Where do you find your tradie

Hi Everyone,

Just resigned from my job, so i can concentrate on my new business and just wondering where you find your tradie's, so i know where to concentrate my advertising.

Oh and the winner of the Tshirt was gcad

Thanks everyone for your help.

Darryl Moore
 
Do yoiu have a business card Darryl?

If not, think about investing in some and contact (or drop by a few local) real estate agents and hand some out. Property managers are always on the look out for tradespeople for their landlords/ladies property repairs. True, most will have a list of regulars they employ, but there are others who are more than happy to give a new kid on the block a try! So don't be shy, start calling in and making yourself known.

Best of luck,;)
Jo
P.S. Don't just drop them off to RE agents, invest in some of those little card holders and ask your local fish and chip shop if you can put some on their counter; maybe entice them with a 10% discount on every new client they help secure.
 
Hi Darryl, we too are tradies. here are some of my top tips :)

* www.vistaprint.com.au great for business cards and promo "stuff" best of all they give heaps away FREE

* Pens... buy a heap of cheap pens, stick them in a container (a logo stubby cooler or a plastic tumbler with a logo sticker) Give this pack to your local petrol station, hardware store ......anywhere where people have to sign for their credit card. a lot of people "steal"the pen. Unfortunately now with pin codes on cards, this is losing is punch.

* Fax... yes old fashioned fax. I send a fax to real estate property managers touting how we can help them solve maintainence problems. Because no one faxes anymore..your fax will stand out as something unusual :) I also time my faxing to land on the desk at 9:30 on a Monday morning. The PM has had her first coffee, had the "how was your weekend chat" sat down started wadeing throught the maintainence requests that have come in over the weekend and all of a sudden..BAM!! there is us offering solutions!!.

PM me if you want some more :)
 
* Fax... yes old fashioned fax. I send a fax to real estate property managers touting how we can help them solve maintainence problems. Because no one faxes anymore..your fax will stand out as something unusual :) I also time my faxing to land on the desk at 9:30 on a Monday morning. The PM has had her first coffee, had the "how was your weekend chat" sat down started wadeing throught the maintainence requests that have come in over the weekend and all of a sudden..BAM!! there is us offering solutions!!.
That would work on me, no emails, unsolicited email gets dumped without looking, could have given away billions in ethiopian unclaimed funds by now I suppose
 
thanks for the great ideas,

I am going to send letters to real estates, but i like the idea about faxing so i'll do both.

Thanks for the idea moyjos.

Business cards and business magnets should be here next week.

I'm going to print of my own flyer, for flyer drops.

Cheers Darryl
 
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I often look at the local paper for my tradies.

I am told that they only run those classified ads when they are short of work so you are usually sure to find someone who can do your job fairly soon.

I often find the yellow pages has me calling quite a few before I find one with time to fit in my small job.
 
If, and when I was looking, ask aroundish, found our favorite tradie in a house working with a friend of ours, (from a hobby sport of ours), but that tradie (a property investor) has semi retired now, so we use what tradies the property managers have on their books.

Which, it turns out are basically the people we use. (personally) for us...we are satisfied with their work and pricing, and I believe they are satisfied with us as customers...(we thank them and pay).
 
We live in a suburb in Brisbane with a village feel to it, we know all the local shop owners by name and they know us; and the big franchises haven't moved in yet.

Anyway I go to the local hardware store which is operated by the owner and he always has an excellent suggestion, then when I have a quality tradie (hang onto them like gold!) I use them for referrals as well. Have had mixed results from using the local paper and other methods, but now have some great contacts.

Interesting thing about the tradies I think are great is that they are all very busy, and probably would do better by running a business rather than selling their time.. but they don't for one reason or another.
 
Interesting thing about the tradies I think are great is that they are all very busy, and probably would do better by running a business rather than selling their time.. but they don't for one reason or another.

The book the E-Myth explains how great technicians are encouraged to open their business but then find out they being a great technician (regardless of trade) is not the same as being a great business owner.

Often non tradesmen are better at running the business due to a different background.

Hope this makes sense!
 
The book the E-Myth explains how great technicians are encouraged to open their business but then find out they being a great technician (regardless of trade) is not the same as being a great business owner.

Often non tradesmen are better at running the business due to a different background.

Hope this makes sense!
Makes perfect sense :)
 
The book the E-Myth explains how great technicians are encouraged to open their business but then find out they being a great technician (regardless of trade) is not the same as being a great business owner.

Often non tradesmen are better at running the business due to a different background.

Hope this makes sense!

Absolutely :) Hubby is the Tradie.. and he is very good at it...but as a business director..:rolleyes: well lets say he is a great tradie :) I m the business side of things..which often throws him out od his comfort zone...but hey I just do it and the work (usually) starts rolling in:)
 
I'm starting to get a grip on what you say too, Moyjos. My hubby is a plumber-handyman, coming up to three years in business. He's great at this job - pretty ordinary, oftentimes, at running a business. So I do that - and kick his butt re record-keeping, timeliness and chasing business:rolleyes:. Tradesmen! We all have the same complaints, just be thankful you're not married to one!
I'll second a couple of things said here: drop in a flier to the realos, they're always looking for handy-folk of one kind or another. We (!) did that in the early days and haven't looked back - think of all the real estate agents in your area before you do it, you only need to get lucky with one for it to work.
Second, as Simon says, they only advertise if they're not busy. We (!) have advertised once in three years. Were thinking of doing it again just the other week, suddenly a contact or two has come good and he's too busy to scratch himself again.:)
Word of mouth is your single best ad, never forget that. I also think that everyone gets stuffed around by tradies (even the tradies:rolleyes: - I know we do). People will understand if you can't get there because you're busy/strapped/whatever - IF YOU RING THEM AND TELL THEM SO BEFORE YOU ARE DUE THERE (apols for the shouting, but it's very important!).
Good luck.:)
 
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People will understand if you can't get there because you're busy/strapped/whatever - IF YOU RING THEM AND TELL THEM SO BEFORE YOU ARE DUE THERE (apols for the shouting, but it's very important!).
Good luck.:)

ABSOLUTELY!!!! There is nothing more annoying than having someone promise to "be there" or "do it" by a certain time, AND THEN IT'S NOT DONE! At least being told that the timing has changed is usually enough to satisfy people. (I'm also in a service business, and this is one of my rule - set realistic expectations, and if they need to change, let the customer know!)
 
i get all my tradies via word of mouth ... your most important selling tool, so make sure you give excellent customer service to the customers you do have.

some of the "word" comes from my property manager, so being able to get in with the real estate agents is a top angle. and those tradies that do come recommended from the pm's are usually flat out - but because i deposit immediately into their bank accounts the day the bill comes, they look after me in turn.

look after your loyal customers first!
 
Here in Canada, Tim Horton's coffee places always busy. At one place in our town, it is beside a car repair place. As they wait in line at the car dive thru for their coffee & donuts, they can read all of the advertisements that are on the car repair building (he rents ad space)
 
Anyway I go to the local hardware store which is operated by the owner and he always has an excellent suggestion, then when I have a quality tradie (hang onto them like gold!) I use them for referrals as well. Have had mixed results from using the local paper and other methods, but now have some great contacts.
This is where I get mine. I was using the yellow pages etc but the hardware store contacts are better. Not that there's much choice out here ...

The hardware store has a stack of business cards from someone who specialises in 'erections' of any kind. Apparently this is a talking point, the owner thinks it is hilarious and he gets lot of business.
 
This is the only good reason for having wog in me, Someone in the family always knows someone if they can't do it themselves. Don't have to put up with all the BS from random tradies...
 
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