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Having a hell of a time finding work right now.

Riphil

Member
Joined
Feb 12, 2018
Messages
15
Location
New Mexico
I’m a little late but wanted to add:

2nd the website. We’ve goofed with several different forms of advertising. Our google-ranked website outperforms them 10-1 or better. I still think that when the majority of people look for services like ours, they use google. I paid a local web developer $1500 (or something like that) a few years ago to build a simple website that ranked 1 or 2 on google. Very good investment for us.



I think your in the very painful process of new business I call building inertia. It’s like your pushing a rock uphill everyday and progress is slow, challenging, and imperceptible, but if you can get the rock over the top of the hill and started downhill, it takes off on its own and carries itself. If you keep doing your best work for people, treat people right, network, and the economy stays in decent health, your company will build inertia and jobs should start rolling in.

I’m sorry I don’t have better advice than just “keep on keeping on” but know that what your describing is, I think, a very normal part of starting and running a business. Good luck!!!
 

suladas

Senior Member
Joined
Jun 30, 2016
Messages
1,731
Location
Canada
My summer was slow, the last 3 weeks have been non-stop. No advertising, every single job was repeat clients, except 1 being a referral. That's the frustrating part, never knowing when things will come.

I totally agree with admitting when you are wrong, especially if it's a good customer. If you do it will go a long ways. Last summer I replaced a water line, 2 days work for free. Somehow after I left and between house getting done it was leaking even though I tested it, cribber, weeping tile, plumber no one else would take any liability so I sucked it up and replaced it for free, knowing full well it was absolutely nothing I did. Customer has given me about $80k of work since, that I likely would have lost had I not replaced it. The customer was great though and ended up paying me $1000 for replacing, obviously no where near what it was worth but he really appreciated me just coming in and fixing and not playing the blame game like the other trades did. For me if they are a good customer I will go above and beyond to keep them happy, if they are a pain and not someone I really want to work for again or a one time, I will only do what is fair. If I screwed up I will fix it, but if they are just complaining I will hold my ground.
 

suladas

Senior Member
Joined
Jun 30, 2016
Messages
1,731
Location
Canada
suladas ; With a work ethic like you have, you are to very busy and successful. Good for you on that leak.
My rule of life has always been--- what goes around comes around.

I appreciate that, and must say i'm pretty happy with the amount of repeat business i've got. I didn't only fix it to make the customer happy, when they first called about it they thought it got crushed when I backfilled it because it was winter, I was thinking well maybe there is a very small chance it was my fault, so I wanted to fix it myself. I tried to scope it but couldn't get a clear picture until I cut the line outside and was able to drain it, and then I saw it was a piece of rebar pounded into it that I realized there was zero chance it was my fault.
 

wlhequipment

Senior Member
Joined
Sep 3, 2017
Messages
489
Location
Sheridan, CO
Occupation
Mechanic
When I get slow, I do one of 2 things: I'll grab my PPE and find a jobsite somewhere nearby, stop in, and leave my card with the foreman, and GTFO before he throws me out. Or, I'll turn on my Google ad. It's the cheap one, Express something or other. Believe it or not, the stopping in at the jobsite has got me more customers than anything else. In our industry, for some reason, internet / social media doesn't cut it, from my perspective. You gotta go meet the guy. At the jobsite, they're too busy for your bullshit, but there's a fair chance he'll remember you and call later. I realize the may not seem applicable to your situation, but you never know, he might pass a smaller job to you, or something like that. It never hurts to talk to people. Really and truly isn't not what you know but who you know.
 

Wawrecker

Well-Known Member
Joined
Apr 12, 2006
Messages
103
Location
Tacoma,Wa
Find the local job board or wherever public works jobs are posted. Bid work you are competent to perform as a sub. Bid, bid and more bids, thats been our best form of advertising. A lot of General contractors that do public work also do private. If you do good work, they will invite you to the good stuff. We have never spent more than $5000 a year on advertising. Our first year we did $500k in sales, this year our 20th we hit $25 mil. It works.
 
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