Why do some handymen have too many customers and others don’t have enough? Is it location? Is it skill level? Is it how much they charge?
When I polled my readers a few weeks ago…
- 35% said they didn’t have enough customers.
- But 25% said they had TOO many customers and couldn’t keep up with demand.
Why such a big difference? What is the 25% doing that works so well? It’s probably not what you think.
Last week two of my existing customers called me to handle some door repairs. Normally this would be business as usual, but the reason they called was unusual.
Those existing customers didn’t call me because I was the first handyman to pop into their heads or because I’d been working for them for several years, which I had.
In fact, both customers (these are two separate customers) didn’t even think about me for this particular repair. Instead, they went straight to google and searched for somebody who specialized in fixing doors.
And guess who popped up?
You guessed it! I did. But there’s more that makes this situation interesting…
These are both long-term clients of mine. They both hire me regularly, and one has hired me at least once a month for the last 5 years! Yet, she still didn’t think of me to fix her doors.
I would be more surprised, but at this point, I expect it. It happens all the time. And, this is a major hint why some handyman businesses are booked solid, and others struggle to stay busy.
Since I’m not the kind of person to drop subtle hints, here are 5 key marketing insights from this unexpected situation that can have a huge impact on your income.
#1 – Customers Don’t Know Your Business
Don’t assume customers know your skills or the service you offer. In most cases, they don’t. It’s up to you to tell them what you can do for them.
Although those customers had been hiring me for years, they didn’t know I was good at door repairs. You’d think that it would be obvious that a handyman could solve that problem.
But, there are a LOT of different repairs and a LOT of handymen who offer completely different services. How are customers supposed to keep track?
That’s why it’s up to YOU to communicate what you offer – especially if there is something you’re really good at.
#2 – The Right Marketing Strategy Will Work For Years
The reason those two customers found me in Google was because of an article I wrote over 5 years ago, and it still shows up in Google. Because of that article and the online presence I built for my business, I was able to completely stop hustling for customers a long time ago.
That means no more paying for leads or posting ads to craigslist. If I want more customers, I simply answer the phone.
But, that wouldn’t happen if I just focused on short-term marketing strategies like paying for leads, craigslist, or direct mail. Sure, those strategies are great to help boost business from the start, but they’ll never get you ahead.
If you want a consistent flow of new leads coming in – automatically – online marketing is the best friend you haven’t been properly introduced to yet.
#3 – Don’t Suck
You don’t have to be the best, but offering a quality product/service is the foundation of any good marketing strategy.
If you suck to work with and do poor quality work, nothing else matters. Nobody even cares what other services you offer.
The good news is that you don’t even have to be that good either. Here’s why you can do very well even if you aren’t the best.
#4 – People Don’t Think of a Handyman When They Need a Repair
If somebody needs a fence repaired, they’ll open up their web browser and type in “fence repair.”
If somebody wants a fridge repaired – they’ll search for “fridge repair,” or if they know the industry, they might search “appliance repair.” Rarely will a customer know they could call a handyman.
In fact, from my experience, very few people even consider hiring a handyman. Gone are the days where every house has a tight-knit relationship with a handyman that handles all their needs.
Most people don’t even know what a handyman really is!
Sure, there are still people out there who call their handyman for everything. I have several of those customers. But they aren’t the norm. The norm now is that people build a relationship with their phones and computers. When they need a repair, they look to Yelp, Google, or one of the dozen other options.
And as I demonstrated above, they do that even when they already have a handyman.
#5 – Get Your F-ing Business Online!
I’ll stop hinting at it and just say it. If you want to consistently fill your schedule with profitable jobs, build an online presence.
If you think you can get by without doing so, great. But I can guarantee you that you’re leaving money on the table.
And no, I’m not talking about throwing up a crappy one-page website or a Facebook page and then complaining to me that it didn’t work. Of course, that wouldn’t work. If it were that easy, everybody would do it. And honestly, would you really want it to be that easy?
When I say get online, I’m talking about building a solid online presence that leverages the tools and technology that exist today to really kick ass with your business. It’s not rocket science, but it will take effort.
Conclusion
Good marketing is the foundation to a profitable and sustainable business, and it’s what differentiates the highly profitable handyman businesses from those that struggle to turn a profit.
The good news is that marketing isn’t some magical or illusive concept. It’s not some innate skill that you either have or you don’t. Just like most things, it can be learned.
With just a bit of time, effort, and focus, and by avoiding pitfalls, you can literally double your profits by learning this essential skill.
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Hi Dan,
Great article – especially your emphasis on putting together a quality website. Your readers should follow your lead and be sure to include on their site a complete list of the many types of services offered using the same kind of language homeowners use – Like your example of “fridge repair” along with “appliance repair”.
