Granite Countertops Marketing Strategy

The Walmart model and the adoption of the Box store to home improvement have shaken up the industry. The good thing is they can't beat you if your know what you are doing.
The market for countertops has changed and it has changed very fast due primarily to the reduction in available work. With the sharp decline in new construction, the availability of diverse and green products as well as an influx of fabricators itÔÇÖs not good enough that your fathers father started your business and you do really good work. People on all level of the income scale are pinching pennies and ensuring that the dollar goes just a little bit further.
Granite is still and will remain as the top product selected for countertops due to the qualities inherent in the product and the unique sense of individualism that comes with it. Our fight is not really with the other products in the space.  It is with each other and people moving into our territory and creates these price wars.
In this article I will talk about how we can compete and how we will maintain a level of business that you control. That you can build your granite business or any business on.
Referrals Vs Advertising ÔÇô Hands Down referrals are better than adverting customers. This day in age with online reviews and social media the opinion of one no longer really has that much power. A good referral is only going to take you so far. I find that people are referring less and less. Even myself I told a neighbor that I had a certain heating company over and they look professional but within 7 days my furnace was out- again. From that experience and that I referred them I tend to think twice before I recommend a company to others.
Perceived Value ÔÇô This is a very important aspect of marketing your business. You want to create the greatest perceived value of the products and services that you offer. What this means is that you want to target the customers that you want with your offers.┬á The strategy that I like the best is to offer more colors, more edges, and more sinks for slightly more than the other guys that
Pricing strategy ÔÇô We have many examples of ways to work the pricing strategy into your local market place. ItÔÇÖs all about creating perceived value through your quality service and value. You may see some competitor ads as these crazy low prices and wonder ÔÇ£how can they possibly be that cheapÔÇØ ÔÇô its about creating and managing expectations. What is included in the price will be
 
Some example pricing strategies

Installation Goals - coming soon
Growth - coming soon
The Internet Customer - coming soon
Why are we specializing in granite countertops? We fell into this niche after working with one client that had a business model and a goal and knew what he needed to do to get there. This was very rare so I took the opportunity to listen and execute on these customers goals. During this process I was able to fall back on my background as marketing director for a Special finance lead generation company where I managed a $250k / Month marketing budget where my job was to buy at $7 and sell at $25. This is a very simple directive but taught me a lot about how to grow a business and how to provide a lead generation service.
So I took my back ground and put it to work for this small town granite fabricator that just opened his doors in the middle of a recession. We had a small advertising budget to work with and I knew that this budget needed to produce results and fast.
I review the completion as did the owner and I knew that the website had legs because well I created it so it was just a matter of putting people on the site to see if we could put people in the store.
The big differentiator for the website was that all your answers were right on the first page. The offers / specials as well as the colors and links to the gallery were everywhere. The key to the success was to have a quality presence on the web with clear detail of the deals that were available and the customers should show up.
Well, they sure did! That next weekend was standing room only. I knew this was happening because I was watching the analytics and everything looked good. I knew that the phone was ringing because we implemented call tracking so it was just a matter of time.
I was really very fortunate that I was hooked up with the right guy with the right attitude and the right infrastructure and the right frame of mind.
All the pieces fell into place and he went from 2 kitchens per week to 6 in just 30 days.
Then we found the breaking point
System began to break down, Communication issues internally and to the customers began to deteriorate. We started to see inefficiencies in the process and the staffing. Based n this some adjustments were made to the way the business was being run and to the staffing as well as a few other processes and bam back in business.
Over the next 2 years that we were conducting this pilot program we studied this business very closly. We learned many facets of the business that controlled or hindered growth. The business based on infrastructure changes and ownership changes continues to do 60-70 countertop installed per month doing close to 2 million in sales in this economy.
This is all done with the proper use of perceived value.
FireUps┬« is the granite and natural stone installerÔÇÖs source for instant exposure to local and national markets with strategically Targeted Online Marketing Campaigns and proven Web exposure. FireUps┬« provides local online marketing services for the small to medium sized granite surface installers with a focus on the proven results that will increase your bottom line. Our teams expertise in direct to consumer marketing is second to none, and we want to share how we can help ensure your business is found by the pro-active customer who is searching for counter tops made from granite, stone, marble or other stone surfaces. Just the niche product or services you provide!
FireUps® will put your counter top product, installation service and surface remodeling company on the virtual map and generate a buzz that you could never have imagined. We focus on maximizing your return on investment through a clear understanding of your business objectives and by translating your value proposition to your customers! If you want to do more granite counter top installations tomorrow, partner with FireUps® TODAY! 603 617 3877