This is a bit of a mid-year check-in to see if you’ve been a good little contractor and done your knitting. If not, it isn’t too late to start. Don’t make me knock you over the head at the end of the year because you did nothing!
1. Actually Market Your Business – Stop talking about it and really do it. Do something to promote your business every day. And don’t give me you don’t have the money. There are plenty of things you can do for free. If you are lacking imagination, check out Craigslist again as well as Backpage.
2. Set a Budget – Committing to a budget (either time or money) will help you move to action. If you have more time than money, find free services (see above) to market your business. If you have more money than time, hire someone like me to help you promote your business.
3. Give the Market Time to Absorb Your Message – One of the biggest mistakes I see contractors make is changing their marketing message too soon. Know that you get sick of your marketing first because you see it the most. Resist the urge to change up your ads just because you don’t get the results you expecting right away. Most people don’t move to action until they consume your “brand” at least 7 times.
4. Track – Once you do start marketing your business, track your results. There is nothing worse than spending money on marketing and not knowing what is bringing in new business.
5. Consistently Present a Good Image – Don’t treat Ms. Smith like gold, then have her drive past your work truck down at the local strip joint at 11am on a Monday. And don’t let your employees present your company in any way that you have to recover from. How? Make sure they know what they can talk about and what they can’t, and always, always, always make sure they are dressed appropriately and care for Ms. Smith’s home like it was their own…in fact, treat it better!