As a business owner you obviously want as many home improvement sales leads as possible because leads turn into sales and sales equal income! There are lots of ways to market a construction type business in order to get consumers to call on you, but which ones work and which ones are a bit expensive for what they deliver in terms of generating quality leads? Well these 4 key points or tips can give you some insight of what resources are available and which ones are the most effective when you are looking to gain focused construction, siding, windows, plumbing, or other type of handyman leads for your company.
1. One item is clear and that is in order to have an effective sales and marketing campaign now days you need to have an online presence, regardless of what type of company or service business you are running. You may ask why this so crucial because you may be used to just always following the path of some small or large phone book ads and maybe a few radio advertisements. The fact is more and more consumers, potential clients, and other people in need of specific services search online everyday in order to find businesses and companies who can provide quality and proven service in their area.
2. Hopefully we can assume you have heard of Google, Yahoo, and Bing, the most powerful and widely used search engines on the internet. Some where close to 70% of all online users search Google for business services everyday and the other 25% use Yahoo or Bing! And to take that a step further, it has been said that more than 50% of consumers will do some research online before choosing a construction company to work with and pay for before they call them. The reason for the large number of online searches as opposed to the old, some what out-of-date, yellow pages is that consumers and prospects can find out so much specific information about a company before they decide to call and speak with them. The internet is a way that can save people lots of time searching for exactly what they want where as with a phone book or yellow pages they can only see a small portion of information and in most cases just a your company name and phone number! When someone in need of home improvement help goes to Google and types in "home improvement companies in their area" Google will only show the top 10 most relevant results (same for Yahoo! and Bing). With the yellow pages there can be hundreds of choices to pick from and it's tough to know which one has the exact services that you are looking for, you can see the internet cuts out lots of wasted time filtering services including wasted time on the phone.
3. If you own a home window replacement company in Des Moines, IA and a home owner uses Google and types in "Des Moines home window replacement" you can't get a much more focused lead than that. And the cool part is if you have a good online marketing presence and have an easy to read website with you service information on it you could be one of those top 10 companies on the front page results for that prospect's search! That consumer or lead is looking for what you have and because you have a home improvement website that lists all of your services and specialities you will get a call and have a much higher rate of closing a deal and making the sale than if they just looked up home repair or window companies in the phone book! Some home construction companies in the phone book don't offer window replacements but the only way a homeowner knows that is to call and find out, if that same person types in "window replacement in Des Moines, IA" they know that any of those 10 companies have exactly what they want! That is why you need to be online and especially on the front page of Google results.
4. How can you start marketing effectively online and more specifically with Google in order to get these targeted sales leads? There are many options available, some more expensive than others. The main question you need to ask yourself is how much is one good home improvement sales lead or call worth to your company profits? Once you get a call what are your skills or abilities to close the deal and make the money instead of your competitors? The best way to get these types of sales leads for any type of business, whether it is windows, doors, home siding, or home remodeling services, is to get your company website on the front page of Google! If you don't know how to get ranked on Google you should find an experienced and reliable company who can do it for you. Remember 50% of people search the internet these days (and that % continues to rise every year) instead of finding companies with out-dated forms like the phone book. The phone book ads can cost thousands of dollars a year and sometimes hundreds or thousands per month, getting results and a presence on Google or online in general can be much more cost effective and profitable in the short term but more importantly in the long term!
Keep tips in mind when thinking about your marketing campaign online or more specifically with Google or any sort of lead generation campaign. Find and talk to a company who can get you results for home improvement sales leads online so that you are one of the top 10 in your area. See if those same online advertising specialists can also make you a website, rent you one that already gets local home servicing leads, or if they can help your existing site. Having a website is only effective for getting new leads if it shows up during a prospects search. Find a company and call them up to let them know what kind of results you are hoping to achieve online and then ask if they can help or improve your chances of getting your piece of the online home improvement sales traffic!
You might have started an internet home based business, possibly with a few customers already on the books. However, you will always need to find more and more customers, but you suddenly realize that you lack the marketing skills.
The most basic skill of online home business is marketing. If you apply some basic marketing skills or principles, and if you do this consistently over a period of time, you will bring in innovative business opportunities.
A marketing skill is defined as communicating the right message to the right people at the right time, in a way which is precise for your business.
First identify exactly what you are going to do with your prospect.
Look for training programs and tools which give step by step instructions on how to create morals which are useful for your prospect in internet home based business.
Be practical in searching for the better ways to promote your own website.
Try to evaluate the efficiency of your newly established method.
Understand the methods, educate yourself, be patient, and apply what you learned.
Personal improvement is a big part of the marketing process. You can make money, and succeed in your internet home based business by improving your confidence, your interactions, and your overall attitude about life. At the same time, you will need to possess an optimistic outlook and open up for new types of business developments.