Two more tips that seem obvious but are oftentimes overlooked:
1. Be sure to tell your clients what services you provide. “When anything needs fixed, save yourself a headache & give me a call first. I’ve got tons of experience repairing XYZ. ” Having this conversation face-to-face goes a long way in helping the homeowner remember your name & qualifications.
2. Ask for referrals. Seriously. If they’re pleased with your service, just come right out and ask them to let family & friends know that you’re available. “I’d love the opportunity to help friends & family who might need work done around the house. Please pass along my name. I’d appreciate it. ” It really does work!
Great tips, Mary.
Particularly liked “People Don’t Think of a Handyman When They Need a Repair”. Seems obvious now that you’ve mentioned it, but never crossed my mind before. Definitely a reason to create a new targeted blog post, thanks.
Great Article
Great input. I’m happy to say that I’m part of that 25%, or am I? Being over booked has its own stress, but better than under booked. Webpage is very important and content is very important. I have my page up with what I think is very small amounts of content but 99% of the other pages in my area are the single pages, if any at all. This was a good reminder to me to set aside time and update my page with a few months of more work I’ve done. I have used HomeAdvisor a lot as well and I recommend to those using that to be specific across all the areas you do jobs and not just list yourself for “handyman.” I have probably 2 dozen fields checked so I pop up on a variety of searches. And also get reviews!!! Good ones!!! Respond to your reviews, especially if you get a bad one respond. Having a few bad reviews is okay because some customers are never happy, but having a professional response is key. Folks notice and recognize that one bad review in 40 is that customer. I saw a handyman in my area respond to a poor review with “You we’re not happy with my work or any of the previous people you called. Sounds like you are the problem but thanks for the low review. Whatever!!” Yeah, don’t do that.
Anyway, thanks so much Dan for all of your input, knowledge, and guidance in this field. I used you for the motivation and how to do it this time last year. One year in, booked 4 weeks out, 4.9/5 with 40ish reviews, and first year very much is ending in the positive $$$.
I couldn’t disagree more strongly with this article. I owned an exterior remodeling company for 17 years and relied almost exclusively on a website, Facebook, google local and pay per click marketing. I spent $1,000+ every month on ppc, $850 monthly on a website and more on Facebook. In my opinion, the internet as a marketing tool is mostly hype and BS. After I closed my company I went to work as an outside sales rep for one of my competitors, I was absolutely shocked that the vast majority of our leads generated were coming from some form of direct mail advertising. Only a very small percentage of our leads came from any form of internet marketing (website, PPC, Facebook, Home Advisor and other social media), i’d estimate 5-10% of total leads. This was a company doing upwards of $5 million a year in sales. Be very careful how you spend your advertising dollars and remember most of what you read on the internet is there to promote the internet, there are better options out there. You should have a mobile friendly website and as many local listings as possible (Yoast is a good investment) but the vast majority of your advertising budget should be invested elsewhere.
Thanks for your thoughts. So is this just based on your experience with two companies – or do you have more experience outside of this? Not that I don’t think your experience is valid, but isn’t there a chance that both of those companies executed their online marketing poorly and that’s why they got poor results?
Dan,
How could you possibly infer that a marketing plan was executed poorly when it resulted in $5,000,000.00 a year in annual sales at a very high profit margin. This is success at a level every small business aspires to but very few ever achieve, I would estimate only the top 2%. They in fact have an outstanding marketing plan and a proven track record of success for more than 30 years. You’ve made an erroneous assessment based on your own very limited business experience as stated on your blog. You state you’ve run a very small scale handyman business for 5 years or so and you’re an expert? I know that you’re here to try to help people but you have much to learn yourself. You have a very narrow view on the subject of marketing. I would encourage you to take a job as a salesperson inside of a professional sales and marketing organization. I promise, after a year or two you’ll see the world through very different eyes and you’ll quickly realize it’s one of the smartest things you’ve ever done. You’re a young man and you’ll acquire skills that you cannot attain anywhere else. Those skills, if applied in your future business endeavors could make you a very wealthy man. You’ll never gain those skills working on your own, you won’t learn them from reading books and you most definitely will not learn them on a college campus. I wish you all the best!
I’m not saying it was executed poorly. But, I know that if a company finds something that works they usually double down on it and never really fully investigate other methods. If direct mail was working well enough, what motivation do they have to spend time to figure out SEO and online marketing?
Also, just because a company generates $5 million doesn’t mean they know everything about marketing, especially if it took them 30 years to get there. With the right service all you need is one method of marketing that works to hit that number. And really, $5million isn’t THAT big of a company, especially not after 30 years in business. It would actually be sad if they didn’t hit $5 million in that amount of time.
All I’m saying is that just because two companies didn’t get results from online marketing doesn’t mean it doesn’t work and that other methods are better. Honestly, it’s not enough data to make ANY conclusions.
I think you’ve offered some good insight, although in a rude way, but I’m not going to bet my future on it.
Deeply appreciate the blog and comments. All your advise is greatly appreciated.
Thank you!