Marketing ideas for plumbers? Show me what you're thinking of

[Terry]

Marketing ideas for plumbers? Show me what you thinking of.
Here is one look at marketing that I found interesting.

When I did my years ago, I went with my last name and using AutoCad designed a logo.

Here is one from Kelhart

 

[Terry]

This one looks fun.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[bingow]

As a DIYer who was forced to become such, I suggest: "We return calls... really!"

 

[Valveman]

Wish I could thank Terry for starting this thread. I miss him a lot.

As far a marketing, I made all the mistakes, so you could learn from me. Lol! After applying for a patent, we didn't know what to call it. It stops pumps from cycling on and off, so we called it a Cycle Stop Valve. Should have just made up something catchy. Hard to trademark a descriptive name. Unless your in the pump business you don't know what a pump cycle is, so even with a descriptive name, nobody knows what it is. Also not good to have negative words like "stop" in a name or a negative logo like a "stop sign". Color is also important, and the color red I chose is also considered negative. Then I advertised it as a "pump saver", which it is. It makes pumps last much longer. But making pumps last longer is "disruptive' to the pump industry. I didn't even know what a disruptive product was. When I found out I still couldn't believe manufacturers purposely make products to fail in a certain short amount of time. Nobody else believes it either. With enough money spent on adds, everyone believes what the manufacturers want them to believe. We should never believe what the big manufacturers and government spend millions trying to make us believe. Just the opposite is usually the truth.

Pioneering a new product, which means promoting something new that doesn't already exist, is already going uphill, against the wind, while pulling a big load. It is not easy. A few good marketing ideas might have helped me immensely. I suggest getting some ideas from someone who knows these things.

But I will say, even with all the marketing mistakes we made, Cycle Stop Valves have been successful for over 30 years so far. I hope my son and his family can make a good living for another 30+ years with it. What I learned from all my mistakes is that any successful business, invention, or product is 90% perspiration and 10% inspiration. Even if you are terrible at marketing, if you work hard enough you can make anything a success.

 

[John Gayewski]

Wish I could thank Terry for starting this thread. I miss him a lot.

As far a marketing, I made all the mistakes, so you could learn from me. Lol! After applying for a patent, we didn't know what to call it. It stops pumps from cycling on and off, so we called it a Cycle Stop Valve. Should have just made up something catchy. Hard to trademark a descriptive name. Unless your in the pump business you don't know what a pump cycle is, so even with a descriptive name, nobody knows what it is. Also not good to have negative words like "stop" in a name or a negative logo like a "stop sign". Color is also important, and the color red I chose is also considered negative. Then I advertised it as a "pump saver", which it is. It makes pumps last much longer. But making pumps last longer is "disruptive' to the pump industry. I didn't even know what a disruptive product was. When I found out I still couldn't believe manufacturers purposely make products to fail in a certain short amount of time. Nobody else believes it either. With enough money spent on adds, everyone believes what the manufacturers want them to believe. We should never believe what the big manufacturers and government spend millions trying to make us believe. Just the opposite is usually the truth.

Pioneering a new product, which means promoting something new that doesn't already exist, is already going uphill, against the wind, while pulling a big load. It is not easy. A few good marketing ideas might have helped me immensely. I suggest getting some ideas from someone who knows these things.

But I will say, even with all the marketing mistakes we made, Cycle Stop Valves have been successful for over 30 years so far. I hope my son and his family can make a good living for another 30+ years with it. What I learned from all my mistakes is that any successful business, invention, or product is 90% perspiration and 10% inspiration. Even if you are terrible at marketing, if you work hard enough you can make anything a success.

Is your son as helpful and knowledgeable as you are? If so I think he'll be able to make a living from it. For me it took little explaining for the cycle stop valve to make sense, but since then I've been trying to get our company to try one. Hopefully I get a good reason to encourage my boss to try one. Right now he keeps buying huge vfd's for these booster pumps. I haven't found a good opening to show him a csv might be a better option.

 

[Valveman]

I probably shouldn’t say this. But if I was still in the pump business, I would talk every customer into buying a VFD. I studied electrical engineering in school in the late 70’s. I started using VFD’s in the late 80’s, and I know enough about them to make anyone think they are better than ice cold lemonade on a hot summer day. I would only mention a Cycle Stop Valve to my angry customers. Lol! Marketing is about making money. The Cycle Stop Valve is a disruptive product, which means it takes a lot of money out of the pockets of anyone in the pump business.

I will use a simple house well pump as an example. Say you sold someone a new pump with a Cycle Stop Valve and small tank for $2,000.00. With a normal markup you make $1,000.00 profit. Sell that same customer a new pump and a VFD you will get $5,000.00 instead of $2,000.00. Already you have made $2,500.00, which is two and a half times more than if you sold them a Cycle Stop Valve. But it gets even better.

