by Sonnhalter | Dec 5, 2017 | Tradespeople Insights, Uncategorized
By Chris Ilcin, Account Superintendent, Sonnhalter
The mainstream media continues to wake up to the skills gap in the trades, as this recent report from CBS Sunday Morning proves. The report was spurred by the lack of skilled tradespeople specifically surrounding hurricane clean up, however it continued to shed light on the issue. A large part of increased recognition is the result of two people featured in the piece: Norm Abram of This Old House and Mike Rowe of Dirty Jobs.
Both, as individuals and as part of their shows, these two have been “fighting the good fight” on the skills gap. Fighting against media bias, educational neglect and pop culture stereotypes of the trades.
Make sure to check out the last part of the video though, as the progress Lehigh Career & Technical Institute has made acts as an inspiring end to the continuing story.
Want to get involved? Keep reading.
by Sonnhalter | Oct 4, 2017 | Tradespeople Insights
By Rachel Kerstetter, PR Architect, Sonnhalter
It’s that time of year again… the 2017 calendar is looking thin and we’ve turned our attention to next year. If you haven’t already started planning your marketing communications for 2018, now is the time.
To have a successful year, it’s important to do more than just set goals. You don’t just jump in the car to go to a new location for the first time, you look at how to get there, how long the trip will take or at least put the destination into your GPS. That’s planning.
Planning is crucial no matter the size of the organization or depth of the project. Whether you’re initiating a rebranding campaign or creating a 30-second video, you have to plan.
To map out your journey, you need to determine: (more…)
by Sonnhalter | Sep 27, 2017 | Tradespeople Insights
By Rachel Kerstetter, PR Architect, Sonnhalter
Last year, I wrote a blog about Generation Z being the true digital native generation and urged organizations to look ahead. Perhaps you heeded that urging and have been looking forward, perhaps you’re still trying to figure out the whole Millennial thing. By this point in time, the oldest Millennials are approaching 40. We’ve been working for/with you, buying from you or avoiding you for years now. Most of the business world seems to have made the jump into adapting to Millennial behaviors… even if some were pushed.
It’s time to move on. There’s a whole generation approaching adulthood – Generation Z. Generation Z is the next group that needs to be reached, specifically for attracting them to the trades. They will be your next audience, so it’s a good idea to start considering them in your communication efforts. You might be more prepared to handle GenZ than you think you are… (more…)
by Sonnhalter | Sep 26, 2017 | Tradespeople Insights, Uncategorized
Today we have a guest post from Russ Hill, Founder of Ultimate Lead Systems.
There is something “fishy” going on with my email and I’ll bet you are having the same problem. It’s call “phishing” and every day is phishing season. It spells BIG trouble for email marketers.
I receive nearly a hundred emails each day. Hundreds of other emails get flagged as “spam” going into my “Junk” mail folder. More and more I receive official looking emails (with corporate logos) claiming to be from Facebook, LinkedIn, the USPS, UPS, FedEx, my bank and even the IRS. The problem is they are all fakes and attempts to game access to my computer or obtain personal information from me and from you. (more…)
by Sonnhalter | Sep 7, 2017 | Marketing Tips, Tradespeople Insights
By Chris Ilcin, Account Superintendent, Sonnhalter
Last weekend was my high school reunion. Lots of fun and a great time (we even used it as an excuse to raise money for a local charity). And then I read this excellent article on what consumers want from email marketing.
And it occurred to me that the two are pretty similar. Here’s how:
Don’t Overdo It
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by Sonnhalter | Aug 29, 2017 | Tradespeople Insights
By John Sonnhalter, Rainmaker Journeyman, Sonnhalter
For some reason there’s always been a disconnect between sales and marketing, and for the life of me I can’t understand why they can’t play nice. After all isn’t the objective of both is to increase sales?
I recently read an article in Duct Tape Marketing, Counseling the Marriage Between Marketing and Sales to Generate Revenue that got me thinking of why they should work together towards the same goal.
Most of the journey your contractors take is already over by the time they speak with a salesperson. That’s a tremendous opportunity for marketing to influence the sales process and dovetail together in creating a seamless experience.
Here’s an interesting statistic: 57% of the buyer’s journey is completed before the buyer talks to sales, according to Gartner. Prospects know more about you than you know about them.
Mutual Expectations
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