As the CEO of Arocon Roofing and Construction in Westminster, Md., Chris Toleman knows a thing or two about building and maintaining a solid business reputation. During his session at this year’s Best of Success conference, Toleman, with the help of his colleague, Katie Hyrkas, enlightened the audience on how reputation works, and how to create a positive one for your own business. He began by explaining that reputation is marketing for your business, and this marketing occurs in four stages: attracting customers, converting them, closing the deal and delighting them with your superior service.
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He elaborated on the importance of inbound marketing, or marketing that brings customers in to your business. He also presented an interesting statistic — 72 percent of customers trust online reviews as much as a recommendation from a friend or family member. Utilizing a tree graphic, Toleman then dove into how reputation works within a company. The in-house reputation, or the roots, consists of your employees, subcontractors, vendors and professional networks. All of these aspects reflect on your broadcasted reputation, or the tree itself, which encompasses online reviews, word of mouth, and employee-customer interactions.
Toleman emphasized that roofing is a team sport, and in order to succeed, all parties must work together. He spoke on the importance of implementing different types of long-term incentives for your employees, and creating a solid company culture in the process. Toleman also touched on the three groups responsible for generating reviews: field staff members, in-office staff and reputation platforms like surveys and feedback requests.
