Marketing Strategy in Action
I promised an example, so here you are. This is fiction – I invented it for this blog.
Your client is a custom painting company in Deerfield, Illinois, a wealthy suburb along Chicago’s north shore. The company is known for exquisite painting and faux and specialty painting. The owner needs leads and business in the current recession. He gets most of his business from custom builders. And he has started laying people off, so he cannot spend much money right now.
His image among the trade is absolute top quality, but expensive.
His identity: the top painter in the area, best service, most consistent quality, on-time delivery. This is very important to custom builders, as time – their timeline – is money and cash flow. Also, in this economy, every client is gold. They cannot afford to disappoint the homeowner.
Brand: Once hired, the builder can rest assured of a great work, as scheduled. The paint company makes the custom builder look good to the homeowner.
Position: The best and most expensive painter in the area.
Differentiation: The top for the top, best quality, most expensive custom homes being built.
Overall strategy: Reach and form relationships with more top custom builders, for only their most demanding clients. No one else will pay for them in this market. But for the right homeowner, this is the only painting company that custom builders should use. The creative message to both consumers and custom builders (and high-end remodeling companies) should be focused on: “When only the best will do.”
TACTICS:
1. E-Newsletters to custom builders in the Chicago area. Purchase e-mail addresses by zip code from business to business publications serving builders, custom builders, and architects. Use a great writer, a top artist, and create a series of 4-6 e-newsletters; send them out every 3 weeks. Follow with phone calls. Meanwhile, there are no printing costs or postage costs, and the e-mails go right past secretaries. Build relationships with top custom builders throughout the area.
2. Expand your market to the entire Chicago area and into Lake Geneva, Wisconsin.
3. Charity events to reach the wealthiest consumers in the area. Donate painting for show houses, churches, and other local charities. Attend the charity galas (for free, because you donated your work), mix and mingle, hand out cards. Put small ads in the charity ad books.
4. The owner of the painting company needs to take networking and sales training classes, to make the most of his opportunities.
5. Finally, offer discounts on first projects, to get more jobs now and to solidify the new relationships.
Ed Sucherman
The Marketing Machine
Dear Dewalt Tools,
Hope you enjoyed the blog.
Ed Sucherman
http://www.edsucherman.com
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