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huggytree
10-06-2011, 02:37 PM
i hate it when people call me and try to sell me something...i hang up on them immediately

i am extremely slow right now and am planning on calling up every builder on my list of 600+....i havent done it in years...i found it really didnt work well in the past....i DO need contact names so i can send them fliers..with all the changes in construction these days i think many of the old contact names ive been writing to arent at those companies anymore(so im writing to no one)....so i DO need to call and update my list...

the first thing i do is relax and be the most positive/friendly person i can be...i know everyone likes friendly/positive people

i typically introduce myself to whoever answers and ask to speak to whoever is in charge of hiring subs....then reintroduce myself and let them know i am currently looking for new business and wondering if they have any projects that i can bid on....then i ask for a contact name and also who their current plumber is....most are friendly and i try to make it short and sweet as not to bother them much.

im typically not very pushy at all.....if they do have a project i always ask for an appointment to meet with them personally...if they dont have any projects i just ask them to keep me in mind for the next one....i typically dont get into a sales speech of why im better....i really dont want to annoy them and spend more than a few minutes of their time....i just ask for an opportunity to bid..thats it

i know they get a few calls from subs a day......im trying to find a way of making myself stand out, yet keep it short.

anything else i should be doing or saying?

i have no professional training in sales and try to be the 'honest' guy....i hate pushy salesman....i try to treat them like i like to be treated....tell them what im selling and thank them for their time....

Steve B
10-06-2011, 03:08 PM
Sounds like you're already doing it the right way. I wouldn't change a thing.

Spider
10-06-2011, 05:47 PM
This isn't coldcalling. You are calling businesses with whom you have an existing relationship - even if that relationship is only having been sending them industry fliers for the past three years.

Also, you are hardly trying to sell them anything - you are asking for the name of the contact person to whom you should send your fliers, believing that the person to whom you have been writing is no longer with the firm.

While you are on the phone collecting this information, you ask them if they have any plumbing work presently on which you might bid. I wouldn't ask who their plumber is because this presupposes that they only hire one plumber at a time. I would talk with them on the basis that every job is a new situation for them and they hire subcontractors that can best do the job.

None of this sounds like cold calling to me and I don't think you need worry on that score. Your super-friendly approach is great. You are right to keep the conversation short. You might want to ask the name of the person who answered the call - telephone operators are the gateway to the company and being in their good-books can be a godsend.

huggytree
10-06-2011, 08:14 PM
i ask for their current plumber for a few reasons....and i feel its important (to me)

1. i know who the cheap ones are and who the highend ones are...i know who i typically beat and who will beat me....if they are with the cheapest one in town i know i have no chance...i know they only go for the cheapest......

2. i keep a database of all 600-700 potential customers....i have detailed notes on every encounter with them....i also keep track of their plumber....so when a plumbing company goes under i can quickly look up each of their customers and know they are in the market....(the downside of this theory is maybe they are the customers that drove them under..haha)

most customers gladly give me their plumbers name...once in a while they seem offended and refuse to answer...

this week was a 6.5 hour work week....uggghhhhhh(possibly the worst week ive had in 4 years) i spent all week house painting......next week? only 2 hours scheduled!!!!!.....i will be spending all week on finding some new customers and new projects to bid on....since its horribly slow i will be cutting prices a bit for the winter season and hopefully ill pick up some new work from it.....when its slow like this its either work for what i can get or sit at home all week....im considering it a practice run for Steve B's idea of hiring a full timer and spending all my time in sales.....next week im a full times salesman

huggytree
10-06-2011, 08:21 PM
I wouldn't ask who their plumber is because this presupposes that they only hire one plumber at a time. I would talk with them on the basis that every job is a new situation for them and they hire subcontractors that can best do the job.



i have no chance with large companies..none right now......and the small ones typically have only 1 plumber....i dont want customers who do competitive bidding on every job to decide who they will use....i will never win more than 1 job with them since im typically not the lowest price.

i want a customer who wants the best value(price vs quality) and wants & gives loyalty to their subs...its typically the small builder/remodeler

i dont even market to large customers anymore....not 1 bite in 5 years tells me there's not going to be a bite

my company size limits me from them even if i could match/beat the prices they get

mfine
10-06-2011, 08:43 PM
You know, I've been watching Youtube videos to help me with these things. It takes a whole page to describe what can be demonstrated in a short video, so I think that video is a better medium for learning these types of things.

For example, I thought this video was helpful. Now, I know that you already know the customer, but I don't think that changes the advice at all. I plan on using it for my in person cold calls.

Cold Calling: Nail the First 20 Seconds - YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jlVBwasfc78&feature=related)

I hope that helps. You can use their search feature to find other videos that might be helpful when it comes to making those calls.

