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| Kevin Dubrosky - he killed the unicorn, embraced the Koi, and used the herd. |
Well I lied, sorta' - but read never-been-seen-before exclusive content donated by Kevin, below. That's Kevin Dubrosky... the window cleaning business coach.... he's done it again! '$600/hr' the new expanded edition, is now on the shelves to purchase. If you want to read more... go here now, where you will find another excerpt from Kevin's book & the link to purchase.
Kevin says, "Lots of books are out there on marketing and advertising." "The problem is not the accessibility of awesome marketing information." "The problem is figuring out ‘how in the world’ all this insight can be used in your window cleaning and pressure washing business." "In my first book, I provided a big picture overview of window cleaning marketing, but so many details and strategies were missing, and so many questions unanswered." "Thus the need for a fresh, comprehensive treatment of the subject, and my brand new book now sitting in your hands." "I sincerely hope that $600/hr gives you exactly what you’re looking for right now."
Exclusive never-seen-before content: -
According to Brand Sense, by Researcher Martin Lindstrom, “creating a synergy across the senses should be the goal of every brand on earth”.
Martin uses a brilliant illustration to make his point: A digital video camera records vibrant video and crisp audio, but nothing more. The human body records experiences on no less than five tracks, adding touch, taste, and smell on top of your digital camera’s mere two. Most marketing efforts focus on the senses of sight and sound, but in doing so, ignore 3 other powerful senses. Why not record on all 5 tracks?
Nearly four hundred years ago philosopher and scientist Sir Francis Bacon mused: “By far the greatest impediment and aberration of the human understanding arises from [the fact that] ... those things which strike the sense outweigh things which, although they may be more important, do not strike it directly.”
In other words, our senses skew the way we perceive value and importance.
Anytime you activate multiple senses, your ability to influence emotions dramatically increases. Therefore, the express goal of an advanced multi-sensory marketing strategy is rather straightforward: stimulate a heightened emotional response.
Take sound, for instance.
“The way a brand sounds should not be underestimated”, reports Brand Sense.
In a study undertaken by Judy and Mark Alpert, they discovered that happy music created happy moods. No big surprise there. However, they also discovered that sad music resulted in greater levels of purchase intent. Wow. Now that is interesting. What would happen if you played some slightly sad music in the background of your window cleaning website? Would you convert more sales? I sure want to find out.
Victoria’s Secret is no dummy when it comes to sound, either. In their stores, they play classical music, “which creates an exclusive atmosphere and air of prestige”.
Before Bentley automobiles released their latest smash hit vehicle, the Continental GT, they carried out extensive research regarding the sound the car’s engine made. The result was a signature sound: “deep, smooth, muscular, and inspiring”. Turns out they were on to something. In the Continental GT’s (MSRP $182,800) market segment, 44% (not a misprint) of consumers indicate that the sound of a car is a primary factor in their purchase decision. How weird is that?
The take-away: Don’t assume that the sense of sound can’t or shouldn’t be part of your marketing strategy.
How do you apply this as a window cleaner? I’m not exactly sure. But it sure has me thinking. What if your vehicles had a signature sound? Or your website? What if every click made a squeegee sound? Or what if you sent out recordable audio thank you cards to your clients, instead of plain-Jane non-audio-enabled cards? There are tons of these kinds of cards available now at your local Wal-Mart. Stimulate the sense of sound.
(A quick one about color: Another study cited in Brand Sense showed that women’s heartbeats increased by 22% when they catch a glimpse of Tiffany’s signature robin’s-egg blue box. Who knew that just a fleeting glimpse of robins-egg blue could be so powerful? Maybe you should try that color as the background of your next flier or postcard design!)
When two psychologists studied the impact of odor on behavior, they placed two sets of identical Nike running shoes in two separate, but identical rooms. One room was misted with a floral scent, and the other wasn’t. The participants in the study inspected the shoes and answered a few questions. Did it have any effect? By a shocking margin of 84%, they preferred the shoes displayed in the room with the fragrance. They also estimated the actual retail value of the shoes to be higher than the identical ones in the unscented room.
The staff of a do-it-yourself store in Germany were described as “harder-working” and “more knowledgeable” only during times that a scent was pumped into the store area.
When Rolls Royce started getting complaints about their new models, they figured out that the only difference was the fragrance, so they reverse-engineered and artificially remanufactured it, to recreate the unique aroma of an “original” Rolls. Problem solved.
The take-away: As silly as it sounds, we are susceptible to the influence of scent when making a purchase decision. Have you tried scenting your staff with different aromas when doing estimates in person? How about the estimate sheet itself? Or the reminder postcard? Have you ever tried experimenting with scent as part of your marketing approach? You should. Stimulate the sense of smell.
Bang and Olufsen artificially added small, unnecessary weights to their high-end audio system’s remote control so that it “felt” more expensive. The doors of the lightweight Acura TSX were engineered to “feel” more solid when the door closed.
The take-away: Our sense of touch affects how we feel (pardon the pun) about a product or service. Take your fliers, for instance. Do they feel cheap or expensive? Have you tried printing some on heavyweight paper? Clear plastic? Metal? Any kind of unusual surface? Ceramic mugs? Have you ever tried a “lumpy mailer”, like a book, a little die cast car, or a bag of socks? Stimulate the sense of touch.
The BIG takeaway: Multi-sensory appeal often has nothing to do with the actual function or performance of the product or service involved. But it’s a big deal, and can significantly influence a consumer by building a strong, positive, emotional connection with your window cleaning company.
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