As I know you all already know – it’s a dog eat dog world out there these days. Especially in the contracting world. So starting a contracting company can be a scary thing!
With so many fly by night “contractors” trying to make a quick buck – Price gouging is happening more than ever right now.
This can be very frustrating; and even drive good businesses out of operation. It’s sad but true.
I understand that technology has taken the world by storm. Some of you are going along with the changes – others are not. This post is directed to those of you that are. Here’s the deal…technology is not going anywhere. And if you don’t start using it to your advantage, I’m sorry to say but you’ll eventually just be phased out of the business.
See – customers are no longer using the phone book and newspapers to find you. Mos everyone is looking online. Specifically on their mobile devices.
This guide will cover 6 steps that contractors can take today, to get more leads tomorrow. I can’t think of anyone that would say no to some quick leads – especially when starting a contracting company.
Customer Reviews
I put this as #1 because it’s likely the most often overlooked one. Contractors know that testimonials are good to have. But almost everyone starting a contracting company is using them completely wrong…
Getting reviews should be part of your checkout process with every customer you do business with. What I mean by checkout process is direct them to your Google Business page and ask them to leave a review. I generally say something like this…
“So lately I’ve been trying to get some more positive reviews on my Google page – Would you mind leaving me a positive review? It only takes a minute and it helps me tremendously – I would really appreciate it.”
Right after I say this I hand them one of my review cards showing them exactly what to do and how to do it.
JUST by doing this you will increase the number of people that review you x10. And it literally takes you less than a minute.
With Google taking reviews into consideration more and more lately – the benefits of getting good reviews result in better search engine rankings, and ultimately…more people calling you before your competitors.
Make this a priority right now – and you’ll reap the benefits for years to come.
For the love of God – Follow Up!
The other day a client told me in passing…
“I get most of my business simply because I’m the only one who got back to them”
I know contractors are notoriously terrible at following up with leads. But I wanted to see HOW terrible. So I called 20 contractors in my local area.
Only 2 called back – that’s terrible.
On a more positive note; this leaves a tremendous opening in the market for those who do have a solid follow up process. If you’re starting a contracting company & wanting more leads starting right now – just follow up with every lead who has contacted you in the past month.
I follow up until I’m told NO. Unless they say those words, they’re going to be getting a call from me at least once every 2 weeks. – No most people are not mean, I don’t get told off. I get sales though. Sales that I never would have got had I not followed up.
So guys…please….follow up with your leads. If they tell you “ok I’m going to talk to my wife and I will get back to you” Then tell them that you will call next week, put them on a list to call, and call them next week. Keep doing that until you’re told NO.
Take pictures BEFORE and AFTER
“A picture is worth a thousand words”
We’ve all heard the term. People like visualizations so what better piece of sales content than a picture?!?!
If you use your mobile phone you can get an app that will allow you to show the two pictures side by side – and share immediately. Make sure your customer is ok with you posting before and after pictures.
Here is where you should post your pictures.
- Your website
- Google+
- Google My Business Page
(Tip: When posting your pictures be sure to explain what you did, how happy your customer was, and ask an engaging question such as “What do you all think?” Encourage comments, shares, and likes)
Take a video of yourself
Yes, that’s right I said it
Take 30-60 seconds and take a video on the site. Show the community what you’re doing. Even if it’s once a week. It doesn’t take any of your time and video is by far the best way to get social engagement drum up conversation. When starting a contracting company you want the “buzz” of social media – there is no better way than to utilize the popularity of videos in your favor.
Most of you will not be comfortable doing this. But I assure you if you can post even one short video each week, people will remember you and will look for your future videos. I always tell people starting a contracting company, to not let their ego get in the way. Be funny, be silly, you will be rewarded with more business. These days a lot of us have to go against what we’re used to.
People are now so conditioned to social media and the videos associated with it – anything less than that simply gets looked over. Once you take your video be sure to share it on all social media platforms. Again, ask your audience what they think to encourage engagement.
The more engagement you get, the more people see your post.
Your website matters.
I know you hear this all the time. It’s a subject that is beat up by just about everyone in marketing.
I’ll tell you the reason.
Think of your website as a traffic light. When it’s working properly, traffic flows without incident. But what if it’s broken.
Then problems start the arise. The little old lady doesn’t have a clue about the process and just keeps on cruising, maybe causing an accident. People start to get irritated because no one knows what to do.
These same concepts apply to your website. If your website is confusing, and underdeveloped, the people coming to your website don’t know what to do – so they leave.
One thing I do to a website no matter what is put the phone number and email address bold and clear in the upper right hand corner of the website. Make it stand out, make it bold.
Then I have my client come up with an offer. It doesn’t have to be anything crazy.
Here is an example of a clear, simple offer that gives people a reason to call. It doesn’t have to be complicated.
There are plenty more tricks that I use to get a website to convert better- but those are 2 effective things you can do at home yourself right now.
There you have it! 5 effective methods to get your phone ringing more than it is now.
I left out SEO because it’s talked about way too often. Honestly – if you want to increase the number of people coming to your website then you need to call a professional and pay them to do it. It’s far too complicated and time consuming for you to try tackling yourself.
I wanted to list things that YOU can do yourself, right now; that won’t take up much of your time. We all know time is money in this business, especially when starting a contracting company.
Companies charge hundreds, sometimes thousands of dollars every month to do exactly what I’ve just told you for FREE. Seriously, I have contractors come to me all the time saying they’re paying absurd amounts of money.
Usually these are the things that they’re paying hundreds of dollars for.
Screw that, do these things for free to get your foundation built – then hire my team to build a traffic system. Now you have an effective online marketing strategy that will show a good ROI.
Everyone has a budget – we have to maximize our returns and pay close attention to what we’re investing in.
I encourage you to leave comments below – I read all of them and I would love to hear your thoughts!