There are a lot of stereotypes that pervade the world of individual contracting. Even another word for contractors, ‘handyman’, suggests a lack of formality, of real professionalism. But that’s not the truth of the business. If you want to excel, you need to be taken seriously. If you want to be taken seriously, you need a serious approach to business. Here’s how a dose of professionalism can truly turn you from a contractor or a handyman into an authority.
Data-driven focus
You need to start thinking like a business instead of a self-employed person. This means taking a proper look at how much work you get done in a day and how much more you can do. Tracking your productivity through mobile apps and scheduling software can easily help you see which way you’re going. But it’s only a start. It’s about working smarter, not harder. Spend less time sending invoices and tracking finances by automating them. That leaves you more time to do the work that makes money.
Tools of the trade
A poor grasp of your finances and where your money goes is going to limit what you can achieve with the business. No-one in contracting should be accepting of when a tool no longer works. This means taking better care of them by ensuring they’re properly organized in professional storage like Platt Cases and maintained after every job. The same goes for the work vehicle. If you’re not conducting regular preventative maintenance to keep it on the road, it can get in the way of your ability to do your work. Take your tools a little more seriously.
An eye for the brand
Working like a professional is only one-half of the equation, however. You have to ensure that people are seeing you as that professional as well. Many contractors don’t see the importance of branding. However, they might underestimate the kind of visibility it can offer them. Branding your vehicle makes it a lot easier for potential customers to take notice of you. Meanwhile, branding your site and hosting helpful content for homeowners can make it the answer to questions they would search the net for. With content marketing and the right SEO tricks, your site could appear as the answer when they search.
Your reputation precedes you
If you have a happy customer that appreciates the job you’ve done, then make use of it. Ask if they could give you a testimonial or leave a comment or review through one of your social media channels. Contractors can have a hard time earning trust, which is why it’s a good idea to rely on the market to build it for you. If you can provide showcases of work you’ve done before and satisfied customers left in your wake, it can do a lot to break the natural barriers of skepticism that first-time customers will have.
Managing your resources to the best of your ability. Keeping the trust and prestige of the business ever in focus. These are how you give your own business that kind of sheen that helps you stand out as a bastion of professionalism amongst the rest of your competitors.
