• Sign In
  • Create Account
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
  • NEWS
  • PRODUCTS
  • CONTRACTORS
  • ENGINEERS
  • RADIANT & HYDRONICS
  • INSIGHTS
  • MEDIA
  • RESOURCES
  • EMAGAZINE
  • SIGN UP!
cart
facebook instagram twitter linkedin youtube
  • CONTRACTORS
  • BATH & KITCHEN PRO
  • BUSINESS MANAGEMENT
  • HIGH EFFICIENCY HOMES
  • TECHNOLOGY
  • WATER TREATMENT
  • PMC COLUMNS
  • PMC COLUMNS
  • Dave Yates: Contractor’s Corner
  • John Siegenthaler: Hydronics Workshop
  • Kenny Chapman: The Blue Collar Coach
  • Matt Michel: Service Plumbing Pros
  • Scott Secor: Heating Perceptions
  • ENGINEERS
  • CONTINUING EDUCATION
  • DECARBONIZATION | ELECTRIFICATION
  • FIRE PROTECTION
  • GEOTHERMAL | SOLAR THERMAL
  • PIPING | PLUMBING | PVF
  • PME COLUMNS
  • PME COLUMNS
  • Christoph Lohr: Strategic Plumbing Insights
  • David Dexter: Plumbing Talking Points
  • James Dipping: Engineer Viewpoints
  • John Seigenthaler: Renewable Heating Design
  • Lowell Manalo: Plumbing Essentials
  • Misty Guard: Guard on Compliance
  • RADIANT & HYDRONICS
  • RADIANT COMFORT REPORT
  • THE GLITCH & THE FIX
  • INSIGHTS
  • CODES
  • GREEN PLUMBING & MECHANICAL
  • PROJECT PROFILES
  • COLUMNS
  • SPONSOR INSIGHTS
  • COLUMNS
  • Codes Corner
  • Natalie Forster: Editorial Opinion
  • Guest Editorial
  • MEDIA
  • PODCASTS
  • VIDEOS
  • WEBINARS
  • RESOURCES
  • INDUSTRY CALENDAR
  • DIRECTORIES
  • EBOOKS
  • PM BOOKSTORE
  • CE CENTER
  • MARKET RESEARCH
  • CLASSIFIEDS
  • EMAGAZINE
  • EMAGAZINE
  • ARCHIVE ISSUES
  • CONTACT
  • ADVERTISE
  • PME EMAGAZINE ARCHIVES
search
cart
facebook instagram twitter linkedin youtube
  • Sign In
  • Create Account
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
  • NEWS
  • PRODUCTS
  • CONTRACTORS
    • BATH & KITCHEN PRO
    • BUSINESS MANAGEMENT
    • HIGH EFFICIENCY HOMES
    • TECHNOLOGY
    • WATER TREATMENT
    • PMC COLUMNS
      • Dave Yates: Contractor’s Corner
      • John Siegenthaler: Hydronics Workshop
      • Kenny Chapman: The Blue Collar Coach
      • Matt Michel: Service Plumbing Pros
      • Scott Secor: Heating Perceptions
  • ENGINEERS
    • CONTINUING EDUCATION
    • DECARBONIZATION | ELECTRIFICATION
    • FIRE PROTECTION
    • GEOTHERMAL | SOLAR THERMAL
    • PIPING | PLUMBING | PVF
    • PME COLUMNS
      • Christoph Lohr: Strategic Plumbing Insights
      • David Dexter: Plumbing Talking Points
      • James Dipping: Engineer Viewpoints
      • John Seigenthaler: Renewable Heating Design
      • Lowell Manalo: Plumbing Essentials
      • Misty Guard: Guard on Compliance
  • RADIANT & HYDRONICS
    • RADIANT COMFORT REPORT
    • THE GLITCH & THE FIX
  • INSIGHTS
    • CODES
    • GREEN PLUMBING & MECHANICAL
    • PROJECT PROFILES
    • COLUMNS
      • Codes Corner
      • Natalie Forster: Editorial Opinion
      • Guest Editorial
    • SPONSOR INSIGHTS
  • MEDIA
    • PODCASTS
    • VIDEOS
    • WEBINARS
  • RESOURCES
    • INDUSTRY CALENDAR
    • DIRECTORIES
    • EBOOKS
    • PM BOOKSTORE
    • CE CENTER
    • MARKET RESEARCH
    • CLASSIFIEDS
  • EMAGAZINE
    • EMAGAZINE
    • ARCHIVE ISSUES
    • CONTACT
    • ADVERTISE
    • PME EMAGAZINE ARCHIVES
  • SIGN UP!
Columns

Branding You

By Ellen Rohr
June 16, 2000
Brand yourself, and your customers will stick to you like ABS glue.

