Find out where you are losing work
Getting found is only part of it. People need to see that you do their kind of work, get a reply when they contact you and know what happens next. If one of those parts isn’t working, paying for more visitors may just give you more of the same problem.
Look back at your last ten enquiries
Ten is a useful place to start, though you’ll need more over time to see a reliable pattern. Note how each person found you, what they wanted, where the job was, whether it suited you and what happened. If you don’t know something, leave it marked “Unknown”.
If hardly anyone is getting in touch, you’ll need to work on getting found. If most enquiries are outside your area, check where your advertising is running and which locations the website lists. If messages are going unanswered, sort that out first. If you’re quoting for the right jobs but not winning them, try to find out why customers chose someone else or put the work off.
Be specific about the work you want
Write down the job type, area, size, timing and any limits on what you can take on. Add work you are not willing or equipped to do. Use this description to review the website and tell people who already recommend you.
For example: We want residential alteration enquiries within our normal travel area, from owners ready to talk through the work and their plans. We are not currently taking urgent small repairs.
Improve one page about the work you want
Explain the jobs you take on and how to get a quote. Show a past project: what the customer needed, what you did, any difficulties you worked around and how it turned out. Use photos and identifying details only with permission.
A renovation customer may want to know how work can be staged around an occupied house. A finished-room photo alone does not explain that. Explain how you handled it so the customer can picture working with you.
Make it clear what happens after an enquiry
After a customer contacts you, check what work they need, where it is, when they want it done and whether plans exist. Explain what you need before assessing or quoting. Agree the next action and when it will happen.
Example reply: Thanks for getting in touch about [project]. Can we have a quick call to talk through [detail]? Would [time] work for you? If you have [plans or photos], please send them through beforehand.
Change the wording to suit the job and only offer a call time you can make.
Try one change at a time
Use what you found to choose the next job. That might be explaining your services better, sorting out your Google listing or making sure enquiries get answered. If you decide to try ads, choose the service to promote, the page to send people to, a spending limit and how you’ll keep track of results. Note the start date.
Changing everything at once makes results harder to interpret. You can also send an example of a recent job to people who already recommend you. Tell them what work you’re taking on, so they can pass it on when someone asks.
Check what it costs to win a job
Here’s a made-up example. You spend NZ$600 on one set of ads and get 12 enquiries. Three are for jobs you want, and you win one. Another set of ads costs the same NZ$600 and brings six enquiries. Four suit your business, and you win two.
The first set costs NZ$50 per enquiry and NZ$600 for the job you win. The second costs NZ$100 per enquiry but only NZ$300 for each job won. Looking at enquiry numbers alone would make the first set seem better.
Include any fees for managing the ads when you do your own sums, and allow time for customers to decide. Also look at what each job is worth, what it costs you to do and how long you spent quoting. One or two wins won’t tell you what to expect every month.
Keep a simple enquiry list
Use a notebook or spreadsheet. For each enquiry, note the date, how they found you, the job and area, whether you want the work and what you need to do next. Record whether you quoted and got the job. Keep your advertising costs for the same period alongside the list.
To work out the cost per suitable enquiry, divide what you spent on that advertising by the number of suitable enquiries it brought in. If it brought none, record that. Don’t guess where an enquiry came from if the customer hasn’t told you and you can’t track it.
Look through the list regularly. If the wrong jobs keep coming in, check what you’re advertising and where. If people stop replying, review what happens after their first message. If quotes aren’t being accepted, ask why. Use the answers to decide what to change next.
Help putting the plan into practice
You can work through this method yourself. If you want help with the website and marketing work, see our marketing service or talk it through with us.
