How do you find Tradies???

I am trying to make the best $$$ value choice for our advertising for my hubbie's business.

So my question is .....
If YOU wanted security screens, blinds or awnings......
Where would you look FIRST ???

Local paper
Yellow pages ( the big Telstra one)
Local yellow pages ( the little local book often in regional areas)
Google (web search)
Other... (please tell me where!! )

Please keep this as a purely research thread. I don't want to get into a "why are tradies so bad and not turn up" type thing. I am trully just trying to save $$$ for our business.

Thanks
Sue
 
Well firstly I'd talk to my husband. Cos that's what he does! :p

When I'm looking for a tradie...
a) I ask our friends and people at work - a good reputation is everything.
b) I check either our local newspaper or a book called the 'local link' which is a trade directory for our area.
c) Then yellow pages after that

I like to support local people so that's why I do it in that order, and also because we're outer metro so if people start factoring in travel time etc, their price won't be competitive.

Good luck with it all.
 
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Hey Minxdamanx... is your hubby really a security/blind/awning guy too???

question....how the HECK to you get your broken blind in your kitchen fixed :)
dead set.... I have told him he has 60 days...(clock is ticking) and I am ringing his MOST hated and MOST expensived oppositon!!!! LOL

How much to send a 600 x 600 timber venetian express post from WA!!! (sure I can fit it!!) LOL
 
Hey Minxdamanx... is your hubby really a security/blind/awning guy too???

question....how the HECK to you get your broken blind in your kitchen fixed :)
dead set.... I have told him he has 60 days...(clock is ticking) and I am ringing his MOST hated and MOST expensived oppositon!!!! LOL

How much to send a 600 x 600 timber venetian express post from WA!!! (sure I can fit it!!) LOL

Sort of Moyjos, he's security doors, shutters, alarms, screens and a glazier. Doesn't do blinds or awnings. Our IP's have great security, but our PPOR only has the 'good' security on the front. Something to do with tax deductibility! Hopeless!
 
I look in the local paper first and particularly like when there's a few people advertising the same thing.

I figure they're aware of the competition and will offer fair deals and I can ring more than one company. If only one or two ads then I go to the Yellow Pages (Telstra) paying particular attention to suburb. I look at the small adds for most things too.

I like to stay local for these small jobs - tradie will be keen and likely to charge less.

Actually I did get a security door recently but did not have access to the local paper so went through the YP's. Rang a few places asking for over the phone quotes for a standard door and accepted the cheapest.

Where does your husband advertise presently? Have you thought to ask everyone that rings how they found the company?
 
If I can't get a recommendation from a friend or neighbour, then I use True Local, which is the online version of the free Quest newspaper's classifieds. I like that it has the ability to review the tradies. There's not a large volume of reviews yet, but in time, I think this will make this a fantastic resource for finding quality tradies.
 
Local paper here too or online Yellow Pages.

We advertise in local community papers for my husbands business and we have a constant stream of work.
 
Sign of the times maybe, but my first point of call when I need a referral is to ask the question as a status update on facebook.

Next step is google. Does Mr Moyjos have a website?
 
ask a friend or neighbour
ask a real estate agent
look in the local paper
check true local.

we live in an area that is hard to find tradies to service out of yellowpages etc because it is very insular and the tradies who work in this area only work in this area, and tradies from other areas dont like to come this far.

At work we get a fair few calls from just random people asking us to recommend various tradespeople. i guess they figure if a real estate agency is contnually using them they must be okay!
 
Thanks all for your responses.

We currently advertise....
in the Local Directory (non Telstra one) and it does really well.

Local paper Has been a bit hit and miss..not great results. (covers the cost and makes a bit but not huge)

Website does ok ...more than covers it's cost... the website is really there to own the domain name so I can have a "proper" email address. )Pet peeve of mine is businesses with email addys of "[email protected]" or mybiz@bigpond etc. Domain names are cheap..much better to have [email protected]

Word of mouth and plain bribery!!:cool: work well. The RE agents and window company girls we work with get well plied with chocolates on a regular basis !! Amazing how much work we "happen" to get :)

I am trying to avoid the Telstra yellow pages because of the REDICULOUS cost of it..:( but I think we might just have to bite the bullet and place a small ad and guage it for a year. (The local directory has 2 half page ads and a number of smaller ones for the price of a "cigarette pack" sized ad in Sensis)
 
I am trying to make the best $$$ value choice for our advertising for my hubbie's business.

So my question is .....
If YOU wanted security screens, blinds or awnings......
Where would you look FIRST ???

Local paper
Yellow pages ( the big Telstra one)
Local yellow pages ( the little local book often in regional areas)
Google (web search)
Other... (please tell me where!! )

Please keep this as a purely research thread. I don't want to get into a "why are tradies so bad and not turn up" type thing. I am trully just trying to save $$$ for our business.

Thanks
Sue

I DM people from SS and try to throw them some business. Albeit can be a maddening process for all people concerned.

Otherwise we work on referral
 
ask a friend or neighbour
ask a real estate agent
look in the local paper

This is my order and then I will also google the same time that I check out the local paper depending where I am looking.

I may be in need of some new awnings in the new year for a house in Caloundra if you are around that part of the coast. ;)
 
This is my order and then I will also google the same time that I check out the local paper depending where I am looking.

I may be in need of some new awnings in the new year for a house in Caloundra if you are around that part of the coast. ;)

:D We are indeed near Caloundra :D
PM me and I will pass on our details :)
 
I suppose where I live, you know most people anyway. And if you don't know em, someone you do know would know them.

Any tradesman I got, I would know personally. So there'd be less chance they'd try and rip you off. If anyone was silly enough to try and rip off a local, you'd spread the word around and they'd be out of a job I'd reckon.


Don't own any property out of the area, so no need for unknown tradies.


See ya's.
 
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A site mentioned on TT tonight was - http://www.serviceseeking.com.au/

You post what work you want done and tradies come to you with quotes.

From the TT website -

What should you pay?
Jeremy analysed 26,000 quotes for trades and the average hourly rates are:

Painting: ranges between $25-250, average $41

Tiling and paving: average $43

Roofs and gutters: average $59

Electrical: from $30-140, average $65

Appliance repairs: $15-$110, average $67

Plumbing: $25-$178, average $68

Renovations and extensions: averages $74

Removalists: average $106
 
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