Stand on a busy street corner. Ask a passerby, "What name comes to mind when I say 'hamburgers'?"

He'll say, "McDonald's."

Ask him, "What name comes to mind when I say 'soft drink?'"

He'll say, "Coca-Cola."

"How about 'doughnuts?'"

"Dunkin' Donuts."

"Plumbing and heating?"

" É ?"

You see, in the PHC world, that top-of-mind market position is still up for grabs. Roto Rooter has done a good job creating a brand name for drain cleaning, but there is no one at the top of the name-brand hill in the Plumbing-Heating-Cooling world.

Right now, the consolidators and large service providers - Service Experts, GroupMac, Sears, Home Depot - are making plans to get to the top of the hill. They understand the power of brand naming. McDonald's, Coca-Cola and Dunkin' Donuts sell a lot of product. Do they make the best burgers, sodas and doughnuts? No way. But they are consistent. Consumers know what to expect, so they buy. It might not be the best product, but it is better than the unknown product.

To become the national brand, the big companies will have to clone their services from shop to shop in every major city across the country. No small task, but it is possible. Picture McDonald's with wrenches and voltmeters. And when somebody pulls that off, they are going to sell a lot of water heaters and capture a bunch of customers.

Does that make you nervous? Do you see the demise of the small shop operator in the shadow of a nationally recognized plumbing uber-power? Fear not! Because you have the one thing that the national company doesn't have - you.

Maybe you aspire to selling your small company to a big company. Cool. But, if you would like to maintain your independence a while longer, play your trump card. Brand yourself.

What is it that makes you unique, and how can you market that to your customers?

If You Love It, Do It

Start by identifying what it is about your business that you absolutely love to do. Does radiant heat make you hot? Are you a wizard at urinals? Can you fix anything? Are you the absolute best at making customers feel comfortable and cared for? If you love it, you are probably very good at it. Make this your niche business. The big companies will be generalists - you can be the specialist. They will be very good at handling 80 percent of their customer's problems - you can be the master of the 20 percent they neglect.

If They Do It, Don't Do It

Now, look at how a national brand is marketed. It will communicate its consistency, efficiency and, perhaps, low prices. Don't even think about going head-to-head with them on these issues. You can't beat them there. Do the opposite. Communicate to your customers how you are different from them.

Recently, I read an article about a computer consulting company. The company slogan was "business at the speed of molasses." They positioned themselves squarely opposite Bill Gates and Microsoft's "business at the speed of thought." The CEO pointed out that if you move too fast you might go speeding over a cliff. Better to slow down and think things through. Customer's who are uncomfortable with today's lightspeed pace might choose the "molasses" brand.

Here are a few more ideas to differentiate yourself, and establish your brand.

  • Be exclusive. Deer Valley Ski Area in Park City, Utah, strictly limits the number of skiers allowed on the mountain every day. It sells a pre-set number of tickets, and then cuts it off. Skiers pay a hefty premium for the exclusive use of the slopes. They love racing down the lightly populated ski trails!

    Tell your customers you only work with a select few homeowners, that way you can promise unbeatable service. It is amazing how limiting supply increases demand. When you start saying, "I'm sorry, we are only taking new clients on a referral basis now," customers are going to sign up on a waiting list.

  • Get personal. When you work for a limited number of customers - and as a small shop operator, you can only handle so many anyway - you can treat them very well. Learn their names, nicknames and kids' names. Remember to ask about their recent trip to Italy. Buy Girl Scouts cookies from their kids.

    Keep meticulous records on their equipment and service history. If you have a software system that can handle this kind of data, great. If not, use a notebook and write down pertinent information about each customer. Treat them respectfully. Look them in the eye. Seal each deal with a handshake. Let them sleep on it if they don't want to buy today. Love them like family. Your personal touch will keep them calling you, even when a national brand catches on.

  • Be a personality. You are unique and wonderful. Let your customers see you and get to know you. If you want to brand yourself, then you must be yourself for the entire world to see. Put your picture in your ads. Offer to work on local charity and community projects. Wear your company jacket wherever you go. Assure each customer that you are the buck-stops-here guy. Promise that you will personally handle and resolve any problem. If you are a small shop operator, you would do this anyway. Let them know.

  • Tell stories. You've been working in this industry how long? You have rare and useful knowledge. Educate folks about the skill and art of plumbing and heating. Remind them of plumbing's contribution to their health and safety. Remember the disaster in Chernobyl? A nuclear reactor melted down, threatening a global catastrophe. It caused incredible amounts of contamination and damage, but it could have been much worse. You know who saved the day? The plumbers. The plumbers figured out how to get water to the reactor to cool it down. They diverted the contaminated run-off from over-running the town. As you work, share the oral history of the trades. People will hire you for the entertainment value alone!

