How To Build Your Business With Little or No Cost

[John B]

I am a former electrical contractor now business development consultant for many types of businesses including electrical contractors, landscapers, lawn care operators, plumbers etc. Anyone that is serious about growing their business who would like to participate in business development/marketing/consulting project and who is willing to put forth the effort, can contact me. I will provide this in exchange for testimonials, case-studies, success stories. This includes start-ups, set-ups (existing businesses) and turn-arounds. Since I am looking to develop a new Contractor Marketing System product specific to trade specialties such as lawn care/landscaping, I will not be charging for these services because I am in the beta stage. I am only looking to get my program in the hands of serious contractors. You will be taking part in a email-based systematic consulting process which has been proven to work. I just need contractor testimonies. I will provide you with information/reports. I will faciliate the project process with you, you will gain very valuable insight into your business and you will profit from it. The process will take time and effort on both our part. Serious inquires only please. You can expect to inqure some costs associated with implementing solutions. The costs, however will be absored by successful results obtained from solution implementation therefore it is reasonable to expect little or no cost incurred for the process to help you get results. A solution implementation proposal, business analysis, marketing plan are just a few things that will be provided. You can expect results in many cases quickly since I have tested many solutions. It is entirely reasonable for you to get going with my assistance without any money since just one solution can easily make you money. I have tested many ideas and earned good to excellent returns. I will be happy to provide you this information when you contact me.

[Steve]

Lawn care business tips

Hi John, Welcome to our forum! What have you seen to be the biggest mistakes most small business contractors tend to make? Do you have a website people can check you out at?

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[John B]

www.contractor-marketing-systems.com

jcbellinc@netscape.net to contact me directly.

I will also have a new site launched very soon.

[Steve]

Hi John,

What have you seen to be the biggest mistakes most small business contractors tend to make?

[John B]

Most contractors are not very good at sales so therefore they undersell their services to homeowners. They are often timid to sell and don't fully explain the features and benefits of their services. So many contactors are very talented but won't market themselves well. To solve this problem much more focus must be put on training their staff to sell informatively to the homeowner /business by acting as a consultant. If the contractor would add value, the customer will see the value.

The staff needs to be trained and empowered to be more engaged with the customer and should receive a incentive, bonus and commission. Two many contractors low ball! Recently I found out about a guy who went into banks and said "whatever your current contractor does your cleaning for I will do it for 1/2" This practice makes price the only point that you make important about you and your service. Of course the banker asked show me your service for free**-the contractor cleaned a carpet to demonstrait his service and he got the job. Great**-now he owns a job, so what...is he making any money...no! He is a sucker. But I guess if you have to feed the family.

The guys making the money and enjoying the good life understand the importance of training, incentives, spiffs, rewards, motivating, bonuses, base-pay + commission etc. They empower their staff to make decisions, move people up the ranks to crew leader/forman after 3 years, and provide carreer options. If all you do is look at your help as labor**-guess what**-that is all you will get and they will quit.

Another big mistake **- Contractors are too shy to upsell services. Upselling honestly **- or looking for things to sugest is very valuable. If a staff member is too shy...find someone who can do the job. Remember keep the pipeline full and keep training people well. It may cost you but pay now or pay later.

Get a few guys going, teach them the business and grow your operation, then let them run a territory and focus on marketing, marketing, marketing.

[Steve]

The guys making the money and enjoying the good life understand the importance of training, incentives, spiffs, rewards, motivating, bonuses, base-pay + commission etc. They empower their staff to make decisions, move people up the ranks to crew leader/forman after 3 years, and provide carreer options. If all you do is look at your help as labor**-guess what**-that is all you will get and they will quit.

All of what you said is very good. What kinds of incentives should lawn care business owners use to get their staff to sell more? Should they give them fixed amounts per jobs sold or % of the job or what do you suggest?