With an economy that is forcing people to care for their homes themselves, I am surprised more contractors are not offering DIY classes like Home Depot. Now, before anyone get’s going on a Home Depot rant, the model they are using is one you can use yourself to bring in new clients or customers.
Let’s use me as an example
I am your perfect case study. My wife has me doing a massive painting program this fall around the house as we move around the kid’s rooms and our home office. I will do all the painting myself since that is about all I can do. But if someone were to show me how to become better painter inside my home, then I would more than likely be willing to hire them to paint the exterior when it came time to do that.
Don’t teach, tell!
The model Home Depot uses is simple, show someone how to do it and sell them the supplies complete it. Well, it is a bit different if you want to get the work, but the philosophy is the same. You tell them what they need to do, then charge them to do it. For example, if you are a plumber and you show me how to do minor plumbing repairs, who do you think I am calling when I have a busted drain? Or let’s say you do roofing and siding and you show me how to do minor shingle repairs or how to fix small holes in my siding, who am I calling when the tree goes through my roof? You get the point.
Give people just enough information to enable them to feel empowered, and then wait for the bigger jobs to come along. And all for the cost of a hotel conference room and some donuts! So this winter when you are playing solitaire waiting for the ice to thaw, why not reach out to 10 or 20 of your previous customers or clients and tell them you are putting on a demonstration on home improvement projects they can do themselves, I bet you book a job for the spring out of it!
Photo Credit: Dru Bloomfield
4 responses to “Let Home Depot Be Your Guide to New Clients”
Another awesome post. I’ve been considering trying to figure out a resourceful tutorial ti assist in teaching the customers things they can do for small home improvement around the house.
Thanks Lauren!
Great talking to you guys tonight!
I am not sure that this model translates to a contractor. It is not just the cost of the hotel room and donuts. That’s a little misleading.
There is a ton of prep time. You just don’t rent a room, buy donuts and boom have a demo. You need a plan, schedule, invitations made and sent, RSVP’s organized and managed, materials to complete the demo, setup and clean up, the list goes on. It would cost, in time and materials, several thousand dollars to pull of one demo.
I don’t know about most of us, but I don’t have a thousand dollars to waste on a slim chance that I would get a “bigger” job. My dollars and hours would be better spent on other marketing strategies, with a better, and proven, ROI.
Hey Rob,
Thanks for stopping by and commenting. You are right, it doesn’t work for all, but is a cheap way (compared to other opportunities) to speak to people who you have already done business with (since this approach would get the best results from former clients or customers) and who might be in the market. Remember, you don’t need a packed house, just a few people who are hyper-motivated could be enough.
-Darren