How to get more work for small business contractors

If you’re a small business contractor and you want to grow your business, you got to get out of your comfort zone. Wouldn’t it be great to really get more business than you can handle, so much that you have to hire more people and even turn down the little annoying jobs that frustrate you?

With the proper knowledge and hard work, anything is possible, but if you’re going to dream big. This means testing new strategies and trusting other people to help you take your business to the next level. You’ll have to do everything you can to stay relevant and attractive in the marketplace. Are you ready to grow and make more money?

Here are 4 key areas to implement change for your business:

Number 1

Online presence and social media marketing

Number 2

Financial security and insurance

Number 3

Client portfolio and reputation

Number 4

Avoiding common business mistakes

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Pro Tip

Online Presence and Social Media Marketing can drastically boost your business. Did you know there are over 3 billion local online searches performed every day and 82% of those searches follow up with a call? It’s easy to see that small business contractors that are not online are losing business.

1. Online Presence and Social Media Marketing.

How Small Business Contractors Can Get Online Now?

  • Hire someone to build a “Search Engine Optimized WordPress Website.”
  • Have your website listed in online local business directories.
  • Set up Google Ads to help drive search queries to your website.
  • Hire someone to set up and manage your social media accounts.
  • Track your results. How many leads did you get?

2. Financial Security and Insurance

You may cringe at the idea of insurance, and say you don’t need it, but there are more reasons for getting insurance than not. For example, have you or your colleagues in your industry ever lose a job because you didn’t have enough insurance? Once you have the right insurance policies, clients will be more comfortable hiring you.

Financial Security and Insurance

And don’t just get insurance to get the job! You need small business contractors insurance because if you are held liable in an accident, you will be sued. Furthermore, if you don’t have thousands to millions of dollars saved in your back pocket to pay the fines, then you will lose your business. So much for getting more clients than you can handle.

You’re already in a risky business. We can plan for success, but accidents don’t have a plan, they just happen. Protect your business from financial disarray and open up your business to greater job opportunities by getting small business contractors insurance.

3. Client Portfolio and Reputation

The average consumer makes purchases with his or her eyes. They know what they want once they see it. Don’t rely on a simple advertisement to promote your business. Clients need to know that they can rely on you to get the job done, and they are going to need proof.

There are two kinds of proof:

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Social Proof

Social proof is simply word of mouth marketing. When John is ready to hire a roofer, do you know what he’s going to do? He is going to ask his neighbor, Susie, who did her roof last year.

A good way to generate social proof is to implement referral strategies that encourage people to start talking about your business. After you have done a great job, ask the client if they don’t mind referring 2 – 3 people that they know. Or if you already implemented your social media strategy, ask them to take a picture and post it online.

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Visual Proof

Seeing is believing. Once you have permission to take a picture or your amazing work, post it on your newly designed website. Don’t forget to ask for written testimonials too! Have you worked with any big names or major companies? If you have your client’s permission, promote this on your website and marketing materials: “I have worked for major companies like FarmerBrown.com and Mc. Ronald’s!”

4. Avoid Small Business Contractors Mistakes

Here are five of the most common mistakes that small business contractors make and if you avoid them, you can book yourself solid with a full roster of happy clients.

  • Running your Business without a Plan

    When you fail to plan, you plan to fail! In order to be successful or even identify your success, you have to make goals and create a strategy to achieve them. A plan is like a roadmap that helps you get to your destination.

  • Providing a Low-Value Service

    You have a successful business strategy when you are able to find a market need and deliver a solution at a reasonable cost. Your job as small business contractors is to over deliver on value. When your customer feels that your work is worth more than they paid for it, they will praise you and spread the word.

  • Ignoring High Turnover

    Turnover destroys field productivity and that destroys profitability. You need to make your company a preferred place of employment. Keep good people around and watch your profit share grow. Do this by providing incentives and recognition.

  • Focusing on Bad Clients

    Yes, there is such a thing as bad clients! These ones complain about everything. They don’t pay their bills on time, they’re never clear on what they want and on top of their bad attitude, they ask for another discount! Try not to focus too much energy on these people because you will never profit with them. Go the extra mile for customers that will value your service.

  • Trying to Win the Deal on Price

    Don’t try to beat the competitors by providing the lowest price on the market. You’ll end up attracting cheap customers that still want another deal on top of the menial charge. Remember, if you provide a high-value service than you can charge a high-value price. Sell your clients on the value of your services. Tell them why your service is better. Don’t take any one of these steps lightly. If you are doing amazing in one area, move on to the next. Don’t try to focus on changing all five steps at once because you’ll end up dropping one or several balls and make a total mess. Small business contractors should implement one new strategy at a time then measure their results. If it didn’t work, try a new approach. Big business doesn’t happen overnight, but with time and consistency, you’ll be able to create the business of your dreams.

What are the main advantages of choosing FarmerBrown.com for insurance quotes?

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A Broader Choice

We work with more than 30 A-rated insurance companies, many of which your local brokers may not have access to.

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5-Star Customer Service

We pride ourselves on our knowledgeable and professional sales team, who prioritize attention to detail and are prepared to handle complaints 24 hours a day.

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Tailor-made service

We negotiate with the best insurers to achieve effective insurance solutions for you.

Written by: John Brown
John has more than 25 years of experience in the insurance industry. He grew from a star insurance producer to owning one of the largest agencies in the country; he's a reference regarding contractor's insurance, commercial insurance, and builders' risk insurance.