Air Date: 7-24-2020|Episode 593
Ivan Turner has been in the restoration field for over 25 years. He created “Disaster Brigade” an organization that brings veterans into the restoration industry. And he is presently the CEO of ShowMe Marketing, a consulting firm that shows restoration companies how to get more work in just days. He was a featured author in the book, “How to Get More Water Damage Jobs” with a chapter that included insider secrets for getting free referrals from plumbers. Recently he said, “Drop me in any city in North America and I’ll go to any restoration company you name – then, in just 14 days I’ll have the owner, the sales team, or the newest technician bringing in more jobs.”
Steven LaVelle has been researcher and writer for the restoration industry for more than 12 years. With half-a-dozen books to his credit including, “197 Ways To Persuade Adjusters, Agents, and Others To Give You The Job,” “The Restoration Book,” “How to Get More Water Damage Jobs” and “Get Paid!” which featured our own Cliff Zlotnik(the Z Man) who wrote the foreword. Steven says, “I ask the most insightful industry leaders for their best secrets, they tell them to me and I add a few ideas of my own, then write them down – that is how I create some of the best marketing books in restoration. In the final analysis I’m just a roving reporter and marketer who knows where to look and what questions to ask.”
Kent Riddle is a story teller. Someone called him a “Red Neck Millionaire,” because he ran a successful franchise for many years that had an annual income in the millions of dollars and has a deep southern accent that rivals his friends in Nashville. Recently he sold his franchise for millions more, but he found retirement to be too much work! So he dove back in and created a consulting firm that helps other restoration companies become successful. He teaches with stories and he promised to share a couple today – like the one in which a group of contractors were waiting to make a presentation to the manager of a water damaged restaurant, when a competitor walked up and stole the job with just three sentences. Recently, he asked the owner and front line workers of a wildly successful franchise how they were doing during the COVID crisis – they told him, now he will tell us.
Z-Man’s Blog:
101 ways to successfully market your restoration business with and without Covid19 jobs.
Time was of the essence.Because some companies told them they weren’t sure they could keep their doors open for another 30 days; Steven LaVelle and his team of co-authors and contributors were highly motivated to quickly publish a restoration marketing book on how to obtain more restoration jobs.
Their book is written for restoration businesses that are currently struggling to obtain work. The book is filled with low cost and no cost marketing suggestions.
Steven and two industry veteran co-authors: Ivan Turner and Kent Riddle discussed the book on this week’s episode of IAQradio.
With all of the negative news related to the global COVID19 pandemic; Steven LaVelle decided to reach out to restoration firms to determine how they were doing? While many were struggling due to lack of work, others were prospering and some were “killing it”. When he researched news stories related to “busy restoration firms and COVID19” he found that some restoration companies were getting as many as 500-600 calls per day. He found that thriving companies were using creative advertising themes: “here to help” and pushing the marketing claim envelope claiming to “eliminate 100% of illness causing organisms”, “provide up to 90 days protection”, “100% guarantee,”or “offer safe immediate and long-term protection”. Steven ran some of these marketing claims past the Restoration Attorney Ed Cross who doesn’t recommend guarantees. Steven bows to Ed’s expertise, and continues to seek a viable alternative.
[Z-Man- Technical Note- Biostatic surface protectants have long been available which provide protection against odor causing bacteria, bacteria which cause staining and discoloration, fungi (mold and mildew) and algae as a static agent. Use of this type of product complements daily disinfection. This class of antimicrobial product does not have proven efficacy on viruses.]
Kent- Franchises that he knows are having their best sales quarters ever right now. Successful firms are using 2 different approaches: 1) adjustments when the market changes or 2) trying not to lose business or market share by expanding market areas when local market shrinks. He offered examples of firms who embraced and successfully diversified into providing full service restoration and others who chose to stay the current courses by expanded their service areas.
Steven- Some companies are making a fortune. One company is getting 500-600 phone calls a day. Another company did a 20,000 sq. ft. cleanup at a country club, got jobs at the University of North Florida, 2 Navy bases and a bunch of Dollar Stores.
