Idea to boost work / enquiries

[Tom10]

Hi all,

 

Another day at home due to cancellation of a job and a lack of new quotes / jobs in the diary from new customers.

 

Seem to be living day to day as opposed to having a full diary to work with like it was not so long ago.

 

From speaking to other companies around it seems im not alone - everything is stacked against the odds at the moment. Even if your lucky enough to have someone ring you with a serious inquiry your then battling against other stupid quotes from people who don't know what their doing because they've just come out of college, or other professional companies that are going out for £100 quid a day because they've got nothing better to do.

 

I priced a job the other day (sensible price) and worked out the customer could fit a new bathroom or buy a new 3 piece suite for the same cash, and with things so tight and economising a priority for most its no surprise people are pushing prices down or the customer is not calling at all.

 

Im ticking over by tightening up the finances, subcontract climbing to long standing collegues in the industry (who themselves are finding things tough) and my existing customers, but it would be lovely to generate some new interest from serious customers who are prepared to pay for an extremely professional service.

 

Adverts, no matter where I put them, don't seem to generate enough to hardly bother with and any new customers at all at the moment are word of mouth (which is fine but more is needed to really say were busy again)

 

I am debating sending a professional letter with a business card attached to companies around my locality (hotels, builders, gardeners etc) to generate some work and at least getting some business cards into some new people, has anyone had any experience with doing this, if so what audience did you find best, and what reaction did you get?

 

Im steering away from letters to domestic homes as I feel it lacks the professionalism of sending a smart letter to another business. Its a bit more associated with bad companies, and where do you draw the line? I could drive round knocking on the door of any house which has a tree in the garden!

 

Plus domesticating this idea would then cost a bomb and I want to keep this marketing idea as professional as possible, but could be persuaded with other peoples experience?

 

There will of course be people on here who are really busy at the moment, but I think Im happy to swallow my pride and say the recession is definitively taking its toll on my workload, to the point where I need to drum up more work for me to still consider day to day running a profitable success. I refuse to go in cheap on everything to be busy 5 days a week - Id rather sell all my gear, have a nice holiday somewhere and stack shelves when I'm back home again.

 

I bet there's a larger percentage of members on here than you might think, feeling the same as me that haven't posted on the forum yet.

 

Also, replies from the 'half glass full' brigade are understood, and I love this job and running a business and wouldnt want to do anything else, but paying the mortgage is more important than telling myself it will be OK every 5 minutes!

 

Thanks,

 

Tom.

Edited May 31, 2012 by Tom10
Additional Info, and spelling.

[Tom Richards]

Get the letters out mate it can't do you any harm. I have done this in the past and it did work for a few customers ITS BETTER TO BE PRODUCTIVE than sit at home worrying. Good luck

[stokesley]

yea it car'nt do any harm always worth ago, my dad does roofing just small repair jobs and all his work is from putting flyers through peoples doors.

[Old Mill Tree Care]

You're not alone TOM10. The letters to businesses can work, letters to house holders won't.

Just don't do it on my patch!

[Dts trees]

Your not alone mate. Same boat here done quotes for clients not heard a dicky bird starting to think i'm over priced. Bit worrying really. It will come at some point in time. Don't lower the prices stick to what you think is a fair for the work involved. It does no harm in getting your name out there.

[Tom10]

Get the letters out mate it can't do you any harm. I have done this in the past and it did work for a few customers ITS BETTER TO BE PRODUCTIVE than sit at home worrying. Good luck

 

Exactly - things aren't diabolical, I'm not watching Jeremy Kyle every day its just a case of I don't feel comfortable not being stacked out, in this day and age you need to be stacked out to live comfortably and do what you want, and need to do.

 

In response to Old Mill Tree Care, this is my thinking also, I'm 99% sure I wont go domestic with letters unless someone on here has a very professional / alternative measure, but for now it would be a no.

 

Good letters with cards to businesses seem a very affordable way to get your name out to new people.

 

Interested to hear from anyone who has done it and what audiences to target - can't cover the whole yellow pages!

 

Hope this makes good reading for everyone on here, even the largest company can expand, even if they're busy at present.

 

It seems the only companies really busy are really long established ones with good recommendations. Which is great, but in a difficult market for every trade (not just us) there's good, quality and professional outfits that want their diaries busier so any ideas to see this through is great.

 

Tom

[swinny]

I'm comming to the conclusion that you need some commercial contracts or be in with the council. or its a struggle....

[Tom10]

I'm comming to the conclusion that you need some commercial contracts or be in with the council. or its a struggle....

 

I do agree, however the commerical contracts we have are slowing up, construction companies that used to provide a lot of work are getting the odd quote, and the odd bit of work, but nothing substantial. Its not a case of they're using other contractors, its just a chain reaction of a lack of funds.

 

The local council have an approved list of contractors which I have so far not inquired about joining as I have never had to, We are happy with our current commercial customers and the domestic, quick paying work, but this is where its slacking now.

 

To join our local council may provide us with some work but we will be bottom of the an already large (and to be fair, very reputable) list. Also, and fundamentally, the have just formed a new and revised team of arb's that are employed indirectly by them.

 

I know several companies that are still afloat solely because of a large contract with one firm, it would of course be nice to get a large contract but its a 'buyers market' for them with so many decent companies out there who who jump at the chance. This makes the contracts worth less in value and even then these people are slowing up.

 

Tom

[HCR]

In many areas the Council will be the largest user of arborists, so why not get on their list? And adjoining authorities, too. It'll mean a bit of work, but it shouldn't cost you anything other than time. Being at the bottom of the list won't necessarily matter, either, and while you obviously can't start buying bottles of Scotch for the tree officer, you can get to know him, send him pictures of work you've done, email him every couple of weeks to ask for jobs to quote on etc etc.

[arbogrunt]

I'm in a similar boat...2 years working for a big firm, then had my own company for 6 years...then sold up and gone freelancing for 10 years..I am now in the process of building up a company again. Its much harder than last time...more competion...the prices are the same as 10 years ago...the overheads have gone up.

However, I can earn in two days what I can earn in a week of freelancing...and I'm not doing jobs with 1 or 2 men short of a crew, with unskilled staff, with no traffic control and doing unpaid over time.

I'd rather have 2 days a week of my own stuff and the rest of the week off than a full week of that!.

Advertising has been a bit of a dead horse...word of mouth recommendation is the only way at the moment. I'm going to do targeted, quality leaflet drops and try advertising in parish magazines and other local publications. I'm much happier than I was last year and I won't be spending £4,000 on diesel earning other people a profit!