International Door & Operator Industry

JAN-FEB 2013

Garage door industry magazine for garage door dealers, garage door manufacturers, garage door distributors, garage door installers, loading docks, garage door operators and openers, gates, and tools for the door industry.

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SALES&MARKETING; (continued from page 44) Creating a Brand Creating a brand takes time, a lot of time. That starts with a conscious effort to market your company consistently to the public on a daily basis. It is not one big advertising push or campaign. Rather there are many steps in the process, but the foundation of your brand starts with your logo. It should reflect what you want your brand to communicate. I suggest you invest in having this done professionally. It's that important. Your logo should appear everywhere – on to communicate that you are reliable, well staffed and able to assume their overhead door service needs. Perhaps staffed 24 hour emergency service, certified technicians and a dedicated account manager might be how you market to business, industry and municipal customers. Let's look back at our Apple Computer example for a moment. Think about their TV commercials. Even the old ones and those being run today communicate that their products are user friendly and hip. Remember the spots with the two guys? One guy said "Hi, I'm a Mac" and the other guy said "and I'm a PC". These spots were extremely successful for the company for one reason only. They branded their products as "cool" and easy to use. As a door dealer your message should reflect your brand. If it's service driven, say that. Then make sure you're the best at it. Your company's message should emphasize how you are better. "Acme Door Service – when you need it today", or maybe "Acme Door – one call is all it takes". If you're branding a family owned and operated business and want to connect on a more personal level to your customers, perhaps a phrase like "Acme Door: The best garage doors to your family from our family". You are not looking for an advertising tag line but rather a way to brand your business to set it apart from your competition. The Experience is the Brand your website, vehicles, personnel, promotional materials, advertising, installed products and even your store. All of these should integrate your logo and communicate your brand. Your brand strategy is how, what, where, when and to whom you plan on communicating and delivering your brand messages. It requires that you honestly answer these questions. What is your company's mission? What are the benefits and features of your products or services? What do your customers and prospects already think of your company? What qualities do you want them to associate with your company? Where you advertise is part of your brand strategy. Your distribution channels are also part of your brand strategy. Do you want to sell garage doors at the retail level to homeowners? Or are you commercially driven and want to market to business and industry? Maybe you are focused exclusively on the new construction market. Regardless, what you communicate visually and verbally is part of your brand strategy. Here's what I mean. Let's say you choose to create a brand that is focused on retail sales. Your brand then will need to reflect what's important to homeowners. Some of these are the latest products, knowledgeable sales consultants, a first class showroom and a technician that exudes professionalism when he pulls up in their driveway, all supported with "knock your socks off"service after they buy. However, if your brand is set in the commercial genre, your company's brand needs Okay. So you've decided what your brand will be. Let's say it's a combination of the most innovative and stylish garage door products backed up by world class service. Those are just catch phrases. The trick is actually doing it. It's not one thing, it's everything - from the moment your receptionist says "Good morning, thank you for calling Acme Door" to the invoice they receive from your accounting department and all of the things in between that are required to complete their purchase. It is the experience you create for the customer when they do business with your company that establishes your brand in the marketplace. It's that compelling word of mouth advertising that is pure gold when it comes to brand development. It costs nothing for these personal testimonials from your customers but they're invaluable. Angie's List, an Internet contractor rating service, is a popular source for homeowners to find a home improvement contractor. Angie's rating system is a series of grades, A – F, that rate the contractor's performance in various categories. Continued on page 48 V O L U M E 4 6 I S S U E 1 2 0 1 3 47

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