Ten simple steps to becoming greener

The following is from my latest article in Contractor Magazine...

It's amazing how many articles fill the trade press about "green" plumbing. Most plumbers are aware of the growing consumer awareness about the environmental impact of the choices they make in lifestyle and purchases. Yet, many are uncertain exactly what being "green" really means.
Green practices can affect the products and services you sell, the way you operate your company, and the way you live your life. Few people, including the leaders of the green movement manage to uphold all three areas (it’s that lifestyle thing that trips up many of eco-leaders).
It's your call whether you can credibly claim to be a green company. Whether you believe you are green or not, you can offer green products and services. You can also begin adopting green practices in the operation of your company. This is smart business.

All else being equal, people usually select greener products when given a choice. Often, people will pay more for green products. Thus, greener offerings are more marketable and can be more profitable. Similarly, green business practices are often efficient business practices.
Without addressing lifestyle, here are 10 ways you can make your company more environmentally responsible at Contractor Magazine.

Busy Week for the Content Development Team

The Service Roundtable machine just keeps churning away. This week we released a handful of new content for our HVAC, plumbing and electrical contractors.

We started off by sending out a copy of our exclusive Marketing Planning Wizard to our electrical members. This custom built program makes it easy for anyone to create a year-long marketing plan that covers strategy, budgeting and implementation. It takes you by the hand and guides you every step of the way. It's a must for anyone struggling to create a sensible, practical marketing strategy.

Plumbing and HVAC were treated to a new Spring Break-themed postcard for promoting maintenance, and everyone got a copy of our new Multi-Purpose Follow-up Email. It impacts your customer in 3 important ways after they've tried your service.

Members of the Service Roundtable are treated to new, unique content every week. To find out more about it, visit us on the web at ServiceRoundtable.com.

"John Ward was broke in 1992, and then he met Frank Blau..."

That's the lead for an article in Contractor Magazine about John Ward. John is the magazine's 2009 Contractor of the Year. I wonder how many contractor stories start like John's... The contractor was broke, and then meets Frank Blau. The rest isn't history. It's profitability.

Read the story.

2010 Spring Consumer Newsletters are Available

One of the biggest benefits of being a member of the Service Roundtable is vast library of marketing content available for download at any time. Of course, we're always adding new content as well.

One of our more popular pieces is our quarterly Consumer Newsletter. Today we released the Spring version for HVAC, Plumbing and Electrical. Each issue features unique articles, recipes, promotions and more. If you're not a member, you're missing out. This marketing tool alone is worth more than the price of your membership! Get it at ServiceRoundtable.com.

The Fight Over 867-5309

Tommy Tutone rose to number four on the charts with “Jenny/867-5309.” It’s a good song. Of course, for people with 867-5309 as their phone number, it’s been an irritant. Many reported daily prank calls for years.

In Rhode Island, Brown University had the number. Brown finally gave it up and Gem Plumbing grabbed it in 2002 for Rhode Island’s 401 area code and Southern Massachusetts’ 617 area code. Check out Gem’s ads featuring the number…

Brothers Video

Training Camp Video

The number’s worked well for Gem. Anthony Gemma, one of four brothers who owns Gem, claims over 20% of the consumers in their market area know their phone number by heart. In 2004, they filed a trademark for the number, which was granted in 2005.

It’s a good story about the power of music in marketing, branding numbers, etc. But then, trouble brewed.

According to Gem’s blog, a national plumbing company learned about Gem’s use of the number in its marketing, during acquisition talks.

Builder Online reports that the competitor began using a toll free version of the number in 2006. The competitor also licensed the Tommy Tutone song from Warner Chapel Music.

Gem sued. And won. A May 23 Associate Press story reported, “Gem won round one in its legal fight over the number when a federal judge in Boston recently barred Clockwork from using the number in Rhode Island and Massachusetts, effective this week.”

The story's making national news. Anthony Gemma’s was even interviewed on NPR. Listen to the interview.