Some companies work really hard to ensure they are remembered. The employees in these companies are downright creative in their approach. They manage to form a lasting impression that burns the company name into the customer’s consciousness. They generate such an impact that their customers feel compelled to tell their friends and neighbors all about their experience.

These strategies are no secret. Thousands of companies manage to execute them daily. Over the years, I’ve made a list of some of the most frequently mentioned and/or most memorable methods from consumer focus groups I’ve moderated.

Here are 15 ways to ensure people remember you…

1. Don’t show up on time (after all, they really don’t expect you to).

2. Forget an answering service; just leave the machine on 24 hours a day.

3. Charges lots for overtime, even it’s only 5:30 p.m.

4. Make sure there’s a hefty trip charge and don’t forget to be indignant if they ask about it. Don’t forget to make a parts run and charge for that too.

5. When the consumer asks you a question, say, “It’s technical. You wouldn’t understand.”

6. Never clean up after a job.

7. Make sure you scratch up the kitchen counter with your clipboard.

8. Track as much mud in the house as possible.

9. Tell people they ought to be happy with a system that cools to 85 degrees since most of your customers can’t get it that cool.

10. Buy used trucks and never wash them. Of course, they should leak oil.

11. Make sure you take a break to light up on every call.

12. Never charge a flat rate. Always estimate low so you can surprise them later.

13. If you must give them an invoice, just write, “Fixed Unit -- $300” on it.

14. In the presence of the wife, talk to the husband as though she’s not there. Refer to her as, “the little woman.”

15. Remember zippers are a waste of time. Be efficient. Leave them down.

What’s the matter? You don’t want to be remembered that way? Yeah, I doubt many companies do. Yet, many companies are remembered this way. And sometimes the owner is completely oblivious to field practices.

It’s easy to be well remembered. It’s hard work to be remembered well. Superior service is no accident. Even the best companies and best employees require constant diligence and reinforcement from the top.

Make sure your employees aren’t backsliding into haphazard approaches. Stop by to listen to your call takers and dispatcher every now and then. Spend a half-day on a truck ride with a technician every now and then.

Make sure you are remembered well, not just well remembered.


Source: Comanche Marketing. Reprinted by permission.

Matt Michel is the CEO of the Service Roundtable, which can be found at www.ServiceRoundtable.com. He is also a member of the Contracting Business.com editorial advisors board. Contact him by email at maito:Matt.Michel@ServiceRoundtable.com or toll free at 877/262-3341, or on his mobile at 214/995-8889. You can friend him on Facebook, connect on Linked In, follow him on Twitter (@ComancheMktg), and read his blog at www.ComancheMarketing.com.