Help!: Seeking builders

[rodders26]

I'm just starting up and was looking for some advice,I'm in the middle of distributing some flyers do you think sending the flyers out too the local builders or to speak with them let them no about your intentions too?

[Ajax123]

Originally Posted by rodders26

I'm just starting up and was looking for some advice,I'm in the middle of distributing some flyers do you think sending the flyers out too the local builders or to speak with them let them no about your intentions too?

Most flyers will end up in the bin or on the junk mail pile. Sorry if you have spent a lot of time doing them but it is a fact. I reckon only about 5% will go into a "useful bits of paper file". You are always better speaking directly to people. example : you send out 100 flyers in a day and only 5% of them are kept and only 5% of them result in an enquiry. That is less than 1 enquiry a week.

If you pick up the yellow pages and phone round 30 builders on day 1 and make 10 appointments for days 2 and 3 I can almost guarantee that you will get at least 2 enquiries from it.

Whilst you are new you will be able to cope with this and do the tiling jobs you pick up. Once you are established you wont need to do so much of it cos your customers will come to you.

You could of course try driving round looking for sites but I always find that a bit of a waste of time personally. Better to plan your attack so you can do it efficiently.

That's what I think anyway.

Best of luck whatever you do

[rodders26]

Cheers Ajax! when you say appointments are you saying you will meet up with 10 and out of the 10 you'll price 2 jobs.

[enduro]

Builders or generally OK, but they will grind you right down on your price, and you will have to wait 30 days for payment, and they will deduct 20% of your labour for tax, but this will come off your end of year tax...Apart from that builders are fine.

[Ajax123]

Originally Posted by rodders26

Cheers Ajax! when you say appointments are you saying you will meet up with 10 and out of the 10 you'll price 2 jobs.

I reckon if you do it right you'll get to price at least 2 in 10. That doesn't mean you will win 2 out of 10 cos some will just be pricing excercises but it will give you a chance to hone your sales pitch. The more calls you make the more jobs you will get t price.

The other thing I usually say and have in several threads is that it is usefull to tie up with other trades such as screeders. In self builds where ever there is a screed there will be tiles. Plumbers are another - where there is a bathroom being fitted there will be some tiles. It's all about maximising your opportunities for as little effrot as possible

[rodders26]

Cheers fella's good advice!