Help! Only 1 call in 3 weeks

Hi everyone

My Husband has been a self employed domestic electrician for 3 weeks. We are in Lincoln UK. We have advertised 3 times in the local paper, delivered around 600 leaflets and have just got a website - yet we have only had 1 solitary call. My Husband now feels like he is doomed to fail. Is this disinterest typical in new start ups?? Please give me some wise words someone?

Regards
PL

 

[LicensedToTrade]

And how many calls has he made in three weeks?

 

[Ralph at NWL]

Hi there

the first thing I would say is not to get depressed yet. It's still very early days.

600 leaflets is not a big number and leaflets can take some time to deliver any results, after all people will hire an electrician when they need one.

If you've only just got a website up and running it can take some time for it to start delivering results unless you have some strong strategies for getting traffic to it (in fact you will need some strategies to get traffic to it anyway).

A few questions spring to mind for me:

In the newspaper advertising, and on the leaflets, do you have some kind of offer to attract peoples attention?

Where did you deliver the leaflets? Did you target a particular type of household based on people who are likely to need an electrician?

What methods are you using to get traffic to your website, and what offer do you have there to encourage them to take action?

There are almost certainly a lot of additional ways to advertise so make sure you are doing plenty of marketing and build in plenty of variety.

 

[An Oasis]

Lealets in the bin
Newspapers in the bin
... in the bin

Tell hubby to find the local where the trades hang out, it's called networking.

 

[HFE Signs]

Target development companies, builders, joiners and trades people... networking with other tradespeople could bring in regular work... 600 is a small number, you need to be distributing 10k a week for 6 weeks at a time.. your local free newspaper will deliver them for you for little money, you can ask them for a postcode or area breakdown then choose the area you target each drop.. this is a relatively easy business to market.. be consistant with newspaper adverts too, people will need to know where to look for you.. also drop a few business cards off at mot station wating rooms.. loads to go at.. good luck.. and of course van signs.. pavement signs.. and banners when you're ready...

 

[Doodle-Noodle]

Oh dear, how miserable for you both! I have no idea how electricians get their name known, but I expect it's every bit as tough as it is for anyone starting out on a new venture - perhaps even more so as people wanting electrial work done probably tend to go on recommendation rather than trust an advert for someone they know nothing about.
He's probably going to have to work really hard getting his name known -for what it's worth, we've tried newspaper advertiing in the past and it's been an expensive waste of money with virtually no resulting business. We find that advertising in local church magazines and the like far more effective and much less expensive. People like the sound of using "local" services and this helps underline the local nature of our business.
Check out your local Chamber of Trade & Commerce, attend networking events (tedious in my experience but well worthwhile) and get to know other businesses. If there is a hardward store near to you that is well used, get to know the proprietor see if you can put a card up, contact locl building firms see if they need to use contractors from time to time, and keep up with the leaflets ....... it's not going to be easy getting started, it's hard work and takes a while to see any results, but that's the only way you are really going to get off the ground.
Get yourself a facebook page and twitter and post interesting, readable information about domestic electrical installations ...... you know the sort of thing, reminders about what people can and can't instal themselves nowadays, safety checks, how to get the most from your electrical appliances, cutting down on electricity bills with more cost effective lighting/heating etc. Be friendly, approachable, invite people to ask you questions, get your potential customer base to feel as though they know you and therefore trust you ...... post the info on locl radio station pages, newspaper pages, property pages, contact local esate agents and offer your services when they take on new rental properties etc ...... and don't lose heart!!

 

[deniser]

We have never employed a tradesman other than by word of mouth. If we need someone we ring one tradesman and ask him to recommend another.

So your best bet is to start making friends and networking. Also make yourself known locally on Twitter and go to local Twitter meetings. Make reciprocal arrangements with other tradesmen.

Good luck.

 

[HFE Signs]

can we see the website?

 

Thank you to those who gave thoughtful advice. I'm afraid Hubby has a tendency to get things out of proportion and he feels quite down about this. Personally, I appreciated that this would take time to build up, but I don't know how to help him. Any more genuine comments would be most appreciated.

Regards
PL

 

[MASSEY]

And how many calls has he made in three weeks?

You don't generally call people up and ask them if they fancy having there house rewired

It's like knocking their door and asking if they want their drive tarmaced

 

[MASSEY]

It's actually quiet at the moment im finding for electrical work, the traffic to my site is low.

Also the competition is pretty fierce. As a company that do all domestic work we don't suffer when there is quiet patches.

