Having excellent knowledge of your trade will be one of the most important things when it comes to being successful as a tradesman, but there is so much more you must provide your customers if you want to keep them satisfied and remain loyal to you. If you are considering starting a company as a tradesman or interested in being a sole trader, here are a few tips on what else you need to do if you want to become and remain successful.
Transparency
One of the quickest ways you will gain the respect of your customers is by being honest with them. From a business perspective, there might be certain things you want to keep close to your chest until you get a better idea of a situation. However, if you’re upfront with them about how long a project is going to take, the realistic cost, your availability, etc., rather than telling them what you think they want to hear and then them finding out the truth later, they will be more confident in using you again and recommending you to friends.
Fair Pricing
Naturally, you will want to make a profit so your business can continue to flourish and grow, but don’t rip people off. Unfortunately, there can be a lot of mistrust between customers and tradesmen thanks to cowboys who have charged much more than they should have, or have made work sound very cheap only to do a bad job and perhaps create more problems. While you need to make sure your business is profitable, offer customers good, realistic prices that they’re comfortable with, and compete with other traders.
Be Prepared
If you want to be seen as a professional, make sure you’re turning up to jobs prepared. Rather than having to drive over to a hardware store to pick up tools or materials, have as much as possible in your van when you arrive on-site so you can get on with the job quickly and efficiently. You can buy supplies in bulk from sites like Tradefix Direct at good prices, so ensuring you have everything you need shouldn’t be a problem.
Be Punctual
No one likes to wait all day for a tradesman to turn up at their house, so being able to give your customers an accurate time of when you will arrive and sticking to that is key. Try to avoid being vague when you’re arranging an appointment or give them a time slot of only a couple of hours, so they’re not waiting for too long. Sometimes you might get held up at another job, or there might be another reason for your delay, but if there is, make sure you tell your next customer sooner rather than later, and try to give them a realistic timeframe of when they can expect you.
A lot goes into running a successful business, but if you want to keep customers happy and loyal as a tradesman, make sure you’re doing these additional things that will help provide excellent customer service.
