Marketing for Repairmen

Repair companies usually market their business by trying to be the first in the yellow pages. AAA or A1 used to be great names as they ensured you the top spot. I've heard of lawyers doing the same. Looking at our town's yellow pages the other day I noted that the level of desperation is increasing: four A's for one of the companies listed for appliance repairs. I didn't chose them. Just because of this.

All repair companies are expected to fix whatever is broken, to offer a guarantee for their work, be properly registered and insured. No point trying to set yourself apart in this area in your advertisements. So what IS it that customers are looking for? Well, how about fixed appointments? The repair company my wife called the other day announced that they would come "between 8 and 12" the following day. The man showed up at eight which was great, but he could have shown up at 11:45. A whole morning potentially wasted sitting there waiting for the repairman for most of us. I've never waited long at my dentist's and I wonder why repairmen can't do the same. It would win me over as a customer right away.

Next, leave something behind. People call repairmen when something is broken, which hopefully only happens every couple of years. Result: you're trying to remember whom you called last time. Our repairman had correctly spotted the issue, so he offered us a sticker with his name and phone number on it. That's right, he offered it, he didn't stick it someplace in our kitchen as he probably also senses that people might not appreciate it. Alas, that's a sticker prone to be thrown away. So how about a fridge magnet? An Outlook V-Card? I have wondered many times why people don't make use of V-Cards as marketing tools. A phone call half a year later, just to see if everything is fine? An oven mitt or ice cube scoop?

So if you are a repairman, don't even think of renaming your business to AAAAA. It's pointless. Give your customers what they want which is to spend the least amount of time waiting for you, and give them something to remember you. The good work has to be there, too, but it is expected, anyway.

Thanks for your time,

Bodo