On April 1st, the 2011 Diamond Certified Directory began mailing to more than 800,000 homeowners who requested copies, high income households, select local business owners, property and apartment managers, and insurance and real estate agents throughout the Greater Bay Area. Since this massive distribution began, reactions from consumers and businesses have been overwhelmingly positive and resulted in a 29% increase in calls to Diamond Certified companies over the first two weeks of the directory’s release (compared to the same period in 2010)—the most significant gain in the history of the Diamond Certified program.
Most Diamond Certified companies have seen this jump in calls immediately translate to more business transactions. “Since the 2011 directory came out last week, we’ve received at least 10 leads for new installation estimates and
several service appointments,” says Cindy Faulkner, president of Valley Heating, Cooling & Electrical in San Jose. “We’ve been Diamond Certified for six consecutive years, and it has made a big difference in terms of our incoming leads and continued growth. Our customers tell us all the time, ‘We picked you because you’re Diamond Certified, and we got exactly what we expected.’”
Consumers have noted that one of the most beneficial aspects of the directory is having instant access to a wealth of information about each Diamond Certified company’s history, services, customer satisfaction ratings, verbatim survey responses and more. “I received my new directory in the mail the other day and I absolutely love it,” says Marin County resident Christina Kelly. “I keep it right by my phone, so whenever I need a quality auto shop, painter or any other service provider, I know exactly how to find them.”
By: Matt Solis, Senior Editor at American Ratings Corporation, creators of the Diamond Certified Program
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