Approaching Tile Shops / Advice Needed

[Dirrty]

I have managed to get a few jobs lined up now through contacts, and finish my cr*ppy night job next Friday, so want to start really trying to market myself to the tile shops / kitchen studios etc in my area. I am not sure of the initial approach to make though. I don't really fancy just wandering in and saying ' hello I am a new tiler in the area, can I leave some cards with you?'. On the other hand trying to make an appointment with the manager/owner seems a bit over the top ( plus I know they will be busy ). I am not at all shy or nervous about approaching them, but am aware that you only get the chance to make a first impression once! I am trying to put myself in their shoes: they will probably have tilers they already know ( and like ), their main business is selling tiles not fixing them ( in other words I don't directly benefit them ), and they may get approaches all the time and view me as ' just another chancer '. I am not being negative about this, but just want to increase my chances of obtaining work. Any advice guys will be really appreciated

Jim

[TheWrightTiler]

just go in and say can i register with your shop so ic an send my punters your way to get there tiles so in effect you are benefitting them dirrty

also find out what discounts you can get for trade on tiles and mats and if happy with that then recommend yur punters to that shop

ive got 3 main traders now and get good discounts from all 3 so if one shop doesnt have what my punter wants they try another i have recommeded, after all im the tiler so i should know a good shop etc lol

i started at 5% off tiles and full trade on mats at one shop and now due to the amount of punters i send in i now get 50% off tiles, but its a trade off, the max they will give my punters is 25%, the rest i get in the book against materials so i charge the punter for mats and then use my rebate to get them free so score al round

main thing is be yourself and talk the talk and dont say you have just done a couse, say you are new to the area and looking for a new supplier, most tile shops will bite your hand off, only after you have secured your discounts ask if you can poss leave some cards behind lol

also get the punter to ring the shop when job done to say what a great job you have done and thank you for the tiles as they are great, the shops love this and wont hesitate to recommend you

slipping the shop a few crates of beer at xmas goes a long way 2 as you get 2 or 3 crates of miller for 20 quid at crimbo lol

andy

[Dirrty]

That's great Andy! That's what I was looking for, a way to approach them with a ' what's in it for them ' statement rather than a ' I need you to help me get customers' statement. I had already decided on telling them I had just moved from far far away into the area lol. Who is it best to approach, the manager / owner, the floor staff, whoevever you can get too see, all of them? I really do want to try and get this right, so all advice is very welcome

Jim

[aardvaarktiling]

Also offer to do a display in there showroom. so that then they can see your work plus that will then help you build a relationship for the future.

[brian c]

tell them you are new to the area and would like to offer your tiling services to them and as Andy says ...you will send your customers to them for tiles.

Also tell them that you are willing to buy materials from them if you can arrange a trade discount and if they will display your cards.

[Dirrty]

Thanks for your advice guys. Do you think its best to just approach just a couple of tile shops to start. I'm just thinking that if you only have a couple of shops you send your customers to then at least they may get a few enquiries each in the course of a month, rather than say approach half a dozen or so and they all get the occasional bit of business ( I am thinking more of the first few months when you are building business up ). Or do you think the tile shops play a numbers game, because they don't really have anything to lose do they, and so I should go see as many as possible? Do you think I am worrying too much? Do you think I am overplanning? Do you think my bum looks big in this?????

Jim

[Fekin]

Give them doughnuts

[Captain Slow]

I went with exactly the same tact as Andy (The Wright Tiler) states and approached just 4 local tile shops to start with. 2 of them were not really interested, so probably saw right through my "just moved to the area" line.

I now get loads of calls from the other two and am struggling to keep up with the work. I refer my independent customers back to the tile shops and that only gets me more enquiries.

Fekin has a valid point, donuts get you more results than beers and are a lot cheaper!

[Dirrty]

Originally Posted by Fekin

Give them doughnuts

PMSL .............as Captain Slow has also suggested that Doughnuts could be the secret of my success Fekin, then I am going down to Greggs tomorrow to open a trade account with them lol

Thanks chaps

[tileman]

Dirrty is that you in the photo....corrr

[Dirrty]

Originally Posted by tileman

Dirrty is that you in the photo....corrr

lol............no it's Mrs Dirrty......I am really ugly ( a rugged good lookin kinda ugly I think )......but thanks for the corr, I think she is corr too

[Northern Bird]

Not wanting to do free advertising but go into a Topps usually they have the manager name up on the board.

But I tottally agree go in a drop your cards in and say you are new to the area. I like it!