i have been self-employed for a few years but mostly work with a contractor full-time and do side jobs every now and then. What is a good way of getting bigger and better jobs than hanging storm doors or is that a start and also how would i get more work. I realize word of mouth is good but if you have only worked for a few people than obviously this will only generate so much.
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it works for me
this is a marketing job
Look in the library or on the net about advertising. Small Business Big Profits will cost you $ 50 plus S/H. (write me at [email protected])
Try giving out business cards at lumberyards, homecenters (HomeDepot or similar)
businesses that are targeting your skills.
You are right about word of mouth. It is the best in terms of leads and certainly the cheapest but you need to have worked for enough people to generate enough leads. Also if you have done some minor plumbing job for someone they tend to not remember that you are primarily a carpenter or if you hung a storm door that you can build a deck.
So advertising when you first get going is important I think. You can still advertise but do so inexpensively. Check all sources. Newspaper classifieds and a regular ads they offer. Check those free papers. Check with you local cable network, in my area I can get a 30 second ad that shows a few still shots and some verbage 180 times a week for $35 a week. Check the cost of printing door hangers.
Once you have the costs down then you can give one or two a try based on what you can afford. I only try something for 90 days and if I get little or no results I try something else. Advertising for a small business is tricky in the sense not all things work in all areas. Classifieds don't work real well in my area but a regular ad gets me 5-8 calls a week. That costs me $550 a month but I sell a 10k a month from that so it has worked out. Good luck! DanT
When I first started the business, i found one type of advertising to be head and shoulders above all the others in terms of a cost-return ratio: Advertising in Home Owner's Association monthly (sometimes bi-monthly) publication. For about $20.00 per month it will get your phone ringing off the hook. The bigger the association the better.
--Andy
PS Don't waste your time on the phone book. Most folks who call from it are just price shopping, and it is expensive to get an ad.
" Advertising in Home Owner's Association monthly (sometimes bi-monthly) publication. For about $20.00 per month it will get your phone ringing "
This sounds like a great idea-but how do you find these Home Owner's Associations?
This is something I would like to do. I have always relied on word on mouth but recently read Mark-up and Profit by Michael Stone and he highly recommends an aggresive advertising campaign to bring in leads for profitable work in your niche-I'm still chewing on it but the home owners association seems perfect.
I might ad that Guerilla Marketing is an excellent book for ideas. A contractor once told me-"You don't have to be the best. You just have to be the best at marketing"
May not agree with him but I'll give him the point...
Other suggestions I've gleamed from several books over the years...use most of them...
always have a clean business card on you and hand them out all the time-Michael Stone. I might add that a business card is probably your best advertising (works well with word of mouth) and it pays to have a card that truly reflects "who you are".Always leave several with a customer and always leave a customer happy.
Have a 30 second commercial about yourself ready for a quick sell to a potential customer.
And this one I took to heart and created a new career for myself-teach at a community college- a great way to meet potential customers. I started this 13 years ago on advice I read and discovered that teaching is something I really enjoy-I've also got several jobs from the classes and people that know me at the college. And I'm now interested in teaching full-time.
Be really passonate about what you do and your business-chat folks up every where you go about what you do and what you would be happy to for them.
Your customers are also a great source of referalls that you could mine-perhaps you could mail to them a classy postcard thanking them for using your services and that describes your new services. You could offer $50.00 for a referall that leads to a job or a dinner at a local restaurant you work for or want to work for...Might be something they put on there frig and a friend sees it...
You know your area...your imagination is a powerful tool...who do you know that could be a resource in your quest for work? Network incessantly...
And the all important questions...
what do you do?
and who are your customers? Where would you find them?
best regards,
silver
Good ideas, except for the $50. In many states, it is illegal for a licensed builder, electrician, plumber, etc. to pay someone for referrals. The person receiving the money must work as a salesperson for the company paying the money and state that fact to the potential client.
DG/Builder
I stand corrected-I didn't know that...
This idea I haven't used although it was suggested to me...
silver
Now that is interesting!
Which states?
I've been looking for an edge to push all those referral selling scoundrel's out of the internet.
They just clutter up search results.
L
GardenStructure.com~Build for the Art of it!
