SubContractor's Business Club of Australia

Marketing your business.

Take the time to know what your business does best and is more likely to increase profits from. Don't be all things to all people.

In the case of a plumber, builder, electrical or civil contractor, the choice possibly will be, service work or construction contracting, of course it could be both. But this should be a professional decision arrived after careful consideration. Not through a process of throwing darts and hoping for the best.

Where your business does have both styles of work, clearly separate them into two departments. A common mistake is to blend the two into one division. This can lead to unnecessary expenditure on advertising and administration costs.

Contractors often state they take whatever work comes their way, which is another way of saying, 'I don't know what I am doing'.

1:     Identify the type of work you enjoy and are more likely to profit from.
2.     Focus your advertising and marketing in that area
3:     Identify the category of work, commercial or residential.
4:     Identify ten to twenty customers.
       
                * Builders
                * Real Estate
                * Large retail companies
                * Developers or building owners

5:      Stop thinking you need a big advertisement, when a well worded promotional letter does it better..
6:      Remember, you are selling yourself first, then your product.

Good marketing is about the customer trusting you, believing what you say and then your company delivering on both of those principles.
 

Paul Funnell