Stuck

pfx

Hi guys,

I had been running a successful building company in Birmingham for 7 years. Due to the recession I had decided that it was a good idea to move to London in January this year.

I have had a couple good contracts this year that kept me going. Those contracts were aquired while still operating in Birmingham. Now, two projects are successfully completed and we are out of work. I focus on the private sector - home extensions, loft conversions and refurbishments. I have been constantly advertising on the web, incl. paid ads on gumtree, yell etc since May. The total money spent on ads on gumtree and other directories is nearly £800 for that period. It had literally produced no response apart from a few phone calls. And the jobs were not even that big (the highest quote was £6500 incl. materials for a 12m3 back toilet extension). Unfortunately, the Client said it was too expensive :cool:.

My question is:

How do you advertise in London and how do you get jobs in the private sector??

I want to stress that we are reliable contractors that always finish on time and within budget, and that is backed by our testimonials and references. It is just too bad I cannot even show them off to potential Clients as nobody rings!

Please help. Many thanks.

Lovelyjoolz

You need to court some Architects. When people want extensions or alterations done their property, they will have to have architect drawings to submit for planning. People often ask the architect they approach if they can recommend a builder. Most architects I know have a portfolio of pet builders they recommend to their clients. Do the same with Structural and civil engineers who serve the private sector.

You also need to advertise more. £800 is nothing as a marketing budget - £100 a month is not very much at all. You should be looking to spend significantly more than that. Consider it an investment in your future. It will be worth it when you've built up a good client base and reputation. Get yourself a good portfolio of work together. Ask your clients if they will give you references and recommendations. Do the leg work. Get some fancy flyers printed up and shove them through a few thousand letterboxes. Some of those homeowners will be looking to extend.

Have you got signboards to stick up outside properties you're working on? Can you offer a small discount to clients who agree to keep the sign up for a month or two after the job is finished?

It shouldn't be too difficult - there's a veritable explosion of work going in London and the SE. More work than there are builders. It's there, you just need to put some work into letting it find you.

Are you registered on checkatrade.com and the other sites of the same vein? Most people are going their first to find a builder. And how is your website? Make sure it's good. Loads of photos of your work and as many testimonials as you can get from past clients.

pfx

Lovelyjoolz,

Thanks for the tips. You are a great help.

I think it was just too easy in brum to stick an ad on gumtree and yell, and the phone would ring a few times a week. Must of made me neglect other aspects of marketing.

Thank you.

Lovelyjoolz

You're welcome. I hope those ideas work for you

paddyrg

Find previous clients under the guise of Christmas/soliciting feedback and offer them a sweetener of some kind if they were happy to refer you?

silvercar

Are you now based in London or commuting daily? This would push your costs up.

Will the two recent jobs give you references? Do you have a website? A portfolio to show with references?

If the clients are saying jobs are too expensive, take that on board.