  • Be discreet. A few years back, Hot Rod and I attended a swanky charity function in Park City, Utah, where we had our plumbing and heating company. It was a very high society affair. Local politicians, celebrities and prominent business people had assembled to raise money for a worthy cause. As Hot Rod scanned the room, he commented quietly to me, "I have been in the basement of the home of every person here."

    Hmmm. I bet there are things in those basements that those folks would not want everyone in the world to know about. But Hot Rod is a man of well-selected words. He never gossips. He is trustworthy. These are very attractive traits to high-visibility customers.

    Develop a trusting and respectful relationship with your clients and they will never dump you for a lower priced service. Say only nice things about people. Never discuss one customer's plumbing with another customer. Never talk to the National Enquirer about your famous clients. Discretion is a highly sought after commodity.

  • Be sane. The word sane means, "mentally sound and healthy; sensible; rational." Don't laugh. You can differentiate yourself from most of the world by being a sane and reasonable person. Would you agree that life is chaotic? War, disaster, violence. Even simple things, like renewing your driver's license, can feel like a page from a Kafka novel.

    What if you brought order and sensibility to each business transaction? Doing business with you would be a breath of fresh air! A big company offers Bermuda triangle voice messaging and urban legend follow-through. But you could create and maintain neat and simple systems for handling customers' plumbing problems. You could use reason in the moment of decision. You could provide the sanest moment in your customer's day. That would be something special.

    In a recent issue of Fast Company magazine, I read an article by business guru Tom Peters. He discussed the concept of branding yourself as an employee to expand career options and move up the ladder. His words work well for owners, too, as you consider branding yourself in the PHC world.

    Tom says, "No matter what you are doing today, there are four things you've got to measure yourself against. First, you've got to be a great teammate and a supportive colleague. Second, you've got to be an exceptional expert at something that has real value. Third, you've got to be a broad-gauged visionary - a leader, a teacher, a farsighted 'imagineer.' Fourth, you've got to be a businessperson - you've got to be obsessed with pragmatic outcomes.

    "It's this simple: You are a brand. You are in charge of your brand. There is no single path to success. And there is no one right way to create the brand called You. Except this: Start today. Or else."

    The big companies have nothing on you.

    Return to that busy street corner. Ask a passerby, "What name comes to mind when I say 'plumbing and heating?'"

    He'll say, "Yours."

  • Share This Story

    Looking for a reprint of this article?
    From high-res PDFs to custom plaques, order your copy today!

    Ellen Rohr is the president of Bare Bones Biz, a training and consulting company.

    Recommended Content

    JOIN TODAY
    to unlock your recommendations.

    Already have an account? Sign In

    • Worker using the Milwaukee Tool SWITCH PACK drain cleaner

      Pipeline profits: Drain cleaning, pipe inspection create opportunities

      Drain cleaning and inspection services offer lucrative...
      Plumbing News
      By: Nicole Krawcke
    • Uponor employee, Arturo Moreno

      The reinvestment in American manufacturing and training

      Plumbing & Mechanical Chief Editor Nicole Krawcke and...
      Plumbing News
      By: Nicole Krawcke and Natalie Forster
    • March 2024 Women in Plumbing hero image of woman engineer overlayed by circle of hexagon shapes with numbers from 1 to 10

      Celebrating 10 Influential Women in the Plumbing Industry

      Celebrating Women's History Month and Women in...
      Plumbing News
      By: Nicole Krawcke
    Subscribe For Free!
    • eNewsletters
    • Online Registration
    • Subscription Customer Service
    • eMagazine
    • Manage My Preferences

    Bell & Gossett Illustrates Path to Net-zero at AHR Expo

    Bell & Gossett Illustrates Path to Net-zero at AHR Expo

    IPEX celebrates grand opening of new Florida distribution center

    IPEX celebrates grand opening of new Florida distribution center

    NIBCO Press Solutions

    NIBCO Press Solutions

    AI can boost efficiency and profitability for plumbing, HVAC contractors

    AI can boost efficiency and profitability for plumbing, HVAC contractors

    More Videos

    Sponsored Content

    Sponsored Content is a special paid section where industry companies provide high quality, objective, non-commercial content around topics of interest to the Plumbing & Mechanical audience. All Sponsored Content is supplied by the advertising company and any opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and not necessarily reflect the views of Plumbing & Mechanical or its parent company, BNP Media. Interested in participating in our Sponsored Content section? Contact your local rep!

    close
    • J.J. Keller CMV vehicles on road
      Sponsored byJ. J. Keller & Associates, Inc.