I am going to presume you have made a fatal error with your newspaper ad which is adding the same stuff that every other ad on the page has or not being bigger than the other ads?

 

many people make the same mistakes of thinking an ad in the paper will bring in the work, those days are long gone, some good avice so far, networking etc, but as mentioned people call when they have a problem,so consider free places to advertise such as yell and thompsons, people still do use them, dont pay for it though!!! use other websites that will benefit what you do, its all about getting your name out and becoming the name people rely on, for example have you approached landlords to see if you can quote on work they need carrying out, have your approached local estate agents, dont just think Mr & Mrs Smith who need a lightt bulb changing think about volume work too

 

[sitandstay]

Hi,

I understand how you feel.

I run a small Animal and House Sitting company and business started very slow.

It takes time to get up and running. Just hold up and that time will come

It dose take a while to build up a client list, has he asked his clients to refer him to them?

Also try Zopim, I have this on my website, its a live chat and its free. I have taken a few bookings through this and I have only had it on my site for a week or so.
If people can ask there questions etc without having to ring/call this may encourage them to use your services.

Has he tried putting a free advert on Gumtree? I have done this and had some responses.

Hope this is of some help.

Sit and Stay Animal and House Sitters.

 

[Scott-Copywriter]

With this type of service, people look for it when they need it, so you need your business to be in the right place at the right time.

An ordinary flyer will only work if someone needs an electrical service at that specific moment - otherwise it goes in the bin. You need to create an incentive for the prospect to keep the leaflet and use it in the event that your service is required. Some sort of time-unlimited offer which makes them pop it in a drawer.

Another option is to create items which people find useful and easy to keep. Fridge magnets, pens, wallet cards (with useful info), calendars and so on. This way, people will use the item as intended, and will have your number right there in front of them when they need an electrician.

Also, don't forget that marketing campaigns for this type of service can take time to kick in. You may have gave out leaflets to 600 people, but if none of them need an electrician within the first fortnight, then you won't get any sales. Some people may need your service months down the line, so you could receive calls long after your campaign goes out. I've worked on campaigns where a client has received a call from a leaflet they sent out well over a year earlier!

Finally, get yourself on Google for your local area and make sure that your website is up to scratch with good sales copy. You can use SEO and PPC to find local people who have used the internet to search for electrician services, but your website has to convince them in the first attempt that your service is the best out there.

 

[sitandstay]

With this type of service, people look for it when they need it, so you need your business to be in the right place at the right time.

An ordinary flyer will only work if someone needs an electrical service at that specific moment - otherwise it goes in the bin. You need to create an incentive for the prospect to keep the leaflet and use it in the event that your service is required. Some sort of time-unlimited offer which makes them pop it in a drawer.

Another option is to create items which people find useful and easy to keep. Fridge magnets, pens, wallet cards (with useful info), calendars and so on. This way, people will use the item as intended, and will have your number right there in front of them when they need an electrician.

Also, don't forget that marketing campaigns for this type of service can take time to kick in. You may have gave out leaflets to 600 people, but if none of them need an electrician within the first fortnight, then you won't get any sales. Some people may need your service months down the line, so you could receive calls long after your campaign goes out. I've worked on campaigns where a client has received a call from a leaflet they sent out well over a year earlier!

Finally, get yourself on Google for your local area and make sure that your website is up to scratch with good sales copy. You can use SEO and PPC to find local people who have used the internet to search for electrician services, but your website has to convince them in the first attempt that your service is the best out there.

I agree with this, you defiantly need to get yourself on google

 

[Matt1959]

Hi everyone

My Husband has been a self employed domestic electrician for 3 weeks. We are in Lincoln UK. We have advertised 3 times in the local paper, delivered around 600 leaflets and have just got a website - yet we have only had 1 solitary call. My Husband now feels like he is doomed to fail. Is this disinterest typical in new start ups?? Please give me some wise words someone?

Regards
PL

I think a point worth noting is dont get hung up on the fact he's only been going 3 weeks - nobody else knows this apart from you! That means you have as much right to the enquiries out there as the guy who has been self employed for 5 years. Don't give any clue that you are new on the scene....

 

[Richard Glynn]

People buy from people. And this is certainly true for trades people.

I'm a member of a business networking group in Lancashire. We had an electrician join two months ago. He's already got ten referrals.

Get out there and start talking to people. (Not always selling or people will close off. People will use an electrician when you need one)

Listen, add value to the conversation, be a nice guy. Then people will recommend your husband.

Get out there. Don't feel sorry for yourself!!

