After a few years in the plumbing industry, most business owners likely have done a fair share of dirty work. There are the nasty messes, the unexpected issues, and the complicated customers.
With time, many plumbing professionals learn to deal with the complexities in the field. Once everything is going smoothly in that aspect of the business, owners may be asking themselves, “How can I grow my plumbing business?”
If you’re a business owner and you’ve navigated your way through learning all of the ins and outs of plumbing, then you’re capable of growing a thriving plumbing business. There are various ways to take a business from a small-time business to one that experiences exponential growth. Below are five examples of the best strategies for business growth for your plumbing company.
1. Invest In Your Brand
Quality and effective branding can bring in more leads for a business in a passive manner. Businesses can make the initial investment in branding by hiring brand marketing experts who develop a clear and concise brand strategy. Then the brand can be launched using several avenues including:
- Logos on uniforms
- Plumbing service trucks wrapped in a company’s design
- Free swag, such as refrigerator magnets, keychains, t-shirts, etc.
- Business cards that are readily available to pass along to potential customers
- Professional invoices and estimates that set a business apart from its competitors
Branding creates optics for a business and image is everything. In a study conducted at Princeton, researchers found that it takes just a few seconds for someone to form an impression of a person or business. Branding presents the opportunity to make a great first impression on customers.
In order to be seen as a professional and respected company, branding needs to represent a company as such. Every time a customer sees the design or logo of a business, it should convey the idea that the company is reliable, caring, and trustworthy.
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2. Market And Advertise
Another growth strategy to implement in your plumbing business is to improve the marketing tactics that are used for it. It’s important to have that foundation of a strong brand to use for marketing and advertising.
Solid marketing and advertising are some of the best growth strategies for business. There are many ways to market a business and there are some that work better for plumbing businesses.
Everyone uses Google, so it is possibly the best platform to advertise a plumbing business. It must be done strategically though; research has shown that the top three Google results get more than 54% of all clicks. It is crucial to get ranked when a potential customer searches for the best plumber in your local area. Consider hiring a search engine optimization (SEO) expert to help your business get ranked on Google.
Business owners can sign up for a Google Places account to get a business listed on Google Maps. That way, if someone is searching for a plumber using a local map (which 86% of consumers do), your business will be there and they can get connected with you.
Local Business Directories
You can also list your business in local directories such as:
- Yelp
- Home Advisor
- Angie’s List (now known as Angi.com)
Reviews
When companies are listed in local business directories, it’s important that there are reviews to accompany their listing. Reviews show potential customers that the business is an established and trusted business.
Plumbing businesses should Include a request for reviews in their marketing strategy when finalizing a job. You can even follow up with a professional email that includes a link to your website or Google listing, making it easy for the customer to leave a review.
3. Increase Customer Satisfaction
Once marketing and advertising campaigns have been upgraded, retaining those customers is a key strategy for business growth. This can be done through increasing customer satisfaction. Repeat customers are great for business because they:
- spend 67% more when they use a business or service for more than three years,
- act as marketing tools who promote you for free when they tell their family and friends about a good experience with your business, and
- are easier to sell to because they are 50% more likely to try new products or services than new customers.
Measure Customer Satisfaction
Each interaction with a customer is an opportunity to get feedback about his/her/their satisfaction with a business. This information is a great tool for understanding what is keeping the customers happy and what isn’t. Ways to measure customer satisfaction include:
- Conducting a follow-up: after a job is finished, businesses can follow up with customers to gauge their satisfaction. This can be done by calling the customer and asking about details such as what went well and what didn’t go well during the service call, the performance and customer service of the tech, etc.
- Sending out surveys: surveys to assess customer satisfaction can be sent out via email, text, or mail. Incentives can be offered for completing the survey, such as a discount on the next service.
- Request reviews: reviews can act as feedback for a business as well as free advertising when they come from satisfied customers.
Customer Relationship Management
The way to retain customers is to develop a relationship of trust, quality, and personal touch that your business has with them. To do this, you want to have all the information about them in one place so you can deliver high-quality service. Customer relationship management (CRM) software can help you keep customized records of your customers so you can view the history of quotes and site visits.
4. Partner with other local businesses
It’s a good idea to partner with other businesses in your area. Plumbing businesses can reach new customers and increase exposure to untapped potential customers. Networking is also great for building professional relationships and creating contacts that can help businesses achieve long-term goals.
Look for local partnerships that align with plumbing services, such as real estate agents, home improvement stores, or property management companies.
Trade Shows
A great place to do a lot of networking in a short amount of time is at tradeshows. Furthermore, trade shows are an excellent place to interact with more potential customers. It has been reported that as much as 20% of customers can be gained through trade shows. A few days per year of attending trade shows can expand local partnerships as well as a customer base.
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5. Lessen Your Workload
At the end of the day, you need to lessen your administrative workload so that you can spend more time growing your plumbing business. You need software that can:
- Schedule appointments
- Send out quotes to dispatching workers
- Keep track of the status of your jobs
- Help you manage your inventory
- Keep your customers happy
- Prepare invoices so you get paid
That’s a lot to manage but it has to be done to improve a plumbing business. To grow your plumbing business, you need to increase sales, attract new customers, and increase ticket sizes with the aforementioned strategies. While implementing these strategies may take some time, you can lessen your workload today by checking out FieldBin’s free trial of trusted plumbing business management software.