If you’re like most builders or remodelers that I know your business might look a little bit like this:
–> Hustle to find new leads
–> Bid, bid, bid
–> Get new job
–> Hustle to finish job
–> Lather, rinse and repeat
But the problem is that while you’re “hustling” to finish that job you’re working on, what are you doing to get some new clients?
This process can create a roller coaster type of income. Too many ups and downs to ever relax and enjoy the view.
The strategies that I help my consulting clients with allow them to create marketing automation so that high-quality leads are coming in on a steady basis. No more “hustling” to find the next job…although a little hustle never hurt anyone.
But some of these strategies take more time than others.
So here are 3 ways that you can start generating more business while you’re hard at work working on your projects.
- “Goodwill” neighborhood mailers – have you ever gone through your neighborhood while someone was doing work and got annoyed by the mess in the street? Or maybe you got a leak in your tire and you KNOW that it came from the roofer down the road! These things happen. But what if you received a friendly postcard in the mail from contractor letting you know that there will be a bit of a mess on your street while work is being done.The postcard could read something like this: “Hey, we wanted to give you a quick heads up to let you know that we’re building a new deck for your neighbor at (address). We always try our best to keep any noise and mess to a minimum, but let us know if we’ve missed anything. Oh, and be sure to check out the project pictures here (your web address). The ‘After’ pics will be done in a few days.”
Once you’ve created the post-card, you can send them out to surrounding homes every time you start a new project. Total cost? $30-$40 per mailing TOPS. Heck, if you got one new project a quarter you’ve crushed your ROI on the mailers. And the great thing is this is not a “promotional” mailer. This is an authentic goodwill message that will build instant “know, like and trust” with potential customers everywhere you work. - Yard signage with a STRONG USP – one of the biggest missed opportunities is planting a sign in front of a home you’re working on without including a strong Unique Selling Proposition (USP). Almost every sign you see will be just as generic as the next. In fact, if you removed the name you wouldn’t have any way of identifying what company it belonged to.But if you create a strong USP that can be added to the sign then you will grab more attention and, potentially, more business than planting some “vanilla” sign in the lawn. If you’re using yard signs anyway, it doesn’t take one ounce more effort to place a sign that might actually get you some business.Here are some questions to help you create your own USP.–>What’s your unique approach?
–>What are the little things that you do well?
–>What experience do you provide your customers?
–>What do your customers crave that you help deliver?One exercise that can be invaluable is to interview 3-4 of your past IDEAL clients and ask them the above questions.
If you want help creating your USP then learn how I can help you with this here.
- Leverage Houzz.com – if you’re not doing this already, you should absolutely be leveraging the power of Houzz.com. But in order to do this you need to start taking some VERY good before and after photos from all of your jobs. In the building and remodeling industry a picture is almost as good as a referral. This is proof that you deliver a quality product and can easily help persuade clients to hire you.
If you have any tips that have worked for you be sure to share them in the comments section below.
Cheers,