As you generate more custom, encourage referrals from satisfied customers.

Your website is impersonal. Put a photo of your husband on there. Show some personality.

Good luck!!

 

[MASSEY]

many people make the same mistakes of thinking an ad in the paper will bring in the work, those days are long gone,

That's bollox.

 

[K-rado]

Dear PL.

I am assuming here that your husband is qualified and has/is NiC / 17edition . Does he have his part P?
PL/any indemnity insurance?
If not, then this is an absolute must. Assuming that he has, then I suggest the following.

Register for free as a trade on www.mybuilder.com. Steer clear of the others. ( you will all know what they are). Waste of money.

There will be loads of small and general builders out there and close to you that will do bathrooms, kitchen extensions etc and if they are professional, they outsource all their electrical works. Tell your hubby to go and find the Boss and speak with them face to face. Forget cold calling, it will not be welcome. Also go and meet up with some plumbers, one man band or smaller companies and the two trades often feed of each other in a partnering fashion. Also visit bathroom show rooms as they will have fitters on their books and can recommend you as an electrician. It takes time to get your name out there. Treat every lead as your last and give it 100%. You will need to bend over backwards to start off with but it will all come good in the end. Hold fire with spending money on advertisements. Have a big Christmas campaign for installing out-door and indoor Christmas lights from the end of September. You can also substitute this by buying some select wholesale products and selling them on for a small profit. There should be enough there to get you focused and up and running. Hope this helps and good luck. K

 

[directmarketingadvice]

Please give me some wise words someone?

3 things:

(1) Decide what your ideal customer would be.

(2) Decide what you'd have to offer to make them want to hire you. For example, who are they using now or have used in the past? Why would they prefer you to the people they already know?

(3) Figure out how to get the message from question 2 in front of the people from question 1.

Steve

 

[K-rado]

Oh, Also and I meant to add this. Go to your local retail park where there is a Wickes, Home base or B&Q and ask to speak with the duty manager. (Saturday would be a good day for DIYers and best for footfall and managers are human just like the rest of us) Tell them that you are a new local business and that you are trying to spread the word about your company service during these challenging economic times and ask for their permission i.e would they have any objections if you distribute some leaflets to members of the public in the vicinity / immediately outside their premises. Now, if it is in a retail park and the parking is public parking they should have no objection. You are now in a prime pitch where there is considerable amount of foot fall. This puts you face to face with potential customers. You do not have to discuss anything with them, but if they stop to chat, treat it as a sales opportunity but only so far as to sell yourself / your service and nothing else. Have good quality fliers, no bigger than B4 and paper clip a business card to each one. Give it a go. I think you will be surprised at the results. Better still, Go halves with the fliers with a plumber ( the one that I advised you to meet) and get them to cough up half the costs or maybe even pay the whole cost if you do the distribution.
I know it might seem a scarey prospect, but I guarantee within an hour you will have honed your sales patter and every leaflet handout will be done with a smile. Cheers K

 

[LewinFusion]

whats the website

 

The website is in a previous post.

I really appreciate all your thoughtful and helpful replies

We got our 2nd call today!!! Keep the ideas coming, especially advice about the website.

Regards
PL

 

[Bruvver]

I am feeling for you, but if you have nothing to put on certain pages, ie Testimonials, About Us, and Examples of our work, then don't have that page.
A simple one or two page site is enough, empty pages shouts amateur.

 

[Matt1959]

Keep the ideas coming, especially advice about the website.

Its not finished!

you're looking for people to trust you with their homes and two things that go some way to building this trust are "about us" and "testimonials" - these will be two pages that alot of people will click on...

 

[Joe E]

So far my views

600 leaflets is not enough! get more out there and reguarly too, test split between two or more types of copy to see what works and what dosen't.
Seriously consider hiring a professional copywriter it will repay you many times over especially the example Scott gave re doing things differently so people keep the leaflet.

Network as much as you can, look up local meets such BNI 4N etc go along to see what works for you its usually free to try, its slow burn but once people get to know you they get to trust you and then use & recommend you a winning cycle develops.
check this to find out other networking events.

The direct approach to DIY stores etc is a good one however be aware not every store will be pleased to see you plus I would imagine companies pay a premium or rental fees to pitch up at them so if you see this as a good marketing plan you will need to include these fees in your costings.

As others have said the website needs work in the most crucial area's I'm no expert but to me as a consumer the crux of what I would want to know is your experience and qualifications and that you have and some checkable references/testimonials, obviously the latter is difficult when you've just started out so maybe take that page off the site in the meantime' out of sight out of mind kind of thing. really not ideal so make sure its very short term.