      The dash cam game-changer for small business safety

    Popular Stories

    The interior of a government building.

    President Trump signs executive order promoting skilled trades and apprenticeships

    Figure 1 is a sketch of the flow problems of the current plumbing system.

    Hydronic heating glitch solved: Why adding a circulator won't fix primary loop flow issue

    Underfloor heating installation with drain sewer hole in bathroom close up on water floor heating.

    Using hydronics to leverage time-of-use electrical rates

    PM BEMIS June 25 Free Webinar: Optimizing Plumbing Solutions for Single-Family, Multi-Family & Public Spaces

    Events

    November 13, 2024

    Future Proofing MEP: Navigating the 2026 High Efficiency Water Heating Standards

    Join our deep dive into DOE’s new standards so you can future-proof your MEP practice.

    EARN: 0.1 ASPE CEU; 1 AIA LU/HSW; 0.1 IACET CEU*; 1 PDH

    View All Submit An Event

    Poll

    Will business be up or down in 2025?

    Do you anticipate business in 2025 to be up or down in comparison to 2024?
    View Results Poll Archive

    Products

    The Water Came To A Stop

    The Water Came To A Stop

    See More Products

    Download the FREE Water Conservation, Quality & Safety eBook: Plumbing Trends Increasing Safe Water Availability

    Related Articles

    • Training 101: Meaningful Meetings

      See More
    ×

    Keep your content unclogged with our newsletters!

    Stay in the know on the latest plumbing & piping industry trends.

    JOIN TODAY!
    • RESOURCES
      • Advertise
      • Contact Us
      • Directories
      • Store
      • Want More
      • Supply House Times
    • SIGN UP TODAY
      • Create Account
      • eMagazine
      • eNewsletter
      • Customer Service
      • Manage Preferences
    • SERVICES
      • Marketing Services
      • Reprints
      • Market Research
      • List Rental
      • Survey/Respondent Access
    • STAY CONNECTED
      • LinkedIn
      • Facebook
      • Instagram
      • YouTube
      • X (Twitter)
    • PRIVACY
      • PRIVACY POLICY
      • TERMS & CONDITIONS
      • DO NOT SELL MY PERSONAL INFORMATION
      • PRIVACY REQUEST
      • ACCESSIBILITY

    Copyright ©2025. All Rights Reserved BNP Media.

    Design, CMS, Hosting & Web Development :: ePublishing

    search
    cart
    facebook instagram twitter linkedin youtube
    • Sign In
    • Create Account
    • Sign Out
    • My Account
    • NEWS
    • PRODUCTS
    • CONTRACTORS
      • BATH & KITCHEN PRO
      • BUSINESS MANAGEMENT
      • HIGH EFFICIENCY HOMES
      • TECHNOLOGY
      • WATER TREATMENT
      • PMC COLUMNS
        • Dave Yates: Contractor’s Corner
        • John Siegenthaler: Hydronics Workshop
        • Kenny Chapman: The Blue Collar Coach
        • Matt Michel: Service Plumbing Pros
        • Scott Secor: Heating Perceptions
    • ENGINEERS
      • CONTINUING EDUCATION
      • DECARBONIZATION | ELECTRIFICATION
      • FIRE PROTECTION
      • GEOTHERMAL | SOLAR THERMAL
      • PIPING | PLUMBING | PVF
      • PME COLUMNS
        • Christoph Lohr: Strategic Plumbing Insights
        • David Dexter: Plumbing Talking Points
        • James Dipping: Engineer Viewpoints
        • John Seigenthaler: Renewable Heating Design
        • Lowell Manalo: Plumbing Essentials
        • Misty Guard: Guard on Compliance
    • RADIANT & HYDRONICS
      • RADIANT COMFORT REPORT
      • THE GLITCH & THE FIX
    • INSIGHTS
      • CODES
      • GREEN PLUMBING & MECHANICAL
      • PROJECT PROFILES
      • COLUMNS
        • Codes Corner
        • Natalie Forster: Editorial Opinion
        • Guest Editorial
      • SPONSOR INSIGHTS
    • MEDIA
      • PODCASTS
      • VIDEOS
      • WEBINARS
    • RESOURCES
      • INDUSTRY CALENDAR
      • DIRECTORIES
      • EBOOKS
      • PM BOOKSTORE
      • CE CENTER
      • MARKET RESEARCH
      • CLASSIFIEDS
    • EMAGAZINE
      • EMAGAZINE
      • ARCHIVE ISSUES
      • CONTACT
      • ADVERTISE
      • PME EMAGAZINE ARCHIVES
    • SIGN UP!