Book contributor-Gary Arndts shows how to get on the first page of Google Searches. Google owns Youtube, so making mini videos on YouTube can get you on the first page of Google searches in minutes with Gary’s know how. According to Gary, ServPro alone is getting 74,000 free organic searches monthly when the term water damage accounts for only 30,000.
Ivan believes in belly-to-belly selling. He isn’t a big fan of TV and radio advertising because you get lost in the crowd and don’t have the advertising budget and buying power to compete with ServPro. Ivan was summoned to Louisiana by a client who was facing an epic financial crisis. Nothing on the news other than negative news reports on COVID19. The state was shutting down. Ivan’s strategy was to combine COVID19 response with seeking sustainable work. He developed a powerful message telling nursing homes, shopping malls, which was delivered empathetically that “our business is helping other businesses stay in business”.“We are a locally owned business with the right people, right equipment, here and ready to help.” Surprisingly, Ivan found that when he queried potential clients if they were inundated by firms offering the same COVID19 service, time after time he learned that he was the first and only firm who called. He successfully signed multiple clients to Emergency Response Plans.Following national disasters like floods and hurricanes the effected cities hate out of town contractors, during COVID19 cities were happy to see contractors.
Steven is a fan of TV and radio advertising that can be obtained for free. Steven provided examples of firms who notified media before providing public service (clean and sanitize police cars, ambulances or firetrucks) or other creative publicity stunts. Kent once called local media and told them at 2:00 PM he was going to flood a perfectly good house just to show that he could dry it. The media showed up with cameras and Kent was on TV.
To break a slump, Kent recommends having anybody on his staff ask an adjuster for any type of job. By offering a $100 bounty to anyone who signs up a restoration job, he went from an empty job board to 6 jobs.
Final thoughts:
Kent had some great marketing strategies for insurance agents. Rather than dropping your cards off at agent’s office, ask the agency for their business cards. When that agency provides a job, drop off a “gift basket” to any insured who is recommended by the agent with the agent’s business card in it (and no mention of the restoration firm at all), with the anticipation that it will help the agent get more policy renewals.
Transference, when your crew receives a compliment graciously accept it and mention that this wouldn’t be possible without a caring agent (refer the compliment to the agent). The more jobs the agent gets from these strategies, the more he will want to refer jobs to you.
Remind the agent that these policy renewing tactics only work with jobs they personally refer to you. He will be motivated to keep referring more work.
Steven- To prove the efficacy of their marketing techniques, 3 marketing minds (Steven Lavelle, Kent Riddle and Ivan Turner) have boldly and generously agreed to laser focus on a fortunate restoration business and IAQradio listener,to prove they can make it rain – free of charge! The consultants want companies that are in real need. Tell us in 100 words or less why you think you should win the contest (why you need their help the most). They pledge to teach the winner how to get restoration jobs in just 14 days.
See entry form below:
Z-Man signing off
Trivia Question:
In what year was the first self help book written?
Answer: 1859
Correctly Answered by:
Vic Cafaro
4504 Boones Trail Place
Chesterfield, VA 23832
Free Contest
An IAQ Radio listener will be first to win free help from a team of notable marketing consultants.
Marketing consultants offer free personalized help to restoration business in serious sales slump.
Only ONE fortunate company will win FREE consulting services.
If your company is in a serious sales slump our Team of 3 Consultants guarantees jobs in 14 days – free of charge! You must enter this contest
Make us prove it! More jobs in just 14 days – Guaranteed!
In 100 words or less, explain your circumstances. Application judged by the consultants as the BEST (most in need) wins FREE jobs in 14 days,GUARANTEED!
Email entry to restorationbook@aol.com
Deadline for submission is: 12:01 AM, July 31, 2020
Those who enter the contest get a chance to win our services for 14 days to help get you out of a slump. Any entry that does not win the contest, will still receive a free copy of pdf book, “More Restoration Jobs In 14 Days.”
If you would like to get a book, but don’t want to enter the contest, you may purchase a copy for just $24.95 at either of these two email addresses:
R&R Magazine:https://www.randrmagonline.com/products/category/2166-books/product/601-how-to-get-more-restoration-jobs-in-14-days
Totally Booked University: https://www.carpetcleaningrestorationmarketing.com/101.html
