Direct Marketing News

Why do most tradesmen get upset with the results of their Yellow Pages advertising?

The answer is quite simple; their advertising was created by either the tradesman or someone who works for the Yellow Pages Company. In either case, the work was not done by someone with the knowledge required to attract new clients.

As a tradesman, you have the training and experience to be excellent at your trade, whether that is being a great plumber, a skilled electrician, or other top-notch craftsman. What you do not have is the information needed to be great at creating advertisements. One of the biggest mistakes a tradesman can make is to assume the person at the Yellow Pages Company can create an effective advertisement for a tradesman’s business. Nothing could be further from the truth.
Learning your trade was the basis for your business. Learning to cost out jobs and keep your finances straight assures your business is on solid ground. Learning to manage your business and your employees makes it possible for you to expand and grow your business. The next step is learning to effectively communicate with potential customers through advertising.

Even with all of the new media, Yellow Page advertising is still the most effective method for a tradesman to reach his potential customers.

Let’s look at just what is required to create an effective Yellow Pages advertisement and explain the fundamentals you need to maximize your advertising dollars. You already have the key to creating great advertising, and that is a knowledge of your customers and their needs. You provide solutions to your customers every day; what you need now is an understanding of how to communicate this to new customers.

Just as the new media is evolving into what is called Web 2.0, consider this your introduction to Advertising 2.0. It is personal, it matches your potential customers’ expectations and it delivers an effective message which brings you new customers.

Now that we have an understanding of what can be, let’s get started!

The Latest Gossip

According to our association, approximately 50% of our clients are not happy with their current tradesman! That means that people are constantly looking for a tradesman that will do a great job for them. You can look at this statistic from both sides. You can be disturbed that potentially half your clients are looking around for another tradesman (well, maybe not your clients because you are reading my articles). Or you can view it as an opportunity to steal clients away from the competition with some great advertising. If you needed some motivation to develop your ad writing skills, this statistic alone will prod most tradesmen into paying attention to what I’m going to tell you.

Get Their Attention!

When people are browsing through the Yellow Pages, they are looking for something. Most people don’t just open up the Yellow Pages directory and read ads as a Sunday afternoon activity. They have a problem either urgent or not and they need a tradesman to solve it. As they browse past your ad, you only have a split second to grab their attention and stand out from all the other ads.

The best way to do that is with a powerful headline.

Don’t follow what is often your first inclination and put your business name and address as your headline. The following are examples of these boring “business card” type headlines:

John’s Plumbing
Action Plumbing
Active Electrical

WHO CARES?

I’m sorry, but the only person who will be impressed with your name is you. So think for a few minutes. What could you say to your clients that would make them pause for a few seconds and read what you have to say? Remember, you know your customers and their needs and problems. So come up with something that “speaks to them” and addresses their concerns.

Imagine if you put a headline at the top of your ad that actually solved your client’s immediate problem? For example:

Is Your Toilet Overflowing?
Is Your Room Dark and Dingy?
Are You Selling Your Home and Want To Do Simple Renovations to Dramatically Increase Its Value?

Now you can imagine how these headlines would grab your attention if you needed to brighten your room, fix your toilet or do inexpensive renovations. By appealing to your client’s emotions and needs with your headline, you are on the right track to writing a great ad.

Next, Aggravate The Problem!

After you have grabbed their attention, you must restate their problem. For example:

Is horrible smelly water running all over your carpet? Do you have poo in places you shouldn’t?

Aggravating the problem helps the customer bond with your company. They feel you understand their situation and can provide a solution. This solution driven approach allows them to single your company out as the best one to select for their job.

Present A Solution!

Once you have their attention, and you have aggravated their problem, you need to tell them how you can solve their problem. Let them know what products and services that you offer. Once again the best way to show you this is with an example:

We have qualified tradesman in your area right now that can come, attend to your emergency and solve your plumbing problems.

Have a Guarantee and a Call to Action!

Once you let the client know that you can solve their problem you need to remove any final resistance, fear or uncertainty from their minds. This is done with a powerful guarantee and a call to action.

An example of this is:

I guarantee to be at your home within 2 hours of your phone call or I will pay you $50.00 for wasting your time.

Including a bold forthright guarantee tells the customer that you stand solidly behind your services and your promises. It also tells them that you care about their satisfaction and happiness.
Now let’s put all this together. First you need an attention grabbing headline. Next, you aggravate the problem by restating it. Then you present a solution, and finally, you include a bold guarantee and a call to action.

If you would like to continue your education and become skilled at attracting clients then go to www.TradesmanProfits.com and have a look at the free marketing course that I offer.
You can contact my office anytime on 1800 723 199 and I will be happy to answer any questions you may have.

Ian Marsh
Profit Strategist
http://www.tradesmanprofits.com
Email: streetsmarts@bigpond.com
Ph:1800723199
Fax: 0284565959

“You Will Build A Million Dollar Business Within 24 Mths Implementing My Strategies Guaranteed!”
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