Hello again. Jim DuBois here with WindowWashingWealth.com and in this month’s article I want to share with you the most powerful distinction you can do right now to get you primed for 2021 success. Things for you to work on in this slower time for many businesses.
When I start working with a new window cleaning company or one that’s in trouble, the most powerful thing I do is to get them focused on solutions and setting goals for improving their situation.
Part of what I’m talking about is contained in 4 words:
• Inner Reality
• Outside Perception
A focus on both is critical and they are rarely aligned and become the crux of all marketing problems – including yours and can be wrapped up into one simple statement:
Most companies’ outside perception is not an accurate reflection of their inside reality.
What am I talking about?
The Inside Reality
… has to do with all things your window cleaning business does that makes you valuable to your customers from a service, operations, and management standpoint. This inside reality is about what you do and what you are that allows your business to perform better. It’s what gives you a competitive advantage in the marketplace.
The reason we call it “inside reality” is because the reality of what you do, and the customers’ perceptions of what you do, aren’t necessarily the same. These two words – reality and perception – are vital to winning in business. The inside reality is your skills, your people, your service to the customer, your expertise – before, during, and after the sale – your systems, your operational procedures, your commitment to excellence, your passion, and the way you conduct your business. However you see these things, there is a reality of how valuable you are to the marketplace based on these things. That’s why we call it the inside reality.
What’s your inside reality you ask? Simple, ask your customers why they buy from you. Try it. They will tell you things like, “…And that’s why I do business with you, that’s why I refer my friends, that’s why I’m a loyal customer of yours, that’s why I don’t mind paying more, that’s why I keep coming back.” That’s your inside reality.
Your mission: make your business so good that people say “WOW!”
The Outside Perception
…is how customers and prospects perceive your window cleaning business. The outside perception is developed by all of the interactions people have with your company. Customers will draw on their past buying experiences to form their outside perception.
But even if your customer service is great and your customers love you, none of that means anything to a prospective customer if 1) they don’t know you even exist as an option, or 2) they can’t distinguish your value because of your inability to market yourself properly. They perceive that you are no better or no worse than anybody else. Regardless of how good you are or how good your inside reality is, your prospect does not know that based on your marketing.
You appear on the surface as just another window cleaning company trying to sell window cleaning services. Ask yourself how many competitors you have in your marketplace – 20, 35, 50? Whatever the number is, that’s how many choices your prospects have and how many they have to sift through to make a buying decision. Read that sentence again as if you are the prospect. Whoa!
Whatever the number is, that’s how many choices your prospects have and how many they have to sift through to make a buying decision.
Credit: Medina Nando
So stop and think for a minute. What is the inside reality of your business? What is the outside perception? Although what your customers think of you is important, what your prospects think about you is even much more so. Can they perceive that you are any different by looking at your advertising? What about your website? Chances are they cannot. And I say that without equivocation because I coach a lot of window cleaning companies and the majority do not differentiate.
Your mission: ensure that your outside perception is an accurate reflection of your inner reality and convince your prospects that you are the best or even better, the obvious choice to do business with.
Looking for a window cleaning “only” Business Coach to take your company to the next level? Have a specific question you’re stumped on? Reach out and I will be happy to help you…
WindowWashingWealth.com continues to master the marketing components that every company needs, big or small to rise above your competitors while charging the highest prices in your marketplace. If unsure how to take your business to the next level with marketing, or anything else, don’t hesitate to reach out to me.
Jim DuBois is founder of Squeegee Pros, Inc. out of Mooresville, NC and is the creator of WindowWashingWealth.com. Visit the site for a FREE MARKETING REPORT, and BUSINESS BUILDING MANUAL. Window Washing Wealth is a high-level business coaching program that specializes in aggressive marketing tactics, systems implementation, and growth trajectory execution – all leading to market domination on auto-pilot. We are changing the way window cleaners do business. Email questions you’d like to see answered in this column directly to [email protected] or call 704-451-0409.