I was just thinking, if it makes you feel uncomfortable asking that person for more work, maybe you can approach the question in another way. Perhaps you could call asking for a referral. That way that person is reminded that you do plumbing and they could offer work if they have it, and you might also find new customers. It's just an idea, but it might be an easier way to open up the conversation about work.

Video about asking for referrals:
How to Ask for Referrals - YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j7PDxNTP6XQ&feature=related)

How to get more referrals from customers that have already referred you:
Rainmakers know how to ask for referrals tastefully. - YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X-BV_ksgIbk)

Spider
10-06-2011, 10:45 PM
.....when its slow like this its either work for what i can get or sit at home all week....im considering it a practice run for Steve B's idea of hiring a full timer and spending all my time in sales.....next week im a full times salesmanOh! So cruel! I've been telling you this for years!


...then, you must spend your time finding the next job for him to do - and the next, and the next. While he is doing the plumbing, you should be doing the selling, bidding, visiting clients, schmoozing. Come March, once you have hired your employee, you must stop being a plumber and become a manager. Your job as a plumber must cease and your job must be to get more work, and more work, and more work...

Oh, well! [sigh!] :(

huggytree
10-07-2011, 11:15 AM
Oh, well! [sigh!] :(

Sorry....I will be a salesman all week just like Steve B AND FREDERICK have been telling me!!!!

Thank you for the Advice Frederick....Steve was the last one to say it, so he was fresh on my mind even though you said it probably 5 hours before him




i dont want to work for 'whatever i can get' when i have steady work....no reason to....but now that im in a horrible slump (temporarily i hope) i will look into anything just to make wages until things pick back up.

spent the day updating material lists and met with a carpenter thats doing a project for a relative on the side...looks like i will score that project (my bid was exactly what he thought it would be)(nice large project $11k)

i had bid on a new house with my largest customer...that house is being constructed right now...when i asked her when i should put it on my schedule she said 'i dont know if you have it yet'...i was a bit shocked since ive been her guy for 2 years....i called last night and offered to slash $1,000 off the project 'to make sure i get it'...she came back with 'the homeowner has a plumber friend and he may get it'.....uggghhhh......that was 'winter' work i was planning on....$40,000+ worth of work...price cutting didnt help me on that one.....but i do feel i made the right choice in offering the 'winter' discount........id still make profit

im getting things done with the business that ive been putting off...today is the rainy day

Spider
10-07-2011, 01:58 PM
Sorry....I will be a salesman all week just like Steve B AND FREDERICK have been telling me!!!!
Thank you for the Advice Frederick....Steve was the last one to say it, so he was fresh on my mind even though you said it probably 5 hours before him......and many times before that - so have others, I'm sure. But you get the credit for making the decision. That's the tough part.


... i dont want to work for 'whatever i can get' when i have steady work....no reason to....but now that im in a horrible slump (temporarily i hope) i will look into anything just to make wages until things pick back up...And that, too, is a good decision. Wasn't long ago, you might remember, that you refused to lower prices for any reason. Ya gotta do what ya gotta do! Don't worry. Take advantage of the time off, talk to the wife and play with the kids. This slump will pass,and if you keep up with the advertising and promotion as you are doing, you'll be stronger and more productive when it does pass.

Sorry the big one looks doubtful but you have a smaller one to partially compensate. Be grateful for that.

huggytree
10-07-2011, 07:27 PM
...and many times before that - so have others, I'm sure. But you get the credit for making the decision. That's the tough part.

And that, too, is a good decision. Wasn't long ago, you might remember, that you refused to lower prices for any reason. Ya gotta do what ya gotta do!


when im slow like this i have no choice but to spend all week making calls....i dont like to sit and do nothing.....so whether i got advice from you many times or not i still would have done the same thing (probably)

i refused to lower my prices for any reason, but that was before my future outlook was almost 0....its hard to cut prices when you dont really have to....my wife has been bugging me to cut prices lately too(she keeps hearing me complain about the new house situation)....problem is i cant cut my prices by $2,500 per house unless i want to make plumber wages or less....there's definitely no profit there...why be in business if there's no profit........if i cut my every day prices for everyone i end up making less.....with the hope that i will gain more business and make more in the future.......i tried that on water heaters for a few months...i lowered my prices by $150 just to see....guess what? i sold the same % i always did..i just made less doing it...i still didnt gain any new business.....so i actually raised my prices by $200....guess what? i still sell the same % and i get an extra $50 in my pocket......its all about referrals....if its a referral i get it, if its not i lose the job.