Let’s say the pump and Cycle Stop Valve system last 30 years without any maintenance. With 360 months in 30 years that would be a total of $2.77 a month from this customer.

The same customer with a VFD will need at least one replacement pump and probably 6 replacement VFD’s in the same 30 years. But let’s call it 4 replacement VFD’s to be more than fair. That is going to add at least another $5,000.00 to how much the pump company makes in 30 years. That would be $27.77 a month for 360 months profit from this customer. You would have to sell a Cycle Stop Valve system to 10 people to make the same as selling one customer a VFD. I don’t blame any pump man for pushing VFD’s, as they are trying to make money.

But after that customer has purchased about 3 VFD’s and becomes angry, I would mention this little valve that might solve his problem. Lol! It is really the best of both worlds. The pump man makes as much profit from this customer as he could before he got angry. Then he is able to be the hero and install a simple and inexpensive little CSV that will solve the customers’ problems. The customer is back to being happy and the pump man made a lot more money than if he started with a CSV.

Most of the time the customer has already seen the flashy ads for VFD’s, drank the Kool Aid, thinks it will save energy and is worth the added expense. So, you would have to talk them out of giving you more money and getting what they think they want to talk them into a CSV. Much better to take their money for a VFD and just wait until they figure out for themselves the VFD is not the goose that laid the golden eggs they thought it was.

I would do the same thing. I would sell the customer the $5,000.00 VFD they ask for, and just keep a CSV in the truck for when they became so angry, I was about to lose the customer. I have lots of customers who do this. Some have even told me they don’t care if the customer becomes angry and they lose him to another pump man. By just selling the VFD once, they already made 2-3 times more than if they had a Cycle Stop Customer for 30 years. That is just a small house well size pump system. The profit from larger VFD pump systems increases exponentially. Can’t argue with that.

That is why I advertise on the Internet and help DIYer’s on Forums. It is up to the end user to not get fleeced on a pump system. Marketing is a strange thing. With the right spin and enough advertising money, people will call and ask or even demand a VFD fleecing. Actually they are not getting fleeced as they are getting exactly what they ask for. The VFD does vary the flow and maintain constant pressure and several other good things. A VFD is just a very expensive and problematic way to get constant pressure compared to a simple and inexpensive Cycle Stop Valve.

On the other hand you can't spin or spend enough advertising something counter intuitive like the Cycle Stop Valve to make it become the norm. It just sounds too good to be true. Even though it really is as good as advertised, most people are suspicious. Usually because they have already been sold a bill of goods with the VFD. Lol!

There are enough people who have already had 3 VFD's fail to keep Cycle Stop Valves in business for many years. Did the best I could to teach my son and now my Daughter in Law. They know it is all about customer service because to be such a simple valve, the Cycle Stop Valve has a long and complicated explanation. I am proud of both of them.

 

[sajesak]

Wish I could thank Terry for starting this thread. I miss him a lot.

As far a marketing, I made all the mistakes, so you could learn from me. Lol! After applying for a patent, we didn't know what to call it. It stops pumps from cycling on and off, so we called it a Cycle Stop Valve. Should have just made up something catchy. Hard to trademark a descriptive name. Unless your in the pump business you don't know what a pump cycle is, so even with a descriptive name, nobody knows what it is. Also not good to have negative words like "stop" in a name or a negative logo like a "stop sign". Color is also important, and the color red I chose is also considered negative. Then I advertised it as a "pump saver", which it is. It makes pumps last much longer. But making pumps last longer is "disruptive' to the pump industry. I didn't even know what a disruptive product was. When I found out I still couldn't believe manufacturers purposely make products to fail in a certain short amount of time. Nobody else believes it either. With enough money spent on adds, everyone believes what the manufacturers want them to believe. We should never believe what the big manufacturers and government spend millions trying to make us believe. Just the opposite is usually the truth.

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But I will say, even with all the marketing mistakes we made, Cycle Stop Valves have been successful for over 30 years so far. I hope my son and his family can make a good living for another 30+ years with it. What I learned from all my mistakes is that any successful business, invention, or product is 90% perspiration and 10% inspiration. Even if you are terrible at marketing, if you work hard enough you can make anything a success.

I've just recently started up my own company after a bit of a plumbing career break and am currently undertaking an advertising campaign mainly concentrating on leaflet drops and local advertising. I was just wondering what other fellow plumbers advice would be for making the most of advertising as I'm getting fed up with people ringing my number and offering me the world (yellow pages, qype, thompson). Should I go with a costly directory ad or stick to my guns and advertise locally and via google? Your input would be much appreciated.