Imagine having a simple road map to success as a new contractor/business owner. Today, I’m going to give that to you by sharing five tips that will make you, a brand new contractor, more likely to be successful.
1. You Can’t Be the Answer to Everything
First and foremost, be a problem-solver in the way that you approach your marketing and sales. Whenever someone wants a task done, their motive is rooted in one of two things: Pain or pleasure.
Your job is to figure out what the motive of their problem is and be the best solution for that problem. If their problem is something that doesn’t fit your business model, then you two might not be a good match. You can’t be everyone’s answer. But as a new business, it’s always smart to try. Coming into a customer relationship with the goal of solving problems is the best way to go.
2. Commit To Getting Oxygen
Getting oxygen means sales coming into your business and money going into your pocket so that you can meet your needs. There are many things that are required of you, many things that your business needs and life as a business owner will be much easier if you’re focused on making the money – getting oxygen and making sure that you get a paycheck.
Just like on a crashing plane – if you don’t put on your oxygen mask first, you can’t help anyone else. The same message applies here. Get oxygen, get that life, and you have a chance of surviving as a new business.
3. Aim Small, Miss Small
Instead of trying to be a jack-of-all-trades, or covering a huge geographical area, target your business into more bite-sized chunks. By acting as a big fish in a small pond, you can dominate that pond and get more business. Instead of trying to be everything to everybody, pick one thing that you can master. That way, you can become an expert in that field, and everyone will come to you for it – and your business will thrive.
This doesn’t mean that other opportunities outside of your expertise won’t pop up. But by only focusing your time and marketing on one specific aspect, it’ll create something that you’re known for.
4. Market Your Ass Off
Market like your life depends on it. You can never have too many leads. You can never build your brand enough. Lots of times, contractors get busy and think that they don’t have to bother with marketing shit anymore, or that they don’t have to network or build relationships. That’s the biggest mistake you can make.
If you want to be one of the bigger businesses in your area and in your industry, market like your next meal depends on it. Along with that, sell like you’re independently wealthy. When you have a lot of leads coming in, you can be bolder in the sales process. If you don’t have a lot of leads coming in all the time, it’s going to be hard selling at the prices you need to get, add people to your team, and scale your business. Time and time again, it comes back to what you put towards marketing.
When you start out as a new business, people you know are excited for you. They throw you referrals and get you customers, but that shit dies down after a while. After it does, you’ll want to have a marketing plan in place. Create a system that allows the phone to ring every single day of the year.
5. Give Yourself A Break
Still bring your passion, still bring your energy, but cut yourself a little slack sometimes. Play the game of patient urgency. As for the things that need to get done right now, do them right now. But as far as results go, understand that the results you want might take some time. It takes a year to get a year’s worth of experience. It takes time for leads to come in via marketing content.
Urgently, do the things that you know you need to do – there’s no better time than the present. But remember, this isn’t a 100-yard sprint. It’s a marathon. Patience will help you enjoy the ride a lot more.
Final Thoughts
I hope these tips help. They’re some bits of information that I wish someone would have told me when I was first starting out. If you want to be around a community of other like-minded contractors, head over to our Facebook Group.
