Contractors! During a tight economy, think small for big opportunities

If there’s one thing we’re hear­ing from con­trac­tors across the coun­try, it’s that peo­ple aren’t say­ing ​“No” to big­ger projects. They’re say­ing ​“Not now.”

So we wait… Or do we?

Exte­ri­or sea­son for a lot of home improve­ments pros is right around the cor­ner, and you like­ly have your sights set on installing new roofs, full exte­ri­or repaints, deck rebuilds, gut­ter installs, etc. Makes sense. This is the time to go for it!

If you’re hit­ting the ​“Not now” objec­tion, we have a quick tip to keep in mind. 

Recal­i­brate your pri­or­i­ties: it might be time to start small

Espe­cial­ly after the boom sea­son we expe­ri­enced over the last 18 months or so, it can be hard to even enter­tain the idea of small­er projects. With lead flows start­ing to con­strict, you need jobs NOW that will get your team out of fur­lough and keep them busy. 

So here’s our quick tip: start push­ing the small­er projects that are a lit­tle more palat­able to home­own­ers and might be nag­ging them from their to-do list. 

Painters, you might try res­ur­rect­ing your Painter for a Day pro­gram. One painter for 8 hours of work, all for an easy flat rate. It’s an ide­al way to take care of rou­tine touch-ups, repairs, or pow­er wash­ing, and it won’t break the bank. It also lets you get your foot in the door, estab­lish­ing a rela­tion­ship with new clients and exist­ing cus­tomers alike. 

And don’t feel lim­it­ed to sell­ing just one Painter for a Day either. Let the prospect know that dur­ing the esti­mate you’ll help them focus on their pri­or­i­ties, but that addi­tion­al painters can be added as need­ed. In oth­er words, if their project won’t fit into one day of work, let them tack on an option­al extra day. You can also include painters at dif­fer­ent rates. A gen­er­al painter touch­ing up scuffs in high-traf­fic areas will cost less than a skilled cab­i­net refin­ish­er updat­ing built-ins in the mud­room. Offer a cou­ple dif­fer­ent pric­ing tiers based on the homeowner’s needs and the skill required. 

The take­away for them is that they feel like they’re in the driver’s seat and have options, and the take­away for you is that flex­i­bil­i­ty is key in an uncer­tain econ­o­my. Peo­ple might be hes­i­tant (and are hes­i­tant!) to sign on the dot­ted line and com­mit to a big project. By cre­ative­ly repack­ag­ing your ser­vices, you can cre­ate entic­ing options that lead to more work down the road. 

You get the idea.

Think­ing small can be a strong strat­e­gy. Plus, it’s a great call to action for your social media cam­paigns, mail­ers, and email blasts. 

It’s time to roll out main­te­nance plans, turn­ing one-time cus­tomers into repeat customers

Like just about every­thing, the cost of leads is going up. That means that every sin­gle one you get needs to be max­i­mized. Make sure you have a strong sys­tem in place for stay­ing in front of exist­ing cus­tomers with emails, texts, mail­ers, and social media, and also by show­ing them some love with exclu­sive offers.

You also should real­ly con­sid­er a main­te­nance plan. After that first job is won, man­age expec­ta­tions by telling the home­own­er how long it should last, what to expect, and how to increase the lifes­pan of their paint. Maybe it’s sea­son­al pow­er wash­ing, caulk­ing checks, wood rot inspec­tions, or touch-ups… Don’t over­whelm them, but edu­cate them, then give them the oppor­tu­ni­ty to hand off the stress and work of upkeep by let­ting your team han­dle it.

It’s impor­tant to note that this isn’t just a hard sell, or upsell. You need to offer real val­ue and build trust. This is where trans­paren­cy is key, giv­ing away some knowl­edge and exper­tise for free. We often empha­size the impor­tance of this when it comes to the con­tent on your web­site too, empha­siz­ing just how cru­cial it is to tell peo­ple what things will cost, what to expect, how long their paint will last, etc.

Are you ready for spring and summer?

As a final reminder, con­sid­er this your friend­ly nudge to keep the ped­al to the met­al in your lead gen efforts. A lot of con­trac­tors assume that their busy sea­son must be around the cor­ner as the warmer months get clos­er. They could be, but this also could be a lean­er sea­son. It pays to plan ahead and keep grind­ing. There’s real­ly no downside. 

Have more mar­ket­ing ques­tions or ideas to dis­cuss? Con­tact us! We love to talk shop.