Has anyone got ant ideas for drumming up more work , things have gone very quiet here at JD towers and im fed up stripping wood chip of the walls at home .In case you dont know im a Plumbing and heating engineer ,gas safe registerd .
but its cold up their too ,and you have water??? charge less . Hope things pic up soon ,my sons self employed in the building trade and hes on 7 days a week ??? No doubt your get in un dated now : thats what used to happen to me if i thought it was going quiet its the lull.
You've probably tried them already but.... Business cards/leaflets in local Plumbing Merchants, Newsagent windows, letterboxes around town. Any property maintenance firms need help ? Sorry if not much help but good luck anyway
Prop maintenance is a good shout. Can you get on any insurance bureaus list for emergency cover? Also can you 'Productise' a service. eg Pre winter Heating check at a fixed price and target the marketing to older folks (advertise at bingo halls, bus stations, cafes). Outside tap install / lagging at a fixed price. Fixed price radiatior pressure test or replacement. A menu type service if you get my meaning. That way the costs are transparent to the customer and are therefore more appealing.
Are you corgi regd?? service contracts?? if you was down ear i could probably put you in contact with someone.I generally think this time of year is a bit slack thou its the post holiday, pre christmas ,i dont want to spend money period?? but the cold is coming it should hopefully pic up for you. :crossed On a lighter note have you thought of any other form of stripping maybe :- taxi
Every time you do a job, make sure you ask the customer to pass your name on if they're happy with the work done. I have a few mates in the building trade and none of them are ever out of work... Word of mouth is better than any paid advertising.
Know the feeling here at Burntout Towers - think we are in more of a recession as a country now then when the news kept saying we were, in [glow=red,2,300]FACT[/glow] think it was only the beginning of a recession when it was hyped as being at its worse. Things picking up now - I am a Tree Surgeon/Forester but been a bloody hard last six months. Summer is always a quieter time for me, but this year was worse than ever. People just don't seem to have any money, if they have, they are holding on to it. That and the weather hasn't helped anyone - in many trades, and then it just escalates down the ladder. As others have said Posters, Business Card and Ads in your local area, and little shops which are used by regulars - don't charge the earth and get all those nice little old ladies in that make you tea and cake! (Vistaprint do great deals on things to help with the advertising side Oh and good luck - on the bright side - you may not have to worry about paying a tax bill
Have you made contact with the sanitary-ware type show rooms as they normally keep details of people who can fit their fancy chinaware. Also try the kitchen show rooms, I know many kitchen fitters dabble with plumbing in sinks and dishwashers but will shy way from any heating alterations. Good luck and hang in there, it is the building industry so will only be temporary !!!
Go round all the letting agencies and leave your details for emergencies and annual safety tests offer them some kind of deal, or even a kick back for who ever sends out their work
Contact everyone you have done work for in the past offering to service they're boiler, also put an ad in the local rag. As a last resort park outside your local B&Q.
I need a plumber as my weekend visitors finally put the toilet they semi-broke at Christmas out of permanent action : but I'm guessing Yorkshire is a bit far
Thanks for all your replys everyone . Yesterday i spent a couple of hours carding doors in the local area , which was interesting in its self , the responses vary wildly from the lady who threw my card at me and looked down her nose to the old dear who asked me in for a cup of tea. At the moment i have adds in two local papers , one free paper and one paid for , i advertise in the local church magazine ,i have a basic web site , my van is sign written, i always turn up when agreed and dont charge enough ,but enough to cover basic costs and some kind of a wage , if ireduce charges anymore i will make a loss , there is still work out there but less of it and more people going after it , As the big house builders slowed up and laid of workforce ,the tradesmen went out on there own ,the small companys couldnt compete and they to have laid of staff ,some of these workers have gone in to other things but those with a trade have stuck with it and now also work for them selves Today i am going to pester some of the plumbers merchants, i have cards in two already , estate agent and property managment companys tend to have plumbers and like that they use, I was working for a small builder but when he started to feel the pinch ,getting paid by him became a problem .
Have you thought about doing say a boiler service deal with one of the 'daily deal' sites (Living social...KGB etc). They will do all the marketing on your behalf. Granted, you may have to drop your initial prices to make the deal enticing/competitive but it could well generate extra work. And you'd be busier.