i may still get the large project....the odds are slim, but id still put them at at least 20% chance....all depends on how much the builder fights for me...she knows i was counting on this job for winter work.

i took my supply house salesman out for lunch today.....i used the time to talk about my competition....every ones in a horrible slump right now...most have been here for a month while ive only been here for a week......some talk of a few going under and a few others combining to survive.....sounds like commercial is the only thing surviving right now....i kept track of which plumbing companies were in trouble and plan to use my database to specifically target the builders they work for....for a $40 meal i gained a lot of in site to the market....

i have over $100,000 in my reserve fund(rainy day) and my company will still have at least $350,000 in sales this year....unless this slump lasts for years ill easily ride it out....typically when things look their worst the good times are only a week or 2 away...things can completely change in a week or 2......things are very strange right now, but im positive by Nov ill be busy again

my next post next week should be about contacts i made and plans i have to bid on.....there will be a few

KristineS
10-10-2011, 12:59 PM
It sounds to me like you're doing what you can, and you've got a realistic assessment of the situation. That's key, as you don't want to become so pessimistic that you become paralyzed, nor do you want to become so optimistic that you aren't alert to possible pitfalls. From what I've read, it seems you've planned well and you still have some irons in the fire, so congratulations on that. Good luck with your contacts and plans and do let us know how things go.

huggytree
10-11-2011, 05:27 PM
of course the week i had planned on doing all the calls suddenly became busy....got a late morning call yesterday that got me almost a full day of work and also a large new home is ready to partially finish (this will take 2-3 days)

today was my only day left to make a bunch of calls...i went to a networking event this morning and when i got home i had some signed contracts and some new work to bid on waiting....so that took me to noon....so i ended up spending about 2 hours calling around....all i basically did was clean up my list of 700 names....i deleted about 15 so far that were out of business and never made it out of the A section....out of about 40 calls i only talked to THREE builders....all the rest were machines

its hard to sell to an answering machine

good news is finally around the corner....one of my builders sold a house and a new customer ive been working on for 3 years may finally sign a contract for $38,000 for a 6 bath remodel......(he could be good for $100,000 a year, but seems frugal and unorganized)

It always works this way.....Whenever i hit Rock Bottom....1-2 weeks later im busy...work comes out of no where.....but every time i worry

i met a new disaster restoration company today at a networking group.....he specializes in murder/death cleanup....nice eh? his tag line 'we clean what shouldnt be seen'....he's an ex-marine and looks just like you'd imagine for someone who does this kind of work....if the bullets hit the plumbing i may get a job

now im planning on spending next week making those calls....or else i may have to just try to spend a hour a day on it....i really dont have the time for extra sales...im starting to realize this

SCUBA9097
10-12-2011, 05:28 PM
Huggytree, you mentioned a database for your client list. Is this something you created on Excel or a program that you are using? Good job on the new outlook too! For a while there you were starting to sound very sullen and bitter. I didn't want to say anything as I still feel like the "FNG" here, but I'm sure that was being detected by your prospects as well. No matter how hard we try to hide it, it still comes through. I like the new "attitude" though. Seriously, good job!

JacobBergeron
10-12-2011, 07:39 PM
Huggytree,

A few of my clients are going through the same thing, they have been fairly constant in terms of work for years and now things have seemed to dwindle off. I being a promotional products dealer have gotten a few calls just this week and people have been saying pretty much exactly what you have said in your posts. One of my clients said it had been a long time sense he had to worry about selling himself and his business again. I have just been telling them that slumps are apart of the business world and that things almost always get better. I had one client place an order for pens and flashlights and the week after they came in he called me and said that he now had to much work scheduled that week. Of course in all honesty I can't take credit for that but it was just a humorous example about how fast people end up in slumps and how fast they seem to become just a memory. Just hang in there and spend some quality time with family and friends, because I am sure you know you will be back in the swing of things before to long.

Steve B
10-13-2011, 06:19 AM
FYI - I had my slowest September since 2005. 2005 was my very first year in business.

huggytree
10-15-2011, 09:00 AM
FYI - I had my slowest September since 2005. 2005 was my very first year in business.

i know its not my business....its all business related to construction....everyone i talk to 'in the business' is having a horrible year...

i may have (2) new large customers on the line....one is commercial, so i will be pushing myself into a new direction...i will be doing some on the job site learning, but its nothing i cant handle.....i would have shy'd away from it a year ago, but now ill hire someone to help me figure it out if needed........when its slow you have (2) choices....expand what you do or find new customers....i expanded what i do to include 'service' work a few years ago...its time to expand it again to include 'commercial'

Oct 2011 will be my worst month in business since i started...im looking at 60 hours......the months 1/2 over and i have 35 hours in....but only ONE 2-hour project booked for the rest of the month right now.....the good news is the calls DID start to come back this past week....i had atleast 7 calls from homeowners this week.....up from ONE call a week during the past few weeks...

