An open letter to contractors
Get some sort of online presence. And return phone calls.
I’ll be first to admit, I have no idea what the life of a contractor is like.
By contractor, I mean people who build and repair stuff. Like fences, landscapes, and windows.
I’m in the final stages of building my fresh house, and there are a number of things I need to take care of. Like getting a fence installed.
Yet it’s harder than it needs to be. So I’m writing this letter to give you, dear contractor, some advice. Advice that will make you a lot more money.
1. Get a web site.
It doesn’t have to be pretty. It can be a free web site from your domain name registrar, for that matter.
All you need to do is put up some pictures of your work, a few testimonials, perhaps a picture of your family. Something simple.
Perhaps it’s a false sense of security since anyone can put up a web site, but in a way it makes me feel that you’re not some fly-by-night operator.
It also makes you a lot easier to find on Google, which is really notable.
(Bonus points: Invest a thousand dollars in a good web site. Although any web site is a good start, a good web site makes a better impression on clients. And don’t tell me you don’t have $1,000 to invest — see point #3.)
2. Use an email address connected to your domain name.
I don’t have a lot of confidence when I email you at [email protected] or [email protected].
Look, you can get free email with most domain name registrations. Take 15 minutes to set it up.
3. Return phone calls.
Now, I know there’s a building boom in Austin right now. Yet I seem to have had this problem for the past decade. I’ll leave a message with a contractor asking them to come out and make a proposal. Then I never hear back.
If you are so busy right now that you simply can’t handle all of the work being thrown your way, do one of two things:
a) call me back and explain that you’re just too busy. At some point in the future you might not be busy, and taking a couple minutes to call me means I’ll consider you again in the future.
b) sell/make referrals to other businesses. Those firms selling leads to contractors are making a lot more money than you are. Take a page out of their playbook.
