If your marketing conveys the message that you are the best contractor in the business, a true professional, then home owners will be happy to pay top dollar for the work you do.
But no matter how good you are, don't think that you can just sit back and wait for the telephone to ring. You need to put marketing to work to generate word-of-mouth and industry referrals for your business.
A 24-Hour-a-Day, Seven-Days-a-Week Proposition
When things are slow, don't expect to be able to get instant results by putting an ad in the newspaper. And even in fast times, word of mouth will only go so far. You can solve this problem by establishing a marketing plan that gives your company prominence in the marketplace all the time — every hour of the day and every day of the week.
Start by looking at the details:
- Are all the company shirts and trucks the same color?
- Do your business cards match your letterhead and job sign?
- Is the company logo on every item?
- Is your Web site address on everything?
Once you have created uniformity and continuity in all of your company’s advertising, you’ve created a marketing image that identifies you as a professional.
Maintain visibility. When is the last time you heard of someone price-shopping a doctor or a lawyer? Do something every day to let consumers in your market know you are there. Send out mailings throughout the neighborhood during every project.
Get feedback by following up on your customers. Ask your clients to complete a job survey upon completion of every job. If you find you’re not getting your surveys back, put your company pen and a self addressed stamped envelope in the completion package. Put a blank sheet of paper in the envelope and entitle it a “client testimonial."
It’s not about the greatest marketing plan, it’s about consistency. Make a list of everything you’re doing and could do. And then do it.
As a great man once told me, “Do something even if it’s wrong, because you learn from your mistakes.”
Frank E. Malpere, Jr., CGR, CAPS is the president of Quality Building & Remodeling, Inc. in Effort, PA. He is a member of the NAHB Remodelors® Council Membership & Council Development and Public Affairs Committees. He was named the 2002 Remodelor of the Year by his home builders association.
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