Using Fear to Get New Customers

[renegade_cowboy]

I have noticed a big trend towards this lately with carpet cleaners around her and abroad. I know its been around for awhile. Call this 800 number before calling another cleaner, the dateline hidden camera videos, the unscrupulous carpet cleaning warning and many others.

Does anyone do this, if so why?

I am not a fan of the fear tatics, I keep everything i do positive. I want them to choose me because of what i offer and not because i scared the shit out of them. I think anyone with an average IQ can figure out that the whole house guy for $99 may not do the best work and that you do get what you pay for when it comes to carpet cleaning.

I think it presents a black cloud over the industry as a whole and is only self serving.

 

[sweendogg]

Sounds like JP marketing.

 

[Bjorn]

http://www.ecofriendlycarpetcare.com/ha ... arpet.html

 

[Fred Homan]

They must be trained to upsale the hell out of the client or they will not have a job. Bait and switch.....Assholes!!!!

 

[Becker]

10 years ago we had back to back full color yellow page ads.. warning not to call carpet cleaners till listening.

Ads were both right out of JPs book.

Not new, but goes in cycles.

 

[Bjorn]

chem dri also comes to mind

 

[renegade_cowboy]

http://www.ecofriendlycarpetcare.com/harmful-chemicals-hiding-in-your-carpet.html

Great example of fear tactics.


My favorite part on that website is:

"Water is becoming a precious resource and we need to avoid polluting it as much as possible."


The use "low moisture" cleaning.

 

[Dolly Llama]

fear marketers are SCUM BAGS

SLIME BALL , filthy, low life SCHMUCKS

other than that, they're fine... :roll:


..L.T.A.

 

[steve frasier]

get your dust mites pictures from Moe

 

[duckster]

Sounds like JP marketing.

Yep, straight out of his piranha marketing material.

 

[Jim Pemberton]

I have always had a problem with the "fear sellers", but there was a time where it did work. Anyone over 45 probably remembers those old American Express Travelers Check commercials where someone was overseas and got robbed and were treated like they were in BIG trouble because the travelers check's weren't American Express.

You still see a little of that today (some credit card companies) but not as much.

The reason? TODAY'S consumer sees through it and it annoys them.

We are doing business with people who have more fears (real or imagined) than ever. Everything from losing their job to swine and avian flu to the world ending in 2012. The last thing that they want to hear is that choosing a carpet cleaner can be like inviting a vampire over your threshold.

Its 2010 folks, not 1990 or even 2000. Your customer is more stressed than ever already, and one more fear thing is just going to put them in a state of mental shutdown, and will NOT likely make them call.

And most of them are smarter (or at least more formally educated) than us. Most of those type of sales letters and messages are very transparent to those types.

In 2010, use that type of marketing at your own risk.

 

[Desk Jockey]

It's my biggest gripe about the JP stuff.

Their negative scare tactics do more damage to our industry than good. They eroding the trust and confidence it has taken years for us to build.


Or schemes like Ethical cleaners, where they insinuate anyone not listed must be UN-ethical. Of course if you pay Joe & Lisa hundreds then you ethical. :roll:

It's all pretty disgusting!
:x

 

[Jim Martin]

chem dri also comes to mind

Craig Jasper.........

 

[Brian R]

I have noticed a big trend towards this lately with carpet cleaners around her and abroad. I know its been around for awhile. Call this 800 number before calling another cleaner, the dateline hidden camera videos, the unscrupulous carpet cleaning warning and many others.

Does anyone do this, if so why?

I am not a fan of the fear tatics, I keep everything i do positive. I want them to choose me because of what i offer and not because i scared the shit out of them. I think anyone with an average IQ can figure out that the whole house guy for $99 may not do the best work and that you do get what you pay for when it comes to carpet cleaning.

I think it presents a black cloud over the industry as a whole and is only self serving.

I concur


But I will always advise custys of using someone who's prices are too low...I just tell them to be careful and ask a lot of questions.

 

[truckmount girl]

I also don't like that type of marketing, especially the dust mite pictures and mold fear ads for bonnet/op cleaners.

Take care,
Lisa

 

[Jim Pemberton]

Since most dust mite problems are in mattresses, I always thought they should do some photo shopping, put a negligee on the dust mite and have the ad ask "Who have YOU been sleeping with?"

And, since its their feces and not them, also have the negligee clad dust mite dropping a ......

Never mind :shock:

People have far too many other fears (real or imagined) to worry about carpet cleaners as much as they used to do.

 

[Cameron1]

You(s) do not understand the bigger picture or you(s) would know that it's to prevent more clients from getting burnt. The Industry all ready has a bad rap......were just trying to clean it up.

So, I guess we are on the same team. Cool .

 

[Jim Pemberton]

Steve

I'm no "Joe Polish Basher", and though some of his clients do go beyond the pale with the scare tactic issue, they are not the only ones that do it.

My position is simply that while "education marketing" is very beneficial, and likely the best method of marketing for the foreseeable future, we all have to be careful of what we say to our customers whether it be in print, on the internet, or in person.

Some ads that I've seen go beyond "how to pick a good carpet cleaner" and go to the point of inferring that "everyone in town is a crook except for me!" I guess that can be a fine line, but one that has to be looked at. Ads that infer that "all carpet cleaners poison your children but me" are just as bad.

A trend that I see among consumers that are fed fear is that they won't go to the cleaner that provides "minimum shaft expectation", but will be frozen from choosing any carpet cleaner at all.

I'm sure many who saw the dramatizations of people being ripped off in Europe or the Caribbean didn't buy the American Express Travelers Checks, they just didn't go to those places on vacation.

So whether we're "piranhas" or "phenomenal cleaners" or "SFS Alumni" or "MB favorites", we need to think about how today's consumer responds to our marketing, not the 1990's consumer.

They are profoundly different people.

 

[Desk Jockey]

Steve I appreciate that YOU are a good guy, and maybe JP is too, but that 's totally the wrong approach.

Why knock the competition, why not educate without bashing the other cleaners.

Finger pointing, saying that they are the bad guys is just going to confuse the consumer.

Ethical cleaners website? :shock:
Come on, it might help the consumers, but it's a true scam on the cleaners.
Who is evaluates whether you make the grade? or Isn't it just a money thing?

 

[Brian R]

F.E.A.R.

False Evidence Appearing Real

 

[Dolly Llama]

You(s) do not understand the bigger picture or you(s) would know that it's to prevent more clients from getting burnt.

oh, puh-leeese.... :roll:


..L.T.A.

 

[Greg Cole]

Great post! Most ma & pa's have been trained to make themselves look good by putting down the other guy. It's kind of like the new pretty girl in school trying to make fun of the other pretty girls- It makes them all look ugly.