Michigan for one. Many others I've been told but have not verified. Check with your state licensing authority. Good rule, eliminates conflicts of interest and a lot of sleazy dealings.
DG/Builder
It sure isn't good for contractors-- we all have better things to do than quote against 10 or 20 other guys for a living.
Supporting those agencies is akin to cutting your own throat.
Then again though... here in canada the phone book charges nearly that much... same deal... list your number to compete against everyone else. Some guys here are paying 500-1000 per month for ads.
L
GardenStructure.com~Build for the Art of it!
How to find a Homeowner's Association:You drive around. You talk to people. Heck, look it up in the phone book. What you're looking for is a small community (the larger ones have their own stores (grocery, laundromat, etc...). These communities typically have a name on a sign outside (like the Heights, Riverbend, Camelot, etc...). They typically are in suburban areas and have a central office that manages the association's affairs. Walk into the office and ask to put an ad in their newsletter.--AndyPS: the Craigslist .com suggestion above is a good one (although I've never done it). But for just starting out, you can't beat a free ad.
Thanks for that Andy,I tried the phone book...tried googling...
I'm all over town so I'll keep my eyes open...seems to me that Sonny likes to work with HOA as well. Just the edge I'm looking for.
silver
I've almost always had at least a small side job while working for contractors, just to keep my finger in the pot so to speak. In a smallish town of 25k, running a classified ad did bring in new clients with small finish jobs, most of which were a pleasure to work with. It also brought in those that you don't want to work for, but for the most part it was worth it if you're new to town or just don't know anyone.
A coworker who does nice finish work runs a moderate size ad and gets a decent number of calls from it, most of which aren't worth looking at, but some are and he's made a living for 20 years doing that and not much more. (I didn't say this, but after 20 years it is strange that more of his business isn't from repeats or referals!)
I'll guarantee that you'll bring in 10 times as many small clients, and 40 times more large projects by simply getting involved in more social activities. Any group is good, those with the type of client demografics you're after are better, and if you actually like the organization it's win-win.
It's simply human nature to rely on a recomendation from someone you know, or someone who knows someone, or to simply hire the guy you know from the flyfishing club.
Having said that, home owners associations are also fantastic and once you get in and do good work, you'll have people from all over asking you over to look at their pet project.
Cheers,
Don
I agree. Networking. Way better than paper ads.
Plus: You get to meet people you might need...
"Citius, Altius, Fortius"
If small side jobs are what you are looking for--classified ads and phone book.
Dog and pony shows are common for folks that shop from the phone book. In the early days I remember pulling up behind 5 other contractors waiting in line to offer a quote. That's when I decided to change the whole game.
Want bigger and better jobs. That's tough. It's something you have to buy a franchise or grow into. The old it takes money to make money... Well, it takes doing big jobs to sell big jobs. Not too big though... I had to take a few large jobs out of my portfolio because they scared people off. Not many people can afford a 300' fence worth $600,000.00.
L
GardenStructure.com~Build for the Art of it!
This is all good advice, but there are other ways. I don't have any business cards, no truck sign, no yard signs, and I don't network or do anything else to drum up business. I have one little ad that I run for free on craigslist, and I only run it for a week or so at a time every few weeks. I know you have to be in a certain size market to work like that, but I'm just throwing this out there because I'm sure there are lots of others who don't follow traditional marketing plans. My ad headline: "Extraordinary carpenter seeks small projects."
Allen in Boulder Creek
Allen,
A great example of guerilla marketing-creative selling.
Might not work for all markets but gives me a few ideas-
thanks,
silver
Look into joining your local Chamber of Commerce. If membership is not available at least attend the meetings, I find them interesting. It is the best networking venue I have found, what you do for a living within the community is exactly what everyone there is interested in. Bring business cards but don't prostitute yourself, it is a given that people use this venue for networking and business growth but it is done professionally and with a sense of patience.
Also, along the lines of getting work from word of mouth, repeat customers and referrals; always produce clean paperwork. Bids, estimates, contracts even notes and letters of thanks. Get together a website even if it has only general and contact info. The old timers may not agree but as time goes by there is an increasing section of the population who think of it as a basic element of a business and that you're lacking something if you don't have one.