As Steve said profile your ideal customer, presuming you have the necessary credentials think of ways that your expertise and service can have differentials to your competitors so it addresses the why use you over others question.

Hope that's useful

 

[Rhyl Lightworks]

It's really a question of supply and demand. If there are more electicrians than there is work for them, people are going to stick with people they trust and it is very difficult to break into this market. The first few jobs could be loss leaders to get your name well known, and people to pass on recommendations by word of mouth. Go the extra mile when doing jobs; things like cleaning up after you, not skimping on time and materials, attending to any recalls promptly, turning up exactly when you say you will, etc.

My experience when I started in a related field (appliance repairs) was finding there was a need in this area for someone who was reliable, could do the work competently, and didn't overcharge. I have never made more money before or since (I gave this up some years ago, when I felt I was getting too old and wanted a quieter life than going out all the time, and concentrated on retail).

I suppose that what I am saying is that there are opportunities for people who strive to give satisfaction to their customers, and put themselves in the mind of their customers, giving them what they want.

Barrie

 

[sitandstay]

Have you thought about doing a refer your friend for 20% off or something like that? Or doing a special offer for all new customers, this is something I do and it has seemed to have worked well.

I cant stress enough about submitting your website to as any free online directories as your can. This should help you a lot

Has he also though about setting up a Facebook page, I have done this and have had some response from it

Hope this is of some help. Good luck

Sit and Stay Animal and House Sitters.

 

[sitandstay]

Oh, Also and I meant to add this. Go to your local retail park where there is a Wickes, Home base or B&Q and ask to speak with the duty manager. (Saturday would be a good day for DIYers and best for footfall and managers are human just like the rest of us) Tell them that you are a new local business and that you are trying to spread the word about your company service during these challenging economic times and ask for their permission i.e would they have any objections if you distribute some leaflets to members of the public in the vicinity / immediately outside their premises. Now, if it is in a retail park and the parking is public parking they should have no objection. You are now in a prime pitch where there is considerable amount of foot fall. This puts you face to face with potential customers. You do not have to discuss anything with them, but if they stop to chat, treat it as a sales opportunity but only so far as to sell yourself / your service and nothing else. Have good quality fliers, no bigger than B4 and paper clip a business card to each one. Give it a go. I think you will be surprised at the results. Better still, Go halves with the fliers with a plumber ( the one that I advised you to meet) and get them to cough up half the costs or maybe even pay the whole cost if you do the distribution.
I know it might seem a scarey prospect, but I guarantee within an hour you will have honed your sales patter and every leaflet handout will be done with a smile. Cheers K

I think this information above is like gold!!!!! Do this any you are sure to get some work.

I have also had a look at your website, you need to get some feedback from your customers this will attract more attention, also on your discount page, you say 'disabled people' I think you should look at re-wording that if its possible.

I also think you need more content on your website, remember content is key.

Also start submitting it to google, yahoo and other search engines.


Sit and Stay Animal and House Sitters.

 

[maxine]

Forget cold calling, it will not be welcome.

With all due respect, that too is bollox.

Other trades are in the same position and provided you don't call people who are on the CTPS then cold calls can be very fruitful.

Other trades usually show a bit of respect to someone who has the oomph to get on the phone and find work rather than wait for it to come to them. It shows a bit of enthusiasm for wanting work and people will try new suppliers.

Example: we are a plumbing and plastering company and get calls from tilers, electricians, builders, carpenters, etc.. we always keep their details for future jobs.

If our usual person is unavailable (or recently done something a bit iffy) then there is every chance we will contact someone who contacted us.

I did just a few hours cold calling for our own business a few weeks ago and it was a very strong reminder to do it more often as it's just generally good to keep in touch with other local tradespeople.

Also, I would personally steer clear of landlords as lots of people try to go for that work and it usually involves jumping through lots of hoops for rubbish rates, and even worse cashflow.

