This is an actual case. Names have been changed for privacy reasons.
When introducing our services into a new market 3 years ago, our sales staff approached a local business owner, whom we will call “Dan” for this conversation. Dan owned a local roofing, siding, and window company and did fairly well using traditional ways of marketing his business to local homeowners.
When we called Dan, we met immediate resistance. Some would describe it as a violent reaction. Practically insulted by our way of doing business (online) he proudly listed all the ways he successfully marketed over the past 24 years. After listening to his thoughts, we respectfully asked for an in-person meeting to explain things further. Unhappy, he hung up the phone.
The following week, two customers requested roofing bids through our website. We thought Dan might be interested, so we faxed him the job details so he could review the jobs himself. No phone call. Dan chose to ignore the customer’s request and the job was quickly rewarded to higher-priced competitor.
After a few more weeks, a couple customer emails, and three more posted jobs, I (President/Founder of eContractorBids.com) was determined to show Dan that we could help. So on a cold Tuesday morning, I phoned Dan, introduced myself and politely highlighted the top benefits. Two minutes into the conversation he interrupted and proudly said ”I would never do business like that!”. Which quickly was followed by a dial tone. He hung up on me.
Now, being the passionate business owner I am and confident in our services I pushed the envelope after running into a friend of his at church. I asked, “What’s up with Dan? …He won’t give us the time of day and hung up on me”. The friend agreed to casually ask Dan about his concerns and get back to me.
A week later, I got a phone call from Dan. He reluctantly asked to meet. I accepted and met him for lunch to address his concerns and explain the benefits. After listening to Dan’s concerns, the underlining issue was unfamiliarity. He never did any marketing online because he didn’t know how. The idea that customers are trying to connect with him online was completely foreign. After explaining the benefits over a 90 min lunch, I asked him to sign up. He cautiously agreed.
Today, Dan is one of our biggest advocates. He’s convinced more peers to join than any other member and has received more than 30 accepted jobs in two years. He went from “I will never do business like that!!” to “I couldn’t image life without it!” in under a year’s time.
Maybe you’re like Dan? Maybe you share some of his concerns or just have questions about eContractorBids.com. Give me a call. I would be happy to explain the benefits and even the shortcoming of our services. Thank you for listening.
Adam Etrheim
President/Founder
eContractorBids.com
800-489-0401
adam@econtractorbids.com
Tags: Builder, construction, contractors, General Contractor, Internet Marketing, marketing, Membership, Testimonial
