I like that.

YOU: Okay. What should we do?

THEM: Let’s get the work done now.

Make your customer think you need to be educated on why they are buying from you and it will work wonders. As for my question above, I will tell you that I have already made my decision and my wallet is a lot fatter because of it.

Don’t let your ego get the best of you. Just dummy up and sell more!