I would look for people such as kitchen fitters, conservatory companies, plumbers, plasterers, builders etc instead

 

[maxine]

Oh, Also and I meant to add this. Go to your local retail park where there is a Wickes, Home base or B&Q and ask to speak with the duty manager. (Saturday would be a good day for DIYers and best for footfall and managers are human just like the rest of us) Tell them that you are a new local business and that you are trying to spread the word about your company service during these challenging economic times and ask for their permission i.e would they have any objections if you distribute some leaflets to members of the public in the vicinity / immediately outside their premises. Now, if it is in a retail park and the parking is public parking they should have no objection. You are now in a prime pitch where there is considerable amount of foot fall. This puts you face to face with potential customers. You do not have to discuss anything with them, but if they stop to chat, treat it as a sales opportunity but only so far as to sell yourself / your service and nothing else. Have good quality fliers, no bigger than B4 and paper clip a business card to each one. Give it a go. I think you will be surprised at the results. Better still, Go halves with the fliers with a plumber ( the one that I advised you to meet) and get them to cough up half the costs or maybe even pay the whole cost if you do the distribution.
I know it might seem a scarey prospect, but I guarantee within an hour you will have honed your sales patter and every leaflet handout will be done with a smile. Cheers K

I can say from experience that this works brilliantly

The managers will not endorse you in any way but usually give permission to stand outside giving out leaflets as long as you don't imply that you are recommended by them. This is where I can usually be found on most bank holidays (how sad!)

 

[Matt1959]

I can say from experience that this works brilliantly

The managers will not endorse you in any way but usually give permission to stand outside giving out leaflets as long as you don't imply that you are recommended by them. This is where I can usually be found on most bank holidays (how sad!)

you know what? I have never, ever never met anyone handing out trades leaflets outside the big DIY places - thats a lot of places I've been to over a very long time!! Perhaps its a geographical thing, perhaps trades are more busy hereabouts or perhaps they are just bone idle!!!! prob the latter:redface:

 

[MASSEY]

I can say from experience that this works brilliantly

The managers will not endorse you in any way but usually give permission to stand outside giving out leaflets as long as you don't imply that you are recommended by them. This is where I can usually be found on most bank holidays (how sad!)

Who picks up the bill for all the litter the flyers create?

 

Get your website up to scratch ,should be fairly easy to target geo locations or use google places.

Make sure you put your (lowest) hourly rates on the site or example prices of set jobs.

Also put the low prices in the meta description tag.

Everyone wants to know what it going to cost.

Earl

 

[sitandstay]

Get your website up to scratch ,should be fairly easy to target geo locations or use google places.

Make sure you put your (lowest) hourly rates on the site or example prices of set jobs.

Also put the low prices in the meta description tag.

Everyone wants to know what it going to cost.

Earl

I dont add the prices to my site, But I think for this line of business, everyone wants to know the cost upfront. But put your lowest price on the site

But I cant stress about adding more content to your website.

Sit and Stay Animal and House Sitters.

 

[K-rado]

With all due respect, that too is bollox.

It shows a bit of enthusiasm for wanting work ( when I am on the receiving end of the call, sounds a little desperate to me !)


@maxine. A little harsh and with the greatest respect, I am of the firm opinion that cold calling is bollox!

I was going to write a long winded reply, in fact I was in the middle of it, but Hey! we are going to have to agree to disagree on this one.

Just so as you know, I was referring to cold calling on the telephone>

K.

 

[Rhyl Lightworks]

As I have said in another thread, I make a point of not parting with any money to anyone that cold calls me, no matter how good their offer seems to be.

Barrie

 

[maxine]

@K-rado - absolutely fine to agree to disagree

I do cold calling for a living and if were not receptive and if it didn't bring in work, I wouldn't have a job.

There are two categories of people - those that put themselves on TPS/CTPS and those that don't. The people who feel strongly about calls and who are on TPS/CTPS I do not bother calling. There is no point if that approach is not welcome and I have better things to do with my time than be sworn at.

For all the others (usually around 75% of a list) I get less than 1% that are unreceptive to cold calls.

There have been some fantastic threads on UKBF about why all cold callers are scumbags or worse and most of these comments come from people who are on TPS but who still get called.

That is all completely irrelevant to me. Professional cold calls for people who are not on TPS with a decent marketing message are very different from other calls.

I'm not out to convince the world that cold calling is the best marketing method but I don't think it should be ruled out completely based on peoples own emotional feelings and their own experiences of bad calls. Business is business

 

[K-rado]

Thank you Maxine. Buggered if I know what TPS or CTPS is or indeed what category I fit into but yes, I believe there is a place for cold calling. But, with respect to the OP and this Tread, I am not convinced it is appropriate in this particular instance and that going out and meeting and greeting new potential clients would be a better use of time and resource. I am not taking anything away from your profession or indeed your views or opinions that are clearly well respected and displays a high degree of professional competence. :smile back at ya: K.

 

[businessfunding]

Tradesmen generally seem to benefit from localised networking events such as BNI or BRE.

It's early & a bit regimented but a great way of getting the word out!