MARKETING

[Len]

How do you market your electrical contracting business to residential and commercial customers?

 

[GUNNING]

Buy into a very expensive franchise and let them do it.:roll:

 

[ritelec]

How do you market your electrical contracting business to residential and commercial customers?

When you find out.....let me know.


Thousands of fliers, cards, door to door.............doing the same thing I did 20 yrs. ago to no avail.
They say if something doesn't work to learn from it and try something else..............what's the something else??? (please don't say www and cattle-call)

Much work only seems to come from references and word of mouth..........yet remember your only as good as your last number and there's no loyalty.


Good luck with it!

 

[satcom]

When you find out.....let me know.


Thousands of fliers, cards, door to door.............doing the same thing I did 20 yrs. ago to no avail.
They say if something doesn't work to learn from it and try something else..............what's the something else??? (please don't say www and cattle-call)

Much work only seems to come from references and word of mouth..........yet remember your only as good as your last number and there's no loyalty.


Good luck with it!

Well, lets look at what is working, around here the small and medium size service electrical companies, with anywhere from one truck to 6 are eating everyones lunch and growing their business into a real profit machine, they already managed to but most of the small guys out of business, they operate companies that sell value, not price, so they have a leg up on the guys that try to beat them down with low prices, the value companies, present a business that shouts value, with everything from a new or near new, clean neat truck, with well done professional lettering on their vans, and they carry that image with everything connected to the business, they dress for success, and present themself as a well qualified professional business, their ad money is planned and backed with a budget that is a big part of the business, you will find if hard to enter their circle unless you understand the basics of operating a business, and are prepared to do the work it takes to make it.

 

[ritelec]

Thanks Satcom.

I've got all those bases covered.............but haven't been pushing the "value" aspect.. a guess... (got to figure out what it is and how to present it............)

I know I'm the best out there and I use super high grade conductors (ha ha ha)..........but Mrs. Jones is looking a 100 dollars being 100 dollars.

And for the most part it doesn't even get to the "free estimate", (which I would love to implement "call fee") the phone does not ring.


So we'll see what this week brings. (Or rather, we'll see what I can make this week bring!!!)


Go gettem Len!

 

[CopperTone]

How do you market your electrical contracting business to residential and commercial customers?

I have found that it isn't one particular thing in advertising that makes your phone ring. it is a bunch of different things all woring in conjuction with each other.

put some money into google adwords, have a website and submit the free listings with as many websites as you can, take ads out in the local phone books (not the big yellow books), make sure your trucks are lettered, do a postcard campaign in your area, use lawn signs where you do jobs, we have a sandwhich board out in front of our shop advertising something different every month, we have a big sign out in front of our shop advertising the company, give out your business cards to everyone you look at a job for, find a niche - do something everyone wants installed.

you can try craigslist - but dont depend on it. join the chamber of commerce, join a professional networking group, start your own networking group - I refer the same plumber all the time - he refers me all the time.

Do lots of things - dont put your eggs all in one basket. Try different things - some will work some not so well, but if you arent too deeply invested in it, then you can move on quickly and it wouldn't have cost you too much.

Ever notice that you see McDonalds ads everywhere? they do lots of little things - but everywhere - so when you are hungry it is programmed in your brain to go to McDonalds.
you want people to think of your company when they need electrical work - program it into their brains

 

[satcom]

I have found that it isn't one particular thing in advertising that makes your phone ring. it is a bunch of different things all woring in conjuction with each other.

put some money into google adwords, have a website and submit the free listings with as many websites as you can, take ads out in the local phone books (not the big yellow books), make sure your trucks are lettered, do a postcard campaign in your area, use lawn signs where you do jobs, we have a sandwhich board out in front of our shop advertising something different every month, we have a big sign out in front of our shop advertising the company, give out your business cards to everyone you look at a job for, find a niche - do something everyone wants installed.

you can try craigslist - but dont depend on it. join the chamber of commerce, join a professional networking group, start your own networking group - I refer the same plumber all the time - he refers me all the time.

Do lots of things - dont put your eggs all in one basket. Try different things - some will work some not so well, but if you arent too deeply invested in it, then you can move on quickly and it wouldn't have cost you too much.

Ever notice that you see McDonalds ads everywhere? they do lots of little things - but everywhere - so when you are hungry it is programmed in your brain to go to McDonalds.
you want people to think of your company when they need electrical work - program it into their brains

Yes, it is a combo of many things, and you really have to find out what works, and willing to learn as you go, we had one EC, invest a good sum in yard signs only to find his mail box filled with fines from a few towns where he left the signs over the allowed limit, then he did target marketing, only to learn laret that he did it at the wrong time of the year, I never knew there was a select time of the year to get the best results, and it usually costs more to get the best target customers that have a good chance of response, everything that works well usually costs a bit of your budget, a good reason to keep your rates up to afford the on going investment in ad's.

 

[cowboyjwc]

I have found that it isn't one particular thing in advertising that makes your phone ring. it is a bunch of different things all woring in conjuction with each other.

put some money into google adwords, have a website and submit the free listings with as many websites as you can, take ads out in the local phone books (not the big yellow books), make sure your trucks are lettered, do a postcard campaign in your area, use lawn signs where you do jobs, we have a sandwhich board out in front of our shop advertising something different every month, we have a big sign out in front of our shop advertising the company, give out your business cards to everyone you look at a job for, find a niche - do something everyone wants installed.

you can try craigslist - but dont depend on it. join the chamber of commerce, join a professional networking group, start your own networking group - I refer the same plumber all the time - he refers me all the time.

Do lots of things - dont put your eggs all in one basket. Try different things - some will work some not so well, but if you arent too deeply invested in it, then you can move on quickly and it wouldn't have cost you too much.

Ever notice that you see McDonalds ads everywhere? they do lots of little things - but everywhere - so when you are hungry it is programmed in your brain to go to McDonalds.
you want people to think of your company when they need electrical work - program it into their brains

In red are very good ideas. I can tell you for a fact the some of the busiest electricians in town right now belong to the local Rotary Club. The do donate a lot of time, but it seems to come back to them.