It’s so funny…
This past weekend I was driving through L.A. and exited the freeway on a local off-ramp. As I sat at the light at the end of the off-ramp, eagerly awaiting the light to turn from RED to GREEN, I looked over at this van driving by and started laughing out loud to myself.
It was some guy in an ugly rusted grey van, wearing a “-beater” tee shirt, with a cigarette hanging out of his mouth.
The first thing I saw on the side of his van was “Plumber” painted somewhat chaotically in black spray paint.
At first glance I judged it and thought to myself, “this would be a great example to write about what NOT to do in marketing yourself”.
But, at a second glance, I noticed some other writing below the larger type “Plumbing”. It read:
“I know my van is ugly. I know my uniform is ugly. But, damn! I’m a GREAT plumber who’ll fix ANY plumbing problem you have, GUARANTEED or the work is FREE!”
I thought that was AWESOME.
It’s easy sometimes to judge a book by its cover. But, sometimes, if we look a little harder we find that someone has done something quite clever.
This man has used a copywriting strategy called “damaging admission”, which means basically, “show them you’re human”. Let them know you’re not perfect, but you CAN do the job to meet OR exceed their expectations.
He also removed the risk by guaranteeing his work. This in itself is an outstanding marketing strategy.
In the article below, I share some wisdom from one of my teachers that says “success leaves clues”. You’ve got to keep an eye out for successful marketing strategies that you can adapt and adopt to your business situation. You never know where they will come from.
I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again… “You’ve got to educate your prospects and clients.”
Never assume they know that you’re the one they should be doing business with. NEVER assume that they know why they should be doing business with you.
Keep marketing YOUniquely!
Craig Valine
blog@craigvaline.com
www.CraigValine.com
