Are You Selling Your Service… or Selling the Experience?
Customers have more choices than ever. Sometimes the difference isn’t just the service you provide, but how you make people feel from the first interaction to the final follow-up. What are some ways your business creates an experience that keeps customers coming back?Who Here Has Had Success with Yard Signs?
I'm a part of Home Service Accelerator and one of the main things they recommend is to use unbranded yard signs and put them in high value areas to get leads. It's a volume play. Basically you put out 100 signs but if you book one job (in my industry) it pays for the $400 in yard signs you spent (plus your time). Now I should mention I haven't been super consistent with this which I believe could be my issue. I also don't know who would hit up a yard sign for a kitchen remodel BUT you never know. My process to find where to put them is to go on the USPS website and find the mail routes with the highest average income then determine which streets to put it on from there. Is anyone else using this strategy? I'd love some pointers if you are having some success with it.Why I Went Away From the Handyman Brand
I remember when i first started doing coaching programs, a lot of coaches told me that anyone that was a handyman would eventually turn in to a remodeling contractor or something more. I didn't want to believe it. I was thinking, "I'm going to be the first to really elevate the handyman brand". I fought it for years and years. I even was able to do $1.2 in revenue as a "handyman". But I also felt like i was fighting against a head wind. Anytime I told someone our rates, I got SOOO much price resistance. I was sort of immune to it. I mean, I was still getting people accepting quotes. But I also started noticing the small jobs were a lot of work for just a couple hundred bucks profit. I still had to get all these job details and vet the jobs, then if it went sideways, POOF we're working for free. When I was on my own it was kind of a dream. Just being professional, showing up on time, and doing what I said I would do made me stand out and it was like shooting fish in a barrel. But when I had employees ... the cost to have people was very expensive, everyone is belly aching about price, and those big remodel jobs were hard to sell because who's going to pay a handyman $40k for anything? Especially a kitchen with high end finishes? That was the turning point. I had a bathroom where they wanted all this crazy stuff but I could tell they were second guessing me. They could tell I knew what I talked about but they hit up a knowledgeable handyman for a price break, not to be charged full price. I wonder how many times this happened and I didn't notice. smh So I changed my name to "Home Pros" instead of handyman. What's the first thing I noticed? My employees were relieved. Turns out a carpenter of 25 years doesn't want to be called a handyman. Now I notice when people call me that, my belly turns and I get a little offended too! haha My initial discovery calls were a little easier. My walk throughs were a little easier. I started booking bigger jobs with ease. The brand identity flowed with the service we were offering instead of running against it. I'm writing this not to dissuade anyone from being a "handyman". I think it's noble to be a handyman. You have to think about so many different thing just to do something as easy as a faucet install. What's the condition of the cabinet and countertop, are the shut off valves shot, am i able to fit under the sink, etc etc. People don't appreciate how many different ways simple jobs can go sideways. BUT in my opinion, Handymen are great for one person shows. Why? The handyman brand can be a lead machine. EVERYONE searches for that. As one person, you could easily make $250k per year by yourself with really low overhead. That's great money. I do know a couple larger handyman companies but they're services offered are very fixed, they don't take on special projects. This means that a lot the higher ticket stuff is off the table. Which means you need a lot more jobs to get to that seven figure mark everyone wants to get to. For me, it wasn't worth the head ache. I wanted to do the larger projects. Also, because of the variability of handyman projects, it's hard to have a good team, and it costs a lot so the required revenue amount to sustain things when you have employees is a significant jump than when you are operating on your own. And those experienced guys, might not be attracted to being called a handyman. Now this is just my opinion and lived experience so I'd be curious to hear if anyone actually read this whole thing but had a opposing view point. But much love to the handymen out there, you have my respect!
How do you get fencing and deck jobs when you're just starting out with no marketing budget?
Hello everyone my name is chance I work with frontier fencing llc out of Olympia wa. We specialize in fences and decks but do a variety of things with over 20 years experience including water features, artificial turf, pavers, retaining walls and all home restorations. We are having a hard time getting jobs at the moment because well it takes money to make money right lol I was superintendent for a couple company’s over the years and no how to manage all of it bug getting going had been hard any suggestions on how to get some work without breaking the bankHow can I re-build my business from ground zero?
Hi my name is Jeremy Lesser, I am the Business Owner/CEO of a small residential painting and home improvements business. I have been in business since 2022. After about a year or so of being in business, I about called it quits and started doing Maintenance Engineering. Well having my own business doing what I love to do the most which is drywall and painting, has been a dream of mine since I first started doing drywall and painting 15+ years ago. I want my business to succeed. I have a perpetual LLC. for my business, so I would like to build my business back and Lord willing watch it grow this time. I have more patience and knowledge in it. How can I build my business with zero income and zero revenue? I have been applying for grants. Please help! Thank you and God Bless. ~Jeremy Lesser~
