Pro Installer June 2017 - Issue 51 | Page 60

Business
60 | JUNE 2017

Business

Read online at www . proinstaller . co . uk

FIVE THINGS THAT STOP INSTALLERS FROM GROWING AND HOW TO TACKLE THEM

When you are rushed off your feet running an installation company , it ’ s hard to focus on growing the business . Benjamin Dyer of Powered Now looks at some of the things that not only prevent growth but are also very frustrating . Fixing them can only be good .
When everything is running smoothly , it usually means that you will make more money , but you can often have an easier life too . While many get it right , this is hard to achieve consistently . These five tips are intended to provide encouragement to think about how to get things running smoothly all of the time . That nearly always leads to the business growing .
1 . First , fix problems fast .
Strangely enough , customers who suffer problems with a job , but have it fixed quickly , are more loyal than those where nothing went wrong . We all make mistakes from time to time , but when we do , they should be fixed urgently and professionally . This usually creates a loyal customer for life . Being unresponsive is the worst possible way to behave and often leads to a world of pain .
2 . Get quotes out quickly .
The faster you get your quote out the more professional you will look to your prospective customer . And that ’ s ignoring their gratitude – most homeowners will tell you they have real problems getting quotes . Then you must follow up your quotes a few days later to ask if they have been accepted . When you have too much work , still make the effort with quotes but raise your prices slightly . It may also pay to be more choosy about who you will do jobs for . It ’ s the way to earn more and have an easier life .
3 . Provide reminders to customers .
There are lots of routine maintenance jobs which customers should get done regularly . When they fail to do them on time it ’ s bad for them as they may lose their warranty protection and it raises the risk of failure . It ’ s also bad for you as you get less revenue . If you provide a reminder to them when a service is due it helps both parties . Sometimes you can use this as a chance to move work to less busy periods , providing an additional benefit . A good computer system can make this painless so you should really consider that possibility .

If no-one was open to new ideas we would still be using lead pipes and wire based fuse boards

4 . Avoid cheap customers .
You shouldn ’ t do business with people that are only looking for the cheapest price . Customers that are ultra-sensitive to price are often the most demanding too , resisting reasonable increases needed if unforeseen problems arise . Working hard for little money as well as getting criticised is pretty thankless . You are best off politely declining their work .
5 . Be open to new things .
Running a business is challenging . There is always a horde of people trying to sell you the latest thing . The problem is , while a lot are to be avoided , among them will be gems that can genuinely help . If no-one was open to new ideas we would still be using lead pipes and wire based fuse boards .
Combi boilers would never have taken off . Your job is to find the nuggets of gold among the dirt , not to reject everything out of hand . Being open minded means you ’ re less likely to miss out on positive new developments .
It remains for me to thank you for reading this far and expressing my wish that there are some useful thoughts here . My hope is that people in the trade can run professional and successful business – without losing their hair .
About the author Benjamin Dyer is CEO and co-founder of Powered Now . Powered Now ’ s mobile app aims to take the pain out of paperwork for installers as well as other trade and mobile businesses .
www . powerednow . com