Spider
10-15-2011, 09:13 AM
... i may have (2) new large customers on the line....one is commercial, so i will be pushing myself into a new direction....Something else I have been trying to get you to do for ages. I hope it goes well.

huggytree
10-15-2011, 05:55 PM
Something else I have been trying to get you to do for ages. I hope it goes well.

when worked dropped off 2-3 years ago i added service work to what i do...i dont make as much, but it gets my name out there more.....ive also self taught myself service(most of it)......then work got better....no reason to try commercial....

now that work is dropping off again yea its smart to add to what i do....i dont have the customer locked in yet...he may just be using me on several bids to give his customer competitive bids and never be intending to use me....typically my bids are extremely high on commercial jobs and i dont get them...ive tried in the past once in a while...

i always believed in being 'specialized' in what you do...i specialize in large remodels.....and its worked over all for 5 years now...its made me alot of money... its not working right now, so i have to adapt...and thats what im doing.....

most of what you have wanted me to do involved pricing......expanding into other services wasnt discussed between us very often....at least from what i can remember(but i do have a selective memory at times)

95% of plumbers in my area are either residential OR commercial....very few do both....they are very specialized fields.....as is service...im not the best in service, but i can scrape by......i know almost nothing about commercial, but ill BS my way through it....i know every inch of residential....i hate to expand into the unknown when its not really what i want to do or know much about....but its either sit at home and be negative or go out and make some money for my family. judging by how construction is right now(when it should be the busiest time of the year) i know this winter is going to be BRUTAL....Im going to struggle just to pay my wages i fear..something i havent had to do in 4.5 years

huggytree
10-15-2011, 06:07 PM
Huggytree, you mentioned a database for your client list. Is this something you created on Excel or a program that you are using? Good job on the new outlook too! For a while there you were starting to sound very sullen and bitter. I didn't want to say anything as I still feel like the "FNG" here, but I'm sure that was being detected by your prospects as well. No matter how hard we try to hide it, it still comes through. I like the new "attitude" though. Seriously, good job!

i think i use Excel...whatever is included for free with my computer

i keep names, phone #, address, contact names, dates i mailed fliers, dates i spoke last, any dealings i have with them (neg or pos)

i have a fixed # of potential customers, so its smart and easy to do....im starting a new database of homeowners...im going to send fliers and Christmas cards to them 2x a year......ive realized 5 years too late that i should have done this from the start....the good thing with homeowners is there isnt a fixed # of them...i can increase that # forever....ive been too lazy to do it in the past and probably lost tens of thousands in business and referrals from it....i need to keep my company in their heads and consider them 'My clients' as i do builders/remodelers

im always bitter towards the 'cheap' customer...that will never change......but try to stay positive to the 'quality' customer...when i get slow i start to reflect and think about everything....when the phone just stops ringing one day and stays that way for weeks/months its hard to be positive....ive developed a new plan to grow over the past few weeks and also went back to some of my old plan from years ago with calling everyone on my contractor list.....i have a 4 point plan to spend my free time on........and at least 2 of the 4 directions i know will gain me business

im still grossing $350,000-$400,000 this year.....its just hard because im going to be down atleast $50,000 in sales from last year....ive never had a year where i made less than the year before........i was up 25% until July.....now im down 9% 4 months later...thats how bad the drop has been...-34% in 4 months...........

Spider
10-16-2011, 12:10 AM
... i know this winter is going to be BRUTAL....Im going to struggle just to pay my wages i fear..something i havent had to do in 4.5 yearsLook on the bright side, Dave. So you get a longer Christmas holiday - it will make up for the years without a real vacation because you were too busy. I have no doubt you will make it through. Stay awake to new opportunities and everything will work out.

huggytree
10-16-2011, 10:36 AM
Look on the bright side, Dave. So you get a longer Christmas holiday - it will make up for the years without a real vacation because you were too busy. I have no doubt you will make it through. Stay awake to new opportunities and everything will work out.

i know ill make it....its almost impossible for me to go under as a 1 man shop...i can always drop my price to whatever i have to just to gain business...worst case scenario i can work for $50 per hour cash just to feed my family....no chance it will come to that though

it is nice to have time off w/ the family....this summer was great.....but when you are afraid to spend money there isnt much to do....i wanted to do a Christmas Disney vacation this year.....i typically save all my profit for the end of the year, but this year i spend it all at the beginning of the year, so any extra money left over will go to retirement....no extra spending $$ this year....most of my new toys are already in winter storage....my special car will be next in 2-3 weeks.....i want to take up skiing w/ the family, but im afraid to because if i get injured as a 1 man shop im screwed....i cant do any high risk sports until i hire an employee

i want to remodel my master bath....its small and if i do the work myself i can probably do it for under $5,000 in materials....my bathroom may be my winter hobby

