Definitely an excellent topic for discussion and opinions, which I could so easily do, but that could take this post off at a tangent, and the thread could be lost.
Totally understand, and I think you're dead right!
Distilling my general feeling into some hopefully more pertinent comments I think if you are going to advertise then my advice (or, rather, preference) would be for advertisements that don't make it sound like you're desperate, even if you are!
Exactly what this means in quantitative terms is hard to say, it's just that it's the more understated ad style that grabs my attention. Perhaps it is attention to details other than simply price that appeals to me e.g. showing that you treat customers, and their requirements, as individuals (no one-size-fits-all assumptions) and highlighting honesty, integrity, professionalism etc as qualities that you can offer. The last thing I want to see is an advert focussing on price alone because I am only too aware that with the apparent race to the bottom in our consumer market the ultimate conclusion is profit margins that cannot be narrowed any further and so something else has got to give instead! If I was in the market for a new boiler I would be seeing the 'product' that I am buying as being far more than a white box hanging on a wall but rather all aspects related to it such as its suitability, quality of installation, pre/post-installation support, etc and it is reflections of these aspects that I would wish to see being included as part of what you are advertising.
I appreciate that such 'soft' aspects like customer service, respect, tidiness(!) etc could potentially be just weasel words in an ad however the very fact that you are stating them at least shows you recognise their value and that, for me, is a very good start! It's those tradesmen that don't even see the importance of those qualities that I want to stay well clear of.
Of course, not everyone is like me (thank God I hear you say!) and many people are taken in by a headline price and will not stop to consider anything else and so how you cater for everyone in one ad I really don't know. That said, I suppose that given a focused advert will appeal to a particular sector of the market you can use this to your advantage by shaping it towards your desired customer profile. I dare say that there may be some correlation between those customers that want to pay the absolute minimum and those that you cannot please no matter what you do and so perhaps trying to compete on price (alone) may not be such a good strategy anyway!
Above all, if I'm going to be forking out a not-insignificant amount of money to someone I want to be able to trust them and if your ad can build at least something resembling a foundation for that trust then you might well be able to convince me towards taking that all important second step of getting in touch.
Just my 2p worth, and probably overpriced at that!
Mathew
P.S. Thinking about what advertising works and what doesn't has reminded me of a chap who recently knocked on my door and handed me a flyer advertising UPVC double glazing etc. He then reeled off his script about being able to install double glazing, conservatories and front doors despite me living in a house built in 2007 and me telling him we've got a conservatory and us both being stood next to a decent quality composite front door. His robotic manner, and apparent refusal to even consider *my* requirements and circumstances, and the fact that they might differ from somebody else's, really didn't win him any points with me. I felt sorry for the guy as he's probably got a family to feed like all of us but with such a poor advertising strategy I fear he's not going to do that well out of it.