Improving your leadership qualities is a very important marketing skill and it is really about wanting others to get ahead and helping them reach their goals. Marketing in any business is all about creating a supportive environment and comradeship for all those who are involved.
Another very essential marketing skill which you will need to improve upon is clarity about what you want to convey to potential clients, and how to say it. The main thing which you need to consider is that your prospective customers must be able to see the benefits to them by buying your service or product.
Generally when customers are buying, they want to move away from an undesirable situation, and move toward a situation which they would like to be in. Your communication therefore needs to reflect this.
For many internet home based business people, improving their marketing skills can appear to be a very tough task. However, it is essential to invest a great amount of time to understand the basics of how best to market your home business. Once you train yourself with it, you will be pleasantly amazed by the outcome you receive.
Often, people want to improve their homes, but they just don't have the patience to try to struggle through trying to get a big box home improvement store employee to help. Surly, clueless hourly employees are just one of the many drawbacks to using a big box store for your renovation project. Instead of making revitalizing your home into a hassle, opt to shop at a locally-owned home improvement store. Not only does a local store offer significantly better service, but they also know their products incredibly well, making it much easier for you to find both the help and knowledge you'll need to make your project a success.
Local home improvement stores can offer a better shopping experience all around. With knowledgeable staff, mom and pop stores have an advantage that big box stores don't have: personal connections to the customers. Many times local home improvement stores are owned by individuals within the community, and because of this, they have more of investment in their customer service. They help their neighbors, their friends, their friends' friends; basically they represent the entire community within one store. Because of this, they offer a more personal connection to their customers. Local stores tend to be smaller, which gives them more opportunity to get to know their customers and gives the customer a greater sense of comfort. Often in big box stores, customers have to search out an associate to help them, and most of the associates are not as knowledgeable as the local home improvement store owner.
The best kind of locally owned home improvement store is definitely the specialty stores that focus their business on one aspect of home improvement, like flooring, cabinetry or countertops. Specialists like this know their product inside out and are able to make the best recommendations for your specific project. Often, flooring, cabinetry, countertop and other specialty stores also have professional installation teams on staff that can help you take your inspiration and turn it into a reality. Even if you want to go the DIY route, specialized stores are an amazing asset thanks to their extensive knowledge.
Because local home improvement stores are owned by individuals within the community, they also have inside information on contractors, builders, electricians and plumbers. Store owners will know the perfect person to help you with any need; all you have to do is ask. They know the people in the trade and can guide you to the business or individual who can solve your home improvement problem. Local business owners will know the ins and outs of who is a reliable tradesmen and who is not, helping you find individuals who will give you the best customer service for your specific needs.
Supporting your local economy is always a great idea. This means money being earned within that county is being applied back to businesses within that community. Big box stores do not have much stake in how well the local economy does, but locally owned businesses will. Putting money back into the community helps to support the county as a whole and keep big businesses from moving in. Also, local home improvement store owners will often refer customers to local tradesmen and businesses, which helps increase the overall revenue within the community. Big box stores may not have such information to give. This not only gives the customer a better experience, but helps promote the community's economy.
Thanks to hundreds of home improvement television shows and magazines dedicated to home renovations and decorating, the home improvement industry is exploding. So, if you've been thinking about breaking into a career in home improvement, now is a great time to do it.
There are a number of great career options in this fast-paced industry as well as entrepreneurial opportunities for those looking to start their own business. Keep reading for great ideas on new home improvement careers as well as how to get them going.
Tile and bathtub resurfacing is an easy skill to learn that can lead to significant rewards. With an easy learning curve and minimal up front costs, you can start a business refinishing tile and old bathtubs and showers.
Much like the tile and bath resurfacing business, carpet cleaning is easy to learn. Your up front costs will be your cleaning equipment, transportation and marketing costs. There are also many franchise opportunities, meaning you could purchase a carpet cleaning franchise and save yourself many of the marketing and advertising costs associated with running a business.
De-cluttering is the new buzz word in home decorating and home improvement. If you love to organize, put your skills to use by starting a home organization business. Think about all the cluttered garages desperate for some shelving units and a few well-placed labels or all the dusty attics in need of a good sorting. Your start up costs for this business will include some sector research, a minimal amount of equipment and a lot on advertising and marketing.
If you're a home improvement buff or an expert at refinishing old pieces of furniture, you should consider teaching a class. You can teach online or apply to teach a course at your local community college or YMCA. There are many organizations that would love to host courses or workshops on everything from decorative painting to window treatments to building birdhouses.
Any whiz with a sewing machine can start a flourishing business in custom home draperies and upholstery. From window treatments to tablecloths, there is a large market for customized pieces that are sewn in your buyer's chosen fabric and to her specified instructions. For a successful home sewing business to really take off, try marketing yourself directly to interior decorators and making your name familiar with local fabric shops.