5 Tips for Growing Your Electrical Business in 2018
New Year, New You
Growing and maintaining a business is hard work; it requires constant nurturing and can be stressful, especially if your livelihood depends on your success. The following are five tips that can help deliver consistent results for growing your company.
1. Organize your contact database
It’s surprising how many contractors try to manage their contacts using nothing but a cell phone and an email account. Some even get by with a wallet full of business cards, which can work if you’re lucky enough to have a good memory but is not a sustainable long-term solution. Consolidating all of your contacts in one central database is an essential step in improving your business. Doing so can help you keep tabs on customer information such as names, addresses, last contact date, and previous jobs completed. These details will help you stay organized and maintain strong relationships with customers.
2. Leverage networking opportunities
Expanding your professional relationships by networking with large contractors, contractors in complementary verticals (think HVAC and plumbers), and business owners can help you grow your client base substantially. At the end of the day, people do business with people, especially when it comes to contractors. So, fostering beneficial relationships and making positive first impressions with new people and potential customers can inspire those people to think twice about who they call when they have an electrical issue. Every professional can benefit from networking, but it is exceptionally beneficial for small business owners and contractors.
3. Inspire word-of-mouth references
When you need a contractor for something, do you open the Yellow Pages and look for plumbers or handymen? Few people do. They ask their friends, family, and neighbors if they can recommend one – electrical work is no exception. Word-of-mouth is a powerful marketing tool that can make or break a business. Receiving word-of-mouth references depends on the quality of your services. Doing the job right, offering exceptional customer service, and building rapport with customers is a great way to inspire word-of-mouth references and grow your business. You can also consider referral discounts and most importantly, at the end of the job, ask if they had a good experience and if they would refer you to their friends. This gives you the opportunity to improve potentially poor experiences, and ask for new business.
4. Take advantage of warranty periods
Warranty calls are one of the last things you want to hear about once a job is complete because it usually means something has gone wrong and you have to make repairs on your dime. Instead of thinking of the warranty period as the time you have to wait before you are in the clear, take that opportunity to establish trust and a sense of integrity with the project owner. Make it clear that you stand behind your work and are happy to be of service if anything goes wrong. You may end up taking a loss from time to time, but you will gain your customer’s trust, and they will likely want to use you again in the future.
5. Survey your customers
Your customers are your most valuable asset. Taking the time to step back and listen to them provides you with fantastic insight that can help you provide better service tailored specifically to your customers’ requests. The easiest way to survey your customers is to follow-up with an email after you’ve completed a job. Thank the customer for their business, remind them that their opinion matters to you, and invite them to provide feedback to help improve your services. Ask them about their experience, the service provided, their satisfaction with the job done. Making sure your customers are happy while taking into account things you could do differently to better serve future customers is an extremely valuable tool that can help guide your business to increased success.
These are just a few ways you can help grow your electrical business. At the end of the day, your business’s success depends on the service provided. By utilizing the tips above in combination with quality services and customer communication, you can build a successful electrical business.
Do you have any tips for growing your business? We’d love to hear them. Write your comments below.