Steelman & Co is a small company and we have to rely on different revenue avenues than larger companies. We don’t have a big marketing budget so we count on referrals and testimonials as a large part of our growth. We also have to focus on the little things to try and separate ourselves from our competitors. When I say little things, I mean punctuality, reliability, and consistency. Here are two stories that illustrates this and shows how we differentiate ourselves from other companies.
I called on a popular hotel in Wildwood this Spring to discuss WiFi services. The owner was willing to talk to me but was less than enthusiastic about what we could provide. He had doubts about any credible WiFi service in Wildwood. On top of that, he had seen contractors in Wildwood for years and didn’t hold many of them in high regard. In his experience, half the time the contractors wouldn’t even show up. This was especially aggravating during the off season when he would trek to South Jersey from his house in Philadelphia, only to have a no-show. He called it Wildwood-itis.
We set the schedule for the site survey and coordinated with the owner to be at his property at 9AM on Tuesday. At 9AM on Tuesday, our guys showed up and saw just how surprised the owner was. “Wait a minute”, he said. “You guys actually showed up when you said you were going to show up”. This is amusing for us since we do what we say we’ll do. We completed the survey and the next day, provided the hotel owner with a proposal for WiFi services. After some back and forth, he was convinced and signed up for us to do the work.
His next surprise came when we showed up to do the work. Again, we were punctual. We completed the work, cleaned up after ourselves, and left the owner with his mouth agape. He wasn’t used to punctuality, clean work, and reliability.
Fast forward a few months and this hotel is now one of our best references. His doubts about quality WiFi in Wildwood have been alleviated. He trusts at least one contractor that he knows now. And lastly, he is signing us up to work on his other property. The little things – being on time, doing good work, communicating about the process – all seem so simple but clearly had a big impact on this specific hotel owner. Take a look at our Testimonials Page and see if you can guess which one this is.
Next, I received a voice mail last Saturday afternoon from a potential customer. This prospect owns and runs a popular bar and grill in The Villas. He had been referred to us by an existing customer that sang our praises. When I called him back, ten minutes after his voice mail, he was impressed. He didn’t expect to get a call back on a Saturday, let alone just a few minutes after his voice mail.
When I showed up 15 minutes early for the agreed upon site survey that we coordinated on that call, he was even more impressed. He must’ve had similar experiences to those of the aforementioned Wildwood hotel owner. A big part of any job, folks, is just showing up, so show up on time or in this case, show up early. It clearly made a good impression.
I ran the survey and the next day, I went in to deliver and discuss the proposal with him. He had called his friend that had originally referred us to double check on our reputation and work history. He trusted his friend, liked that we were prompt, and when I arrived with the proposal, he had a check waiting for me.
So what’s the point here? Everybody has stories about how they won deals and what separates them from their competition. Everybody loves their own employees and thinks they do things better than everyone else. Maybe everybody even has great referral stories like these. The point here is that it works and this is further proof that it works. “It” is the little things. The little things work. Be prompt, be courteous, be knowledgeable. Do what you say you’ll do. Steelman & Company does these things and it’s helping grow our reputation. Check out our testimonial page to see who’s happy with our work. Call those folks for yourself and ask them what they like about us. If you do, you might be the next story on this page or the next testimonial on our site.