If a tree falls
My wife and I love hiking and camping with our dogs. It’s our escape. So, last year, we took a trip up to the beautiful Grayson Highlands in western Virginia for a quick weekend trip with a couple friends. Hiking along those exposed ridges at a relatively high altitude provide some of the best views […]
Service certainty
Who has better pizza, Domino’s or Papa John’s? I do a lot of presentations about these companies and when I pose this questions to audiences, usually they’re split right down the middle. Personally, I’m a Domino’s fan. From a value perspective, however, our opinions about who has better pies don’t really matter. Here’s what really […]
Jeff Bezos’s advice for service contractors
Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon, is the wealthiest person on the planet. He owns about 17% of Amazon, and that stake is worth about $115 billion. Amazon was founded in 1994, so Jeff has amassed this fortune in just 24 years. Wow. I bring up the example of Jeff Bezos as a wealth-building machine […]
Why is this so tough?
What’s the worst customer service experience you’ve ever had? Think about that for a second. How would you describe that experience? Was it inconvenient? Was it a waste of your time? Did a lack of transparency or information lead to a bad outcome? These are the calling cards of a bad customer service experience. My […]
Nope, it’s a tide ad.
The Eagles didn’t win the Super Bowl. Nope, Tide won it with their amazing ad campaign. Everybody is still talking about the Tide ad campaign. Wouldn’t it be nice if you could generate that kind of buzz with your customers and prospects without spending anywhere near the estimated $15M Tide spent on their ads? It’s […]
A story of growth – AAA fire protection, Seattle
“When we started with ServiceTrade we had one pipefitter. Now we have five.” When Mary Krinbring of AAA Fire Protection in Seattle told us that in September 2015, everyone on our end of the phone’s eyes opened wide at that 500% growth. “Tell us more, Mary…”Mary Krinbring, AAA Fire Protection. November 2017.When AAA Fire Protection […]
An easy differentiator for service contractors
Want to charge 146% more than your competition and still have customers beating down the doors? The secret to easy money for service contractors is simple: Convenience is more valuable than low prices. Modern buyers are willing to pay a premium for convenience. In a world flooded with One Truck Chucks and low-cost competitors, differentiating […]
Snakes on the roof!
Every popular book or movie generally hues to a typical formula. A hero faces a daunting challenge and makes a big effort to overcome trouble. The reason this formula works is because humans are captivated by trouble and drama. Jonathan Gottschall, the keynote speaker for the Digital Wrap Conference, documents in great detail the human […]
Better techs, better service? Try a better experience.
Do you have a “Papa John’s” sales pitch? They claim to have better ingredients, better pizza. Whether it’s true or not, the financial markets have spoken and Papa John’s is getting crushed by its biggest competitor, Domino’s. Here’s the stock growth for Papa John’s and Domino’s since 2009: Does your sales pitch sound something like […]
Give the people what they really want
If you asked people in the 1890s about personal transportation, they’d say “Give me a cheaper, faster horse.” Instead, they got cars and they happily spent more. If you asked people of the 1990s about entertainment, they’d say “Give me more selection and cheaper rentals at Blockbuster.” Instead, they got Netflix and they happily spent […]