Replies

1. 
   cussnu2 | Oct 05, 2011 05:27pm | #1

   There are as many ways to go about it as there are leaves on a tree..

   Go back to previous clients and ask for referrals maybe even offer them a spiff for a signed contract on a referral $20/$50/$100

   Do door hangers or flyers.  Get to home shows.  Find a way to break into a new market.  I just posted that some fiberglass mfg have just started to push a sprayable caulk system to seal air leaks and make fiberglass perform better.  Have him join the local homebuilders association.  Can he add blower door testing to his services?

   The trick with any marketing is to identify the people who need your product and then the subset of that group that can actually afford it.  Is he qualified to get government contracts?  He needs to look into the requirements to be able to take on government grant work.  A lot of those dollars flow into local agencies that then run a housing rehab program so you need to find the agency locally that administers those dollars and see if he can get in there.

   Does he have an infrared camera?  If he could invest in one he could go out on a cold day and take random pictures of home (from the pubic right away) and get these to homeowners whose homes show drastic signs of heat loss.  If he could combine the IR camera, a laptop and a portable printer he could snap the shots print them right there on the street and package them with a pre-written letter that he hangs on the door showing the homeowner the areas of concern.  (note: doing something like this could freak some people out too so you have to be aware of that and may even want to alert local cops so if they get a panic call they can handle the situation for you.)

1. 
   ashe | Oct 06, 2011 04:37pm | #3

   struggling business

   Cussnu2 Thank you for your input. I know he has the infrared camera and has used it with several clients. I will definately pass on the idea of taking the outside of the house in order to better point out to potential clients where they are losing heat. I did read your post about fiberglass sprayable caulk that I passed the info on to him. I will also look into the whole government contract idea with him and help with any paperwork. I live three states away and am trying to help him with as much as I can.

   Thank you again for all of your input and ideas.

   amber

2. 
   calvin | Oct 05, 2011 09:12pm | #2

   It might help to know where you are.

   A small town of 5,000 with a bunch of smaller towns in the area?

   Old neighborhood, or the fairly new tract developments?

   Fla. or Michigan?

   Location makes a big difference.

   Blown insulation is big on the DIY circuit.  Tough market to crash if there's ambitious people around.

   Has he thought to affiliate with a supplier?

   Even align himself with a lumberyard that gives the blower if you buy the insulation from them.  With his own equipment, the yeard can sell the product and the less ambitious homowner gets him to do it.

1. 
   ashe | Oct 06, 2011 04:42pm | #4

   Calvin,

   thanks for the answers. It is a small town but, he does the towns around the area and is licensed in MD and PA. I know he does blow insulation and will use the batts with older customers who prefer that method. some people you can't change their minds. I will make the suggestion to him about the supplier idea and the lumberyard. As I stated in my earlier post I live three states away from him and I am trying to help him keep his business going in any direction that I can. Thank you again for your input.

   amber

2. 
   ashe | Oct 06, 2011 04:42pm | #5

   Calvin,

   thanks for the answers. It is a small town but, he does the towns around the area and is licensed in MD and PA. I know he does blow insulation and will use the batts with older customers who prefer that method. some people you can't change their minds. I will make the suggestion to him about the supplier idea and the lumberyard. As I stated in my earlier post I live three states away from him and I am trying to help him keep his business going in any direction that I can. Thank you again for your input.

   amber

3. 
   ashe | Oct 06, 2011 04:42pm | #6

   Calvin,

   thanks for the answers. It is a small town but, he does the towns around the area and is licensed in MD and PA. I know he does blow insulation and will use the batts with older customers who prefer that method. some people you can't change their minds. I will make the suggestion to him about the supplier idea and the lumberyard. As I stated in my earlier post I live three states away from him and I am trying to help him keep his business going in any direction that I can. Thank you again for your input.

   amber

1. 
   calvin | Oct 06, 2011 08:01pm | #7

   amber

   If he can pull through the slowdown, remind him the importance of a large satisfied client base.

   I have lived in the same area of NW Oh now for over 40 yrs.  Though not all that time as a contractor, I still am living off the reputation I built over that time span.  You can find me working for the grandkids of my original customers.  Regretably, you can also find me at the funerals of those original clients.

   People do remember, and a good job done today might mean an excellent referral tomorrow.  You can eat a few meals of each job, but you can stay alive along time on reputation.

   Working for new house builders might be a grand thing as long as the building boom is in full swing.  To put all your efforts in that area can come back to haunt you when the bubble bursts, as has been felt by many specialists.

   I wish him and you the best of luck turning this thing around.

3. 
   cussnu2 | Oct 07, 2011 10:36am | #8

   Does participate in any local parades and festivals?  Wash your truck and buy a couple bags of candy and invest a Saturday morning and you are marketing.  Does he volunteer in his off time?  I have gotten jobs just because I was serving pancakes next to people at a fundraiser.  Is he active in a church?  Same goes here,  people like to deal with folks they know.  Now he shouldn't go to these things with the sole intention of handing out his business cards but he needs to network.  Any local habitat for humanity groups he could join and lend his expertise to?  Again, would be a great place to run into contractors and homeowners alike.

   If he or someone in his house can bake, make a couple dozen cookies each week and go drop by jobsites in the area.  He should be upfront and tell them he brought by a snack for the crew hoping to speak with the head guy to see if there is anything he can be of assistance with.  Chat with them about the project.  Complement them on the project.  Ask them for a tour.  If they give him 10/15 minutes he needs to beg off and tell them he needs to let them get back to work.  Always ask them if its okay if he stop back again sometime.  Honestly, even if he can't bake, what crew is going to turn their nose up to a bag of chips ahoy?  get him to commit to doing something like this once a week at least for a couple of months in his down time?  Maybe its Ice Cream sandwhichs and Popsicles in the hot weather or fresh coffee and hot chocolat in cold weather and keep a box of hand warmers with him too to throw out to the guys.  If you get to know the crew and especially the boss it may be a 12 pack on Friday afternoon.  It would kill him to invest the small cost and the time and once he gets past the fear of walking onto the jobsite, he'll probably figure he likes just shooting the bull.  What guy wouldn't spend 15 minutes sitting a tailgate drinking a beer and talking about construction/sports/women?  Hit up a different site each week and only go abck once a month at most.  You want to develop a relationship not become a pest.

   All of these are ideas for unconventional marketing

4. 
   hammer1 | Oct 07, 2011 08:59pm | #9

   I'm not in that business but I think the weatherization tax credits on the Federal level have been extended and increased for 2011. Many states also have programs. Helping homeowners through this process should be a boon, even in this poor ecconomy. Tightening up a house while getting money back on taxes in addition to the longterm savings on energy is a great selling point and the "in" thing to do. I would be advertising heavily in small local papers.

   It should be noted, there is a difference between being busy and making money. Your friend may need more help in that area. I contract with a local company on new homes, a call a few days ahead gets the crew there and the job completed in half a day for an average house. The installers work by the square foot and they don't waste a second. If a crew took more time than that, I wouldn't consider hiring them, just saying. Retro work can be a different story but you have to get the jobs done in a hurry and done right and that can be a problem with some contractors. Too often, trades people start businesses on their work skills but they don't understand business. These days, you need all your ducks in a row, the proper contracts, pay agreements, and control on labor. The old days of a handshake are long gone. If you want to be financially successful, it won't be working the tools yourself, you need people making money for you. Many aren't cut out for it even though they are competent at doing the work.

1. 
   DanH | Oct 07, 2011 09:45pm | #10

   Definitely the guy should keep up on all the tax credits, both state and federal.  Also, his local utilities may have various loan and rebate programs -- he should check thoses.