Self Employed Bricklayer - how to get work

saving123

My husband is a bricklayer and unsurprisingly finding it really hard to get work. Does anyone have any ideas on how to get more work? All help would be appreciated, thanks.

Also I wondered if it would be worth writing to architects as they might be able to recommend him to their clients? Is this worthwhile or is it unlikely they would recommend someone when they hadn't seen his work?

thanks again

lisa76

What has he tried so far? Start small with postcards in local shops/tescos etc, small ads in your local paper.
There is a website that mums use called netmums.com - try posting on there on the local help board.
It wouldn't harm to write to architects etc but I doubt many would take on a one man band.
Take some photos, get references for a kind of portfolio.
Have you had some business cards done? I made some on Publisher temporarily, then got some professionally printed (but I had help with funding) - people recommend vistaprint.
You can put a free ad on yellow pages - but make sure you choose the free option and be aware that they'll ring you to ask you to upgrade, just say a firm no.
Hope this helps a little and don't forget word of mouth does wonders!

saving123

thanks. I've got business cards made. Customers have always been very happy with his work so I will see if he can get references. I thought about maybe puting leaflets through the door with information like what he does, contact details etc on one side, then on the other side some comments/references from customers? I just don't know if people would respond to a leaflet as I know most people prefer to get a recommendation from someone they know.

PlutoinCapricorn

Does he know about ratedpeople.com?

Googling "self-employed bricklayer" or "work for bricklayers" often pulls out interesting information.

For self employed people in general, personal recommendation is best: you can't expect ethical people to recommend someone whose work they have never seen.

lisa76

If you can do leaflets cheaply then posting them through doors may get some success - though to be honest I tend to throw them away if rather than keep them for 'just in case'.

adjey

I am in the same position. Three weeks since i last worked. Just wondered if you get any help with benefits etc? Your hubby will prob be like me and not have stamp upto date? Even though its always been on direct debit.

savemoney

I need a bricky to put some raised beds in my old driveway for next year in North Yorks

I would print leaflets easy to do in word or publisher and send them out around area. Sometimes even little jobs help so dont rule them out

cattie

Local paper ads & leaflets are good idea's & try to detail other jobs he can do, such as drives, patio's etc & if he is willing to do general handyman jobs or other work. When you are looking for work in the current climate, the more skills you can offer the better.

Where possible always give a home number as well as a mobile number, as I know for myself I'm more confident contacting somebody from local paper if they have a home number & I can identify it as relatively local. I tend to avoid an ad if it only has a mobile number.

Approach any likely local organisations that you feel may have a newsletter & see if for a small fee you can place an ad; organisations such as resident's associations, local churches, cat's protection league (where a decorator I'm going to use advertised), these kind of places have newsletters.

Sometimes hospitals have boards where you can advertise services, so something else worth checking out, along with community centre boards.

Also worth contacting Age Concern as I know in my area they have a list of recommended tradesmen that are dependable, trustworthy & most importantly of all, have very reasonable charges.

savemoney

I think Morrisons have a board as does Sainsburys

oldtoolie

Many of the best skilled tradesmen are not good at marketing themselves. Me, I am a marketer. Here is what I have been telling my friend, the brickie and master of most trades to do.

Don't spend much money on advertising -- leaflets, local bulletin boards, parish newsletters are good. A very simple brochure style website is good.
Expensive wide circulation newspapers or Yellow pages are not.

Telephone all of your previous customers and ask them if they are still happy with the work. Offer to fix it if they aren't. Ask if they have anything else needing doing. Ask them to tell their friends.

When you have a job, put a sign up with your details and leave it up for a week afterwards if your client allows. Leaflet the homes near the job. The leaflet should say that you are working in the area, so they can see your work and talk to a satisfied customer. The leaflet should show include your name, home address and landline telephone number as well as mobile.

Do some voluntary jobs and get some local publicity for it. For example, the headline in a local newspaper or parish bulletin might read, "Local builder volunteers to fix the steps for local elderly people or the local church or scout hut." You could charge for materials but do the labour for free.

Resist cutting your prices much. You can't compete on price with the cut-rate here-today gone-tomorrow cowboys. You can compete with the honest established reliable craftsman like yourself. People who can afford to have work done know they have to pay a fair price to have a good job.

Pee

Around me the self employed builders all know one another and so when one gets a job that needs three people, he'll be foreman on that job and introduce his two friends. The next week someone else will have the job and they'll be foreman. This can especially work where friends have slightly different strong points - knowledge of plumbing etc.