Get your name out

Word of mouth remains the main route to new business for any installer serving residential customers . But that doesn ’ t mean that you can ’ t help the process along . After all , there may be many years between big projects and a customer may have come across rivals in the meantime .

That ’ s why it ’ s such a good idea to keep your name in front of them . You want your business to come to their mind when they are wondering which installer to use . A lot of ways to achieve this are very low cost , particularly in contrast with services like Rated People and My Builder . Many of these ideas are fairly obvious , but that doesn ’ t make them any less worthy of repetition :

• Give business cards to every customer and every prospect . This is incredibly cheap and even though a lot will end in the bin , even these remind people of your business name

• Put details of your business in big lettering on every van

• If it doesn ’ t create a problem with the client , erect a board outside their premises

• Get everyone to wear a company uniform . Cheesy , yes , but again it reinforces the company name in people ’ s minds and should make you all look smarter as well . Seeing people around jogs the memory of old prospects as well as promoting yourself to new clients

I find it strange that some businesses will splash out for expensive advertising when they haven ’ t first tried everything that is low cost and free .

Create happy customers

Growing your business is best done by satisfying your customers . Happy customers tell their friends about you and recommend you . Happy customers come back for more . Happy customers trust you and aren ’ t so price sensitive . Finally , it ’ s worth remembering the lesson about customers with problems .

If you fix them quickly they will be even more loyal than customers that never had a problem in the first place .

Be quick on the draw when it comes to quotes

To grow your business , you have to win quotes . The problem is that many installers hate paperwork , and creating quotes probably qualifies as the most tiresome of the various paperwork tasks . This creates a dilemma , because responding quickly is one of the best ways of winning business .

In Powered Now ’ s survey of over 1,000 homeowners , 75 % expressed frustration at getting quotes from trade companies . 11 % were frustrated “ to a large extent ”.

One of the interesting factors is whether you should worry about your availability . Remember that after you win a quote you can negotiate the start date as most people will wait . That is especially true when you explain that you don ’ t compromise on quality or job length by starting and then disappearing off site . Being in hot demand suggests to your customer that you are worth waiting for .

The more work you win the faster you grow and the more you can gently increase prices . Simply responding to quotes faster means that you can be more picky and in particular avoid customers who talk about price too much .

Use a computer system

The world has changed a lot in recent years . Virtually everyone carries around in their pocket what would have been regarded as a super-computer just a while ago . Its ease of use makes old desktop PCs look positively medieval . A computer

system for your business will cost money but should save you much more in greater efficiency .

Installers , particularly smaller ones , have been very slow to adopt technology partly because it hasn ’ t been good enough , partly from fear it will be too difficult to use and partly because the hatred of paperwork often extends to anything associated with it . Finally , old style systems weren ’ t mobile .

With the adoption of smartphones that has all changed . With the downsides gone , there are several companies , including mine , Powered Now , selling