Every contractor understands the importance of having a strong, easily recognizable brand. Companies that develop exceptional brands outperform companies with a mediocre brand every day, regardless of their field.

Before my brothers and I became enlightened about staffing (meaning we got our teeth kicked in so many times we eventually woke up), we used to rely on the tried-and-true method of hiring people using the “Mirror Test.”

Publicity is the most powerful form of marketing communication your plumbing company can possibly have. There is a wave of influence in your market, merely waiting to slosh one side or the other. Most watch. Some hope that it visits them.

One of the greatest business management gurus of our time, Ken Blanchard, wrote a book several years ago with Sheldon Bowles titled “Raving Fans.” It was written in the same style as many of Blanchard’s books over the years: almost painfully simple, yet so applicable.

Technology is driving digital marketing to new heights. Though traditional advertising such as billboard signs, flyers and banners remain popular, they are being overshadowed by the Internet’s methods of advertising

I’ve been asked questions during my seminars, teleseminars, webinars, free 30-minute consultations and one-on-one client consultations. I wanted to share some of these with you in the hope that my answers will help you and your business be more productive and generate more revenue to reap the rewards of success.

Direct mail can be the most lucrative marketing tool you’ll ever use — if you use it correctly. Yet most plumbers waste wads of money on ineffective mailings because they don’t know how to do it right. Direct mail offers the advantage of laser-like targeting, where you can pick your list exactly.

The first cautionary bit of advice I received from my dad was that I learn how to “avoid stepping over dollars to pick up dimes.” I was just a kid getting started in the family business. This seemed confusing to me so I asked him, “What does that mean?”

Whoa — is the end of this year really around the corner? Maybe, maybe not. As Winston Churchill once said: “Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning.” I’m sure that explained everything very well.

I’d hear, “This is going to hurt you worse than it hurts me,” just before getting my rearward region spanked into next week. Whenever I used to hear this phrase — which was shockingly regular — I used to think, “Then why do it?” I mean, can’t we spare some pain for both of us by overlooking that little melted-crayon-in-the-Easy-Bake Oven-incident?