Spider
10-16-2011, 02:02 PM
Cool! When I built my house, I installed black elongated one piece Kholer WC, bidet and a pair of black washbasins, all with gold-plated Kholer faucets, plus a built black marble shower with gold-plated shower fittings at both ends. It was magnificent, expensive, but I loved that bathroom. Seeing as one uses that room more often than any other, I say splurging on the bathroom will make you fell wonderful every day.

And seeing as you have young kids, that is also a room in which you likely spend a lot of time with them, as you all rush about getting ready to leave the house every morning.

Make it a very special room - one the wife will happily spend an hour or two with a bubble-bath.

huggytree
10-18-2011, 12:06 PM
black fixtures with gold faucets? you didnt do any pimping when you were younger?

i did a purple bathroom once...purple toilet,tub,sink w/ gold faucets....he had black tiles....all i can say about the look is it was shocking

my master bath is very small....house is from 1980, long before the master bath became a large room.....its got a 3x3 shower stall...i am planning on losing some closet space and turning it into a 5x3 shower....id like to go with double sinks, but for that id need to go into the master closet to expand the bath and i dont want to shrink the master closet....new shower, new vanity, drywall and tile the floor....i will hire out for the drywall finishing and the finish wood work...everything else i can do....

the shower is horribly small, so going to a 5x will be nice....id love to fit a Whirlpool tub, but without losing the master closet its not possible and the layout would always look goofy....the house has large rooms, but the bathrooms are all on the smaller side of average....

i had originally planned on building a new home someday as one of my goals, but have revamped my plans towards owning a 2nd home in Florida when i retire instead...our home is very nice and our lot is spectacular (2 acres mostly wooded at the end of a cul de sac)...up on a hill overlooking the subdivision....definitely the best lot in the subd and maybe the whole area...........

Spider
10-19-2011, 09:38 AM
Instead of robbing from the closet space (which probably isn't all that large if the bathroom is so small) - why not enlarge the footprint of the house?

Just imagine a room extension on the side of the house outside the bathroom - small concrete pad, three walls and a bit of roof - of, say, 12 ft x 5ft - room enough to fit a whirlpool tub and a 5 x 5 shower side by side. That would give you a huge increase in bathroom floor space, because the existing tub and/or shower would be removed from the original floor plan and placed outside it.

You would save the closets, have space for double sinks, and may even be able to put the wc in its own enclosure.

It would cost you more, of course, but not as much extra as you might think because much of the anticipated wall changes would not need to be done.

Also, remember (and you may want to consult a local Realtor on this) - bathroom renovations are the most cost-effective alterations you can do on a prvate home. The value of the home on resale can increase 100% and even more (120% sometimes) of the cost of the addition. If the cost of what I suggested is $20,000, the value of your home could increase by $25,000 or more. That means your equity immediately increases by that amount, and that could mean you have doubled the equity in your home.

IOW you get all your money back and more, eventually.

huggytree
10-19-2011, 03:29 PM
im already over done for my area...my sq footage is one of the largest in the neighborhood and my first floor has been completely redone(very high end)...i fear ill probably not get as much as i should for the house someday because its overbuilt for the neighborhood...

i vote no on any additions....im never happy with much(glass 1/2 empty personality), but im happy with the size of my house....i spend 15 mins a day in the master bath...its not worth spending $50,000+ to enlarge it by means of an addition....it would be cheaper to buy a Jacuzzi for the backyard if i want a whirlpool tub and the Jacuzzi would have more uses (parties/family...romance?)

im thinking of a nice mid level master bath remodel for $5,000 in parts....$1,000+ for a vanity, $500 for granite countertop, $800 shower, $1,000 rough materials
....i have a new high end toilet in there....maybe Kohler would even give me a shower

huggytree
10-19-2011, 05:22 PM
Frederick....i just won a commercial job this afternoon....its a brand new customer and its a $15,000 job with another $12,000 job awaiting approval

i will be hiring another plumber friend of mine for $75 per hour to help me....he is a commercial plumber and also is a 1 man company...im counting on his knowledge

also hiring out concrete cutter and concrete repair for $3,000

im very excited by the whole idea of expanding on what i do and learning new things....also managing people

