Branding Expert Ed Delia to Speak at HVAC Contractors Regional Meeting

    /24-7PressRelease/ - WHITEHOUSE, NJ, May 12, 2007 - Branding. . . The Profit Accelerator for Your Business to the Air Conditioning Contractors of America Northern New Jersey Chapter at its monthly regional business meeting, Tuesday, May 15, 2007 at the L'affaire Fine Catering Center in Mountainside, NJ. Delia's presentation will include expert advice geared towards service organizations to demonstrate how they can differentiate themselves from the competition and grow their customer base through branding.

"The most challenging aspect of branding in a highly-competitive service business is that, unlike with a tangible consumer product, the deliverable is invisible until the service has been rendered," said Delia. "Therefore, establishing brand leadership at an early stage in the buyer's fact-finding process is the only way for firms to differentiate themselves from those located one town over that offer similar services and have similar credentials."

Delia will present concrete action steps that HVAC service providers can take to accomplish this, including evaluating their customer base, narrowing their target markets, and reaching out to customers with personalized communications. His presentation will also address:

•Why the brand-client connection is so important . . . and so powerful
•Brand = Value . . . for your client and for you
•Branding basics . . . finding your competitive difference
•The profit-brand approach . . . how all roads lead to a close
•Creating delight to maximize relationships
•Using technology to compete . . . taking your brand online
•Word-of-mouth magnification . . . how to influence others to talk about your brand
•How to avoid common branding missteps ... such as ineffective messages

"In the HVAC industry, there is a lot of talk about 'reputation,' but reputation is just brand perception after the work is complete," said Delia. "Service contractors can't just market that they have a 'great reputation' to gain new customers, but rather must demonstrate WHY they are the best solution and HOW they can meet the unique needs of new prospects. Without that knowledge, consumers will fall back on price as a guide, which rarely leads to long-term profits for the service provider."

For more information, please visit: www.delianet.com.

Ed Delia is president of Delia Associates, a brand development, business and technology marketing firm that helps clients identify, create and launch a distinctive brand identity to achieve market leadership and new business growth. Ed is the second-generation owner of the firm that was founded by his father, Michael A. Delia, in 1964. In recent years, Delia Associates has integrated a number of web-based branding tactics to help niche businesses achieve a competitive advantage. Ed is a frequent speaker on the topics of branding and technology-driven marketing, is president of the New Jersey Chapter of the Entrepreneurs' Organization (EO), and, in 2006, was named one of New Jersey's 40 Under 40 by NJBiz and Outstanding Business Person of the Year by the Somerset Business Partnership.

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