From the CEO – A Message from Richard Hunter, October 2003

You’re a great guy. You do great work. Your customers love you. And, you think, if potential customers only knew that, they’d pick you over everyone else in a heartbeat. And therein lies the problem: how do you get a bunch of total strangers to know what you can do for them, as well as let them know how well you’ve already done things for others?

In a competitive market – and, lets face it, the market is always going to be competitive, it’s just a matter of degree – it is important to advertise. In fact, it can be argued that it is essential to advertise.

But what do you do? And are you on your own?

To answer the second question first, no you are not alone. We at Hunter are here to help.

As to what you should do, there are many things you, as a contractor, can do to get your name visible in your community, to give your company top-of-mind awareness with those that are looking for help with an irrigation system.

To begin with, you should start your self-promotion with the very same means that your customers are using to start their search for a contractor. When most people need a product or service, they turn to the Yellow Pages as their initial source of information.

The Yellow Pages are well established at the nation’s most dependable, most often-turned-to advertising resource. Which is why Hunter has teamed up with a national leader like Ketchum Directory Advertising to offer our Preferred Contractor members listings at half cost. We feel it is far and away the industry’s best Yellow Pages Advertising program.

But that’s just a start. Hunter can help you set up a complete advertising and promotional program to help your business grow. Logo marking kits for your trucks and service vehicles. Job site signs that let passers-by see who’s responsible for that great work. Door hangers and brochures, the ideal leave-behind when canvassing a neighborhood. Presentation kits, demonstration bags and a complete array of product literature. And more.

Of course, there is no better way to obtain new business than through old business. The good words of those for whom you have already done excellent work are the most valuable form of promotion you can have. After all, the praise of others is worth so much more than anything one can say about themselves.

No doubt, many of your satisfied customers would be willing to share their gratification with others simply if you asked them. But, providing your clientele with the opportunity to benefit from a referral incentive (e.g., a free service call when they bring in a new customer who signs a contract with you) can help to make even a small contractor more successful.

At Hunter, we are well aware of the crucial role that contractors have played in the growth of our company. And we also know how important a role we play in the growth of companies like yours. That’s why we have created so many marketing tools for people like you and have made them so readily available.

As we have said before, making you successful is what makes us successful and the more we can do to help you…well, it’s good for both of us.