i have it bid for 69 hours and am hoping to complete it in 48-58 hours

i lowered my hourly rate by $14 ($2 above cost), but kept my profit on fixtures and parts as normal...so ill make a $1,000 if it goes badly or $2,000 if it goes well

im charging $90 per hour and my friend is charging $75...(he doesnt know how to correctly figure prices or doesnt care).....we are equally splitting the job hours, so i will make an additional $15 per hour off his labor

one of my idea's has been to use this friend of mine as a sub. to help me catch up when i get busy...i normally charge $104 for my labor, so id be making $29 per hour off of him and no issues regarding insurance and taxes......i came up with the idea last year, but since its been slow i never got to try it....next week will be my first try

i never win commercial jobs and had pretty much given up until i got so slow.....knocking $1,000 off the price won me the job...i assume i pretty much got lucky since ive been getting out bid by $2,000+ on jobs this size lately.

also made some calls to large existing customers and looks like i will be able to expand my business by working with more project managers and salesmen

i am through 1/2 my phone list and plan to complete it tomorrow...i have a few good possibilities with a customer who dropped me recently when the company leadership changed hands...they were good for 1-2 jobs a month, so worth fighting for and taking a few owners out to lunch to talk.

work outlook for Nov. looks pretty good, so hopefully this pitiful month will be over soon

Spider
10-19-2011, 07:35 PM
Excellent! I'm proud of you. Keep an open mind. Even if this doesn't work out exactly as planned, analyze it thoroughly, decide what you can do different next time and persevere. Do the same if it works out as you hope - analyze everything and see where you can improve next time. Well done!

huggytree
10-20-2011, 10:29 AM
just won another new builder this morning...its a $40,000 6.5 bath house...its a builder ive been working on for 3 years now....he is also a member of the builder association remodeler council(which im a member of)....i have almost every builder in that council now........neat how just showing up every month and slowly working your way into getting to know everyone works out.

i had a long discussion with my friend this morning about the commercial job....it appears i know even less about commercial than i thought...i missed a few things, but i am able to go back and get a bit extra $ to cover one of them..i really dont know what im doing exactly....i will once the job is done though

my friend is really struggling right now and if i could provide the hours ill bet i could hire him full time....he's thrilled i can provide him 30 hours on this job

huggytree
10-20-2011, 04:45 PM
just won another addition today too...$61,000 worth of new work and 200+ hours of work....what a great day! probably the best day this year

now my winter outlook is positive(for me)...the local market is still screwed

Business Attorney
10-22-2011, 03:34 PM
Congratulations, Dave.

huggytree
10-23-2011, 09:47 AM
90% of the 325 calls ive made so far are just answering machines.......the most important 1 out of the 325 was the only one to call back!!!...they are the premier home builder...i didnt leave my standard 'basic' msg for him...i talked about me and the 3 large homes i currently have in progress...he said he was moving me off his B list onto his A list...which means i will get to bid on his projects now....11,000 sq foot house is his next project...ive moved into the 6,500 sq foot range w/o any issues, but now im moving into a house which will take 300+ hours of plumbing....it would be a dream come true...the problem will be them awarding it to me w/o any employees.....thats been my problem in the past moving up into this level of house....its probably not realistic for a 1 man shop to handle a project like this AND do his normal work also....if i win it i probably will hire

cold calling over all isnt getting me any immediate results, but its helping me clean up my contact list and getting my name out there more....im normally against it, but in my case i think it was very positive for me

billbenson
10-23-2011, 05:41 PM
And it's an interesting take on cold calling. You had down time. Could your time have been better spent? - I don't know. You converted a lead lead into a real prospect! You cleaned up your contact list.

I think this is an example for all the people who say it's a waste of time!

MostHeather
10-24-2011, 02:28 PM
Congrats on all of the new business, huggytree! How much time do you estimate you spent making these calls?

KristineS
10-24-2011, 02:53 PM
Thanks for sharing the process with us. It's useful to hear how real world scenarios play out. In this case it sounds like the calling was a good thing, as it brought in at least one potentially big fish and it cleaned out your contact list.

