Electrician looking for some ideas...

[ALEX BOWLING]

Hi all,

I am a sole trader electrician in Bournemouth who is looking to get more clients in the rented property sector (letting agents, landlords etc) These last few years I have made the mistake of having all my eggs in one basket and my main client has found another electrician (family member) to replace me...

I have paid for 1000 letterheads, logo design and 500 x 2 (different wording on each 500) business cards of which they are going to start work on next week...

The reason I am having 2 different types of business cards made is due to having one set as "general" electrician cards i.e "DOMESTIC SPECIALIST" and one set that specifically targets letting agents and landlords as this is the area I have been in for the last 10 years or so and wish to remain i.e response repairs, smaller jobs and test/inspection.

My plan is to firstly post a couple of hundred letters (or as many as possible) containing a letter and a business card and hope I get one or two hits. On the business cards aimed at letting agents/landlords which will be included in these letters I am looking for advice on a way of telling the potential clients I specialise in rented properties. I know my business name doesn't actually matter written across the top of the card and could be placed further down so I am thinking something like "LANDLORDS ELECTRICAL SPECIALIST" "RENTED PROPERTY ELECTRICAL SPECIALIST" "LANDLORDS ELECTRICIAN" "RENTALS ELECTRICIAN" but they don't seem quite right i.e to long or descriptive enough so any help or ideas would be greatly appreciated!

The intended cards format from top to bottom would be..
SERVICE OFFERED (focused at rented properties)
PHONE NO
E-MAIL ADDRESS
LOGO AND BUSINESS NAME
ADDRESS
NICEIC APPROVED CONTRACTOR LOGO

There is also the cover letter and continued campaign to of course think about but for now any help with the business cards would be great!

Thanks

 

[columbo]

Put yourself in the shoes of a letting agent and their motivations.

Off the top of my head, they probably want an electrician that is fully insured, punctual and VAT registered.

Lets face it, if you're a letting agent and you have the keys to an apartment for one day
and the plumber is meant to turn up at 5pm and he doesn't show up? That his/her diary for the rest of the day messed up. ( A lot of property managers work in the evening because that is the only time their tenants are actually home). So while it might sound obvious punctuality and reliability could be a key selling point here. Property managers I know all seem to follow a very tight timetable. Moreover, property managers get an earful from tenants when the electrician, plumber etc., does not arrive. So I would state something like "At ABC Electrical we know that hassle that can be caused when a tradesperson does not arrive on time at a rental property...that is why all our electricians arrive on time every time..."

Secondly, as a property manager you don't want to be liable for a problem from an uninsured electrician. So state what type of insurance you have. Also include your VAT registration number on your card so they will be comfortable that your not a cash-in-hand only tradesperson.

Next you will need to have some formal references. This is proof that your work is up-to-scratch. This could be from some companies which you've done work for. A reference on their headed notepaper would be best. This might sound like a trifling detail but is very important. References take the risk out of choosing a tradesperson.

Lastly, I do not think this will be an apt time to run a direct mail campaign because everyone is now going into Christmas rush mode. So the second week in Jan might be a much more effective time to send out your literature.

 

[Vincent79]

Offer them commission for referral business, they probably have people they currently use so otherwise it will be very difficult to pick up business here. Have you considered sub contracting your services to a major company?

 

[ALEX BOWLING]

thanks for your help columbo and vincent..the "arrives on time every time" is a good thing to include in the letter although I need to improve on the wording somewhat...wording isnt a strong point of mine

I was involved in a couple of big companies but am trying to not have all my eggs in one basket so would prefer to be spread across lots of smaller outfits...the commision for referals is a very good thing to include as its quite common for them to take around a 20% kickback maybe something like "pricing and commision tailored to suit our clients needs" on the letter?

thanks

 

[Vincent79]

thanks for your help columbo and vincent..the "arrives on time every time" is a good thing to include in the letter although I need to improve on the wording somewhat...wording isnt a strong point of mine

I was involved in a couple of big companies but am trying to not have all my eggs in one basket so would prefer to be spread across lots of smaller outfits...the commision for referals is a very good thing to include as its quite common for them to take around a 20% kickback maybe something like "pricing and commision tailored to suit our clients needs" on the letter?

thanks

I would initially offer them more than 20% and provide excellent service to get your foot in the door. Also get yourself on Checkatrade, I believe it costs around £1,200 a year but am told it brings in plenty of work. Good luck.

 

[webgeek]

Flyers in doors/postboxes versus posting letters will provide you a much higher coverage area at a much better cost, generally.

 

[Nochexman]

I would initially offer them more than 20% and provide excellent service to get your foot in the door. Also get yourself on Checkatrade, I believe it costs around £1,200 a year but am told it brings in plenty of work. Good luck.

Don't mention discounts before you even make contact with a prospective employer; 'tailored pricing and commission' is much less needy.

webgeek is correct by the way!