huggytree
10-24-2011, 03:17 PM
i still have 200ish companies to go through...im doing it when i have free time....my ear actually hurt last week from 2 days straight...no blisters though

ive probably spent 12 hours so far....it wouldnt seem like it would take that long, but when you actually get someone on the phone thats 10-15 mins spent talking

if i could get every builder on the phone in person i feel that id be extremely successful, but in construction almost no one answers their phone

i had another call from a brand new remodeler today also...i ran over and gave him a bid 2 hours later....he's small time and my guess is he'll be looking for a 1/2 price side job type plumber....i treated him as a honest/potential client though and gave him an honest price....we will see...my gut tells me he's a good customer, its just going to be a pricing issue

i have a list of 7 good possibilities on paper that i was planning on contacting monthly....he was one of those 7

i am going to a remodeler council meeting tomorrow morning and may see some of the people i left msg's for and also a remodeler industry dinner meeting 2 nights from now..........i used to be more pushy at these meetings, but had given up to some degree over the years...i plan on being more aggressive again

my current customer list is dwindling over 2011 and i hadnt noticed until i looked at it last week...1/2 my customers havent brought me work in 8 months or more..some may have moved on, but more likely they arent working.....i need to create some new customers and gear up for winter

cold calling seems to work better than i remembered....possibly because my company has been around for 5 years and ive send 15+ fliers to everyone over those 5 years....im legit now in their eyes and worth talking too....thats just my guess anyways

Spider
10-24-2011, 04:35 PM
You are getting these good results because this isn't cold calling - it's warm calling. This is exactly how the telephone should be used for marketing (if it is going to be used at all.) And you have done it well.

huggytree
10-25-2011, 07:22 PM
just signed that 3rd new builder tonight....3 new builders in 4 business days...a new record

huggytree
10-31-2011, 04:47 PM
my cold calling is complete...finally

started with 725 builders in 2008....after going through the list its now down to 425 for 2011...300 builders have gone under....shocking!!!

over 40% gone

i havent picked up any more new business, but got to bid on (2) more builders jobs...so the possibility of 2 more new customers is there....

now i have a list of 5 warm leads that said to call back next month...

now what??????? ive got a few days a week of work now, but am still sitting 2-3 days a week doing nothing...my phone doesnt ring anymore...typically i still got a call or 2 during my slow periods...this time its gone 20 days with barely a call and no homeowner jobs....friends in the industry are doing worse...at least i have future work

the biggest problem with my cold calls is that the majority arent home...its almost all answering machines.

billbenson
10-31-2011, 06:32 PM
I hope you are maintaining records (I'm sure you are) on the one's that were still in business but you couldn't get in touch with. You need to prioritize them and figure out a way to get in touch with them...

huggytree
10-31-2011, 07:17 PM
most never will answer their phone

there are some ive called 10x over the years and never got a person...most are that way

contractors are horrible when it comes to answering their phones....thats part of my success...i DO answer

when i hired a chimney repair person i called 6 shops....only 1 ever called back and showed up...he got the job (and did a 1/2 assed job)

this is the nature of the beast....the large companies have a secretaries, but they wont let me get to the person i want....typically they say 'let me see if he's in'...1 min later 'sorry he's out...would you like his voice mail'.....they dont want to be bothered and they are blowing me off.....its very hard to get to the guy you need to get to....i can tell most of them dont want to talk to me....

some send me a plan to bid on...just to check out pricing...never intending to use me....i figured thats what i had today with the (2) jobs i bid on....when i called back to ask questions they didnt even answer me....they wouldnt call back....i just guessed on a few things and sent the bid....i know the bid isnt accurate, but its a bid........

out of the 425 on my list i probably talked to 50-75 of them.....thats the highest # ive ever gotten...it shows the despiration out there and how slow they are...i caught alot of them at home.......some said 'i thought you had a project for me!'

i will spend all day tomorrow writing addresses on envelopes and mailing out fliers to about 300 of them......i also need to design a few more new fliers for next year....im considering doing fliers monthly through winter...typically i dont bother since its such a slow time

billbenson
10-31-2011, 09:57 PM
Secretaries have historically screened calls for their boss. Getting to talk to the boss is part of the sales job. I remember sitting for 6 hours outside a purchasing managers office until he finally condescended to meet me. In your case, you need to give them a reason to want to talk to you. I have no suggestions, but its time to be cleaver.

Steve B
11-01-2011, 06:16 AM
Even if you don't ever get to talk to them, your persistence might pay off. If they get a message to call you once a month for 6 months in a row, they will still be seeing your name and know that you are still in business. They might tell someone else who needs a plumber about you - you never know. If you're doing nothing else, you might as well keep pecking away. My skin isn't thick enough for all that rejection. When I can, I hire someone to do some of that stuff for me.

huggytree
11-01-2011, 11:23 AM
i just got another potential new customer this morning...i bid on 2 projects for him....so now there are (3) potential new customers out there.....all 3 seemed very good potentially and all 3 are directly from actually talking with someone instead of leaving messages...i think over the years ive only gotten 1 or 2 customers who replied to my messages...if you dont talk to the actual person you really dont have a chance

if i am slow again in a month ill spend a few days calling again...with my list smaller it will go faster this time

i dont think i will ever get past the secretary on many of the larger builders...ill bet they get 20 calls a day from subs looking for work...the small guys i target dont get many calls like that and they dont have secretaries.

2/3rds of my current customers are in the 'small' category, its not really my target market since in this economy they arent bringing many projects anymore....the medium size guys are more my target and the secretaries are blocking me.....if i call monthly for 6 months they may let me through eventually

i have to say cold calling worked this time....i got about a 1.5-2% response...and who knows how many more will call back in the coming weeks...but like Frederick said...its more 'warm' calling

one person actually said i was the most consistent caller/mailer he's ever delt with....he said he would let me bid on the next project just because of all the work i put into it.

Spider
11-01-2011, 05:53 PM
... i dont think i will ever get past the secretary on many of the larger builders....Call five minutes before the half-hour, early in the morning. You probably don't know what time the secretary starts work, but there will be occasions (maybe every morning) that the boss gets there before the secretary. If she starts at 8.00am and he gets in at 7.45am, chances are he will pick up if you call at 7.55am.

Or 7.25am for a 7.30 start, 8.25 for an 8.30 start.

Steve B
11-02-2011, 01:43 AM
Great point Frederick - I was just going to say the same thing. The boss won't be able to stand having the phone go unanswered if he/she is standing right there.

huggytree
11-03-2011, 07:24 PM
just bid on a project for another new remodeler tonight

and have a bid monday for another new fire/water resto company (a guy i know just switched to this new company)
...i will get his work for sure

so total now is 4 new customers in 3 weeks and 4 more potential new customers(outstanding bids)

1 of the new customers had nothing to do with the calls, but the rest is a direct result of calls and follow up mailers to the warm(potential ones)

its crazy how good this has worked this time...never seen anything even close when i did it years ago

if i get all 8 customers projects its worth $100,000+++ in business just on those 8 projects



the wife says calling monthly to the builders is too much....there is a fine line between being aggressive and being annoying....that line is drawn by the potential customer....i think calling monthly is a grey area that may be annoying

MobileMarketness
11-20-2011, 11:55 PM
Hey HT,

I would suspect things are working better because your positioning is better; you have more credibility because you've been around for a while. I'd imagine you have more confidence, too.

Sounds like you're the real deal when it comes to residential plumbing. You likely know as much if not more than any of the other plumbers bidding on jobs. Have you considered different ways you can become the clear choice even if you're not the cheapest?

Would there be any regulations about you writing a book, a blog, newsletter, newspaper column? I'm trying to think of things that would really position you as an authority in the field. You'd be surprised how easy all of the above is to get done. If you had a few books at the local bookstores (again, extremely easy to pull off), or perhaps an article or two written in the local paper, I doubt you'd have much trouble getting calls returned.

In my humble opinion, to stand out, you have to stand out.

huggytree
11-22-2011, 09:45 PM
ive written articles(3) for the major newspaper in my area (Milwaukee Journal) in the Sunday remodeling section...also written for Readers Digest.......and had my letter published in the PHC monthly magazine (National Plumbing/Heating/Cooling magazine that every plumber gets)...im also a member of the remodeling councel for the local home builder assocation. Ive been asked to be on the advisory board, but keep declining over free time issues..

i have sent copy's of my newspaper articles to potential clients a while back...it didnt do much

ive considered writing a blog....i already post on a plumbing blog...i got 1 job from it once

its been a month since i did all that cold calling and i am so busy im barely hanging on....im working 6 days a week - 10 hour days + 2 hours a night doing bids/book keeping

i am going to pay someone to hand write envelopes so i can send my quartly fliers out....i do not have time now to call back the 8 warm potential customers i found last month...im even working a 1/2 day on Thanksgiving to catch up.

SnellExperts
11-27-2011, 12:53 PM
Your dialogue was pretty good as it was, but yeah this really isn't authentic "cold calling" so it is a bit of a different scenario.

glenneena
11-27-2011, 12:59 PM
Even if you don't ever get to talk to them, your persistence might pay off. If they get a message to call you once a month for 6 months in a row, they will still be seeing your name and know that you are still in business. .

I would agree, but call them or send them something every 2 or 3 months if that is your plan. They might just get inquistive.

ryantc
12-18-2013, 12:53 PM
There is a lot of information about this topic on the web. Here are the most essential items to keep in mind.
1) Focus on the goal. 2) Research your markets and prospects. 3) Prepare an opening statement for your call. 4) What should be in the opening statement? 5) Prepare a script for the rest of your call. 6) Ask for an appointment at a specific time. 7) Remember that gatekeepers are your allies not your foes. 8) Smooth the way for your call by sending prospects a small, unique promotional item. 9) Do your cold calling early in the morning, if possible. 10) Be persistent.